Hey everyone, and welcome to my One Piece fanfiction. This chapter will cover the entire Loguetown arc and the remainder of the East Blue Saga. It's taken a long time to get here, but we've finally arrived. Hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV. Please support the official release.
"Pirate" Regular speech.
"Pirate" Thoughts.
Finger Pistol Attack names.
(Pirate) Words said previously.
"PIRATE!" Shouting speech.
[Pirate!] people talking at the same time.
"Pirate" people talking over communication.
The Beginning And The End
—…
The day after the crew found out about their bounties via seagull, Light rounded up the crew for a long overdue discussion. They all sat around him near the tiller as Light looked around at the others, his lips quirking slightly. "All right, I know I've been meaning to talk to you guys for a while about this, and since we're closing in on the Grand Line, I'd say now is a good time. So, let's talk about something called Haki. It's the name of the "powers" you kept seeing me use during our previous adventure."
"I've been wondering about this for a while." Nami said, her eyes narrowed. "You kept saying you'd explain it some other time and kept being vague about it."
"Yeah, I've been curious ever since I saw you do something against Hawk-Eye." Sanji said as well. "The geezer knew what it was and said he saw it before, so I'm guessing it's something you see on the Grand Line."
"But, it begs the question of what it is exactly." Zoro added.
"Well, in simplest terms, Haki of all types is will made manifest: bringing out your life force, your will, to affect your physical body and the world around you." Light began.
"Oh, come on." Usopp spoke out. "That can't be all it is. There's no way you could have that kind on people from just willpower."
"That kind of thinking is the first thing you should leave behind before going to the Grand Line." Light advised him with a knowing smile. "I know it sounds hard to understand, but it's the truth. The source of this power is a strong will. The stronger the will, the stronger the Haki. But you're right in that it's not something anymore can just "have". Acquiring the power at all is the hard part."
"You're being vague again. Explain it so we can understand." Nami exclaimed, shaking her head before becoming serious. "You've done a few different things that weren't explained in the past. Exactly how much can you do with Haki? Can anyone learn them?"
"Not exactly. First of all, there are three different types of Haki, and only two types can be learned, though only if you have enough willpower, to begin with, and even then, your ability in them will vary wildly." Light explained while holding up one finger. "The first, Haki — Color of Observation. It's a sensory ability. It gives me the ability to feel out and sense the presence of living beings around me, in all directions, without the use of my eyes."
"So it's like a sixth sense?" Sanji summarized. "How far can you sense?"
"Pretty far, but this type also depends on the user. The amount of what they can sense and how far their range is also varied." Light continued. "Another effect of this power is that it allows me to accurately predict the lines of attacks my enemies will make in battle or the result of their next blow. And being able to see their next move gives me the opportunity to strike first or count them."
"Seeing their next move…?" Usopp mumbled before remembering something. "Ah, that's right. That's how you were able to see through Kuro's attacks even when he was moving so fast!" He realized.
"Color of Observation was practically designed to face enemies of that nature." Light confirmed it. "If you can't follow them with your eyes, your Haki can make up for it. Once you master this type of Haki, you'll be practically untouchable against almost anyone who isn't a Haki-user themself."
"And exactly how long does it take to master that?" Sanji asked.
"As I said, it depends on the user. The next one is Haki — Color of Arms." Light held up two fingers before he clenched his fist, and suddenly, it was coated in a shiny black substance. "This one is better explained with a demonstration. Zoro, slash at my arm with all your strength. Use one of the barrel Swords."
Zoro stood up and pulled out one of the Swords strapped to his waist. It was one of the low-grade, disposable Swords he carried around. After Hawk-Eye destroyed his last two, he'd been using Swords like these along with his white-hilt Sword to complete his Three-Sword style. Unfortunately, because of the low quality of these Swords, they broke easily.
This was evident when Zoro slashed forward, his Sword a blur to everyone there but Light and Silk, and a booming sound came crashing out an instant later. Zoro had put enough strength into that blow to cut deep into the wood of the ship.
CRACK!
But instead of cutting through Light's arm and continuing on, a sharp retort of shattered steel was heard, and Zoro let go of the hilt and watched as the blade broke into pieces on the floor.
"That was what you can do with that type of Haki." Light lowered his arm and let the Haki fade. "Put simply, it's like coating your body in armor, an armor that not only increases your offensive power by a wide margin but it heightens your defensive power as well. Like the other type, the strength of this Haki is determined by the user."
"So it's like armor you can summon at will. Can it be overcome?" Nami asked.
"Usually only by someone wielding Haki of his own, or if the attack is strong enough to overcome the user's ability in it. You can armor weapons just as well as your arm, but only if your control over your Haki is high enough that you can extend it beyond your own body to the weapons in question. I would wager that Zoro, Silk, and Gin could eventually figure out how to do it with their own weapon… But not anytime soon." Light finished.
"Hmm… How long do you think it would take us to learn this?" Sanji asked, inhaling his cigarette and letting out a calming breath.
"Not as long as Color of Observation, in my experience. Still, I learned it over the course of a few years, but in the beginning, I didn't have an actual trainer to show me the way, just the vague idea it existed and seeing it in action once. However, after finding another user who trained me for a while, I learned how to use it enough to the point where I could use it during a fight." Light explained, thinking about Naguri with nostalgia.
"Is there any other aspect of this type of Haki?" Gin asked.
"Well, this one is actually the main factor of this type. It's a countermeasure against Devil fruit users." Light answered.
That caught the attention of the whole crew for different reasons, considering half of them had never even seen a Devil fruit user, and the other half, who had seen Buggy, wasn't sure what their Captain meant, as Zoro asked. "What do you by countermeasure?"
"I can't exactly demonstrate this one, but the fact is that most people learn this power to fight back against Devil fruit ability." Light elaborated. "There are some power-users out there that have abilities that make them difficult to fight against. In some cases, they can't be beaten by any normal means, and it's a real struggle to even touch them unless you can figure out what their powers are." He pointed out, reminding them of Buggy's immunity to being cut. "Haki can disregard all that. No matter what someone's power is, Haki can essentially break past it and damage them as if they were a normal person, and any defensive abilities that can prevent them from being hurt or damaged if they are hit by an attack laced with Haki, their abilities become a non-factor."
"But if that's the case, why didn't you use this power against Buggy?" Nami asked, rightfully confused. "If it's so effective against Devil fruit users, why not use it against the "only" one you've fought thus far?"
"During that fight, did it ever seem like I "needed" to use my Haki to win?" Light retorted in a way they couldn't argue with. Those who watched that fight had to agree that Light had the situation completely under control, even without his Haki. "Haki isn't limitless. I have a finite pool of reserves within that can run dry if overused, just like stamina, and I'd rather not waste it unnecessarily against lesser opponents."
"Okay, you've explained the first two. What about the last one?" Silk asked, remembering all the times she had seen him use that power and looking on in awe and disbelief that anyone could command such a force within themselves. "The one you used to knock people out without touching them."
"The King's power, also known as Haki — Color of the Supreme King." Light looked like he really enjoyed talking about this type as he held up three fingers. "This type is a little more complicated than you think, and it's the most important. Unlike the other two, it can't be learned. It has to be something you're born with, though you can build up an immunity to it if your will is strong enough." Light said with a serious expression. "It's something only found in select individuals, though how or why some people are chosen and some are not is beyond me to explain. The ones who possess this power have the ability to manifest the full force of their conqueror's spirit to the people around them. The full force of that power can strike fear and intimidation to weaker individuals to such an extreme that if the difference in power is wide enough, the other guy will lose consciousness. All the most powerful and influential fighters in the Grand Line have this type of Haki."
"There are people besides you that have this power?" Usopp paled slightly. "Does that mean we'll have to fight them someday?"
"There's a pretty good chance of that." Light answered, scaring him further. "But that probably won't happen for a while now. As I said, it's pretty rare. Besides, just having this power doesn't guarantee you're the stronger person. I know someone else who has it, and I can think of a few people stronger than him."
"Who's that?" Zoro asked curiously.
"My older brother." Light answered, thinking of the time he saw Ace's burst of Haki.
[Ehh?!] Most of the crew reacted with surprise as Nami spoke. "You have a brother?"
Light nodded nonchalantly. "I've got two. I told Sanji about it back at Baratie. My brothers, along with every other man in my family, are all Haki users and have all been in the Grand Line for years now. I can only assume by now that all of them are masters of Haki with control equal to or greater than my own."
"That sounds like one crazy family if you ask me." Zoro commented.
"More like terrifying." Gin added. "Can't even imagine what they'd be like."
"In any case." Light clapped. "Now you know all the basics of Haki, so now you won't be caught off guard if you see me or anyone else use it after we get to the Grand Line."
"Just one more question." Silk stepped forward. "Do you think any of us can learn Haki?"
"Yeah, I was wondering about that myself." Zoro chimed in. "If we're gonna face people with this power someday, wouldn't it make sense to arm ourselves with it?"
"Considering how much of an edge it gives you, that would make the most sense." Sanji agreed.
Light let out a sigh. "I agree with what you're saying, but it's not that simple. Haki is something that anyone can learn, but just being aware of its existence doesn't mean you can start training with it."
"Why not?" Gin asked. "Isn't that how you started."
"Haki has more steps than that." Light explained. "You don't just wake up one day and suddenly have Haki. Before training with it, you have to awaken it."
"Awaken?" Nami repeated.
"Haki always starts out as a dormant power sleeping within you. Unless you awaken it, your Haki will just be unstable and hard to maintain." Light continued. "When I first started out, I kept trying to use it before I awakened it, and I could only use Color of Arms for a few seconds. Plus, it was always a struggle. It felt more like I was forcing it out, and it took a lot out of me. Once I awakened, though, all the struggling stopped, and it only got easier from there. That's when my training really began."
