"How about this one?"
"Wow! So elegant, dear customer!"
"And this one?"
"Oh, oh! It fits perfectly!"
"What about this?"
"So gorgeous!"
"This one?"
"So sexy!"
"How about this set?"
"So refined!"
"These..."
Nami pointed at the outfits she had just tried on, making the shopkeeper light up with excitement:
"Would you like them all?!"
"Hmm, nope!" Nami replied with a smile. "I prefer something more casual… easier to move around in."
"..."
The shopkeeper looked like he was about to cry.
"Please wait, dear customer! All the clothes in this shop… have already been paid for on your behalf!"
"!"
Nami had just stepped out of the store when she froze. Her eyes immediately turned into beri symbols as she zoomed back in.
"What did you just say?!"
"Uh… someone has already covered the cost for anything you choose from our store!"
The shopkeeper was sweating under Nami's intense money-hungry gaze. "However… I'm afraid I can't reveal who it was."
"Wrap them all up!"
"Uh… Alright…"
The shopkeeper, struggling under Nami's financial dominance, handed over several shopping bags and then took out a backpack.
"This… is something the person who paid instructed me to give you. But they specifically told me you must wait until you're back on your ship to open it."
"Otherwise, something bad might happen…"
"Hah?"
Nami took the bag, her face shifting slightly at the shopkeeper's serious expression.
"No way…"
"Alright, I'll check it later. Thanks! Now, I still need to shop for some casual wear!"
"..."
...
"Oh! What's this weird-looking fish?"
Sanji's eyes gleamed with interest as he spotted a familiar, gigantic long-nosed fish at a fish stall.
"This is the 'Elephant-Nose Tuna' from the South Blue! Since Loguetown is close to Reverse Mountain, fish from all four seas occasionally show up here!"
The fishmonger beamed with pride. "I caught this one myself!"
"Wow! Impressive! I'll take the whole thing!"
"Oh? Kid, could it be that…"
"Hmm? What's up?"
The fishmonger scrutinized Sanji before rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"That weirdo earlier really got it right… I didn't think anyone would actually buy the whole thing!"
He reached under his stall, pulling out a small box and handing it to Sanji.
"A strange man came by earlier and told me that if a curly-browed blond guy bought this fish, I should give this to him—that would be you, right?"
"He also said to open it only after returning to your ship. Otherwise, something bad might happen…"
"..."
Sanji frowned but still took the box. "Can't open it now? Weird… Ah, thanks, old man!"
...
Nearby, Usopp was browsing a market stall, picking up eggs and other… mysterious items.
"Hey! Long-nosed kid, come here!"
An egg vendor waved him over. Usopp looked at her suspiciously.
"Huh?"
"Someone left this here for a long-nosed guy carrying a big bag. Said to give it to you. That's you, right?"
"They also said you must wait until you're back on your ship before opening it. Here you go!"
Usopp, thoroughly confused, accepted the box.
"A gift for me? Do I even know anyone in Loguetown?"
Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Usopp regrouped at the execution square.
All four had serious expressions…
Well, except for Sanji and Usopp, who were just plain confused.
"We need to leave immediately…"
Nami glanced at Zoro, noticing the tension in his eyes, and felt her suspicions solidify.
"This is really…"
"Where the hell is Luffy?"
Sanji and Usopp, carrying the massive Elephant-Nose Tuna, started scanning the area.
Moments later—
"Why is that idiot chained to the execution platform?!"
Their jaws nearly hit the ground.
"It's going to rain soon…"
Nami tightened her grip on the plastic-wrapped clothes and glanced up at the sky, now thick with dark clouds.
"We must get out of here!"
"What the hell is going on with that moron?!"
On the execution platform, the red-nosed pirate, the Great Captain Buggy, stood tall, sword in hand, with none other than Monkey D. Luffy bound beneath him.
"The criminal, Monkey D. Luffy, is guilty of the grave crime of… pissing me off!"
"His sentence is DEATH!"
"Execution begins now!"
"Any last words? Since we've got such a big audience…"
Buggy smirked, thoroughly enjoying himself as he looked down at the shackled Luffy.
Luffy grinned broadly. "I am… the man who will become the King of the Pirates!"
"..."
"That's it?! You damn rubber idiot!"
Buggy raised his sword high, seeing Zoro and Sanji racing toward the platform.
"Heh! Zoro, you finally showed up!"
"Too bad—you're too late!"
The wind picked up.
At the edge of the square, the coat of justice fluttered dramatically as Kuina watched Luffy from a distance, her mind flashing back to when she dragged the little brat to buy sake.
In the plaza, a swordsman wielding three blades carved through the crowd, charging toward the platform—his bond with Luffy was already forged.
Beside him, a blond-haired man in a suit sprinted forward. He resembled Judge's son…
Meanwhile, Nami and the long-nosed guy had already returned to the harbor to guard their ship…
Kuina's "Wado Ichimonji" slowly slid from its sheath, floating at her side. If she wished, she could cut down the execution platform in an instant.
"The Pirate King… Hah, that brat dares to say that, even now?"
Buggy's laugh echoed. "Hahahaha! Just sit back and watch!"
"Your captain is about to die!"
Kuina's blade hovered, but at that moment, she hesitated—
Because Luffy… was smiling.
"Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp!"
Buggy's sword came crashing down!
"Sorry! I'm about to die!"
Everyone was stunned—
"He's… smiling!"
"Crackle!"
Tiny sparks flickered on Buggy's blade—he didn't even notice.
"BOOM—KRAK!"
A massive bolt of lightning struck from the storm clouds above, engulfing the execution platform in radiant energy!
The platform collapsed in a fiery explosion, and a straw hat fluttered through the air—before a hand caught it and placed it back on its owner's head.
Luffy burst into laughter.
"Yahahaha! Still alive—what luck!"
"Eh—?!"
Amidst fallen foes, Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke and glanced at the green-haired swordsman beside him.
"Oi, you believe in gods?"
"Shut up. We need to go—now!"
Zoro's face was drenched in cold sweat as he stared at the figure standing at the square's edge—a woman draped in a Marine coat, her sword floating beside her.
Kuina exhaled heavily, gripping Wado Ichimonji's hilt.
"Last time I was here, senior brother said that the Pirate King also smiled before his execution."
"How fitting…"
"Luffy, Zoro—will you two create another miracle before my eyes?"
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