Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
"..."
A silk-smooth drizzle fell from the sky, washing away both the dust and tears from Tashigi's face.
"Why?!"
Defeated, Tashigi raised her head blankly, looked at Zoro who was sheathing Wado Ichimonji, and then asked loudly:
"Why don't you just kill me?!"
"You could easily do it, right?!"
"Huh?!" Zoro looked at her, about to say something.
But instantly, his expression became stunned.
"Ku...Kuina?!"
Looking at Tashigi's familiar yet unfamiliar face after she lost her glasses, Zoro blurted out the name of his childhood friend.
But the next second, he immediately shook off the water droplets on his eyelashes to wake himself up.
Wrong.
Kuina had already left this world.
This was just a woman who looked very similar to Kuina.
Zoro turned around, no longer looking at the face that made his heart throb, and asked in a deep voice: "Why should I kill you?"
Tashigi clenched her fists, as if she was humiliated.
"You're a pirate and I'm a Marine! We're naturally enemies!"
"You committed heinous crimes at Marine Base 16, yet you show mercy to me now!"
"Just because I'm a woman?!"
"This is simply disgraceful!!! You damn bastard!!!"
"Hey, you...?!"
Listening to Tashigi's accusations, Zoro's brows suddenly furrowed.
But at this moment, Red suddenly came over, patted Zoro on the shoulder with one hand and said:
"It's okay, Zoro, let it go."
As he spoke, he slowly walked forward and picked up the Yubashiri that had fallen to the ground.
In a stunned moment, Red gently inserted the sword back into its scabbard.
"Miss Tashigi, right?"
After doing this, Red smiled slightly: "Asking for death just because of a momentary defeat is not the sign of a strong person!"
"After all, there are still many famous swordsmen in the world you haven't met yet. Your ambition hasn't been fulfilled, right?!"
"You... how do you know this?!"
Hearing Red speak directly about her dream, Tashigi was stunned.
"It doesn't matter!"
Red's face was understated, and his dark eyes seemed to see through everything.
"Anyway, take care of this sword."
"Since the shopkeeper entrusted his dream to you, don't let him down so easily."
"As for Marine Base 16..."
At this point, Red's tone suddenly paused, and a mysterious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"You might want to pay attention to the newspapers in the next few days. There may be news that will surprise you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and smiled lightly at the red-nosed figure hidden in the crowd, and an arc of electricity suddenly flashed under his feet.
Red flew into the air and told Luffy: "Luffy, I still have some things to take care of."
"It might be faster if you go ahead without me."
"So I'll leave Zoro to you! Don't lose him!"
"Hey, hey, do you think I'm three years old? I still need someone to watch me?!" Zoro complained with dissatisfaction.
But both Luffy and Red instantly ignored his protests.
"Hehe, leave it to me~"
Luffy said loudly, beating his chest.
But entrusting a directionally-challenged swordsman to someone equally clueless...
Was this really the right decision? Red sighed helplessly in his heart.
After all, if he had a choice, he wouldn't want to do such an outrageous thing.
"Forget it, it'll be great if they can return to the Merry alive."
Red lowered his expectations.
Immediately, he transformed into a bolt of lightning and flew towards the outskirts of Loguetown.
"You pirate bastards! Don't treat us like we're not here!"
Seeing Red's sudden "escape", the Marines who had been rallied by Tashigi came around again, holding weapons and pointing their gun barrels at Zoro and Luffy.
"Then... let's head back too, Zoro!"
Seeing this, Luffy suddenly grinned and got into a fighting stance.
Zoro also smiled calmly, placing one hand on his sword, with a faint fighting spirit flashing in his eyes:
"Sounds good!"
In an instant, heavy rain poured down.
Under the rain, Loguetown Square became lively again!
Although the battle was still one-sided, with the Marines being overwhelmed, they managed to hold back the two Straw Hat fighters for a while.
Meanwhile.
Seeing Red suddenly fly away, Buggy the Clown's eyes flashed with understanding.
