DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT RAGNAR AND ALL VIKINGS AND OCs IN THIS STORY! ONE PIECE BELONGS TO EICHIRO ODA, VIZ MANGA, TOEI ANIMATION AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT/CRUNCHYROLL LLC
Chapter 45: Front Page Headliner! Straw-Hat Luffy Becomes Known to the World!
A few days into the voyage southwest, life on the Going Merry had seemed to return to normal, now that there was no threat such as Don Krieg or Arlong to worry about. For once, the Straw Hats were able to rest and relax, earning a nice respite before they made it to their ultimate destination. At the aft-castle, however, Nami was definitely angry at the News-coo that landed on the railing.
"You raised your prices again!?" She asked, miffed at the rate of inflation, "A hundred berries for one newspaper's a little steep, don't you think?" She reluctantly handed the capped seagull a gold coin while glaring at it, "Tell that boss of yours that if he raises newspaper prices again, then I'll stop paying!" With that stern warning, the seabird only flew off, ready to deliver to the next paying customer.
"What's the big deal?" Usopp asked, "It's just one newspaper."
"Just one newspaper!?" Nami retorted, "Usopp, I buy these every day! It's important to keep up with current events if we're ever going to know what's happening in the world."
"Nami's right," said Ragnar as he took a small break from governing the helm so as to join in on the conversation, "If we're going to be entering the Grand Line, we need to know what we can avoid and where we can safely drop anchor."
"Yeah, but all I'm saying is that there's no need to save every last berry anymore," the archer explained as he was throwing hot sauce into a red ceramic pellet, "We already defeated Arlong, so there's no need to save up. Nami, you can finally stop obsessing about money."
"Don't you get it!? I'm not gonna buy my entire village now," Nami explained, "Now that all that stuff with Arlong is over, I'm saving money for myself now. Besides, I'm not gonna be one of those penniless pirates who can't even afford to dress up!"
"True, clothes can be expensive," Ragnar added, "Especially the most expensive and embroidered ones with gold thread, and those made of silk."
"Hey, would you two mind keeping it down?" Usopp pleaded, "I'm trying to work on my signature Tabasco star! A mouthful of this will make any bad guy…" he did not finish. For, as he was about to pour the final teaspoon, Luffy suddenly slammed into him, causing hot sauce to splash right into his opened mouth. Usopp only screamed in pain as his mouth felt like it was on fire! He hadn't even eaten one of Sanji's signature spicy dishes yet!
"Aww c'mon, Sanji!" Luffy grumbled, "I just want one tangerine!" Evidently, the captain was feeling peckish, and now that he was the official chef, Sanji was doing too good of a job ensuring that the crew's food rations weren't instantly emptied again.
"No, Luffy! This is Nami's tangerine orchard!" He declared, "You won't be getting one without her permission first!" He then smiled as he turned towards Nami, who was still reading the newspaper. "Nami, can you see how well I'm protecting your trees~?" He asked, swooning at the thought of sailing the high seas with Nami alone.
"Yes, you're doing very well," Nami replied, "But Luffy, you can definitely have one tangerine if you'll help me harvest them."
Ragnar only made his way towards the bow, where he found Zoro relaxing as usual, but wide awake enough to still pay attention to what was going on.
"Well, Sanji's getting used, Ragnar," Zoro muttered, shaking his head at the mere sight, "That poor bastard."
"He's definitely a sucker for females," Ragnar muttered, "But it seems that he's got a thing for whale type fish-women. You saw how he was going ga-ga with Celosia, right? Still, you've got to admit, he's definitely keeping our resident glutton in check. At least he and I can both ensure that we're well stocked on food provisions. Plus, he's got some pretty ingenious traps to stop Luffy from gorging in the dead of night."
As the sun rose higher in the sky, Nami nearly lost the newspaper, but Luffy managed to collect all the pages for her before they were all completely scattered to the winds. She only smiled at him appreciatively, and he did the same to her, as she reclined back on a chair, the back raised high enough to protect from sudden wind gusts that would cause her to let go again.
