A huge thank you to Justin Coulter for joining my Patr*on.
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"Adams Dylan?"
Not long after he left the door of "Shakky's Rip-Off Bar," a woman's voice sounded behind Dylan.
A woman nearly fourteen feet tall stood on the street corner with a hood covering her head.
Dylan looked at her and said nothing.
Today is the day Linlin agreed with him to "pay," and the person who comes should be from the Charlotte family.
So tall, is she a long-legged person?
"Smoothie?" Dylan raised his eyebrows. At this time, there seems to be no term for the three Sweet Commanders, but Smoothie should also be ranked very high in the Big Mom Pirates.
By sending someone like this here, could it be that Linlin wants to take advantage?
The woman standing against the wall shook her head: "I am Charlotte Cinnamon, and Smoothie is my sister."
"Ho~What? It turns out to be a nobody. Did you bring anything with you?"
Anger flashed across Charlotte Cinnamon's hooded face, but she didn't attack. After all, this man can easily defeat Daifuku, and it would be difficult to compete with his strength.
"Are you inspecting the goods here?"
"Hmm..." Dylan had no intention of inspecting the goods, but the other party seemed to have other thoughts: "Go to the bar in front."
Charlotte Cinnamon followed Dylan silently into Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
"Boss lady, some beer."
The moment Shakky behind the bar saw the two of them, she was slightly startled, then smiled freely.
"Ah, what a rare guest. Thank you for your consideration."
Rayleigh, who was sitting in the corner, saw Dylan walking in and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Brother Marine..."
"None of your business, old man. Drink your wine."
After silencing Rayleigh, Dylan walked to the bar and sat down, looking at Charlotte Cinnamon : "What good thing do you want me to inspect? Could it be Logia? Or a Mythical Zoan?"
In the corner, Rayleigh pricked up his ears and followed Dylan's every move.
"It's the Paramecia fruit—the Castle-Castle Fruit." Charlotte Cinnamon opened the suitcase in her hand, revealing a gray-white Devil Fruit. The pattern on the surface of the fruit's skin showed a pattern like a slate.
Dylan took the Castle-Castle Fruit and looked at Shakky: "Boss lady, is this a genuine product?"
Shakky covered her mouth and smiled: "It is indeed the Castle-Castle Fruit, a fruit with a very unique effect."
"Hey, hey, I asked you to help inspect the goods. I didn't ask you to add value to it. It will be difficult for me to do business with you like this, boss lady."
"Is that so?"
Shakky exhaled the smoke gracefully and said with a smile: "I'm so sorry, Brother Marine. Then I'll treat the beer as my treat."
Dylan played with the Castle-Castle Fruit in his hand and turned to look at Charlotte Cinnamon standing next to him: "It's somewhat useful, but... you can't say that a mere Paramecia fruit is more valuable than Daifuku's life, right?"
Charlotte Cinnamon shook her head: "Of course, that's not what I meant. It was just to ensure a face-to-face transaction and also to show the sincerity of the Charlotte family. What my mother meant was that there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future."
"HO~Is that so?" Dylan touched his chin and looked at Charlotte Cinnamon .
The Big Mom Pirates, although they were one of the Four Emperors a few years later, were considered the weakest.
Linlin herself is extremely unstable, suffering from Eating Disorder, and even attacking nuns and her own relatives when she goes crazy. Every member of Totto Land must surrender their soul and lifespan to Linlin. These unstable factors make this seemingly huge pirate group full of loopholes.
"Go back and tell Linlin that the deal is over. As for the rest, let's talk about it later."
Dylan waved, and Charlotte Cinnamon walked out of Shakky's Rip-Off Bar in silence.
Shakky crossed her arms on her chest and looked at Dylan, who was tapping his fingers lightly on the bar.
Rayleigh in the corner sat next to Dylan calmly.
"Brother Marine, have we met? You seem to have some inexplicable hostility towards me?" Rayleigh put one hand on the bar and held the bottle in the other.
"You are a thief and I am a soldier. Isn't it normal for me to be hostile to you? Is it because you are 'Roger's right arm—Rayleigh' that I have to abandon my beliefs and positions?"
Dylan put the Castle-Castle Fruit back into the box, stood up, and shook his cloak: "You and I are naturally opposed to each other, but you have stopped taking action for many years, and Garp did not kill you all back then, which means you are not heinous. But Rayleigh..."
"Shanks should have come to see you, right? I'll say the same thing to you again, and only once. I don't care if you live out your old age in peace, but don't cross the line. You have your persistence and waiting, and I also have mine."
Hearing the word "wait," Rayleigh's eyes flashed: "Oh? You..."
Before he could speak, Dylan pushed open the door and walked out, leaving Rayleigh sitting there deep in thought.
Shakky walked around from behind the bar and gently touched Rayleigh's back.
"What? Are you worried about the 'tinder' of the new era? This is not like you."
Rayleigh raised his head and took a sip of wine. After a moment of silence, he asked Shakky, "Shakky, were we so strong when we were young?"
