Chapter 475: A Ray of Hope: News That Changes Everything

At first, Sanji didn’t realize Ace was Luffy’s brother. But the moment he heard Ye Fan and the Straw Hat Pirates mentioned, he rushed over. In the glare of two angry faces, he snatched the newspaper out of their hands.

Sure enough, there in the bottom right corner was a report on Ye Fan. Just in case Sanji didn’t recognize him, they’d even included a bedraggled photo of Ye Fan.

“That’s awesome—just awesome!”

“Ye Fan’s alive!”

“Hey, who are you? Put that down!”

“I said, put it down!”

But the two small-time thugs weren’t backing down and suddenly looked fierce.

Sanji ignored their barking completely. A smile broke out on his face, pushing aside the gloom from before. Gripping the newspaper, he took off running toward the Thousand Sunny.

He had to bring this good news to Luffy and the others. They’d believed Ye Fan was gone, and the whole crew had been sunk in grief. Now, this news couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Hey! You there! Stop right now!”

“Give that back! Drop it!”

The two thugs still weren’t giving up—they tried to chase after Sanji. But as they turned, they suddenly saw two guys built like iron towers blocking their path.

“Move!”

The fierce presence instantly made the two pirate lackeys turn pale. Wiping sweat and bowing, they scrambled to get out of the way.

“You got it! We’re leaving, big guy! Heading out right now.”

Yosaku and Johnny were boiling with anger too.

If not for Ye Fan, they never would have gained the power of a Marine Vice Admiral, gone through so many wild adventures, or even grown again until the average height on this pirate world—three meters.

Everyone on board had received Ye Fan’s help. To them, he was their most respected vice-captain—sometimes, even more important than Luffy.

When those two puny thugs saw the giants towering in front of them, they didn’t dare stick around and fled with their tails between their legs.

If they stuck around, wouldn’t they just end up with a lump on their heads?

And risking their lives here—yeah, definitely not worth it.

After dashing down the street, making sure Sanji and the other two weren’t looking their way but instead headed for the Sunny, they finally pulled out a transponder snail. “Sir, everything went exactly as planned.”

“Good. Pull back.”

Life was full of schemes. In other people’s eyes, Luffy and his friends were nothing more than pieces on a grand chessboard.

…

“Good news, good news!”

“Ye Fan’s alive!”

“What?”

“Where’s this news from?”

“Is Ye Fan really alive?”

After a humiliating defeat, they’d all believed Luffy was gone.

Sanji leapt from the shore right onto the deck, waving the newspaper around and reading aloud.

“Straw Hat Pirates’ vice-captain Ye Fan, sent to Impel Down by Warlord Gecko Moria.”

Seeing everyone’s disbelief, he quickly handed over the paper.

“Ahahaha!”

“He’s really alive!”

Luffy grabbed Usopp, Chopper, and Franky, and together they jumped up and down in place. As long as Ye Fan was alive, things like prison didn’t matter at all.

Nami finally let out a breath she’d been holding. She hated seeing the crew in such a slump—”That’s wonderful!”

It was Ye Fan who’d given Nami the courage to finally break free from Arlong’s terror. She probably could’ve done it without him, but Ye Fan pushed her to move faster.

Robin was grateful to Ye Fan too. His plans had helped Luffy and the others free her from the shadow of the Buster Call and truly welcome her into this family, letting her finally feel the warmth of friendship.

“Luffy, looks like your brother Ace was sent to Impel Down too.”

“The guy who captured Ace… wasn’t that the weird Blackbeard we ran into in Mock Town?”

Robin spread the paper out on deck and pointed at a story in the top right corner. There was Blackbeard’s photo and news of Ace’s capture.

“Alright, rescue operation—let’s go!”

“Let’s break Ye Fan and Ace out of there!”

“Woohoo!!”

“Uh… do any of you actually know where Impel Down is?”

Gin agreed with the rescue plan wholeheartedly.

Problem was, none of them really knew the exact location of Impel Down.

According to the report, there were only four days till Ace’s execution. They weren’t even sure if they could make it in time.

“Let us old men hitch a free ride for once.”

On the shore, Rayleigh stood smiling as he watched Luffy and his crew.

“Hey old guy, you sure you know what we’re about to get into? You really think you’re up for this?” Luffy picked his nose, clearly not impressed by an elderly man’s fighting ability.

“Heh, well, Ace is the son of a friend of mine.”

The moment Luffy heard the white-haired old man was a friend of Ace’s father, he had no issue with letting him on board.

But unlike everyone else, only Zoro sensed the powerful sword aura radiating from the old man—he was definitely a top-tier swordsman.

With Rayleigh pointing them in the right direction, the excited crew set sail for Impel Down.

With four days left, Luffy and the others started training like maniacs on deck.

Rayleigh, enjoying the warm sea breeze, watched this lively scene with a smile.

“Splash!”

A giant Sea King, nearly a hundred meters long, suddenly shot up from the water.

“Fresh meat for the table!”

“Aye aye, captain!”

Just as Zoro was about to make a move, Rayleigh, who’d been watching, suddenly unleashed an overwhelming force. Dark red lightning crackled in the air. His fierce Conqueror’s Haki scattered the clouds and knocked out the Sea King on the spot.

At the same time, under Rayleigh’s control, two thin tendrils of Conqueror’s Haki slipped into Luffy and Zoro, drawing out their own dormant Conqueror’s Haki.

“Buzz!!”

Two streams of raw but powerful Conqueror’s Haki burst out from Luffy and Zoro.

Good thing everyone on the crew had some strength—they just got dizzy and nauseous rather than passing out.

“Amazing!”

“Uh, hey Rayleigh, what exactly is this power?”

Luffy felt that new power surging inside him and immediately turned to Rayleigh for advice. Even though Zoro didn’t say anything, the look in his eyes said he was dying to know as well.

“Haha! It’s Conqueror’s Haki—a force only one in a million can master.”

“Rayleigh, can you teach me how to use it?”

“Of course!”

Rayleigh’s goal all along was to teach Luffy and Zoro how to wield Conqueror’s Haki. Now that they’d awakened it, he didn’t hesitate at all.

“Just know, the pain and hardship needed to master this power are beyond anything you’ve known. And you’re running out of time.”

With just over three days left, Rayleigh wasn’t sure if Luffy and Zoro could truly grasp the power of infused Conqueror’s Haki—but he was determined to help them try.