Captain, come take a look—I found something!"
That morning, just after waking up and stepping onto the deck, Fang Yi heard Shanks shouting.
Because the Dragon Wolf Pirates had been openly capturing pirates left and right, the Sabaody Archipelago was already in a state of tension. Small pirate crews didn't even dare to show their faces anymore—they just hid in the shadows, hurriedly coated their ships, and fled as fast as they could.
With the largest local pirate crews already defeated by them, Fang Yi had planned not to go out today at all. He wasn't interested in pirates worth less than 30 million.
Barrett thought the same and had already gone to the stern to train. Only Shanks and Lucky Roo were still roaming around outside.
"A bounty poster? Don't tell me another pirate worth over 50 million showed up in Sabaody?" Fang Yi perked up at once when he saw what Shanks was holding.
"Take a look yourself—it's over 50 million. Not far from 100 million! Hahaha…" Shanks laughed heartily.
Like a hunting dog catching a scent, Barrett came charging out of the training room the moment he heard about a near-100-million bounty.
"Tsk, tsk… my bounty's jumped straight up to 80 million! Not bad at all! Though I don't know when this was posted—if it was just before we came to Sabaody, then by the time we leave, I might already be past 100 million!" Fang Yi chuckled as he studied his new poster.
"Eighty million? Leave that one to me!" Barrett's eyes lit up at once.
"You? Forget it. This one, worth 60 million, is more your speed." Fang Yi grinned, handing him another poster.
"Huh?" Barrett blinked, then looked down. When he saw his bounty poster, he finally smirked. "Hmph. Only 60 million, huh?"
Fang Yi and Shanks exchanged looks at Barrett's "too-proud-to-care" face and both burst into laughter.
"Captain, there aren't many pirates left here. Shouldn't we start preparing to set sail?" Barrett, slightly embarrassed, quickly changed the subject.
"Yeah, we can leave soon. Too bad we haven't run into Rayleigh yet. With all the noise we've made, he should've gotten word by now…" Fang Yi frowned.
"Captain… do you think maybe… Rayleigh-sensei's been captured again?" Shanks asked awkwardly.
"Huh? Captured by the Marines? Captain, what do we do? Should we head to Marine Headquarters to rescue him?" Tiffany asked anxiously.
She knew Fang Yi's background, so when they mentioned Rayleigh, she understood it meant the Dark King Silvers Rayleigh, right hand of the Pirate King.
To her, someone that powerful could only possibly be taken by Marine Headquarters itself.
Lucky Roo, on the other hand, just looked bewildered. Were they planning to attack Marine HQ? If that was real, maybe he should think about getting off this ship now.
"What nonsense are you spouting? If the Marines did capture him, we wouldn't stand a chance at rescuing him!" Fang Yi snapped, face dark.
"Don't worry," Shanks laughed. "Big Sis Shakky told me before—Rayleigh-sensei often sells himself to slavers when he doesn't have enough Berries for booze."
"What??"
Not only Tiffany, but even Jessica and Lucky Roo were left dumbstruck.
Selling yourself? And not just once? That was some next-level move…
Even Lucky Roo, who prided himself on crazy antics, had to admit—this was god-tier trolling.
"Come on, let's check it out. With so few bounty targets left on the island, we may as well say goodbye to Rayleigh-sensei before we continue our journey," Fang Yi said with a smile.
The group set off, heading toward the largest slave auction house on the island.
Because the Celestial Dragons often visited here, slave auctions flourished across Sabaody—though no single house dominated yet.
In the underworld, the greatest power had once been Impel Down Island (Evil Island). But after the God Valley Incident, their falling out with the World Government had left them crushed by Marine suppression. In places like Sabaody, they could no longer extend their influence.
Soon enough, as Fang Yi's group advanced toward the auction house, Vice Admiral Yovan Cameron at the local Marine branch received the report.
"Sir, what should we do? Do we move now? The two Donquixote Celestial Dragons are still inside the auction house. If the Dragon Wolf Pirates make a move there and the Celestial Dragons get caught in the crossfire… it'll be a disaster!" his adjutant said anxiously.
"Hm? They're still there? Didn't we order them to leave?" Cameron frowned.
"Since when have Celestial Dragons ever listened to us? They refused to go and even threatened us directly—said if their business was interrupted, they'd make us pay." The adjutant grimaced bitterly.
