"Straw Hat Luffy! You're completely surrounded!!!"
"Come down quietly and surrender—submit yourself to the judgment of justice!!!"
In the largest plaza of Loguetown, Tashigi led a group of Marines who had tightly encircled the execution platform. She shouted up at Luffy, who was climbing it from below.
At her waist, the chipped blade Shigure was nowhere to be seen.
In its place hung a superb katana with a jet-black blade.
It was none other than the family heirloom of the weapon shop owner Ipponmatsu—Ryo Wazamono · Yubashiri.
Although no one knew exactly how it had happened, or how much Red's words had influenced the outcome…
In the end, Tashigi had successfully obtained this famed blade and brought it with her to participate in the encirclement of the great pirate Luffy!
From the roads feeding into the plaza, squads of Marines continued to arrive at intervals, steadily bolstering the encirclement.
Outside the cordon, however, stood a crowd of Loguetown locals who had come purely to watch the spectacle—people who thrived on excitement.
Years ago, Loguetown had been a gathering place for pirates.
As a result, the townsfolk had inherited the pirates' bold, fearless temperament.
With such a rare event unfolding, they swarmed in eagerly.
After all…
They had even witnessed the execution of the Pirate King himself. What danger could possibly top that?!
"Hey! Look! That guy's the one with a fifty-million Beli bounty—Straw Hat Luffy!"
"What?! You mean the evil pirate who attacked a Marine base and escaped?!"
"No wonder the Marines locked down the entire plaza. Looks like this pirate finally won't escape the law!"
"He was only wanted recently, right? Hah, the Navy's got another big headline coming."
"Don't be so sure! You shouldn't underestimate pirates so easily!"
"...…"
"...…"
Within the crowd, some eagerly anticipated a massive clash between Luffy and the Marines, some hoped to see a pirate brought to justice, while others seized the chance to vent their dissatisfaction with the Navy…
For a time, the townspeople argued heatedly, each standing on their own side.
A pirate with a fifty-million Beli bounty!
Even to the well-traveled residents of Loguetown, that was a major event worthy of endless discussion.
Meanwhile, the very man at the center of all that attention—Luffy himself—hadn't even clearly heard Tashigi shouting below.
All he did was turn around, see the dense sea of heads beneath him, and let out an awed remark:
"Whoa~ there're so many people~!"
Then, without a second thought, Luffy continued climbing toward the top of the execution platform.
What he didn't know was that…
In the eyes of many, his actions looked like a cornered pirate scrambling upward with nowhere left to escape.
Even the sole member of his Grand Fleet present here wasn't able to break free from that assumption.
…
…
Fifteen minutes earlier.
After hearing that the Straw Hat crew had arrived in Loguetown, the Buggy Pirates had questioned people nonstop and eventually made their way near the plaza, hiding among the crowd.
"Captain Buggy, look! It's Boss Luffy!"
Thanks to Tashigi's shouting, Buggy and his men quickly spotted Luffy—now being hunted by the Marines and "forced" to climb the execution stand.
"This is bad…"
Watching more and more Marines rush in from afar, Buggy's face twisted with worry.
He immediately questioned his subordinates.
"Have you spotted the rest of the Straw Hats?"
"No, Captain Buggy."
At Buggy's signal, Mohji stepped on the cape of the lion Richie and stood directly atop its head.
After scanning the surroundings for a while, he said dejectedly,
"Don't tell me… they've already been captured by the Marines?!"
"No way!"
Buggy rejected the idea without hesitation.
At the same time, an image flashed through his mind—Red's deep, unfathomable eyes that seemed to grasp everything.
A young man with that kind of presence and mysterious power could never fall at the very gateway to the Grand Line!
Countless thoughts flickered through his eyes. In the end, Buggy clenched his teeth and made up his mind.
"Notify everyone—prepare for battle!"
"Also, keep watching the surroundings. The moment you spot any member of the Straw Hat crew, report it to me immediately!"
Having drunk the most important oath wine among pirates and chosen to follow the Straw Hat crew, there was no turning back for him anymore.
If necessary, he would even sacrifice his own pirate crew to escort the Straw Hats safely!
That—
That was what a real pirate was!
They were devious, cunning, despicable, greedy, and brutal by nature.
