A remote bar on the outskirts of Loguetown.
"…Roger slaughtered his opponent to death at that moment, and from there, his legendary adventure finally began."
The bar owner, an old man, stood behind the counter telling tales about Roger's life.
Franky drank his cola and groaned in the silence:
"Hey, why is the version I know different from what you're saying?"
"Hmph, you don't know anything. I saw Roger become the Pirate King myself!" the old man dismissed him. "Roger himself told me the story."
Franky smirked: "When I was a kid, I met Roger, and he even wanted me to join his crew. Of course, I refused."
The old man: "…"
He thought he was good at bragging, but today he'd met his match.
Unbearable!
Before he could respond, Franky suddenly stiffened.
[Franky, bring that subordinate of Shiki.]
Luffy?
Franky immediately rose from the bar and slapped down a thousand Berries on the counter.
"Sorry, I've got something to take care of. I'll hear more of Roger's stories next time."
With that, he grabbed the unconscious man beside him and quickly left the bar.
The bar owner was left fuming in silence.
Damn it, don't run away!
---
Dining room.
"Luffy, I brought the guy."
As soon as Franky entered, he saw a group of marines and was stunned: "What's going on here?"
"Nothing much."
Luffy's gaze landed on the prisoner in Franky's hands.
This man was a survivor from yesterday, captured by Zoro while cleaning up the battlefield. He had once been Golden Lion's right-hand man.
Dr. Indigo, the ship's doctor and fighter.
"This guy knows Golden Lion's plans and where the rest of his men went. You can get it out of him."
Hearing this, Garp stood up immediately, his face serious: "Let's go then, Zephyr."
"Right. Time is money, and trash like this should be cleaned up quickly!"
Zephyr rose and seized Dr. Indigo.
Garp turned: "Tashigi, Ain, Binz—you three stay here and wait to receive the gold."
There were about ten tons of gold, so he decided to leave the three behind to make sure it was secured.
"Yes, sir!"
Soon after, Garp departed with his men.
Franky approached, confused: "What's going on, Luffy?"
"I'd like to know that too."
Luffy smiled helplessly.
How had a pirate like him ended up as an investor for a new marine faction?
Just thinking about it made Tashigi's eyes twitch. She asked quietly: "Straw Hat Luffy… when will your gold ship return?"
"Soon."
Luffy leaned back against the chair, legs propped up on the table, rubbing his shoulders with a frown: "I fought Golden Lion yesterday. I'm a little tired. If someone gave me a hand, maybe the Sunny would get back faster."
I really want to strangle this man!
Tashigi bit her lower lip, then silently stepped behind him, stretched out her hands, and began massaging his shoulders.
"Is this enough?"
"Almost."
"And like this!?"
"Shishishi, your service attitude is terrible, glasses girl." Luffy laughed.
Standing up, he said to Franky: "When Nami comes back, tell her to hand over the gold to them."
"Luffy, what are you going to do?" Franky understood.
Luffy walked straight out of the restaurant and looked up at the sky with a grin: "And now…"
The artificial moon above Loguetown's execution plaza suddenly vanished.
No one knew that the massive artificial moon was heading straight for the Holy Land of Mariejois.
---
"Are the Divine Knights chasing me?"
Standing on the artificial moon, Luffy recalled what Garp had told him half a month ago:
"That's right. They're the knights who protect the Celestial Dragons."
It didn't make sense.
Leaving the Holy Land undefended to chase him across the world?
Were they underestimating him?
Did they think the Holy Land was that safe?
With the intent of giving the Celestial Dragons a little taste of danger, Luffy left Loguetown in East Blue and set course for Mariejois.
Almost halfway around the planet.
Even with his speed, it was already night when he arrived.
The place was easy to find—no need for directions.
Now.
Late at night.
Mariejois shone brightly.
Electricity was rare in this world, but for the Celestial Dragons who lived there, it was cheap.
Countless slaves were forced to generate it.
In the prisons beneath the Holy Land, slaves trampled endlessly on dynamos, burning their lives away to light the Celestial Dragons' nights.
"Fall."
Luffy gestured downward, and the artificial moon beneath his feet plummeted toward Mariejois.
As it entered free fall, the flames of atmospheric friction set the thousand-meter-wide sphere ablaze, illuminating the night sky.
At the same time—
The faces of the Five Elders, who had been preparing to sleep, suddenly changed.
"Something's falling from the sky!"
"An enemy attack?! The Revolutionary Army?"
The only enemy they could imagine.
"If that thing falls on Mariejois, everything here will be annihilated!"
Throwing open the window, Ethanbaron leapt skyward in a single bound.
His right hand gripped the hilt, Haki surging over the blade.
A jet-black slash soared into the heavens.
The artificial moon, more than a kilometer wide, was cleaved in two in an instant.
But Ethanbaron didn't stop.
High above, Luffy, concealing his presence entirely, watched silently.
The Five Elders naturally had considerable combat power.
Of course, Ethanbaron's strike would shatter the stone into pieces.
"But it won't matter…"
Luffy stretched out his right hand and curled his five fingers inward.
Immediately, the bisected moon, which should have fallen away from the Holy Land, suddenly shifted direction and continued descending toward Mariejois.
"What…!" Ethanbaron's eyes widened. "Someone's controlling this thing!!"
He didn't have time to think. With a swift slash, he cut again.
In an instant, the artificial moon was sliced into hundreds of smaller fragments.
Even so, the wreckage rained down upon the Holy Land without pause.
In the night sky, it had become a cluster of meteorites.
Boom!!
As the first debris struck the Holy Land, flames burst across the sky in an instant.
Shockwaves obliterated the surrounding houses.
But this was only the beginning.
More fragments lit up the night sky over the Holy Land, until it seemed like day.
---
End of Chapter