The night air over the Sabaody Archipelago was heavy and thick, settling over Grove 13 like a suffocating blanket. The chaos of the evening had finally subsided, leaving the lawless zone in a rare state of terrified silence. The only evidence of the earth-shattering battle that had just concluded lay in the smoking ruins and the jagged scars torn into the earth.
Inside the bar, Shakky's Rip-off Bar, the atmosphere was subdued. Shakky slowly emerged from behind the counter, a slender lady's cigarette poised elegantly between her fingers. Her sharp eyes surveyed the destruction with a mix of resignation and calculation. The walls were scorched black, bearing the unmistakable heat signature of the Magu Magu no Mi, while the floor was a graveyard of shattered glass and splintered wood.
"These young people today," Shakky sighed, exhaling a thin plume of smoke that drifted toward the damaged ceiling. "Their tempers are far too fiery for their own good. What was supposed to be a simple 'post-dinner exercise' nearly reduced my entire livelihood to ash."
She bent down gracefully, her fingers brushing against the charred remains of a wine bottle. The label was burned away, but she recognized the shape. She shook her head with a genuine sense of loss. "What a waste. That was a fifty-year-old vintage. I was saving that for a special occasion."
However, her melancholy was fleeting. Her gaze shifted to the heavy stack of cash Takuro had left behind on the counter. It was a staggering sum, totaling several hundred million Berries. The sight of the currency instantly soothed her heartache. If destroying a few bottles of wine meant earning this much, she would happily let them smash the whole bar.
At the bar counter, Silvers Rayleigh sat in silence, completely ignoring Shakky's complaints about the inventory. The man known to the world as the 'Dark King,' the former First Mate of the Roger Pirates, was staring blankly into the bottom of his empty glass. He mechanically lifted it to his lips, realized it was empty, and set it down again. His mind was elsewhere, replaying the brief, terrifying exchange that had just occurred.
Shakky walked over, the heels of her boots clicking softly on the debris. She nudged him gently with her elbow, her tone teasing. "Hey, Rayleigh. You've been completely out of sorts since he left. Don't tell me a legend like you was actually intimidated by that young man?"
Rayleigh didn't answer immediately. He slowly lowered his hand, his grip on the glass tightening until the glass creaked. A complex, wry smile twisted his lips—an expression born of shock, disbelief, and a lingering, primal fear that he hadn't felt in decades.
"...Intimidated?" Rayleigh's voice was hoarse, lacking its usual confident timber. "Shakky, you probably don't realize what just happened."
He turned to look at her, his eyes shadowed. "When he stood there... for a split second, my hand went to my sword. I almost drew it on him."
"And?" Shakky raised an eyebrow, sensing the gravity in his tone. She pulled up a stool and sat beside him. "You've drawn your sword on plenty of monsters before. Whitebeard, Shiki, the Marines..."
"This was different," Rayleigh interrupted, his gaze drifting back to the door where Takuro had exited. "It wasn't just strength. It was... pressure. When he unleashed his true aura, it wasn't Haki. It was something denser, something heavier."
He paused, struggling to find the vocabulary to describe the sensation of Ki that defied the logic of their world. "It felt like I was a seagull that had just learned to fly, foolishly trying to challenge an ancient dragon soaring through the highest heavens. The gap between us wasn't a river; it was an ocean."
Rayleigh's fingers unconsciously traced the rim of his glass. "My instincts screamed at me. If I had actually made a move... if I had drawn my blade... I would be a cold corpse right now."
Shakky's hand froze mid-air, the ash from her cigarette falling unnoticed to the floor. She knew Rayleigh's strength better than anyone. Even in retirement, he was a monster capable of holding off a Marine Admiral. For him to admit that he would have been instantly killed... just how terrifying was this Takuro?
"It seems," Shakky murmured, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully, "that new, violent waves are about to stir on this sea."
Meanwhile, panic had gripped the Marine G-10 Branch stationed on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Vice Admiral Relf was pacing frantically back and forth, personally overseeing a mission that felt less like a military operation and more like a desperate bid for survival.
"Quick! Faster!" Relf screamed at his subordinate officers, his voice cracking. "Bring all the best coating craftsmen here immediately! I said 'bring,' not ask! Drag them out of their houses if you have to! Anyone who dares to be negligent will face immediate military justice!"
