"Perhaps there are no coincidences in this world, only inevitabilities."
"Everyone comes into this world with a specific mission. Maybe not everything is a coincidence. Exploring the unknown future is what is truly worth pursuing."
At fifty-four years old, Rayleigh still had a head of golden hair, but upon closer inspection, one could see scattered strands of silver.
At this moment, his fingers were deeply embedded into the crimson cliff face. His entire body pressed against the 'wall,' and as he looked up, the end was still nowhere in sight. The night sky was shrouded in mist, with stars twinkling faintly.
The Red Line Continent was thousands of meters high, so steep that it seemed as if it had been sliced straight down with a single stroke, making it hard to believe it was a natural formation.
There were no plants or trees here, only the increasingly cold and fierce winds that howled with altitude. But to him, these were nothing more than a gentle breeze.
After all, he was still in his prime! "Roger loved adventure and exploration the most. We've been to Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters beneath the sea, to Skypiea, ten thousand meters above the ground, and even to the legendary Laugh Tale. But we never got to see what the so-called Holy Land, Mary Geoise, was like."
"This time, let me take a look for you. When we meet again in the Land of the Dead, I'll tell you all about it."
For Rayleigh, this journey might very well be his last adventure.
To be honest, if Roger's meticulously planned Great Pirate Era hadn't been so easily brought to an end, he wouldn't have wanted to take such a huge risk.
He would have preferred to wait on Sabaody Archipelago, waiting for the pirate who could inherit Roger's will, and perhaps even lend a hand if needed.
But now, there was only one thing he wanted to know.
What was the reason behind the recent changes in the World Government? Was it due to an event or a person?
[Boom!]
His fingers flexed, and with immense arm strength, he propelled his entire body upward. Rayleigh moved like a swift swallow skimming the surface of the wall, ascending dozens of meters in an instant.
When he felt his strength waning, he would once again embed his fingers into the rock face and continue his ascent. This cycle repeated itself, and at an astonishing speed, he steadily approached the top of the continent.
If Fisher Tiger from the original timeline were to witness this scene, his feelings would undoubtedly be complicated.
Rayleigh's climb up the Red Line Continent seemed far too 'effortless' and rapid. [Tap.]
After an unknown amount of time, one hand finally touched a flat surface. With a forceful flip, he somersaulted in the air and landed steadily on the edge of the cliff.
"Finally made it."
Rayleigh scanned his surroundings and used his Observation Haki to sense the nearby auras. He immediately detected the presence of numerous Holy Land Garrison soldiers in the distance.
But the majority of the auras came from a large gathering of people.
"As expected, the so-called liberation of slaves is nothing more than a performance to deceive the world. The Celestial Dragons are still the same Celestial Dragons."
Under the moonlight, Rayleigh's gaze grew darker. But he was well aware of the purpose of his journey and didn't immediately think of freeing the slaves.
However, on his way back, he might just give these slaves a chance to regain their freedom.
With this in mind, he untied the long sword strapped to his back and held it in his hand. Then, he began to move, swiftly and silently approaching the brightly lit, golden city by following the shadows of trees and buildings.
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise! The Holy Land Garrison here had been at peace for too long, and their vigilance was practically nonexistent. This was why Fisher Tiger had succeeded in his mission.
Even though the security level had been raised afterward, the Revolutionary Army still managed to infiltrate it with ease.
Now, with someone as powerful as the "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh, it was even easier. He moved like a ghost, and the armored soldiers standing guard or patrolling along the way couldn't detect his presence at all.
Rayleigh's target was none other than Pangaea Castle.
He had heard that the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons, the Five Elders, were in that place. His instincts as a strong warrior told him that there was something he wanted to know there.
"By the way, this place has a really nice environment. Clean, wide rivers, neatly arranged green forests, and even the air is much fresher than down below. And from here, the moon looks so big."
Rayleigh hid behind a wall, waiting for a patrol team to pass by. At the same time, he glanced up at the full moon in the starry sky and smiled.
"Still, the moon on Skypiea is even bigger."
Inside the Chamber of the Moon, Imu held a seemingly ordinary, unnamed famous sword and casually instructed Mihawk in swordsmanship. Even so, he effortlessly overwhelmed the latter, whose chest heaved like a broken bellows, gasping for breath.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, Imu's eyebrows twitched, and he suddenly stopped his movements, giving Mihawk a chance to catch his breath and recover.
Since there were still about thirty minutes left before the end of the training session, Mihawk thought Imu was giving him a break. But then he noticed that Imu had put away his sword.
"My lord?"
"A curious golden-haired mouse has sneaked in."
Meanwhile.
Rayleigh had successfully infiltrated the interior of Pangaea Castle and arrived at an open space, the social square.
When he saw the tennis court illuminated by moonlight, spanning the entire Grand Line and the Calm Belt, he felt an overwhelming aura wash over him.
"These Celestial Dragons are really something."
But he wasn't interested in these things. After a brief moment of awe, he averted his gaze and turned into a blur as he headed toward the inner gate of the castle.
He had noticed that the lights on one floor were on, and there were clearly five auras gathered there. No matter how he thought about it, it was most likely the Five Elders.
[Boom——————]
Just as Rayleigh's right foot was about to step onto the staircase, an incredibly domineering wave of energy erupted from the corridor inside the gate.
The force was so fast that he only had time to block with his long sword and use Armament Haki to protect his front. In the next moment, he was blasted back.
"Was I discovered? But this power..."
When the soles of his shoes were nearly worn to smoke, Rayleigh's figure finally came to a halt. However, two long scrape marks had already appeared on the grass in front of him, extending until he stepped into the field representing the first half of the 'Grand Line.'
[Whoosh!]
Without hesitation, Rayleigh turned and left. He had come this time to gather information, not to cause a ruckus in Mary Geoise, so there was no need to engage in combat.
His speed was incredibly fast, or rather, the speed of a Great Swordsman was exceptionally swift. However, less than a second after his figure disappeared from its original position, before the sound of the sonic boom could even make its presence known, he was intercepted by a beam of moonlight descending from the sky.
[Clang——]
With a crisp metallic clang, Rayleigh felt an overwhelmingly powerful force travel through the blade and into his hand, sending his body flying uncontrollably once again.
Thud, thud, thud—after a few heavy footsteps, he finally managed to stop his momentum. When he looked up again, he saw a white figure standing in mid-air, bathed in starlight and moonlight, with the enormous full moon as its backdrop.
The moment their eyes met, a chill ran down Rayleigh's spine, and a long-forgotten emotion welled up in his heart.
Fear!
"Ant, who gave you permission to raise your head?"