Shakky held a cigarette and thought for a moment, then shook her head: "He didn't take action. I can't judge, but what is certain is that at the same age, he is far stronger than you and Roger."
"Yeah..." Rayleigh looked a little lonely: "He should be a few years younger than Shanks. Ever since Shanks met him, the will of 'Tinder' has been shaken."
"Rayleigh..." Shakky sat down with her back against the bar and looked sideways at Rayleigh: "Your mission has been completed, the 'tinder' has been successfully passed on, and what happens next depends on fate's arrangement." (T/N: Understood the title?)
"Destiny?" Rayleigh laughed at himself: "It turns out that one day we can only wait silently for destiny."
"It's always been like this, isn't it?"
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Holy Land - Mariejois.
In the huge palace, the Five Elders gathered together.
"According to CP's intelligence, Adams Dylan seemed to have reached some kind of deal with Charlotte Linlin and was in contact with 'Dark King' Rayleigh."
The bearded Five Elder shook the information in his hands: "What do you think?"
The Five Elder holding a long knife said casually while wiping his weapon: "I don't think we need to worry. Judging from his past experience, he is not a pedantic person. Trading with pirates could actually contribute to the stability of the world."
The Five Elder with a birthmark on his head crossed his arms and seemed to disagree: "This man... is still shrouded in mystery. There is no doubt about his power, but some of the special abilities he has shown make people concerned. Is it possible that he is also one of the 'Lights'? Or... the 'Tinder'?"
"I don't rule out this possibility, but I think it's unlikely. After all, joining the Marine camp makes it difficult for him to gain recognition and help from those ancient families. It's almost equivalent to losing the right to become a 'tinder'."
The scene fell into silence for a moment. The blond Five Elder thought for a while and said: "Since it is difficult to distinguish, then... let's ask Lord Im for instructions... I believe he will give us the correct guidance."
"Seconded!"
"Seconded!"
······
G-5 Base.
After two months of construction, the base had been completely renovated.
Inside the base, Bell-mère was sitting in Dylan's office with her legs crossed, wearing the cape of Lieutenant Commander.
"Rear Admiral, I heard from people in the headquarters that you are like a devil in East Blue. Why has there been no movement for so long since you arrived at the Grand Line?"
Dylan put his feet up on the table and glanced at Bell-mère and Shiryu.
"Do I have to say it's because you are too weak? This is the 'New World,' not a 'paradise,' let alone the Four Seas. If you go out to 'hunt,' you will easily come into contact with big pirates. With G-5's current level, it's not enough."
"I see, G-5's usable combat power is really not much," Shiryu said while wiping the blade of Raiu.
"Ah~~ I'm so underestimated." Bell-mère leaned back on the sofa and hummed in boredom.
Shiryu slightly turned his head and glanced at Bell-mère, paused and said: "Although I don't know why Dylan values you so much, I think you should go to battle to make better progress. After all, your talent is quite different from that of the boatman outside."
When he heard the word "boatman," Bell-mère's expression froze.
That guy Tom...
After mastering Armament Haki, he coupled it with his unparalleled strength.
In terms of raw power alone, even monsters like Dylan are slightly inferior to him.
Even at this point, Dylan still asked him to continuously practice hardening and strengthening his weapons.
Therefore, near the G-5 base, you could often see Tom's huge frame doing leapfrog exercises along the beach with two warships on his shoulders.
As for his Armament Haki...
Tom simply covered himself with it and then stood still, allowing Bell-mère to attack him. It was Bell-mère herself who got injured.
"Damn it! Aren't we all human? How can the gap be so huge!" Bell-mère slapped the table.
Phew~~~
Shiryu exhaled smoke: "That guy is not a human, he is a fish-man."
Bell-mère raised her head and stared at Shiryu: "What about you? You are a human, right?"
Shiryu narrowed his eyes and held the cigar between three fingers: "Even humans are very different. Like him."
Shiryu raised his chin in the direction of Dylan: "Even without a Devil Fruit, in terms of Haki, swordsmanship, and physical skills alone, he is one of the top beings in the sea. And..."
Shiryu put Raiu back into the scabbard: "How old is he?"
After hearing Shiryu's words, Bell-mère lost her guard and left the group chat cursing.
After Bell-mère went out, Dylan shook his chair and said to Shiryu: "What you said makes sense. Her potential cannot be stimulated through mere exercise. Let's send her to West Blue in two days. Go spend some time."
"She needs real combat experience to grow."
Shiryu nodded, his interest piqued. "West Blue... the Kanokuni? The Happo Navy? I've heard there are some troublesome guys there too."
"It's not a big problem," Dylan stretched his body: "With your current strength, you should be able to handle it even if you encounter Chinjao."
"'Don Chinjao?" Shiryu's eyes flashed red.
Feeling the madness in Shiryu's emotions, Dylan frowned:
"Your mission is to keep an eye on Bell-mère secretly, not to blindly vent your desire to kill. 'Ashura's' 'will' is to challenge the strong, not to meaninglessly slaughter the weak, Shiryu."
"Understood!"
Shiryu lowered his head slightly to indicate that he understood.
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