One Piece: Starting with Breathing Techniques

Chapter 131 Fighting Rayleigh!

The bar doesn't have a fancy facade; instead, it's nestled in the root space of a mangrove tree.

Thick, intertwined tree roots, oozing air bubbles, form a natural curtain at the entrance.

Some faded signs hang at the entrance, featuring a cartoonish gesture of tapping a bamboo pole, with a wine glass beside them.

"Shawn's Bamboo Bar"

In the corner of the store, a lazy-looking spotted cat was dozing off with its eyes half-closed, occasionally turning over to adjust its sleeping position.

Sudden.

It suddenly rolled over, its eyes widened, its fur stood on end on its arched body, and it breathed towards the doorway.

"Pop!"

The resin film was pushed aside, and a well-proportioned figure slowly walked in.

Behind the oak bar, Shakky, wiping glasses, didn't even look up. "This guest—"

She pointed to a sign next to her, "Business hours are over. If you want to drink—"

Shakky glanced up at Kiro, paused, put down her pipe, and quickly fixed her gaze on the longsword at Kiro's waist.

"ha-!"

She suddenly realized something, narrowed her eyes, and sized up Kiro: "Sir, what do you wish to trade?"

"Do you want a drink, seek refuge—or do you need intelligence?"

Looking at this beautiful woman who had once caused countless top experts in the world to fight each other, Kiro sighed inwardly and slowly removed the disguise mask from his face.

The moment Shakky saw Kiro's true face, her expression changed, and she cried out without hesitation, "Rayleigh!"

"

""

"Yes, I've already sensed it."

A robust elderly man with a full head of white hair walked down from the second floor of the bar, his gaze fixed firmly on Kiro.

"I was wondering where I'd found a newcomer with such a terrifying aura, and it turns out it's you—"

"Kiro the Swordsman!"

With a smile, Rayleigh sat down at the bar. "The usual, Shakky, two glasses of rum, please."

He glanced at Kiro, then smiled and patted the seat next to him.

"What? Don't you want to have a couple of drinks with an old man?"

Without hesitation, Kiro sat down in the seat next to Rayleigh, took a glass of rum from Shakky, and looked at Rayleigh with a puzzled expression.

"Since you know me—aren't you afraid I'll take action?"

Rayleigh laughed loudly and downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

"—Hiccup—Hahahaha!"

He looked at Kiro, a calm glint in his eyes behind his glasses. "You have no reason to fight me."

"Moreover—"

"I'm here!"

Kilo was taken aback, then laughed and downed his rum in one gulp.

The moment the liquor entered his throat, he frowned as a spicy sensation spread through his mouth.

Kiro smacked his lips and shook his head. "Looks like I still can't get used to this kind of wine."

A smile played on Rayleigh's lips, but his eyes hardened, taking on a scrutinizing look.

"So, Kiro, who recently turned Mary Geoise upside down—"

"What brings you to the Sabaody Archipelago to find this old codger who has no interest in worldly affairs?"

His tone was kind, but Kiro vaguely sensed that the other party's aura was firmly locked on him, and that he might suddenly attack at any moment.

When confronted by Rayleigh, Kiro simply smiled faintly and waved his hand.

"I have no hostile intentions, I just want to make a deal."

"I need to know some information and ask you to do me a favor."

As soon as they finished speaking, the hostility in their eyes as they looked at Kiro gradually faded.

As intelligence experts with a deep understanding of human nature, they carefully observed the subtle changes in Kilo's expression as he spoke and determined that Kilo was not lying.

"Is that so?"

Rayleigh breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Although he was absolutely confident in his abilities, Kiro's previous record was simply too outrageous, and he didn't want to take action unless absolutely necessary.

Putting aside the question of whether he could win the fight, he couldn't guarantee that he could protect Xia Qi.

Since the other party is not here to fight and kill, but has other motives, things will be easier to handle.

Xia Qi regained her usual languid demeanor and tapped the price list on the table.

"Gathering information is no problem, but I always have a price list here. What kind of information do you want to know?"

"I want to know the locations of Hawkeye and Shiki."

"I mainly need the exact coordinates of the Golden Lion's Flying Pirates."

Upon hearing this, Xia Qi narrowed her eyes and exhaled a smoke ring.

"Mr. Kiro, this information of yours is top-tier; even we would have had a lot of trouble collecting it."

Upon hearing this, Kiro was not surprised but rather delighted. "So you have a way to get it?"

"————That's right."

Xia Qi tapped her pipe and said succinctly, "It costs extra."

"Both of these pieces of information are quite troublesome. I can get them for you within three days, but the price for each piece of information is—"

She picked up a pen and paper and began to jot down notes.

"Hawkeye's position requires 50 million Berries, while Shiki's Flying Pirates require 300 million Berries."

"The total is—350 million Berries!"

Upon hearing this, Kiro was taken aback and scratched his head.

"You're not mistaken?"

"350 million Berry??"

Although Kiro had the funds provided by Dragon for the operation, he wasn't that wealthy, and he really couldn't come up with that much money all at once.

Just as Kiro looked troubled and was about to speak up to discuss the matter, Shakky suddenly changed the subject.

"but----"

"—Did you save those three girls in Mary Geoise—the Boa sisters?"

Kilo was taken aback, then nodded.

Seeing this, Xia Qi's eyebrows relaxed, and her tone became kinder, "In that case—I won't charge you this time."

""

"————??"

'

Seeing Kiro's blank expression, Rayleigh quickly explained, "Shakky was once a member of the Kuja Pirates and the former emperor of Amazon Lily. The three children you rescued are her descendants."

"Shakky was overjoyed for quite a while after learning that the three children had returned to Amazon Lily."

Kiro suddenly realized, "So—it's really free?"

Xia Qi exhaled a smoke ring, and upon hearing this, couldn't help but snort, "My intelligence is always delivered on a cash-on-delivery basis, but this time is an exception—"

"Those three children are ones I watched grow up—"

There's one more thing she didn't mention: Shakky was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons, so she was deeply moved when she learned that the three Hancock sisters, who were also slaves, had escaped.

Therefore, her attitude towards Kiro, her savior, unconsciously softened.

"I can provide you with the intelligence for free, but—"

"You just said you had another request, what is it?"

Meeting the two men's questioning gazes, Kiro let out a long breath, his eyes burning as he looked at Rayleigh, unable to suppress his soaring fighting spirit any longer.

"Fight me, Rayleigh!"

"Give it your all!"

"Let me see how much of the old Hades' power he still possesses!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xia Qi accidentally bumped her pipe on the table.

But she no longer cared about her beloved treasure; instead, her expression changed, and she looked at Kiro warily.

Could it be that the other party's real target is actually Rayleigh?

Rayleigh was also taken aback, his face showing surprise, completely unexpected that Kiro would make such a request.

But when he saw Kiro's burning, determined gaze, the fighting spirit that had been extinguished in his heart gradually rekindled.

He had seen the way Kiro looked at him; it was the mutual respect between strong individuals.

Rayleigh, no longer hesitant, smiled with relief.

"—Is it the warlike nature of a swordsman?"

Under Shakky's worried gaze, Rayleigh decisively stood up, a smirk playing on his lips, "Then let's have a fight!"

"I haven't been active in a long time, so I hope these old tricks still work!"

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