Chapter 27: Loguetown Storm – Execution Platform Chaos and Smoker's Pursuit
Sol strolled through the corridors of the Marine base with hands in his pockets, swaggering casually. Passing Marines hurried by without a single one recognizing East Blue's most wanted man. Following the thick scent of tobacco, he turned a few corners and arrived at a door.
He pushed open the creaking door. Smoker lay reclined in his office chair, feet propped on the desk, enveloped in swirling smoke.
Sol walked up without hesitation. "Brother, give me one."
Smoker had just stubbed out his cigar. Without turning, he reached into a drawer, pulled out two, and tossed them back.
Sol caught one, leaned in, and with a crisp snap of his fingers, a small flame lit both cigars simultaneously.
"Phew—thanks, brother." Smoker took a deep drag, smoke slowly curling from his nostrils.
Sol toyed with his cigar, squinting as he savored it. "This flavor's pretty good—Headquarters special supply?"
"Obviously. Cost me half a month's salary…" Smoker's words suddenly froze. He whipped around.
When he saw the familiar face grinning mischievously in front of him, his pupils contracted sharply.
"You bastard!" Smoker slammed the desk and stood, chair screeching across the floor. "You actually sneaked in here?!"
Sol spread his hands lazily, cigar bobbing with his words. "Who said I sneaked? I walked in openly."
Smoker stared at him, brows furrowing slightly as smoke drifted between them.
After a long pause, he snorted. "Back then you vanished from Headquarters without a word. I thought you died in some ditch."
Sol shrugged, tone casual. "Oh, that… I punched a Celestial Dragon. Didn't want to cause trouble for the old man Garp, so I slipped away. Anyway, I never officially joined the Marines—and you were in training camp back then, so of course you didn't know."
Smoker's pupils shrank slightly, then he scoffed. "No wonder… when we asked Instructor Zephyr later, he didn't say a single word."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded. "So that's how it was."
"Then what's with your wanted poster?" Smoker looked up, sharp gaze cutting through the smoke toward Sol.
Sol grinned, showing a row of white teeth. "Ah, that… I casually beat up a Marine parasite and someone held a grudge."
He spread his hands, tone teasing. "But I didn't expect my first bounty to be this high. Honestly flattering."
Smoker took a deep drag, slowly exhaling a smoke ring. His voice lowered. "'Marine parasite'…? I'll ask Kuzan to investigate that."
He paused, eyes deepening. "As for your bounty… that high, don't you have any idea why?"
"And it's also a warning to Marines in the first half—don't mess with you, or you could wipe them out with one hand."
Soon the room was thick with smoke. Sol and Smoker chatted idly about old times when suddenly—
Bang!
The door burst open. A panicked Marine soldier rushed in without saluting. "Bad news, Captain Smoker! The pirates are causing chaos at the execution platform—they captured another pirate and say they're going to execute him publicly!"
Smoker's eyes sharpened. He crushed his cigar instantly and stood, white smoke trailing behind him.
"Call one squad to block the harbor. Another to circle through the back streets and surround the plaza. Everyone else—with me!" He snatched his jacket from the chair back and strode out.
"Hey, wait up, Smokey!" Sol followed with a grin, hands in pockets, pace lazy but matching Smoker's stride perfectly.
Smoker glanced sideways, frowning. "Why are you following? Don't tell me the one about to be executed on the plaza is your crewmate?"
Sol's lips curved in a meaningful smile. "Who knows? Maybe… it's my captain?"
"Hah!" Smoker scoffed. "You—someone's subordinate? Don't make me laugh."
Before he finished, he collided—without noticing—with a little girl holding an ice cream cone.
"Ah!" The girl cried out. The ice cream splattered onto Smoker's pant leg with a wet plop.
Sol whistled mischievously from the side.
Smoker clicked his tongue, squatted down, and gently ruffled the girl's hair—his tone unusually soft. "Sorry—my pants ate your ice cream. How about I buy you a five-layer one? Go with your mom later and get a new one." He pulled out a handful of Berries and pressed them into her hand.
At that moment, Tashigi rushed up panting, adjusting her slipping glasses. "Sorry, Captain Smoker! I'm late!"
The next second, her eyes locked on Sol. Her pupils shrank. Her hand flew to her sword hilt. "'Fire Dragon' Sol—100 million Berries?! Why are you here?!"
"Calm down, Tashigi." Smoker raised a hand to stop her. "You're no match for him right now. Don't waste your energy."
"But Captain Smoker! He's a pirate!"
"Handle the plaza first." Smoker cut her off, tone leaving no room for argument. "We'll deal with this guy later."
Tashigi bit her lip, then nodded reluctantly. "…Yes, sir!"
The group moved quickly through the streets. Soon, the commotion from the execution plaza grew loud.
"Hey—isn't that Sol? Why's he with the Marines?" Zoro and Sanji were panicking over their idiot captain—never expecting the vice-captain to be this unreliable.
Nami and Usopp had already taken the purchased supplies back to the Going Merry ahead of time—Nami sensed an approaching storm and worried the ship would be blown away.
On the execution platform, Luffy spotted his crew and grinned fearlessly. "Sorry! Looks like I'm gonna die!"
"He's… smiling?" Smoker stared at the boy on the platform in shock. For a moment, he saw a glimpse of Roger in him.
Just as Buggy's blade was about to fall, thunder roared overhead. Lightning struck straight down—crackle!—igniting the platform in flames and collapsing it instantly.
Buggy lay on the ground, smoking and charred. Luffy picked up his hat and put it back on. "Yahahaha! Close one—still alive! Nice!"
The crowd in the plaza gasped in astonishment. Sanji turned to Zoro. "Hey… do you believe in God?"
"I definitely don't believe in gods. Enough of that nonsense—let's get out of this town. Looks like there's gonna be some serious commotion." Zoro glanced around and urged them on.
Smoker shook Sol off and charged forward, iron-like hand grabbing a Marine soldier's collar. "Which way did they escape?"
The soldier, intimidated by his fierce aura, stammered. "R-Report, Captain! Northwest—toward the harbor!"
"What about the vanguard unit? Why didn't they intercept?" Smoker's eyes glinted coldly, knuckles white.
The soldier sweated profusely. "Sudden downpour… the gunpowder got soaked… they're rearming at the arsenal right now…"
Smoker released him and looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. Large raindrops struck his face. The northwest wind carried the salty scent of the sea. His expression grew darker. "Northwest wind… tailwind sailing… harbor unguarded…"
"Heh…" He suddenly let out a cold laugh. "This whole string of 'coincidences'… it's almost like the heavens themselves are helping that straw-hat kid escape!"
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