"The world's sure a turbulent place," she muttered, "They just had another coup in Villa." Yet as she turned, she looked up to see that Luffy, Usopp and Ragnar were all aghast at the front page photo: it was Luffy's face, and above it was quite the headline:
The Straw Hat Pirates Bring Down Arlong Park: A Victory for Justice and Freedom!
Seeing this, everyone, save for Zoro, all screamed in utter shock! The newspaper article had finally been published!
News of the Straw Hats' victory over both Don Krieg and Arlong spread like wildfire across the world. Before long, word spread even as far southwards as Marineford – on the Grand Line itself! Now, a decision had to be made on what to do with Luffy himself, as Lieutenant Commander Brandnew began the presentation with the high command over the afternoon lunch board meeting…
"So, even a conservative estimate of their power says that they're too much for our branches to handle?" One admiral asked as he poured a small cup of sake.
"That's right," Brandnew replied, "Even before forming his pirate crew, he defeated the commander of Branch 153, then-Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, which he did with the aid of his Viking quartermaster – Ragnar Sigurdsson of the Lion Clan. Yet thanks to our latest reports from Shells Town, Morgan's misdeeds have been laid bare to us, and he's been scheduled for a court martial. Still, this boy has proved his worth throughout the East Blue," Brandnew then showed a slew of four wanted posters: "Buggy the Clown – fifteen million, Kuro of A Thousand Plans – sixteen million, Pirate Fleet Admiral Don Krieg – seventeen million, and fish-man pirate: Saw Tooth Arlong – twenty million! These four pirates were all big players, and they each had bounties over ten million berries. In contrast, the average bounty is only three million berries, and he defeated them all!" Yet then Brandnew's face turned into a smile, presenting a newspaper article with a full photo of Luffy smiling like an idiot with the ruins of Arlong Park behind him, "However, thanks to our latest report from Branch 77's very own Commodore Purin, he has no qualms when it comes to working with us, and he did play a hand in bringing to light the misdeeds of former captains Nezumi and Morgan. It's best that we keep a close watch on him, to keep tabs on his development, and to discern whether to call this boy a friend or a foe of the World Government."
"Absolutely," another officer replied.
Down in the courtyard of Marineford's main barracks, Vice Admiral John Giant addressed the seamen and officers gathered below. This vice admiral was a literal mountain of a man, towering above all others. His traditional white officers' coat was customized, with yellow accents, red borders, and a richly decorated collar. He also carried awarded medals on his left breast, signifying his important rank and status. He wore a traditional red bicorne hat with the Marines' symbol. Unlike other high-ranking Marines, he actually wore his marine coat with his arms in the sleeves. Underneath that, he wore an orange shirt, simple loose breeches, and seaman's boots that stopped just below the knee. Overall, he appeared to be a well decorated Marine.
"IF YOU WISH TO FLEE, THEN DO SO NOW, BUT IF YOU WISH TO STAY AND FIGHT, THEN STAND WITH US AS WE TAKE UP ARMS AGAINST INJUSTICE AND CORRUPTION OF ALL KINDS!" He bellowed, "WE ARE THE BASTION OF PEACE IN THIS WORLD! THE PEOPLE COUNT ON US! WE ARE THE RIGHTEOUS ONES! IF THERE IS EVIL ON THE SEAS, THEN WE, THE MARINES, WILL STAMP IT OUT WITH THE MOST EXTREME PREJUDICE! IN THE NAME OF ABSOLUTE JUSTICE!"
Down in Syrup Village, word immediately spread about the incident, and even at Kaya's estate, the entire staff were abuzz with excitement.
"Miss Kaya! Miss Kaya! Big News!" Merry exclaimed as he rushed towards the study where Kaya was studying medicine, once formerly her sick room. "Miss Kaya, it's amazing!"
