Under the gloomy curtain of rain, a luxury cruise ship slowly made its way toward the Logue Town pier, flanked by three warships for protection.
"Oh! Logue Town!"
King Altair stood at the bow, gently swirling the red wine in his hand. "Not as grand as my royal capital, but not bad at all!"
"Hey, Onigumo!" He glanced back. "That Pirate King Roger… he died here, right?"
"Yes, Your Majesty Altair."
The Onigumo, smoking a cigarette beside him, nodded. "That execution platform in the plaza is where he died. If you wish to visit, I can order the Navy here to lay a red carpet from the pier all the way to the platform."
"Then lay it out."
Altair waved lazily. "But just looking around the pier is enough. Going to the base of the execution platform? Too much walking. I mostly enjoy watching your Navy soldiers doing menial work. Hahaha!"
"…."
Onigumo furrowed his brow, a flash of displeasure in his eyes, but immediately returned to a smiling expression and bowed slightly.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
...
Smoker stood at the aft deck, expressionless, watching Altair's corpulent figure ahead.
Compared to a few days ago, his face and chest were now streaked with whip marks.
—Those marks came from saving a fishing boat and two elderly people, which enraged Altair, who personally whipped him.
For an ordinary king, this wouldn't be permissible. But Altair had a quarter Celestial Dragon bloodline.
To be precise, over thirty years ago, a princess of the Peace Kingdom was chosen by a Celestial Dragon during a world assembly. She returned pregnant, and the royal family celebrated, even naming her first in line to the throne.
A generation later, as the granddaughter of the princess, Altair naturally ascended to the throne as king.
He was undoubtedly a unique and contradictory figure.
On one hand, no Celestial Dragon family in the Holy Land would acknowledge a mixed-blood heir, implanting chips in him and refusing to let Altair act as a Celestial Dragon.
On the other hand, ordinary subordinates—whether Navy HQ or World Government officials—dared not offend him, treating Altair as just another king.
After all, his Celestial Dragon grandfather was alive and influential, reportedly asking after his grandson multiple times. If anything happened to Altair, the Holy Land would surely vent their anger.
"…." Smoker touched his whip-marked face, shaking his head self-deprecatingly.
A Logia user, beaten and whipped by a corpulent ordinary man—how humiliating.
Still, the elderly couple had been saved.
And the cost? Just a few lashes. Worth it, wasn't it?
—If it hadn't been Onigumo who delivered him to Altair personally.
Smoker lit two cigars and silently watched Onigumo.
He didn't hate him, but he could no longer ignore the glaring word Justice emblazoned on Onigumo's white cloak.
When had it started?
Smoker exhaled a smoke ring, his gaze distant. He clearly remembered Onigumo as a passionate young man years ago, someone who dared confront nobles to uphold justice.
Within the Navy…
Was Onigumo the only one who changed? Or had nothing really changed, and he had simply chosen to ignore much of it in the past…
...
Second floor, café in Logue Town plaza.
"All your orders have arrived. If you need anything, I'm downstairs. Just call me," the female manager said with a smile, placing five sparkling drinks and a large bowl of strawberry cake before Gin.
"Hehe, thank you, Auntie~"
Nami happily sipped her orange soda, glancing at the hooded figure across the table. "Uncle Zeff, finally everyone's here. You're still wearing that? Not taking it off to eat?"
"In a place like this, caution is never wrong."
Zeff grinned.
His identity was special—currently, he was the only crew member with a bounty.
Though his wanted poster had been updated long ago, his appearance had changed enough that most wouldn't recognize him.
Logue Town was unique: a mix of the strongest East Blue Navy branch, bounty hunters, and other unsavory elements. Keeping a low profile was wise.
Of course, Zeff knew Shanu didn't care about official recognition or bounties, and had even prepared for one before setting sail.
But the choice of when to take that path belonged to the captain, not to him, lest unintended consequences occur.
As a crew member, he had to be aware of that.
"So that Navy girl who looks exactly like Kuina… she was taken to work just five minutes before I arrived? And they left this for me to sign?"
Shanu held the old photo in his hand.
"Yes."
Kuina nodded. "They said a VIP arrived; almost all soldiers went to the pier to greet them. Tashigi had to go too."
"She was really sad she didn't see you. Before leaving, she said if she could get your signature, leaving the photo with the café manager would be fine. She'll come pick it up later."
A VIP…
Logue Town was just a small town. Could a VIP really grace it with their presence?
Shanu didn't care. After tonight, he planned to steal—no, reclaim—the execution platform and leave for Reverse Mountain.
Any royal visitors would just be the Navy's problem, not his.
Still, missing the scene of Tashigi and Kuina together was a slight regret.
Glancing at the photo, Shanu figured he might not see Tashigi for a while, so he offered it as a sacrifice.
[Sacrifice: Tashigi's treasured old photo]
[Quality: Excellent]
[Value: 200 points]
[Appraisal: Carefully cut from newspapers and preserved, this photo embodies Tashigi's youthful admiration and belief, supporting her journey from the countryside to the Navy branch. The black-haired boy standing with a sword represents a guiding light and the unspoken longing during countless days of sword practice.]
"…."
Shanu's temples throbbed with veins.
—Damn this system!