When did he get here? I didn't even sense it at all! Enel's expression turned from calm to utter disbelief.
His Observation Haki could blanket the entire Sabaody Archipelago—no movement, no whisper, no flicker of energy could escape him. As long as he wished it, he could perceive everything happening across the island through the combination of Haki and electromagnetic signals, which then painted vivid images directly in his mind.
Nothing on Sabaody escaped his notice…
And yet, somehow, Rayleigh had appeared right beside Rosinante without Enel realizing a thing.
"So that's the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, huh? A true monster," Enel muttered, eyes glittering with curiosity as he studied the older man.
"Hahaha, to think someone would sell themselves to a human auction and then rob the very person who bought them out—what a nasty piece of work. Well then, here's a fat sheep you can rob as you please." Rosinante grinned, pointing at Zashika beside him.
"Hey! What kind of person says that?!" Zashika snapped, glaring furiously.
"Hahaha, a Celestial Dragon, huh? Even for me, robbing one of you would be… troublesome. I may be retired, but I've no wish to invite that kind of headache," Rayleigh chuckled leisurely.
From the moment Rosinante had bid ten million Berries to buy him, Rayleigh knew the man had recognized him. At first, he had assumed Rosinante wanted something from him—perhaps a favor, a piece of knowledge, something only the Dark King could offer.
But instead, after being redeemed, Rosinante's subordinates had simply unlocked his shackles and politely asked if he wished to leave or join them to "watch a show." No threats, no demands—just courtesy.
That intrigued Rayleigh even more.
As the former vice-captain of the Roger Pirates—the crew's brain as much as its swordsman—Rayleigh possessed keen insight. He didn't believe for a second that Rosinante had spent ten million Berries on him for no reason. And so, curious, he'd followed them into the auction house, waiting to see what game this "Dragon King" intended to play.
Just as he arrived, he'd overheard Rosinante saying that when Roger died, it was as if Rayleigh's own life had ended too.
Those words struck him deeply.
He'd drowned his years in liquor and gambling since Roger's death, living without purpose or direction. And wasn't that the same as being dead?
But Rayleigh had seen too many storms in his lifetime to linger on such emotions. He quickly brushed away the melancholy.
"Kid, you recognized me at a glance. Have we met before?" Rayleigh asked with mild curiosity.
He knew how unrecognizable he had become since Roger's death—his hair had turned completely white almost overnight. Once, he thought that "one night white hair" was a myth. Now, he believed it. Combined with his unkempt life in the casinos, his face was nothing like the man he once was. Unless someone had known him personally, no one would recognize him.
"Hmm, who knows?" Rosinante replied with a knowing smile.
The truth was, Rayleigh's current appearance wasn't much different from the one Rosinante remembered from the future.
"Mr. Rayleigh," Rosinante said quietly, "I once saw Gol D. Roger in Loguetown. He walked to his death with grace and pride."
"…Did he?" Rayleigh chuckled softly.
He hadn't attended Roger's execution. He couldn't bear to. He didn't want to lose control in front of his captain, and he knew Roger—he loved grand finales. For Roger, such an ending was probably exactly how he wanted it.
"He died gracefully, yes," Rosinante said, pausing for a moment. "But there's more to the story."
At that moment, he quietly activated a soundproof barrier. No one besides Rayleigh could hear what followed.
Rayleigh's eyes widened slightly as Rosinante's words sank in. Shock flickered through them like lightning.
"He left behind a son in this world… I wonder, Mr. Rayleigh, if you'd like to know about him?" Rosinante said softly.
"…So, he had a son after all?" Rayleigh lowered his head, his expression hidden beneath the shadow of his hair. No one could read his face or know what storm brewed behind it.
"Portgas D. Rouge," Rosinante began. "A great woman. To protect her unborn child—the Pirate King's son—she kept him in her womb for twenty months to fool the Marines. She endured the impossible until her body gave out after giving birth. Her child's name… is Ace."
Rayleigh's head snapped up. His face was no longer calm—it was pure, unguarded shock.
The man who had weathered countless storms, who had seen friends die and empires fall, who could face any disaster with a steady gaze—was now trembling.
Zashika and the others exchanged confused glances. They couldn't hear a word, but they could see it—the Dark King, shaken to his core.
"How do you know this?" Rayleigh asked, eyes sharp as a blade. "And where is Ace now?"
When Rosinante had first mentioned that Roger had left a child, Rayleigh had been surprised, but skeptical. After all, rumors of Roger's offspring had circulated for years—he'd long dismissed them as government fearmongering.
But when Rosinante said her name—Portgas D. Rouge—and the name Ace, it was no longer hearsay. Only those close to Roger would know those names.
Rayleigh knew them well. He remembered Roger's words clearly: If I have a daughter, I'll name her Ann. If I have a son, he'll be Ace.
And now that same name had resurfaced, spoken by a man Rayleigh barely knew. This wasn't chance. Rosinante truly knew the truth.
"He entrusted his son to someone he could trust completely," Rosinante said calmly.
"Garp?" Rayleigh's eyes widened once more, then he smiled bitterly.
He'd known Roger and Garp's strange relationship—rivals bound by respect, enemies who understood each other better than anyone else. It wasn't hard for him to guess.
"That's right," Rosinante said, lips curling slightly. "Monkey D. Garp. Funny, isn't it? The great Marine Hero—the man who captured the Pirate King—raising the Pirate King's son?"
Rayleigh leaned back and let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! You're right. That is funny!"
Then his gaze sharpened again. "But what's your purpose, Rosinante? You're not some passing informant. You're the captain of the Grey Kingdom—the Dragon King himself, the man stirring up the seas. You didn't tell me this just to share a good laugh. If you'd given this information to the Navy, you could've traded it for power or profit. So why tell an old man like me, who has nothing left to offer?"
Rosinante's smile turned thoughtful. "Maybe. If I told the Navy or the World Government, they'd pay handsomely for it. But then Garp would hate me forever. And that mad dog—once he goes wild—I might not survive it."
Rayleigh chuckled. "That 'mad dog' really is a troublesome one."
Rosinante leaned back, his voice calm but deliberate. "Still, the reason I told you this… is because I want you to buy this secret from me."