"So, I guess we're bound for the Grand Line now?"
Sanji was the first to really feel awake as the Straw Hats departed from Cozia early the next day. They'd taken the evening and early night to sleep and rest some before departing, but they didn't want to be seen at first light for the village. The island it lay on was almost lost on the horizon behind them as the Going Merry pulled them along, just the five of them now.
Sanji personally felt something was off about the dynamic of the crew with Zoro here, though Luffy was ecstatic their numbers were growing. "Isn't this great?" Luffy said as he took Zoro around the neck and Sanji around the neck, grinning as he kicked his legs this way and that. "Remember when it was just you and me, Usopp? Now we're really getting a solid crew together!"
"So we are ready for the Grand Line!" Usopp said, walking from the helm to join the others. One step closer to finding my father, Usopp recognized, feeling as if that would truly be a huge next step.
"Not quite! There is actually one last stop," Luffy said as he disentangled from Sanji and Zoro, neither of who looked at one another. Luffy walked to the helm where Nami still stood, leaning against the railing as he said, "Do you know how to get to Loguetown, Nami?"
"Loguetown?" Zoro interjected before Nami could respond. "You know that's where Smoker and his crew are, right?" His mind drifted to Tashigi, automatically irritated at a possible reunion so soon after they had parted. She's definitely not over me turning to the pirates yet, Zoro understood, grumbling.
"Wait, what?!" Usopp exclaimed. "What business have we got there? Forget that! Let's just head to the Grand Line!" He was none too excited to have to go up against the White Fang of the Navy again, a name even Usopp knew from Syrup Village. "But we can't just sail into the Grand Line . . . I forgot about the Calm Belt."
"No, sorry, we're stopping there," Luffy said. "If Smoker wants to fight me so bad, oh well! I'll give it a shot! But Shanks told me long ago that if I'm to be any kind of pirate, I have to pay my respects in Loguetown."
Sanji lit a cigarette as he asked, "Pay your respects? You mean to Gold Roger's place of execution, huh?" He exhaled the first puff. "I see. Well, as we've learned - what the captain says, goes."
"Sure, but should we at least wait a while?" Nami suggested. "The heat is on right now. If there's a major Navy Base there, we should take some caution."
"It's a big city, with plenty of docks. Actually, pirates dock there all the time, but if they maintain a low enough rep or lower their black flags, it's not always a problem," Zoro said. Although he had been anxious about returning to Tashigi so soon, his mind had wound around itself about her; perhaps it would be useful to share at least a few words of explanation. She took to you in some way and you showed her the cold shoulder. She can't understand why. Though he also knew this realization came because Kuina's face wasn't staring at his from beyond the grave.
"Look, twenty years ago, Gold Roger was sentenced to death by the World Government - and they chose his place of birth, Loguetown!" Luffy explained. "Shanks could tell the story better; he was there when Roger was killed. But it was there that this great age of piracy began! Don't you understand? It was Roger who was the first and last King of the Pirates! And if I'm going to be the next, I have to see where he died."
Luffy leapt to his feet. "It was there that he revealed that the One Piece was out there, his great treasure! And it was there the World Government snuffed him out. The Government be damned! The Navy be damned! We'll pay our respects, or we'll never stand a chance on the Grand Line. Sorry to put my foot down, but there's some things I won't even budge an inch on."
He wasn't even aiming to do so, but his speech roused Usopp, Sanji, Nami, and Zoro to finally succumb to Luffy's will, nodding in agreement with him on where their next destination had to be. "Sounds good to me. I'm just the cook," Sanji said humbly, but he winked at Luffy.
"Well, Loguetown's not too far from here," Nami said. "I'll have to revisit our maps, but for now, send us East, Usopp." She handed the helm off to him as she left for the cabin to check her charts.
They corrected their course perfectly according to Nami's charts and eventually came upon a terrible storm. The waves were rough, the rain splattered against the Merry viciously, and the sky turned to night. The Straw Hats eventually retreating into the cabin, trusting in the Merry to keep a steady enough course; they were staying afloat, but not exactly sailing anywhere. It remained that way and cut their time; it took twice the time to reach Loguetown as it would have otherwise.
"It's like the sky doesn't want us to move ahead," Usopp told Sanji solemnly as they manned the helm together into the next morning.
"Yeah, but where's the lightning?" Sanji said. He looked around, gesturing for Usopp to look too. "I can hear thunder far off, but there's not a single bolt of lightning anywhere. This storm is making me uneasy."
Hold strong, Merry, Usopp thought, holding onto the helm tighter.
