One Piece: Nico Robin Collection

Chapter 141

Nami secretly sized up the short-haired woman behind the bar.

Judging by her appearance alone, she was indeed a charming, mature, and sexy older woman, but her looks weren't particularly outstanding, which slightly dispelled his doubts about Caesar.

Having spent so much time together, she had come to know Caesar quite well.

Although my husband is a bit of a womanizer, he has very high standards.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Shaki."

Caesar nodded slightly, showing great politeness.

"Oh my, what a polite and handsome young man."

Xia Qi held a cigarette between her fingers and exhaled softly: "Although I'm very happy, she's already over sixty years old, so please call her 'elder sister'."

"Huh? Sixty?"

Nami was shocked. How could this woman look sixty? How did she maintain her youthful appearance?
"Ah, that's right, sixty..."

Shakky rested her chin on her hand, looking Nami up and down with interest: "I can't compare to you, you're sixteen. Your name is Nami, right? That's really too much, Caesar."

"Seventeen."

Nami was a little embarrassed: "I'm already an adult."

"She's even siding with him, is she really in the honeymoon phase? How cute..."

Shaki smiled and looked at Caesar: "I think you're here to see Old Lei, right?"

"Yes, I'd like him to help me apply a coating to the boat."

Caesar nodded: "He is the vice-captain of the Pirate King, after all. I don't think he would do anything to tamper with such a thing."

Nami, standing nearby, was startled and stared at Caesar in astonishment.

One Piece?
First mate?
You didn't say we were here to meet such an important person!

"Ok?"

Hearing Caesar's words, Shakky immediately became interested: "You actually believe a pirate? That's the Pirate King's right-hand man, you know. Your name is currently very famous on the seas. If we can get your head, the Navy probably won't care who has the bounty."

"No, I believe he won't do it."

Caesar gave a thumbs up and pointed behind him: "There's a guy named Ace on my ship. Doesn't Shakky think that name sounds familiar?"

"Ace...Ace?!"

Shakky murmured the familiar name, then her eyes lit up: "Ace? The Supreme Grade Sword?"

"Well... it's not strange that the Pirate King knew he was going to die soon, so he left behind his bloodline before he died, right?"

Caesar smiled slightly: "Portgas D. Ace, grew up in the Kingdom of Goa in the East Blue."

"Garp's hometown... How old is he?"

"Seventeen."

"It doesn't match up." Xia Qi shook her head slightly.

"His mother was worried about being found out by the World Government, so she endured two years before giving birth to him, and then she passed away."

"Two...two years?"

Xia Qi, who had just been calm and collected, was immediately shocked: "Unbelievable, what kind of maternal love is this... Roger didn't even reveal a single word, what a bastard."

Shaki could understand Roger's desire not to burden his companions, but how could he not even mention to his companions that his wife and children were in such danger?
Even just making a phone call?

There were clearly better solutions!
"Forget it, I have no reason to be angry with a dead person."

Xia Qi stubbed out her cigarette and exhaled a faint puff of smoke: "Old Lei is probably out gallivanting somewhere. He doesn't usually carry Den Den Mushi, so I can only try to find him for you. Besides, that guy usually hangs out around the docks."

"There's no need to go to such lengths. The location I'm in is an excellent marker in itself."

As soon as Caesar finished speaking, an invisible wave suddenly erupted, and black and red lightning, like a dragon, drew a winding path in mid-air and shot towards a certain direction of the island.

"They can actually use Conqueror's Haki to this extent."

Shakky looked at Caesar in surprise: "You really are very talented. Even Shanks, that kid, probably couldn't do this at your age."

"I do have some talent."

Caesar pulled Nami to sit at the bar, and Shakky served them two cocktails.

The two had just taken a sip when a figure appeared outside the door.

He was an elderly man with a full head of white hair, but his figure was still in good shape and he was full of energy. If it weren't for his white hair and beard, he would look no more than forty or fifty years old.

