Bartolomeo had never been too caught up with world affairs, always preferring his backwater alley gossip. News on pirates was somewhere in between, so of course Bartolomeo had caught some snippets. 'Straw Hat Defeats Krieg' and 'Arlong Collapses at Straw Hat's Hands' were recent buzz topics. The members of his mafia were all over the guy. Personally, Bartolomeo couldn't care less. Pirates and gangs didn't exactly sail the same waters, in a manner of speaking. As long as this 'Straw Hat' didn't mess with Bartolomeo's set-up, all would be well.

He was scouting out new members at Loguetown. Loguetown was often the point where most pirates became intimidated by their stronger opponents and slunk back home. Bartolomeo liked to target those guys especially, since they often deemed themselves weaker than they actually were. They were always ready to grab onto any bait they were handed; anything to avoid admitting defeat.

He was strolling through the town square when he saw a demonstration going on at the execution tower. The wind was blowing fiercely, but the demonstrator and his 'victim' were bent on continuing the act. Bartolomeo squinted, and could just barely make out the executioner's shock of blue hair and the victim's yellow hat. Yellow? Straw Hat? Bartolomeo thought, his eyebrows drawing together. He shrugged. None of his business. But even though he intended to walk away, his feet stood frozen in place. A crowd had begun to gather, all awaiting the boy's death. Bartolomeo looked more closely, and realized that the executioner was not, in fact, a marine. Rather a pirate. A captain by the looks of it. A pirate's feud, huh? Bartolomeo mused.

"Any last words?" the blue-haired pirate asked, "We have quite the crowd gathered."

The boy frowned. The pirate's heel was digging into his hat. It looked awfully degrading.

"Well, well, looks like you're speechless," the pirate chuckled, swinging his saber back and forth. "You are about to die after all."

The boy pouted. He took a deep breath, and screamed.

"I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"

The murmurring crowd fell dead silent. Bartolomeo included. This kid! What was he thinking?! Of all the last words he could've chosen, he chooses those?

"It's about time to end this, don't you think?" the blue-haired pirate asked, as the boy fought against the weight of his foot.

"THIS EXECUTION IS CANCELED!" two voices rang out, and the entire crowd tuned around. Behind them was Pirate Hunter Zoro and some blonde guy. The crowd flew into a panic, dividing themselves to leave a pathway from the men to the execution platform. Another beautiful pirate commanded her forces to oppose them. Bartolomeo watched in awe as the two began smashing their way through the waves of opponents, taking out 3, 5 at a time!

"ZORO!" the boy screamed, "SANJI! USOPP! NAMI!."

The boy's voice commanded attention. Every eye was on him. Bartolomeo found it impossible to look away. The boy smiled widely, as the blue-haired pirate raised his sword.

"Sorry," he grinned, "I'm DEAD."

The blad came whistling down.

Crck…BANG!

Out of nowhere, a bolt of lightning shot down, electrocuting the platform. The blue-haired captain's body convulsed, his limbs splitting apart. But the boy. He remained untouched, smiling throughout the entire thing. The execution platform's scaffolding began tilting. It's crash to the ground was eerily silent. No one could say a thing. A straw hat floated down from the sky, landing softly on the ground. The blue-haired man was still twitching as the boy emerged from the rubble.

"Hey!" he laughed, "I'm alive!" He picked up his hat. "I'm OK!"

The crowd could only stare, wide-eyed. The boy trotted over to his companions, laughing all the way. The three ran out of the plaza, chased by both marines and pirates. Bartolomeo stood standing there.

"Incredible," he breathed. The boy was not boy. He was a god. A miracle. He was divine and holy. Worthy of worship.

A.N.: A little life-changing scene from Barto's P.O.V. I remember when I realized how amazing One Piece truly is… Reviews, Favourites, Subscriptions, Reader Birthdays, and Requests are welcomed and much appreciated! Law will come next!