The title of "Chief Musician" didn't come with any perks for Kyle, other than being forced to act as a "million-dollar tuner" for a group of tone-deaf drunkards whenever Captain Roger felt like singing.
Half a month later, the usual chaos on the Oro Jackson quieted down as an archipelago of massive, red-barked trees appeared on the horizon. Dreamy bubbles floated up from the ground, and sunlight filtered through the giant canopy, dappling the sea in light and shadow. They had arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, the final stop in the first half of the Grand Line and the gateway to the New World.
"Oh, oh! We're finally here!" Roger stood at the bow, his arms spread wide as if to embrace the strange islands. "Alright, lads, get ready to find a coater! We're heading to Fish-Man Island!"
"Coating?" Buggy and Shanks asked at the same time, their faces filled with curiosity.
"That's right," Rayleigh explained, leaning against the rail. "To get to Fish-Man Island, which is ten thousand meters below the sea, the ship has to be covered in a special resin bubble. Otherwise, the water pressure would crush us into splinters."
With their task set, the crew got to work. Roger, naturally, appointed himself the hands-off boss and dragged Kozuki Oden off to find some fun on the island. The delicate job of finding a reliable coating craftsman fell to the patient and intelligent vice-captain, Rayleigh.
Rayleigh didn't complain. He adjusted his collar and disembarked alone, heading toward Sabaody's lawless district. However, the moment he was gone, three sneaky heads popped up from behind the ship's rail.
"Hey, are we really going to follow Mr. Rayleigh?" Shanks whispered, his voice full of excitement.
"Of course! The Captain and Oden are just going to get into a fight or find a bar. That's totally boring!" Buggy said matter-of-factly. "If we follow Mr. Rayleigh, we might get to see the legendary coating process!"
"Ahem, I'm just a little worried about him going into that area alone," Jabba added, carrying his giant axe and offering a noble-sounding excuse. Kyle simply crossed his arms and followed along behind them, the amused smile of someone about to enjoy a good show playing on his lips.
The group of clumsy detectives kept their distance, tailing Rayleigh as he navigated the bizarre, bubble-filled streets of Sabaody. Rayleigh seemed to be aware of his followers, but he didn't call them out, simply maintaining his steady pace. Finally, he stopped in front of a stylish-looking tavern with a sign that read in elegant script: "Shakky's Rip-Off Bar."
"Rip-off?" Buggy's red nose twitched. "That sounds expensive! Why is Mr. Rayleigh going in there? Is the coating craftsman inside?"
"An interesting name for a place," Jabba mused, stroking his chin. The four of them shared a look of silent understanding and pushed the door open.
The tavern was dimly lit, the air filled with the faint, pleasant scent of tobacco and alcohol. A slender, well-dressed woman with a cigarette held between her fingers leaned against the bar, her posture relaxed and elegant. When she saw Rayleigh, she simply lifted an eyelid and exhaled a perfect ring of smoke.
"Just one?" she asked, her voice a husky whisper.
Rayleigh walked to the bar and sat down. "A glass of whiskey. No ice."
The woman, Shakky, skillfully poured the amber liquid and slid the glass toward him. "That'll be five million Berries."
"Pfft—" Buggy, who had just sat down in a corner booth, nearly sprayed his juice everywhere. Five million?! That wasn't a rip-off, it was daylight robbery! Shanks whistled under his breath; that one drink could buy a small pirate crew a new ship.
Rayleigh, however, didn't even blink. He casually tossed a heavy pouch of money onto the bar. "I'm looking for a coating craftsman."
"Oh?" Shakky flicked the ash from her cigarette, a playful smile on her lips. "You don't seem like the average pirate. There's a certain air about you... very dangerous, but also very free."
Rayleigh paused, then met her gaze. The woman in front of him might have seemed like a simple bartender, but her eyes were sharp and knowing. "The feeling is mutual," he replied. "A woman who runs a bar with these prices can't be an ordinary person."
"Heh heh..." Shakky let out a light, pleasant laugh. "I'm just a former pirate trying to live a quiet life."
The four "gossipers" in the corner had completely forgotten about coating.
"Wow..." Shanks's eyes were sparkling. "That lady is amazing! She saw right through Mr. Rayleigh!"
"Hmph, I bet she's just a swindler trying to trick him out of his money," Buggy grumbled, though he couldn't stop looking at her.
"It seems," Jabba said with a knowing smile, "that our vice-captain's good fortune has arrived."
Kyle closed his eyes, concentrating. When he opened them, he had a strange expression. "Their 'waves'... they're in sync."
"Waves?" Buggy asked.
"It's like they're two different instruments," Kyle explained. "They sound great on their own, but when you play them together, they create a perfect harmony."
At the bar, the conversation continued. They weren't talking about ship coating anymore, but about everything from stories of the sea to the balance of power in the world. They were like old friends, each one able to pick up the conversation where the other left off.
"If I had met a man like you a few years earlier," Shakky said suddenly, a teasing light in her eyes, "I might have gone back out to sea."
"It's not too late now," Rayleigh replied, his gaze sincere. "My ship always has room for a beautiful lady."
"Pfft—" Buggy sprayed his juice again.
"Mr. Rayleigh... he actually said that!" Shanks's jaw dropped. This was a side of their stoic vice-captain they had never seen before. Jabba was already trying to calculate an appropriate wedding gift in his head. Kyle, looking like he'd expected this all along, silently used a weak version of his power to make Rayleigh's smooth words echo faintly right in Buggy's ear.
"Is that... Mr. Rayleigh's voice?!" Buggy covered his ears, feeling like his innocent view of the world had been shattered.
Just as the atmosphere in the bar was reaching a peak, the door was thrown open with a bang.
"Rayleigh—! So this is where you were hiding!" Roger's loud voice shattered the mood instantly. "Come on, I found the coating guy! He was hanging out at the amusement park!"
Behind Roger stood a weary-looking Kozuki Oden and several other crewmen with fresh bruises on their faces. They had clearly just been in a fight. The soft expression on Rayleigh's face vanished, replaced by a familiar, tired headache.
He stood up and gave Shakky an apologetic smile. "It seems our conversation will have to wait."
"No problem," Shakky said, elegantly collecting the glass and the money. "You're always welcome to come back and get 'ripped off' again, Mr. Dangerous."
Rayleigh gave her one last, deep look before turning to leave with Roger. The four followers quickly scrambled out of their booth and slipped out after them.
As they walked, Shanks sidled up to Rayleigh, winking. "So, Mr. Rayleigh, who was that lady back there?"
Rayleigh didn't answer. He just looked up at the bubbles floating over Sabaody, and a smile he didn't even notice spread across his face.
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