One Piece: Start by Saving Roger, I Was Invited to Join the Crew

On the other side—

Reid and his group were already sailing across the vast ocean.

What they didn't know was that Marine Headquarters had once again initiated a Buster Call, and coincidentally, their destination was the same—Ohara Island, home to the scholars of the West Blue.

–

On the Oro Jackson.

Inside the ship's cabin, Roger and the others were drinking, and the table was filled with food and wine.

Yamato, holding a barrel-sized cup of sake, sidled up to Reid with a mischievous grin. "Reid, is this friend you're saving a guy or a girl?"

"Hahaha, of course it's a girl! Reid is so handsome, he must have tons of female friends," Momora laughed and raised his glass.

"Heh heh," Roger chuckled as well.

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's just an eight-year-old girl. She might be in danger, and we have to rescue her before the Navy gets there."

"Ah… a child? You should've said that earlier." Yamato waved dismissively, clearly annoyed.

Everyone burst into laughter.

At that moment, Rayleigh's Transponder Snail started ringing.

Brrring brrring brrring, brrring brrring brrring…

"Rayleigh, your old flame is calling you," Jaba jokes.

"Hahahaha!" Everyone roared with laughter.

Rayleigh's face flushed slightly. He gave a small smile and picked up the call.

"This is Rayleigh. Shakky, what's going on?"

"Rayleigh, I have reliable information. The Navy has deployed a large fleet—it looks like a Buster Call."

"What?!" Reid shot up from his seat, face turning serious with shock.

Rayleigh saw Reid's reaction and wiped the smile from his face too.

"Shakky, do you know where the Navy is headed?"

"Not exactly, but it looks like they're going toward the West Blue. I just wanted to inform you guys so you can prepare."

"The West Blue… The current year is Sea Circle Calendar 1500. It must be Ohara, no doubt." A sinking feeling hit Reid, and his heart grew heavy.

On the other end, Shakky took a puff from her cigarette. "Huff…"

"I see. Thank you, Shakky."

"No problem. I'm hanging up."

"Alright," Rayleigh replied, and Shakky hung up. The Transponder Snail closed its eyes.

Back at the Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky took another drag of her cigarette. "Huff~ Looks like things aren't simple. Rayleigh didn't even say a word more than necessary."

"Rayleigh, the Navy's definitely heading for Ohara!" Reid declared.

"Reid, how do you know?" Yam asked in confusion. Shakky hadn't mentioned Ohara—so how could Reid be so sure?

"I'm certain. In this year, the Navy only initiated one Buster Call, and that was against the scholars of Ohara."

"What?" Yamato was shocked.

"Reid, you can see some of the future, right? Is that how you know?" Rayleigh probed curiously.

Reid nodded. "Yeah. We need to hurry. If we're late, we don't know what could happen. Robin's survival is at stake."

The events hadn't occurred yet, and Reid wasn't sure if things would go according to the original script. There were too many unknowns.

"Damn it," Yam gritted his teeth. "The Navy sets out much faster than us. We might not make it in time."

Reid clenched his fists. "It's my fault. I should've told everyone sooner. If we'd left just a few days earlier…"

"Reid, this isn't your fault," Roger said firmly. "Even if we'd left earlier, we wouldn't have made it. Marine Headquarters is much closer."

Then he turned to Rayleigh. "Rayleigh, check if there are any Sea Kings nearby."

"Got it," Rayleigh said as he left the cabin.

"Roger, aren't Sea Kings usually found in the Calm Belt or the Grand Line?"

Reid understood Roger's intention—to use a Sea King to pull the ship and increase their speed.

But he wasn't sure where Sea Kings actually lived. The Sea King in the East Blue before felt more like a plot device. He had always thought Sea Kings only lived in the Calm Belt.

"Reid, that's where you're mistaken. Sea Kings exist in all oceans. It's just that they're more commonly found in the Calm Belt and Grand Line," explained Swordsman Spencer.

"Don't worry. Rayleigh swims in the ocean a lot. He's used to dealing with Sea Kings," Jaba said with a laugh. He had fought beside Rayleigh many times and knew his habits well.

"But it's strange. Why did the Navy suddenly act? I thought it'd be a few months before anything happened."

"Reid, history is changeable. All we can do is do our best. We reached Raftel once, but we still had to make the effort."

"Yeah… Roger, you're right. But I have to fight until the last second. Nico Robin can't die."

Reid's eyes burned with determination. He sympathized deeply with Robin's childhood, and if something happened to her this time, he would never forgive himself.

"Nico Robin… That's a nice name. I've decided. I'll help save her," said Dorinco angrily.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. Your friend is my friend. Those damn Marines are always butting heads with us."

Outside, Rayleigh closed his eyes to sense the surroundings, then suddenly smiled, opened his eyes wide, and leaped into the sea.

"Pops! Rayleigh jumped into the ocean!" Lakyo shouted, pointing at the water.

"It's Rayleigh. What's he doing?" Marco asked, holding a bitten pineapple in his hand — oddly enough, it didn't seem to be peeled.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion echoed from the sea, and a massive splash surged upward. A giant Sea King creature, bruised and battered, floated up to the surface.

Reid and the others heard the noise and walked out of the cabin.

"Amazing, he took care of one that fast?" Reid was astonished. It had only been a few minutes—how did Rayleigh find a Sea King so quickly?

[Sea Kings — creatures that often dwell in the South Blue.]

Reid stared closely and was stunned.

"Blue skin, a mouth that wide, and those two eyes are several meters across… It's way bigger than the Sea King from the East Blue."

"Hahaha! Rayleigh's gotten even better at dealing with Sea Kings," Jaba said with his arms crossed, smiling broadly.

"Hey, Rayleigh, what are you doing?" Marco called out, taking a bite of his unpeeled pineapple.

Rayleigh didn't respond to Marco. Instead, sensing something, he smiled slightly and dove back underwater.

"Weird guy," Marco muttered, chewing on the pineapple with a puzzled look.

"Ah, not again..."

Saatchi muttered as another yellow, snake-like Sea King emerged from the water. Like the last one, this creature also had a bruised nose and a swollen face, looking both distressed and alarmed.

"Rayleigh, seriously? Aren't we in a hurry to get to Ohara? How do you still have time to mess around like this?"

Foil Vista asked, clearly puzzled.

Rayleigh climbed back aboard, grinning as he glanced at the two massive Sea Kings. He pointed toward the Oro Jackson and the Moby Dick.

"You two—tow those ships to Ohara in the West Blue. If you drag your tails, I'll turn you into sashimi."

Hiss... Upon hearing that threat, the two Sea Kings instantly froze in fear—then hurriedly began towing the ships at full speed.

"Roger, what's going on?"

Whitebeard asked, still seated as he took a sip from his wine bowl.

"The Marines have launched a Buster Call," Roger replied. "They're already heading to Ohara. We have to move faster."

With that, the situation finally made sense to everyone.

Rayleigh, wringing out his soaked clothes, smiled and said,

"I haven't eaten a Devil Fruit, so I figured I'd take the chance to round up some Sea Kings for you. No need to thank me."

Support me at [email protected]/Revoltas and read up to 30 Advance Chapters!