Smoke drifted through the shattered streets outside the auction house.
Marines lay unconscious everywhere.
Broken rifles. Torn uniforms. Craters in the ground.
Three figures stood at the center of it all.
Monkey D. Luffy.
Eustass Kid.
Trafalgar Law.
The last marine collapsed with a groan.
Luffy stretched his arms casually. "Man… there were a lot of them."
Kid cracked his neck, grinning wildly. "Hah! Is that all the Navy's got?!"
Law adjusted his hat calmly. "…You two make too much noise."
Behind them, Silvers Rayleigh stepped forward, hands in his pockets, smiling lightly.
"Looks like you're done."
Luffy turned. "Oh! Old man!"
Rayleigh nodded toward the grove path. "Let's head to Shakky's bar first. Hatchan needs proper treatment."
Luffy immediately agreed. "Yeah! Let's go!"
The Straw Hats gathered and began leaving the ruined auction house.
As they passed—
Kid scoffed. "Oi, Straw Hat!"
Luffy looked back.
Kid smirked sharply. "Don't forget. We're enemies."
Law added calmly, "Do whatever you want… just don't drag us into your chaos."
Luffy grinned widely. "Shishishi! I wouldn't expect anything less!"
————————-
Shakky's Rip-Off Bar
The door creaked open.
A bell chimed softly.
Shakky looked up from behind the counter, cigarette between her fingers. "Oh? Ray-san, you're back—"
Her eyes shifted.
She saw Hatchan, heavily bandaged. "Oh my… Hatchan, what happened to you?"
Robin stepped forward calmly. "Well… Camie was kidnapped and nearly sold to a Celestial Dragon."
Shakky's eyes narrowed slightly.
Robin continued, "Hatchi was shot in the process… so Luffy punched the Celestial Dragon."
She smiled faintly. "That's the short version."
Shakky exhaled smoke slowly. "My, my… no wonder the entire archipelago is in chaos."
She looked at Luffy with amusement.
"Monkey-chan… punching a Celestial Dragon? You really remind me of an old friend."
Luffy shrugged simply. "Yeah. He shot Hatchi. So I punched him."
The crew nodded like that explanation was perfectly logical.
Shakky then turned to Rayleigh. "So, Ray-san… what have you been up to lately?"
Rayleigh scratched his head casually.
"Well… I owed some people money."
The crew listened. "So I sold myself as a slave. Figured whoever bought me, I'd just steal their money back."
He laughed loudly.
The Straw Hats froze.
"…WHAT?!" Nami screamed.
"You SOLD YOURSELF?!" Usopp shouted.
"That's insane!" Chopper cried.
Nami grabbed her head. "How crazy are you, old man?!"
Rayleigh just chuckled.
Franky then stepped forward. "Hey… you're the guy who can coat ships, right?"
Rayleigh nodded. "Yep. I can coat your ship for the journey to Fish-Man Island."
"How long?" Franky asked.
"Two to three days at most."
Luffy grinned. "Nice! After that we'll be in the New World!"
Rayleigh sat down at the bar and took a drink. "Oh right… I never properly introduced myself."
He set the glass down.
"The name's Silvers Rayleigh."
Silence.
Then—
"EEEEHHHH?!!!"
"The Pirate King's vice captain?!" Nami screamed.
Shakky laughed. "You didn't tell them, Hatchan?"
Hatchan groaned from the sofa. "…We only needed him to coat the ship…"
Robin smiled knowingly. "Haven't you noticed? That name appears in many historical records."
Usopp pointed dramatically. "I TOTALLY knew that name!"
Sanji lit a cigarette. "That's definitely a name anyone's heard at least once."
Luffy's eyes sparkled. "You were on Gold Roger's ship?!"
Brook raised a finger. "Gold Roger… I believe I remember a rookie with that name long ago."
Zoro squinted. "…Just how old are you?"
The bar filled with light laughter.
Then Luffy suddenly tilted his head.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
"How did you know my name back at the auction house?"
Rayleigh took a slow sip of his drink.
"Oh… that?"
He smiled faintly. "It was Shanks."
Luffy blinked. "…Huh?"
