If anyone asked Ray why he smiled, he probably wouldn't be able to explain it either.
But there was one feeling he had just experienced very clearly.
It was regret.
Self-blame.
Perhaps his smile was mocking himself.
Because at that moment, he suddenly recalled several fragmented scenes.
...
"Rin, your body is too weak for training."
"Rin, stay further away."
"Jaken, watch over Rin."
"Setsuna, Towa, take good care of your mother."
Finally, another scene flashed through Ray's mind like a bolt of lightning.
[Rin on her deathbed, smiling weakly, nearing the end of her short human lifespan]
...
These scenes felt painfully familiar to Ray.
But when did he acquire these memories?
From Sesshomaru's consciousness?
But at the time Ray acquired the template, Sesshomaru had just met Rin.
Those future memories shouldn't exist.
The more Ray thought about it, the more suffocated he felt.
His usually clear mind was now chaotic.
To break free from this suffocating state, Ray immediately shifted his attention back to reality—to Ulti and Page One, who were glaring fiercely at him.
...
Why hadn't Ulti and Page One attacked after watching for so long?
Because Page One was currently holding back his furious sister with both arms.
He kept feeling that Ray looked extremely familiar. Those strong enough to nearly kill him with one casual punch were incredibly rare on these seas.
The key point was that both Page One and Ulti were people who usually paid little attention to the news.
Especially Ulti, who had no impression of Ray at all.
At least Page One, being a carnivorous dinosaur user, maintained some instinctive alertness toward powerful enemies.
As for Ulti's Pachycephalosaurus? By nature, it was designed to be reckless and headstrong.
What brains could someone have who just smashes things with their head whenever they encounter a problem?
"Let me go, Pay-Pay! I'm gonna headbutt him!"
But the next moment, Page One released his hold on Ulti.
Not because he wanted to, but because he froze.
That silver-haired man had instantly moved from one kilometer away to right before their eyes.
ZAP.
The moment they saw Ray up close, both simultaneously felt a suffocating sensation.
Overwhelming.
This was absolutely an overwhelming level of power!
They had never felt this level of pressure even from the Three Disasters.
"Attack!"
They immediately prepared to counterattack.
But the moment their hands began to rise, they saw a claw-shaped light appear before their eyes.
SLASH!
As the light flashed, Ray had already moved behind them.
Ulti and Page One suddenly felt excruciating pain throughout their bodies.
Then, they saw blood erupt from their chests toward the sky.
"Gah...!"
The siblings struggled to turn their heads backward, but before they could clearly see Ray's back, their eyes rolled back.
THUD! THUD!
They collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
...
The other small fries of the Beast Pirates hadn't yet processed what had happened.
In just the blink of an eye, their officers had fallen?
These were two of the Flying Six!
Among the Beast Pirates' true combatants, only six people could achieve such honor.
To instantly defeat these siblings—even the three top executives King, Queen, and Jack couldn't accomplish that so easily.
Three seconds later, these hundreds of pirates accustomed to bullying others finally realized the truth.
This white-haired man before them was an existence they absolutely couldn't oppose.
"RUN!"
Thus, except for a few dozen brave (or stupid) pirates who chose to attack Ray, the rest turned and fled screaming.
But regardless of their choice, they all now faced a hellish scene.
Ray instantly teleported into the midst of the hundreds of pirates.
Simultaneously, a Light Whip hundreds of meters long emerged from his right fingertips.
Tapping the ground with his toes, extending his right arm...
WHOOSH!
After spinning twice in place, the rotating whip acted like the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
It sliced all several hundred small-fry pirates present clean in half.
The poison coating the whip ensured they had no chance of survival.
In the distance, Cavendish was laughing while Frieda remained relatively calm.
Having witnessed grander spectacles like the battle with Big Mom, they both knew this display from their boss, though impressive, paled in comparison to his full power.
For the members of the Beautiful Pirates, however, this was their first time seeing Ray in action.