"Merry? What's the matter?" Kaya asked, as she looked up from her desk, her reading glasses still on.
"Have you seen the front page?" Merry asked, holding up the front page of the recent edition of the World Eco News. On the front page was a great photo of Luffy smiling with the biggest idiotic grin yet. However, something in the photo definitely caught Kaya's attention even more than the sight of the boy who defeated Kuro.
"Look! It's Usopp!" She exclaimed. Confused, Merry only turned to look at the front page, only to notice what Kaya was talking about: a familiar head of black hair and bandana facing the opposite direction of Luffy, "See! That's definitely Usopp facing the other way!"
"You're right, it is him!" Merry exclaimed, finally recognizing what his employer was referring to. Instantly, Kaya ran towards the window as she once did, remembering when she was still somewhat ill and loved listening to Usopp's myths. She could still remember them as if it were only yesterday.
"That's fantastic news," Kaya remarked, "Usopp is finally moving towards his dream. Y'know, I'm still chasing after my dream of becoming a doctor. I hope he still got that letter I sent him with the transponder snail number. Someday, perhaps we'll cross paths together once more, and when they do we'll meet as old friends, finally becoming the people we always wanted to be."
Meanwhile, far away at Shells Town, Coby was in his bunk, reading the front page with such eager passion. He couldn't believe it when he saw Luffy's face on the cover, but when he saw it, his heart lit with excitement.
"Finally! Finally! Finally! Luffy, you're finally living your dream!" He muttered, remembering that fateful day when they first met and how they traveled together, and even how Luffy, Zoro and Ragnar defeated Morgan. "But…if we meet again, who knows if we'll be as friends or enemies," Coby muttered to himself again, conflicted about the boy he called his first friend.
Down in the prison cells, a lone Marine only smiled as he showed Axe-Hand Morgan the front page with the cover picture featuring the very face of the pirate who revealed his deeds. Morgan was absolutely livid at the very sight of the man who trounced him, and what's more, that he had even been made a fool of at the article informing him that Captain Kuro – the man he was supposed to have killed – was still alive and defeated by that same boy! It was no longer just a matter of anger, it was also totally humiliating.
Out on the open seas of the East Blue, the Black Cat Pirates only were so worried when they got the paper, but Kuro hardly even looked at it one bit. Since his defeat at Luffy's hands, he was only all too dejected by the fact that his plan failed. His only solace now was the sea, endlessly sailing from one harbor to the next, wandering aimlessly with no plan in sight.
At the Baratie, however, business was more popular than it ever was before. The front page article with Luffy's face now was framed for all to see, so that every customer knew that this restaurant was where Luffy fought and defeated Don Krieg. As Zeff cooked throughout the day, he couldn't help but be reminded of that recent battle that happened only a week ago, and how Sanji must be feeling now that he was following his dream. After preparing an order that day, he stepped out onto the deck of his ship and smiled. His son was now out there, in search of the All Blue, making all chefs at the Baratie proud.
Aboard the Merry, Luffy couldn't help but feel extremely proud and excited at the sight of his image making the headlines. The boy only cackled at the top of his lungs as he held the paper up with pride
"All right, guys! We're famous!" He exclaimed, feeling somewhat disappointed inside. He really wanted to have a wanted poster and a bounty, but this was the next best thing to happen. Everyone only gathered around as Usopp read the article.
