Chapter 18
"Captain Arlong, aren't you worried they're here to arrest you?"
Buggy couldn't help asking when he saw Arlong still casually eating after hearing the intel.
Pfft!
A bone shot from Arlong's mouth, precisely striking Buggy's sneaking hand.
"Ow~"
Buggy yanked his detached hand back in pain and forced a laugh. "Captain Arlong, no need to be so stingy, right?"
"You're a captain yourself—can't even afford a meal?"
Arlong looked disgusted but still pushed a plate of barbecue toward Buggy.
Buggy: "It's a long story."
Arlong: "Then don't tell it."
Buggy: (′Д(︶︹︺)
I'll bite you!
Buggy kept getting shut down but could only vent on the meat.
Arlong finished the last piece, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and finally answered Buggy's earlier question.
"I only destroyed two branches. That shouldn't warrant this level of response!
If anyone should be worried, it's you…"
Arlong paused, looking at Buggy with amusement. "You were on Pirate King Roger's crew!"
Buggy's pupils shrank. "How do you know that?"
He had only been an apprentice back then—how could anyone notice a nobody like him?
That was basically an admission.
Several diners in the restaurant glanced at Buggy, then hurriedly left.
"You've killed me."
Buggy realized he was being tailed. He glared at the smirking Arlong, pulled on his hood, and stormed out.
He was furious—good intentions unrewarded.
As Buggy left, a few more customers followed.
Pirate King. One Piece. Plenty of people would jump at that lead.
"Skwahahaha~"
Arlong was extremely pleased with his handiwork and burst into laughter.
But inwardly he wondered: why would a mere Loguetown attract an admiral?
At that moment, a striking figure passed by the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling window, catching Arlong's peripheral vision.
[Ding! Detected a beauty meeting system requirements. Host, please improve relations as soon as possible.]
The system suddenly chimed.
Arlong bolted up and chased outside, but she had already vanished into the crowd.
"Pretty fast!"
A bit of a shame—women meant strength to him.
Loguetown had plenty of beautiful women.
But system-qualified ones had to be canon characters with significant roles.
Gain her if fate allows; lose her if not.
Arlong consoled himself, then headed to Loguetown's square—home to the tall execution platform.
The place where Roger was executed, and where Luffy would make his name.
Arlong planned to destroy it. No stage for the protagonist.
…
Meanwhile,
The Straw Hats and Smoker arrived in Loguetown at the same time.
Just like in the anime.
Zoro and Tashigi met at the weapon shop.
"I'm sorry—the shop's treasures were just sold."
"WHAT?!"
Both sword lovers were gutted.
A blade from the Fifty Skillful Grade was a rare find.
If it had been sold days earlier, fine—but they missed it by mere moments.
The two left disappointed. The owner twisted the knife.
"And the third-generation Kitetsu was bought too."
Zoro: (ヾ????) Tashigi: (ヾ????)
…
Luffy went to the barbecue restaurant for food, but the generous mark Buggy wasn't there.
Luffy tried to dine and dash and got stuck washing dishes—one broken per wash.
The owner wasn't mad—he smiled and encouraged Luffy to break more.
If his crew didn't come pay, he'd turn Luffy over to the Marines for the bounty.
Krara, watching from the shadows, couldn't stand it. She paid with her pocket money to bail him out.
Looking at her unreliable captain, Krara was speechless. [●′?｀●]
"Krara… did I mess up?"
Seeing her upset face, Luffy tilted his head seriously.
"Was it because I stole a piece of your meat yesterday?"
Krara: (＃｀д′)?
Kind way to put it: airheaded. Harsh way: total idiot.
After days together, Krara was starting to doubt her boss's words.
Could this moron really help the Revolutionary Army?
Passersby conversation caught her attention.
"Clown Buggy was actually on Roger's crew! Capture him and we'll find One Piece!"
Krara's eyes lit up. That treasure could fund the Revolutionary Army forever.
She hoped Luffy would get involved.
Luffy pouted. "No. I'm becoming Pirate King on my own strength."
Krara: (′-ι_-｀)
…
Loguetown square was packed.
Even twenty years later, tourists flocked here.
After all, no one had claimed One Piece yet.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
A middle-aged tourist shouted as Arlong approached the execution platform.
The yell drew nearby attention.
Arlong grinned his signature evil grin, sending chills through the crowd.
A casual sweep of his leg snapped two support beams.
The platform slowly toppled toward him.
BOOM! Loguetown's landmark collapsed in a cloud of dust.
"Why did the execution platform fall?"
The massive crash turned every head in the square.
When the dust settled, they saw the culprit—Arlong. They were about to condemn him.
Then maniacal laughter echoed.
"Skwahahaha~"
The execution platform was gone—only Arlong's laughter remained.
A cloud of smoke suddenly appeared in the square.
From the white mist came a roar: "White Fist!"
The smoke split, forming a car-sized fist that rocketed toward Arlong.
The terrifying sight sent tourists scrambling.
"The big smoker—finally here."
Facing the massive fist, Arlong showed no fear. As it neared, his own fist turned black.
A simple uppercut shattered Smoker's attack.
"Armament Haki!"
Smoker's pupils contracted in disbelief.
The intel hadn't mentioned that.
"Looks like you haven't been slacking in the East Blue!"
From the smoke, Smoker revealed his chiseled upper body, two cigars clamped in his mouth, glaring down at Arlong.
He never expected the former small fry to grow this much.
"It's Colonel Smoker!"
"Colonel Smoker!"
Seeing him appear calmed the panicked tourists.
The bolder ones stayed to watch.
Arlong used Geppo to float level with Smoker, smirking.
"You're a public hero now. Losing would be embarrassing!"
"My job is to capture you."
Smoker roared, "White Snake!"
He swung his hands.
Two smoke serpents shot toward Arlong.
Arlong grabbed one in each hand. "Smoker, you know Armament counters Devil Fruits."
A slight squeeze and the struggling snakes dissipated into smoke.
Damn it!
Smoker cursed inwardly but didn't give up.
Both hands swung again.
"White: Serpent Frenzy!"
Smoke surged. Dozens of bucket-thick white serpents writhed toward Arlong.
The sky-darkening snakes drew screams from the crowd.
"Wow!"
"Colonel Smoker is furious—Arlong's done for!"
==============================================================
Support me and be 100 chapters ahead of webnovel:
patreon.com/inkshield