East Blue, Loguetown.
Dawn was just beginning to break. Beneath a sky washed clean and clear, the town lay covered in ice and snow.
Although a full ten months had passed since the execution of the Pirate King Roger, the impact of his final declaration was still clearly visible on this island.
As the gateway from the East Blue into the Grand Line, pirate ships entered the town's port every day.
And the execution platform where the Pirate King Roger had once been put to death had become a sacred place in the hearts of pirates. Every day, pirates came to worship there, making it the liveliest spot in all of Loguetown.
The Marines stationed in Loguetown had sent out a squad to patrol the area every day, but they still could not suppress the trend. After enough time passed, even the Marines could do nothing about it.
On both sides of the central street leading to the execution platform, a luxury clothing store welcomed a very strange customer early that morning.
Judging only by his burly body and vicious face, he was definitely no good man. But the shopkeeper did not care. This customer spent so lavishly that it was enough to make them forget anything unpleasant.
In front of the enormous fitting mirror, with two young attendants sweating as they served him, one luxurious outfit after another was changed out, but the man standing before the mirror was never satisfied.
Only when he tried on the thirty-second outfit did Shiki, with a cigar clenched in his mouth and a ship's wheel stuck in his head, look at himself in the mirror with some satisfaction. Twisting left and right, he said, "Shihahaha… Not bad. I'll take this one. Prepare a few more sets for me too. I'm taking them with me."
"No problem, sir. I'll prepare them for you right away!"
The shopkeeper rubbed his hands together excitedly, his eyes fixed on the bag of jewels the man had tossed onto the counter the moment he came in. As for the black-and-white striped prison uniform also lying on the counter, he did not even spare it a glance.
The two attendants beside him let out long sighs of relief and wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
"No rush. Let me ask you something. Do you have any wanted posters issued by the Marines here?"
"Wanted posters?"
The shopkeeper froze, then asked in confusion, "What do you need those for, sir?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it. The terrifying pressure in the man's gaze made the shopkeeper's legs go weak.
"I spoke out of turn… Of course we have wanted posters. Please wait a moment."
The shopkeeper hurried behind the counter and pulled out a thick stack of wanted posters from the bottom drawer.
"Sir, the wanted posters for East Blue pirates over the past few years are all here."
When Shiki heard that, he frowned and said irritably, "Only the East Blue? Let me ask you this. Do you know the Sky Pirates?"
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up at once.
"Sir, you've asked the right person. If you asked me about anything else, I might not know, but I do know a little about the Sky Pirates."
As he spoke, the shopkeeper searched through the thick stack and pulled out the wanted posters for the members of the Sky Pirates.
"Look, these are the wanted posters issued when the Sky Pirates first received bounties. I kept them carefully. This one is their captain, Yemu. On his very first bounty, he received a staggering 540 million Belly, and the Marines even gave him the title of The Most Evil One. That has never happened in the history of the sea. Even the Pirate King Roger never received such an honor."
Hearing the shopkeeper compare Yemu to Roger, Shiki said unhappily, "You think this brat can be compared to the Pirate King Roger?"
The shopkeeper froze at the question. Seeing that the man seemed displeased, he thought for a moment, but still chose not to go against his heart.
"Well… sir… I think Captain Yemu is different from most pirates. Even from the Pirate King Roger."
Seeing an ordinary man say something like that even under his pressure left Shiki somewhat surprised.
"Go on. If you explain it well, all this money is yours."
The shopkeeper instantly brightened and poured out everything he knew.
"Thank you so much, sir. Well… I was there on the day Pirate King Roger was executed. That man named Roger truly lived up to the name of Pirate King. He was clearly about to die, yet he stood there like a victorious general returning in triumph. That bearing of his was enough to make people worship him. But I'm just an ordinary tailor doing business. Aside from that, I have no particular feelings about pirates. In fact, I hate them. Especially because of Roger, so many pirates have appeared in this town, bringing endless trouble to everyone's lives…"
As soon as the shopkeeper finished speaking, he saw the man in front of him looking deeply displeased and was startled. Fortunately, nothing happened.
"Go on."
"Y-Yes… But that pirate named Yemu is different. I still remember the words that young man said when he faced the Marines' heavy encirclement."
Under Shiki's gaze, the shopkeeper repeated the words that everyone in Loguetown had heard back then.
"You're not wrong, Admiral Sengoku. Pirates may be evil, and they may be guilty of terrible crimes, but as a Marine Admiral, you should understand what the true evil in this world is."
"It is the Celestial Dragons high above everyone else. It is the World Government."
"Evil pirates may destroy countless families, but the Celestial Dragons and the World Government destroy entire countries."
"If this world is truly as peaceful as you say, then why are there still so many pirates?"
"Where do the evil pirates you speak of come from?"
"Tell me, Sengoku. As the Marines who serve the World Government, as the dogs of the Celestial Dragons, how many countries, how many islands, and how many families have you destroyed?"
"If you truly insist on upholding your so-called justice, then do what I did. Kill a Celestial Dragon first, then come lecture me."
After the shopkeeper finished speaking, even he looked stirred up.
Shiki froze. Yemu had said the same thing to Sengoku in Impel Down, but at the time, he had not thought deeply about it. He had only been immersed in the pleasure of seeing Yemu leave Sengoku speechless.
Just then, the shopkeeper seemed to get carried away and continued without restraint.
"Captain Yemu said what I've always wanted to say. Why are there so many pirates in this world? Many of us have thought about that question, but out of fear, only Captain Yemu dared to say the answer out loud. And he didn't just say it, he did it. Did you know? Captain Yemu received such a high bounty the very first time because he killed a Celestial Dragon."
"Ever since I learned that the Celestial Dragons existed, I never understood why the Marines and the World Government, who claim to uphold justice, could allow such a disgusting race to exist. I left my hometown and came to Loguetown because I couldn't endure the heavy taxes collected to pay the Heavenly Tribute."
"Captain Yemu did what many people wanted to do but never dared to. Later, what he did in the Sabaody Archipelago was even more satisfying."
"Since then, I've thought that maybe Captain Yemu's Sky Pirates are the hope that can change this world."