"Hey, don't tell me you want to invite Rayleigh to join your crew?"
In Shakky's eyes, Bellamy was just a young brat, so it was no wonder she would think along those lines. But Bellamy had little interest in an old geezer with one foot in the grave. Rayleigh's strength was astonishing, but he was old. After Roger's death, these old-timers had either retired or were living out their days in peace, almost completely disappearing from the world. After all, they had even been to Laugh Tale; what motivation could they possibly have to venture out onto the seas again?
Bellamy knew that the chances of recruiting Rayleigh were practically zero. He wasn't interested in impossible tasks. Ace, on the other hand, if he played the "Son of Roger" card, might actually have a chance of rallying these old legends. Both Rayleigh and Gaban were top-tier powerhouses. Even in their old age, their mastery of Haki was at its peak. Even an Admiral would have a hard time taking them down.
"I'm just looking for a coating artisan. I heard Rayleigh's skills are pretty good, so I came to check it out."
Shakky didn't believe a word of it. This kid had called out Rayleigh by name and found his way directly here; it was obviously not just for a coating job. While there weren't many famous coating artisans on Sabaody, they weren't hard to find. Rayleigh wasn't particularly well-known in this trade; the people who usually came to him were just unremarkable small-time pirates.
"That old geezer went out to have some fun a few days ago. Who knows when he'll be back."
"Kid, how long are you planning to wait here?" Shakky looked at Bellamy, feeling a headache coming on. Rayleigh's movements were always unpredictable; even she couldn't find him on a whim.
"Is that so."
If he couldn't find him, Bellamy wouldn't waste his time here. Wanting to meet Rayleigh was just a passing thought; he wasn't obsessed with it. But he had the patience to wait for half a day. They were still looking for a ship and couldn't set sail for a while anyway, so he might as well sit here for a bit.
Bellamy picked up the beer from the bar and began to sip it leisurely. Shakky, with a cigarette between her lips, glared at the kid, but there was nothing she could do about him. "Looks like there's no more business for today." And with all these dead bodies in the shop, cleaning up was going to cost a fortune. What a huge loss.
Just as she was agonizing over this, a man with a full head of white hair strolled in from outside.
"Yo, we have a customer today."
The man glanced at the bodies on the floor, then at Bellamy sitting at the bar, and his eyes narrowed. An invisible wave of spiritual energy instantly swept through the entire bar. Bellamy suddenly felt a force brush past him, and then everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
But he knew that what he had just felt was not an illusion. That almost imperceptible power was the pinnacle of Observation Haki. The identity of this white-haired old man was obvious.
"Dark King Rayleigh!"
"Young man, are you looking for me?" Rayleigh smiled at Bellamy and sat down beside him. "Shakky, a cold beer for me." After ordering, he casually patted Bellamy's shoulder. "Little brother Bellamy, you have to pay for your drinks."
It seemed that Bellamy's earlier conversation with Shakky had already been perceived by Rayleigh's top-tier Observation Haki. When Observation Haki reached a certain level, it could briefly glimpse into the past and future. This ability was not only useful in battle but also extremely practical in everyday life. Just now, for example, Rayleigh had easily learned everything that had happened in the bar.
"Money?" Bellamy drained the beer in his glass. "What's the point of that stuff?"
"If you want money, just kill a few nobles and you'll have it."
"Are people like us ever short on money?"
Money was something you just needed enough of. Not enough? Then go steal it.
"You really are a pure pirate, young man." The tone of his voice was now filled with cold indifference. It seemed Rayleigh strongly disagreed with his philosophy.
Bellamy knew exactly what people like Rayleigh thought, but he had no intention of trying to please him. They were not cut from the same cloth. He had only come to see what the highest level of Haki looked like. Having just witnessed Rayleigh's Observation Haki, Bellamy's goal was already half-achieved.
"Bellamy, what do you really want with Rayleigh?" With Rayleigh back, Shakky's voice grew much louder when she questioned Bellamy.
"I believe I've already said, I need a coating artisan." Bellamy naturally wouldn't reveal his true intentions, as they were, admittedly, a bit trivial.
Rayleigh chuckled nonchalantly. "You've come to the right person, young man. My coating skills are second to none." He wasn't bragging. Rayleigh had genuinely put in the hard work to master the craft. In terms of pure coating technique, he was absolutely top-tier. The reason he wasn't famous was, of course, because he rarely took on jobs. For Rayleigh, coating was just an interesting skill, nothing more. Whether he took a job or not depended entirely on his mood that day.
However, this was the first time someone like Bellamy had come looking for him specifically for a coating job. This kid definitely had other motives for seeking him out. On this point, Rayleigh and Shakky were in complete agreement. Unlike Shakky's nervousness, Rayleigh was completely unfazed.
"How big is your ship, young man? My fees are very expensive, starting at ten million Beri."
This price was more than ten times that of a regular coating artisan. This wasn't just a rip-off; it was daylight robbery. But Bellamy couldn't care less. Money was never an issue for him.
Bellamy tapped his glass, signaling the owner for another drink. "I'm heading to the New World. I plan to get a new ship here. I'm currently scouting for a good one." The implication was clear: he would steal whichever ship he liked best.
This was the Sabaody Archipelago, territory directly under the Celestial Dragons. Even Rayleigh hadn't seen such a brazen individual in a long time.
"You don't seem to be afraid of the Celestial Dragons at all."
Combined with the previous intelligence, Shakky now had a more direct understanding of the young man before her.
"The Celestial Dragons? What are they?"
The natives of this world were indoctrinated from birth with the idea that the Celestial Dragons were supreme beings. Therefore, reverence and fear of them were the normal reactions for the vast majority of people. Someone like Bellamy was an extremely rare exception.