As Luffy and the others went off to do their own things, Shin'ya remained alone on the Merry Go. He leaned boredly against the bow, gazing at the distant sea, his thoughts drifting. Unbeknownst to him, drowsiness crept in. Shin'ya's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and soon he slowly closed his eyes.
Not long after he entered dreamland, the sky began to change. What had been a clear, sunny sky was suddenly covered by thick dark clouds. The gloomy sky seemed to foretell an approaching storm.
Meanwhile, Zoro, relying on his strength and luck at the weapon shop, successfully "freeloaded" two famous swords—Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri.
Sanji, on his end, unexpectedly discovered a cooking competition. For Sanji, this was undoubtedly an excellent opportunity to showcase his culinary skills. The prize? A rare fish from the West Blue. He didn't hesitate to sign up, and with his exquisite cooking, he ultimately won first place, claiming the large fish as his reward.
Luffy wandered aimlessly until he arrived at a tavern named "Gol D. Roger," imbued with a strong sense of history. The tavern owner was an old man, and besides him, there wasn't a single customer drinking there. Luffy quietly sat to the side, listening intently as the owner recounted Roger's past deeds, as if he could feel the passion and excitement of that era through these stories.
Nami was taking Shin'ya's clone shopping for clothes, and now the clone was already laden with large bags of clothing.
Usopp, while walking around aimlessly, met someone who called himself a sharpshooter. The two were now competing in a shooting match on a bridge.
Just as Shin'ya had fallen asleep, a tall figure in a green cloak appeared on the Merry Go, his target clearly Shin'ya.
Shin'ya had already woken up the moment the cloaked figure appeared. He sat up, turned his head, and looked at him.
"You're Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, aren't you? What do you want with me?"
Dragon walked over and sat cross-legged in front of Shin'ya, looking at him intently and asking,
"What is your purpose in joining Luffy's pirate crew? A powerhouse like you shouldn't be interested in a crew like my son's, right?"
Shin'ya rolled his eyes at Dragon.
"What are you thinking? If I had any ill intentions toward your kid, would I need to go through all this trouble? Can any of them even withstand one of my slaps?"
"Hmm~ You're right. A powerhouse like you indeed has no need to use Luffy," Dragon said nonchalantly.
Then he opened his mouth to invite Shin'ya.
"You're simply wasted on my son's ship. How about joining our Revolutionary Army? I'll give you the position of Vice Commander."
"Forget it. Your Revolutionary Army doesn't even dare show itself openly right now. What's the point of living like that? I'd rather stay on your kid's ship. At least I can protect them." Shin'ya looked at Dragon with an annoyed expression.
"Alright, if you're unwilling, I won't force you. I'm going to see Luffy now. Goodbye." Seeing that Shin'ya wasn't interested, Dragon got up to leave.
On Luffy's side, after leaving Roger's tavern, he ran straight toward the execution platform.
As Luffy arrived below the platform, two familiar figures appeared behind him: Buggy the Clown and Alvida, who had eaten the Slip-Slip Fruit.
Seeing Luffy staring blankly at the platform, the two ambushed him, tied him up tightly, and brought him to the top, preparing to execute him.
The commotion attracted Sanji, Zoro, Nami, and others who had finished their errands. They rushed over to see what was happening.
Upon arriving, Zoro immediately became enraged.
"Luffy, what the hell are you doing?!" Then he turned to Buggy.
"Buggy the Clown, release Luffy immediately, or you'll regret it later!"
Looking down at the Straw Hat Pirates, Buggy put his hands on his hips and burst into laughter.
"Release him? Impossible! Do you know how miserable I've been since that bastard sent me flying? Chased by wild dogs, fighting for food, unwanted by people…"
He started crying.
"That bastard scattered my body parts everywhere! I nearly drowned trying to find them! If I hadn't met Alvida, I'd be dead! And now you want me to release him? Impossible! I'm going to execute him right here!"
