A Calm Arrival
Loguetown appeared on the horizon.The town of beginnings and endings. Where the Pirate King had been born—and executed.
Docking was… strangely easy.No Marines waiting on the pier. No alarms. No trouble.
"That's weird," Zoro commented. "There's always something."
"Colonel Rat died before he could contact his superiors," I explained. "We don't have bounties yet. To the Marines, we're just civilians."
"AWESOME!" Luffy yelled as he jumped onto the dock. "I'M GOING TO SEE ROGER'S EXECUTION PLATFORM!"
He took off like a rocket toward the city center.
"LUFFY, WAIT!" Nami shouted.
Too late. He was already gone.
"Idiot," Zoro muttered.
Nami handed out the group's money. "This is for supplies. And for equipment. Spend it wisely."
I took my share, but she looked at me oddly."Marc, don't you need more?"
"No. I have to buy equipment for a hundred men. My personal budget will be enough."
It was a lie.The Foundation was self-sustaining—it generated its own resources. But I had another objective here.
Seastone.
For my research, I needed samples of this material that neutralizes Devil Fruits. And it only existed on the black market, in very small quantities.
Or… on Smoker's weapon.
"If Smoker tries to stop Luffy later, I'll steal his weapon," I murmured.
[VIABLE PLAN][SEASTONE: HIGH SCIENTIFIC VALUE]
"Exactly."
The Cooking Contest
Sanji and Mr. Fish headed toward the market together.
"There's a cooking contest!" Sanji announced excitedly. "The prize is an Elephant Fish! One of the rarest ingredients!"
"Let's enter together, Sanji-san!" Mr. Fish suggested.
"Alright! We'll crush them!"
The contest took place in a large square. Dozens of chefs had signed up. But when Mr. Fish stepped onto the stage…
Silence fell.
"What is that thing?" someone whispered."A fish-man? In East Blue?""But he looks… different."
Mr. Fish, used to the stares, smiled politely."Hello everyone. My name is Mr. Fish. I'm delighted to participate."
A young chef—pretty, with red hair and a bright smile—approached him, fascinated.
"A fish-man? Really? I've never seen one!"
"Technically, I'm just a man with a fish head," he explained. "I can't breathe underwater."
"Fascinating! What are your eating habits?"
As she bombarded him with questions, Sanji angrily chewed on a white handkerchief.
"She… she's completely ignoring me…" he grumbled. "She's not even looking at me…"
Mr. Fish answered politely, explaining that he ate everything, talking about modern dishes no one here had ever heard of.
The red-haired chef listened, captivated.
"You're amazing, Mr. Fish! So cultured!"
Sanji dropped to his knees dramatically."Why is the world so cruel…"
The Tasting
The dishes were presented to the judges—three renowned food critics.
Every dish contained fish.
The judges glanced at Mr. Fish awkwardly."Uh… are you sure you're okay with this? It's… fish…"
Mr. Fish laughed."Don't worry! It's not like you're eating a relative. Fish and I are very different."
His humor relaxed the atmosphere. The judges tasted.
The verdict was announced.
1st: Sanji – "Exquisite flavor. Perfect mastery."2nd: The red-haired chef – "Creative and refined."3rd: Mr. Fish – "Original and surprising."
Sanji won the Elephant Fish.But everyone wanted to talk to Mr. Fish.
"You're hilarious!""Tell us more stories!""You're so approachable!"
Sanji, despite his victory, stood forgotten in a corner.
"I win… and nobody cares…" he cried.
The Marine Incident
Suddenly, Marines surrounded the square.
"FISH-MAN! YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"
A captain pointed at Mr. Fish."You're a member of Arlong's crew! All fish-men in East Blue are criminals!"
"Wait, I'm not—"
"SILENCE!"
Sanji immediately stepped in."Hey, assholes. He didn't do anything."
"STEP ASIDE OR YOU'LL BE ARRESTED TOO!"
Sanji lit a cigarette."Try it."
"COLLAR!"
WHAM!
The captain went flying.
The other Marines attacked. Sanji dismantled them one by one with his flaming kicks.
