Chapter 63 — "The Head Tilt, Lightning, Smoke, and Family Issues"
Sunny's POV
Loguetown had officially lost its mind.
The smell of rain mixed with smoke, charred fish, burned pride, and what I'm pretty sure was Sanji's dignity sizzling on a skewer. Civilians screamed as Marines poured into the streets like an army of ants chasing spilled sugar. Somewhere behind us, Sanji and Nojiko's cooking booth was still on fire—flames dancing like a bonfire at a pirate funeral. Usopp's panicked screams echoed across the market like an injured seagull with a megaphone.
And right now?
We were standing on the execution platform. Yeah. That execution platform.
The one where Gol D. Roger smiled at death and started the Great Pirate Era. The one that's supposed to be a tourist attraction, not a battle arena.
Beneath us, the square was jam-packed: - Marines in formation (rifles trembling). - Pirates frozen mid-loot.
- Vendors clutching their takoyaki like life rafts. - Random fangirls waving "SANJI 4EVER" flags that had somehow survived the inferno. - One guy still trying to sell "Sunny-kun Limited Edition Plushies" for 500 berries each. - A seagull wearing a tiny straw hat. (Don't ask.)
And at the very front of the chaos stood—
Buggy the Clown.
Red-nosed. Blue-haired. Offended by gravity, physics, and common sense. Wielding a ridiculously oversized sword and an even bigger ego. His crew—looking like they'd been dragged through a circus dumpster—stood behind him, holding umbrellas made of newspaper.
"LUCY!!!" he bellowed dramatically, spreading his arms wide like he was about to sing opera. "At last, fate reunites us! Today, I, the great Captain Buggy, shall execute you—just like the Pirate King!"
Lucy blinked. Once.
Twice.
Tilted her head. "Who?"
Buggy froze mid-monologue. His jaw dropped so low it nearly unhinged. "WHO—?! You… you don't remember me!?"
Aqua leaned toward me, whispering with a smirk sharp enough to cut glass. "I think the nose is blocking oxygen from reaching his brain."
I nodded solemnly. "Tragic condition. Advanced clownitis. Terminal stage."
Buggy's eye twitched so violently it looked like it was trying to escape his skull and file for asylum. "ENOUGH! You'll remember me after your doom!"
He raised the sword—lightning flashed behind him for dramatic effect— Then immediately tripped on a loose plank and faceplanted into the mud with a SPLORCH.
Lucy tilted her head again. "He's really committed to slapstick, huh?"
"UmU~," Aqua said, wiping a tear. "Ten out of ten landing. Perfect mud angel."
{ego}: He practiced that in clown college.
[system]: Fufufu~ Recording for "Top 10 Pirate Fails" compilation~♡
---
Before Buggy could recover his dignity (or his nose), a sugary, singsong voice echoed through the rain like a siren made of cotton candy.
"Fuu! Ooooh, if it isn't the cutest man on the sea!"
Every head turned. Even the seagulls.
Strutting down the street like a beauty pageant finalist in full pirate glam—long wavy hair, gleaming jewelry, umbrella twirling in the rain—was Alvida.
Well. A very different Alvida.
Gone was the old club-wielding brute who looked like she ate boulders for breakfast. This one looked like she'd walked straight out of a perfume commercial—all curves, confidence, and dangerous levels of eyeliner.
"Behold!" she declared, tossing her hair dramatically as hearts sparkled in the air (yes, literal hearts). "The man of my dreams! The most handsome pirate to sail the East Blue!"
Her finger pointed directly— —at me.
"Sunny! Be mine!"
The crowd went dead silent. You could hear a takoyaki drop.
I blinked. "Uh… who are you, lady?"
Lucy snorted so hard she nearly lost her balance and fell off the platform. Aqua was biting her lip so hard I was worried she'd draw blood. Even Smoker—standing in the back with his cigars—choked on smoke.
Alvida froze mid-flirt, hand clutching her chest like I'd just rejected her at prom.
"D-Don't you remember!?" she wailed dramatically, collapsing to one knee. "Our fated encounter—our eyes met across the storm! The wind whispered our names! Then that vicious straw hat girl punched me in the stomach and I flew into the heavens like a fallen angel!"
Lucy blinked. Tilted her head. "…That was you?"
Alvida gasped, hearts exploding from her eyes like fireworks. "You do remember me!"
Lucy cracked her knuckles. "Barely. Want a repeat?"
Buggy popped up again, still covered in mud, nose twitching like a malfunctioning compass. "Oi! That's my dramatic rivalry moment!"
Lucy grinned mischievously. "Oh yeah?"
Before Buggy could even react— She kicked him square in the jaw with a Gum-Gum…
"UMUUUUU—!!!"
He rocketed skyward like a human firework, sparkling with lightning as he vanished into the clouds with a tiny ping!
"Looks like Team Buggy's blasting off agaaaaaain~!"
The crowd collectivelyively applauded.
Even Aqua clapped. "Ten out of ten form. Excellent rotation. Bonus points for sound effects."
{ego}: I give it a 9.8. Deducted 0.2 for lack of explosion.
[system]: UmU~ Adding to "Best Kicks in East Blue" highlight reel~♡
---
Back to Alvida—who was now dramatically collapsing into the nearest crate of oranges like a Shakespearean heroine dying of heartbreak.
"You wound me, my darling!" she moaned, clutching an orange like a lover's heart. "You've forgotten my name, my beauty, my—my—"
"Personal space?" I offered.