"In a long-awaited showdown that gripped the Conomi Islands, the Straw Hat Pirates, led by their fearless captain Monkey D. Luffy, have defeated the notorious fish-man pirate captain, Saw-Tooth Arlong, effectively shattering his Fish-Man Empire and bringing an end to his reign of terror in the East Blue," said the archer as he continued reading, "The battle, which took place at the heart of Arlong Park, was nothing short of epic, with both sides unleashing their most powerful attacks. But in the end, it was the determination and unwavering resolve of the Straw Hat Pirates, coupled with the strategic support of Marine Branch 77, the Sun Pirates, and a coalition of Vikings from the archipelago, that proved too much for Arlong and his crew. The victory marks a decisive end to Arlong's oppressive rule over the Conomi Islands, a regime marked by tyranny, extortion, and wanton violence. Arlong Park, once a formidable bastion, lies in ruins, and the Arlong Pirates have been captured by the Marines. The East Blue can now breathe a collective sigh of relief, and the Straw Hat Pirates have emerged as heroes. The World Government has commended them for their bravery and commitment to justice, and their names are on the lips of every citizen throughout the region. With the East Blue now free from Arlong's tyranny, the Straw Hat Pirates set sail for their next adventure, leaving behind a legacy of hope and inspiration. Their victory serves as a reminder that even against overwhelming odds, the power of courage and unity can triumph over darkness and oppression. Marineford experts speculate that if Luffy hadn't acted with support from Branch 77 or the Sun Pirates, then his bounty would be projected at a whopping… thirty million berries?!"
"That's a whole lotta berries!" Luffy cackled in pride, "If we'd marched in there without Marine support, we'd have the highest bounty in the East Blue!"
"Check it out! I'll be seen on newspapers all around the world!" Usopp exclaimed, noticing that he was also caught in the shot, "Wait till Kaya hears about this!" He muttered.
"WHAT!? They put Usopp in there but left me out!?" Sanji asked, shocked by this revelation as he rushed to the article's photo. "Where are you? I can't see you anywhere. You're not there." However, then Usopp only pointed to the back of his head being caught in the shot, much to Sanji's dejection. "It's the back of your head. That's not so great."
"Actually, Sanji, they got that group shot on the continued page!" Ragnar shouted, at which point, Sanji rushed over to see for himself. It was that very same group shot that reporter took of all six of them on the very day they defeated Arlong. "You're looking pretty sharp there as well. I'm sure that Celosia will be happy to see more pictures of you like this."
"You think so?" Sanji asked with a hopeful grin. Ragnar only chuckled at the sight: even though they met a few days ago, the chef still had a crush on the beluga fish-woman.
"LET'S GO TO THE GRAND LINE, MEN!" Luffy exclaimed proudly, at which point Sanji, Ragnar and Usopp all gave a rousing cheer of agreement.
"Well, it's definitely better than being the East Blue's most wanted," Nami remarked, "This means that at least the Marines here will be more tolerant of us. Still, this is no time to be relaxing in the East Blue."
Back at the Merry's bow, however, Zoro was deep in thought, having heard all from where he was resting at.
'A speculated bounty of thirty million berries, huh?' He thought, 'I'm glad we were working with the Marines that one time. Next time, we may not get so lucky. If we do something to really tick off the government, headquarters will likely act. Not to mention, there would be bounty hunters to deal with, and with that kinda bounty, they'd be good.'
Elsewhere on the East Blue, a lone Marine ship went about sailing the waters. This ship was in the absolute worst condition possible: tattered and patched up sails, impromptu repairs on the hull, and the crew aboard was all bored with nothing to do at all when the News Coo flew down noticing her.
In his sad shack of a cabin, Ensign Iron-Fist Fullbody was in the depths of alcohol induced depression. His little stunt he pulled at the Baratie and his failure to stop Don Krieg did not do so well for his career. His reputation was now in tatters, and he was now a sad shell of the man he once was. Now, here he was: half drunk on cheap foul tasting wine, commanding a shipload of idiots, demoted from his lofty status, and bored out of his skull.
"Dammit, this cheap swull makes me feel terri-bull..." he bemoaned with a drunken hiccup, "Awq man. How I long four the old days, when I was surrlunded by beautiful women and fine whine.." His anger only roused further as he continued to get deeper into his cups, recalling how Sanji humiliated him for his anger, "That hance en ounter wigh thqt goerible waiter chanhec the course of my engiee life! Becauze of him, the Maeines said that I tarbished their hood name, and I was cemoted frok lieutenant to emsign! Now, I'm in charge of this hunk of jink out in the midcle ov mowhere!" However, as he was in the midst of his slump, a sudden knocking came on his door.