"And me, you damned brat! Although you hit me before I got the Slip-Slip Fruit, I won't let you off either! Unless you become my man, then I'll let you go!" Alvida added.
Luffy looked at her, confused.
"Who are you again? Do we know each other?"
Alvida immediately became furious.
"You damned bastard! You forgot me so quickly?! You're the only man who's ever touched my body, and you dare to forget me!"
High in the sky, Dragon had a forehead full of black lines upon hearing her suggestive shouting.
Seeing that Luffy still didn't recognize her, Alvida yelled,
"Buggy, kill him! Kill this heartless man!"
Luffy struggled, but Buggy had tied him up too tightly. He stopped resisting and instead smiled at his friends below—Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, and Shin'ya's clone.
"Guys, I'm going to die."
Smoker and the Marines, who had rushed over, were stunned by the sight.
"He's actually smiling…" Smoker muttered. He could tell Luffy was genuinely unafraid—just like Roger.
"It would be better if this kid dies," Smoker thought. "If he doesn't, he'll be a massive threat."
The onlookers laughed.
"Hahaha! This guy is hilarious! He's about to die and he's smiling?! What's going through his head?!"
Suddenly, the clouded sky poured down with heavy rain.
Looking at Luffy, Buggy raised the knife and swung it toward his neck.
"Die, brat!"
Just as the blade was about to land, a thunderclap roared across the sky, and a massive bolt of lightning struck Buggy.
BOOM!
"Ahhhh!" Buggy screamed, electrocuted and collapsing. The ropes binding Luffy were also destroyed by the lightning.
Seeing Luffy freed, Smoker barked,
"All Marines, capture the pirates! Don't let a single one escape!"
Luffy leaped down in front of his crew, laughing.
"Hahaha! I don't have to die anymore! Guys, run with all your might—let's leave Loguetown!"
"Oh yeah!" the Straw Hats shouted in unison as they dashed for the port.
Seeing them escape, Buggy, still twitching from the lightning, stood up.
"Minions! Chase the Straw Hats! Forget the Marines—charge! Buggy's Four-Wheeler Transformation!"
Alvida, unfazed by gunfire, charged as well.
"Bullets are useless against me! I'm a Slip-Slip Human! Everything just slides off!" she declared, chasing after Luffy.
But just as the two were about to reach them, a man with a green mohawk blocked their path.
"They're the companions of my idol, Zen Master Thousand Hands! You're not getting past me!" he declared, forming a hand sign. A barrier appeared, blocking the entire street.
Bartolomeo turned and shouted at the wood clone,
"Idol! My name is Bartolomeo! Remember me! I'll block them—you guys go! I'll go to sea to find you!"
Shin'ya and Zoro turned back, gave a thumbs-up, and shouted,
"Nice job, Mohawk!"
Just then, a white stream of smoke darted toward Luffy.
"You're not leaving, Straw Hat Kid! You're too dangerous to walk free—White Fist!"
The attack came fast. Luffy dodged and countered with Gum-Gum Pistol, but it passed straight through Smoker's body.
"Huh? I couldn't hit him?!"
"Straw Hat Kid, it's useless!" Smoker said.
"I'm a Logia type Devil Fruit user! In the East Blue, where no one even knows what Haki is, I'm invincible! Just give up!"
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji's eyes lit up.
"Can we hit him with Haki? Let's try."
And so, something very painful happened to Smoker.
Luffy turned to Nami and Usopp.
"You two head back to the Merry Go and wait for us! We'll finish him and then head for the Grand Line!"
Knowing they couldn't help, they nodded and ran for the ship.
Shin'ya's clone stepped forward.
"You guys go. I'll hold off the Marine fodder so they don't chase Nami or interfere with your fight."
Then he unleashed Conqueror's Haki—focused only on the Marines and not on Luffy or Smoker.
A red-purple wave of pressure swept through Loguetown. Townspeople, pirates, and Marines all collapsed unconscious, leaving only Luffy and his crew standing.
---
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