"So, we can't learn Haki until we awaken to it?" Sanji deduced. "Any ideas on how we can do that?"
"Unfortunately, as far as I know, awakening your Haki doesn't become any easier just from being aware of it." Light leaned back. "It took me several years and a few near-death experiences to finally draw out my Haki. You could try that too if you want."
[Are you out of your mind?!] Nami and Usopp snapped at him for even suggesting such an idea.
"Yeah, let's keep that one as a last resort." Gin added sarcastically.
"So… When you say near death, how exactly near are you thinking?" Zoro asked, being the only one not dismissing the idea.
[Don't encourage him!] Usopp and Nami snapped again.
"Moving on, do you have anything in mind for after we happen to awaken our Haki?" Silk progressed the subject.
"Honestly, you won't need my help at that point." Light informed them. "After you learn how to use Haki, it becomes more powerful the more you use it. That's how it's been for me."
"So we just have to keep using it to get better at it?" Gin summarized. "Sounds good to me, nice and simple."
"Don't get ahead of yourself. We still have to work only actually awakening it first." Sanji reminded him. "Which we have no idea where to even begin with doing."
"As I said, you don't really have to worry about that for now. Remember, this power is pretty rare outside the Grand Line, and even when we go there, I seriously doubt we'll run into anyone else with it for a long time." Light reassured them. "For now, I'm confident we'll manage just fine with our current abilities, so let's save worrying about Haki for later."
Heeding the advice of their Captain, the crew put themselves at ease. Now that he had fulfilled his promise to fully explain the nature of his powers, the crew continued their voyage to Loguetown.
The crew docked the Going Merry and made their way toward the city. In front of the city was a sign that read: 'Loguetown'.
Loguetown was an antique-looking city built from old cobblestones, and it gave a nostalgic feeling when approaching it. Indeed, it is the biggest town the crew has seen since the start of their journey. The crew seemed to be in agreement as excitement was on their own faces.
"Every Pirate headed to the Grand Line stops here to resupply." Nami explained. "It has everything you could possibly need."
"If that's the case, did you stop by here before entering the Grand Line before?" Sanji asked Gin.
Gin shook his head. "Sorry, no. There was a whole fleet of us back then, so docking on most islands with large cities like this wasn't an option for us." He explained rationally. "We just loaded up on supplies and skipped this place while heading straight to Grand Line."
"In that case, you can do it right this time and fully explore Loguetown like the rest of us. I'm gonna go on a shopping spree." Usopp grinned. "I bet they have all sorts of stuff here."
I'll be able to stock up on fresh produce." Sanji commented. "And fresh women." He commented with a heart floating near his head.
"That's well and good." Light chimed in. "Did everyone take their fair share of money from the ship?"
Everyone nodded as Sanji answered. "Yeah, a million beli for each of us."
"Then you should all be able to afford anything you think you'll need in town." Light turned to Zoro. "What about you, Zoro? You gonna look around for a Swordsmith?"
"That's what I have in mind." Zoro nodded. "I'm hoping that since this is a pretty big town, I can find one around here." He wondered while rubbing his chin.
"Why would you need a Swordsmith? Don't you already have plenty of Swords on the ship?" Usopp pointed out.
"I can't keep using those. I'll need stronger Swords if I want to make it on the Grand Line." Zoro reasoned, holding up his remaining low-quality Sword as an example. "Specifically, ones that don't break in the middle of battle."
"Well, I don't really have anything I plan to do in this town." Gin shrugged, bored.
"Oh, then why not tag along with me?" Usopp offered. "I'll bet you can find something you'll like while shopping."
"I've never been a fan of shopping, but why not?" Gin relented. "I did say I had no plans."
"If that's the case, Silk." Nami turned to the other female on the crew. "Why don't you come with me? I might need help picking some things out."
"Well, I do have some things I planned on shopping for myself, but I suppose it's not a problem." Silk compromised. "I can pick them up on the way."
"Well, since everyone has got everything figured out, let's head into town. After you all settle your business, let's all meet up at the docks." Light decided for the crew. "Is everyone good with that?"
[Yeah.] Usopp, Zoro, Silk, and Sanji agreed, as the rest of them didn't complain either. But Nami raised a question. "Hold on, what are you gonna do?"
"Not much, just a little sightseeing." Light lowered his hat and stepped forward. "I'm gonna explore the town a bit. There are some places I'm interested in seeing."
With that, Light walked off and headed into town. The rest of them quickly followed suit and each of the teens scattered into the city to find their own supplies needed for the journey ahead.
Within the Loguetown Marine Base, a Marine had just received a fax of Light's wanted poster. The moment he saw it, the Marine swiftly made his way to the office of his commanding officer.
Once he opened the door, he entered a room that was surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke, so dense that he could barely make out what was in front of him, but he knew that his superior was present in the room. He was the reason the room was filled with smoke, to begin with.
"Captain Smoker! A message from Headquarters!" The Marine reported after entering the room. "I've just received word that Monkey D. Light and his Pirate crew are on their way here at Loguetown. The bounty on his head has been reported as 50 million beli."
"50 million beli. I can't wait to congratulate him." The Captain named Smoker replied sarcastically and unintimidated.
"Sir, this is the Pirate that defeated Don Krieg and destroyed Arlong Park!" The Marine urged him to be more serious.
"Shut your mouth." Smoker sounded annoyed with him. Through the smoke, Smoker was sitting there, stacking rocks on top of each other, until they fell over and onto the floor. "All your whining made it collapse in defeat."
"I'm sorry, sir—" The Marine lowered his head.
"Silence." Smoker stood up. "Your stress is useless. You alone dictate the pace of your battle. Am I wrong?"
"No, sir." He straightened up.
Smoker then opened a window and left most of the smoke clear out of the room. Now, the room was clear, and everything could be seen, including his appearance. Smoker is a muscular, tall, white-haired, and brown-eyed man with a distinct trait of smoking two cigars at once. He wears a large, thick, white, and blue specialist marine jacket, which he keeps open, with greenish fur lining the neck, wrists, and hem. The jacket bears the kanji for "justice" (正義) written on the back of it. Many cigars are strapped to the coat. He also wears brown leather gloves, blue jeans with a brown belt, and large military-issue brown leather boots.
"Then why are you so tense?" Smoker followed up.
"Uh, well, it's been a long time since I've faced a Pirate group of this considerable strength, sir." The Marine struggled to find an answer.
"You really have nothing to worry about. Under my command, has there been even a single Pirate to set foot on this island without being captured?" Smoker reassured him.
"No, sir." The Marine responded.
"Then, just calm the hell down!" Smoker told him impatiently. "You're screwing up my pacing, Marine."
At that point, another Marine entered the room and saluted in front of Smoker. "Reporting, sir! I have word that a Pirate group has recently arrived. You're requested there at once."
"It must be Light's group!" The first Marine guessed in a panic. "How'd they do that? I just got this information?"
"50 million, huh?" Smoker mused as he walked out the door. "This might actually be interesting."
The second Marine followed behind him while the first Marine stayed and realized he had never shown Smoker the wanted poster. "Don't you want to see this, Captain?!"
After walking outside the Loguetown Marine base, Smoker made his way down a public street while the lower-ranked Marine kept following him.
"Captain, you have to tell us what your orders are." The Marine petitioned.
"No need to." Smoker dismissed him.
"Sir! Do you even know who this Pirate has defeated?!" He asked frantically.
Smoker stopped and turned his head to give him a dark gaze. "You're annoying me." The Marine stopped and froze, intimidated by the glare from his Captain. "I'm in command here."
"Understood, Captain!" The Marine saluted loudly and fearfully.
"Where's Tashigi?" Smoker changed the subject.
"Sir, she mentioned to me that she had some things to do this morning but that she'd try to make it back in time for training." The Marine informed him.
"Irresponsible girl." Smoker complained. "Where the hell did she go?"
Later that day, Zoro was walking down the street in town and heading for the weapons shop. While walking, he had an uncomfortable look on his face as he thought back to the fateful encounter he had with a very strange girl whose face was not unfamiliar to him.
"Man, that was just too weird. She looked just like Kuina." Zoro thought, pondering the facial resemblance between his dearly departed friend and the girl whose name he never learned. "Not to mention she was a Swordsman, of all things. What a crazy world. I doubt I'll ever see her again."
After finally finding the weapons shop, Zoro entered the front door and looked around. It was a fairly standard shop, as you could expect. There were bladed weapons set up all over the large room, from Swords to Spears to daggers. There were even shields and armor for sale, and there was a clear difference in quality as the high-priced Swords were on display in the front of the shop while the low-quality Swords were jammed in barrels in the back.
At the counter was a sleeping middle-aged man with thinning hair, a red nose, and blue clothes with sandals. He was most likely the shop owner, and so Zoro approached him.
"I'd like to pick up some Swords." Zoro requested.
The shop owner woke up to the sound of his voice and immediately went into salesman mode as he smiled and rubbed his palms together. "Of course, of course, welcome. Have a look at anything you'd like. We have an extremely large variety to choose from."
Zoro took out all the money he had brought with him and placed it on the counter. "I've got 1,000,000 beli for two Swords. Can you do that?"
"Two for 1,000,000?" The shop owner asked before smiling again. "Of course, that shouldn't be a problem. Please, feel free to take a look at some of the Swords we have on display, or if you'd like, you could peruse the store for anything that catches your eye."
