"You're old enough now; stop staring at young girls." Takuro casually rested his legs on the table's edge, his face calm, but the understated tone held an undeniable warning.
"...Do you understand?"
Rayleigh was startled at first, then let out a genuine, wry laugh. He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and explained gently:
"Haha... Young man, you've misunderstood. I assure you, I mean no harm." He put on a look of mock fear, even patting his chest for emphasis: "If you hadn't helped, with my old bones, I really would've been in trouble tonight. I need to thank you on Shakky's behalf for dealing with those troublesome pirates."
Takuro eyed the seemingly ordinary old man with a half-smile, a hint of playfulness in his gaze.
"...You're not very honest, are you, old man?"
Others might not notice, but Takuro could keenly sense that this elderly man possessed a reserve of Haki that was as deep and profound as an abyss, yet still surging with vitality. The strength of this aura was, he suspected, the strongest he had encountered in this world so far, second only to the red-haired Yonko, Shanks. This old man was clearly "playing the fool" to hide his strength.
Of course, Takuro didn't really care; he knew he couldn't beat him anyway. As long as the other person didn't cause him any trouble, he wasn't bothered enough to expose the pretense. So, he ignored Rayleigh, leaned back in his chair, and quietly waited for his food.
However, while Takuro tried to disengage, Rayleigh became intensely interested in him.
From the moment Takuro walked into the bar, Rayleigh had recognized him as the source of the island-shaking burst of Conqueror's Haki from earlier that day. He had imagined the person would be young, but he hadn't expected him to be so young. This made Rayleigh inwardly sigh: the new generation is truly formidable.
Rayleigh, who had been nursing his drink in this small bar all day, finally couldn't suppress his curiosity. He picked up his glass and walked over to Takuro's table to start a conversation:
"Young man," he asked casually, "You look unfamiliar; where are you sailing from?"
Takuro raised an eyebrow, wanting to see what the old man was getting at, and simply replied, "The North Blue."
"The North Blue?" A flicker of realization crossed Rayleigh's eyes.
His gaze then shifted to Robin, who remained vigilant, and he asked with a probing tone:
"If I'm not mistaken, this beautiful young lady must be the 'Devil Child,' Nico Robin, correct?"
Robin's eyes instantly sharpened, and her body unconsciously leaned forward slightly, ready to move at any moment. The Grand Line wasn't as safe as the North Blue, and many people were still hunting her for her knowledge.
"Don't be nervous, young lady." Rayleigh smiled and waved his hand. "I truly mean no harm."
His gaze returned to Takuro, with a hint of inquiry: "I'm just curious what kind of person would dare to so openly travel with the World Government's most wanted criminal."
"Aren't you afraid of the World Government pursuing you?"
Takuro simply curled his lips in disdain at the question: "Hmph."
Just as he was about to answer, Shakky approached, carrying fragrant dishes. She placed the food on the table one by one, smiling as she interrupted their conversation:
"Rayleigh, your news is quite outdated." She glanced at Rayleigh, a hint of teasing in her voice. "This is the 'North Sea Emperor,' who a Buster Call couldn't even touch. Why would he be afraid of the mere World Government?"
"Oh?" Takuro looked at Shakky with interest. "It seems I'm not so unknown after all. The proprietress knows quite a bit, doesn't she?"
Shakky just smiled without speaking and turned to fetch other dishes.
"Shakky," Rayleigh looked confused, "Do you know this young man?"
Shakky sighed helplessly, a hint of reproach in her tone: "I told you to play less cards and pay more attention to the news! You mean you don't know this ruthless character who has stirred up the entire sea in recent years, defeated Zephyr and Kizaru, and single-handedly destroyed a Buster Call?"
"So that's it!" Rayleigh suddenly understood, slapping his thigh. "I knew what kind of person could possess such powerful Conqueror's Haki! It turns out to be the legendary 'Strange Tail' Takuro!"
He had seen that news too, but it was years ago, and Takuro hadn't fully matured then. The photo on the wanted poster was very different from how he looked now, so he hadn't recognized him immediately. He had long wanted to meet this figure of the new era who dared to directly challenge the World Government, and today he finally got to see him in person.
Rayleigh's curiosity grew even stronger, and he was about to continue talking to Takuro, but the latter cut him off directly:
"Alright, no more talking for now."
Takuro had already picked up his utensils, his gaze fixed on the delicious food in front of him: "...Let me eat first."
Just then, Tiger returned to the bar after dealing with the pirates outside. Takuro invited the two to join him for a meal, and the three quickly began to devour the delicious food on the table like a whirlwind.
Seeing this, Rayleigh chuckled and stepped aside, planning to wait until they were finished eating.
However—
An hour passed.
Rayleigh felt something was definitely off.
Tiger and Robin had long since put down their utensils and were resting quietly nearby. But Takuro was still stuffing food into his mouth at an astonishing speed, a speed that hadn't slowed down at all compared to an hour ago.
Tiger and Robin seemed completely used to this, but Rayleigh was utterly shocked. He swallowed hard, secretly marveling:
'Good heavens... Is this kid's stomach connected to an endless pit in another dimension? How can he possibly eat this much?'
Another hour passed... Shakky, with a hint of fatigue and undisguised awe on her face, brought out the last freshly baked giant dessert:
"Um... young man..." Her voice was a little weak. "This is the last one."
She wiped the sweat from her brow, her voice filled with disbelief: "...All the ingredients in our shop are... used up."
"Oh, alright." Takuro pouted unhappily. "I'm only half full... I guess this will have to do."
Rayleigh and Shakky exchanged glances, both seeing the same sheer shock in each other's eyes.
"If there are no more ingredients, then bring out all the alcohol in your shop!"
Takuro casually picked up a bottle of rum, bit off the cap with his teeth, and then gulped down the entire bottle as if it were water!
"Ha—!"
He let out a satisfied burp, then turned his head, grinned at Rayleigh, who was still quietly observing him from the bar, and issued an "invitation":
"Hey, old man."
"It's boring just watching."
He shook the empty bottle in his hand, a challenging glint in his eyes: "...Want to come over and have a drink?"
Rayleigh's face broke into the most genuine smile of the night at his words.
"Alright."
He took his glass and slowly walked over to sit opposite Takuro, a hint of admiration in his eyes:
"Since it's an invitation from a young man..." He raised his glass. "Then I, an old man, would be rude to refuse."
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