"…Tch. Forget it. Pass the order—mobilize the troops. We'll launch the operation against the Dragon Wolf Pirates immediately. With most of the island's pirates already dealt with by them, it won't disrupt our plans. Also, assign men to protect those two 'little ancestors'—under no circumstances are they to be harmed!" Vice Admiral Cameron rubbed his temples.
"Yes, sir!" The adjutant saluted and hurried off.
Meanwhile, Fang Yi and his crew were still unaware of the Marines' early deployment. They were laughing and chatting as they approached the slave auction hall.
"By the way, Captain… this Rayleigh-uncle, is he your old friend? How'd you know him?" Lucky Roo asked, munching on a chicken leg.
"Ah, Rayleigh was once my ship's first mate—a very powerful man. After our crew disbanded, he settled here in hiding. That's when I pulled Shanks and Barrett together and formed our Dragon Wolf Pirates," Fang Yi explained with a smile.
"Wait—you three were shipmates before this? Then why did that crew disband?" Lucky Roo asked, puzzled.
"Because… our captain died." Fang Yi shrugged casually, without any hesitation.
Lucky Roo stared at him in shock. Seeing Fang Yi didn't mind, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Captain, I didn't mean—"
"It's fine." Fang Yi turned his head toward the chubby newcomer and smiled. "Our captain was Gol D. Roger—a great pirate. In the end, he even turned himself in, all to ignite the Great Pirate Era."
"Ohhh…" Lucky Roo nodded absently—then froze and spun around. "Wait, Captain—what did you just say?"
"I said my captain… was Gol D. Roger. The Pirate King himself." Fang Yi repeated with a grin.
"Gol D. Roger? The Pirate King Gol D. Roger?!" Lucky Roo felt his whole body go weak.
Tiffany, who was already known, covered her mouth and giggled. She'd been shocked the first time, too. Who would imagine their captain had once been a crewmate of the Pirate King?
"So then… this Rayleigh we're going to find now—?" Lucky Roo swallowed hard.
"Yup. He's the Dark King Rayleigh, the Pirate King's right hand." Fang Yi nodded with a smile.
Now, Lucky Roo finally understood what kind of man could repeatedly sell himself without care.
But more than that, his excitement was building. He was about to meet a living legend!
Just then, Barrett—who had been walking in the lead—suddenly stopped.
"Hm?" Fang Yi frowned, quickly scanning the surroundings. His expression hardened.
"Captain?" Shanks asked, puzzled.
"Looks like our plan to see Rayleigh-sensei… will have to wait. We've got company." Fang Yi said lightly, a smile tugging at his lips.
Even as he spoke, Marines poured in from every direction, encircling them completely.
"Marines!" Jessica instantly pulled Tiffany behind her.
"Tch… these guys don't know how to appreciate things, do they? Without us, Sabaody's law and order wouldn't be half as good right now. And yet this is when they choose to come after us…" Fang Yi sighed, pulling the bow from his back.
"Dragon Wolf Pirates' captain, 'Phantom Marksman' Fang Yi. Bounty: 80 million Berries. You've worked hard lately. But as a pirate, you should've known this day would come."
A man stepped calmly out from the ranks—it was Vice Admiral Yovan Cameron himself.
"A Vice Admiral, huh? I didn't expect the Marines to value me this highly," Fang Yi remarked with a chuckle, noting his opponent's uniform.
"Heh. Your crew may be small, but together your bounties nearly total 200 million. Sending a Vice Admiral is only reasonable," Cameron replied smoothly.
"So there's no avoiding a fight today, is there?" Fang Yi sighed, spreading his hands. "All I wanted was to meet an old friend and then leave. Can't you let us go, Marine-san?"
Truthfully, Fang Yi had no desire to clash with the Navy. Marines had no bounties, and beating one only invited worse trouble. As the world's greatest military force, the Marines had countless elites. If they accidentally provoked someone like Garp, their future would become very grim.
"Enough talk… surrender now!" Cameron ordered with a wave. Instantly, every Marine soldier raised their weapons.
"Shanks, Lucky Roo—protect Tiffany and Jessica. Barrett… It's our turn."
The moment Fang Yi finished speaking, his arrow was already loosed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battle erupted in an instant.