It was truly an experience, walking through the empty Mangroves in the middle of the night.
The place gave the impression that it was one of the most peaceful places in the world. A beautiful deception. And Sin had chosen to walk to his destination after his dinner and chat with Jinbe, a change of pace that he felt like he needed.
It was past midnight when he finally made it to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar and sighed before he entered it.
There, on the sofa, was his dear Hancock, and she had a small girl, around the age of five, resting her head in her lap, crying in her sleep.
Everything had gone well today. They had managed to accomplish all their objectives, and yet, it was all sadness that they were going to take to sleep.
Whilst the Marines were focused on him and Mihawk, Kuma had made it onto the Island and met Bonney. And the two had talked with each other for hours, and he could only imagine how much Bonney must have tried to dissuade her father from doing what he planned on doing.
Sadly, it was not possible to change the mind of a person who had lost too much in life and suffered beyond repair. And such people would dig their own graves when they end up clinging to a dangerous ideal.
His eyes met Hancock's dark blue orbs, and he could see that she was quite depressed after seeing someone, whom she considered her younger sister, suffer in pain.
He slowly walked over to her and planted a kiss on her head before taking a seat on a stool at the bar.
There was already a bottle of Whiskey waiting for him with an empty glass and poured some for himself, even though he knew it was not going to work.
"I learned something funny today." He said, catching the girl's attention.
"What?" Hancock curiously asked.
"Hachi ran from the Fishman Karate Dojo when he was 10 and never returned."
"Why?" Hancock lightly laughed and asked.
"He lost to a mermaid in a spar, and she teased the life out of him." He chuckled, and his heart felt lighter when he heard her melodious laughter.
He was even more relieved when he felt Bonney's emotions calming down a little.
She was listening to their conversation, pretending to be asleep, and both of them knew it very well.
"So, are you going to send him back to the Dojo?" Hancock guessed his intentions and raised her brow when he shook his head.
"Jinbe said that Fish-man Karate is not really suited for Hachi. He might become decent at them, and he should learn them, but his focus should be on the Martial Arts that suits him best. There is another form of Martial Arts on Fishmen Island. It's called Fish-Man Jujutsu."
"Sounds interesting."
"It is." Sin nodded his head and emptied the glass. "I will send Hachi to Fishmen Island once he has awakened his Observation Haki." He told her, and she agreed with his decision.
"How Strong is Jinbe?"
"He is strong." Sin smiled. "He's stronger than Crocodile, Moria, and Tesoro right now."
"Heh... and who was the strongest person you met today?" She curiously asked.
"Garp."
"Oh." She smiled. "Looks like the Hero of the Marines has still got it in him."
"Yes. He's overbearing." He nodded. "But he's only marginally winning over the next strongest person I met today."
"Who?"
"Sengoku." He smiled. "He's strong, and I would expect him to win an all-out battle against Garp because of his Devil Fruit."
Hancock knew Sin was only talking about the Wills of these people that he met today, which allowed him to see past their strengths. Guessing how much someone was skilled with their Devil Fruit was not possible.
"They are old, but still the strongest. That's impressive."
"Yes, but their strength is going to continue diminishing as time passes. Mihawk will be the first to overtake them in the next few years." He said and smiled.
"Mihawk is stronger than the Admirals?" She raised her brow, quite surprised at the revelation.
"Yes." He nodded. "There's a difference, and it is enough. As for the Admirals, Aokiji is stronger than Kizaru, even though he's younger."
"I highly doubt he can kill Kizaru though." Hancock smiled.
"It will be hard for anyone to kill him. You can not catch a man with that speed if he is adamant about running away. Besides, I am not taking into account their Devil Fruit Powers. Who knows how skilled they are with them?" He shrugged and chuckled. "I sensed another strong presence on the Island today. It was likely Akainu. He's stronger than both Kizaru and Aokiji."
"And Rayleigh?" She mischievously asked as they both sensed the man in question approaching the bar.
"You have grown weaker, Old Man. But I will still be generous enough to put you above the current Admirals. However, you won't come out of the battle alive if you fought any of them to death."
"I haven't picked up my sword in years, not since I met my Captain for the last time."
They heard his voice before he entered the bar, and then he walked over to sit next to him on a stool.
"Impressive Haki. You can see through the strengths of the people who are stronger than you."
"My blood is blessed. Everyone in my Family is blessed with superior Observation Haki. And my case is a little special." He smiled and then met the old man's eyes who was curiously looking at him. "I was born with it."
