Rayleigh then turned to look at Maritis with a gentle smile. "Little girl, thank you for the meal you shared with me earlier."
"I'm sorry for letting you go hungry because of an old man like me, and for nearly causing you trouble with the guards."
"Oh... thank you, sir," Maritis replied instinctively, still confused by everything happening around her.
She stared in bewilderment at the numerous enemies who had collapsed unconscious throughout the venue, as well as the elderly chief guard who now lay on the ground with trembling legs. He wasn't completely unconscious, but his awareness was so clouded that he couldn't stand up.
For a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming. But seeing her injured lover brought her back to reality, and she asked nervously, "Valk, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Maritis," he replied, coughing slightly. "But who is this man?"
Though he didn't fully understand what had just occurred, Valk could tell the old man had helped them significantly. After struggling to his feet, he bowed respectfully to Rayleigh.
"Thank you so much for your assistance!"
The elderly guard who had ambushed him was actually the venue's chief of security, and his strength had been equal to Valk's own. Without this mysterious intervention, that successful sneak attack would have been enough for the auction house forces to completely overwhelm them.
"Hey, hey! Are you kidding me?" one of the surviving pirates stammered.
"That can't be the legendary..." another whispered in disbelief.
After being swept by the wave of Conqueror's Haki, the remaining pirate captains were finally able to see Rayleigh's face clearly. Though most pirates weren't particularly educated, they were deeply familiar with the faces and features of legendary figures and high-bounty criminals.
Since Rayleigh had been keeping his head down since appearing on stage, no one except Jerry and his crew had paid attention to what appeared to be just another elderly slave.
"The legendary Dark King..." one pirate leader breathed.
Two CP intelligence agents were also present in the venue. After confirming that it was indeed Silvers Rayleigh standing before them, one reached out with a trembling hand toward his communication device.
However, Jerry was faster, striking the agent with a precise shot that fractured his chest and sent the Den Den Mushi flying from his grasp.
"CP organization, I see," Jerry muttered, scanning the remaining conscious figures in the hall.
Apart from the pirate leaders, only members of the CP organization remained standing—originally two agents, now reduced to one. A few other individuals sat barely upright in their seats, looking terrified. These appeared to be intelligence officers from the Marine and other organizations, along with some auction house guards who had been cowardly enough to avoid complete unconsciousness.
After Jerry's follow-up burst of Conqueror's Haki, most of these stragglers also fainted. Of course, this didn't include those on stage who had been deliberately spared from Rayleigh's initial attack.
These intelligence personnel had most likely followed him here. Jerry had detected their surveillance long before he'd gone shopping and dining earlier in the day.
"Wait here—I'll be right back," he told his crew, removing the mouse mask from his face as he charged toward the three remaining pirates and the lone CP agent, who happened to be positioned in the same direction.
Jerry wasn't being as casual as Rayleigh had been. Perhaps the Dark King had other tricks up his sleeve, but Jerry was thinking practically: since an incident had occurred here, he would inevitably bear responsibility simply for being present.
After all, Rayleigh had been retired for years and rarely took action, so the Marine and World Government rarely paid serious attention to him, let alone actively investigated his whereabouts.
Given this reality, no matter what explanation he offered afterward, Jerry would definitely be considered the mastermind behind the disturbance. He might as well embrace the situation, reveal himself openly, and eliminate all potential witnesses.
Seeing him remove his disguise, one of the pirates pointed at him in shock. "You're Leviathan Jerry!"
"Too noisy," Jerry muttered, not bothering to engage in conversation as he delivered swift kicks to each of them.
In mere moments, he had struck them so forcefully that their noses swelled, their faces became unrecognizable, and several teeth were knocked loose. It was a long-forgotten technique from martial arts lore—the "Face-Rearranging Kick."
After being sent flying, these notorious pirates who had murdered countless people lost consciousness before they could even understand why they'd been attacked.
"Sorry, I'm not one for explanations," Jerry said with his usual theatrical flair, "but you shouldn't have pointed at me."
He then turned to the sole remaining CP agent.
"What? Not going to try running?"
"With both the Dark King and Leviathan here, do you think I could escape?" the agent replied, appearing to sit calmly in place while actually feeling utterly helpless. He was merely a small team leader.
He'd originally been sent on a mission to track and gather intelligence on Jerry, bringing only one subordinate—the one Jerry had just taken down. Before accepting the assignment, he'd thoroughly investigated Jerry's track record and knew that as long as he didn't provoke the man directly or cross certain lines, he could generally remain safe.
But in the current situation, he no longer harbored any illusions. He'd even given up on attempting to escape openly, conserving his energy for a potential opportunity to survive or strike back later.
He wouldn't surrender easily. If a chance presented itself, eliminating Leviathan would be preferable.
"You're quite intelligent and composed—a man of talent," Jerry observed, his Observation Haki detecting a powerful presence rapidly approaching their location.
Moreover, he clearly sensed the hidden murderous intent from the agent before him. Jerry decided not to give him the opportunity to stall for time.
Jerry's form blurred as his swift elbow strike met the captain's defensive posture.
The attack's speed exceeded the captain's expectations. When he realized what was happening, he barely had time to employ Iron Body, the strongest defensive technique among the Marine's Six Styles.
But his defense proved completely inadequate against the fierce assault, and he was sent flying in an instant.
Jerry vanished again, catching up to the airborne figure. A gleam flashed in his eyes as he rapidly gathered his strength.
"Water Dragon Fist!"
With this punch, the familiar water dragon manifested, carrying the bloodied enemy through the roof and straight into the sky.
From the moment Jerry had taken control of the battlefield with his Conqueror's Haki to achieving this complete victory, only a few minutes had passed.
Maritis and Valk's group had already gathered together, with several civilian slaves joining them—obviously the result of a quick discussion among the freed captives.
Besides those on stage, there had been no other slaves in the venue. After all, this was a general auction house, not an establishment exclusively dedicated to slave trading.
"Haha, that's fine. You should thank him even more—he helped you too," Rayleigh said casually when Maritis asked about Jerry.
Having learned about Jerry through various channels, Rayleigh had watched him eliminate those enemies and knew the young man would see things through to completion.
Jerry approached with Skull and the others. Seeing that the group had assembled and was ready to escape together, he asked, "Old Man Ray, are they all coming with us?"
"Yes, if we're fleeing together, we can look out for each other," Rayleigh confirmed.
Remembering Rayleigh's earlier words, Valk realized Jerry was an ally and introduced himself. "My name is Valk, captain of the Teton Kingdom's guard."
"I'm Jerry. Nice to meet you," he replied simply.
"Well... let's head outside first and talk while we move," Jerry suggested, looking at the civilian slaves whose eyes were shining with renewed hope. They were ready to escape, except for the explosive collars around their necks. After a moment's hesitation, he decided they should leave immediately.
"Alright, let's go," everyone agreed.
By the time they reached the auction house entrance, Jerry had learned about Valk's background and origins. He signaled for everyone to stop.
"Let me help everyone remove those collar bombs first," he announced. "We might as well enjoy some fireworks while we're at it."
"Old Man Ray, would you like to do the honors, or shall I?"
"Please, be my guest," Rayleigh replied with a gesture, indicating Jerry should proceed as he saw fit.
Seeing that Rayleigh was giving him free rein, Jerry nodded and stepped forward without further ceremony.