Just two days later, the Straw Hat Pirates' ship arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago. This was a very unique place. Although called an archipelago, it was actually formed by many giant mangrove forests. The islands were filled with all kinds of bubbles, giving it a somewhat dreamlike appearance. Of course, this was no fairy tale world; on the contrary, it was a very dirty place.
After arriving at the port, Luffy and his crew were ready to disembark. They needed to find someone to coat the ship and also resupply. Of course, some people stayed on board to watch the ship, such as Usopp, who had contracted an incurable disease that prevented him from going ashore, Franky the shipwright, and Sanji, who had been injured by Linton.
After two days of treatment, Sanji's injuries had actually healed quite a bit. There were no outward signs of injury, only some lingering issues with his bones. Nami had coaxed and tricked him into staying behind to watch the ship. Of course, Sanji wasn't too friendly towards Linton, the one who had injured him, but after hearing that he was Luffy's uncle, he reluctantly decided not to settle the score with him.
Zoro was also supposed to stay on the ship, but he insisted on going to the island to explore. It was unclear what gave this guy with no sense of direction the confidence that he could find his way back.
"You didn't lie to that moss-head, did you?" Sanji asked Linton. "Can he really learn that 'Haki' thing you were talking about by training the way you said?"
Linton had indeed mentioned that the crew wasn't strong enough, which was the truth, but they certainly wouldn't accept it. So, Linton briefly explained the concept of Haki, but it was doubtful that many of them actually listened. Someone like Luffy, for instance, fell asleep as soon as Linton started talking and didn't hear anything.
However, Zoro took it seriously and decided to learn Haki from Linton. Linton wasn't really interested in teaching, but Nami stated that he had to compensate for the tangerine trees, 100 million berries per tree. If he didn't have the money, he had to teach Zoro.
Linton thought about it and decided to teach him. He had nothing to do for the next few days anyway, and Zoro wouldn't be able to master it quickly, so he could just use it as an opportunity to train him. So, he took Zoro away to practice.
The method for cultivating Observation Haki was mentioned in the original story. Simply put, it involved being blindfolded and dodging projectiles. Linton was responsible for throwing those projectiles. Over the past two days, Zoro had been hit countless times, making the others think that Linton was abusing him. Fortunately, Zoro was physically tough and didn't suffer any serious injuries.
"Probably," Linton replied with a shrug.
"What do you mean 'probably'? You were just making things up, weren't you?" Sanji yelled.
"I told you I'm not good at teaching, but you insisted that I do it," Linton said. "Anyway, let's try this first."
"I..." Sanji was about to say something when the Transponder Snail next to him suddenly rang. He was slightly taken aback, glanced at Linton, and then hurried over to answer the call.
"Sanji? It's Chopper! There are so many kinds of ice cream here!"
"Why does your voice sound a little anxious?" Sanji asked.
"Ah, no, something important came up. Sanji, it's terrible, Camie has been kidnapped!"
"What?" Everyone was startled.
"It...it seems like it was slavers. What should we do? They might sell Camie and turn her into a slave! It's all my fault!"
"Calm down, Chopper, stay where you are," Sanji said after thinking for a moment. "I'll contact the Flying Fish Riders. They used to be involved in the slave trade, so they might know something."
"Alright, time to move," Linton said, standing up.
"Hey, where are you going?" Sanji asked urgently.
"To help find her," Linton replied.
"Where will you look?"
"Grove 1," Linton said. "There's an auction house there that seems to be involved in slave trading. I'll go check it out."
"Hmm..." Sanji wasn't sure if the location Linton mentioned was correct, but he nodded. "Okay, take this Transponder Snail and contact us if you find her."
Linton took the Transponder Snail and quickly left the ship. After asking around, he confirmed the location of Grove 1. He wasn't in a hurry, though. While listening to their search progress through the Transponder Snail, he walked towards the auction house, taking the time to enjoy the scenery of the Sabaody Archipelago along the way.
By the time he leisurely reached the entrance of the auction house, the auction had already begun. As Linton approached the door, he was stopped.
"Sir, are you here to participate in the auction? It seems you're a bit late, though. The auction is almost over," the person who stopped Linton said.
"So I can't go in?" Linton asked.
"Of course not, sir. We're open for business. Anyone with money is welcome," the person replied.
"So you just think I don't have any money?" Linton shrugged and pointed to a large hole in the wall nearby. "What happened there?"
"Just a little accident. Our guards are already handling it," the person said.
Linton roughly understood the situation. Something had happened at the auction house, so security had been heightened. This was probably why the person was trying to send him away. As for the reason for the incident, it was obviously because Luffy and his group had barged in.
