Goodbye Ajax**
With a navigator, everything changed.
Yang Ning's *Windbreaker Pirates* had finally abandoned their old luck-based navigation and embraced true seamanship. Their sailing efficiency skyrocketed.
It took **less than five days** to travel from the Konomie Islands to **Loguetown**—the East Blue's final gateway to the Grand Line.
Yang Ning didn't fully grasp how, but he was deeply impressed.
Seeing the stunned and admiring expressions of everyone on deck, Nami couldn't hold back any longer:
> "How on earth did you sail before? Did you… **roll dice**?"
Yang Ning and Sylvester exchanged a glance—then nodded in solemn silence.
Nami covered her face with one hand. *Wordless despair.*
---
Upon arriving in **Loguetown**—the East Blue's largest and most strategically vital port—everyone immediately begged to go ashore.
And with good reason.
Nearly every pirate passing through made a stop here:
- For final supplies
- And to witness the **legendary execution platform** that marked the dawn of the Great Pirate Era.
*Every world has its must-see tourist spots.*
Loguetown, the East Blue's last stronghold, teemed with pirates daily.
The Navy garrison here was the strongest in the entire East Blue—led by none other than **Captain Smoker**, the "White Hunter."
A graduate of the Naval Academy's main training camp, Smoker was worlds apart from scum like Nezumi.
While Nezumi bought his rank through bribes and seniority, Smoker had been **demoted to branch captain** purely for his insubordination and relentless, rule-breaking enforcement.
Under Smoker's command, Loguetown was **spotless**—at least on the surface.
The town Yang Ning's crew entered was clean, orderly, and strangely eclectic.
Chinese pagodas stood beside Western clock towers. Medieval taverns neighbored neon-lit shops.
It lacked the towering scale of the metropolises from Yang Ning's past life—but its **warmth, chaos, and humanity** surpassed them all.
Behind him, **Esdeath**—who'd never left Blood King Island—gaped in awe.
She'd never seen such "prosperity" in her life.
Yang Ning handed **all their treasure** to Nami and assigned **Sylvester** as her bodyguard, tasking them with restocking supplies and managing finances.
Meanwhile, with Esdeath at his side, Yang Ning wandered the streets, sampling local delicacies—until they reached the **central square**.
There it stood: the **execution platform**.
Crowds milled below—civilians, pirates, tourists—indistinguishable in the mix.
Yang Ning stared up at it, a strange unease prickling his skin.
> *"This damn world doesn't even have cell phones. No cameras. If you don't take a photo, did you even 'check in'?"*
He muttered, scanning for a good angle—
when his eyes **locked onto a familiar figure**.
A slow, dangerous smile spread across his face.
> *"What a coincidence… my dear captain."*
It was **Ajax**—the "Sonic Speedman," the very first pirate captain Yang Ning had ever encountered in this world.
The one who'd mocked him as a joke, treated him like a stray dog.
Yang Ning had assumed Ajax died at Krieg's hands.
But no—true to his name, the coward had **run fast enough to survive**.
Now, Ajax strolled through the square, flanked by a new crew, puffed up with misplaced pride.
Yang Ning's mood lifted instantly.
Settling this score **before entering the Grand Line**? The perfect farewell gift.
But he wasn't reckless.
He knew **Smoker** was lurking somewhere in town.
And with **Armament Haki still unawakened**, he couldn't risk a fight against a **Logia user**.
So he and Esdeath trailed Ajax from a distance—waiting for the right moment.
It didn't take long.
Ajax's crew—uncultured, impatient—grew bored of staring at a broken wooden platform.
Soon, they left the square, winding through alleys until they ducked into a **secluded, shadowed passage**.
Wolves have their paths. Rats have their holes.
Even under Smoker's iron rule, Loguetown had its hidden dens.
Ajax disappeared into an **underground pirate bar**.
Yang Ning, an outsider with no local ties, hadn't known this place existed.
But he didn't care.
Revenge was worth any risk.
Besides—this wasn't a dragon's lair. Just a nest of rats.
Inside, the air was thick with **vomit, cheap perfume, and sweat**.
Dim lanterns cast long shadows; most patrons huddled in dark corners, only silhouettes at the bar visible.
Esdeath wrinkled her nose, covering it with her hand.
She didn't understand why they were here—and wouldn't ask, for fear of breathing in the stench.
Yang Ning hated it too.
Eyes blazing, he scanned the room for Ajax—ready to end this fast.
But his intensity drew attention.
"**Hey, kid!**"
A drunken pirate with greasy dreadlocks staggered over, liquor bottle in hand, spittle flying.
"You know where you are? This ain't no playground for **unweaned babies**!"
Yang Ning frowned, stepping back.
Big mistake.
His retreat was mistaken for fear.
The dreadlocked pirate turned, roaring with laughter to his crew, then leered at Esdeath with dead, glassy eyes:
> "Little beauty… can this **coward** satisfy you? Come play with me—I'll show you what a **real man** feels like!"
Esdeath's eyes flashed with fury. Her hand flew to her sword—
—but Yang Ning was faster.
***Flash!***
In the dim orange light, **Kotetsu** blazed like lightning.
A single upward slash—clean, silent, final.
The dreadlocked pirate froze.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
His crew jeered, thinking he'd been scared stiff.
Then—a thin **line of blood** trickled from the top of his head.
Slowly, perfectly, his body **split in two**—left and right halves collapsing with soft *pats*.
Silence crashed over the bar like a wave.
Yang Ning's voice cut through it—cold, calm, absolute:
> "I came here to kill **one** piece of trash."
> "But it seems… **you all want to die too.**"