The Going Merry cut across the waters like an arrow. For weeks now, the Straw Hat Pirates had trained, laughed, sparred, and bonded—but now they were here. Loguetown—the last major town before entering the Grand Line, and the place where the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had drawn his last breath.
As the ship docked, the air thickened with a strange mixture of excitement and unease. This town carried history in its wind.
Luffy jumped off the Merry the moment they tied it up, stretching with a huge grin. "We made it!"
"This is where it all began… and where it ended," Vihaan muttered, standing beside Nami, who adjusted her orange top as she looked out at the harbor.
Zoro crossed his arms. "It's where Roger died. Let's not get careless."
"I'm going shopping," Nami announced, tossing her hair. "Vihaan, you're coming. You promised to help me carry things."
Vihaan sighed but followed with a smirk. "Only if I get to pick a few supplies too."
Sanji whistled. "Don't let her spend all our money, Mirror Boy."
"I'll go get meat!" Luffy yelled, already vanishing into the crowd.
Usopp and Zoro wandered off to explore, while Sanji vanished toward the nearest café.
What none of them knew was that Captain Smoker, the White Hunter, had been alerted. The infamous Straw Hat Pirates had been sighted.
High above the town square, Smoker exhaled twin puffs of smoke, his eyes narrowing. "Monkey D. Luffy… your voyage ends here."
Below, Luffy munched on a meat skewer. "This place is nice! So many stalls!"
"You're under arrest," came a gruff voice.
Luffy turned just in time to see Smoker's smoke-coiled jitte slam into his chest. It sent him flying into a nearby stand.
"What the—!?"
Luffy leapt up and threw a punch, but it passed through Smoker's smoke-body harmlessly.
"Logia-type, huh?" Luffy mumbled.
"You don't stand a chance," Smoker stated flatly.
Just as he raised his jitte again, a blinding light flared.
"Mirror Dome!"
Vihaan leapt in from the side, slamming his palm into the ground as an orb of reflective glass encased Smoker. The Marine grunted as the dome sealed tightly.
Smoke swirled inside but couldn't escape.
"You okay, Luff?" Vihaan asked, helping him up.
"Yep. You're getting faster!"
Vihaan gave a faint smile—until he turned and saw a man in a green cloak watching them from a distance. His presence was heavy, like a storm contained in a bottle.
He blinked—and the man was gone.
'Who was that…?' Vihaan wondered, his heartbeat quickening. Whoever it was, they were powerful.
In the confusion, Buggy had sprung his trap.
He and Alvida had ambushed Luffy during his wanderings, binding him in chains and dragging him to the execution platform, the very one where Gol D. Roger was slain.
Citizens gathered, gasping at the sight.
"Monkey D. Luffy," Buggy laughed, sword raised. "Today, history repeats itself!"
Luffy smiled. "Guess I get to die like a legend, huh?"
Vihaan and the others were still scattered—too far to reach in time.
Buggy brought the sword down.
BOOOOOOM!
A lightning bolt tore from the sky, obliterating the platform. Luffy stood amidst the smoke, laughing.
"Looks like the heavens disagree!"
On the other hand,
Zoro walked alone through the quieter parts of Loguetown, eventually coming across a small, old-fashioned sword shop nestled between a tavern and a bakery. Its wooden sign creaked with the wind, and inside, the scent of oiled blades and history filled the air.
A kind, old shopkeeper welcomed him in, but what caught Zoro's attention wasn't the weapons—it was the young Marine woman browsing the rack opposite him.
She turned—and Zoro's breath caught. The face staring back at him looked exactly like Kuina.
"Kuina…?" he whispered.
The woman looked confused. "I'm sorry?"
He snapped back to reality, eyes narrowing. "You just… look like someone I knew."
"I'm Tashigi," she said, pushing up her glasses. "And you shouldn't be touching that blade. It's cursed."
Zoro was holding the Sandai Kitetsu, a blade wrapped in deep red silk, humming with dark energy.
"It chooses its wielder," the shopkeeper warned. "Everyone who's used that sword has met a bloody end."
Zoro smirked. "Then I guess I'll test my luck."
Before anyone could stop him, he tossed the sword into the air—and extended his arm.
SHHHING—
The blade missed his arm by a hair, slicing clean through the counter behind him.
Both Tashigi and the shopkeeper stared.
"…You really are crazy," Tashigi murmured.
"Not crazy," Zoro replied. "Just ready to face fate."
The old man, impressed, offered Zoro Yubashiri for free—a beautiful, light sword with a pure, noble aura to balance the bloodlust of the Kitetsu.
As Zoro walked out with the two blades tucked in his sash, he paused.
"Kuina's face… and a cursed sword. This town's full of ghosts."
He looked down at the blades.
"One will keep me grounded. The other will keep me on edge. That's balance."
Vihaan sprinted back to the market, only to be greeted by—
WHAM!
A shopping bag slammed into his chest.
"You left me, again!" Nami shouted.
"I had to help Luffy," Vihaan groaned.
Nami huffed and turned, arms crossed.
Vihaan stepped forward and hugged her. "I'm sorry. I really am."
She didn't hug back at first—but then slowly melted into it.
After a pause, Vihaan whispered, "Want to see something cool?"
With a flash, mirror wings spread from his back. He scooped her into his arms and soared into the sky.
From above, Loguetown was peaceful. The sun dipped low, casting long rays across the buildings and ocean.
"It's beautiful," Nami whispered.
Vihaan looked at her. "Not as beautiful as—"
"Finish that and I'll kick you in the nuts," she said, smirking.
20K VIEWS SPECIAL EARLY DROP , WILL BE DROPPING 2 MORE CHAPTERS TODAY