Under the gloomy curtain of rain—
A luxurious cruise ship, flanked by three navy warships as escorts, slowly made its way toward the docks of Loguetown.
"Whoa! Loguetown!!"
Standing at the bow, Altai lightly swirled the red wine in his hand. "It's far from being as good as my royal capital, but not bad at all!"
"Hey, Spider!" He glanced lazily over his shoulder. "That so-called Pirate King, Roger or whatever, died here, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty Altai."
Vice Admiral Onigumo, a cigarette dangling from his lips, nodded. "That execution platform in the plaza is where he died. If Your Majesty wishes to visit, I'll order the marines on the island to roll out a red carpet all the way from the pier to the base of the execution stand."
"Then go roll it out."
Altai waved his hand dismissively, lounging as he spoke. "Though honestly, just standing at the docks and having a look around is good enough. Go all the way to the execution platform? Too much effort. I mostly just enjoy watching your marines do these menial, servant-class chores. Hahaha!"
"..."
Onigumo's brow twitched, a flicker of displeasure flashing in his eyes. But the very next moment, he quickly replaced it with a smiling expression and bowed slightly.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
…
At the rear of the deck, Smoker stood expressionless, staring at Altai's bloated figure ahead.
Compared to a few days ago, his face and chest now bore a few whip marks.
——These were the result of his saving a fishing boat and an elderly couple, which had enraged Altai into lashing him personally, one strike at a time.
Normally, a mere king wouldn't have that authority. But Altai possessed one-fourth Celestial Dragon blood.
To be precise, more than thirty years ago, a princess of the Kingdom of Peace had attended the Reverie, and caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon. After being taken by him, she returned home pregnant.
The royal family of the Kingdom of Peace treated this as a blessing, celebrating lavishly and immediately promoting the princess to first in line for the throne.
A generation later, her eldest grandson Altai naturally ascended to the throne upon reaching adulthood.
He was undeniably a strange and contradictory figure.
On one hand—
None of the Celestial Dragon families of the Holy Land acknowledged this mixed-blood descendant. They neither implanted him with a control chip nor allowed him to act in the name of the Celestial Dragons.
But on the other hand—
No one beneath them—whether the Navy Headquarters or World Government officials—dared treat Altai as just an ordinary king.
After all, his Celestial Dragon grandfather was still alive, held a high status within his family, and was rumored to have inquired several times about his grandson's current state. Should anything happen to Altai, the wrath of the Holy Land would be inevitable.
"..."
Smoker gently touched the whip marks on his face and shook his head in self-mockery.
As a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, to be beaten and scarred by a gluttonous, ordinary man—it was nothing short of humiliating.
But even so—
That elderly couple was saved in the end.
And the price he paid was just a whipping. Worth it, wasn't it?
——If only it hadn't been Vice Admiral Onigumo who personally dragged him before Altai.
Smoker lit two cigars at once, raising his eyes to quietly observe Onigumo.
He didn't hate the man—he had just never felt those two bold characters on the white cloak behind him, Justice, to be so piercing.
When had it all begun?
Smoker exhaled a smoke ring, eyes dazed.
He could clearly remember—over a decade ago, when he first met Onigumo, the man had still been a passionate youth, one who would flip a table in a noble's face to defend his sense of justice.
Within the Navy—
Was Onigumo really the only one who changed?
Or had nothing ever changed in the first place, and it was just that his younger self had chosen to ignore so many things...?
...
Loguetown Central Plaza, second floor of a café.
"All the dishes you ordered are here. If you need anything, I'm just downstairs—just call out!"
The cheerful lady manager set down five fizzy drinks on the table, then placed a large bowl of strawberry cake in front of Gin, who was staring eagerly at it.
"Ehehe, thanks Auntie Store Manager~"
Nami sipped her orange soda happily, eyeing the figure across the table cloaked in a white hooded robe.
"Zeff-ossan, we finally all made it here, and you're still dressed like that? You won't even take off your hood for a meal?"
"This place isn't exactly peaceful—better safe than sorry."
Zeff grinned.
He was currently in a delicate situation—he was the only one on the ship with a bounty on his head.
Though the last time his bounty was updated was ages ago, and his appearance had changed a lot since then, most people probably wouldn't recognize him.
But Loguetown was special—swarming with all sorts: from the strongest marine base in the East Blue to bounty hunters working in the shadows. Better to keep a low profile.
Of course—
Zeff also knew that Shano didn't care how the outside world labeled him. Whether he was wanted or not didn't matter. He had even prepared to be targeted by the World Government before setting sail.
But when to set foot on that path—that decision should be made by the captain. It wasn't something a crew member should accidentally provoke.
As a crewmate, he had to have that awareness.
"So you're telling me… that navy girl who looks exactly like Kuina got called to work just five minutes before I arrived? And she left this photo, hoping you'd get my signature?"
Shano held up the old photo in his hand.
"Yup."
Kuina nodded. "They said some big shot was arriving, so almost all the marines were ordered to the docks to form a welcome lineup. Tashigi had to go too."
"She was really disappointed not to see you. Before leaving, she said that if she were lucky enough to get your autograph, she'd have the café owner hold onto the photo. She'll pick it up when she's done."
Tch. Big shot, huh?
Loguetown was just a small town. What kind of big shot would bother showing up here?
Shano didn't think much of it. Anyway, by tonight, he planned to… ahem, borrow the execution platform and leave for Reverse Mountain.
Whatever royal or noble pain-in-the-ass had shown up—it was the Navy's problem. What did it have to do with him?
What a shame, though—he missed the chance to see Tashigi and Kuina together. That would've been a sight.
He glanced at the photo in his hand, thought for a moment, and figured he might not get to see Tashigi again anytime soon. So he casually offered the photo as a sacrifice.
[Offering: Tashigi's cherished old photograph]
[Rarity: Fine]
[Value: 200 points]
[Appraisal Notes: A photo Tashigi carefully cut out from a newspaper and preserved with care, bearing the dreams and conviction of her youth. It sustained her through her lonely climb from the countryside to a navy base, along the path of swordsmanship and justice. The black-haired boy standing with a sword became the guiding light she buried deep in her heart—the unspoken longing burning through countless nights of sword practice.]
"..."
A vein throbbed on Shano's temple.
——This damn system!!