Ten minutes later, all the Marines lay unconscious on the ground.
"Morons," Sanji spat.
Mr. Fish looked at him with admiration."Thank you, Sanji-san."
"No problem. Nobody touches my friends."
The Execution Platform
Meanwhile, Luffy had climbed onto Roger's execution platform.
He looked out over the city from the top, a huge grin on his face.
"This is where it all began… and this is where it begins again!"
Suddenly, Buggy the Clown appeared.
"STRAW HAT! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!"
He placed Luffy's head into a guillotine and raised the blade.
"GOODBYE!"
CRASH!
A lightning bolt struck from the sky, smashing the guillotine.
Luffy fell, unharmed, laughing loudly."I GOT LUCKY!"
"WHAT?!" Buggy screamed.
Then Smoker arrived.
The White Hunter. Smoke. Relentless.
"Straw Hat… you're not going anywhere."
He turned his arm into smoke and grabbed Luffy.
"Gomu Gomu no—!"
CLANG!
Smoker pressed his weapon—a jitte tipped with seastone—against Luffy's body.
Luffy collapsed, helpless.
"Seastone neutralizes Devil Fruits. You can't move anymore."
The Audacious Theft
I watched the scene from a nearby rooftop.
[TARGET IDENTIFIED: SMOKER'S WEAPON][SEASTONE DETECTED]
"Perfect."
Suddenly, the wind shifted. An immense presence could be felt.
Monkey D. Dragon.Luffy's father. The world's most wanted revolutionary.
He appeared like a shadow and disarmed Smoker in a single swift motion.
Smoker stumbled back, shocked."Who…?!"
That's when I struck.
I jumped from the roof, landed beside the fallen weapon, and grabbed it.
Smoker stared at me, incredulous."WHO ARE YOU?!"
Dragon looked at me. His eyes narrowed. His Observation Haki had detected me.
But he said nothing.
I smiled, summoned the Foundation's door, and threw the weapon inside.
"Thanks for the donation!"
"GIVE THAT BACK!" Smoker roared.
I picked up Luffy and started running.
Dragon blocked Smoker's path, preventing him from pursuing us.
"Why…?" Smoker demanded angrily.
Dragon didn't answer. He vanished into the wind.
Epic Escape
I ran through the streets of Loguetown, Luffy over my shoulder.
"Marc! You're so cool!" Luffy laughed.
"Shut up and don't move!"
We reached the Going Merry. Everyone was already there.
"WE'RE LEAVING! NOW!" I shouted.
"WHAT?!" Nami exclaimed. "WHAT HAPPENED?!"
"I STOLE SMOKER'S WEAPON!"
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
Zoro burst out laughing."You're insane."
Suddenly, the wind rose—a powerful, almost supernatural wind—and pushed the Going Merry out of the harbor.
"It's Dragon…" I murmured.
We sailed quickly, leaving Loguetown behind.
On the dock, Smoker watched us go, furious and powerless.
"I'll find you… Straw Hat… and you too, thief…"
Toward the Grand Line
The Going Merry sailed toward the horizon. Ahead of us, a mountain of water rose into the sky.
Reverse Mountain.The entrance to the Grand Line.
"WE MADE IT!" Luffy yelled. "GRAND LINE, HERE I COME!"
I looked at Smoker's weapon in my hands. The seastone gleamed in the sunlight.
[MATERIAL ACQUIRED][FUTURE RESEARCH: UNLOCKED]
"This is going to be interesting."
Walter squeaked happily on my shoulder.
Mr. Fish gazed at the sea in wonder.
And ahead of us… the adventure continued.
[END OF CHAPTER 18 – END OF EAST BLUE][ANOMALIES CAPTURED: 5][D-CLASS: 4][GUARD TEAM: 100][SPECIAL MATERIAL: SEASTONE (SMOKER'S WEAPON)][SCP-006 SYMBIOSIS: 99%][NEXT STEP: GRAND LINE][NEXT ISLANDS: WHISKEY PEAK, LITTLE GARDEN, DRUM, ALABASTA…][THE MISSION CONTINUES…]