"Since that's the case, then let's hurry up and go."
Hearing that Bai Chuan was willing to escort her back to her country, Kather·Lynn spoke with excitement, practically buzzing.
"No rush. We only landed today. We haven't even had a proper rest yet. Let's relax first, then we'll take you back tomorrow."
"Huh?" Kather·Lynn stared wide-eyed. She had not expected she would have to spend the night in enemy territory.
"We'll get you a room. Stay inside and behave. If we take you out, you'll only cause trouble."
"Fine." Kather·Lynn pouted, speaking unwillingly. She also knew her identity was sensitive.
It just so happened that this entertainment venue had rooms. They were expensive, sure, but the setup inside was genuinely good, with everything you could need.
"Stay in the room. We're going out," Bai Chuan said as he escorted Kather·Lynn to the door.
"Then come back quickly," Kather·Lynn said anxiously. Leaving her alone here made her a little scared.
"Got it."
Bai Chuan closed the door. As he walked away, he even heard the sound of the lock clicking from inside.
"Where to next?" After regrouping with Buggy and Shanks on the first floor, Bai Chuan asked the two of them.
"No idea."
"Me neither." Both of them shook their heads, not knowing what to do. Maybe they had stayed on the ship too long and were a bit cut off from the world.
"How about a hot spring?" Rayleigh suddenly appeared from who knew where and made a suggestion. "This club has one."
"Sure." Bai Chuan's eyes lit up. A soak would be perfect for relaxing.
"No objections," Buggy and Shanks said, both agreeing as well.
The hot spring was on the second floor. Calling it a hot spring was a bit generous. It was more like a tiered pool of hot water, arranged like steps. The higher you went, the hotter it got.
After getting used to the temperature, the group walked straight to the top level without hesitation. It was hot, but still within what Bai Chuan could endure.
When Bai Chuan and the others entered, everyone else inside instinctively moved far away from them. They were too scary, or rather, the one leading them, Rayleigh, was too scary.
Rayleigh's body was covered in dozens of scars of all sizes. Some of them even crossed over each other, showing the same spot had been injured multiple times.
Even Shanks had four or five scars on him, and Buggy had two. Only Bai Chuan's body was completely clean.
"Must be nice," Rayleigh said enviously when he saw Bai Chuan. "So clean."
"Back before I went to sea, I was clean too. And in a blink, so many years have passed."
"But you also went from a nobody back then to the Dark King Rayleigh now," Bai Chuan said. "Your bounty's over a billion Beli, right?"
"Haha." Rayleigh smiled freely. "If I hadn't met Roger back then, maybe I'd already be dead."
"But you're alive right now. You survived injuries that serious, which means you're tough. Even if you weren't a pirate, you wouldn't die that easily."
"Hahahaha, that's true. If I hadn't met Roger, maybe I would've started my own crew."
"Vice-Captain, then why did you follow the captain?" Bai Chuan asked. "You're not weak, and you even have Conqueror's Haki."
"Who knows?" Rayleigh said. "Even I don't know. Maybe Roger has a kind of charm, a charm that can make even other kings submit."
"I don't really feel anything like that."
"Then maybe I'm just being sentimental." Rayleigh said it casually, but he did not believe he was wrong.
If Roger did not have that kind of charisma, how would someone like Barrett ever submit to him?
"Let's talk about you," Rayleigh said, shifting the topic. "Why is your Conqueror's Haki so strong?"
"Who knows," Bai Chuan replied. "Maybe I was born to be a king, the Silver King." The last two words stayed in his throat. He did not say them out loud.
"Hmph. You really know how to brag. Opening your mouth and you're already calling yourself a king."
"If you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do," Bai Chuan said helplessly, spreading his hands.
He was not wrong. In his previous life, maybe not. But in this world, the moment he appeared, it had already proven he was the Silver King.
"Do you have any plans?" Rayleigh asked. "I can tell you won't stay on our ship forever."
"Why?" Bai Chuan was startled. How did Rayleigh know he would leave someday?
"I can tell you have ambition," Rayleigh said. "And it's not just me. Even Roger knows."
"Then what does the captain think?" Bai Chuan asked. Was he really that obvious, or were the captain and vice-captain just that observant?
"What could he think?" Rayleigh said. "He'll just let things take their course. And it's not only you. We know what Shanks is thinking too."
Shanks, listening beside them, gave an awkward laugh.
"Then when do you plan to leave?" Rayleigh asked.
"Probably when we return to the Grand Line," Bai Chuan said. "With my current strength, going from the New World to the Grand Line or the Four Seas is basically nine deaths out of ten."
"Oh, then it'll be soon," Rayleigh said.
"S-soon in what way?" Bai Chuan asked, confused. Soon to die, or soon to go back?
"Roger's already planning to return to the Grand Line," Rayleigh said.
"Why?"
"Who knows," Rayleigh replied. "Maybe he has his own plans. Maybe he wants to finish what he couldn't finish, so he won't have regrets."
Bai Chuan understood what that last sentence meant. Roger already knew he had a terminal illness. He would probably go back to fulfill certain wishes.
After soaking comfortably, Bai Chuan felt lighter all over. He had also chatted a lot with Rayleigh and learned plenty.
The captain would soon return to the Grand Line, and Bai Chuan would soon disembark as well. At the start, he had thought about following Roger to Laugh Tale to see what treasure Roger would leave there.
But after thinking for a few days, he gave up. Treasure was more interesting when you explored it yourself.
After the bath, there was nothing else to do, so Bai Chuan returned to the room. He planned to sleep for the afternoon and prepare for the nightlife ahead.
Knock, knock, knock.
He knocked on Kather·Lynn's door.
"Who is it?" Her voice came quickly, sounding a little flustered.
"It's me."
"Who are you?"
A black line appeared on Bai Chuan's forehead. She could not even recognize his voice?
"Bai Chuan."
"Oh." Kather·Lynn opened the door. She was holding a stick, like she was ready to smash someone at any moment.
"Ah!" The moment she saw Bai Chuan, Kather·Lynn shouted.
"Why are you dressed like that? Are you trying to act like a pervert?"
"What do you mean act like a pervert?" Bai Chuan pushed past the Kather·Lynn blocking the doorway and walked into the room with a calm expression.
"I just finished bathing. If I'm not wearing a bathrobe, what am I supposed to wear?"
As he spoke, Bai Chuan headed straight for the bed.
"What are you doing?" Kather·Lynn stepped in front of him to stop him.
"What am I doing? Sleeping, obviously." Bai Chuan simply walked around her and lay down on the bed.
"This is my room!"
"We only booked two rooms. I'm not going to squeeze into a room with those two kids, am I? You can make do on the sofa for one night."
"Why don't you make do on the sofa?"
"I'm a guy," Bai Chuan said with a very serious expression.
"A guy? So what if you're a guy?" Kather·Lynn was furious.
Snap.
Bai Chuan found her too noisy, so he knocked her out in one hit.
"Finally, some peace and quiet. Now I can sleep well. A soft bed really is comfortable."
With a smile on his face, Bai Chuan drifted off to sleep, completely ignoring Kather·Lynn lying on the floor.
/-\
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