Zoro looked up at the display of Swords near the counter. While they looked nice, Zoro didn't feel much from them. They were certainly better than what he had on the ship, but they couldn't compare to his white-hilt Sword in quality or sharpness.
Speaking of his Sword, the shop owner's eyes started to wander, and soon enough, they looked at the Sword around Zoro's waist. Once he saw it, his eyes were filled with amazement.
"That Sword! Could it be?" He wondered before calming himself down. "N-N-N-Now h-hold on a second, I just wanna take a look at that Sword you got there. Is that okay with you, pal?" He stuttered constantly.
"You okay there, buddy?" Zoro was confused by his jitteriness.
"Let me see!" He requested loudly and frantically.
"Yeah, whatever." Zoro casually granted his request and placed the Sword in his hands.
Once it was in his hands, the shop owner unsheathed the Sword and was in awe of the blade. "This is really it!" His eyes grew to the size of dinner plates, and he gasped for air. "Stay cool, poker-face, Pokerface. A complete amateur just walked in with a legendary Sword! It's showtime!" He resheathed the Sword and smiled at Zoro. "Wow, that's a pretty nice Sword you've got. You wanna sell it? I'll give you 200,000 beli for it. What do you say?"
"What?! Are you kidding me?!" Zoro sounded appalled at the very idea of selling his Sword.
"All right, I'll give you 250,000 beli, no wait, 300,000, final offer, 500,000!" The shop owner continued to haggle.
"Just stop." Zoro told him with a bored expression. "I'm not selling. That Sword is mine."
"Tough guy! I'll buy from you for 650,000 beli!" The shop owner yelled, losing his temper. "Okay, fine, I give up. How does 800,000 beli sound to you?!"
"I'm back!" It was then that the voice of a different person spoke out, and someone else ran into the store to approach the counter. Once she arrived, she stopped in front of the shop owner and addressed him. "Did you finish polishing my Shigure?"
Zoro froze up when he saw her as it was the same girl he had encountered earlier. She had dark brown eyes and wore her bluish-black hair between chin and shoulder length. She was wearing red glasses with square-shaped lenses and a short-sleeved white shirt with pink flowers printed around it. She also wore dark blue jeans with black shoes.
The reason for Zoro's discomfort was that this girl looked remarkably similar to the late Kuina, Zoro's childhood friend.
The two of them encountered each other earlier when Zoro was walking around town, and he noticed Tashigi being confronted by two Pirates. Tashigi, being a Swordswoman, quickly finished them off but ended up dropping her glasses. Impressed by her skills, Zoro retrieved them for her, but when she thanked him, he was taken aback by how uncannily she resembled his long-dead friend, Kuina.
Soon enough, Tashigi turned and noticed that Zoro was standing right next to her. "It's you. I'm surprised. I didn't think I'd see you again so soon, especially after you just took off like that. I guess you must be pretty shy if you'd just leave when someone asks you for your name."
While she was talking, Zoro became uncomfortable again and hoped to end this conversation sooner than later. "What are the odds I'd run into her again?"
"In any case, I certainly didn't expect to see you here at a weapons shop." She continued before she looked down and finally noticed the Sword that the shop owner was holding and gasped. "That Sword looks just like the Wado Ichimonji!" Tashigi took the Sword from the hands of the stunned shop owner and examined it. "Is this really the Sword?"
"Wado?" Zoro mused, having owned the Sword for years and yet never knowing its name until now.
Tashigi pulled up the Sword and held it lengthwise in front of her face, pulling the blade out of its sheath for a moment. Both of the other people in the shop stared at the perfection of the blade, the wave visible along its edge, but Zoro ignored them. She pushed up her glasses and admired the blade. "It's beautiful. This has to be one of the 21 O' Wazamono blades." Before either man could say anything, the girl had pulled a small, well-worn book out of her pocket, flipping through it until she seemed to find the picture she was looking for. "See, look at this. It says here that this Sword is worth no less than 10,000,000 beli. But I don't get it. How do you have this legendary Sword?"
"Damn!" The shop owner angrily slammed his fist onto the counter. "You just had to keep talking, didn't you?! I outta sue you for obstruction of business!"
"Obstruction of business?" Tashigi repeated in confusion. "I'm sorry… I don't know what I did, but please forgive me."
"Here!" The shop owner then reached under the counter and brought out another Sword. "I finished polishing your precious Shigure! Now, just take it and get out! I don't wanna see you in my store again!"
Shigure was a standard katana with a green handle and a green guard with a four-petaled design. The blade itself was standard. The sheath was elaborate, with the first half being a green and bumpy design, while the second half was white and smooth. There were circular designs embedded on the entire sheath.
Once he handed her the Sword, Tashigi's clumsiness showed itself as she lost her footing and started tripping backward before she struggled to correct her balance. Thus, she stumbled toward the right and fell right into a tall wooden holster that carried a few Swords, knocking it and the Swords onto the floor on top of her.
"Just get out before you tear my store apart!" The shop owner snapped at her.
"I-I'm so sorry." Tashigi squeaked out timidly.
The shop owner sighed. "Did she ever help you dodge a bullet? It is a complete waste to have such a legendary Sword attached to someone who has no idea of its true value." He remarked bitterly at Zoro. "Like I said before, take a look around for any Sword you want around the store."
Zoro went around the store to inspect all the different types of Swords around, hoping to find some that might catch his eye. Tashigi finally picked herself up from the floor and walked over to him.
"You're buying two Swords even though you're carrying two already?" Tashigi asked curiously.
"I had one more, but it broke earlier today." Zoro explained without looking at her.
"I see. You go through a lot of Swords if you think you have to carry three of them around." Tashigi noted good nature. "Unless you're like that famous Pirate Hunter."
"Pirate Hunter, yeah…." Zoro huffed like that word wasn't even worth paying attention to.
"He's quite the legend. His name is Roronoa." Tashigi informed him, unaware that the man in question was right in front of her.
"Oh yeah, him." Zoro played along.
"Yeah, he's known throughout the East Blue for his amazing Sword skills, but he's not a good person." Tashigi frowns before continuing. "A Swordsman who is just a bounty hunter is no honorable Swordsman at all. Everything's backward. It's really too bad for real Swordsmen. Pirates and bounty hunters as Swordmasters, it just doesn't make any sense. They have most of the world's legendary Swords, too." She gripped her own Sword and looked crestfallen. "It's a real tragedy."
Zoro had a small smile. "I don't know. I think you have to walk a mile in someone else's shoes and find out their circumstances before you can truly judge if they're honorable or not. You never know what people are capable of."
Tashigi then steeled her resolve and declared passionately. "This is my Shigure. I'm going to work as hard as I can to perfect my skills, and then, one day, I'll take back all the legendary Swords because the filthy hands that hold them now have no right to wield them! Yes, the 21 Great O' Wazamonos, the 21 O' Wazamonos, as well as the Ryou Wazamonos! I'll find them all!"
Zoro smiled at her and placed a hand on his own Sword. "And this one? My Sword—The Wado Ichimonji?" He unsheathed it slightly.
Tashigi immediately became nervous and stepped back. "Ah… I'm not trying to get the legendary Swords back, for my sake. I just don't want criminals to have them." She clarified.
Zoro went back to looking around and turned away from the Swords on the wall. Zoro stopped, however, by the bargain bin, which was full of cheap swords, the likes of which he'd been destroying since leaving Coocoyashi.
Zoro reached down, pulling out a Sword with a reddish brown hilt capped by a gold guard and pommel and a reddish brown sheath marked by gold clasps and a gold cap. He stared at the hilt for a moment before pulling out the blade and examining it intently. "This Sword is…."
Behind Zoro, Tashigi gaped at the sword, instantly able to tell that its quality was far more than the bargain bin it had been in would have indicated. "I think that's… Let's see." She scrolled through her little book again and found that Sword on one of her pages. "Just as I thought, Kitetsu! Kitetsu III! Its predecessor, Kitetsu II, is an O' Wazamono Sword, and Kitetsu I before that is listed as a Great O' Wazamono Sword." She turned toward the shop owner. "Hey, are you really only selling this one at a bargain price?"
"Yeah…." The shop owner answered quietly. He became nervous and quite anxious the second he saw Zoro pick up that Sword.
"Unbelievable, that's an authentic Wazamono." Tashigi marveled while Zoro unsheathed the Sword and looked it over as if he had noticed something different about that Sword. "Wow, you have to buy that Sword. It's worth at least a million beli or more. You can't pass it up. It's too valuable."
"Damn it…." The shop owner whispered before he shook his head in dismay. "I can't sell it!"
"Haa, I didn't think so." Tashigi sighed in disappointment. "I knew there must have been some mistake. This is a legendary Sword—"
"It's not what you think!" The shop owner cut her off, sounding genuinely upset.
"The Sword's cursed." Zoro said calmly, turning the blade this way and that. Like Wado, the Sword was a thing of beauty, with a white edge and a blue-tinted hamon that resembled flames.
"Huh? How do you know…?" The shop owner asked, surprised.
"I could just feel it." Zoro didn't know how else to explain it.
"The Kitetsu Swords are superior in all respects, but they've been cursed since their beginnings. You have to believe me." The shop owner insisted fearfully. "There are stories from all over of master Swordsman who have met their death after taking up a Kitetsu Sword. Nobody is stupid enough to even touch them these days, and you'll fall to its curse as well if you decide to take it." He looked down. "I'm scared to let you buy it. If I sell you a Sword while knowing it was cursed and you die because of the curse, it'll be like I killed you. Just leave it alone."
"How horrible." Tashigi bowed apologetically to Zoro. "I'm sorry I even brought it up. It would be death to take that Sword."
Zoro held up the sword, smirking at Kitetsu for a moment as he set its sheath down. "Sounds great. Think I'll take it."
