Chapter 108: The Suicidal Celestial Dragon
"All right, your Black Pearl is coated and ready. As long as nothing unexpected happens on the way, you can sail through the Fish-Man Island straight into the New World," Rayleigh handed the newly coated Black Pearl to Rodney.
The Black Pearl now had an extra layer of thin bubble coating. Despite its appearance of being fragile and easily burst, this bubble coating was incredibly sturdy. It could help the ship withstand the water pressure from the deep sea, allowing safe entry into the depths of the ocean, past Fish-Man Island, and into the New World.
The bubble coating would automatically dissipate after the ship resurfaced, marking the end of its usage.
"That's amazing, Mr. Rayleigh! You've been a tremendous help," Rodney said happily as he watched the bubble coating. He gestured to Robin, Brook, and the others to board the ship; they were about to leave this place.
"No problem, you paid for it, and I'm just doing my job," Rayleigh said down-to-earth, without any airs of being a former Dark King. He chuckled and reminded Rodney, "Once you enter the New World, things are different from Paradise. Remember to hone your Haki. Garp gave you quite the lesson, didn't he?"
In the New World, Haki and Devil Fruits were more prevalent, and strength increased significantly. For Rodney, it meant facing opponents completely different from those he encountered earlier. The strength of the Marines in the New World was also far superior to those in Paradise.
"I understand. I'll remember that," Rodney nodded, taking Rayleigh's advice seriously.
"Well, there's not much else to remind you of. You're a smart kid, so I won't say more. Oh, if you happen to meet Ace, please check on him for me," Rayleigh patted Rodney's shoulder, showing his concern about Ace becoming Whitebeard's son.
After all, they were old rivals, and Rayleigh knew the kind of person Ace was. As a family, Ace's love for Whitebeard was undeniable. For someone like Ace, who had lacked parental love from a young age, Whitebeard's affection was something he couldn't easily refuse.
Rodney didn't want to see Ace die, which was why he had made that agreement with him. But if Ace truly joined Whitebeard's crew, it wasn't a problem as long as he eliminated Blackbeard.
"Well then, goodbye, young man! Enjoy the freedom of the sea!" Rayleigh bid farewell.
"I understand. Goodbye, Mr. Rayleigh. Enjoy your retirement and make sure not to sell yourself out too many times," Rodney waved back.
"So, young man, what kind of waves will you stir up on the high seas? I'm looking forward to it."
Rayleigh had a gut feeling that Rodney was not an ordinary individual, destined to create storms on the sea. His intuition rarely led him astray, just as when he met Roger. Although he found that young man with a straw hat unreliable at first, they had traveled the world together and crossed the seas.
Although Rodney didn't inherit Roger's will, after spending these days together, Rayleigh could sense that he was a good man. While occasionally unorthodox and filled with quirks, he possessed a passionate heart. Perhaps it was this very heart that made him not choose to become a pirate.
Speaking of which, how many pirates on the high seas truly longed for adventure nowadays?
Most of them were after treasure, power, and the positions once held by Roger.
"Hehe, it's a young man's world now!"
Shaking his head and sipping his drink, Rayleigh walked slowly toward the casino, but as soon as he arrived, he heard shocking news. The luxurious suite of George Martin Saint, who had been on the island for leisure, witnessed a leap of faith.
Due to the lack of a straw pile, he ended up as a mosaic on the ground.
The subsequent events were swiftly taken over by CP0. However, the news of the Celestial Dragon's suicide spread across the island like wildfire.
"Did he do it?"
Rayleigh couldn't help but think of Rodney's mysterious eyes. He chuckled, "Who did it and what does it have to do with me? The world could do with fewer parasites like him."
Without giving it much thought, Rayleigh continued toward the casino.
CP0 continued to investigate the case of George Martin Saint, as the death of a Celestial Dragon was of great concern. They had to take it seriously, as the world had not witnessed such an unexpected death among the Celestial Dragons for many years.
Given Rodney's status as one of the Shichibukai, they had to consider his special circumstances. Unless they confirmed Rodney as the murderer, they could not kill him. The Shichibukai were crucial to the World Government. After receiving the CP0 report, the Five Elders decided to have their agents go undercover, with the mission to learn about Rodney's true strength and uncover the truth.
As for Moria's position, they had yet to find a suitable candidate to replace him. Losing another one would complicate matters further, especially since Rodney, a Shichibukai, had entered the New World. Judging by his recent achievements, Rodney's strength was on par with some of the recent Supernovas, even surpassing some.
Especially after his recent battle with Garp, though Garp hadn't used his full power, Rodney's incredible regenerative abilities had impressed everyone. He was likely another monster on the level of Kaido of the Hundred Beasts.
That kind of monstrous regenerative power was not something ordinary people possessed.
To be honest, the speed of his Creation Rebirth was astounding. As long as he had sufficient chakra and wasn't taken down in one blow, Rodney could recover before his lifespan was exhausted.
To avoid confronting such a monster directly, CP0 decided to send one or two undercover agents to infiltrate Rodney's fleet. Once they became familiar with the crew, they could gradually uncover George Martin Saint's true story, no matter how long it took.
It was also a precautionary move, placing their people within the enemy's ranks. If Rodney showed any signs of rebellion in the future, they could swiftly eliminate him, and few could escape assassination by someone they trusted.
CP0 had their plans in motion, while Rodney began preparations for the Black Pearl's descent.
The ship was filled with air, and the descent began.
"Yohohoho! We're setting sail once again! How many years has it been since our last voyage? I'm so excited, I could shed tears! Even though I don't have eyes!"
Brook, with a skull, cracked one of his icy jokes as he took control of the ship's helm. Since he joined the crew, the position of helmsman was handed to him. Having been a pirate himself, Brook was quite skilled at navigating, more so than most of the others on board. Rodney naturally entrusted this important task to him.
"I plan to capture a Sea King to serve as the ship's power source," the Black Pearl had no special propulsion system, so Rodney intended to catch one or more Sea Kings to help propel the ship. He had done it often during his time in the East Blue.
If they relied solely on the speed of ocean currents, they might be too slow and unable to evade danger. So, for safety's sake, Rodney decided to capture one or more Sea Kings to protect the ship.