But at the same time…
They would uphold a flag that must never fall until their very last breath;they would devote their entire lives to following a single spoken promise;they would treat a feast shared to the fullest as the very meaning of life itself!
In this chaotic world, pirates had a set of "rules" all their own!
…
…
With Buggy's order, the entire Buggy Pirates crew sprang into action.
Compared to the Marines, they had no numerical advantage whatsoever.
Which meant they needed a different approach!
And as a bona fide pirate, Buggy quickly came up with a despicable and cunning plan—
To take the nearby Loguetown townsfolk who were watching for fun as hostages!
As long as they set up cannons at the right positions and relied on the overwhelming power of Buggy Balls, they would have the leverage to negotiate with the Marines—forcing them to release the Straw Hat crew from Loguetown!
As for what came afterward…
"We'll worry about that later!!!"
Having found a solution, Buggy split his lips into a wild grin.
His body separated instantly, stretching his cloak wide and revealing that glaring red nose!
"If we pull this off, wouldn't that mean I've made history too?!"
"Wahahahaha~!"
Buggy suddenly burst into manic laughter from within the crowd, startling nearby pedestrians into retreat.
In truth, he didn't even know what he was laughing at anymore.
Was he laughing at himself for still being just as foolish and naïve as in his youth?Or was he laughing at himself for still being just as arrogant and fearless as back then?!
None of it mattered now.
Watching the Buggy Pirates grow busy within the crowd, Buggy quietly floated into midair, found a hidden spot, and began observing from the shadows.
"Come on, Straw Hat kid—Luffy!"
"Let me see just what kind of man you are, to earn the favor of that bastard Shanks!"
…
…
At the same time, Buggy wasn't the only one watching Luffy from the shadows.
In another corner of Loguetown, the revolutionary leader known as the World's Most Dangerous Criminal, Monkey D. Dragon, was likewise hiding behind a tall tower.
Looking at Luffy, surrounded by Marines, Dragon didn't think for a moment that he had been driven into a dead end.
After all—family knew family best.
The bloodline of the Monkey family did not produce cowards or weaklings!
Seeing Luffy's arms suddenly stretch out as he vaulted up onto the platform, Dragon—whose face bore markings like footprints—murmured softly,
"A pirate of freedom, huh…"
"That might not be a bad choice either."
"Go for it, Luffy."
"Since you've already made your decision, then walk forward without hesitation!"
"Use your life to measure this miserable world!!!"
A violent gust of wind swept past, and Dragon's figure vanished without a trace.
…
…
The scene returned to the present.
"Alright~ I finally made it up here!!!"
The execution platform was only twenty to thirty meters tall—hardly a challenge for Luffy.
He quickly climbed to the top and looked down excitedly.
"So this is the view the Pirate King Roger saw before he died?!"
Gazing upon the tiny crowd below, experiencing the unique sensation of looking down from above—
In that instant, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
Dark clouds gathered overhead at some unknown point, as if they had come to bear witness.
At that moment, Luffy suddenly spread his arms wide, reaching toward the sky.
Ever since he arrived in this city, an inexplicable tremor had been stirring within his heart.
And after drinking milk with the elderly owner inside that bar named Gol D. Roger, that stirring had been thoroughly awakened.
Now, standing at the very place where the previous Pirate King had died, that feeling finally surged to its peak!
At that moment, a brilliant smile spread across Luffy's face.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, he drew in a deep breath, snapped his eyes open, and shouted at the world with unwavering determination—
"I will be the King of the Pirates!!!!!!"
BOOOOM—!!!
A blazing bolt of lightning suddenly flashed above Luffy's head, like a spotlight illuminating his figure in everyone's eyes.
Deafening thunder followed, wiping away all other sounds in the world, leaving only Luffy's declaration echoing in their minds.
Crash—!!
Torrential rain poured down without warning, instantly turning Loguetown into a world of rain.
Yet the people below stood frozen in place, staring at Luffy without moving.
"Hehehe! That felt great!"
After shouting it out, Luffy felt incomparably refreshed.
"Alright then…"
He pressed his straw hat firmly onto his head, wearing that trademark D-shaped grin, and murmured to himself:
"Guess it's about time to head back and meet up with the others~"
"After all, our adventure has only just begun!"
(End of Chapter)