Speak of Shakky, and she appears.
Just as Big Mom was gaining the upper hand with her words, a small, exquisite boat slowly surfaced from underwater.
The boat was covered in the resin bubbles unique to the Sabaody Archipelago. Judging by its gloss and thickness, its quality was clearly much better than those used by rookies heading into the New World.
That was understandable. As a coating master, Rayleigh would naturally use the best coating for his own ship.
Especially since he was bringing Shakky this time, he had repeatedly applied several layers of coating to the small boat.
The toughness of this resin bubble was such that even if someone tried to slash it with a sword, it wouldn't be easily damaged, let alone from minor bumps.
Of course, this was actually quite unnecessary.
That old coot Rayleigh was strong enough not to worry about drowning, but did Shakky need such protection?
After all, Shakky was once the vice-captain of the Kuja Pirates, a bona fide legendary pirate. She wouldn't drown just because a bubble burst.
The route from the Sabaody Archipelago to Amazon Lily was already very familiar to Rayleigh.
After all, he and Shakky had escorted Naruto and the three Gorgon sisters he had rescued back to Amazon Lily. Over the years, Naruto had only visited a handful of times, but Rayleigh came regularly.
Not for any particular reason. Partly to check on Amazon Lily, and partly to procure some of its specialty brews.
With the bond of being a benefactor, the alcohol here was practically at cost for Rayleigh… in fact, no one would say anything if he didn't pay. Could a nation not afford to supply a small bar?
If it were publicly known that providing alcohol could earn the friendship of the Pirate King's first mate, boats lining up to deliver it would probably stretch from Foosha Village to Onigashima.
Of course, Rayleigh and Shakky insisted on keeping things separate: favors were favors, business was business.
Thanks to Amazon Lily's specialty brews, [Shakky's Rip-off Bar] could make a decent profit even on days when they weren't selling information.
At least enough to prevent that old man from having to auction himself off too frequently.
When the small boat surfaced, it didn't actually attract much attention.
—Having just witnessed the battle between top-tier powerhouses, everyone's attention was fully on Big Mom and Kaido. Who had time to notice a small boat?
Compared to Big Mom's fleet, Rayleigh's ship was like a small dinghy, easily blocked from view.
"After so long, I've finally returned."
Shakky stood at the bow, gazing into the distance towards Amazon Lily.
This was her homeland… feeling a bit of apprehension upon nearing it was only natural.
Back then, she had 'betrayed tradition' by boldly pursuing love. Not only did she abandon the throne of Amazon Lily, but she had also deliberately stayed away over the years.
Even the matter of escorting the three Hancock sisters back then had been left to Rayleigh.
It could be said that as a native of Amazon Lily, Shakky deeply respected its traditions.
Now, look at the situation. Hancock, as the Empress of Amazon Lily, had publicly chosen to marry. This was completely trampling that tradition underfoot.
"That little girl has more courage than I did."
Shakky lit a lady's cigarette and chuckled softly.
…Of course, this might also be related to the fact that the older generation who had opposed Shakky had all passed away.
Most of the old women on the island now were her former crewmates from the Kuja Pirates, and they actually didn't oppose such behavior.
For the Kuja to endure, they couldn't cling to old traditions forever. They had to ride the waves of the era, opening the country more and more comprehensively.
Otherwise, their ultimate fate would be to be eliminated by the tide of time.
Facts had proven that this approach hadn't led to the imagined collapse of the nation.
The benefits outweighed the costs. Although 'opening the country' had indeed caused some minor issues, the end result was that Amazon Lily's influence across the entire sea had multiplied several times over.
That was what mattered.
After her musings, Shakky suddenly turned to look at the silent Rayleigh.
This old coot would usually chime in with a smile, adding his own two cents with a 'back in my day' attitude.
But today, Rayleigh's face was grim, completely unlike his usual self.
"Alright, old Rayleigh. We're here for Naruto's wedding after all. Don't make such a sour face."
As she spoke, the older lady gently placed her hand over Rayleigh's, which was gripping his sword hilt, and gave it a soft squeeze.
After a moment of silence, Rayleigh slowly released his grip on the weapon and let out a breath.
"I know. I just…"
He smiled wryly, holding his lover's hand in return. If he could help it, he wouldn't want to bring such negativity to the wedding.
But—
"Scopper is definitely okay. My intuition tells me so. Don't you believe me?"
"...I believe you. Your intuition has always been exceptionally accurate."
Scopper Gaban, the former navigator of the Roger Pirates, known as the [Left Arm of the Pirate King], was on par with Rayleigh in both status and strength.
And the reason Rayleigh appeared so heavy-hearted was that Gaban had gone missing.
Since the dissolution of the Roger Pirates, most of the crew members had generally stayed in touch.
Rayleigh, an old-timer living in the transportation hub of the Sabaody Archipelago, had the contact information for most of the crew.
Compared to others, the place where Gaban lived was relatively 'remote'. Moreover, it was said that the old man had also started a family and had children, so apart from special occasions, they generally didn't disturb him.
And Naruto's wedding was obviously one of those special occasions.
After receiving the invitation, Rayleigh had originally intended to notify his old comrade.
After all, although Elbaf was also one of the 'former World Government member nations' and an open kingdom, the place where that old Gaban was hiding wasn't somewhere just any bird could find.
But this time, Rayleigh's communication channels had received no response at all.
Gaban hadn't answered him.
This in itself was an ominous sign.
Rayleigh was confident in his old brother's strength. In a one-on-one fight, there were certainly people on this sea who could defeat him, but there were very few who could actually take him down and cut off his means of contacting the outside world.
So their trip to Amazon Lily was twofold: to attend the wedding, and also to inform Naruto about this matter.
If there was someone capable of taking down Gaban to the point where he couldn't even send a message, then Rayleigh wouldn't fare much better.
Rayleigh wasn't like Big Mom or Kaido, who couldn't accurately gauge their own strength, nor would he overcompensate like a certain Whitebeard who still needed oxygen.
"Let's go. There's no use worrying here. We'll talk to Naruto."
With that, Shakky put down her cigarette and helped Rayleigh fix his collar, also smoothing out his frown.
It was rare for the old man to wear a suit when going out.
And indeed, he did cut quite the figure of a noble gentleman.