The Going Merry cut through the waves with practiced ease, her sails full and her crew in high spirits. Three days had passed since they'd left Cocoyashi Village behind, and the East Blue stretched endlessly before them.
Gil stood at the bow, one foot propped on the railing, golden hair catching the afternoon sun. His red eyes surveyed the horizon with the calm assurance of someone who knew exactly where he was going—even if he'd never been there before.
"Loguetown," he said, more to himself than anyone else. "The town of the beginning and the end."
"You know about it?" Nami's voice came from behind him. She'd been working on her maps in the galley but had apparently decided to take a break.
Gil glanced back at her, a slight smirk playing at his lips. "I make it my business to know about places of significance. Loguetown is where Gold Roger was born and executed. The King of the Pirates met his end there—though he turned even his death into a beginning."
Nami leaned against the railing beside him, close enough that he could smell the tangerine scent of her hair. "You sound almost impressed."
"I respect strength," Gil said simply. "Roger conquered the Grand Line. He reached Laugh Tale. He became the Pirate King. Those aren't small accomplishments." He turned to face her fully, his expression thoughtful. "Though I intend to surpass them all."
There it was—that absolute confidence that should have sounded ridiculous but somehow didn't. Nami found herself studying his profile, the sharp line of his jaw, the way he held himself like the world owed him deference.
"You really believe that, don't you?" she asked. "That you'll become greater than the Pirate King himself?"
Gil's smirk widened into something more genuine. "Belief implies doubt, Nami. I simply know what I'm capable of." He gestured toward the horizon. "Roger opened the door. I'll walk through it and claim what lies beyond."
Before Nami could respond, Luffy's voice rang out from the crow's nest. "GIL! Come up here! I wanna ask you something!"
Gil sighed, though there was no real annoyance in it. "Your captain summons." He pushed off from the railing with fluid grace. "We'll continue this conversation later."
Nami watched him go, shaking her head with a small smile. The man was insufferably arrogant, but there was something magnetic about his certainty. It wasn't the blind optimism Luffy had—it was colder, sharper, like a blade that knew exactly how keen its edge was.
In the crow's nest, Luffy sat cross-legged with a grin that promised either brilliance or disaster. Probably disaster.
"What is it?" Gil asked, settling into a comfortable lean against the mast.
"I was thinking," Luffy began, which immediately made Gil raise an eyebrow. "You're really strong, right? Like, really really strong."
"Your observational skills are astounding."
Luffy laughed, completely missing the sarcasm. "So I wanna know—how'd you get so strong? Did you train a lot? Fight a lot of people?"
Gil considered the question. It wasn't often that Luffy showed genuine curiosity about anything that didn't involve food or adventure. "Both," he said finally. "I trained because I understood early that strength is the only currency that matters in this world. Everything else—wealth, status, knowledge—means nothing if you lack the power to protect it."
"Huh." Luffy tilted his head. "I just trained because Gramps made me. And because I wanted to be strong enough to protect my friends."
"Two sides of the same coin," Gil observed. "You seek strength to protect. I seek it to rule. The methods are similar even if the motivations differ."
"Rule?" Luffy's expression scrunched up in confusion. "You wanna be a king or something?"
"I already am one," Gil said with perfect seriousness. "The world simply hasn't acknowledged it yet."
For a moment, Luffy just stared at him. Then he burst out laughing, slapping his knee. "You're so weird, Gil! But I like it! You're confident!"
Gil couldn't help the slight smile that tugged at his lips. Luffy's simplicity was almost refreshing. No hidden agendas, no false flattery—just honest reactions. "Your ability to find amusement in everything is almost admirable."
"Hey, Gil?" Luffy's tone shifted slightly, becoming more serious. "When we get to the Grand Line... it's gonna be really dangerous, right?"
"Undoubtedly."
"Good!" Luffy's grin returned full force. "I'm glad you're on my crew. With you and Zoro and everyone else, we're gonna be unstoppable!"
"Your crew," Gil corrected, his voice carrying a note of dry amusement, "is fortunate to have me. But yes—we will be formidable."
Below deck, Zoro was doing one-armed push-ups in the men's quarters, a weight balanced on his back. Sweat dripped from his brow, but his breathing remained steady.
"Nine hundred ninety-seven... nine hundred ninety-eight..."
The door opened and Gil descended the stairs, having left Luffy to his watch. Zoro didn't pause in his exercise.
"Nine hundred ninety-nine... one thousand." He stood smoothly, rolling his shoulders. "Come to train?"
"Perhaps." Gil surveyed the cramped quarters with mild distaste. "Though these accommodations leave much to be desired."
"It's a ship," Zoro said, grabbing a towel. "What'd you expect, a palace?"
"Eventually." Gil's tone suggested he was only half-joking. He picked up one of Zoro's weights, testing its heft. "These are inadequate for someone of your caliber."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "That a compliment?"
"An observation. You're strong, Zoro—stronger than most I've encountered in the East Blue. But you're still rough around the edges." Gil set the weight down. "Your technique with three swords is impressive, but you rely too much on raw power."
"Says the guy who punches through steel."
Gil's smirk was sharp. "I can afford to rely on raw power. I have it in abundance. You, however, would benefit from refinement."
Zoro's hand moved to his swords, but there was no real hostility in the gesture—just competitive interest. "You offering to train me?"
"I'm suggesting that we push each other," Gil corrected. "I have no interest in being your teacher. But sparring partners of adequate skill are rare. You qualify."
"Adequate, huh?" Zoro grinned, the expression fierce. "Next time we spar, I'll show you adequate."
"I look forward to it."
There was a moment of understanding between them—two warriors recognizing each other's worth. It wasn't friendship, exactly, but it was respect.
