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"Straw Hat Luffy! You are surrounded!!!"
"Come down and surrender to justice!!!"
In the largest square in Loguetown, Tashigi led a group of Marines to surround the execution platform, shouting at Luffy who was climbing toward the top.
At her waist, Shigure, the blade that normally rested there, had disappeared.
In its place was a fine sword with a jet-black blade.
It was the family heirloom that the weapons shop owner had sold her – the renowned sword Yubashiri.
Though the exact details of how she acquired this famous blade remained unclear, and what role Red's words might have played in it...
Tashigi had finally succeeded in obtaining this legendary sword and brought it with her to capture the infamous pirate Luffy!
From the intersections around the square, groups of Marines arrived steadily, strengthening their numbers for the capture.
Outside the siege, however, a crowd of Loguetown locals gathered, watching the scene with curious excitement rather than fear.
For years, Loguetown had been a gathering place for pirates.
Because of this, the character of the locals had been deeply influenced by pirate culture, making them remarkably bold!
It was rare to witness such excitement, so they all gathered in swarms.
After all...
They had even witnessed the execution of the Pirate King himself – what could be more dangerous than that?!
"Hey! Look! That guy seems to be the notorious pirate Straw Hat Luffy with a bounty of 50 million Berries!"
"What?! Is that the evil pirate who attacked the Marine base and then escaped?!"
"No wonder the Marines want to block the entire square. It seems this big-shot pirate won't escape justice after all!"
"His bounty was just issued recently, right? Hmph, now the Marines have something to brag about."
"That's not necessarily true! Don't underestimate pirates!"
"..."
"..."
Among the crowd, some looked forward to seeing Luffy battle the Marines, others hoped to witness the pirate's capture, while some took the opportunity to voice their dissatisfaction with the Navy...
For a while, the townspeople with different opinions engaged in heated discussion.
A pirate with a 50 million Berry bounty!
Even to the well-informed natives of Loguetown, this was a significant event worth discussing!
Meanwhile, Luffy, who was the subject of everyone's conversation, couldn't clearly hear what Tashigi was shouting from below.
After turning around and seeing the dense crowd gathered below, he couldn't help but exclaim:
"Wow~ there are so many people~!"
He continued climbing toward the top of the execution platform.
What he didn't realize was...
His behavior at this moment, in the eyes of many observers, appeared to be the desperate action of someone with no escape after being surrounded by the Marines.
Even the only member of the allied fleet under his command couldn't escape this strange misperception.
...
A quarter of an hour earlier.
The Buggy Pirates, having heard that the Straw Hats had arrived in Loguetown, came to the square and hid among the crowd after tracking them all the way.
"Captain Buggy, look! It's Boss Luffy!"
Thanks to Tashigi's shouting, Buggy and his crew quickly spotted Luffy being pursued by Marines and "forced" to climb the execution platform.
"This is terrible!"
Seeing more and more Marines running toward the square from all directions, Buggy's face suddenly showed a concerned expression.
He immediately asked his subordinates: "Have you found any other Straw Hat crew members?"
"No, Captain Buggy."
At Buggy's signal, Mohji stood on his lion Richie's back, balancing on the beast's head.
After looking around for a while, he said disappointedly:
"Could they have been captured by the Marines?"
"Impossible!"
After hearing Mohji's words, Buggy objected without hesitation.
In his mind flashed the memory of piercing red eyes that seemed to command respect and fear.
How could a young man with that kind of aura and abilities be defeated at the entrance to the Grand Line!
After considering his options, Buggy finally gritted his teeth and said:
"Inform everyone and prepare for battle!"
"Also, keep your eyes open. If you spot any other Straw Hat members, report to me immediately!"
Now that he had shared the sacred wine of friendship among pirates and decided to follow the Straw Hats, he no longer had the option of turning back.
If necessary, he would even sacrifice his own pirate crew to protect the Straw Hats!
This is what it means to be a true pirate!
Pirates might be treacherous, cunning, despicable, greedy, and tyrannical.
But at the same time...