Yet they finally passed through the storm and came out into bright sunshine on the other side on the day after's afternoon. They took their rain gear off, or otherwise remained unchanged, at least in Luffy and Zoro's cases. They stank of mildew and Nami finally called them out. "No more! The rain's up, so you two have to go wash your clothes. Now!" They left to enter the cabin while she kept them on course for Loguetown with her charts.
Luffy grumbled the whole time they worked on their clothes, but after they were nice and clean, he came back out and found that there was land ahead. "Ooh! I wonder what that could be!" Luffy exclaimed.
"What do you think?" Nami said with a light chuckle. "It's Loguetown! We'll be there by the end of the day, easy."
"Good! I want to see the scaffold in the light of day!" Luffy said. The skies were clear and blue; not a cloud in sight. He was a ball of energy as they continued to approach that none of the other four could tame as he asked them all sorts of questions about what they might want to do in Loguetown.
"Sir Bogard, we have arrived in the East Blue safely. No Sea Kings this voyage." It was a Marine speaking to the swordsman who ran drills on the rear of the great Navy flagship. Bogard was dripping with sweat; he'd been up since first light training while his ward slept the day away on their final stretch into the East Blue.
Bogard stopped what he was doing, sniffing as he set his weights down on the deck and grabbed a large towel hanging from the railing. He wiped the sweat off his body, nodding to the Marine. "I'll wake him." The Marine walked away from him hesitantly, hands her stiffly behind his back. Even the Marines of the squad still had trouble adapting to Bogard's presence on the ship. As it was, he was only the Vice Admiral's bodyguard, totally separate from the Navy entirely.
He made his way inside the flagship to the Vice Admiral's quarters, knocking softly on the door but not waiting to enter. It was dim inside, the curtains still drawn; only a sliver of light poked through the part. "Garp," Bogard bellowed, louder than the snores emanating from the commanding officer of this Marineford branch squad.
"Huzzat?!" bellowed the Vice Admiral even louder as he sat up in bed, already fully dressed in his Navy uniform and coat as he tossed a light sheet off of himself. "Oh! Bogard! Good! We're here." He stood and all of a sudden, he seemed completely awake as he strode to the curtains and cast them aside.
Vice Admiral Garp smiled as he stared out over the blue of his home sea. "Good to be back as always," he said. "Bogard, tell the men to make for Loguetown post-haste. We ought to be able to reach there by end of day from here. We'll go to Shells Town last. I'll be on deck in five minutes."
"You got it," Bogard said as he made his leave from Garp's quarters. Garp yawned and cracked his neck, stretching his arm up in the air. His fingers scraped against the ceiling just barely.
Garp turned to his desk and grabbed the bounty poster on it, staring at it with a strange affinity. "And, we'll have to see what this is about while we're here." The face of Straw Hat, only sketched out so far, smiled back at him jovially. Quite unlike a pirate, Garp thought, and his smile only widened at the thought.
In his cell, there was only a strip of window cut out with bars still set in place to avoid any breakouts. If it weren't for the Seastone handcuffs, that actually might have been a viable option. Buggy chuckled to himself, cast in black and white and irons like a common criminal. They didn't have the King of the Pirates strung up like this, he thought resentfully.
He remembered that day well; the way the rain had fallen sideways, slapping against his face. Shanks, tugging onto the straw hat so the wind wouldn't carry it off into the air. The voices of a thousand people gathered in the square, some from all over the world, to see the end of the King of the Pirates. For pirates like even the mere cabin boys were, this was monumentous; and nothing short of tragic.
What did you do with your treasure?! It was some random local in the town, jumping up over fellows standing by him to echo the question out, loud enough over the storm for all to hear. At first, Buggy had suspected Gold Roger hadn't heard the question at all; yet as the executioners raised their blades up, he stopped their motions with a booming voice: "You want my treasure? You can have it! Find it! I left everything this world has to offer there - at the end of the Grand Line!"
And the crowd had erupted as Roger's smile extended across the entire square with that proclamation. The Fleet Admiral had called then for the executioners' blades to swing; and they lopped the head off of the Pirate King. Shouldn't've let him speak, Buggy thought, chuckling to himself. Shanks had been unable to stop crying, but Buggy found Gold Roger to be one hundred times the man he had seen him to be, even though he too shed tears.
Then why did you want to kill Mugiwara? Because he had the same smile? Buggy wondered, leaning onto his knees. Even now, the gaolers were taunting him with the fact that some bigshot vice admiral was coming down to transport him to Impel Down. That's what you've been working toward, after all. A name big enough to lock up. He just never anticipated it happening. Not this early.