Rayleigh chuckled. "Didn't Shanks ever tell you?"
He leaned back casually. "He was a cabin boy on Roger's ship."
Silence.
Then—
"EEEEHHHH?!!!"
Luffy's jaw dropped. "SHANKS WAS ON THE PIRATE KING'S CREW?!"
Rayleigh nodded calmly. "Along with another noisy kid."
He glanced toward the crew. "You're from the East Blue, right? Ever heard of a pirate named Buggy?"
Zoro and Nami's faces immediately twisted in disgust.
"Buggy?!" they said at the same time.
"The clown?!" Nami groaned.
Zoro clicked his tongue. "That idiot?"
Luffy grinned. "Oh! Clown nose! Yeah, I ran into him back then!"
Rayleigh laughed softly. "Those two were apprentices aboard Roger's ship. Always fighting, always causing trouble."
He looked nostalgic for a moment. "When Shanks visited here some years ago… he told me something interesting."
Rayleigh's eyes softened. "He said he had bet his arm on the future."
Luffy froze.
"I was shocked," Rayleigh continued. "He wasn't wearing his trademark straw hat anymore."
Rayleigh looked directly at Luffy. "He told me he gave it to a kid in the East Blue."
The room grew quiet.
Luffy slowly reached up and touched the brim of his straw hat.
"…Shanks."
His voice trembled slightly. "Yeah… he saved my life back then."
Memories flashed in his mind—
A stormy sea.
A gigantic Sea King.
A red-haired man smiling despite the blood.
Luffy lowered his head, gripping the hat gently. "I promised him… I'd become a great pirate and return it someday."
Rayleigh watched silently.
For a brief moment—
Luffy's silhouette overlapped with another man he once sailed beside.
Rayleigh smiled to himself.
"…I see," he murmured.
"The future really has begun to move."
Sanji then suddenly asked, "Wait. If the Pirate King was executed… how come you weren't captured?"
Rayleigh's expression softened. "…Roger wasn't captured."
The crew leaned forward.
"He turned himself in."
"WHAT?!" they shouted.
Rayleigh nodded quietly. "At the end of our journey… Roger had an incurable disease."
Chopper froze. "…An incurable disease…"
"We searched every island," Rayleigh continued. "Every doctor. No cure existed."
He smiled faintly. "Only Crocus managed to prolong his life temporarily."
Brook gasped. "Crocus-san?!"
Luffy pointed. "That old lighthouse guy?! He was part of your crew?!"
Rayleigh nodded. "He joined the crew and was looking for a certain crew that went missing."
Brook trembled. "…That was us. I'm the only survivor."
Rayleigh's eyes widened slightly. "…I see."
Usopp suddenly raised his hand. "Hey old man! About the One Piece—"
"USSOOOOPP!!"
Luffy shouted instantly.
Usopp fell backward.
"I don't want to hear where the treasure is!" Luffy declared.
"I don't even want to know if it exists! Everyone sets sail to find out themselves!"
Rayleigh smirked.
Luffy continued fiercely, "If you told us anything here… I'd quit becoming Pirate King!"
The crew stared, stunned.
"If the adventure becomes boring like that… I'd rather die!"
Usopp quickly nodded. "O-Okay! I get it! I don't want spoilers either!"
Shakky burst into laughter.
Rayleigh leaned forward slightly. "Can you do it? The Grand Line is far harsher than you imagine. Powerful enemies await."
Luffy smiled brightly. "I don't wanna conquer anything."
He pointed to himself.
"The Pirate King is just the person with the most freedom on the seas!"
For a moment—
Rayleigh saw another man standing there.
Gol D. Roger.
"…I see," Rayleigh whispered.
Shakky smiled warmly. "I'm really a fan of yours, Monkey-chan."
Robin then stood. "Rayleigh-san… I also have a question."
The room quieted.
"What exactly is the Will of D?"
Everyone turned toward her.
"On Skypiea," Robin continued, "Roger's name was written in the ancient language. How did he read it? Do you know what happened during the Void Century?"
Rayleigh answered calmly. "Yes. We learned the entire history."
Robin's eyes widened.
"But don't be hasty," he added gently. "Perhaps we… and Ohara… were too impatient."
