Rayleigh took a sip of wine, his usually calm face turning serious. "I can feel it… that dangerous presence coming from him. Even the Captain, or old friends like Sengoku, never gave off such a strong aura."
Shakky nodded thoughtfully. "So you sensed it too? I thought it was just me. That young man, Kaito… his strength isn't as simple as he makes it seem."
Rayleigh let out a low sigh. "If I'm not mistaken, in seven days Sengoku will personally come, and he'll bring Aokiji and Kizaru with him."
Shakky's eyes widened slightly. "You think it'll come to that?"
"There's a good chance," Rayleigh said grimly. "This might turn into a battle that shakes the seas."
Shakky smirked. "And here I thought you didn't like him."
"I don't dislike Kaito," Rayleigh replied, setting down his glass. "I just don't like the Marines. But if they really fight, our quiet little retirement spot might turn into their battlefield."
"Hmph, then we'll just find another place to retire. You're worrying too much, old man."
"Maybe…" Rayleigh murmured, gazing out the door. A glint of thought flickered in his eyes.
---
By the next morning, Kaito was awake right on time. After eating a simple breakfast, he prepared to head toward Zone 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago. His goal was clear — to buy a record pointer or, if possible, an eternal pointer to Dressrosa.
With that, he wouldn't waste any unnecessary time along the way. During the coming week, he planned to settle the issue with Doflamingo and focus on building his own pirate crew.
Zones 1 through 29 of Sabaody were known as the illegal zones — full of human auctions, black markets, and shady deals. Everyone who ran business there had either power, influence, or both. Chaos was the law of those streets.
As soon as Kaito entered, several eyes turned his way from the shadows.
"The goods are here! Didn't expect it to be a young man," one whispered.
"Fine skin and all, he'll fetch a high price," another said, grinning wickedly.
Kaito felt their malicious intent immediately. His eyes turned cold. "Seeking death, are we?" he muttered softly. "I just happen to need a guide."
A blur of movement — then he vanished from sight.
The two traffickers froze. "B-boss… he's fast! He's a monster!"
"Run!" Sol, the older one, turned to flee — only to find Kaito standing right in front of them.
The young man's gaze was sharp and lifeless, as if he felt nothing at all.
"W-we didn't mean anything by it!" Sol stammered. "Sir, what do you need from us?"
"You're locals, aren't you?" Kaito asked coolly. "You know this place well."
"Y-yes! We know everything around here!"
"Good. Take me somewhere I can buy record pointers for the New World islands."
"Of course, sir! Please follow me!" Sol said, bowing nervously.
Kaito's eyes flicked to the other man. His tone turned icy. "As for you… you can die here."
He lifted a finger. A transparent burst of compressed air shot out, piercing the man's forehead. The body collapsed with a dull thud, blood spreading across the dirt.
Kaito didn't even glance down. "Let's go."
Sol trembled, his face pale as paper. "Y-yes, sir!" He turned quickly and led the way.
---
After a short walk, they arrived at a modest shop tucked beneath a large tree. It wasn't fancy, but it looked respectable enough.
"T-this is the shop that sells record pointers across the seas," Sol whispered. "They've got both normal and eternal pointers, but the eternal ones are really expensive."
"Got it," Kaito replied flatly. "You can leave. I won't kill you for guiding me."
"T-thank you, sir!" Sol stammered before running off in relief.
Kaito stepped forward and pushed the door open.
"Welcome, dear guest!" Two young maids greeted him softly, their polite smiles clearly trained for business.
Kaito couldn't help but smirk slightly. The owner sure knows how to attract customers. If someone didn't know better, they'd think this place sold slaves instead of tools.
"The guest wishes to buy a record pointer or sell one?" the blonde maid asked politely.
"Buy," Kaito replied.
"Understood. Please follow me."
The maid led him upstairs and knocked gently on a wooden door. "Mr. Eddie, someone's here to buy a pointer."
"Come in," came an aged but calm voice from inside.
Kaito stepped in and found an old man with white hair sitting comfortably in a chair, smiling as he gestured for the maid to leave.
"My name's Colin," the old man said kindly. "So, what will it be? A record pointer or an eternal pointer?"
"Eternal Pointer. For Dressrosa," Kaito answered simply.
"Dressrosa?" Colin blinked in mild surprise. "You're in luck — we happen to have one in stock."
"How much?"
"The record pointer costs ten million Berries. The eternal pointer costs one hundred million."
"So expensive?" Kaito raised an eyebrow.
Colin chuckled. "We just take a small cut. Compared to the fortune those human traffickers make, we're the honest ones."
With little choice, Kaito handed over ten million Berries. His wallet was now painfully light.
"Damn," he muttered as he left the shop. "If I hadn't taken down those pirates on the way here, I wouldn't even have enough for this."
---
With a sigh, he looked at the record pointer pointing steadily in one direction. Kaito crouched slightly — then shot into the air, flying toward the horizon.
Beyond the clouds lay Dressrosa, deep in the New World — reachable either by crossing the Red Line or passing through Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters beneath it.
_____
Milestone
100 Power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter.
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