They will fight until their last breath for a flag that must never fall; they will risk their lives to honor a verbal agreement; they will cherish a hearty banquet as one of life's greatest treasures!
In this chaotic world, pirates have their own code of honor!
...
Following Buggy's orders, the entire Buggy Pirates sprung into action.
They didn't have a numerical advantage over the Marines.
So they needed to find another strategy!
As a proper pirate, Buggy quickly devised a despicable yet cunning plan...
Take the nearby Loguetown residents as hostages!
If they positioned their cannons strategically and relied on the powerful Buggy Bombs, they could force the Marines to negotiate and allow the Straw Hats to leave Loguetown!
As for what would happen next...
"We'll deal with that later!!!"
Once Buggy had formulated his plan, a wide grin spread across his face, followed by maniacal laughter.
His separated body expanded dramatically beneath his cloak, revealing his bright red nose!
"After this, I'll make history, right?"
"Gyahahahaha~"
Buggy's sudden wild laughter frightened nearby onlookers, causing them to step back.
In truth, even he didn't know exactly what he was laughing about.
Was he laughing at himself for still being as naive as in his youth? Or was he laughing because he remained as fearless and arrogant as ever?!
None of that mattered anymore!
Watching his busy crew dispersed through the crowd, he quietly floated into the air, found a hidden corner, and observed from afar.
"Come on! Straw Hat Luffy!"
"Let me see what makes you so special and how you managed to win the favor of that bastard Shanks!"
...
Meanwhile, Buggy wasn't the only one secretly observing Luffy!
In another corner of Loguetown, the revolutionary leader Monkey D. Dragon, known as "the world's most dangerous criminal," was also hidden behind a tall tower, much like Buggy.
Looking at Luffy surrounded by Marines, Dragon didn't believe for a moment that his son was cornered.
After all, family knows family best.
The bloodline of the Monkey family would never produce cowards or weaklings!
Watching Luffy suddenly extend his rubber arms and pull himself up to the platform in one swift movement, Dragon, with the distinctive tattoos on his face, murmured softly:
"A free pirate..."
"Perhaps that's a good choice after all."
"Go for it, Luffy!"
"Now that you've made your decision, move forward without hesitation!"
"Use your life to measure this cruel world!!!"
A sudden gust of wind swept through, and Dragon's figure vanished without a trace.
...
Back to the present.
"Yosh! Finally made it to the top!!!"
The height of the execution platform, only twenty or thirty meters tall, posed no challenge for Luffy.
He quickly reached the platform's top and looked down excitedly.
"Is this what the Pirate King Roger saw before his death!?"
Looking at the tiny figures below gave him a unique perspective, like "seeing all the small mountains at once."
In that moment, the world seemed to fall silent.
Dark clouds gathered above Luffy's head, as if they had come to witness something momentous.
Luffy suddenly stretched his arms wide open, reaching toward the sky.
Ever since arriving in this city, he had felt an inexplicable pounding in his heart!
And in that bar named [Gold Roger], after drinking the glass of milk offered by the old owner, this feeling had intensified.
Now, standing at the very spot where the previous Pirate King had died, this sensation reached its peak.
A bright smile appeared on Luffy's face, full of excitement and determination.
Under the gaze of thousands of eyes, he took a deep breath, opened his eyes wide with unwavering resolve, and shouted to the world:
"One Piece!!!"
"I will find it!!!!"
BOOM!!!
A blazing lightning bolt suddenly flashed above Luffy's head, like a spotlight, illuminating his figure for all to see.
Then came a deafening thunderclap, drowning out all other noise in the world, leaving only the echo of Luffy's declaration in everyone's minds.
The heavy rain began to fall, instantly transforming Loguetown into a curtain of water.
Yet the people below stood frozen, watching Luffy without moving.
"Shishishi! That feels good!"
After shouting, Luffy felt extremely satisfied.
"So..."
He secured his straw hat firmly on his head with one hand, his face displaying his signature smile, and murmured to himself:
"It's about time to go back and meet up with my friends~"
"After all, our adventure has just begun!"