Tashigi gasped at his announcement, and the shop owner panicked again. "I can't sell it, you fool! Don't you understand the danger of its curse?!"
"Well, we'll see. How about we find out which one is stronger? This Sword's curse or my good luck?" With that, he threw the Sword up into an arc to one side of his body, holding his arm out underneath it.
"Stop it! Are you crazy!? You're going to chop your arm off! You fool!" the shop owner shrieked as Tashigi gasped, her eyes wide behind her glasses.
The Sword flipped in the air, making a 'whoom, 'whoom' sound as it went, but instead of cutting Zoro's arm off, the blade just barely missed cutting into his upper arm, missing his arm by so little Zoro could feel his little hairs moving under the wind of the Sword's passage. The Sword then sunk deep into the floor of the shop, burying half its length into the floor as if the wood was butter.
Zoro grinned a devil-may-care grin that did nothing to hide its equally dangerous edge. "I'll take it."
As he turned, he saw Tashigi fall to her rear, staring at him and the blade he now carried in shock. The shop owner, however, had a look more approaching awe.
Before Zoro could put up Kitetsu III from the floor, he turned toward Tashigi, who was still on the floor and overwhelmed. "Hey, pick out another. You've got a good eye on you."
"Ah…. Kay…." Tashigi squeaked out, trying to find her voice.
"You! Wait here!" Before anyone could say anything else, the shop owner raced into the back of the store and returned with a Sword, setting it onto a stand. "It is covered in a black locker finish with an uneven temple pattern. My shop is small, but this is the finest Sword I have. It is named The Ryou Wazamono Sword, Yubashiri."
The Katana in question was a high-quality blade, though not as high as Kitetsu or Wado. It was also slightly longer and had a somewhat less pronounced curve to it. Zoro could tell its quality the moment he pulled the blade, which had a black hilt with a gold cross-guard and pommel, out of its equally black sheath. Looking at the shopkeeper, Zoro shrugged. "I can only give you a million beli. Is that enough for both?"
"Under normal circumstances, no, not for both. But in response to your courage, sir, I will gladly sell you both swords for that price!" The shop owner said, actually bowing so much that he nearly slammed his head into the counter next to Yubashiri.
"Then I'll take them both, with thanks." Zoro said, and without another word, clipped both blades to his waist and left his leftover barrel in the bargain bin. Carrying three blades once more made Zoro smile, and he turned away quickly. "Thanks for helping me out." With a final nod directed to the girl, Zoro left the shop. As Tashigi watched, astonishment gave way to confusion.
"That's weird…." She mumbled before she smiled a little. "Who was that guy?"
In a different part of town, Gin and Usopp were walking down the street of one of the town's shopping districts. Gin had a somewhat irritated expression, while Usopp looked sheepish.
"Remind me not to let you walk into any more stores on your own." Gin complained.
The reason behind Gin's irritation was that the two of them had just left a specific store that Usopp had walked into on his own at first. While in there, the store clerk moved in on Usopp and tried to con him into buying a large variety of items that he had claimed were of great value and from the Grand Line. Had Gin not been there, Usopp would have been horribly scammed into buying all that junk.
"I can't believe he fooled me like that." Usopp muttered, ashamed of himself.
"I can." Gin retorted. "Everything about you screams chump."
"Well, what was I supposed to think?!" Usopp snapped at him. "The store clerk said I was the exact type of clientele he was looking for!"
"Exactly, someone gullible enough to believe all the junk coming out of his mouth and wouldn't question anything he says. Exactly the type of clientele that a sketchy salesman would look for." Gin pointed out. "The only reason you didn't notice was that you were too busy gushing over all the compliments he kept feeding."
"Well, can you blame me?" Usopp pouted. "It's not like you guys ever have anything good to say to me."
"In this case, you have it coming. Seriously, how could you have possibly believed that he owned a gun that used to belong to Gold Roger?" Gin asked, as though he wondered why that was even a question.
"It could have been. You don't know!" Usopp struggled to defend himself.
"Even if, for argument's sake, the King of the Pirates did once have a gun, do you really think it would be made of plastic and have miniature springs sticking out?" Gin reasoned, practically.
"I mean… You didn't know him so… Who's to say…. Ah, who am I kidding…?" Usopp slumped down in defeat. When he looked up, something caught his eye. "Hey, look!"
What he was pointing to was another shop. This time, it was one that sold items and equipment for different imported areas.
"That's the kind of store I've been really hoping to find. I'll bet I can find what I've been looking for—A pair of top-quality goggles." Usopp announced excitedly. "After all, as a sniper, my collection just wouldn't be complete without a pair of the best sniping goggles."
"Yeah, or an "actual" gun, for that matter." Gin added sarcastically as they headed for the store.
While Usopp went into the store, Gin waited outside after confirming Usopp wasn't in danger of being conned this time. Now, he just stared up at the wide, blue sky and sunk into his thoughts. Thoughts of different matters swirled in his mind, but the main thing he couldn't stop focusing on was the Grand Line.
"It's crazy. Now that I'm here, it's finally sinking in. I'm really going back there." Gin spoke to himself.
After leaving behind the Krieg Pirates and joining Light, Gin declared that he was no longer afraid of the Grand Line, and he meant it, but now that he was so close to it and about to return to it, he couldn't help pondering back to it. Gin thought that perhaps some of his old fears would resurface, but he surprised himself when, not only was he not feeling any fear, he also felt a hint of anticipation, almost like he was looking forward to returning to the Grand Line. After realizing that, a small smile appeared on his face.
The truth was, it wasn't just the Grand Line he was looking forward to. What was different now was the people he was going with. When Gin thought of his friends—His Nakama, all fearful memories of the Grand Line faded to nothing, and he felt that as long as he was sailing with them, adventuring with them, even on the Grand Line, he had everything to look forward to.
"That place was Hell, and I'm looking forward to going back?" He asked himself, still smiling. "Maybe I have gone crazy."
Light, who'd been alone, eventually came across Zoro on the street. Zoro decided to join his Captain around town, and they went to eat at a restaurant. It was nice on the inside, fancy for something in the East Blue, and music was being played on a record player. The boys finished their meal as Light let out a satisfied sigh.
"Now, that was a good meal." Light commented. "Considering Loguetown might be our last stopping point for a while. I figured this was a good place to enjoy a nice meal."
"Same here." Zoro said as he poured himself another drink from his glass. "But I was also completely out of money. I'm glad I ran into you." Zoro stated with a smirk.
"Oh, I don't have any money." Light mentioned. Zoro was close to choking on his drink and quickly swallowed it.
"You don't?!" Zoro questioned.
"Well, I just don't have any on me." Light clarified. "I came into town to see the sights, so, unlike you, I didn't think I'd be needing it. Don't you have any leftovers?"
"Of course not." Zoro argued. "I used all my money to buy new Swords!" Light responded by leaning back into his chair.
"Well, this is a pickle." Light commented nonchalantly while staring at the ceiling. "We're both here with full stomachs and empty pockets."
"Then how are we gonna pay for this meal?" Zoro asked as he sweated.
"Well, one of us can head back to the ship and grab some more money while the other waits here and explains the situation to the restaurant." Light suggested. "Other than that, I don't know how else we can pay.
"I SWEAR HE'LL PAY!" A nearby voice screamed.
A pouch landed on the brim of Light's hat as if by a miracle. Something fell out of the pouch as Light clasped it in his hands. It happened to be a golden beri coin.
"Oh, how about that!" Light grinned, staring at the coin.
He turned to the cloaked man at the table behind him. The pouch had apparently come from him.
"Hey, stranger, thanks. It means a lot that you're willing to pay for us." Light stepped toward the man and placed the pouch on the table. "Much appreciation, friend." Light commented as he flipped the coin and caught it.
"Yeah, thanks a lot, buddy." Zoro said, touching the man's shoulder.
"Yeah, whatever. You're welcome." The man grumbled as Light and Zoro left the restaurant.
"Come again!" a waiter called to them.
"You bet." Light called back as they went out the entrance, not noticing the yelling and screaming that erupted shortly after they left. "Well, who would've thought we'd be saved by the kindness of strangers?"
"Now that that's done, should we head back to the ship?" Zoro suggested.
"Not yet. There's still one more thing in this town that I want to get a good look at before we go." Light said before turning his gaze toward Zoro. "Incidentally, Zoro, I happened to notice those new Swords you're carrying are pretty interesting, especially the one with the red hilt. It's no ordinary Sword, is it?"
"I had a feeling you'd notice." Zoro smirked as he tapped Kitetsu III. "It's a cursed Sword, said to have been for the deaths of all its previous wielders."
"A cursed?" Light pondered those words before he turned away and kept walking. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. Only you choose a Sword like that."
At a different part of town, Silk had just finished buying what she met up with Nami in a clothing store. Right now, Nami was in front of the counter while the woman who owned the store was stuffing the clothes Nami bought into a large bag.
"Hey, you finished in here?" Silk asked as she approached Nami.
"Oh, Silk?" Nami turned to see her friend behind her. "Yeah, I'm just about done." She then went back to her conversation with the woman behind the counter. "Now then, you were talking about a Captain named Smoker?"
"He is definitely one of the toughest Marines we've ever seen in this town. See, Loguetown used to be a hangout for Pirates headed to the Grand Line but not anymore. As soon as Smoker took over, any Pirate that's ever come near this island has been caught, incarcerated, and executed." She explained as she finished stuffing clothes into the sack. "Smoker is bad. He's a complete and utter monster. There are even those who say he has Devil Fruit powers."
"…Devil Fruit powers?" Nami repeated with a hint of concern.