"Ensign Fullbody!" The seaman called out, only for the door to come straight off its hinges – a sign of how desperate their situation now was.
"Whaddya want, ya twit!?" Fullbody slurred, angry that he was disturbed from his pity party.
"Uh…I have a copy of the latest newspaper issue," said the sailor, "And look at the front page."
"Jush place it down un the table," said Fullbody, "There's nuthin' we can doo, seeing as we're in the middle of the Eash…" he only trailed off as soon as he saw Luffy's picture, and instantly stopped speaking altogether, "Dat fayce…I gnu I've shean it befoor." That was when he recalled that fateful day when he first encountered the Straw Hat Pirates back at the Baratie: the day when he was beaten to a pulp by Sanji. "That boy is…!" He muttered before looking up to the heavens, sobering up immediately, "Thank you, Gods, for giving me the chance to climb out of this hellish pit of endless boredom! That brat! Catching him will be child's play! And when I do that, the Marines will certainly promote me to my old rank again!" He burst through the other remaining door to his cabin, which shattered into splinters as he made himself known towards his crew, shouting, "FALL IN!" Instantly, all the Marines fell into order. These weren't the run of the mill recruits, but these men were of all body types, not physically fit, not well trained and not as motivated as their other counterparts. It only caused Fullbody to look on in shame, but he carried on anyway, "MEEENNN! BEAT TO QUARTERS!"
"A battle's happening, huh?" One seaman asked, unenthused, "So, where's this battle supposed to happen?"
"Well, let's see," Fullbody mused, "I suppose we should start at the sea restaurant. After all, it was where we last saw them." At the sound of food, all the Marines' faces lit up in excitement.
"Ooh! A restaurant?"
"Awesome! A big feast! It's the Ensign's treat!"
As the Marines cheered, however, Fullbody knew he had to reassert discipline among his sorry men.
"THERE'LL BE NO FEAST!" He bellowed, "This is strictly for business! We…" As he spoke, however, the jolly roger of the Straw Hats could be seen in full view…going in the opposite direction, and sitting at the prow were Luffy, Ragnar and Usopp. "THAT WAS HIM!" Fullbody screamed, as he scrambled to battle, "HARD TO PORT! OUR TARGET'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US!" He bellowed, and the ship began to turn to portside, and come alongside the Merry.
"Warship incoming!" Ragnar shouted, "Marines by the rigging! Just a lone ship!"
"It looks like she just came out of battle," Luffy surmised, noticing the state of the Marine warship, "That ship barely floats!"
"That's a real shame," Usopp muttered, "Putting scrap ships in the sea is never fun."
Fullbody stood atop the railing of his own ship and glared intensely at Luffy, his anger flaring up, and once again causing him to reveal how drunk he was. It would have seemed that sobriety he experienced earlier was a brief moment of lucidity.
"Dis ish nut a scrape ship! Are yous guysh blained!?" Fullbody slurred again, his drunkenness returning, "Hab you boar-gotten the hase of Iron-fhst Fullbodi!?"
"Is that the lieutenant that Sanji gave a beating back at the Baratie?" Ragnar asked Luffy.
"Oh, hey, yeah! You're that Marine lieutenant we saw one time!" Luffy recalled, "Are you stranded? Need some help?"
"Quyt foolgin arouns!" Fullbody once more growled, his speech becoming more and more slurred, "Our chance meeting will splgg the eng four youuu! Monkey D. Loofee! Yous'e inder…arresh!"
"What in the Nine Realms!?" Ragnar asked, shocked by how much Fullbody wasn't annunciating, then noticing the red flush on his face, "Has he been drinking in broad daylight?"
