Outside the auction house on Sabaody Archipelago, the battle between the Marines and the three Supernovas was far less dramatic than expected.
Wave after wave of Marines charged forward with determination, but the outco was painfully predictable. The three strongest pirates among the Supernovas crushed them with ease. Monkey D. Luffy, Trafalgar D. Law, and Eustass Kid tore through the Marine forces as if they were little more than obstacles.
anwhile, the freed slaves had already escaped through the back door. In the chaos of battle, no one had the ti or awareness to notice their disappearance.
The remaining Marines were desperately organizing a special rescue squad. Their target was the last surviving Celestial Dragon, Saint Shalria, who was still unconscious inside the auction hall.
Aether stood quietly near the entrance, observing the battlefield.
His eyes moved from one Supernova to another.
Luffy, the user of the Gomu Gomu no Mi.
Law, the user of the Ope Ope no Mi.
Kid, the user of the Jiki Jiki no Mi.
Although their current strength was still developing, their abilities were undeniably unique.
When Aether thought about the other Supernovas, he noticed a pattern. Only two of them had chosen the path of pure swordsmanship, while nearly all the others relied on Devil Fruit powers.
He could not help but sigh.
"The Supernovas truly are monsters."
A calm voice answered from behind him.
"On the contrary, I think you are more of a monster. You resemble an old acquaintance of mine."
Aether turned his head and saw Silvers Rayleigh, holding a bottle of liquor while speaking casually.
Aether understood the implication imdiately.
He answered calmly.
"I am not Roger. I am Aether."
Rayleigh froze for a brief mont.
The familiar voice only strengthened the suspicion already forming in his mind. If the young man before him truly had a connection to Gol D. Roger, then it was not strange for him to reject that na.
After a mont of silence, Rayleigh spoke seriously.
"You are too reckless. Killing two Celestial Dragons the mont you appear on the stage of the world is not wise. Showing so restraint would be better."
Aether smiled faintly.
"Have you forgotten your own past?"
His voice carried quiet amusent.
"On Black Sail Island, if no one had stopped you, you would have slaughtered Saint Charlbic as well."
Rayleigh's body stiffened.
That mory belonged to a very distant past. Only two people had known about that mont, himself and Roger. At that ti, Roger had stopped him from acting on his anger.
Because of that, Rayleigh had never killed a Celestial Dragon in his youth.
His eyes narrowed.
"How do you know that?"
Aether did not answer.
Instead, he pointed toward the battlefield outside.
"Aren't you planning to step in?"
He continued calmly.
"If this continues any longer, a Marine Admiral will arrive. When that happens, your old bones might have to deal with him. Do you have the confidence for that?"
Rayleigh studied him for a mont before smiling.
"These are the adventures of the new generation."
He took another sip of his drink.
"My old bones will not interfere."
Aether simply chuckled.
Below them, the Marines had clearly been overwheld. Even so, under the desperate command of a Headquarters Commodore, they continued to resist.
It was obvious what they were trying to do.
They were stalling for ti.
They only needed to delay the pirates until a Marine Admiral arrived.
Unfortunately for them, Aether had no intention of waiting for that mont.
Even for him, facing an Admiral would be troubleso.
"If you won't move," Aether said lightly, "then I will."
The next mont, he jumped directly into the center of the battlefield.
His sudden appearance instantly drew everyone's attention.
The three Supernovas stopped briefly and stared at him. Their crews did the sa. Everyone present wanted to know how strong this man truly was, the man who had dared to kill two Celestial Dragons.
Was he truly powerful, or simply insane?
Aether slowly looked around at the hundreds of Marines surrounding them.
Clearing them out one by one would take too long.
So he chose a simpler thod.
Aether released his Conqueror's Haki.
A violent pressure erupted from his body.
Dark red lightning crackled through the air as the invisible force spread outward like a storm. The domain of Conqueror's Haki expanded rapidly, covering nearly a thousand ters.
The air itself seed to distort under the overwhelming pressure.
The effect was imdiate.
Marines throughout the battlefield collapsed one after another. Many foad at the mouth before losing consciousness entirely. Even the Marine Headquarters Commodore fell instantly, unable to resist the crushing force.
The pirates who were not the targets still felt a chilling terror crawl along their skin.
It felt as though they were standing before a king of beasts.
All five Supernovas looked toward Aether at the sa ti.
Sweat ford on their foreheads.
They had felt sothing similar earlier from Rayleigh, but Aether's Conqueror's Haki carried an even heavier sense of dominance.
Nearby, Nico Robin covered her mouth in surprise.
This was the first ti she had truly realized the depth of Aether's strength.