After she finished paying for everything, the girls left the store, and Silk turned to face Nami.
"All right, now that we're done shopping, let's head back to the meeting place." Silk suggested.
"Wait, seriously? Aren't you concerned by all this?" Nami asked.
"What's there to be concerned about?" Silk didn't see an issue.
"You heard what she said? If this Smoker guy really is as dangerous as she said, we need to leave this town quickly." Nami said urgently. "With those new bounties that Gin and the Captain have got, he'll definitely be looking for our crew. The last thing we need is to start trouble with the Marines before heading into the Grand Line."
Silk rolled her eyes at Nami's little rant. "Nami, you have a bad habit of being too paranoid."
"What?" Now Nami asked the question.
"In a town this big with a reputation of Pirates all over the place, I'm pretty sure they knew a crew with such high bounties was coming before we ever dropped anchor; in that regard, how can we possibly avoid confronting the Marines when they already know we're here and are probably already searching the city for us?" Silk pointed out reasonably.
Nami was at a loss as she couldn't find a hole in that reasoning. "But, isn't this a problem? What if this Captain Smoker is the monster they say he is?"
"So what if he is, he wouldn't be the first we've faced." Silk reminded her unconcerned. "I seem to remember another monster who claimed no human could match him and that he would rule the seas, an armored man who claimed that he was invincible, and a clawed man who claimed no one has ever stopped him and never will. And I remember how none of their reputations meant a thing when our Captain knocked them into the dirt." Silk told her with confidence. "After all that, I'm not worried about some Marine on this side of the ocean. The Captain is the only monster I know of."
With that, Silk walked off, intending to go back to the meeting place to wait for the rest of the crew, while Nami needed a moment to thoroughly pick up the large bag of clothes. "Hey, wait up!"
Finally, after arriving in the town square, Light had arrived at the location he had been hoping to see the most since they reached Loguetown—The execution platform.
"So this is where it all began?" Light said eagerly just as he and Zoro approached. When they looked up, they could see a tall metal structure—Several stories high—Starting to rust from the years of being exposed to the elements. This was a historical monument… There had been a reason why Roger was the last Pirate to meet his end here. "And where it ended."
Zoro stood beside his Captain and gazed up at the platform as well. "So this is what you wanted to see."
"Yeah." Light answered softly. "It's hard to explain, but it feels like there's meaning in coming here to see it for myself."
Zoro nodded, not needing an explanation as he could somewhat understand what he meant. Zoro knew what it felt like to find meaning in something without always being able to put it into words.
"Wait here. I want to get a closer look." Light told him.
And with those words, Light gracefully leaped into the air and elevated himself high above the ground until he was above the execution platform. As he stopped his ascension, he landed himself on top of the platform and turned.
Now Light had a clear view of the entire town square and everything else around it. It was a vast view that stretched out in every direction and gave the person on top the ability to look down on everything beneath as far as the eye could. He was high enough that he could see the birds fly by right over his shoulder and could almost hear the winds coming from the tides, even though he couldn't see them. The final view that Gold Roger had before his death must have been a grand one. Light could tell from the moment he saw it for himself.
"Gotta say, it's better than I pictured it." Light said to himself before his thoughts went somewhere else. "Ace, I know how you felt about him, but I can't deny it. He's the best Pirate to have ever sailed. I'm going to surpass him, but I felt like I had to see this first."
While Light was having these deep thoughts, the townspeople started to notice that someone was standing on the execution platform while Zoro mindfully waited for Light to finish his business.
Then, just behind him, someone screamed. "Hey, you up there!" Jumping a little after being snapped out of his thoughts, he looked down at the ground and saw that a police officer—Dressed in attire very similar to Genzo—Was there with a loudspeaker. "Get down from there, immediately!
"What for!?" Light shouted back, somewhat bothered that his thoughts were interrupted.
"You are standing on an execution platform that belongs to the World Government!" The officer yelled. "Now, get down from there right now!"
"What do I care?" Light asked irritably, his good mood disappearing almost at once. "I'm a criminal, you lunatic. It doesn't matter to me at all what the World Government does or doesn't own. I'll do as I please."
"In that case, I will arrest you for criminal actions you've already committed. Now come down this instant!" The officer yelled, and he truly sounded annoyed. But before he could make good on his threat, someone came out from the crowd with a colossal iron mace over her shoulder before she hit the man so hard that he was out as soon as he hit the ground.
She was a truly beautiful woman. She was slim and well-endowed, with dark green eyes and full ruby-red lips. But the most noticeable thing about her was her silky-looking skin, which looked so soft…
Soon enough, the woman spoke. "Now's not the time for such trifles." She said in a sweet voice that seemed strangely familiar. The woman was looking up to Light and cooed out. "Long time no see, Light. I've been looking for you." Apparently, Light didn't recognize her as he looked down with a confused look on his face. When she noticed this, the woman sighed. "Now that's just rude." She said. "Do you mean to tell me that you, of all people, have forgotten my face?"
"What the, who is she?" Zoro wondered, not sure who this woman was or how she was connected to Light. However, around them, the people were all staring at her, much like how Sanji would drool over a lady. Men and women alike were all claiming how beautiful she was.
"I'm pretty good at remembering faces, but yours isn't familiar." Light told her, still confused. "Who are you?"
"I'll never forget you. You were the first man who ever truly struck me." The woman said fondly.
"I've struck quite a few women in my time. I can't exactly say I remember them all." Light responded dispassionately, looking a little lost as to why everyone was glaring at him as the other people around them scowled up at Light, outraged that he had done something to this girl.
"When you struck me with your powerful fist…." She answered, her hand over her stomach. "It felt good."
"Say what?" Zoro asked, not sure that he had heard wrong.
"Listen up, boys, what would you say is the most beautiful sight in all of the East Blue?" The woman suddenly asked the crowd.
[That would be you!] Everyone in the crowd yelled as they got down on their knees and held their arms out to her.
"That's correct." She said with a smirk, holding out her arm. "I am quite breathtaking, aren't I? There isn't a man alive who wouldn't crumble before my beauty. But I prefer strong men… Like you." She cooed out. "I'm going make you all mine, Light. Just wait."
Light seemed to ignore that last part and mainly paid attention to her previous choice of words. "That question you asked earlier. I remember only one person who would ask that." He thought back to an earlier part of his voyage that now feels like a lifetime ago. "But you can't be who I think you are. You don't resemble her."
"I had a feeling that would give it away." She smiled, happy that he had figured it out. "It's exactly what you're thinking. I am her. Though, I've gone through some changes."
As several officers came running to the square with their weapons and pointed them at the woman. "This is the police! Put your weapon down and come quietly! I am placing you under arrest for assaulting a police captain!" The officer yelled before he turned up to Light and shouted out. "As for you up there! Get off that platform!"
"Hold on… Who did you say you were arresting?" The woman asked as if she just wanted to make sure she heard right.
"We… We're arresting you!" The officer stuttered, taken in by her beauty as she batted her eyelashes at him.
"Are you really going to arrest me?" She asked sweetly, smiling as hearts now appeared in the officer's eyes.
"Pathetic." Zoro said, unconcerned, as the officers were all practically frozen in place.
"We've got a big problem here, sir. She's too beautiful." One of the officers announced.
"I really don't give a damn!" Another yelled though he was now looking close to proclaiming undying love as well. "Arrest her!"
"Do we have to? Can't we just stand here and look at her?" The officer suggested.
But before they could act, a large cannonball came flying from behind them, and it hit the fountain so that it ended up blowing it apart in large chucks as a large part of the fountain flew at the woman, but it was too late. However, as it hit, it slid right off her as if it had been a giant bar of soap and went flying off near Light's direction but moved in time.
"Did that just…?" A civilian asked, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"It slipped right past her?" Another person voiced, just as confused.
"How'd she do that?" Zoro wondered, not sure how to explain it.
"Could she be a power user?" Light muttered, thinking that was the only way it made sense.
"That little stunt was dangerous, you know?" She asked, sounding just a little irritated as she turned her attention to a group of people who had come from the direction of the cannonball—Each of them wearing a dark cloak to cover themselves.
"I'm flashily sorry." The one out front said softly. "But that smooth skin of yours is unharmed, of course? So there's no need to worry, fairest Alvida."
"Alvida?" Light repeated, still looking like he didn't truly believe. "No way, you can't be Alvida. Alvida… Had freckles."
.
.
.
If anyone who had seen what Alvida had looked like before had heard Light say that that was the only difference he noticed, they questioned his sanity. Alvida, in her case, smiled. "I'm so glad you noticed. The truth is, I changed after eating the fruit called…." She removed her heart cloak to fully reveal her new body to them all and get the whole picture of how much she had changed. "Smooth-Smooth Fruit. No attack can hurt my skin because it slides right off. Unfortunately, a lowly fruit could not improve on my already stunning good looks." Alvida sighed in disappointment as she touched her cheek. "But, you're right, a change was that I lost my freckles."
"I get it now. It's the type of fruit that affects the appearance of the user." Light summarized. "That explains why I didn't recognize you."
"After becoming a whole new person." Alvida went on. "I decided to join forces with someone who shared my goal of finding you." She then finally gestured to the cloaked men, and they all knew who they could possibly be.
Here, Buggy laughed manically as he and his crew threw off the cloaks, and they could fully see the whole circus was back. "Now that I flashily made my entrance! Behold the real star of the show!" He screamed out and pointed up at Light. "Monkey D. Light, ever since the day you sent me flying, I've been obsessed with exacting my revenge on you! That alone led to me finally finding my crew! My travels are an epic saga. I went through hell, found friendship, and I even lost parts of my body! I call this tale 'Tiny Buggy's Great Adventure!' The first thing that happened was—WHY THE HELL AM I TELLING YOU A STORY?!"