"Anyway, sir, the auction is almost over. No matter what, you should come back next time," the person said.
"I'm not in a hurry. I'll wait a bit. Someone will open the door for me soon," Linton said.
"What?"
Before the person could understand, the doors of the auction house suddenly burst open, and a large group of people rushed out, looking very panicked.
"Run...run! A Celestial Dragon has been attacked! An admiral is coming!"
"Someone attacked a Celestial Dragon, run!"
A large crowd rushed out of the auction house. The scene was too chaotic, and the guards who were supposed to maintain order couldn't hold them back. They were all dispersed. Taking advantage of the chaos, Linton walked straight into the auction house.
As soon as he entered, Linton saw many people collapsing with foam coming out of their mouths. However, this Haki only affected them and didn't reach Linton, who had just entered. Looking inside, the entire venue was in chaos. People were lying haphazardly on the seats, and there were a few people bleeding profusely in the aisle.
Linton looked at the stage, where an elderly man with slightly gray hair was sitting, exuding an astonishing aura.
"Rayleigh?" Linton nodded. It was indeed this scene, and he had arrived just in time.
Rayleigh calmly helped Camie remove the collar and then looked towards the audience. "Are you pirates here to watch the fun? You were able to withstand it, so you must be quite capable. Do me a small favor. I still want to live peacefully on this island for a few more years, and I don't want to be discovered by the Marines, so I can't show myself now. The outside will soon be surrounded by the Marines..."
"Understood. I'll do a small favor for the renowned 'Dark King'," Eustass Kid stood up and said. "I'll clear the outside."
"Then... I'll get moving too," Trafalgar Law also stood up and said.
The group walked straight out, but as they passed the entrance, they all looked at Linton standing by the door with a curious expression.
Rayleigh seemed to notice Linton at this moment and was a bit surprised that someone would enter at this time.
"Are you a pirate too?" Rayleigh asked.
"Not yet, but I will be soon," Linton replied.
"Linton! You're here too! There are Marines outside, we..."
"Thump!" Before Luffy could finish speaking, Linton gave him a punch on the head. "I told you to call me uncle."
"Why does it hurt so much when you hit me?" Luffy rubbed his head and said.
"That's what I was telling you about, Armament Haki! Why were you sleeping when I was teaching?" Linton yelled.
"Armament Haki? What's that?" Luffy looked confused.
"Forget it, forget it. You go to the entrance and hold off the Marines first. I'll have a chat with this old man," Linton said.
"You know the old man?" Luffy asked.
"We have some history," Linton said. "You go ahead."
Luffy, being simple-minded, didn't question it and went out the door. Rayleigh looked at Linton with surprise. "You know about Armament Haki? Are you from the New World? You said you're Luffy's uncle?"
"I have no relation to that monkey family," Linton reiterated. "Ace is my nephew, so his sworn brother is also my nephew."
"What?" Rayleigh was stunned.
"You heard right," Linton said directly.
"That's impossible!" Rayleigh roared.
"My name is Gol D. Linton. I'm your captain's younger brother," Linton stated plainly.
"You... I've never heard the captain mention having a brother," Rayleigh said, anger creeping into his voice.
"There's no benefit to pretending to be that guy's brother," Linton said. "I was only 3 years old when he died. I don't want to be associated with someone I've never met, let alone be hunted by a bunch of people because of it."
These words gave Rayleigh pause. Indeed, being associated with Roger was not a good thing, as he, a man still wanted by the entire world, knew all too well.
"Are you truly the captain's brother?" Rayleigh asked.
"The one and only," Linton confirmed.
"This... this can't be known by anyone," Rayleigh said, his words indicating he was starting to believe.
"That's impossible," Linton stated. "The Marines have captured my nephew and are preparing to execute him. I have to step in."
Indeed, Linton would absolutely not miss the upcoming major event, the Summit War. It was practically paradise for racking up points; all kinds of experts gathered in one place. Where else could he find such an opportunity?
"What?" Rayleigh was shocked. "Ace... has been captured?"
"Yes," Linton nodded. "And they've already released the news."
"Is their target Whitebeard?" Rayleigh instantly understood the Marines' intention in releasing the news. But he quickly became troubled.
"Don't worry, I know you have a lot of concerns," Linton said. "I'll go rescue him."
"You go? Wouldn't that be like walking into the lion's den?" Rayleigh said.
"You're not wrong about that," Linton said with a smile. "But we have a major disagreement on who the lion and who the lamb is."
(End of Chapter)