The old man was none other than Rayleigh, the vice-captain of the Pirate King, who was living in seclusion here!

"Ah, what a rare guest."

Seeing the young couple at the bar, Rayleigh chuckled and put his tool bag aside.

"Nice to meet you, Lord Rayleigh."

Caesar sat in the salon swivel chair, turned around, and chuckled.

"Looks like you've come to see me."

Rayleigh sat down next to Caesar: "You world-renowned super rookie, you've come all this way to see this old man, is there something you need?"

"It's nothing particularly important, I just heard that you are very good at coating, and I would like to ask you to coat my boat."

"Haha, is that so? You scared me! I thought Xia Qi was in danger."

Rayleigh laughed heartily, and Shakky's eyes held a hint of reproach: "You're always running around and can't find anyone. If there were any real danger, by the time you come back, I'll probably be a stiff corpse."

"Speaking of which, I've heard Caesar mention before that the Sabaody Archipelago is very chaotic and has many slave traders. Shakky, are you alright on your own?" Nami asked with concern.

"Hahaha, tacky tape, tacky tape~"

Shakky chuckled and waved her hand: "Just kidding. Don't let my appearance fool you, I used to be a pirate too."

"Huh? I really couldn't tell..."

Nami was full of surprise. It was hard to imagine that this woman, who was sixty years old and still looked so young and had such an intellectual and elegant demeanor, was once a pirate.

Rayleigh chuckled dryly. It was a good thing that his woman was well-maintained, but his kidneys were a bit of a problem; otherwise, he wouldn't need to stay away from home for days at a time...

Xia Qi looks young, doesn't she?

But women are like flowers; without diligent care and watering, how can they maintain their unchanging beauty?
Shakky still looks young, but Rayleigh's hair is already completely white!
Of course, as the Pirate King's right-hand man, he also has dignity, so he naturally wouldn't show it.

"Speaking of which, you're pretty good, aren't you..."

Rayleigh sized up Caesar: "I heard you've been dating Kaido's daughter? And you have more than one girlfriend?"

Caesar nodded: "Yes, that's the tradition in Wano Country..."

"And this beautiful young lady is one too?" Rayleigh looked at Nami. He sensed a strong aura emanating from her, far surpassing that of the rookie pirates who had just passed the first half of the journey.

"My name is Nami."

Nami nodded shyly.

"Nami..."

Rayleigh paused for a moment, then sighed softly, "So that's how it is. You're Nami."

"You know me?" Nami was a little surprised by Rayleigh's reaction.

"Well... I'm really sorry to say that."

Rayleigh turned around, placed his hands on his knees, and bowed deeply to Nami: "One of my juniors once caused harm to you and your homeland."

"Junior...fishman?"

Nami subconsciously recalled Arlong's face, and her expression changed slightly.

"That child's name is Xiao Ba, and he's an octopus fish-man."

Rayleigh's tone was serious and earnest: "That child once saved my life, so Shakky and I have always regarded him as our own junior. We just never expected him to do such a thing. I dare not ask for forgiveness, but I hope you can accept my apology!"

"I see, Hachiko..."

Nami sighed slightly, thought for a moment, and then smiled lightly, "Never mind, this has nothing to do with you anyway. As for Hachi, he has already paid the price for his actions."

To be honest, although Hachi's personality is considered good among fish-men, and even kind when it doesn't involve issues of stance, Nami will never forget how he looked following Arlong.

The other person was also present when Bellemere died.

Nami pursed her lips, and suddenly a large hand gently covered her head.

Feeling Caesar's gentle touch, Nami felt a warmth in her heart and suddenly revealed a sly smile, making a money-counting gesture.

"In that case, what about the compensation for the coating..."

"Haha, of course it's free!"

Rayleigh laughed loudly, and Shakky smiled slightly as well.

“I’m a little curious, how did you find out about this?” Caesar asked.