"Because you love the sound of your own voice." Light droned as he answered him. "Seriously, first Alvida, now you. I am just gonna keep running into old faces today?"
"I wouldn't be taking this so lightly if I were you!" Buggy screamed, enraged. "You got a lot of nerve, you little bastard! And now Buggy the Clown is gonna make you pay for that!"
"Hey! That's Buggy the Clown!" One of the people yelled in fear. And at the mention of Pirates, all the people there turned and began to try and run—Wanting nothing more than to get away from the square as fast as they could. But the Buggy Pirates seemed prepared for this as they each pulled out guns and Swords, ensuring they wouldn't move.
"You people flashily stay where you are!" Buggy proclaimed to them all. "I want every single one of you to see exactly how scary I can be!"
Light jumped down from the platform and landed back on the ground in order to face Buggy. Zoro stepped forward and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Light as they confronted the entire crew of enemies in front of them.
"If it's a fight you want, you'll have it." Light told him with a threatening gaze. "But don't expect to come back this time."
Buggy smirked dangerously and held his knives between his fingers. "I've waited for this for longer than you can imagine. I'll have your head as a trophy."
Next to Buggy, Cabaji stepped forward with his Sword in hand and stared at Zoro. "Long time no see, Roronoa Zoro. I've been looking forward to getting another shot at killing you."
"This actually works out." Zoro placed his hand on the hilt of one of his new Swords. "I was hoping for a chance to test out these new Swords."
It was a dramatic face-off. Two Pirates against a horde of Pirates. But those two were Light and Zoro. Even against the entirety of the Buggy Pirates, they were confident that they'd win. The entire town square was focused on the battle between these Pirates that was about to begin, and no one dared to look away, tensely awaiting the moment when someone would make the first move. None of them noticed the third-party group arrive at the scene.
"Hold it right there!"
Light, Zoro, Buggy, and all of the Pirates who gathered there stopped at the sound of a new voice. Behind Buggy's crew was none other than Captain Smoker, along with an entire battalion of Marines. They marched onto the town square with the Pirates in sight, and Smoker's only intention was to apprehend every last one of them.
"Gah, not this guy." Buggy went pale.
Light raised a brow. "Who is that?"
"That's Smoker. He's a Marine Captain and the officer in charge of the Navy base here in Loguetown." Buggy explained with clear disappointment and concern in his voice. "This sucks. I did everything possible to avoid running into him while we were here. He's too much of a problem to deal with. I'd say he's the Strongest Marine stationed out here in the East Blue."
"The Strongest Marine in the East Blue?" Light repeated, looking at Smoker with a newfound interest. "Interesting."
Smoker stopped and confronted the entire battalion of Pirates before he declared. "Lion Heart Light, Buggy the Clown, Iron Club Alvida, and all you other Pirates gathered here, I'm placing all of you under arrest. Surrender now, or we do this the hard way." His voice showed he clearly meant business.
"What do we do now, Buggy?" Alvida asked, not liking the numbers they were facing.
"Just give me a second." Buggy was having trouble finding a way out of this situation.
Light didn't seem worried at all and stepped forward. "Captain?"
Ignoring Zoro's call, Light marched his way through all of the Buggy Pirates and then Buggy himself until he stood in front of the pack, where he confronted Smoker directly. "We don't surrender."
"Hey, don't speak for us!" Buggy snapped at him.
Smoker glared deeper at him. "So you're Lion Heart? The man with the highest bounty in the East Blue? I was hoping I'd find you here."
"And I hear you're the Strongest Marine in the East Blue." Light confidently retorted. "I was actually hoping to meet someone like that. Now that I've beaten all of the top Pirates, I've felt pretty overdue for a Marine, and who better than East Blue's top one?" He smirked at him. "You'll be a fitting last opponent before I head to the Grand Line."
"Last, huh?" Smoker closed his fist and crouched forward a bit. "You're right. This will be your last fight. But not before the Grand Line. It'll be the last fight before your execution." Smoker declared. "I am White Hunter Smoker! On my honor as a Marine Captain, I won't let you leave here alive!"
"Well, then…." Light lowered his hat before he also made a declaration. "I am Lion Heart Light! On my honor as a Pirate Captain, I will defeat you and sail for the Grand Line!"
They were both readying themselves as the wind began to pick up, and dark clouds were being blown over them so that the entire square was cast in shadows. Perhaps it was just the trace of electrical energy in the air that caused it, but there was also a strong sense that something big would happen here with each minute.
The one who made the first move was Smoker. He pointed his fist at Light and yelled.
"White Blow!"
Upon his command, his fist turned into a cloud of smoke and shot toward Light like a flamethrower. Light moved out of the way, and the smoke attack hit a few of the Pirates behind him, knocking them away.
"What the hell was that?" Zoro wondered out loud.
"That's Smoker's Devil Fruit powers." Buggy answered, still unhappy. "It's what makes him so strong."
After Light dodged that attack, he shot forward and aimed at Smoker. "My turn!"
He threw a kick into Smoker's midsection. Still, he felt no resistance as his leg harmlessly passed through Smoker's body, and the targeted area became literal smoke before it solidified and turned back into flesh.
"Surprised?" Smoker asked before he explained. "I ate the Plume-Plume Fruit. I can become Smoke, so attacks like that do not affect me."
"So you're a power user. Been a while since I fought one of those." Light still wasn't worried.
"Smoker is a Logia-type." Buggy continued. "Those types of Devil Fruits are rare but powerful. Not only does he get the power of smoke, he becomes smoke, and smoke can't be physically touched, so he can't be physically hurt." He sounded frustrated at having to explain it. "Without some way to bypass his Devil Fruit powers, he and all Logia-type are untouchable. That's why he can't be beaten."
Zoro frowned when he heard that explanation. "He usually has some idea whenever dealing with tricky opponents like this. Does have something in mind for Smoker?"
While Zoro was paying attention to Light, someone else appeared in front of him through the crowd and got his attention. "You!"
Zoro noticed right away and looked to see a familiar face. It certainly wasn't something he wanted to see, and he became dismayed. Standing in front of him was Tashigi, who was now wearing a white-trimmed, waist-length blue leather coat. She looked crestfallen and kept her head down as her hair covered her eyes.
"Great…." Zoro muttered.
"I didn't know you were Zoro." Tashigi stated quietly. "And a Pirate as well. You lied. You're just another liar!" She yelled with a look of betrayal in her eyes.
"You never asked me what my name was." Zoro replied as he stepped forward. "So I never lied, did I?"
"You know there's no way I'm going to allow someone like you to leave town with such a legendary Sword!" Tashigi shouted. "Give it to me! The Wado Ichimonji! Right now!"
"Come and get it." Zoro grinned as he grabbed the sheathe of the Wado Ichimonji. The girl gritted her teeth, unsheathed her own katana, and charged as she and Zoro clashed blades.
While they were facing off, Light was still going at it with Smoker. As the Marine Captain kept shooting his smoke-fueled punches, Light kept dodging them with his swift acrobatics.
"Heh, I'll admit, that power of yours is pretty interesting, but it's also pretty one-dimensional." Light commented as they stopped. "Are long-range punches all your good for?"
"Depends. Are you just going to keep scurrying around the whole time?" Smoker asked, readying his next shot. "So far, I've haven't seen anything worth 50,000,000 beli yet."
"Well, you're about to. I've seen enough to know how you fight, so now, I'm going on the offensive myself." Light told him as he hunched forward.
Like a beast pouncing at his target, Light charged straight at Smoker. Smoker fired another White Blow at Light, but the young Pirate dodged it as easily as all the other ones and continued his advance. Once he closed in, he threw a punch, once again, at Smoker's midsection, but this time, he coated his fist with Haki.
"Augh!" Smoker felt the air knocked out of his lungs as he discovered, completely taken off guard, that he couldn't phase through that punch.
Smoker was blown off his feet and knocked backward. He flew back a few feet until he hit the ground. Smoker let out a grunt as he slowly picked himself up and clenched his stomach. He had acquired his Devil Fruit powers many years ago and had been stationed in the East Blue for longer than he can remember. For the day he had first been assigned to Loguetown, he had never taken damage or felt pain. It had been so long that he almost forgot what it felt like. That's why his tolerance for it was noticeably low, which wasn't good when facing Light.
"Haki…." Smoker muttered, now realizing what he was up against.
"I'm betting that's the first real punch you've taken in years." Light held up both of his fists and coated them with Haki. "So, let me warn you right now. They really hurt: These knuckles 'o mine."
Nearby, Tashigi was in complete shock when she saw her Captain go down like that. "He hit him? But how."
On the other hand, Zoro remembered what Light explained to him back on the ship.
(Well, this one is actually the main factor of this type. It's a countermeasure against Devil fruit users." Light answered.)
(That caught the attention of the whole crew for different reasons, considering half of them had never even seen a Devil fruit user, and the other half, who had seen Buggy, wasn't sure what their Captain meant, as Zoro asked. "What do you mean by countermeasure?)
(I can't exactly demonstrate this one, but the fact is that most people learn this power to fight back against Devil fruit ability." Light elaborated. "There are some power-users out there that have abilities that make them difficult to fight against. In some cases, they can't be beaten by any normal means, and it's a real struggle to even touch them unless you can figure out what their powers are." He pointed out, reminding them of Buggy's immunity to being cut. "Haki can disregard all that. No matter what someone's power is, Haki can essentially break past it and damage them as if they were a normal person, and any defensive abilities that can prevent them from being hurt or damaged if they are hit by an attack laced with Haki, their abilities become a non-factor.)
