A Touching Story

To be honest, Rayleigh really wanted to slap himself hard.
Did his words yesterday actually come true today?
Sengoku actually came to pay the wine bill!
And he actually ran straight into him!
Rayleigh wasn't afraid, but he didn't want to ruin his peaceful retirement life.
Ron, sitting behind the bar counter, only smiled and didn't speak; he also wanted to see how the situation would develop.
Rayleigh and Sengoku were old friends, after all.
Would they hug and cry, lamenting how hard the past years had been, or would they directly start fighting?
At this moment.
Rem, unaware of the situation, saw Rayleigh freezing on the spot and said softly:
"Mr. Rayleigh, please come in and sit."
Is there a need to be so polite... Rayleigh was helpless and could only smile bitterly:
"The gas at my house isn't turned off, I must quickly head back."
As he spoke, his footsteps slowly retreated; he absolutely could not give Sengoku, that old fox, an opportunity to strike from behind!
"Rayleigh?!" Gion heard this and reacted instantly.
The long sword hanging at her waist suddenly unsheathed, making several clanging sounds.
Currently, although the sea was still very chaotic, the Marines, the Four Emperors, and the Seven Warlords formed a three-way balance.
No matter how chaotic it was, it was just child's play.
To get promoted, one either had to accumulate experience or wait for an opportunity.
And now, as long as she captured Rayleigh alive, a brilliant stroke would be added to Gion's resume!
"Stop, we are not here to fight today." Sengoku spoke up to stop her.
Arbitrarily starting a war, except for leaving Sabaody Archipelago collapsed from the fight, the Marines would gain nothing.
As the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sengoku had to clearly weigh the pros and cons.
Moreover, Rayleigh was currently retired; as long as he didn't cause trouble, the Marines could turn a blind eye.
"Consider yourself sensible. Ron, a cup of wine to make up for yesterday."
Rayleigh strode to the bar counter and sat down, while secretly feeling lucky in his heart.
Fortunately, the hot-headed Akainu didn't come today; otherwise, this battle would have been unavoidable on the spot.
Very quickly, Ram brought the wine and placed it in front of Rayleigh: "Uncle, please enjoy."
Rayleigh smiled and nodded, then sipped his makeup wine.
Seeing this.
Sengoku teased with a smile:
"What's wrong, Dark King Rayleigh is also disheartened, only daring to order one cup of wine?"
"What do you know." Rayleigh gave him a disdainful look, then raised his middle finger:
"Yesterday I only drank one cup, and it haunted me so much that I tossed and turned all night."
Sengoku: "?"
I understand every word, but why doesn't it make sense when put together?
Seeing Sengoku's confused face, Rayleigh stepped forward to explain.
"!!!"
Hearing this, Sengoku's pupils shrank suddenly.
He wanted to ask Ron for a cup to confirm the truth, but still held back.
Because Gion was still beside him.
"Ahem..." To hide his embarrassment, Sengoku coughed, then got straight to the point:
"Ron, with your strength, isn't it a bit unworthy to yield to a tavern?"
Rayleigh was slightly stunned, and the mouthful of wine he hadn't swallowed almost sprayed out.
What did he mean?!
Was he trying to recruit Ron into the Marines?
Subconsciously, Rayleigh shifted his butt to the side.
The moment Ron agreed, he would immediately flee and never set foot in this tavern again in this lifetime.
After all, if Ron agreed, Rayleigh might be treated as the first contribution offered to the Marines!
"Everyone has different choices." Ron smiled, thinking to himself:
"Whether it's worth it or not cannot be judged by strength."
"Opening a tavern with two cute waitresses, isn't this enough?"
No wonder a Marine Fleet Admiral personally came to deliver money.
It turned out delivering money was just on the way.
Inviting him to join the Marines was today's main topic.
However...
He had injured Tokikake, after all, and had extorted a large sum of money from the Marines.
It was hard for Ron not to think that Sengoku wanted to lure him to the Marine Headquarters and then capture him.
"Then what was your purpose in cultivating and enhancing your own strength back then?" Sengoku frowned slightly and asked back:
"Could it be that you didn't want to realize the ambitions in your heart?"
Sengoku truly had no reason to refute Ron's words.
For a person without ambition.
Ron's current life was indeed as peaceful as could be.
"Cultivation? Ambitions?" Ron shrugged:
"I simply want to continue living in this chaotic world, so having some means of self-defense, isn't that reasonable?"
The faces of Rayleigh, Sengoku, and Gion darkened at the same time.
What kind of self-defense means could knock out Tokikake?!
Isn't that unreasonably strong?!
Suddenly.
A commotion broke out outside the nameless tavern.
A large number of Marines poured into the port, as if chasing pirates, and the sound of gunfire echoed continuously.
Following that.
A soaring fire erupted, and even inside the tavern, a wave of heat could be felt.
"It's Fire Fist Ace again." Sengoku gritted his teeth:
"That bastard Garp, he really raised two good grandsons!"
Hearing this, Rayleigh couldn't help but have a series of question marks flash in his mind.
Grandson?
Isn't Ace Whitebeard's son?
Why is he involved with Garp now?
"So calculating it, doesn't Whitebeard have to call Garp father?"
"Hahaha..." Rayleigh remembered that image and burst into laughter.
But suddenly, he felt something was strange.
Damn it!
These people... Even Roger didn't dare call Garp father, right?
Furthermore, why does Ace make me feel inexplicably close?
"Regardless of their relationship, Tokikake must go all out to capture him now."
Sengoku said softly: "That huge debt is enough to make him tighten his belt and live miserably for half a year."
Butterfly effect... Ron frowned, turning his head to look outside the tavern.
At this moment.
About ten warships were docked at the port, and the concentrated troop strength was over ten thousand.
Aside from Tokikake, two veteran Vice Admirals were also dispatched!
It seemed his appearance had caused the original plot to change.
The huge wine debt, Tokikake being knocked unconscious by Ron, plus two layers of punishment for dereliction of duty, made Tokikake no longer care about Garp's face.
Even if they couldn't capture him today, the Marine recruits would continue to increase their forces in the future!
If not for these reasons, the Marines might have temporarily let it slide.
Ace and Blackbeard could also take the opportunity to escape, and the plot would still proceed in the original direction.
Wait... Ron suddenly thought of something.
Now that the plot had been completely disrupted, Ace would not escape Sabaody Archipelago no matter what.
Whitebeard would also die in the Summit War and would not come to the tavern.
Then wouldn't the Tremor-Tremor Fruit be out of his reach?
If that was the case... he might as well make things even more chaotic.
Only in this way would Whitebeard come to Sabaody Archipelago to save Ace, and drop by the tavern on the way.
"System, after a customer expresses themselves, can the Devil Fruit ability be selected?" Ron thought in his heart.
"Ding, yes."
"Acquiring the customer's Devil Fruit ability, the system will convert it into an ability or fruit for the host to use, without fearing the characteristics of seawater."
There was actually such a good thing?
Receiving the answer, Ron's eyes instantly flashed with starlight.
But then he felt a headache.
Whether Ace died or not didn't matter; after all, even a dog wouldn't eat the Mera Mera Fruit.
But he was currently the only one who could lock a bond with Whitebeard.
At that time, the system had reminded him that the person locked in a bond must have intense emotions.
Rayleigh and Sengoku couldn't be trifled with, unless... there was a fierce confrontation between them.
Therefore, Ace had to survive for now.
After locking the bond with Whitebeard and having him come to the tavern, even if Ron had to act as Ace's executioner, it wouldn't be a problem.
Suddenly.
Ron glanced at Rayleigh, a mocking smile appearing on his lips:
"Do you want to hear me tell a touching story?"
The three before him, although they didn't understand, still nodded.
"Twenty years ago, there was a great mother who was pregnant. To avoid being pursued by enemies, she fled to a small island."
"Despite hiding, she was eventually found, and all pregnant women were arrested."
Ron poured a cup of wine and took a sip:
"But this mother, to let her child live, carried the pregnancy for a full twenty months before giving birth, eventually dying of exhaustion."
"Isn't it very touching?" The story ended, and Ron fixed his gaze on Rayleigh.
For a moment.
Rayleigh froze on his seat, his thoughts completely disrupted.