Chapter 158: Why Am I Still So Tired Here?**

It’s just that these juniors on the sea are making him uneasy! Constantly causing trouble, always something about that brat Kaido.

If it’s not him, it’s Whitebeard. And now, even someone from some remote corner wants to stir things up.

As for Amazon Lily, it was once Shakky’s home, and Hancock’s escape from Mary Geoise was partly thanks to him.

Rayleigh is essentially Hancock’s savior, with an unbreakable connection between them.

Splash!

Rayleigh’s swimming motion slowed slightly.

He focused his gaze and saw a black hole in front of him, constantly twisting.

Rayleigh’s heart sank, silently cursing—this kid has some strange tricks up his sleeve.

Nowadays, all the people on the sea are real monsters.

Back in his day, they were all just normal folks!

Step

Two feet calmly stepped onto the water, and Raijin lowered his head slightly.

He noticed Rayleigh floating on the surface, and immediately furrowed his brows.

He’s not a girl. What is Rayleigh looking at from beneath him? Is he about to pull a skirt-flipping stunt?

“Dark King Rayleigh, why aren’t you waiting to die in Sabaody Archipelago? What are you doing here?”

Raijin bent down, looking at Rayleigh, whose head barely emerged from the water.

This old guy, coming here to mess things up.

Heh heh!

Rayleigh suddenly leapt up, stepping directly into the air, facing Raijin.

This young man is truly rude. Couldn’t he wait until I got ashore?

Or at least toss me something? Is he just going to watch an old man swim like this?

“Of course, I’m here for Hancock. After all, that girl has a deep connection with me. King Raijin, can you do me a favor and let her go?”

“If you let Hancock go, this old man will swim right back and won’t cause you any more trouble.”

“Besides, it seems like you’ve already attracted quite a few enemies.”

Rayleigh’s gaze flicked to the lasers firing over the sea.

He hadn’t expected that brat Kizaru to be here too.

It seems the rumors weren’t far off, but…

What exactly made Kizaru so hostile toward this Warlord of the Sea after returning from Dressrosa?

He even wants to go after Zephyr? What could Kizaru have suffered in Dressrosa?

“No way! Since you know you’re an old man, how about going back? If you meddle in this, how many more years do you think you’ve got left?”

“The Roger Pirates have scattered. Now, all that’s left are a few remnants. Do you still think you can lay claim to the sea?”

“Dark King Rayleigh, you should know that power is the foundation of everything on the sea. What are you even now?”

“You’re reduced to swimming around, spending your days scamming people in Sabaody. Do you really think you still deserve my respect?”

Raijin couldn’t understand. Why is everyone like Shanks, always asking for a favor?

If it were the Roger Pirates in their prime, Raijin might give it some thought.

But how many of them are still active on the sea now?

What makes you think a Warlord of the Sea should give you, a relic of the old era, any face?

Heh heh heh, I’m not as bad as you make me out to be.

“But I believe my strength is still enough, Raijin. If you intend to go after Amazon Lily—”

“Then be prepared to face the wrath of this old man!”

Rayleigh’s face turned serious, staring intently at Raijin as the conqueror’s Haki burst forth, relentlessly attacking Raijin’s spirit.

At that moment, it felt like hell had descended.

The sea around them grew dark, lightning flashing.

Since Raijin thought so little of him, Rayleigh saw no need to waste words.

This kid was clearly full of malice, not even respecting an old man from the previous era.

Out on the sea, who else would still give him any face?

Even if they didn’t, at least there should be some respect, right?

But this kid looked at him like he was something despicable.

It completely ignited Rayleigh’s fury.

“Calm down! Let’s talk about something else.”

Raijin smiled, watching how agitated Rayleigh had become. He figured this relic of the old era had been thoroughly provoked.

If nothing unexpected happened, the next moment would be Rayleigh drawing his sword for a fight.

But that’s how brutes act—Raijin was a self-proclaimed normal person.

He could easily threaten Rayleigh with something; why bother with a fight?

His goal was simply to delay Rayleigh, not to kill him here.

“Oh? Are you giving up on attacking Amazon Lily?”

Rayleigh was momentarily taken aback, sizing up Raijin.

But he never thought of Raijin as an easy person to talk to.

After all, Raijin’s previous actions had been very tough.

Even with Charlotte Linlin, he hadn’t backed down and ended up fighting.

Could this guy really agree to his terms now?

It all seemed a bit off.

“That’s impossible. But Rayleigh, back when the Roger Pirates disbanded, wasn’t Roger the first to leave the ship?”

“After Roger left, the rest of the crew slowly dispersed across the world.”

“I’m not wrong, am I?”

Raijin’s face wore a malicious grin as he looked at Rayleigh.

Heh heh, after all these years, I’ve forgotten most of it.

A sharp gleam flickered in Rayleigh’s eyes.

Raijin shouldn’t know about this, unless it came from Roger’s logbook.

Rayleigh shuddered a bit at the thought.

“If you’ve forgotten, I can help you remember. After Roger left you all, he went to an island, married a woman, and had a child.”

“The event was quite big back then, but you couldn’t do anything but watch the Navy do as they pleased, right?”

“But I can tell you, Roger’s child didn’t die. In fact, they’re alive and well, probably about thirteen years old now.”

“It’s unbelievable that woman carried the child for twenty months, just to give birth to Roger’s kid!”

“You guys were all there, yet you didn’t lift a finger to help. If you had, maybe Roger’s wife wouldn’t have died.”

Raijin sighed, shaking his head as he looked at Rayleigh.

Suddenly, Rayleigh's face turned pale as he stared at Raijin in disbelief.

Could it be?