He wondered how far Alvida had managed to get, or if she was still at large. Hope so! He'd also noted Mohji, Cabaji, and Richie were absent from the round up on the voyage back to Loguetown. The Funan Brothers, too, he recalled, wondering what had become of them. And his ship. What a turn of events . . .
Little did Buggy know that two floors above him, Smoker had departed from the company of Fullbody Squad, posted up in the medical floor to heal from. He had grown sick of the praise and thanks Fullbody Squad sent his way, and came to realize this figure Headquarters was touting as "the third pillar of the East" was nothing more than a weakling. He had described the man who had taken him and his entire squad of men out. Damn you, too, Commodore Puding, but that well dressed creep, Smoker thought on his walk back to his office, recalling the man who had been with the bounty hunters in the forest. He itched to think of something else, and as he stared out the window of his office, he saw Roger's scaffold from afar and was transported back to that day, as well.
He had been there, too, in the pouring rain; if only he could have known he was about the same age as Buggy. They stared in like form, yards apart in the town square, wide eyed as the King of the Pirates met his end. More than his words or an anticipation of the Great Pirate Age Roger had just created, Smoker had been struck by his smile. What compels a man to smile like that, even in the face of death?!
It was that question that had haunted Smoker. He had never been one who was easy to smile, but . . . even still. Smoker lit two cigars as he ruminated on this again, and came to the same conclusion Buggy did deep below him in the brig. Monkey D. Luffy . . . you had that same smile. And D . . . Yet again, D.
The Going Merry arrived even sooner to Loguetown than expected. Of the towns they had visited thus far, Loguetown was by far the biggest. There were a huge amount of docks to choose from, and of them, only a fraction were Navy oriented. The Marine ships stuck to those docks, so the Straw Hats chose one far from them all. As they sailed down the coast of Loguetown, searching for a freer dock space, Sanji noted, "At least we're in like company." He gestured toward the notable few Jolly Rogers they passed along the way.
But do they have bounties like we do? Usopp wondered, glad at least that the other four were unrecognizable. That's not true, though, he thought, looking toward Zoro who had received infamy on the other side of the law. Perhaps that could garner some sort of benefit; then again, perhaps not.
They pulled the Going Merry into a port spot on the South side of town and disembarked after tying up. A group of young boys were hanging out on the dock, and pointed toward the ship at Nami. She giggled, thinking at first they were talking about her; but she realized their gazes were focused on Luffy as he was the first to stride off the gangplank. Luffy didn't notice them, walking past; but Nami was reassured to see the wonder in the young boys' eyes.
The other Straw Hats came off after Luffy. "So, we've got some stuff to do while we're here," Usopp said once they all reached the dock. "And we don't want to stay long. We have to remember the danger. But while we're in the big city, we should try to find someone who'll be a pirate doctor and a carpenter."
"We have to see the scaffolding!" Luffy whined. "Besides, you're a great carpenter!" He gestured to the makeshift repairs the Merry had sustained since its departure from Syrup Village, and Usopp grimaced.
"I mean, I appreciate the praise, Luffy, but that's not top work at all," Usopp said bluntly. "Would that I could be the best repairman for Merry, but I'm not. I'm even willing to learn! But I think a carpenter would just be a better bet."
"And the doctor is non-negotiable. We can't stand a chance on the Grand Line without a doctor," Nami asserted.
"And I've -," Zoro began, but Luffy stomped his foot down before he could speak.
"No! We're going to Roger's Scaffold as a crew, and then you guys can do whatever you want, okay?" Luffy said, and he began walking down the dock. He talked to a fishmonger, asking, "Which way to the scaffold?" He pointed up the hill, confused at Luffy's polite words but impatient voice. "Thank you very much, sir!" He walked off in the general direction the merchant had pointed.
"Come on, guys," Sanji said, the first to follow after Luffy. The others came with him, and soon, the five were bound up the hill to the large city square. They passed all sorts of bazaars, shops, and restaurants that interested them, yet not even at the best smelling grills did Luffy turn his gaze. He bore a wide smile as they made their way toward the execution scaffold.
Unknown to them, two figures in hoods were shopping for their camp today on the same street that the Straw Hats were now walking up. They were Sal and Nino Funan; and it was Nino that looked over his shoulder at a familiar sight and recognize the Straw Hat Pirates. "Brother! Look!" he whispered, jerking Sal around to look at the crew.
"You're kidding," Sal said, the blood draining from his face.
"What do you think they're here for? Us?!" Nino hissed, panicking.
"Unlikely. It's custom for pirates to stop here, remember? It's where Gold was killed," Sal said. "Forget the shopping. We need to go tell Alvida and the others. Come on." He set his shopping basket down, as did Nino, and they walked up the hill after the Straw Hats for a moment before turning off down a side alley.