The entire branch was operating at a fever pitch. Marines scrambled over one another, hauling massive barrels of the highest quality coating resin from the warehouses. Advanced machinery was being rushed to the docks, and confused, sleepy craftsmen were being 'escorted' from their beds by armed soldiers.
Relf supervised every second of the operation, cold sweat streaming down his face. He wiped his forehead with a trembling hand. The image of Takuro effortlessly crushing Admiral Akainu—the Marines' greatest offensive power—played in his mind like a nightmare on a loop.
"All preparations must be completed before dawn," Relf muttered to himself, terrified that a single delay would bring the monster's wrath down upon them. "We cannot offend him. If he comes back here... we are all dead."
True to his word, Rayleigh appeared at the Marine dock shortly after. It was a surreal sight: the Dark King, a wanted pirate, walking freely among Marines who were too terrified to arrest him. He began personally supervising the coating of the ship.
"The viscosity of this resin is off," Rayleigh said, his professional mode taking over as he lectured the Marine craftsmen. "You need to adjust the mixture. The water pressure at 10,000 meters is no joke. If this bubble pops, he dies, and then you die."
Under this bizarre alliance of pirates and Marines, the work accelerated. At this rate, the ship known as the "Conqueror" would be coated and ready to dive to Fish-Man Island in less than three days.
While the outside world scrambled in fear, a very different kind of tension was filling the luxurious Captain's cabin of the "Conqueror."
Gion, known by her Vice Admiral code name Momousagi, was backed into a corner. She had wrapped herself tightly in her Marine coat, clutching the fabric as if it were armor. Her eyes were fixed warily on Takuro, who was slowly walking toward her.
The normally composed and imposing Vice Admiral looked disheveled. Her hair was messy from the struggle, and her breathing was ragged.
"I am warning you!" Gion shouted, trying to inject authority into her voice, though it wavered. "I am a Vice Admiral of Marineford! You are a criminal! If you dare to do anything to me... Great Staff Officer Tsuru will never let you off! She will hunt you to the ends of the earth!"
Takuro observed his stubborn captive with genuine amusement. A playful smirk danced on his lips as he deliberately slowed his pace. He was enjoying the rapid shift of emotions on her face—from righteous anger to nervous tension, and finally, to a very clear, undeniable panic.
"Is that so?" Takuro stopped right in front of the bed. He slowly extended his hand toward her face. "Don't worry. I'm always very... gentle."
Gion instinctively recoiled, pressing her back against the wall. The cabin was spacious for a ship, but right now, it felt incredibly small. She had nowhere left to retreat. She squeezed her eyes shut, her heart hammering against her ribs, preparing for the humiliation that was sure to follow.
But the assault never came.
She felt a breeze as Takuro's hand moved past her ear. He reached behind her and picked up a fruit plate sitting on the nightstand.
"Want some?"
Gion's eyes snapped open. Takuro was standing there, casually taking a large bite out of a crisp red apple.
"You must be hungry after fighting for so long," he said, chewing thoughtfully. "Your stamina is impressive, but everyone needs to eat."
Gion stood frozen, her brain short-circuiting. The fear and adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins suddenly had nowhere to go, leaving her staring at him in utter bewilderment.
Takuro swallowed the bite and laughed at her expression. "What's with that face? What exactly did you think I was going to do to you?"
He leaned in closer, invading her personal space again, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Or rather... were you expecting something to happen?"
"You...!" Gion's face turned a shade of crimson that rivaled Akainu's magma. She glared at him, a mix of shame and indignation burning in her eyes. "You are shameless!"
Takuro laughed heartily, the sound echoing in the cabin. He sat down on the edge of the bed, completely relaxed, and pushed the fruit plate toward her.
"Relax, Vice Admiral. I'm not Frieza. I'm not interested in forcing women to do anything," he said, referencing a tyrant she had never heard of. "However..."
His gaze shifted, becoming sharp and playful again. "Since you are currently my 'captive,' and a high-ranking one at that, you have to pay a price. Until the Marines bring me my ransom money, you're going to keep me company."
Gion looked at the apple, then back at him, her guard still up. "And what exactly does 'keeping you company' entail? What do you want to talk about?"
"Oh, plenty of things," Takuro said, tilting his head as he looked at her. "For example... why is the World Government so obsessed with me? Why are you Marines so interested in a guy who just wants to sail the seas?"
Outside, the night deepened over the Sabaody Archipelago, hiding the ship in shadows. Inside, a very special interrogation was just beginning.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion