One piece: Establishing a Pirate Family

Chapter 489: Rayleigh the Coating Craftsman

Indigo stared blankly at the newspaper on the ground—and at Shiki, who had fainted once again.

"Boss!"

Indigo snapped back to his senses, threw the newspaper aside, and hurriedly carried Shiki back into the infirmary.

After another flurry of chaos, Shiki slowly opened his eyes again.

His gaze was hollow as he stared at the ceiling.

"Indigo… am I a failure?" he asked.

Hearing that, Indigo's heart clenched. The aura Shiki gave off at that moment was unlike anything he had ever seen before—it was one of despair and collapse.

This wasn't the fierce, sky-soaring Golden Lion he knew.

Had this defeat broken him for good?

"No way! You're the great Golden Lion Shiki—the man destined to surpass the Pirate King Roger! The one who stands at the very peak of the sea! The man who will conquer the world! How could someone like you ever be called a failure?" Indigo quickly tried to console him.

"Conquer the world…?" Shiki murmured, his mind drifting back to twenty years ago.

Back then, he had been full of ambition and pride. So when had that fire begun to fade?

Was it when he was imprisoned in Impel Down?

No.

Was it when he challenged Marineford alone?

Still no.

Was it when Roger rejected his invitation, and his fleet was decimated by a storm?

Suddenly, Shiki remembered—remembered himself lying helpless like a stray dog, crushed by the overwhelming force of nature. And now, a helm was forever embedded in his skull, a constant humiliation.

"Roger…!"

Shiki erupted in fury, roaring the name of his greatest rival.

Roger—his lifelong nemesis.

It was him… because of him, Shiki had ended up in this humiliating state.

"Cough, cough!"

The sudden surge of emotion triggered another fit of pain, forcing him into violent coughs.

"Boss! Please, you can't get worked up!" Indigo panicked.

"…Leave me alone for a while," Shiki rasped.

Understanding, Indigo bowed and stepped out, leaving the infirmary in silence.

Shiki lay there, motionless.

---

Meanwhile, across the New World—

The article had stirred massive waves.

Golden Lion Shiki defeated by Charlotte Linlin.

The news shook the world.

The once-mighty pirate who had roamed the seas for over two decades… had been defeated by Big Mom?

The New World's power balance was shifting.

In the past, even when Shiki lost, people respected who he lost to.

Defeated by Roger? That was the Pirate King. No one thought less of Shiki for that.

When he invaded Marineford and fought both Sengoku and Garp for three days straight before being captured, no one thought he was weak. Quite the opposite—facing two living legends, Shiki's loss was seen as heroic.

He still had their respect.

But this?

Defeated by Charlotte Linlin—a woman who had been repeatedly humiliated during the Golden Age of Piracy?

To the world, this defeat was different. It wasn't just a setback.

It meant the lion had grown old.

Everyone thought the same thing:

"The Golden Lion's era is over."

---

Sabaody Archipelago.

Rayleigh sat at the bar counter, staring at the newspaper. His eyes glinted with emotion before he sighed heavily.

"So… even Shiki's time has come."

That sigh was filled with melancholy—mourning not only a rival's fall, but the passing of time itself.

He, too, was growing old.

Running his hand through his once-golden hair, now streaked with white, Rayleigh reflected silently.

The disbanding of the Roger Pirates had hit him hard.

He never showed it outwardly, but the quick greying of his hair told the truth. Roger's death, and the end of that era, had left a mark on his soul.

"Old man! What are you moping about this time? You come here every day to drink without paying. Get back there and wash some dishes!" a gruff female voice barked.

Shakky appeared from the back room, glaring at Rayleigh with a cigarette in her mouth.

"Hmph!"

Rayleigh's face reddened in embarrassment.

"I'm the Dark King, dammit! I don't wash dishes!" he huffed. "Fine! I'll go out and make some money!"

With that, he downed the last of his drink and stormed out of the bar.

—

Outside, the busy streets of the archipelago soothed Rayleigh's mood. The lively atmosphere reminded him of the world he once roamed.

As he wandered, he arrived at the Auction House on Island #1.

A mischievous idea flashed in his mind.

He turned and walked toward the backstage entrance.

"You want to sell… yourself?" the slave dealer asked, stunned.

"Yep. Any problem?" Rayleigh grinned.

"…Not really. Fine, forty thousand Berries. You're too old to be worth much," the dealer scoffed.

A slave collar was snapped around Rayleigh's neck.

Thus began the Dark King's most absurd scheme.

Hours later…

Rayleigh strolled out of the auction house, humming, pockets jingling.

"Hah! Eighty thousand Berries for an old man like me. Lucky me!"

He chuckled.

"But I can't keep pulling that trick. Better find a proper job."

At the harbor, he saw a group of craftsmen coating a ship.

Rayleigh's eyes lit up.

In Sabaody, the most profitable job—without question—was that of a coating craftsman.

He watched them work, silently activating his Observation Haki to copy their techniques. It didn't take long before he had it down.

Then he returned to Shakky's bar.

"Well, well. Look who it is—the famous Dark King. Did you make any money?" Shakky asked, blowing a puff of smoke.

Rayleigh waved a hand. "No more Dark King nonsense. I'm just 'Old Ray,' the ship coater."

He tossed a pouch onto the counter.

Shakky snatched it up.

Eighty thousand Berries.

"Did you rob someone? Where'd you get this much?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Rob? Come on, this is Marine territory! I just sold myself at the auction house. The lady who bought me let me go for free. Simple as that," he said with a chuckle.

Shakky rolled her eyes, pocketing the money.

"Fine. But this only covers two weeks of rent," she said.

"Hmph. You really do run a racket, huh?" Rayleigh laughed.

"Hmph!" Shakky smirked and tidied the scattered newspapers on the counter.

"Looks like Linlin is starting to send her message to the world," she muttered.

As a former senior member of the Rocks Pirates, Shakky had known Linlin well.

Back then, Linlin had been… so simple. So innocent.

---

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