After getting the hint, he immediately led his crew to withdraw from the area and rushed towards the outskirts.
Ten minutes later.
At the farm on the outskirts of Loguetown.
It seems all the secret meetings in Loguetown happen here.
"Red-sama!!!"
Seeing Red standing in the open space, Buggy and his gang hurriedly removed their hoods, showing excited expressions.
The strength of the Straw Hats had been an eye-opener for them.
Combined with the mysterious methods of their trainer Red...
They had now completely transformed into devoted fans of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Although there was plenty of self-interest involved, at least their loyalty was genuine.
"You're here!"
Seeing Buggy, Red immediately smiled slightly, his eyes as calm as ever.
The next moment, he turned slightly sideways, revealing two men with swords on their hips.
They stood there with serious expressions and said nothing, giving off an impression of strength.
Red smiled at Buggy and said:
"Let me introduce you. These two are Johnny and Yosaku. They were bounty hunters before."
"Because they have some connections with our crew, they're now considered members of the Straw Hats."
"This is the Buggy Pirates. You should get to know each other."
"We're all on the same side now, so let's get acquainted."
Bounty hunters?! Buggy Pirates?!
Upon hearing Red's introduction, both Buggy's crew and the Johnny-Yosaku duo showed expressions of surprise.
After all, bounty hunters and pirates were usually more hostile to each other than Marines and pirates! But the next second...
Swish! Buggy took the initiative and extended his white-gloved hand, smiling at Johnny and Yosaku:
"Captain of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, Buggy Pirates—Buggy the Clown!"
"Nice to meet you two!"
"Nice... nice to meet you!"
Johnny and Yosaku awkwardly extended their hands, but in their confusion, they each offered the wrong hand.
After fumbling around for a moment, they finally managed to shake hands with Buggy in a comical way.
It was hard to believe that not long ago, they were just low-level bounty hunters who couldn't even defeat criminals with bounties of a few million Belly!
And their previous "intensity" wasn't intensity at all—they were just too nervous to move properly.
"Okay, okay, you've met each other. How long are you going to keep shaking hands..."
Seeing such an awkward meeting, Red immediately interrupted by slapping his forehead.
He suddenly had the strange feeling that he was the only serious person in the entire pirate world.
Red explained to both parties: "Today's meeting is mainly to introduce you to each other, to prevent future misunderstandings when our alliance grows larger."
"Also, although Johnny and Yosaku are bounty hunters, I plan to have them open a weapons factory in East Blue specifically to make weapons for members of the Straw Hat Fleet."
"You should exchange Den Den Mushi numbers later, Buggy, so you can purchase goods directly from their factory."
Red had the idea to open a weapons factory for a long time.
He just didn't have suitable candidates to run it.
Now the appearance of Johnny and Yosaku solved this problem perfectly.
The two were too weak and lacked potential for the Grand Line.
But being factory directors was more than enough for them.
As for the factory's location, Red had already decided!
An uninhabited island near Cocoyashi Village.
First, the land there was vast and sparsely populated, making transportation convenient.
Second, it would provide employment opportunities for villagers who had escaped from Arlong's rule, helping their lives return to normal.
Moreover, with the weapons factory, the defensive capabilities of nearby villages would be greatly enhanced.
Indirectly, it would maintain peace and stability in Cocoyashi Village and the surrounding waters.
The startup capital would come from bounties collected from the Krieg Pirates, Arlong Pirates, and others.
Tens of millions of Belly would definitely be enough for the initial phase.
For procurement and sales, they could contact the Kaya Trading Company directly to maintain the factory's operations without problems.
For publicity, the Baratie Restaurant could help.
With many tourists and merchant ships coming and going, it was the best promotional venue in East Blue.
They would have Nami's sister Nojiko help with public relations, and let Merry handle some of the management structures...
All reliable people.
With this factory, the Straw Hat allies in East Blue would be completely woven into a network of relationships and intelligence, preventing anyone from threatening the Straw Hats in the future.
Red had already communicated this idea with his partners and received strong support.
Everything was ready—all that remained was to take action!