"Garp is, after all, a Marine hero. Every time he captures a pirate, it gets publicized. Especially since the time he captured fishmen, who were Fisher's subordinates. They had been arrested once before and were only released after Jinbe became a Shichibukai."

Xia Qi explained calmly, "Xiao Ba is a good kid at heart. He just got corrupted by Arlong. But now that he's become a pirate, his fate is his own, whether he lives or dies. He can't blame anyone else."

"Yes, if you choose to become a pirate, you should be prepared for that."

Rayleigh sighed softly, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer: "Let's talk about the coating. How big is your ship?"

"It is 300 meters long, over 100 meters high, and nearly 100 meters wide."

"It's actually bigger than I expected..."

Rayleigh was clearly taken aback: "Even the largest warships in the navy aren't much bigger than this."

"He is, after all, the king of a country, so he should at least have some pomp and circumstance."

Caesar chuckled and asked, "How long will it take?"

"At this size, it will take at least ten days to complete."

Rayleigh was somewhat helpless. With a bounty on his head like Caesar, it was easy to imagine that he would encounter a lot of trouble if he stayed in Sabaody for ten days.

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you."

Caesar looked at Shakky: "Our ship is anchored under Mangrove Tree Number 41. Mr. Rayleigh, would you like to come with me?"

"Let's do it tomorrow morning."

Rayleigh chuckled. He hadn't been home for several days. If he left right after returning, Shakky would probably drain him dry next time.

"Then we won't bother you for now."

Caesar nodded politely and left with Nami.

"What a polite and handsome young man."

Xia Qi looked out the window at the two figures disappearing into the distance and sighed.

Rayleigh nodded: "His strength is also very strong. The domineering aura he just displayed was comparable to Shanks'. He is truly an outstanding junior."

"Well, since you've taken the job, do it well. Speaking of which, your captain's son is on his ship," Xia Qi said casually.

"Roger's?"

Rayleigh's eyes lit up as he recalled one of Caesar's most prominent subordinates recently: "Portgas D. Ace?"

"Hmm, that child took her mother's surname."

Xia Qi said in a complicated tone, "I heard that his mother hid him in her belly for two years."

Rayleigh was taken aback, then couldn't help but smile wryly: "That Roger guy..."

"So, how about we go get to know each other?"

"Never mind, everyone has their own path, and that kid probably has a lot of resentment towards Roger too."

Rayleigh smiled with relief: "I just didn't expect to join Caesar's ranks. I believe Roger's son will never be mediocre. Judging from this, this Caesar guy is no ordinary person either."

Caesar was certainly no ordinary man.

Knowing the plot intimately and possessing superhuman abilities, if he weren't unaware of Im's methods, he would have already swept through the Holy Land of Mary Geoise by now!

"Where are we going now?"

As soon as Nami left Shakky's bar, she couldn't wait to ask.

She usually teams up with three other people to play PUBG, and while the gaming experience isn't bad, she doesn't want to go back so early to enjoy the glory of winning alone.

"Let's go shopping."

Caesar, with Nami's slender waist in his arms, led her directly across the central area of ​​the archipelago.

Anyone from Sabaody knows that the central area of ​​the Sabaody Archipelago is basically slave trading territory, a completely lawless place, a chaotic area that even the navy doesn't care about, so the locals naturally wouldn't come to such a place on a regular basis.

As a result, almost 99% of the people on the streets of this area are slave traders who make money by capturing foreign pirates. They even brazenly commit crimes on the streets, which is extremely arrogant!
Of course, this kind of arrogance varies from person to person.

The moment Caesar stepped onto the street, the entire street fell silent.

The streets and alleys are so clean, it's like a city being evaluated for its civilized status...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(PS: There is no charge for adding after this paragraph!

(Three hundred words less. I've been writing less these past few days. Partly because the plot is a bit difficult to follow, and partly because the wedding is in about two weeks. There aren't any major events, but I have a lot of other things to do, so my time is quite fragmented. Please forgive me!)
(End of this chapter)