The sea wind continued to howl atop the cliff.
Atop it, Peak Rayleigh and future Marco—two legends from different eras—were chatting over a jug of strong liquor, lost in old memories and laughter.
It was as if they had endless stories to share, countless emotions to unravel.
Lucian simply stood quietly off to the side, not interrupting.
He could feel the strange yet profound friendship between the two—a bond that transcended time itself. He didn't mind letting them catch up.
But they hadn't come here just to reminisce.
As their conversation grew more and more engrossing, it was becoming clear that Marco had all but forgotten the reason they had traveled back in the first place.
Lucian knew—they couldn't wait any longer.
He took a deep breath and stepped forward.
"Excuse me, gentlemen. Sorry to interrupt."
His voice was soft, but it carried clearly into both their ears.
Rayleigh and Marco turned at once to look at him.
Marco gave a sheepish smile, clearly a bit embarrassed for having lost focus.
Rayleigh, on the other hand, still had that calm, carefree air about him. But behind those glasses, his gaze held a glint of knowing.
Lucian didn't waste time.
"Mr. Rayleigh, I know it's bold of us to travel across time like this, but we came with an urgent request. We need your help."
His tone was solemn, heavy with sincerity.
But before Lucian could even finish his pitch—
Rayleigh waved a hand, casually shaking his empty jug and giving a knowing smile.
"No need to explain."
He spoke lightly.
"It's about that idiot Roger's son, isn't it?"
Lucian froze.
He'd been prepared with a whole speech… and just like that, it was stuck in his throat.
Even Marco looked completely blindsided.
Rayleigh chuckled at their stunned expressions, set the jug aside, and said slowly:
"I'll help."
"Count me in."
BOOM!
Those three simple words exploded like thunder in their minds.
'He agreed?'
'Just like that?!'
Lucian was dumbfounded.
He blurted, "Mr. Rayleigh, you… you're agreeing just like that?"
'This is way too easy!'
"Is that strange?" Rayleigh asked with an amused smirk.
"Of course it's strange!"
Lucian couldn't help himself.
He gathered his thoughts and explained honestly:
"To tell the truth, before we came to this time, we tried approaching the version of you in our era."
"But he turned us down, saying he was retired."
"That's why I never expected your peak self to say yes so easily!"
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow, adjusting his glasses. His golden hair swayed slightly in the breeze.
"Oh?"
"The older me refused?"
"Heh… that is kind of interesting."
He paused to think, then gave a carefree laugh.
"Maybe the future me has his reasons—things he can't say."
"But right now? I don't have any reason to say no."
He turned his gaze toward the vast, surging ocean, his eyes growing distant and deep.
"Roger might've been a fool and an idiot—but his son? I'm not about to sit back and watch him fall."
"And besides…"
Rayleigh suddenly turned to Lucian, a glint of long-dormant battle intent flaring in his eyes.
"Meeting my future self… maybe even getting to fight him—"
"Just the thought of it gets my blood boiling."
Lucian and Marco were stunned once again.
'Why do they all want to fight their future selves?!'
They'd thought that kind of madness was exclusive to Whitebeard.
Turns out, Rayleigh had the same idea too!
'So this is what strong people are like… weirdly different, and somehow exactly the same.'
"You'll definitely get that chance!" Lucian grinned, stepping forward.
"Forgive me, Mr. Rayleigh!"
Before he even finished speaking, he shot a hand out and gently pressed it against Rayleigh's shoulder.
Buzz!
A golden rune—barely visible—sank into Rayleigh's body.
『Ding!』
『Congratulations. You have successfully marked [Peak · Silvers Rayleigh] with a [Temporal Imprint]!』
『You may summon this unit to your current timeline at any moment!』
'It worked!'
Lucian's heart surged with joy.
Their hardest task had just been resolved… with almost ridiculous ease!
'That went way smoother than expected!'
"Alright then. Mr. Rayleigh, Marco—we don't have much time left."
Lucian pulled his hand back and stepped away.
"We need to go find our final recruit!"
Rayleigh glanced inward at the strange sensation in his body, curiosity flickering in his eyes. But he didn't ask questions. He simply nodded, bold and unhesitating.
"Go."
"Call me whenever you need me."
Marco stood up and gave Rayleigh a deep bow.
"Thank you, Mr. Rayleigh. Until we meet again!"
With the farewells said, Lucian didn't hesitate.
He activated the system, tearing open a new rift in front of them.
But this time… what lay on the other side wasn't the calmness of the past—
It was a future steeped in chaos and destruction.
"Let's move!"
Lucian grabbed Marco—who was still stunned—and stepped into the Gate of Time and Space.
Through the swirling, distorted corridor of light—
As soon as their feet hit solid ground again, an overpowering stench of gunpowder, scorched earth, and blood slammed into their senses.
All around them were the ruins of war.
Collapsed buildings, shattered terrain, crisscrossed by massive blade scars and craters so deep their bottoms were hidden in darkness.
Above, thick storm clouds loomed.
A suffocating pressure hung in the air like a storm waiting to break.
They stood atop a massive floating island shaped like a skull.
This place—had just witnessed a world-shaking battle of apocalyptic scale.
Marco stared at the scene around him, utterly frozen.
His pupils contracted violently, his expression filled with disbelief.
"This is…"
He finally choked out a few dry words, his voice trembling:
"Wano?!"
Lucian stood beside him, eyes scanning the remnants of power still lingering in the air—traces of Conqueror's Haki that shook the heavens.
He nodded.
"Yeah."
He spoke calmly—but the words he uttered struck like thunder.
"More precisely… Wano, Onigashima's peak."
"Looks like our timing is perfect."
"Right after Luffy… defeated Kaido."
'What?!'
Marco's mind went blank.
He whipped his head around, eyes wide as he stared at Lucian.
"You… what did you say?!"
His voice cracked from the sheer shock—sharp and unsteady.
"Straw Hat…"
"Defeated… Kaido?!"