"MAAANNN! TAHYG AIHYMEE!" Fullbody roared, clearly giving his men the order to take aim by how the cannons were being adjusted into position.
At the stern of the Merry, Nami only looked up from her newspaper, hearing the sounds of cannons readied.
"What's all that noise?" She asked, only to hear the sound of the bell for war ringing, and Ragnar blowing a fife.
"Beat to quarters!" The Viking shouted, "We're about to have company!" Zoro only got up and grabbed the Wado Ichimonji, Luffy readied a fist, Nami came rushing out with her shield and spear, while Usopp readied his bow. Ragnar then drew his sword and shield, ready for battle. Yet Sanji was absent – back in the galley preparing food for the rest of the crew. It was at that moment, however, that Luffy noticed something off about the Marines' cannon – there were cracks on the barrels, corrosion on the body, and it was creaking.
"Uh-oh. That's not good," Luffy muttered.
"What do you mean by that exactly!?" Usopp asked, panicked by what was about to happen, only for the first cannonball to flop out harmlessly into the sea below, without any explosion. Furiously, Fullbody ordered his crew to reload, and as they primed the cannon to fire yet again, this time, the entire barrel swelled up and backfired, exploding right in Fullbody's face! The whole debacle caused Ragnar to burst out laughing.
"His face…is so priceless!" He cackled.
"Too bad…their cannon was cracked," Luffy lamented.
"You're right, that is bad," Usopp agreed. Yet all at once, the two ships collided with one another, and Fullbody was glaring right at them, despite the fact that his face was charred with powder burns.
"You little brats!" He growled, "Never mock a former lieutenant among the Marines! We'll just have to go hand to hand! Men follow me!" At that moment, the Marines drew their cutlasses, only to witness Ragnar transform into his hybrid form, and unleash a mighty roar, while Fullbody made the absolute dreadful mistake of punching Luffy in the face, which caused his neck to stretch back as he smiled.
"Gum-Gum Bell!" he shouted, knocking Fullbody right back in the face as he grabbed his straw hat before it could fall into the sea. The terrified Marines were then sent flying with a flurry of kicks – Sanji had made it back into the fray, causing Fullbody to scream in horror at the sight of the old sous-chef who beat him to a pulp.
"You again!? You got a lot of balls, tough guy," Sanji growled, "Picking a fight during lunch, I oughtta kill you. Unless you made a reservation, I'll have to ask you to leave!" Seeing Sanji again only caused Fullbody to panic, and soon he jumped ship with the rest of his men, and began swimming for dear life.
"WHAT'S THAT WAITER DOING HERE!?" He screamed, leaving the Marines' ship abandoned.
"Well, guess he's done," Luffy remarked, adjusting his straw hat.
"Meh, he was all talk," Usopp muttered.
"That bastard is still nothing but a wimp," Sanji growled, the memory of Fullbody disrespecting the soup he made still fresh in his mind.
"Well, maybe we can scuttle the ship for raw materials," Nami surmised.
"That's probably a good idea," said Ragnar, "I mean, we don't know what will happen out on the Grand Line, and we're bound to have fights that the Merry will need to be repaired for."
"Nami! I finished preparing you a delicious meal~!" Sanji then swooned.
"Perfect! Now, onto the victory feast!" Ragnar declared triumphantly.
Elsewhere on the high seas, on a tropical island, a crew of pirates kept a look out on the horizon, when suddenly they saw her appear out of the dense mist like a ghost: the Hitsugibune. Instantly the two jumped back in terror, for they knew exactly who it was that was coming for them: Dracule Mihawk – one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!
Mihawk only made his way ashore, much to the terror of the pirates, who came armed with cutlasses, spears and axes.
"What the…why are you here!?" One of them asked, terrified beyond all rational thought, "Answer me, Mihawk!"