Now Zoro understood what he meant when he said Haki was a countermeasure against Devil Fruit. He smiled and drew Yubashiri from its sheath. "Well, since my Captain has decided to become a bit more serious, I suppose I should do the same."
Zoro moved in and swung one of his Swords at Tashigi, which she blocked with her own. Zoro followed up by swinging his second Sword onto her blade. The added weight of having to block two Swords, plus the obvious difference in physical strength between the two of them, was proving to be too much for Tashigi as she felt herself losing ground.
After Smoker stood up again, he showed no change in expression after learning of Light's abilities. "I'm surprised. I never expected to run into a Pirate in these waters who knew how to use Haki. But you're mistaken if you think you can beat me just because of your Haki."
"Actually, it's the other way around." Light informed him. "You're the one who's mistaken if you think you can beat me just because of your Devil Fruit powers."
This time, Smoker aimed both of his arms at Light and made them turn into thick smoke clouds.
"White Out!"
This time, Smoker unleashed an attack that was twice as big and much more spread out than his last one. It was a thick, condensed burst of smoke that was meant to consume and capture whoever got caught in it.
But to Light, it was no different than any of the other smoke attacks, something he could easily dodge, which he did. Light jumped through the air and over the smoke as he got into close range again and struck Smoker with another Haki-fueled punch in the gut.
Smoker let out another pain-filled gasp as Light's fist dug into his stomach, still unable to defend himself with his Devil Fruit. Light didn't stop at one, though. Light moved in and let loose a barrage of punches and kicks while moving forward. Smoker found himself unable to do anything to defend against Light, so he kept stepping back while the damage was piling up.
Light being a Haki-user wasn't the only issue for Smoker. Light is also much faster than any other Pirate in the East Blue, and so Smoker had never fought someone with so much speed, someone much quicker than he was. Without the experience or capability to face an opponent like Light, he could do nothing as the blows rained down on him, and he felt his body crumbling.
After landing dozens of hits on his adversary, Light hit Smoker with one last heavy blow to his face that knocked Smoker off his feet and sent him to the ground once again. He was now bruised from head to toe, his breathing ragged. And Light looked as fresh as he had at the start of the fight.
Light slowly walked up to Smoker and stood over his fallen body. He gave him a look of disappointment, like someone who had been promised something impressive but was instead given something completely mediocre.
"I think I get it now. They call you East Blue's Strongest Marine not because of your actual strength but because you've never lost before, and the only reason for that is that you're Devil Fruit makes you untouchable to anyone without Haki. In other words, your Devil Fruit was the only thing special about you." Light acknowledged, showing complete disdain for his opponent. "Honestly, if you factor out the Devil Fruit, a few of the Pirates I've fought are probably much stronger than you."
"Shut up…." Smoker whispered on the ground in anger and frustration. His honor as a Marine Captain wouldn't allow him to be defeated like this, and Light's words drew over the edge as he summoned his last reserves of strength, shot up from the ground, and aimed to throw a final punch at Light. "Lion Heart!"
Even though he was fueled by drive and determination, that didn't change the simple fact that Light was faster than him; Light saw his punch coming from a mile away and threw his own punch that landed first. Light's punch hit Smoker in the center of his body and stopped Smoker completely.
The damage he had taken was so great that even though he was conscious, his body no longer had the strength to move. He could barely lift his arms. Smoker fell and collapsed onto the ground once again, and this time, he certainly wouldn't be getting back up. The fight was over.
Light turned away and looked at Zoro, acting like he had just finished a long but menial chore. "All done here. How about you?"
"Just give me a moment." Zoro replied with an equally unconcerned tone.
Zoro's fight with Tashigi didn't take long. He completely overpowered her with the use of Wado Ichimonji and Yubashiri. Zoro knocked her back as she fell to the ground on her knees, slashed the Sword out of her hands, and held his blade threateningly across from her neck.
Zoro stood over her the same way that Light had with Smoker. It was perfectly clear that the fight was over as Zoro gave her the look of someone who knew he was far superior to her, and that made her freeze under his gaze.
"I hate to disappoint, but you will never get this Sword from me." Zoro declared as he sheathed his katana. The Marines watching were shocked by what had transpired. Not just Smoker but Tashigi as well. They had never seen either of them lose before today. "Now, I think it's time for me to go." Zoro said and started walking toward Light.
Tashigi was still frozen before she started seething with anger. "Why didn't you kill me?!" Tashigi questioned Zoro, which caused him to stop walking. "I know! It's 'cause I'm a girl!"
Hearing these words drove Zoro to remember words Kuina had said to him before.
"It's pathetic that you can't fight me because I'm a woman!" Tashigi argued. "It's embarrassing! You may be physically stronger, but you don't have the guts! This Sword isn't just for decoration! I don't even think you know what it means to carry a Sword!"
"Would you shut up!" Before Zoro could snap at her, Light beat him to it. "The only one who's being pathetic right now is you."
"Captain?" Zoro blinked as Light continued.
"I don't know what issues you've got going on, but if you think you're not dead because you're a woman, you must have him confused with someone else. The reason he didn't kill you is simple—It's because you're weak." Light told her brutally as he gestured at Smoker. "It's the same with him."
"Captain Smoker!" Tashigi called out, just now noticing the beaten state he was in.
"The two of you may have never been defeated before, but that's only because you've never been in a real fight before. You were just a big fish in a small pond, and that made you think you were stronger than anyone. Now that you have fought a real fight, you were so weak that you're not even worth killing. We were just toying with you." Light informed them, letting them know the vast difference in their capabilities. "If we can afford to not go all out against you, you aren't worth the trouble of killing. And if you're insulted by the fact that you were spared, blame yourself for not being stronger. The weak don't get to choose how they die."
Hearing his words only further frustrated Tashigi as she bit her lip while lowering her head. Smoker was also angered by his words but couldn't do anything but lay there on the ground.
"This isn't over, Lion Heart." Smoker glared at him hatefully. "I swear, I will hunt you down no matter where you go and bring you to Justice."
"You're welcome to try." Light wasn't bothered by his warning. "Challenge me as many times as you want. I'll accept every time. But, neither you nor any Marine will ever stop me."
Light turned away from Smoker as he was still seething from his defeat. Now, they acted as though they had completely disregarded the Marines and focused on something else as Zoro looked around and asked curiously. "Hey, where'd Buggy and his crew go?"
"They must have slipped away and taken off while no one was looking." Light guessed, not really concerned. "Oh well, a problem for another day."
"Well, now that we're finished here, should we head back to the ship?" Zoro suggested.
"Not yet." Light looked up at the execution platform. "There's still one last thing I have to do."
Light leaped off the ground and, once more, climbed on top of the platform so he could look down on the entire town square. Even though the Pirates were gone, there were still a large number of civilians as well as a whole army of Marines, gathered around. Light faced all of them, and he spoke loudly beneath the gathering dark clouds in the sky.
"My name is Monkey D. Light!" Light addressed the people while all eyes were on him. "22 years ago, the Pirate King left this world, and in his wake, a new age started, one where any man with a ship and greed could call themselves a Pirate. But a Pirate capable of succeeding Gold Roger never appeared, and the treasure he left behind has almost faded into myth!" Light's expression turned from serious to a smile. "Until now! I swear to all who bear witness on this day that a Pirate who can transcend Gold Roger stands before you! I am the man who will be the next King of the Pirates and calm One Piece for myself! I AM LION HEART!"
ZINNNNNNNN!
RUMBLE!
Light's final declaration was laced with his Haki as he let out a small burst of Haki — Color of the Supreme King when he bellowed his final yell, and everyone in the town square, from Smoker to the ordinary citizens, felt it. It wasn't enough to knock them out, but it was plenty for all of them to fully feel the strength and ambition behind his words and know that the man they were seeing was no ordinary Pirate. A bolt of lightning flashed behind Light as if it synced up with his Haki and only fueled the sense of power and authority he was emanating.
Every Marine there felt their jaws dropping at the sheer mind-numbing confidence (or arrogance) it took to say something like that here in Loguetown. Smoker gaped up at him, seeing the wide, beaming look on Light's face as he said those words, remembering the smile Gold Roger had worn as he was led to his death. He couldn't believe someone else would declare himself the King of Pirates like that here of all places, in the shadow of the execution platform no less.
At the foot of the execution tower, Zoro grinned at his Captain as he dropped down, landing lightly beside him with a look of contentment. "All right, let's head back to the ship."
Zoro complied, and the two of them took off. They ran down the direction of one of the many open roads leading out to the town square and made their departure. Oddly enough, the Marines didn't pursue them.
Meanwhile, back at the docks where the Going Merry was anchored, the rest of the crew was already at the ship, but they weren't alone as the bodies of an entire squadron of Marines were lying on the ground around them, unconscious. Not just them, but also beaten and on the ground were Mohji and Richi from the Buggy Pirates.
"Man, to think that both the Marines and Buggy had the same idea of torching our ship." Nami noted casually.
"I'm just glad we made it back in time to stop them." Usopp let out a sigh of relief. "There was no way I was going to let anything happen to the Going Merry."
"Still, if both sides sent some people to target our ship, that probably means their main forces are after the Captain." Silk pointed out. "And we did hear some people say that Pirates were attacking the town square."
"That's just great." Nami nursed her forehead. "Just what we need, him being at the center of all this trouble when we're trying to get away."
"I honestly doubt he had a choice in the matter considering the presence the Marines have on this island, or Buggy's nature for that matter." Silk reminded her. "Besides, there's a good chance that Zoro is with him, so there shouldn't be much reason to worry."