She swallowed.
"If I told you everything now," Rayleigh continued, "you couldn't change anything yet."
"Travel the world first. Your conclusion may differ from ours."
"If you still wish to know… I'll tell you."
Robin looked at her crew.
Their smiling faces.
Their trust.
She smiled softly. "…No. I'll discover it myself."
Rayleigh nodded approvingly. "You'll see it all eventually."
He added, "Roger couldn't read the stones. We were pirates — not scholars like Clover."
"He could simply hear the Voice of All Things."
Robin murmured, "…Voice of All Things…"
She turned toward Luffy. "In Alabasta… you said you heard the stones speak."
Luffy nodded casually. "Yeah. They were loud."
Rayleigh's eyes widened. "…You hear it too?"
"Was it your first time hearing it in Alabasta?" he asked.
"Yeah."
Rayleigh leaned back slowly. "…So you and Ada are the same."
Robin blinked. "Nyx D. Ada?"
Shakky nodded. "She said the same thing when she visited Alabasta. The stones called out to her."
Robin whispered, "So that was the other pirate King Cobra mentioned…but to think that it was her."
Zoro crossed his arms. "We keep hearing that name."
He looked at Rayleigh. "You sailed with her, didn't you?"
Rayleigh nodded. "Yes. Though where she is now… I don't know."
"She was often the one keeping Roger in line."
The crew gasped.
Usopp leaned forward. "Is she really as strong as the rumors say?"
Rayleigh chuckled. "Before joining us… she was already a vice captain."
"VICE CAPTAIN?!" everyone shouted.
"Whose ship?" Nami asked.
Shakky answered quietly. "A man named… Rocks D. Xebec."
Robin froze. "Another D…"
Rayleigh continued. "The Rocks Pirates were unstoppable."
"Their crew included Ada… Linlin… Kaido… Shiki… Whitebeard… and many others."
The Straw Hats stared in disbelief.
"Those are almost all Emperors of the Sea!" Nami shouted.
Robin asked, "Then why has history never mentioned them?"
Brook raised a finger thoughtfully. "I remember… Rocks D. Xebec killed an admiral and kidnapped a noble long ago."
The Straw Hats froze.
Sanji's cigarette nearly slipped from his lips.
"Eh?! He killed an Admiral?!" Sanji blurted. "Then how come nobody knows about him?!"
Shakky nodded calmly as she poured another drink. "The World Government erased them from history."
A heavy silence filled the bar.
Brook adjusted his hat. "He was a notorious pirate back then… as far as I remember. His name spread fear across the seas."
Usopp's eyes bulged. "A guy strong enough to kill an Admiral just… disappeared from history?! That's terrifying!"
Franky crossed his arms. "SUPER suspicious… The Government must've really wanted that erased."
Shakky leaned against the counter, her expression turning serious.
"Rocks wasn't just strong."
She paused.
"He wanted to rule the world."
The crew blinked.
"…What?" Nami said slowly.
Shakky continued.
"His dream was to become the King of the World."
"THE KING OF THE WORLD?!" Usopp and Chopper shouted together.
Nami frowned deeply. "Is… is that even possible?"
Zoro smirked faintly. "Sounds like a guy asking to be hunted forever."
Robin rested her chin lightly on her hand, thoughtful.
"But even if someone conquered the world…" she said calmly, "how would they even manage it? The world is far too vast. Different nations, cultures, seas…"
She then looked toward Shakky. "Oh, by the way, Shakky-san… how do you know so much about them?"
Rayleigh chuckled into his drink before answering. "Well… Shakky here was something like an honorary member back then."
The crew snapped their heads toward her.
"EH?!" Nami gasped.
Shakky waved her hand casually.
"Yes, something like that," she said with a small smile. "I wasn't officially part of the crew, but I spent enough time around them to know how things worked."
Usopp stared in disbelief. "You casually hung around a crew full of monsters?!"
Chopper trembled. "That sounds scary…"
Shakky's gaze drifted slightly, remembering the past.
"As for ruling the world…" she said slowly, "Rocks once said that if he succeeded…"
She took a sip of her drink.
