"Tch, Rayleigh. I thought you were dead already!"
Because he had been stopped earlier, Kaido grumbled irritably as he chugged some alcohol.
He had quite a strong impression of Rayleigh.
It might be an exaggeration to say he stood like a grunt back then, but during the God Valley Incident, Kaido was just an apprentice on the Rocks Pirates, while Rayleigh was already one of the main forces of the Roger Pirates.
Kaido had watched enviously as Shiki, Whitebeard, and others clashed with powerhouses like Rayleigh and Gaban.
—And then he had quietly stolen the Devil Fruit from 'Linlin-senpai'.
Of course, times had changed. He was now an Emperor, while that old coot Rayleigh had vanished without a trace. Kaido actually found this somewhat regrettable.
Shiki was dead, Whitebeard was soon to follow. There weren't many strong fighters from the older generation left.
"Haha, my old bones are still holding up."
Rayleigh didn't mind at all. He waved with a smile, simultaneously reaching over to take a cup of sake from in front of Kaido and drinking it.
Perhaps because his shirt buttons were too tight, he deliberately loosened his collar, making his formal attire look a bit casual.
Like a gangster in a suit.
"Uncle Rayleigh! Why are you so late? Did you get lost again?"
While Rayleigh and Kaido were exchanging their classic trash talk, Naruto approached with Hancock.
Because of his special relationship with Rayleigh, Naruto needed to properly welcome the old couple with Hancock.
"Oh… Naruto, and Hancock. Congratulations on your wedding."
He didn't mention Gaban directly. There was no rush. It could wait until they were alone later.
"Wow, you're dressed so sharp today. Still looking great as ever."
Naruto seemed pleasantly surprised that Rayleigh had attended in formal wear… he didn't mind how guests dressed, but being treated with such formality certainly felt nice.
Even Hancock, who usually looked down her nose at everyone, even managed a rare smile for Rayleigh.
As for the collar?
Ah, that was a minor issue. The old man could wear whatever he wanted.
"Welcome, Rayleigh."
She rarely spoke with such a tone.
Gratitude towards her benefactor was one thing, she would repay that with actions, but besides Naruto, no one could control her temper.
"What are you saying? I'm just an old coot. Save that kind of compliment for Shakky."
Hearing this, Shakky simply waved her hand with a light laugh.
"Don't listen to old Rayleigh's nonsense. Congratulations to you both. And this… it's almost time, isn't it?"
Hancock was quite polite to Shakky, allowing her to gently hold her hand.
At the end, Shakky pointed at Hancock's belly, where a slight bump was now visible.
"A few more months…"
Asked about the child, Hancock also showed a rare gentle expression.
"Hehe, I'm envious of you two."
Shakky glanced meaningfully at the old man beside her, only to find that he had already started drinking with Kaido.
'Tch, you old fool!'
After offering her congratulations to the couple, Shakky walked over to another spot.
There, two old women were staring intently at her.
"Long time no see, Linlin, and… Captain."
These two old women were naturally Big Mom and Elder Nyon.
"Hmph, it's you."
Even though just minutes ago she had been proudly mentioning Shakky, seeing her appear before her now, Big Mom's expression wasn't pleasant.
Although she had stubbornly insisted she was on the same level as Shakky and Stussy, to be honest, anyone with eyes could see the difference.
'We're all old women in our sixties or seventies. Why do you two still look so youthful?'
Stussy was her best friend, so that was one thing. But Shakky, still being so charming was just unfair.
She had been the most beautiful in her youth, and now in old age, she still outshone her. Of course Big Mom was angry.
Conversely, Elder Nyon, who had been so furious she wanted to strike with her snake staff, had become much calmer.
Shakky's call of 'Captain' had stirred up long-buried memories in Elder Nyon's heart.
"...No need to call me Captain, Shakky."
"No, a captain is always a captain."
Shakky, still charming, smiled at Elder Nyon. There was no mockery of her appearance in her eyes.
Perhaps everyone back then praised Shakky's beauty and lamented that Gloriosa was unlucky to have her as a first mate.
But Shakky herself had genuine affection for Elder Nyon.
Besides betraying tradition, the reason she hadn't returned to Amazon Lily was partly because she didn't know how to face Elder Nyon.
"You've changed…"
Elder Nyon leaned on her snake staff, walked towards Shakky, looked up at her for a long time, and said this.
"Yeah, it's been so long. Everyone has changed. Everything has changed."
"Hah, I envy you…"
Elder Nyon glanced at Rayleigh in the distance, who had already undone his suit buttons and was drinking with Kaido, sighing meaningfully.
This time, Shakky didn't say anything else, just smiled warmly, looking in the same direction as Rayleigh.
…
Whether it was a coincidence or not, it seemed all the guests had chosen to arrive at the Calm Belt on this day.
But this time, the arrivals weren't Naruto, Hancock, or Stussy's 'old friends', but a group of the new generation.
"Franky, is it really okay to go this fast?"
Nami looked at the sea speeding by outside the porthole, a worried expression on her face as she looked at Franky.
The blue-haired pervert in his underwear responded with a confident smile.
"Ow~ No problem. Trust my modification skills!"
On the other side, Robin was relaxing, looking outside. She smiled and said to Nami.
"To get to Amazon Lily in such a short time, modifying the Sunny was necessary."
"I know, but what about safety…"
Before Nami could finish, a rapid thump thump thump of footsteps came from the staircase, followed by Sanji carrying two plates of pastries as he approached with attentive service.
"Nami-swan~"
"Robin-cwhan~"
"It's time for afternoon tea."
He bent down very gracefully, gently placing the plates on the table.
"Ah, thank you, Sanji."
"Mmm~ So sweet…"
"Oh~ A beautiful lady's compliment gives me so much energy!"
Just as Sanji was getting lost in his own world, Franky, fiddling with some machinery, couldn't help but retort.
"Hey, hey, what about me?"
"Tch, you can just drink some motor oil, right?"
"Hey! I'd drink cola!"
Seeing the two of them goofing off, Robin couldn't help but chuckle behind her hand.
"Robin, I feel like you've been smiling more often lately."
Nami tilted her head, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"Is something good going on?"
"Ah, that's right~"
Robin propped her head up and responded with a light smile.
What good thing could make her so happy?
The collapse of the World Government, of course!
Ever since the Marineford War, Robin felt as if the dark cloud that had loomed over her for so long had finally dispersed. There was no better news than that.
Before Nami could continue asking, a series of cheers and shouts, first growing louder then fading away, came from outside the porthole.
"Wooooo! This is so fast!"
"Haha! Luffy, wait for me!"
"I'm coming too!"
"Hahahaha!"
Outside the window, Ace was leading on his personal skiff, but Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were also chasing closely on some sea motorcycles.
These were personal vehicles Franky had made, based on the [Waver] special vehicle the crew had obtained in Skypiea, and also referencing Ace's skiff.
Their power source wasn't the [Wind Dial] like the Waver, but a special engine fueled by oil.
After modifications, even Luffy, who couldn't ride a Waver properly, could easily handle one of these sea motorcycles.
Of course, the result was that the three most childish crew members were now hooked, feeling restless if they didn't race with Ace on the sea every day.
"Hey! Luffy! Chopper! You two be careful! Don't flip over again!"
Nami leaned out of the porthole like a worried mother, shouting loudly.
"How wonderful."
Robin watched her companions doing their own things, feeling the sunlight on her fingertips, and couldn't help but chuckle softly.