One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 77: This is So Damn Annoying!

Under the gloomy, rainy sky, a luxury cruise ship, escorted by three warships, slowly sailed toward the Loguetown docks.

"Oh! Loguetown!!"

Altai stood at the prow, gently swirling the red wine in his glass. "It's nowhere near as grand as my royal capital, but it's not bad!"

"Hey, Onigumo!" he said, glancing back at the Vice Admiral. "That Pirate King Roger fellow died here, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty Altai," Onigumo replied, taking a drag from his cigarette and nodding. "The execution platform in the square is where he died. If you wish to visit, I can order the Marine soldiers on the island to roll out a red carpet all the way from the docks to the platform."

"Then go ahead and do it," Altai said, waving a hand dismissively. "But a look around from the docks should be enough. Go all the way to the platform? I can't be bothered to walk that far. I mostly just enjoy watching you Marine soldiers do the kind of menial labor meant for lower-class servants, hahaha!"

"..."

Onigumo's brow furrowed, a flash of displeasure in his eyes. But a moment later, it was replaced by a smiling expression. He bowed slightly.

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

…

Smoker stood at the back of the deck, his face an emotionless mask as he stared at Altai's obese figure.

Compared to a few days ago, there were now fresh whip marks on his face and chest.

—They were from when he had saved the fishing boat and the old couple, an act that had enraged Altai, who had personally lashed him with a whip.

A normal king would never have had such authority, but this one happened to have one-quarter Celestial Dragon blood.

To be precise, over thirty years ago, a princess of the Peaceland Kingdom had caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon during the Reverie and had returned home pregnant.

The royal family of the Peaceland Kingdom had celebrated this as a great honor and had immediately made the princess the first in line to the throne.

A generation later, Altai, the princess's eldest grandson, had naturally ascended to the throne upon coming of age.

He was a contradictory and special case.

On one hand, none of the Celestial Dragon families in the Holy Land would acknowledge such a mixed-blood descendant or implant a chip in him, nor would they tolerate Altai acting as a Celestial Dragon.

But on the other hand, no one below them, whether from Marine Headquarters or the World Government, dared to treat Altai as just an ordinary king.

After all, his Celestial Dragon grandfather was still alive and held a high position in his family. It was even rumored that he had inquired about his grandson's well-being several times. If anything happened to Altai, the Holy Land would undoubtedly be furious.

"..." Smoker touched the whip marks on his face and shook his head with a self-deprecating smile.

A Logia user, beaten black and blue by a fat, ordinary man. What a disgrace.

But, regardless, he had saved the old couple in the end. And the price he paid was just a beating. It was worth it, wasn't it?

—If only the one who had personally dragged him before Altai hadn't been Vice Admiral Onigumo.

Smoker lit two cigars and looked up, his gaze fixed on Onigumo.

He didn't hate him. He just found that the word "Justice" on the white coat draped over the Vice Admiral's back had never seemed so glaringly ironic.

When did it all start?

Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes clouded with confusion.

He clearly remembered that when he first met Onigumo over a decade ago, he too had been a hot-blooded young man who would slam the table and stand up to nobles in the name of his own justice.

Within the Marines…

Is Vice Admiral Onigumo the only one who has changed?

Or has nothing ever changed, and it was just me in the past, choosing to ignore so many things…

...

In the central square of Loguetown, on the second floor of the café.

"Your orders are all here. If you need anything else, I'll be downstairs. Just give a shout," the manager said with a cheerful smile, placing five glasses of sparkling water on the table. Then, under Gin's expectant gaze, she placed a large strawberry cake in front of him.

"Hehe, thanks, Auntie~" Nami said, happily sipping her orange soda. She looked across the table at the figure shrouded in a white, hooded cloak. "Uncle Zeff, everyone's finally here. Are you still going to wear that? You're not even going to take it off to eat? Isn't that a bit much?"

"In a place like this, it's always better to be cautious," Zeff said with a grin.

His current status was a bit sensitive. He was the only one on the ship with a bounty on his head.

Although his wanted poster hadn't been updated in a very long time and his appearance had changed quite a bit, so the average person wouldn't recognize him, Loguetown was a special case. It was a melting pot of all sorts of people, with the strongest Marine branch in the East Blue and active bounty hunters. It was better to keep a low profile.

Of course, Zeff knew that Shane didn't care what the world thought of him or whether he had a bounty. In fact, he was prepared to be wanted by the World Government before he even set sail.

But when to start down that path was a decision that should be left to the captain. It shouldn't be triggered by an accident caused by him.

As a crew member, he had to have that awareness.

"So, you're saying that the Marine girl who looks exactly like Kuina was dragged off to work just five minutes before I got here? And she left this, asking you to get my autograph on it?"

Shane held up the old photograph.

"That's right," Kuina nodded. "She said some big shot was coming, and almost all the Marines had to go to the docks for a reception. Tashigi had to go too."

"She was really sad that she couldn't meet you. Before she left, she said that if she could be so lucky as to get your autograph, she would leave the photo with the café owner here, and she would come pick it up when she's done."

Tsk, a big shot.

Loguetown is just a small town, after all. What kind of big shot would deign to come here?

Shane didn't think much of it. Anyway, after tonight, once he "borrowed" the execution platform, he planned to leave for Reverse Mountain.

No matter how difficult the royal or noble guest was, it was the Marines' problem, not his.

It was a shame, though, that he hadn't gotten to see Kuina and Tashigi side-by-side.

Looking at the photo in his hand, Shane thought for a moment. He probably wouldn't get a chance to meet Tashigi for a while, so he casually sacrificed it.

[Sacrifice: Tashigi's Treasured Old Photograph]

[Quality: Excellent]

[Value: 200 Points]

[Appraisal: A photo that Tashigi carefully cut from a newspaper and treasured. It carries the hopes and beliefs of her youth, supporting her on her journey from the countryside to the Marine branch, walking the path of the sword and justice alone. The image of the black-haired young man standing with his sword is a guiding light deep in her heart, and the unspoken, fervent yearning of countless days and nights spent swinging her own blade.]

"..."

A vein throbbed on Shane's temple.

—This system is so damn annoying!

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