"Just calm down, I'm not here to slaughter the lot of you," Mihawk only told them calmly, "Where is your captain? My business is with him." At that, the two men only ran off further inland, while Mihawk only looked around at the situation, "Camping out on an island? What a totally carefree man."
Further inland, the lookout made his way to a clearing in the rainforest, where his captain awaited underneath the shade of a parasol, gave the man some water and looked up to see Mihawk standing right behind the terrified scout.
"Hey there, Mihawk. To what do I owe the pleasure?" The pirate captain asked, "Have you come to fight me? Because, y'know, I'm not feeling so good at the moment."
"Hmph! Now that you've lost your left arm, I have no intention of settling the score," Mihawk told the man, taking out a newspaper from his pocket, "I recently encountered an interesting pirate. Seeing him reminded me of a story you once told me ten years ago. A story about a boy, a strange boy from a small village in the East Blue." As he unveiled the front page, everyone looked on in momentary shock at the sight of Luffy's idiotic grinning face. Yet at that moment, Red-Haired Shanks finally smiled as the sun shone down on him.
"Luffy! You finally made it!" He muttered, excited that the boy who was like a son to him was now a famous pirate. "Alright, then, Hawkeye…in that case…I'm afraid I can't let you just leave, not now…" And before long, the Red Haired Pirates were all in a jovial mood as the rum began flowing once more. Shanks only cackled as he poured the warlord a tankard of ale. "C'mon Mihawk! Drink up! Go on, tilt her back! It's a celebration!" Shanks happily exclaimed, his drunkenness returning.
"Weren't you hung over?" Mihawk asked as he grasped the tankard in his hand.
"Oh, no way! Not anymore!" Shanks replied, happily watching as Mihawk downed the whole tankard, and began cackling like the drunkard he now was, before shouting, "EVERYBODY! LET'S GET DRUUUUUNK!"
"Yeah, but wait, captain," One pirate remarked, "I thought you said you felt like crap because you drank too much last night."
"Don't be stupid!" Shanks reprimanded, "I can't not drink on a joyous day like this one!"
"But the sun is still up," Mihawk observed.
"Aww, don't sweat it!" Shanks cackled, "Time to party!"
Meanwhile, back in Fuschia Village, news of what Luffy did spread rapidly, and everyone in town was abuzz with excitement.
"Did ya hear the news?" One villager asked, "Luffy's a famous man now!"
"Good for him!"
"Well, I'll be!" Another man remarked, "A great pirate came from our tiny little village!"
"Yeah, who would've thought."
"Shut up!" The mayor shouted as he made his way to Party's Bar, "You boneheads! It's true that Luffy did side with the Marines, but what's so great about a damned pirate coming from our little village?!"
Inside the tavern, everyone couldn't help but celebrate the occasion. This was the day that put their village on the map as the home of the man who would be King of the Pirates!
"To Luffy!" One villager cheered, and the other guests raised a toast towards that boy who declared he would be King of the Pirates ten long years ago.
"A bunch of buffoons! All of them," Mayor Woopslap grumbled, as he sat down at the bar. Yet Makino only smiled as she saw the newspaper article.
"Just look at him, Mayor," she told him, "He looks so happy. You see, Luffy's achieved his dream, hasn't he?"
"It doesn't matter if he sided with the Marines to take down Arlong," Woopslap growled, "A pirate is still a pirate!"
Meanwhile, far away, the Going Merry continued her southwestwardly course, with the Straw Hats all gathered at the galley's table, whilst Nami pulled out the chart she took from Buggy.
"We're getting closer. We've almost made it to the Grand Line," she told them, pointing to the great mountain in the center of the map, "It looks like the only entrance to it is here, through Reverse Mountain."
"What a pain," Zoro grumbled, "There's gotta be some way around that thing."
"From what I hear, there's not," Sanji replied, "According to what the geezer told me, that's the only way in."
"Well, how come?" Usopp asked.
"I told you, that's all I know!" Sanji yelled.