Their jaws hung slack, faces frozen, as if their minds had been shocked into complete stillness.
'This merciless personallity... was truly cool.'
As for Tama, her small body began to tremble involuntarily after watching the entire scene.
Beneath her dazed expression swirled a tumult of emotions.
Fear, shock, terror... and the grim satisfaction of vengeance.
Before long, tears began gathering at the corners of her eyes.
But she held them back.
She bit her lip and refused to cry.
She had promised Ray she could handle this, and she would keep her word.
This was a female ninja's dignity!
...
Soon after, Ray returned to stand before Cavendish, Tama, and the others.
He ordered Cavendish to bind the severely injured, near-death siblings with Sea Prism Stone cuffs if they had any (or just really strong rope).
After giving instructions, Ray turned his gaze to Tama's face.
He saw the underlying resilience within this fragile girl.
After a moment of silence, he spoke two words to her.
"Well done."
Subsequently, Ray and the others entered Tama's village.
Once inside, Cavendish, Frieda, and the Beautiful Pirates members all went to help Tama search for her grandfather among the ruins.
They'd heard he was an old man wearing a Tengu mask and carrying a katana.
Naturally, Ray didn't participate.
He flew alone to the cliffs outside the village.
Leaning against a massive tree, he sank into deep contemplation.
...
Earlier, after witnessing Tama's reaction, scenes had been replaying incessantly in Ray's mind.
Sesshomaru had used everything to protect Rin.
Yet, in doing so, he had stripped away all possibilities for her beyond mere survival.
Even if he didn't strictly restrict her life, wasn't this still a form of control and possessiveness?
Integrating the recent events with the thoughts swirling in his mind, Ray began to understand his own smile.
That faint smile had been mocking Sesshomaru for controlling Rin.
After seeing Tama's resilience, Ray also felt that Rin, who similarly appeared physically frail, might have had more opportunities if she had been allowed to grow stronger.
If Sesshomaru hadn't defined her as just an "ordinary human" from the start, could Rin have stayed with him longer?
A few human decades were far too brief for a demon like Sesshomaru.
Or perhaps, it was precisely Sesshomaru's overprotectiveness that confined Rin to those mere decades of life.
If he had sought cultivation opportunities for her, could he have altered her short human destiny?
These strange memories gave Ray a headache.
But the question remained: were these memories Sesshomaru's?
Or were they his own?
He pondered for a long time but couldn't reach a definitive answer.
Because these memories were like shattered film reels, utterly fragmented and incoherent.
Both real and fake.
Gradually, Ray grew weary of thinking.
His mind, for once, entered a state of emptiness.
He simply sat beneath the large tree, staring blankly at the slowly setting sun in the distance.
No one knew what he was thinking.
...
Two hours later.
Rustle.
A small, thin figure emerged from the tall grass beside him.
It was Tama.
She had washed her little face clean and was holding a wooden tray with surprising care.
On it sat a bowl of rice, one meat dish, one vegetable dish, and a bowl of soup.
Judging by the quality of the ingredients, they must have been brought from the White Horse.
After all, this so-called Wano Country was essentially Kaido's weapons factory and Orochi's world of slaves.
Only those who submitted to the two of them could obtain food.
Ordinary people like Tama, who lived in the lawless zones, couldn't even get clean water to drink, let alone meat.
Placing the wooden tray on the ground, the little girl looked up.
Her large eyes met Ray's, and she swallowed nervously before speaking.
"Ray-sama... Tama has brought you a meal."
"The pirate brothers and sisters said they didn't dare to come here without your permission... but Tama doesn't think Ray-sama is scary at all."
"I was just worried you might be hungry, so..."
Hearing Tama call him "Ray-sama," Ray found it somewhat amusing.
He guessed it was probably Cavendish and the others who had taught Tama to address him that way out of fear.
But it wasn't bad.
The title and the scene felt quite familiar.
"Mm," Ray murmured. "Leave it here."
---------
No, there will be no Tama x Ray ever please banished that thought!