She gasped, hearts in her eyes again. "Even your sarcasm is charming!"
I sighed, rubbing my temple. "You're definitely concussed."
Lucy whispered, "I think she's worse than Sanji."
Aqua tilted her head. "I think she's contagious."
And then— —it happened.
Alvida leaned closer, hands clasped under her chin, eyes shimmering with delusional romance. "Please, Sunny… remember me! Just one look into your beautiful eyes, and—"
I tilted my head slightly, confused. "...Huh?"
The world. Stopped.
Every single person in Loguetown— - Pirates.
- Marines. - Vendors. - Fangirls.
- Even the seagulls mid-flight— froze as if the universe itself had hit pause.
Hearts literally sparkled in the air. (Yes, again. I don't make the rules.)
Every girl in the plaza gasped in unison: "He tilted his head!"
"He's even cuter than the bounty poster!" "KYAAAAA!"
- Marines dropped their rifles. - Men fainted.
- Someone's soup exploded. - A takoyaki vendor proposed to his own stand. - Usopp, from somewhere in the distance, yelled, "EVEN I'D FALL FOR THAT FACE!"
Aqua deadpanned. "Great. We've lost the crowd. Again."
Alvida swayed dramatically, clutching her cheeks. "My heart… it can't take this much adorable damage!"
Lucy rolled her eyes. "We should start charging for heart attacks."
And just when things couldn't possibly get more insane—
A bolt of lightning cracked open the sky.
Thunder boomed so loud the ground shook beneath our feet. Rain poured down like the heavens themselves were having a meltdown. The air smelled like ozone, wet cobblestone, and impending doom.
A new voice—low, calm, commanding—cut through the chaos like a blade through butter.
"Enough."
The smoke swirled. The wind howled.
And from the storm, a tall man stepped forward— - Cloak flaring like dragon wings.
- Face half-hidden beneath a hood.
- The faint green glow of a dragon-shaped tattoo curled up his arm like living flame.
Even Smoker's cigar went out. (That's how you know it's serious.)
"Y-you…!" Smoker stammered, eyes wide. "Monkey D. Dragon!"
Panic rippled through the Marines like an earthquake. "THE WORLD'S MOST WANTED MAN!" "EVERYONE TAKE COVER!"
- Civilians screamed and bolted. - Vendors abandoned their stalls. - Someone's takoyaki stand literally exploded. - A Marine tripped over his own rifle and faceplanted into a puddle. - The seagull in the straw hat flew away in terror.
Aqua blinked. "Well. That escalated quickly."
Lucy looked between us and the mysterious figure. "Wait… who's dramatic McCloak over there?"
Dragon's gaze landed on her—steady, unreadable. "You've grown, Lucy."
The storm paused.
Even the raindrops hung in the air like they were waiting for permission to fall.
Lucy frowned. Tilted her head. "…Dad?"
Smoker dropped his cigar entirely. "WHAT!?"
Aqua's jaw fell open. "That's your dad!?"
I raised a brow. "…You sure you're not adopted?"
Lucy blinked at him, unimpressed. "Huh. I thought you'd have scales. Or wings. Or at least breathe fire. Talk about false advertising."
Dragon froze.
The thunder grumbled above like the world itself was embarrassed.
Aqua collapsed laughing. "UMU~! She's got you there!"
Even Smoker snorted before quickly pretending he hadn't.
Dragon sighed, thunder rumbling like a disappointed parent. "You take after your mother…"
"Thanks?" Lucy said, tilting her head just like me— —instantly setting off another wave of collective swooning from the onlookers.
"STOP DOING THAT!" a Marine wailed. "IT'S TOO CUTE!"
---
Then lightning struck.
The entire platform exploded in a flash of white light. When the smoke cleared, the ropes that had bound Lucy were gone—snapped clean like tissue paper.
Dragon turned away, cloak whipping in the storm. "Your journey is far from over, Lucy."
And with that—
—he vanished into the rain, leaving chaos, confusion, and a dozen fainted admirers behind.
Smoker tried to chase, but Aqua summoned a wall of water in front of him like a liquid bouncer. "Sorry, Captain Smokey. Storm says no."
Smoker cursed. "Damn pirates…"
Lucy stretched, free again, a grin breaking across her face. "Well, that was dramatic."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "You just met your dad and that's your reaction?"
She shrugged. "Still wish he was an actual dragon."
Aqua lost it again. "UMUUUUUU~!!"
---
We regrouped later in an alley, drenched and half-laughing.
Nami and Zoro stumbled in, soaked but alive—Nami clutching a soggy map, Zoro carrying three new swords and a confused expression.
Sanji and Nojiko followed, clutching the remains of their booth like war trophies. Sanji's eyebrow was singed.
Nojiko's apron had a hole shaped like a fish.
Nami groaned. "Let's never come back to this cursed town."
Usopp shivered, hugging his soggy microphone. "Lightning literally kissed the platform! Kissed it!"
Zoro smirked, wiping rain from his swords. "Heh. Typical day for us."
I looked over at Lucy, who was wringing rainwater out of her hair, smiling faintly through the storm.
"Hey," I said softly. "You okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Just… thinking about my dad."
"What about him?"
"…Still false advertising."
Aqua fell flat on her back, laughing until she cried. "UMUUUUUUU—!!"
And as thunder rolled over Loguetown, our laughter joined it— wild, tired, and free.
Another day survived. Another legend born.