"Well, first thing's first," Luffy declared, "We need to stop at an island. We need to pick up some more meat!"
"I agree with Luffy," said Ragnar, "This may be our last chance to restock before we enter the Grand Line. It would be wise to collect as much provisions as we can before setting off."
"Well, as luck would have it, the map has just the right place!" Nami exclaimed, pointing on the map to a small island near the Red Line. "There's a famous city on this island known as Loguetown."
"I know the place," Ragnar said with a smile, "My people choose to enter the Grand Line from the East Blue, which is why we haul our ships overland. Before entering it, we head to that place to trade and resupply before journeying home."
"I'm pretty sure I've heard of it too," Zoro remarked, "It's the city of the beginning, and of the end."
"What do you mean by that?" Luffy asked, genuinely intrigued by what Zoro meant by that.
"It's the city where the old King of the Pirates, Gold Roger was both born and executed," Nami explained. Hearing this all caused some excitement aboard the ship, especially from Luffy.
"That's where the King of the Pirates lived?" He asked, the enthusiasm he felt skyrocketing at the very mention of Roger.
"Well? Your call?" Nami asked, smiling at her captain. Everyone at this point all looked to Luffy for a final decision.
"Yeah, let's do this!" He proclaimed, "This is the man who had the One Piece: everything this world has to offer! I need to see where he was born and executed!"
"Then it's settled!" Ragnar declared, "We'll set a course for Loguetown! I'll tell you right now, though, pirates aren't welcome there anymore, but Vikings are. The city itself is a natural stronghold commanded by a Marine captain named Smoker. He's got issues with pirates, but he's friendly to Vikings. So, I suggest we fly our raven banners for this one, rather than our jolly roger."
And so, the Straw Hats flew their raven banners high above the masts, as they set a course for south, southwest, towards the city of the beginning and the end, unaware that elsewhere in the East Blue, sinister forces were already working against them…
A/N: And here we go! Luffy is getting famous! I can't tell you how fun it was to write this chapter out. I decided to have the Marines have a mixed idea on Luffy, since he fought alongside the Marines at Arlong Park, and helped reveal both Morgan and Nezumi's corrupt and tyrannical deeds. So, he has earned the Marines' respect in that regard. This should definitely make things interesting once he meets up with Smoker soon. And it seems that Ragnar also has been to Loguetown before, as have other numerous Vikings.
Now, before we go further, I do want to make it known that I am going to be including some of the filler stories during the Loguetown Arc, but only those that are related to the canon of the Straw Hats' backstories, such as Sanji's duel with Carmen, and Usopp's own duel with Daddy the Father. However, I will not be doing the whole Warship Island Arc, as that would just be too long.
As for the Vikings being able to move their ships overland, that is also based on historical truth. Whenever the Vikings wanted to make their way to a river that was further inland, they had two alternatives: one was to sail their longships all the way round, until they reached said river's mouth, which was incredibly long and would've taken days, or carrying the boats overland. This process was called portage, and it was a common Viking practice in England as well as along the Dnieper and Volga rivers in what is now modern Russia. The two key aspects to it were speed and caring for the ship. It certainly wasn't easy, but what they did was shift the ship along wooden runners, sliding them along with ropes and pushing them with the oars from behind. Someone came behind the ship, picking up the runners, as they were moving, and they would keep doing this until they reached the river. Now, you may be wondering, how would the longship not snag on the runners? Well, to stop it snagging, the runners were greased with either lard, rancid butter, or what was more common was the cleaned carcasses of fish. After the fish were caught, cleaned and filleted, the remaining bodies would then be mashed up, as a way to extract the oil and fat from the fish that would nowadays be used for making fish stock, and the Vikings would grease the runners with this fish oil. This could be very unpleasant, as the fish carcasses would sometimes get really smelly. The fish oil, however did seem to work, though, as experimental archaeology has uncovered.
Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter, as the Straw Hats make their way to Loguetown!