"…he would let Ada manage it."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
"…Huh?" Luffy blinked.
Nami's jaw dropped. "WAIT—ADA?!"
Sanji nearly fell off his chair. "He was going to hand the WORLD to her?!"
Usopp pointed wildly. "WHAT KIND OF PERSON GETS PUT IN CHARGE OF THE ENTIRE WORLD?!"
Robin's eyes narrowed with deep curiosity.
"…So Nyx D. Ada held that much influence."
Zoro crossed his arms. "Sounds less like a pirate… and more like a monster."
Rayleigh smiled faintly, nostalgia in his eyes.
"She wasn't interested in ruling back then," he said quietly. "That's what made Rocks trust her the most."
Luffy tilted his head. "…Huh. She sounds weird."
Shakky laughed softly.
"Yes," she said. "…She really was."
"Also Before Roger… Rocks was the strongest pirate alive."
Chopper blinked. "Then how did Ada join Roger?"
Rayleigh smiled faintly. "After Rocks fell… she snuck aboard our ship as a stowaway. It was her only escape."
Sanji leaned forward eagerly. "What kind of woman is she anyway? We don't even know what she looks like!"
Shakky smiled. "Beautiful… and extremely dangerous."
Sanji's eyes turned to hearts. "Beautiful?!"
Shakky opened a drawer and pulled out an old photograph.
She placed it on the table.
Three young women smiled in the picture.
A black-haired woman holding hands with a shorter dark-haired girl… and a pink-haired woman beside them.
Sanji nearly fainted. "ANGELS!!"
Nami leaned closer. "You're gorgeous, Shakky!"
Rayleigh chuckled. "That's Shakky when she was younger."
"EH?!"
"Then… the other two?" Zoro asked.
Shakky pointed.
"The one in the middle… is Ada."
"And the pink-haired one is Gloriosa."
(Image here)
"Gloriossa was actually the captain of the Kuja Pirates back then," Shakky explained, tapping the old photograph lightly. "I was her second-in-command. She eventually joined the Rocks crew after that."
Sanji gasped dramatically, hearts practically forming in his eyes. "The legendary all-female pirate tribe?!"
Shakky nodded calmly. "Yes."
Zoro leaned closer, studying the photo again — his sharp eyes settling on the girl in the middle.
"So… that's Ada."
Shakky's expression softened, nostalgia flickering across her face. "We were young then."
She paused briefly.
"…During the era of the Rocks Pirates."
The bar grew quiet as the weight of those words settled over the Straw Hats. A time long before the Great Pirate Era… before Roger… before everything they knew.
Shakky suddenly tilted her head, looking toward Luffy again.
"Now that I look at it… Monkey-chan," she said thoughtfully, "you kind of resemble Ada when she was younger."
Luffy blinked. "Eh? I look like her?"
He scratched his cheek, grinning. "I dunno… she also kinda feels familiar. Shishishi."
Robin glanced at him curiously, clearly noticing the strange coincidence.
Chopper climbed onto the table, eyes wide.
"H-How old was she in this picture?"
Shakky answered without hesitation. "Well, she was fifteen when she joined Rocks… so yes, she was pretty young back then."
"FIFTEEN?!" Usopp and Chopper shouted together.
Nami's eyes widened. "She was already sailing with monsters like Kaido and Big Mom at that age?!"
Sanji shook his head in disbelief. "What kind of childhood produces someone like that…"
Zoro smirked faintly. "Sounds like she was already dangerous."
Brook hummed thoughtfully. "Yohoho… to stand among legends at such a young age… truly extraordinary."
Rayleigh let out a quiet chuckle, swirling the drink in his glass. "Well… she was actually dangerous back then."
The crew looked toward him.
Rayleigh's expression turned distant, as if staring into memories only he could see.
"Before she was scouted by Rocks… she was an assassin."
The entire bar froze.
"…An assassin?" Nami repeated, blinking in disbelief.
Usopp nearly fell off his chair. "W-WAIT—LIKE A REAL ONE?!"
Chopper's fur puffed up. "S-Someone who sneaks around and eliminates people?!"
Rayleigh nodded calmly. "Yes. She operated alone. Efficient. Silent. Feared."