The child that even the Navy couldn’t find was located by this guy in front of him. Not only that, but he also revealed the exact age. Did this guy really find him?

Sweat started to bead on Rayleigh's forehead, and his mouth felt dry. It seemed like things were becoming more complicated, and even he couldn't make up his mind anymore.

"Judging by your expression, you must be scared! You’re not wrong to think so. The child is studying in Dressrosa. He’s picked up and dropped off every day. After all, he’s Roger’s kid. No one’s going to say anything if he gets a bit of special treatment."

"Rayleigh, you don’t want your captain’s kid to be crushed by me, do you?"

Raijin enjoyed using such despicable means to threaten others. Since he had leverage, why wouldn’t he use it?

Out on the seas, there’s no need for schemes and tricks. The most effective way to deal with pirates is by fighting them the pirate way.

Besides, Rayleigh probably didn’t know much about the kid’s situation. He probably hadn’t even met him before.

Ace had been hidden well by Garp, so well that even Shanks couldn’t find him.

"Looks like Roger’s child really is in your hands. Can you tell me his name?" Rayleigh asked with a hint of hope.

"Ace, famous like the sword in his hands!" Raijin answered without hesitation.

No doubt about it!

The kid was definitely in Raijin’s hands. He didn’t hesitate at all and immediately revealed the name. Roger had even mentioned that name to him before.

Rayleigh, stepping on air, showed some hesitation. Now he was truly at a loss, especially since Roger's child was involved.

To be honest, Rayleigh felt like he’d made a mistake by coming here.

"You guys must’ve seen something about the Sun God Joy Boy on Laugh Tale, right?" Raijin watched Rayleigh’s changing expression, realizing that Rayleigh was on the verge of leaving. Just one more push and the old man in front of him would disappear.

Rayleigh narrowed his eyes but didn’t answer. How did Raijin know about the Sun God? The World Government had strictly prohibited any spread of that name. Now, it was probably only in the land of the giants where legends of the Sun God still existed. In other places, such stories had long disappeared.

"Don’t bother. Shanks did find the Sun God, but I’m not sure if he told you! Now, the Sun God is also here in Dressrosa. That boy really could become Joy Boy in the future. But every strong person goes through a transitional period. Right now, he’s just a skinny monkey. If I deal with him like I dealt with Ace, I could kill Joy Boy in his cradle."

Raijin shook his head lightly, not bothering to elaborate.

Although Luffy was Joy Boy, he was still just one person. As long as he was in Dressrosa, he was Raijin's bargaining chip. And bargaining chips could always be placed on the table to show off.

"Haha, I never expected you, a young man, to come this far," Rayleigh said, showing a rare smile. "I guess you know what’s written on Laugh Tale. Since things have reached this point, this old relic from the past won’t meddle anymore. I only have one request—that Hancock survives. After all, that’s your goal too. On the open seas, we cross paths often. Don’t go too far."

After a moment of silence, Rayleigh felt utterly powerless. The pressure from all sides was overwhelming. He never expected this young man to have already accomplished so much. Who knows what other cards he was holding? But just the ones he revealed were enough to shock Rayleigh, making him wonder if he was really getting old. He hesitated here, and in that moment, he backed down.

"That’s none of your business anymore," Raijin said coldly, staring at Rayleigh. Raijin had already shown some leniency, but Rayleigh still dared to threaten him before leaving. How generous was he supposed to be?

With a loud splash, Rayleigh didn’t say anything more. He leapt into the sea, heading back the way he came.

The situation on the seas was growing more chaotic, and Rayleigh felt a sense of uncertainty about the future. This guy was holding all the key cards. Could the sun ever rise again?

Raijin watched as Rayleigh, moving almost like a speedboat, cut through the waves. His swimming speed was impressive. With a flash of power, Raijin returned to the island.

He had already spent nearly an hour in Amazon Lily.

Amazon Lily had changed dramatically. Thick black smoke continuously rose from within. Now, only a few scattered Amazon Lily warriors remained on the island, refusing to surrender, while a group of ninjas pursued them relentlessly.

As for Hancock, she was already tightly bound by seastone chains, along with a circle of warriors surrounding her, also bound.

"Lord Raijin, the Navy ships are approaching!" Yamashita said, standing next to Raijin.

This time, the Navy came in full force—ten warships, a level of force not just anyone could command. It seemed Borsalino had quite the grudge against Dressrosa.

"Bring Shiranui Genma over. We need to transport everyone to Dressrosa immediately," Raijin ordered.

The Navy’s arrival didn’t surprise Raijin. It was clear Borsalino wouldn’t come alone.

Raijin approached Kakashi, who was sitting on the ground, sweating and panting heavily.

"Can you still move? Mihawk is still fighting Kizaru over there. You should go check on him."

Raijin looked at Kakashi and asked. Despite having Hashirama’s cells, this guy still seemed weak. He used to be weak because he had too little chakra, but now his chakra reserves and physical condition had improved. So why was he still so exhausted?

"Mihawk? He’s here too?" Kakashi said, surprised, as he slowly stood up with the help of someone else. But his body wasn’t pushed to the point of collapse, so going to bring someone back wouldn’t be an issue.

"There are quite a few enemies. I can’t fight two of them by myself," Raijin shrugged. "Give it your all, Kakashi. I think you can surpass Borsalino."

"No thanks. I’ll take it easy," Kakashi said with a bitter smile.

Why did it feel like being in Dressrosa was even harder than in Konoha? In Dressrosa, all he had was a devil fruit and a wife, and even the wife wasn’t Raijin’s doing. This guy kept pushing him to his limits. Couldn’t he just be treated like a normal person?

Kakashi transformed into lightning and disappeared into the sky, leaving many people looking at him with envy.

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(End of chapter)