Under the gloomy curtain of rain.
A luxurious cruise ship, escorted by three warships, slowly made its way toward the docks of Loguetown.
"Ah, Loguetown!!"
Altai stood at the bow of the ship, gently swirling a glass of red wine in his hand. "Though it's far inferior to my royal capital, it's still quite nice!"
"Hey, Onigumo!" He glanced sideways at the man behind him. "That so-called Pirate King, Roger, died here, didn't he?"
"Yes, Your Majesty Altai," replied Vice Admiral Onigumo, who was standing nearby with a cigarette in his mouth. He nodded respectfully. "The execution platform in the square is where he met his end. If you wish to visit, I can order the Marine soldiers on the island to lay out a red carpet from the docks all the way to the platform."
"Go ahead and do it," Altai waved his hand lazily. "But just looking around the docks will be enough for me. Going all the way to the execution platform? I can't be bothered to walk that far. I mainly just enjoy watching you Marine soldiers do the kind of menial labor usually reserved for lowly servants. Hahaha!"
"..."
Onigumo's brow furrowed slightly, and a flicker of displeasure flashed in his eyes. But in the next moment, he quickly replaced it with a polite smile and gave a slight bow.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
...
Smoker stood at the stern of the ship, his expression blank as he stared at the obese figure of Altai in the distance.
Compared to a few days ago, his face and chest now bore several whip marks.
—These were the result of Altai's furious outburst when Smoker had saved a fishing boat and its elderly couple. Altai had personally lashed him with a whip.
If it were any ordinary king, they wouldn't have such authority. But Altai was no ordinary king—he possessed one-quarter Celestial Dragon bloodline.
To be precise, over thirty years ago, a princess from the Pith Kingdom had attended a World Government meeting and caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon. After being "favored" by him, she returned home pregnant.
The royal family of the Pith Kingdom celebrated this as a great honor and immediately elevated the princess to the position of first heir to the throne.
A generation later, Altai, the princess's eldest grandson, naturally ascended to the throne upon reaching adulthood.
He was undoubtedly a contradictory and unique figure.
On one hand.
All the Celestial Dragon families in the Holy Land refused to acknowledge such a mixed-blood descendant. They would never implant a chip in him or allow Altai to act as a Celestial Dragon.
But on the other hand.
Those below, whether in the Marine Headquarters or the World Government, dared not treat Altai as just an ordinary king.
After all, his Celestial Dragon grandfather was still alive and held a high position within his family. There were even rumors that he had inquired several times about the current state of his grandson. If anything were to happen to Altai, the Holy Land would undoubtedly retaliate.
"..." Smoker gently touched the whip marks on his face and shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.
As a Logia-type ability user, he had been whipped and left covered in wounds by a fat, ordinary man. How humiliating.
But no matter what.
The elderly couple had ultimately been saved.
And the price he paid was just a beating with a whip. It was worth it, wasn't it?
—If only it hadn't been Vice Admiral Onigumo who personally delivered him to Altai.
Smoker lit two cigars and quietly gazed at Onigumo.
He didn't hate the man. He just couldn't help but feel that the word "Justice" emblazoned on the white cloak draped over Onigumo's back had never seemed so glaringly ironic.
When did it all start?
Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze distant.
He clearly remembered that over a decade ago, when he first met Vice Admiral Onigumo, the man was a passionate youth who would slam the table and stand up to nobles for the sake of justice in his heart.
Within the Navy.
Has it really only been Vice Admiral Onigumo who has changed?
Or perhaps, nothing has changed at all, and it was just that in the past, he had chosen to overlook many things...
...
At the second floor of the café in the central square of Loguetown.
"All the dishes you ordered are here. If you need anything, just call out; I'll be downstairs."
The cafe owner cheerfully placed five glasses of sparkling drinks on the table and, under Agin's eager gaze, set a large bowl of strawberry cake in front of it.
"Hehe, thank you, Cafe Owner~"
Nami happily sipped her orange soda, glancing at the figure across the table shrouded in a white hooded robe. "Uncle Zeff, it's rare for all of us to be together. Are you really going to keep that on? You're not even taking it off to eat?"
"In a place like this, it's better to be cautious," Zeff grinned.
His current status was somewhat special; he was the only one on the entire ship with a bounty.
Although it had been a long, long time since his bounty was last updated, and the photo on the wanted poster looked quite different from his current appearance, making it hard for most people to recognize him.
But Loguetown was a unique place, a melting pot where the strongest Navy branch in the East Blue coexisted with bounty hunters operating in the shadows. It was better to keep a low profile.
Of course.
Zeff also knew that Xiano didn't care about how the outside world judged him or whether he would be wanted. In fact, even before setting sail, Xiano had prepared himself for the possibility of being wanted by the World Government.
But the decision of when to take that path should rest in the hands of the Captain, and it shouldn't be forced upon him due to unforeseen circumstances.
As a crew member, one must have that awareness.
"So, the Navy girl who looks exactly like Kuina was taken to work just five minutes before I arrived? And she left this, asking you to hand it to me to sign?"
Xiano held up the old photo in his hand.
"Yes," Kuina nodded. "They said some big shot arrived, and almost all the Marines went to the dock to welcome him. Tashigi had to go too."
"She was really sad she couldn't see you. Before leaving, she said that if she was lucky enough to get your signature, she could leave the photo with the cafe owner here, and she'd come back to pick it up after she was done."
Tch, a big shot.
Loguetown was, after all, just a small town. What kind of big shot would bother coming here?
Xiano didn't pay it much mind. After tonight, he planned to steal—no, take—the execution platform and leave for Reverse Mountain.
No matter how troublesome the nobles were, it was the Navy's problem, not his.
It was a pity, though, that he didn't get to see the scene of Tashigi and Kuina together.
Glancing at the photo in his hand, Xiano thought that he might not have another chance to see Tashigi for a while, so he casually offered it as a sacrifice.
[Offering: Tashigi's Treasured Old Photo]
[Quality: Fine]
[Value: 200 Points]
[Appraisal Comment: The carefully clipped and preserved photo from the newspaper that Tashigi kept close to her heart carried the dreams and convictions of her youth. It was this very photo that supported her step by step as she journeyed from the countryside to the Marine branch, walking alone on the path of swordsmanship and justice. The figure of the black-haired youth standing with a sword in hand was the beacon she held deep within her heart, as well as the burning aspiration she never voiced during countless days and nights of wielding her sword.]
"..."
Xiano's temple throbbed with a visible vein.
—This damn system!
(End of Chapter)