It turned out that Smoker's anxiety had been nothing more than needless worry on his own part.
Because from beginning to end, the Straw Hat crew never once took him—or rather, the East Blue Marines at large—seriously!
They didn't even leave anyone behind to guard the Going Merry!
Because Red and the others knew perfectly well…
Given their captain's talent for stirring up trouble, it wouldn't take long before the Marines of Loguetown would be kept painfully busy.
…
…
"Tashigi, Chief Petty Officer! We've found Straw Hat Luffy's location!"
"Where is it?!"
On the streets of Loguetown, Tashigi—who had just rushed back from the outskirts—didn't even have time to catch her breath before immediately leading the entire Loguetown Marine force out to search for the Straw Hat crew.
Colonel Smoker had given her a direct order: she must detain the Straw Hats in Loguetown—under no circumstances were they to escape.
The Marine reporting hesitated, then looked up at Tashigi, his expression conflicted, before slowly answering:
"…The execution platform."
"The execution platform?" Tashigi froze. "You mean the square where Pirate King Roger was executed?!"
"That's right! It should be there!"
The Marine was just as puzzled.
"What are they going there for?" Tashigi frowned, then quickly shook her head. "Forget it—no point overthinking it!"
"Now that we know their destination, things are simpler!"
"Immediately deploy forces around the execution platform and await further orders!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Marine ran off to relay the command.
Tashigi, however, stopped in her tracks.
After a moment of hesitation, she slowly unsheathed Shigure at her waist.
Due to her earlier clash against Bartolomeo's barrier, the blade's edge was now slightly nicked.
"With Shigure in this condition, there's no way I can fight a pirate with a 50 million bounty…"
"There's no time left for repairs!"
Gritting her teeth, Tashigi made a tearful decision:
"…I'll have to buy a new sword."
For the sake of having a proper weapon in the coming battle, she steeled herself for a major expense.
Coincidentally, a weapon shop she frequented was just ahead.
Without further thought, Tashigi broke into a run.
However…
When she pushed open the door to the weapon shop, the sight before her left her utterly stunned!
Inside the shop, packed with all manner of weapons, a teenage boy in a baseball cap was holding a sharp longsword, aiming it straight at the arm of a green-haired swordsman.
Just as the boy was about to swing—
"Stop!!!"
"Stop!!!"
Two voices rang out at almost the same time.
The second came from the shop owner himself, shouting in panic.
Yet the two inside the shop seemed not to hear a thing; the blade continued its downward arc!
A cold crimson flash gleamed as the sword slashed through the air.
Instinctively, Tashigi raised her hands to shield her eyes.
Clang!!!
The clear, ringing sound of metal colliding echoed through the shop.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
But instead of the dismemberment and blood she had imagined—
The longsword in the boy's hand was suddenly sent flying, spinning several times in midair before plunging straight into the shop's wooden floor.
Only the ancient, weathered hilt remained exposed.
"Heh!"
The green-haired swordsman—Zoro—grinned broadly, dispersing the Armament Haki from his arm in the next instant.
As for the boy in the baseball cap, he was naturally Red, the one who had brought Zoro here to find a sword.
The two of them turned their gaze simultaneously toward the shop owner.
Having been thoroughly terrified by what he'd just witnessed, the shop owner had already collapsed onto the floor.
Seeing that Zoro was completely unharmed, he shakily raised a finger, his voice trembling:
"H-How is that possible!?"
"That blade was incredibly sharp!!!"
"It really is a fine, sharp sword," Zoro said with a faint smile.
He pulled the blade out of the floor, lifted it before his eyes, and examined it with satisfaction.
"So, boss—now you can sell it to me, right?"
"Y-You… who exactly are you?"
The shop owner didn't answer, instead firing back with a question.
From the moment these two walked into his shop, they hadn't asked for prices or explanations. They had simply gone straight to a pile of ordinary swords and picked out the blade that had long given him headaches—the cursed sword, Sandai Kitetsu.
Although he had wanted to get rid of it for ages, his conscience had ultimately stopped him from selling Sandai Kitetsu to the young swordsman.
And yet…
After hearing his explanation about the sword's curse, the boy in the baseball cap had calmly replied:
"I see."
"So if we can prove that this sword can't harm the swordsman who wields it, you'll agree to sell it?"
At the time, the shop owner hadn't thought much about it and had just nodded absentmindedly.
And then…
These two lunatics started reenacting a sword slashing someone's arm on the spot!
As someone extremely sensitive to blades, the shop owner could clearly see that the boy had struck with the sword's edge.
And yet… Sandai Kitetsu had been sent flying after hitting the swordsman's bare arm!
At that moment, the shop owner's mind went completely blank.
He didn't recover until Red slapped 50,000 Beli onto the counter and said with a grin:
"Alright then, boss. The money's here—we're taking the sword."
"W-Wait a moment!!!"
The shop owner suddenly sprang to his feet.
Even though he had no idea what had just happened…
The presence of these two men had utterly overwhelmed him!
Especially that green-haired swordsman, who hadn't hesitated at all before offering his arm to be slashed!
And so—
He made a decision that went against his ancestors.
Moments later, the owner came running downstairs carrying a long, narrow bundle.
Lifting away the dust-covered cloth, a black-lacquered katana was revealed atop the counter.
"A black-lacquered katana body, with an irregular clove-patterned temper line!"
The shop owner's expression was solemn as he announced:
"Ryo Wazamono—Yubashiri!"
"My shop may not be famous, but this is the finest sword I possess!"
"To meet such an outstanding swordsman… this blade is yours!"
"Eh?"
Zoro blinked, stunned. He hadn't expected this stingy boss—who moments ago thought they were broke—to suddenly be so generous.
But…
"Thank you for your kindness, boss," Zoro said.
"But I already have enough swords."
He sheathed Sandai Kitetsu at his waist and smiled lightly, displaying the three swords he carried.
"…Those are—"
At that moment, Tashigi—standing at the door—finally snapped back to her senses.
A true sword enthusiast, she immediately noticed Wado Ichimonji at Zoro's waist, as well as the other blade he temporarily called "Thunder."
She hurriedly pulled out a small notebook from her pocket and flipped through it rapidly.
"There's no mistake!"
"That's one of the twenty-one Great Grade Meito—Wado Ichimonji!"
"And the other one… the strongest of all Ryo Wazamono—Narukami!"
"Narukami?!"
Tashigi's words made both Red and Zoro pause.
Seeing through her identity long ago, Red's eyes lit up with playful curiosity.
"Miss, could you explain that sword in a bit more detail?"
After all, it was a treasure obtained the first time Nami's Pickup ability activated. Red wanted to see just how powerful that ability truly was in the real world.
"You… you didn't know about that sword?!"
Tashigi was briefly surprised, but quickly launched into an explanation with enthusiasm:
"It's rare for blades of the same rank to appear in the same era, and their superiority often depends on the wielder."
"But among the fifty recorded Ryo Wazamono, the name Narukami has always stood at the very top!"
"It's said that when the swordsmith forged Narukami, he employed a unique lightning-drawing technique, imbuing the blade with the power of thunder—making it easier for its wielder to comprehend lightning-based sword intent!"
"Of course!"
Realizing she had gotten a bit carried away, Tashigi laughed awkwardly.
"That's just a legend—it shouldn't be taken too seriously."
"But the power of this blade itself has absolutely stood the test of history!"
(End of Chapter)