New Shining Star |『 Male Reader 』• One Piece

Cover Story 3: A Tigress' Hunt - Part 2

The scent of salt and smoke lingered in the air as Rayleigh regarded Tora over the rim of his glass. Shakky, leaning casually behind the counter, slid him another drink with the same quiet grace she always had.

The hum of the bar filled the comfortable silence between them, which was an unspoken understanding among old pirates who had seen too much of the sea and yet still found themselves drawn to its call.

Rayleigh tilted his head, his lips curling into a knowing smirk. "You and your promises, huh?" he said, swirling his drink before taking a slow sip. "You can't retire from trouble if you keep signing new deals with the sea," he said.

Tora chuckled, that low and familiar rumble turning into her trademark laugh. "Shehehehahaha! What can I say? The sea always collects its debts eventually," said Tora before she leaned back in her seat, eyes glinting beneath her hood. "And my son took the same route, it seems," she added with a fond smile.

At that, Shakky looked up from her polishing and smiled, the faintest spark of nostalgia in her gaze. "Still amazes me that Mamoru ended up in your son's crew," she said, the words carrying both pride and amusement.

Tora grinned, tapping her finger lightly against the rim of her glass. "Yeah... I wasn't sure when I saw her wanted poster, but she looks exactly like a mix of you two," said Tora as she tilted her head toward Shakky and Rayleigh. "That same smile and that same devil-may-care attitude," she said.

Shakky chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Guess it runs in the family," she said, earning a low laugh from Tora. Rayleigh took another sip, eyes glinting as he shifted the conversation.

"So, who're you travelling with this time?" he asked. "I doubt you would cross the Calm Belt alone to reach where you're heading," he said. Tora let the question hang for a second before humming softly.

"Ran into a group of rookie pirates back in the East. Fresh faces, big dreams. You know the usual story," said Tora. Her tone was casual, but her smirk carried that unmistakable spark of amusement.

"But they didn't seem like your regular dreamers... I could see their conviction, so..." she paused before looking at the ceiling. "I made them a trade. They take me across, I find them a coater," revealed Tora as Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "And you trust them?" he asked.

Tora gave a short laugh, the kind that carried both confidence and threat. "Don't need to," she said easily. "I just have to make sure they don't sink before we get there," added Tora before she took another drink, setting the glass down with a soft clink.

"And if they try anything... well, I'm not in the grave yet, so I'll be fine," she said, which earned a snort from Rayleigh. "Still sharp as ever," he said before leaning back, his grin widening. "What kind of crew are they?" he asked.

Tora shrugged, brushing off a few strands of hair that had fallen from her hood. "No clue. I only know one or two of them are pyro minks. Thought it was a surprise since we don't meet many of them anymore," she said.

Rayleigh laughed at that, the sound rolling warmly through the quiet bar. "Pyro mink, huh?" he echoed, then smiled knowingly. "Your son's got two cryo ones with him. Guess you've got a thing for opposites," he said.

Tora's lips curled into a soft smirk. "Let's just say our history with the minks runs deeper than we know..." she said. Her gaze grew distant for a moment, her mind brushing against old memories buried beneath time and war.

Rayleigh nodded, and for a second, the two of them simply sat in silence. Two pirates from another age, understanding each other without words. Then Shakky broke the stillness, placing another bottle on the counter. "Business has been quiet lately," she said. "The seas are restless, but not in the usual way," she said.

Rayleigh's eyes drifted toward the vivre card resting beside Tora's empty glass. Its faint edge singed, yet steady, the paper pulsing softly with life. He reached over, tapping a finger against it.

"If you're going back to the New World..." he began, his voice lower now, more serious. "Make sure you return this time without losing anything... or anyone," said Rayleigh. For once, the ever-playful smirk faded from Tora's face.

She stood, sliding the vivre card back into her pocket before looking at both of them with a calm, resolute smile. "Heh. I'll do my best, but no promises since you know how the sea is... it takes what it wants," she said.

Rayleigh chuckled softly, finishing his drink. "Then make sure it doesn't take you," he said, and with that, Tora turned toward the door. The warm light of the bar spilt across her back as she adjusted her cloak. "Take care of yourselves, you two," she said.

The door creaked open, letting in the distant hum of the groves and the faint hiss of the tide beyond. Shakky smiled, waving lazily with her cigarette in hand. "Take care of yourself, Tora," she said as Rayleigh raised his glass one last time in quiet farewell. "Fair winds, Tigress," he said.

*Tap*

*Tap*

Outside, the groves glowed with sunset resin, and the massive bubbles drifted lazily toward the sky. Down at Grove 52, shipwrights and divers bustled around a freshly coated vessel. The ship's hull gleamed under the mangrove light, dark metal trimmed with crimson scorch marks that caught every ray of the setting sun.

A Jolly Roger unfurled from the mast with a skull crossed by twin blades, ringed in red, as if singed by fire. Tora walked toward the ship, seeing the crew there, talking to the captain. Seeing this, a slow, knowing grin curved her lips. "Let's see what kind of fire you've got, rookies," she murmured.

To be continued