"So all we have to do is wait for the Captain and Mosshead to make their way to the ship." Sanji summarized, staring over the edge. "Let's hope it's before the storm hits."
After they left the town square, the Captain and First Mate ran down the street to make their way to the harbor.
As they moved through the town, Zoro and Light hurried their pace, but the sky above them opened up and began to rain cats and dogs. Thunder and lightning began to pound their ears at the same time, and Light turned to Zoro. "Any idea how far we are from the ship?"
"I don't know. Everything all looks the same in this oversized town." Zoro complained as they kept running.
The two of them kept going for a bit until Light skidded to a sudden halt and stared around as though something had appeared on his radar.
Seeing his Captain stop, Zoro immediately slid to a halt, too, his hands falling to his Swords as he tried to figure out what his Captain was looking for. "What's wrong?"
"Someone's here, someone strong. His presence is almost washing out everything else I can sense, blanketing the entire island." Light informed him, still looking around.
His Captain's words had not put Zoro at ease at all, his scowl deepening as he tensed, ready for action. Despite that, however, when the voice spoke, it surprised both of them. "Inherited will through inherited ideals. Like the winds that blow in the storm, the winds of change cannot be stopped. The entire world will no doubt hear of your declaration soon enough."
Both Light and Zoro turned toward the voice. There on the same road as the two of them and standing in front of their path was a man where a moment ago there hadn't been one. He was tall, as tall as Smoker though not quite as broad across the shoulders, and was dressed in a cloak that obscured most of his features until a lightning bolt lit up the sky. This allowed his face to be seen. It was sharp and angular, marked with black hair and tattoos down one side.
Zoro's scowl slowly dissipated, keeping one eye on the newcomer as he saw Light relaxing somewhat. "You know this guy?"
"I do. He's not an enemy, though I am surprised to see him here." Light faced him directly. "Really, I am surprised to see you here. Has something bad happened?"
He shook his head. "It's nothing like that. I merely came here to see you off on your journey. This wind is blowing west. It shall act as a tailwind toward the Grand Line."
"Well, not that I don't appreciate the gestures, but I'm still surprised." Light had a slight grin when saying his next words. "I didn't think the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army had so much free time that he could just drop by Loguetown."
Zoro gasped in shock as Dragon replied, smiling faintly, an odd expression on his stern face. "You are your own man now. I believe it was appropriate that I see you off." He held out his arms widely. "Go forth, Light, and make your mark on this world, both seen and unseen!"
Light smirked at Dragon for a long moment, then lowered his hat. "And you make sure you do the same, Dad."
Now Zoro was in complete disbelief—Light's father. He had never even thought about who such a man could be, but never in his dreams did he think it would be someone like this. It was inconceivable. But, there was no time to question as once their conversation had ended, another flash of lightning struck nearby and lit up the sky. Just as instantaneous as the lightning, when the flash cleared, Dragon had vanished without a trace, as if he had never been there at all.
Light seemed completely unfazed by his departure and turned away. Before they continued their march to their ship, Light gave Zoro a look. "I trust I don't have to worry about you spreading this around."
Zoro nodded, never having been planning to tell the others about this to begin with, realizing that this was both a family thing and not something he cared about one way or another after the initial surprise. He owed Light his life and had promised to follow him so long as Light didn't get in the way of his dream. Pirate, Marine, Revolutionary: it didn't matter to Zoro. His only comment was a mutter. "Good gods, what the hell is up with your family, Light?"
Light gave him a playful shrug, and they immediately took off for the harbor again.
After arriving at the wharf, Light and Zoro quickly found the Going Merry and ran toward it. Light called out to the crew on board.
"Hey, you guys!" Light called out.
"Captain!" Usopp saw them arrive.
"Hurry up and get on!" Nami yelled at them. "We have to leave!"
"Wonder what her problem is?" Light questioned.
"Who cares? Let's go." Zoro replied.
The two of them climbed up the ladder that was lowered and made their way onto the ship as the whole crew was finally all together again. "Man, Loguetown was a bigger hoot than I was expecting."
"I think we can all agree to that." Usopp noted, almost tiredly. "And this storm is the cherry on top."
"Then let's go already." Sanji suggested.
"Yeah, set the sails!" Light gave the order as Zoro and Gin unfurled the sails, and the ship sailed out of the harbor. The Going Merry now sailed through the open seas and departed from Loguetown.
"What took you so long anyways?" Nami questioned them. "If we had waited any longer, the ship might have been carried off to sea by the currents."
"Getting the Marines took longer than you'd think." Light informed her. "But, we took care of it."
"Wait, was the Marine you fought someone named Smoker?" Nami asked.
Light blinked. "Yeah? How'd you know?"
"We heard about him in town, about how he was a monster with Devil Fruit powers who has never let a Pirate get away." Silk answered. "So, how was he?"
"As far as I'm concerned, the only part of that statement that's true is the Devil Fruit." Light answered, still disappointed. "He didn't live up to his reputation."
"So you beat him?" Usopp asked.
"Didn't even break a sweat." Light responded with little care.
Nami was surprised but then noticed Silk giving her the "I told you so" look, and that just annoyed her. "Don't you say a word."
Smoker and his own Marines were watching the ocean. Despite still having some pretty bad bruises all over his body, his Logia-type Devil Fruit speeds up his recovery time, and he has recovered enough to be back on his feet. Smoker could almost spot what looked like a ship in the distance.
"I'm sure he brought the wind with him." Smoker commented. "I knew it was him. On the day Gold Roger was executed, he appeared like a brilliant flash of lighting, and then he disappeared. It's him." Thunder boomed in the sky, and a man wrapped in a green cloak chuckled as he stood atop a building.
"Ride the winds of change, my son." Dragon spoke quietly enough that no one else could hear him. "Let the whole world hear your answer."
"Why did you help that man?" Smoker asked the cloaked man. "Dragon!"
"It is not our place to come between that man and his chosen path, Smoker." Dragon remarked, still gazing at the ocean.
Smoker then took his attention off Dragon and stared out at the sea. "Set sail." Smoker decided. "We're going after him." It seems he was deadset on catching Light and his crew.
"What?" A Marine wondered.
"We'll enter the Grand Line." Smoker declared.
"But Captain, you can't abandon your post on this island," The Marine argued. "What will command say?"
"Tell them: I don't care about orders." Smoker stated.
"I'm coming with you!" Tashigi exclaimed as she appeared, holding Shigure in her hand.
"Sergeant Major Tashigi!" A Marine uttered.
"I have to hunt down Roronoa Zoro!" Tashigi exclaimed. "He's mine! I will get revenge!"
The ocean waves started to become violent as they tossed the Going Merry about. The crew did their best to hang on as the ship lurched from side to side.
"Hold the ship steady! We're getting knocked around by this storm!" Light exclaimed. Nami could faintly make out a light that almost illuminated the dark skies.
"Hey, look, a light!" Nami pointed with a smile.
"Is that a lighthouse?" Usopp wondered. Up ahead, they indeed saw a lighthouse nearby.
"I remember that lighthouse!" Gin recognized it. "My old crew sailed past it the last time before we reached the Grand Line."
"You should remember, it's one of the guideposts!" Nami explained. "The entrance to the Grand Line is somewhere ahead!"
"We're getting closer and closer to the Grand Line!" Light couldn't be more pleased.
"What now…?" Nami wondered.
"Do we have to go there in the middle of a freaking hurricane like this?" Usopp questioned with shaky legs.
Zoro nodded with a smile. Sanji grinned whilst giving a thumbs up. Light smiled as he held onto his precious hat. Silk shrugged her shoulders and grinned. Gin didn't argue either, and Nami only let out an excited laugh. They are ready to take the next step in their journey together.
"Okay then…." Sanji said as he got everyone's attention. "I think we should say something to mark the occasion."
"Right!" Usopp nodded in agreement.
"Definitely!" Light agreed.
"Let's do it!" Nami said.
Each of the crew gathered around a barrel as they readied to vow their promise.
"I'm going to Grand Line to find the All Blue!" Sanji started it off and placed his foot on the barrel.
"The World's Best Swordsman!" Zoro was second.
"To have the greatest advantage imaginable!" Silk was third.
"To draw a map of the entire world!" Nami was the fourth to declare her dream.
"I guess to be a Brave Warrior of the Sea!" Usopp was fifth.
"To be the Pirate King!" Light was sixth.
Gin was the last one to place his foot on the barrel. He hesitated to say something before he made up his mind and spoke. "And… To never run away from the Grand Line again!"
"And now…!" Light exclaimed. "To the Grand Line!" The teens raised their legs above the barrel.
[Yeah!] They let out a resounding cheer as they smashed the barrel together.
And just like that… This adventure was just beginning.
—…
And that's the chapter.
First of all, I decided that it was about time that Light told the crew what Haki was exactly. I figured it was easier than them constantly being surprised or confused every time they saw him use it. Don't get the wrong idea, though. They just know about it. No one in the crew will be getting Haki any time soon.
As for the fight with Smoker, let's be honest. The only thing that ever made him a powerful enemy at the beginning of the story was the fact that he was a Logia-type. Without that, I can't think of any way he'd be tough to beat. Even in the canon, after the time skip, he's fought three Haki users and got bodied by all of them. So, this was the natural outcome.
And that meeting between Light and Dragon was just a bit of fanservice. I wanted them to meet and speak with each other and show that they at least have a positive opinion of each other. I also had Zoro be there because he's the only crewmate who wouldn't make a big deal of it.
Now, the crew will be entering the Grand Line in the next chapter, and the story is going to get more interesting. There are some things I can't wait to start on.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.
