Since one quarry had slipped away, Garp turned all that pent-up fury on Roger.
"Rayleigh, pick it up. That pain in the neck is headed our way."
"What, that kid got taken down by Garp?" Rayleigh blurted, meaning Rakuya, of course.
Rayleigh's Observation Haki was nowhere near Roger's, so he had no read on the field.
"No. The kid grabbed a Marine admiral and flew into the sky."
"Flew? Something like the Float-Float Fruit?"
Rayleigh said it while his silhouette flickered from trunk to trunk, feet drumming bark as he sprinted.
"No wonder Garp's sights are back on me. If it's just the Roger Pirates versus Garp and HQ, that is a nightmare," Roger muttered, face darkening.
It was hardly Rakuya's fault. If anyone had tried to ditch trouble on someone else first, it was Roger and Rayleigh. The problem was that Rakuya had cleared out even faster than they had, straight into the sky where no one could follow.
"Captain, I'll stall Garp. You get the others out. I'll catch up."
"Don't talk crap. You think I would leave you here?" Roger's moustache quivered as he snapped.
"If no one buys time, both of us are stuck," Rayleigh said, anxious and out of options.
"I have one." Roger's eyes lit. He spread his Observation Haki in all directions until it blanketed Grove 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago. When he found Rakuya, his mouth twitched.
Rakuya was lying on his back in midair, eyes half closed, enjoying the breeze.
Then Roger looked down at himself, sweating and scuffed, running for his life. He could have died on the spot from sheer frustration.
"Friend, a favor."
After a beat of hesitation, Roger's voice sounded in Rakuya's ear, the nudge ruining a perfectly good nap.
"What is it?"
Rakuya did not bother to sit up. He knew Roger was speaking to him by Observation Haki, so he floated there, lazy as a cloud.
Sensing that attitude, Roger could not help the envy in his eyes.
"Can you save my crew? I believe the Roger Pirates can break the cordon, but we'll pay for it in blood. Friend, will you help?"
"Ten Devil Fruits and I move. Otherwise, solve it yourself."
"Done."
Roger accepted without the slightest pause.
"Good. Where do you need to go?" Ten Devil Fruits for something that barely cost him effort was a dream. Rakuya was happy to pocket the commission.
"The New World. But our ship's coating isn't finished. To enter, we'd have to dive ten thousand meters, pass through the cavern under the Red Line, cross Fish-Man Island and emerge on the other side. The coating needs over ten days, and with Marines on our tail there's no way. The other route is through the Holy Land Mary Geoise, which is even less possible." Roger's words tumbled over themselves. "If you can just get us clear of the cordon, anywhere works."
"Forget it. Since you answered so cleanly, I'll get you into the New World," Rakuya said with a relaxed grin, sitting there in the sky as if he had all the time in the world.
"How? What route?" Roger was genuinely taken aback. Without coating, it was impossible. Crossing Mary Geoise was a death wish. And there was no way he would abandon the Oro Jackson.
"Over Mary Geoise. Through the sky."
"You mean you'll fly us?" Roger put it together at once.
"Yes. Fastest and simplest. What else are you going to do, take the scenic route?"
"Deal. Make it twelve Devil Fruits when it's done." Hope surged in Roger's chest and loosened his purse strings.
"Sold."
Rakuya did not dawdle. Repulsive force flared at his back like a rocket blast and he arrowed toward Roger.
"There's hope, Rayleigh. Break through."
With real help inbound, Roger's morale surged. He carved a crescent of killing blue that sent a swath of Marines tumbling and opened a road.
"Roger, stop resisting. You can't get away." Garp pounded after him, hurling iron spheres to harass him whenever he could.
"Hey, Garp. How are we feeling today?"
Rakuya drifted into place overhead, a hundred meters up, wearing the sort of sunny smile that begged for a punch.
Garp looked up and went blank. "You… why are you back?"
"Oh, Roger asked nicely. I thought I'd lend a hand."
"How much did he pay you, kid?"
"Twelve Devil Fruits. You want to bribe me too?"
"The Marines stand for justice. We do not bow to evil." Garp's face went a dangerous shade of black, smoke practically snorting from his nose.
"Suit yourself. Jog on." Rakuya floated past, still a hundred meters up, and for good measure cycled through the breaststroke, the backstroke, and the dog paddle.
It was very relaxed. It was very comfortable. It was, in a word, shameless.
"Argh." The routine worked like a charm. Garp nearly exploded, wishing for wings so he could go up there and put that grin through the ground.
"Brat, just you wait."
"Sure. I'll wait. Anyway, bye for now."
Laughing, Rakuya reached toward Roger and Rayleigh.
"Repulsion, Parallel Space."
Two transparent shells blossomed around them, snug as bubbles.
"Huh?"
Halfway through his run, Rayleigh suddenly felt light, then lighter, then airborne.
Roger blinked, then laughed. "What a delightful ability."
"Hey, Garp. One last thing. No payoff, go arrest your own damn mother."
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