"I just wanted to go see the execution platform… Nami wouldn't let me, and she even punched me. That really hurt…"
As a rubber man, Luffy's lips were swollen into a ridiculous sausage shape from the hit.
He wanted to become Pirate King. If he didn't visit the place where the previous Pirate King had been executed, it felt like something was missing. As for a Marine Admiral? That didn't mean much to him—he had no idea how serious the situation really was.
"Sanji, Zoro—pull up the anchor. Usopp, take the helm. We're leaving this place immediately!"
Nami, the "Cat Burglar," had stolen from Marines, pirates, even royalty. Scraping together a hundred million Beli hadn't been easy. With her experience, she understood one thing clearly:
A Marine Admiral was basically a walking natural disaster.
Holding a freshly updated map, she prepared for what lay ahead. To enter the Grand Line, Reverse Mountain was unavoidable. She had to be ready.
Luffy sat on the sheep figurehead, scanning the sea ahead. Soon, warships bearing Marine flags entered his view.
"There are Marines on the sea… the Marines are here!"
Nami grabbed a telescope and looked in the direction he pointed.
"There are three ships—no, at least five… Oh no!"
It wasn't just the Straw Hats. Everyone at Loguetown's harbor saw the incoming fleet. Panic erupted. People no longer cared about anything else—they scrambled onto any ship they could find. As long as they could leave, any price was worth it.
Some unlucky ones were even pushed into the sea in the chaos. Fear spread like wildfire.
Onshore, Marines struggled to maintain order, trying to prevent trampling incidents.
These reinforcements had come directly from headquarters.
Leading them—
was Admiral Sakazuki.
Vice Admiral Onigumo stood beside him, overseeing the operation. This time, they had come personally to capture Buggy.
Sakazuki did not fully believe what the "heavenly screen" had shown. His creed was Absolute Justice—only real combat could prove the truth.
From the lookout tower, a Marine reported:
"A pirate ship is leaving the harbor disguised among civilian vessels. The flag indicates—it's the Straw Hat Pirates!"
Luffy's bounty was thirty million Beli. Combined with what the future had revealed—defeating Warlords and CP9—he was considered a dangerous rising threat.
And more importantly—
he was said to inherit the will of the Pirate King.
That alone made him unacceptable.
Sakazuki knew Luffy was the grandson of Vice Admiral Garp. But Garp wasn't here.
Which meant—
no one would stop him.
"Move the warships in. Sink the Straw Hat Pirates. Leave them in the East Blue forever."
"Admiral Akainu, but Luffy is—"
Onigumo was cut off.
"I know who his grandfather is. Is he a Celestial Dragon? No. If he flies a pirate flag, he is a pirate. And pirates deserve death. Marines don't need a reason to kill pirates."
Onigumo fell silent.
He followed Absolute Justice too—but even he hadn't expected Akainu to be this ruthless.
The fleet advanced.
Seeing this, Nami's face turned pale.
"It's Admiral Akainu… he actually came to the East Blue… We're done, we're dead—I don't want to die!"
"A real Admiral?!"
"And it's Akainu?!" Usopp collapsed on the spot, his legs giving out.
There was no time to lower their pirate flag.
The fleet had already sealed off the exit.
If they wanted to escape—
they would have to charge straight through.
And that was basically suicide.
Suddenly, the sky darkened.
Thunder roared. Lightning flashed.
The sea churned as waves rose under violent winds. Marines muttered about how unpredictable the ocean's weather was.
Only Akainu understood.
Just like the heavenly screen had shown—
Luffy had someone powerful backing him.
And that man…
once served in the Marines.
"Gunners—prepare to fire. Target: Straw Hat Pirates. Fire!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannon fire erupted from every warship. Dozens of cannonballs shot toward the Going Merry, ignoring the civilian ships nearby.
Luffy leapt into the air, inflating his body rapidly.
"Gomu Gomu no Mi: Balloon!"
His massive rubber body shielded the ship.
Most cannonballs struck him harmlessly—and he bounced them right back.
"As expected… a rubber man. Not afraid of cannon fire. But what about magma?"
Akainu launched himself into the air, his arms turning into molten lava.
"Great Eruption!"
Massive magma fists rained down like meteors. Each strike could destroy a warship—let alone the small Going Merry.
Destruction loomed.
"Using such force against a rookie… his journey won't end here."
A man in a dark green cloak appeared, standing in midair. Invisible storms gathered around him.
"Storm."
A violent tempest surged across the sea, colliding with the falling magma and deflecting its trajectory. Lava crashed into the ocean, erupting into clouds of steam.
The mysterious protector had intervened.
"So the heavenly screen was right…" Nami muttered, peering through her telescope. "Someone really is helping us… but who is he?"
She couldn't see his face.
"Usopp, steer forward! Can't you see the warships have been blown apart? This is our chance!"
The storm tore open a path through the blockade. Winds surged behind the Going Merry, doubling its speed.
"Whoa! That was close—we almost died!" Luffy laughed from the bow, completely unfazed.
He still had no idea who had saved them.
"I won't let them escape so easily. Hellhound!"
Akainu unleashed another massive wave of magma, like a volcanic eruption, aiming to annihilate them completely.
"Sakazuki… have I ever offended you? Storm Eye."
A blue storm formed around the Going Merry. At its center, everything was calm. The raging winds acted like a barrier, shielding the ship from the magma.
The attack couldn't penetrate.
With the storm accelerating them, the Going Merry shot past the Marine fleet.
By the time Akainu prepared another strike—
they were already far away.
The violent winds made pursuit nearly impossible. Warships struggled to move, forced to turn around if they wanted to chase.
"Damn you, Dragon… I didn't expect you to let your son escape again. Next time, he won't be so lucky."
Akainu wasn't afraid of the Revolutionary leader.
He simply chose not to continue—fighting Dragon here would drain too much energy.
And compared to Luffy—
Buggy was the greater immediate threat.
As the Straw Hats sailed farther away, the sea around Loguetown gradually calmed.
The Marines aboard the warships finally let out a breath of relief.
If the storm had been any stronger—
most of the fleet might have been overturned.