Dinner that evening was a chaotic affair, as usual. Sanji had outdone himself with a feast of grilled fish, seasoned rice, and fresh vegetables. The crew gathered around the galley table, voices overlapping in comfortable chaos.
"This is amazing, Sanji!" Usopp declared around a mouthful of food.
"Of course it is," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. "I don't do mediocre."
Gil ate with more restraint than the others, but even he had to acknowledge the quality. "Your skills in the kitchen are noteworthy, cook."
Sanji nearly dropped his cigarette. Coming from Gil, that was practically a glowing review. "Well, I aim to please. Especially the ladies." He shot a winning smile at Nami, who rolled her eyes fondly.
"So," Nami said, spreading a map across the table despite the food. "We should reach Loguetown by tomorrow afternoon if the wind holds. It's the last major town before the Grand Line entrance."
"The last chance to stock up on supplies," Sanji added. "I'll need to hit the markets."
"I need ammunition," Usopp said. "And maybe some materials for new inventions."
"I wanna see where Roger died!" Luffy announced cheerfully, as if discussing a tourist attraction rather than an execution site.
Gil leaned back in his chair, wine glass in hand. "Loguetown will be crawling with Marines. It's a strategic location—they use it to catch pirates before they can enter the Grand Line."
"You worried?" Zoro asked with a challenging grin.
"Hardly." Gil's expression was supremely unconcerned. "Let them come. I could use the entertainment."
"Try not to destroy the whole town," Nami said dryly. "Some of us need to shop there."
"I make no promises."
Luffy laughed. "This is gonna be great! Our last stop in the East Blue! We should make it memorable!"
"With this crew," Usopp muttered, "I'm sure we will."
Later that night, Gil stood on deck under a canopy of stars. The sea was calm, the ship rocking gently with the waves. He'd always found something peaceful about the ocean at night—the vast darkness, the endless possibility.
"Can't sleep?"
He turned to find Nami approaching, wrapped in a light shawl against the cool night air.
"I require less sleep than most," Gil said. "A benefit of my constitution."
Nami joined him at the railing, looking up at the stars. "I used to navigate by these stars," she said softly. "When I was working for Arlong, I'd sail alone sometimes, and the stars were the only constant. No matter where I went, they were always there."
Gil studied her profile, noting the distant look in her eyes. "And now?"
"Now I'm sailing toward them instead of away." She smiled, the expression genuine and warm. "It's different when you're moving toward something instead of running from something."
"Freedom suits you," Gil observed. "You're more yourself now than you were when we first met."
Nami glanced at him, surprised. "That's almost sweet, Gil."
"Don't get used to it."
She laughed, the sound carrying across the water. "You know, for someone who acts so superior all the time, you're not as bad as you pretend to be."
"I don't pretend anything," Gil said, though his tone was lighter than usual. "I simply am what I am."
"A self-proclaimed king with a god complex?"
"A king with appropriate self-awareness," he corrected. "There's a difference."
Nami shook her head, but she was smiling. "You're impossible."
"I'm exceptional. People often confuse the two."
They stood in comfortable silence for a while, watching the stars wheel overhead. Finally, Nami spoke again.
"Gil... thank you. For what you did at Arlong Park. I know I said it before, but I mean it. You didn't have to help us."
Gil turned to face her fully, his red eyes reflecting starlight. "You're part of this crew. That makes you mine to protect." He paused, then added with characteristic arrogance, "Besides, that fish-man insulted me. His fate was sealed the moment he showed such disrespect."
"There's the Gil I know," Nami said, but there was affection in her voice.
"Would you prefer I be someone else?"
She met his gaze, something unreadable in her expression. "No," she said finally. "I don't think I would."
The moment stretched between them, charged with something neither was quite ready to name. Then Nami pulled her shawl tighter and stepped back.
"I should get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be busy."
"Sleep well, Nami."
She paused at the galley door, looking back at him. "You too, your majesty."
Gil watched her go, a slight smile playing at his lips. The woman was sharp-tongued and clever, with a spirit that refused to be broken. She was, he had to admit, worthy of his attention.
The next morning dawned clear and bright. Usopp spotted land around mid-morning, and by early afternoon, Loguetown rose before them—a bustling port town with buildings stacked on hills and a massive execution platform visible even from the harbor.
"There it is," Luffy breathed, eyes fixed on the platform. "Where it all began."
Gil stood beside him, arms crossed, studying the town with calculating eyes. "Where it ended, you mean. But yes—this is where Roger's era concluded and the Great Pirate Era began."
"I'm gonna go see it," Luffy declared. "The place where the Pirate King died!"
"We all have business in town," Nami said, consulting her list. "But we need to be careful. Gil's right about the Marines."
"Let them come," Zoro said, hand resting on his swords.
"Try not to start any fights," Nami pleaded. "Just this once, can we have a normal supply run?"
Gil's smirk was answer enough.
As the Going Merry pulled into harbor, Gil felt something stir in his chest—anticipation, perhaps. Loguetown was a place of endings and beginnings, where the old era had died and the new one had been born.
How fitting, he thought, that he should pass through here on his way to claiming his throne.
The town sprawled before them, full of possibility and danger in equal measure. Gil's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his posture relaxed but ready.
"Well then," he said, his voice carrying that familiar note of absolute confidence. "Shall we see what this town has to offer?"
Luffy grinned, already bouncing with excitement. "Yeah! Let's go!"
As the crew prepared to disembark, Gil took one last look at the execution platform in the distance. Roger had stood there and smiled, even in death. He'd turned his execution into a declaration, his end into a beginning.
Impressive, Gil thought. But I won't need to die to change the world.
He would do it while very much alive.
The King of Heroes stepped onto the dock, and Loguetown awaited.