The Straw Hats arrived at the city square without rousing other eyes upon them. It was a mostly bare, and plain city square, especially considering the scale of Loguetown. Gecko Town's fountain would like nice here, Usopp thought, wondering why it was like this. There weren't even store fronts on the square side. It was a thoroughfare for the streets that housed the shops. But on the far end of the square was the huge scaffold, four stories tall, a height that nearly rivaled that of the neighboring buildings.
The Straw Hats followed Luffy as he walked up to the very edge of the scaffold, hopping over the chain barrier that kept the public from getting too close to it. Zoro did the same, hands in his pockets, but Usopp, Nami, and Sanji stopped at the plaque outside of the chain, taking a moment to read what it had to say.
Here Marks The Final Moments of the Dastard Pirate King
GOLD ROGER
For his crimes against the public, the Navy, the World Government, and the natural order of the world, he was sentenced to death and forever condemned as a villain
"Laying it on thick, aren't we?" Nami said with a sour face. Even piracy could not sully the name of Gold Roger; it was common knowledge even in little Cocoyashi that Roger's crew were famous for minimizing civilian casualties.
"Come on, you guys! Never mind that rope," Luffy said, waving the other three over. They listened, walking over the chain and joining Luffy and Zoro in a straight line. They all stared up at the scaffold, silent but each taking it in. More than the other four expected, they were all struck by the splendor of this sight. It was a simple scaffold, made of brown wood that had grown dull with two decades since its building.
Zoro reflected on his strange career change for the sake of his dream. As long as the means remain fickle, and not the principles, he thought, wondering if a similar train of thought might have influenced the King of the Pirates on his dying breath.
Nami thought of the hatred she still bore for the common pirate; it hadn't been complete solace that there were others here in Loguetown. Yet somehow, the terror of them had diminished, and she imagined Luffy's Jolly Roger waving on this scaffold, blinded by the sunlight. She shaded her eyes and considered the new nature of her own comrades. I'll make friends I wouldn't have otherwise, she thought. That was a comfort indeed.
Sanji thought of Zeff, and of course everyone else at the Baratie, but felt a special kinship standing as a pirate where Zeff perhaps did at some point in his life. The Red Foot Style will live on, Chef, Sanji thought, lighting a cigarette up for him even though he could hear Zeff telling him what a nasty habit it was. Yet there was that uneasiness that never truly went away. At any moment, this could all go away. On the Grand Line, getting a name for yourselves? Get ready, kid. As usual, his plans didn't involve balking from the voyage.
Father, I'll be meeting you before too much longer. I hope you visited here, or else you're not much of a pirate, either, Usopp thought. His fists were curled tight until he forced himself to think back to Gold Roger instead. Apologies. I'm supposed to be paying respects to you. He placed a hand to his chest, the most resolute out of the five of them in that moment.
Luffy was too overwhelmed for thoughts, but his feelings were threatening to brim over. He took a seat where he stood and remained staring up at the scaffold in awe. "Thank you guys for sharing this with me. I'm gonna stay here a while, but I know it's dangerous. Let's leave before sunset, okay? You guys can do whatever you need to."
Nami sighed, smiling and feeling calm as if she'd just meditated. "I'm glad I didn't miss out on this. But we do have a lot to do before we set out, yeah? I'll go see about finding us a doctor to join us."
Usopp sighed, too. "I don't want to go, but she's right. Lots to do. I'll head to a shipyard and feel someone out, too. We might be back to seven by the end of the day!"
"Okay, but no one weird! Or stuck up! Actually, weird's okay, as long as they're not stuck up, too! Just use your best judgment! No, sorry, use my judgment actually!" Luffy prattled on, causing them to chuckle as they turned and walked out of the chained off area.
"I'll head with Nami," Sanji said, waving to Luffy and Zoro. "You guys, stay safe. Keep away from Marines, I don't want to make any more widows."
Zoro sighed at Sanji's words, but remained staying there while the other three Straw Hats headed off into the main streets of the city once more. So far, he liked the captain and the navigator; they seemed sharp. But the cook was an annoyance, and not as strong as he seemed to boast. And the First Mate? Please, Zoro thought. That could be worked with, though. They all seemed close enough.
Zoro's eyes drifted past the scaffold, farther up the hill where he could see the corners of the Navy Base poking over the tops of the city. He thought of Tashigi and his own intentions here; but it made him nervous to consider meeting back up with her. Come on, just explain some things, Zoro thought. Surely, that'll make things better. He didn't understand why things needed to be better, though.
"I'm heading off, too," Zoro said. "Got some business in . . . a sword shop." It was the first thing that came to mind, and he hoped he sounded convincing enough.
