One Piece: Check-in System

The Roger Pirates split into two groups. The officers stayed behind in a small backup boat to block the Marines, while the rest of the crew took the ship to rescue Shanks and Buggy.

Initially, they had two plans. One was for everyone to remain on the ship and charge through to save their comrades in a single decisive push. The other was for the officers to stay behind as a rear guard, allowing the rest to go ashore for the rescue.

They chose the latter because Roger was already up against a group of Marines. Leaving him isolated was not an option. The officers decided to relieve some of Roger's burden to prevent him from being overwhelmed.

The officers stayed behind as they could fend off any pursuit and ensure a swift retreat. Regular crew members were sent on the rescue mission to avoid being tied up by powerful enemies.

After deciding on the plan, they left Kōzuki Oden on the main ship as the sole officer, while the others went to intercept the Marines.

Oden, standing by the rail, looked down at the officers on the small boat with a face full of resentment. "You're all going to fight the Marines. Why am I the only one left behind?"

For a battle maniac like Oden, staying behind while others fought was more torturous than death.

Rayleigh replied with a straight face, "We agreed earlier that whoever lost would stay on the ship to protect Reno. Don't tell me you're a sore loser, Oden."

It turned out that no one wanted to stay back and miss the action, but Reno's safety was crucial. His abilities were key to their escape plan. So, they decided to play rock-paper-scissors to determine who would stay behind. Oden lost.

Reno, watching from the side and noticing Oden's expression, couldn't help but tease him. "Come on, big guy. Stick with me, and I guarantee you'll live the high life!"

Oden's face darkened further, but he said nothing. After all, he didn't want to be labeled a sore loser.

Seeing that time was running out, Rayleigh stopped joking and gave Oden some serious instructions. "Take the crew and rescue Shanks quickly. The longer we delay, the riskier it gets. Once they're safe, we can withdraw at any time. If you encounter any tricky situations, consult Reno—his brain works faster than yours."

Rayleigh's blunt remark about Oden's lack of strategy made everyone laugh heartily, despite the tense situation.

After giving Oden a few more reminders, Rayleigh and the other officers rowed away to confront the pursuing Marines. Meanwhile, those remaining on the main ship sailed toward the island to begin the rescue mission.

In the sky, Borsalino was still lost in thought. When he snapped out of it, he saw that the Roger Pirates' ship had moved far away. Left with no choice, he returned to the warship to regroup.

A golden beam of light shot across the sky, landing on the Marine vessel. As Borsalino reappeared, all eyes turned to him.

The Marine officers, including Sengoku, had held off on attacking earlier, assuming Borsalino's assault would yield results. Now, seeing the pirates slip away, they were visibly displeased.

Borsalino, noticing their stares, forced an awkward smile and explained, "Rayleigh blocked my attack. I couldn't help it!"

He knew that without an explanation, the others might suspect him of intentionally letting the pirates escape.

Sengoku frowned skeptically. "You're saying that giant hand earlier was Rayleigh's doing?"

Borsalino, still baffled himself, could only respond truthfully. "He's the only one I saw make a move. But Rayleigh's a swordsman, not a Devil Fruit user. So I… I don't really know what happened."

Borsalino's uncertainty didn't inspire confidence. He himself was struggling to reconcile the sight of a swordsman producing a massive green energy hand.

Vice Admiral Tsuru chimed in thoughtfully, "That attack didn't seem like the work of a swordsman. It looked more like a Devil Fruit ability. Maybe Rayleigh ate a Fruit recently."

She paused before continuing, "But we can't waste time speculating. We need to focus on catching up to the pirates."

Borsalino remained skeptical. He distinctly remembered Rayleigh swinging his sword. Yet instead of a slash, a giant hand had appeared. What kind of swordsman could do that?

However, he chose to stay silent. Sengoku already doubted his explanation, and bringing up something so strange without evidence would only make matters worse.

Reluctantly setting aside his doubts, Sengoku barked into the transponder snail, "All units, close the encirclement! Direct all ships toward the port!"

Unbeknownst to him, Reno's simple intervention had inadvertently sown seeds of mistrust among the Marines.

Sengoku's disbelief stemmed from his understanding of Rayleigh. As a top-tier swordsman, Rayleigh had little to gain from eating a Devil Fruit, which would only introduce a vulnerability. For someone of his caliber, such a decision made no sense.

Reno, of course, had no idea that his casual move had such a profound and disruptive effect on the Marines.

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T/N:

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