He took another sip before continuing. "She hunted nobles back then."
The Straw Hats stiffened.
"All of them dead," Rayleigh added plainly.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Sanji slowly lowered his cigarette. "You're telling me… she specifically targeted nobles?"
Robin's eyes narrowed with interest, clearly connecting pieces in her mind.
Rayleigh gave a small nod. "I believe the name people whispered back then was…"
He paused slightly.
"…Crimson Shadow."
The crew stared at him, stunned.
"CRIMSON SHADOW?!" Usopp shouted. "That sounds like a final boss!!"
Chopper clutched his hat. "That's terrifying!"
Nami crossed her arms, processing the revelation. "So before becoming a pirate… she was already fighting the World Nobles…"
Zoro's grin widened slightly. "Heh. Makes sense."
Brook placed a hand to his cheek. "Yohoho… a phantom who hunted the powerful… what a dramatic life story."
Luffy, however, simply tilted his head.
"Assassin or not," he said casually, "she sounds kinda cool."
Everyone turned toward him.
Rayleigh laughed softly.
"She was… unpredictable," he admitted. "Even Roger had trouble keeping up with her sometimes."
Shakky leaned against the counter, smiling faintly.
"She carried a lot of anger back then," she said quietly. "But also kindness… in her own strange way."
The room fell into thoughtful silence again — the image of the smiling girl in the photograph now layered with something far darker.
A young pirate.
A survivor.
An assassin known as the Crimson Shadow.
And somehow… a name that kept appearing along the same path the Straw Hats were now walking.
Shakky gently slid the photograph back onto the counter.
"Well," she said softly, her tone turning lighter, "that was all in the past now."
She glanced at Luffy and smiled reassuringly. "You don't have to worry, Monkey-chan. Ada has no interest in the One Piece."
The Straw Hats blinked.
"Huh?" Usopp tilted his head. "She doesn't?!"
Rayleigh nodded, taking another drink.
"Yeah. She has no plans of becoming Pirate King."
The crew erupted in surprise.
"EH?!" Nami and Chopper shouted at the same time.
"Someone that strong doesn't want the One Piece?!" Usopp added, stunned.
Robin rested her chin lightly on her hand, thoughtful.
"Well… it was kind of obvious," she said calmly. "If she sailed with you and the Pirate King back then, she already knows what the One Piece is."
Rayleigh gave a small approving nod. "Yes. She does."
A quiet realization settled over the room.
Sanji exhaled smoke slowly. "So she already reached the end of the sea… and still walked away from it."
Zoro crossed his arms. "Tch. Sounds like someone who's chasing something else entirely."
Shakky leaned against the counter, her expression turning more serious.
"As far as ambition goes… I don't really know what her current goal is," she admitted. "Ada was never easy to read."
She paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "But one thing hasn't changed."
The crew listened closely.
"She's completely against the World Nobles… and the World Government altogether."
The atmosphere in the bar shifted.
Robin's eyes sharpened with understanding.
"So her fight was never about treasure…"
"…but about the world itself," she finished quietly.
Franky let out a low whistle. "Super intense…"
Chopper looked worried. "That sounds dangerous…"
Usopp gulped. "That's like declaring war on the entire world!"
Luffy, however, grinned. "Heh… sounds like someone I'd get along with."
Nami immediately smacked his head.
"DON'T SAY THAT SO CASUALLY!"
Luffy laughed anyway.
Rayleigh watched him carefully, a faint nostalgic smile forming.
"…You really do resemble the people of that era," he murmured.
For just a moment, the old pirate seemed to see overlapping shadows — Roger's fearless grin… and Ada's defiant eyes staring back at the world without fear.
Shakky then looked around at the Straw Hats — lively, loud, and full of life.
"Anyways the Rocks Pirates are gone. That era ended a lifetime ago."
Her eyes lingered briefly on Luffy's straw hat.
"But now," she continued, smiling,
"…we have to look ahead to the future."
The room settled into a calm silence — not heavy like before, but hopeful.
But the stories of the past and the storm of the future were slowly beginning to meet.
Outside, the waves of Sabaody quietly crashed against the mangroves, as if the world itself was turning a new page.