Before this mont, she had thought of him as an arrogant and mysterious man. Now she understood that he possessed the power to openly oppose the World Governnt.
Above the battlefield, Rayleigh's wine bottle slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.
He stared at Aether in disbelief.
The intensity of that Conqueror's Haki alone was not enough to shock him. After all, Rayleigh himself had witnessed the power of the greatest figures on the sea.
What truly shook him was sothing else.
That Haki felt incredibly familiar.
After decades of sailing together, Rayleigh could never mistake the presence of Gol D. Roger's Conqueror's Haki.
Now the young man nad Aether possessed the sa appearance, the sa voice, knowledge of their shared past, and even the sa overwhelming Haki.
Rayleigh's hands trembled slightly.
He whispered to himself.
"Roger... is that you?"
---
A series of system notifications appeared in Aether's mind.
SS Rank Character Silvers Rayleigh generated positive emotions toward the Host. Moderate friendliness.
Experience gained: 20,000.
Several A Rank figures generated positive emotions toward the Host. Moderate surprise.
Experience gained: 200 tis 5.
Multiple B and C Rank figures generated mixed emotions of fear and shock.
Experience gained: 30 tis 37.
Level Up. Level 40.
Aether smiled slightly.
Rising two and a half levels at once was an excellent outco.
He imdiately used the reward he had received.
Blue Gacha Draw activated.
Reward obtained, Level 5 Spell Scroll, Fla Strike.
The scroll contained a sealed spell that could be used once. Its power would not be extraordinary, since it ca from a Blue Gacha draw.
Still, it could be useful.
Aether slowly withdrew his Conqueror's Haki and exhaled.
With his current physical strength, releasing such powerful Haki only caused slight tightness in his chest. The side effects were manageable.
After all, top tier Conqueror's Haki was usually possessed only by the Emperors of the Sea and those close to their level.
Of course, his newly obtained power still could not compare to the true Conqueror's Haki of an Emperor.
Aether looked at the stunned pirates and spoke calmly.
"Aren't you leaving yet?"
His tone was relaxed.
"If you wait until an Admiral arrives, escaping may beco impossible."
No one argued with him.
Eustass Kid felt irritated hearing those words, but he did not refute them. The terrifying Haki he had just experienced still lingered in his mind.
Even so, deep inside he believed that an Admiral would not completely overwhelm him.
The Kid Pirates soon left the battlefield.
Shortly after, the Heart Pirates followed them.
Before leaving, Trafalgar Law glanced back and spoke calmly.
"Mr. Aether, I look forward to eting you again."
Aether smiled politely.
If nothing unexpected happened, their next eting would likely be at the Marineford War. Whether for Portgas D. Ace or simply for the spectacle, Aether intended to be there.
Such a historic stage was impossible to ignore.
anwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates prepared to depart using the Flying Fish Riders.
Just as Aether was about to leave on his own, Rayleigh suddenly spoke.
"Aether, would you like to have a drink with ?"
Aether laughed.
Whether in his previous life or his current one, sharing a drink with Rayleigh was not sothing he would refuse.
"Of course."
He smiled lightly.
"But I only drink strong liquor. You should already know that."
Rayleigh stared at him for a mont before bursting into laughter.
"Don't worry. I have a few bottles of Bacchus's Bounty. I guarantee you'll end up drunk."
Aether laughed as well.
"As expected of you, to keep such excellent wine."
Nearby, Usopp quietly whispered to Nami.
"I have been watching them for a while, and it feels like Senior Rayleigh and Mr. Aether suddenly beca very close."
Nami shrugged.
"Don't worry about other people's business."
She crossed her arms.
"We still have things to ask them."
Soon the group departed on the Flying Fish Motors and Manatee Motors, passing by the ruined hideout where Camie had originally been kidnapped.
After the pirates left earlier, the building had been reduced to a wreck. Several human traffickers lay half conscious on the ground.
Eventually the group arrived at Shakky's Rip off Bar.
The Flying Fish Riders left after dropping them off.
Hatchan and Camie would stay here temporarily to recover from their injuries. The bar's owner, Shakky, was not soone easily provoked.
When the door opened, a middle aged woman with a calm yet charming appearance greeted them with a smile.
She invited everyone to sit down.
However, the mont her eyes landed on Aether, she froze briefly.
Shakky glanced toward Rayleigh, silently asking a question with her eyes.
Rayleigh simply shook his head.
Even he could not explain Aether's origins.
Yet strangely, talking with him felt incredibly natural.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
Just like spending ti with a long lost friend from another era.
Deep in his heart, Rayleigh could not help but hope that his impossible guess might sohow be true.
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