"Who are you?"
Rayleigh raised his head, staring at the figure floating in the sky.
With his experience, he could sense the man's strength immediately — definitely not ordinary, and possibly not weaker than his own.
But such a powerful person… and he didn't even know him?
"The Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, former first mate of the Pirate King himself… I didn't expect to meet someone of your caliber here," the man said calmly.
"What, you looking for a fight?"
Rayleigh's hand tightened around his sword. He wasn't afraid of anyone — not even this mysterious man.
"Of course not," the stranger said with a faint smile. "You don't want to run into the Navy hero, and neither do I."
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed.
The Navy hero — Garp?
Wait. That meant this man…
The cloaked figure descended slowly, landing on the sea just a few meters away.
"How about we find a quieter place to talk?"
And so, led by the man named Dragon, the three of them headed for a deserted island nearby.
After a long conversation, Rayleigh was genuinely stunned.
This man was Garp's son — Monkey D. Dragon.
Dragon soon explained his purpose — he wanted to invite Rayleigh to join his cause.
Rayleigh, however, just chuckled and shook his head.
"You're too late. The fire and passion I once had are long gone. I just want to find a quiet place to retire — and raise this kid properly."
Dragon sighed. "I see. I won't force it then… but I do have a question."
"I know what you're going to ask," Rayleigh said before Dragon could finish. "I promised Roger — I won't tell anyone."
Of course he meant Raftel, the final island.
Rayleigh would never reveal its secrets.
"But," Rayleigh added after a pause, "I can tell you this — the Poneglyphs record something very interesting. That knowledge might help you in what you're trying to do."
Dragon's eyes lit up slightly.
The Poneglyphs — the ancient stones that recorded the Void Century.
"I see… Thank you for that, Mr. Rayleigh. I hope we meet again."
He hadn't come for nothing after all.
As Dragon turned to leave, Mislanda suddenly stood up.
"Old man, I'll go see him off!"
Rayleigh nodded, watching as his adopted son chased after Dragon.
At the shore, Mislanda quickly explained everything the system had told him.
Dragon frowned. "Are you serious, kid?"
But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
The World Government had already declared any research into the Poneglyphs to be a crime. And the archaeologist Professor Clover of Ohara was known for his stubborn nature.
If that was the case… it wasn't hard to imagine disaster striking soon.
And since Ohara was central to studying history — and Clover was an old friend — Dragon couldn't just ignore it.
"You've got guts, kid. Fine — I'll keep a close eye on the Navy's movements. If they really send a Buster Call to Ohara, I'll go there immediately."
As soon as he said that, a gust of wind blew past, and Dragon's figure vanished into the sky.
When Mislanda returned, he went straight to Rayleigh.
"Old man, let's go to Ohara."
A week later, in the West Blue, on the island of Ohara, two outsiders quietly arrived.
To everyone's surprise, Professor Clover, the most respected scholar on the island, personally welcomed them and even helped them settle in.
He arranged a small wooden cabin for them deep in the western forest.
"Professor, who are those two men?"
A little girl of about six tugged at Clover's sleeve curiously.
Clover smiled gently and patted her on the head.
"Robin, don't ask too much. Those two are… very special people. One day, they might be of great help to us."
After settling in, Rayleigh began training Mislanda.
He knew his adopted son dreamed of becoming the strongest in the world — and he would do everything he could to help him.
"Mislanda," Rayleigh said, "you've eaten a very powerful Devil Fruit. But remember — a Devil Fruit's power isn't everything."
"People like Roger, Garp, me, Jabba, Oden — none of us had Devil Fruits. Yet we were strong, because we mastered another power."
"I know," Mislanda replied. "You mean Haki."
Rayleigh laughed. "That's right! Haki — the hidden potential that lies within every human being."
He raised his hand, and in an instant, it turned pitch black — coated in Armament Haki.
"This is one form of Haki, called Armament Haki. Besides this, there's Observation Haki and Conqueror's Haki."
"But for you, it's still a bit early. I'll start teaching you Haki when you turn ten."
"Your body's still growing — high-intensity training could hurt your development. For now, you should focus on learning to control your Devil Fruit."
Mislanda nodded obediently.
Even in the world of pirates, a child was still a child.
"So, if you want to get stronger right now," Rayleigh continued, "develop your fruit's powers. But remember — never rely on them too much."
"I can't help you much with that, but I'll spar with you once a week."
After Rayleigh finished speaking, Mislanda sat cross-legged under a tree, focusing on sensing the dark energy within him.
Seeing that, Rayleigh smiled in satisfaction.
Just then, Professor Clover appeared again — this time with a little girl by his side.
"Mr. Rayleigh," Clover greeted politely, "is everything to your satisfaction?"
"Everything's perfect. For wanderers like us, this is already luxury," Rayleigh replied with a chuckle.
Clover nodded, then gestured toward the little girl.
"This is one of our library's students — Nico Robin. I'd like to ask you, Mr. Rayleigh, to look after her for a few years."
"Nico Robin?"
Mislanda's eyes snapped open in surprise.
The future Devil Child!
The girl who would one day survive Ohara's destruction, spend twenty years hunted by the world, and eventually join the Straw Hat Pirates.
But right now, she was just a six-year-old — two years younger than Mislanda.
Clover leaned close to Rayleigh, whispering a few words in his ear.
Rayleigh nodded thoughtfully.
"Alright. As long as I'm here on Ohara, I'll look after her."
"Thank you, Mr. Rayleigh."
"Robin, you'll stay here for a while," Clover said kindly. "I'll explain things to your aunt."
"Okay, goodbye, Professor!"
And just like that — Nico Robin began living with Rayleigh and Mislanda on Ohara.