"Okay! I'll meet you guys back at the Merry," Luffy told him, and laid down on his back, knees propped up and hands behind his head. He hummed as Zoro walked out of the chained area, and walked up the hill toward the Navy Base. He was also a bit worried about getting lost in this big city without anyone's help, but he thought, Just keep E5 in sight, that's all.
On the other side of the island was a large stretch on uninhabited jungle with some spread out wildlife. At one point, bandits had taken up residence here, but when the Navy had recognized it as a stronghold against pirates making their way to the Grand Line, they had also flushed the bandits out. Their little fort was still standing, though had grown more decrepit. It was situated in a cove that was totally invisible to casually passing vessels, but someone looking for it could find it easily; it was large enough for a Navy flagship to pass through.
Currently, the Big Top bobbed in the cove, tied up to the dock. Up a long, winding staircase was the fort, and inside, a small fire crackled, a griddle on top where Mohji grilled some meat up for lunch-time sandwiches. Cabaji sat up against the wall nearby, clutching his wounds; he had survived, but he was in a bad way. His unicycle was completely destroyed, but at least he still had his sword. Worst of all had been how friendly Richie had been with him, and pitiable Mohji had taken to being with him in his fragile state. But he was excited for sandwiches.
The front door burst open and in came all three of the Funan Brothers, including Ed who had been on guard duty just outside. It was him that alerted the others to jerk their heads in the three's direction. "Bad news, Iron Mace Squad! The Straw Hat Pirates are here!"
Alvida lay asleep in the corner of the fort, her hat covering her face, but at the cacophony exploding into the room and the proclamation of the Straw Hats being on Loguetown, she stirred. Her heart fluttered at the mention of Luffy, yet it was also stirred by a bit of vengeance. He's free, and Buggy's rotting in prison, she thought as she sat up. A marriage was far off, clearly. Even a courtship seemed unlikely this year.
"What's the trouble, then?" Alvida asked before the First or Second Mate could speak. "That sounds like our moment to strike."
Now, everyone looked at Alvida with shock, including Richie. Sal stepped forward, throwing his hood back. "Lady Alvida, look. Roronoa Zoro has joined up with Straw Hat!"
"So they have seven people?" Alvida said bluntly.
Sal and Nino looked at one another, recalling as they counted on their fingers. "No," Nino said confidently. "Yeah, it was those bounty hunters, they weren't with them anymore."
"So what's to be frightened of? We outnumber them, and we have a lion," she said as she stood up and pet Richie as she walked past him, sauntering to wake herself up and unaware that Richie was the most scared of a rematch of them all. "Besides, we also outnumber them in armament. But . . . it's not them we're going up against."
Cabaji chuckled, wincing through the pain of expression. "I'm starting to see where you're going with this." Alvida grinned back at Cabaji, glad someone was smart enough to read between the lines. Cabaji struggled to a standing position. "You're willing to do that to your own beloved?" he asked teasingly.
"What are you talking about, Alvida?" Mohji asked straight up, pulling the meat off the fire to focus on the conversation.
"I'm talking about, we're wasting time," Alvida said. "The Straw Hats are now the most wanted pirates in the East Blue, you dolts! And from the news, I still won't be recognized. We need to strike out and bust Buggy out now, while we can use the Straw Hats as a distraction for Smoker!
"Ed, I have a special mission for you. You're to go into town and somehow make it known they're the Straw Hats. Ruin their disguises, proclaim it like some innocent bystander worried for his safety, anything - just make the Navy recognize them," she ordered Ed.
"Wh-why me?!" he said, holding his hands up and dropping the pistol he'd been equipped with.
"Well, Lady Alvida, they ain't in disguises," Sal reported. "We recognized them easy enough. Straw Hat's even wearing his straw hat!"
"What?" Alvida said. But Buggy destroyed it! She couldn't think of that too hard; the fact there were no disguises made her chuckle at how foolish it was, but that might make their job easier. "Okay, okay, it doesn't matter. Mohji! Richie! You're with me. We're on foot for E5!"
"E5?! Are you sure?" Mohji asked briskly.
"You'll need help. I'll come," Cabaji said.
"No, you're too injured. Besides, I have greater need of you," Alvida said, hand to her chin as she pointed at him and the Funan Brothers. "They are our master cannon crew - they can't hope to hurl Buggy Balls at Loguetown and man the helm. Cabaji, would you do the honors?"
The Iron Mace Squad grinned at that prospect as they recalled what awaited in the bowels of the Big Top now; forty Buggy Balls that the Funan Brothers had toiled away on tirelessly while their captain fought for his life outside. Today, they would come in handy.