Rayleigh's eyes widened at his words, but then rather than be impressed by it, he sighed and grabbed a glass to pour himself a drink.
"A blessing, indeed, but it must have undoubtedly been a curse for a newborn." He said, taking a sip.
"It was." Sin smiled. "I was a restless child, and I only ever found sleep when I would pass out of exhaustion."
There was a brief silence after his words, and he could sense that both Hancock and Bonney were a little tensed after listening to what he had just revealed.
It was something he had never told them before. And since they knew more details about his childhood than Rayleigh, especially Hancock, they better understood how cruel this curse was to him.
"How do you sleep now?"
"I am making up for all the sleep I have lost in my life." He chuckled, and Rayleigh could not help but smile at his words.
"That's good to hear." He said and gave a curious glance to his swords before vacantly looking at the glass in his hand, lost in some thoughts.
"You got any kids, Old Man?" Sin curiously asked, and a smile crossed Rayleigh's face.
"Not that I know of." He said and chuckled when he heard Sin laugh.
Hancock and Bonney were both dissatisfied that Sin found Rayleigh's words funny but when they heard another voice suddenly join the conversation, they smiled in their hearts.
"Heh... maybe you should tell us where we can find one of your children if there is such a possibility. Or do you have no idea about that either?" Shakky walked out of the backroom, holding two dishes of fresh pizza, and then placed them on the table.
Sin chucked some more when Rayleigh sighed at his wife's words.
"An old man can't even make a joke at this age."
"Have I ever stopped you from making jokes?" Shakky leaned onto the table and supported herself on her elbows. "I am fine with them as long as they are just jokes."
"It was a joke." He seriously said and they watched Shakky lean in and sip his lips.
"Good." She told him and looked at the little girl who was still pretending to be asleep. "Your Pizzas are getting cold. Wake up now."
Bonney embarrassedly giggled at her words and then happily jumped up on her feet, walking over to sit on the stool and ageing herself up to her true age.
"Thanks!"
Everyone smiled as they watched her happily munching on her meal. It was quite a relief.
"So, why were you asking for me earlier today?" Rayleigh suddenly asked and then smiled. "Want to know about One Piece?"
"Sure, why not?" Sin laughed. "But I will be fine as long as you tell me if it is worth it or if it is even real. Maybe your Captain played his one last trick before he left the world. And the entire world fell for it." He said and heard the old man chuckle.
"Roger was always an honest man, a little too honest at times." He said and stared at the glass in his hand, eventually closing his eyes and sighing. "One Piece is real, and it is worth it."
"Well, we will find it then." Sin smiled.
"And what will you do after becoming the King of Pirates?" Rayleigh curiously asked.
"Focus on becoming the Ruler of the World." He replied, catching both of them by surprise.
"You want to rule the world?" Shakky seriously asked, and he nodded to her.
"I do."
"Why?" She frowned.
"I don't have a choice. My blood, my heart, and my soul refuse to submit." He smiled, and in his mind flashed the faces of the people he was responsible for. "And I have never been the one to shirk my responsibilities."
Both Shakky and Rayleigh could sense that he was not lying, and his words pushed the two of them into some deep thoughts.
"You make the best pizzas, Shakky!" Bonney, who had finished both the pizzas, suddenly said, and the black-haired woman giggled at her words.
"Thank you."
"Well, we will take our leave now." Sin stood up and stretched his arms.
"You haven't told me why you were looking for me." Rayleigh reminded him.
"Maybe another time. I will soon come to drop off Hachi here. We will talk then." He said and helped Bonney wear her cloak.
"There's no need for that." Shakky smiled when she saw Hancock leaving behind a briefcase filled with cash.
"I am sure Bonney will be coming here again for your pizzas. It's for them." She giggled and the pink-haired girl grinned at her words before looking at the elderly couple.
"I have something for the two of you as well." She said and then stepped forward to tap them both on their shoulders, returning them to their youth. "You are beautiful!" She honestly told Shakky before she giggled. "Hope you have a fun week!"
The three of them then left the bar, leaving Rayleigh and Shakky stunned at what just happened.
The two stared at each other for a good two minutes before they both sighed and then laughed.
"He's going to turn the world upside down." Rayleigh could not help but say.
"They are the most fun group of kids I have ever seen." She said and then met her husband's eyes. "So, what's the plan for this week?"
"I am staying home." The now young man replied before he was pulled into a seething kiss by his wife.
They were definitely going to make it a very memorable week of their lives.