"Let him be," Sanji said with effortless elegance.
"Miss Nami, allow me to escort you around the town. There's no need to wander around with these two boors who have no eye for beauty."
"Yeah, yeah, but you don't need to stick to me either," Nami — the only woman among them — rolled her eyes, then smiled with a mischievous glint.
"Well then, see you all later."
"Wait for me, Miss Nami!"
Watching the two of them walk away, the long-nosed young man twitched his mouth, remaining speechless for a while.
"Looks like it's just you and me now, Zoro."
"I need to buy a decent sword," Zoro replied, glancing at Usopp, before walking ahead.
"You can stay here and watch the ship if you want."
"Are you kidding? Wait up, I'm coming too!"
And so, the small crew split up to do as they pleased.
Meanwhile, in a quiet corner of the port, a marine soldier flipped through his wanted posters.
After confirming he hadn't made a mistake, he quietly dialed a number on his Den Den Mushi.
A moment later, the call connected.
"Captain Smoker! I've spotted a high-priority target. It's Straw Hat Luffy!"
...
At the same time, in the very center of Loguetown...
There stood an execution plaza.
Twenty years ago, this was the very spot where the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had met his end.
And the words he spoke just before his death had ignited the era of the Great Pirates.
One could truly say: this was the beginning of everything.
And now, nine years after his own peak era, Vladimir had come to this exact same place as well.
The plaza was packed with people. Right in front of a large building resembling a town hall, stood an old, weathered execution platform.
"Emperor Vladimir..."
Straw Hat Luffy thought over the name for a moment, then started struggling and shouting. "Let me go! What are these weird glowing sheets?!"
He wriggled and tried to break free, but the Sixty-One Rods of Light was a high-level binding technique — far beyond what a pirate of his level could ever hope to resist.
Vladimir sat casually, watching him calmly. "Stop struggling. You can't break free. I'm just making sure you stay put. I'm sure it won't be long before your old man comes looking for you."
"My old man? Do I even have a dad?" Luffy kept writhing, though it was all in vain.
"Your father is..."
Vladimir began to answer, but suddenly shifted his gaze, looking straight toward the front of the execution stage.
"Ah... guests have arrived."
From outside the plaza, a large group of marines came rushing in. They split the crowd apart, clearing a path down the center.
Then, a Marine Captain with short silver hair and a cigar clamped in his mouth rode in on a rugged, powerful motorcycle.
"Pirate... Straw Hat Luffy!"
With a screech of brakes, the Captain dismounted with great momentum. He drew a seastone-tipped staff from his waist and walked slowly toward the execution platform.
But when he saw the scene clearly, he froze in place.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
His target, Straw Hat Luffy, was pinned in mid-air by six sheets of glowing light, completely immobilized.
The Captain was baffled. He turned sharply to a soldier beside him. "You! Explain!"
"Y-yes sir, Captain Smoker! To be honest, I didn't see it clearly either, but Straw Hat tried to climb up to the platform and got knocked right back down. Then he tried to... well... float or fly over, and ended up like this!"
The soldier stood at attention and saluted, speaking rapidly.
"There's someone... up there?"
Smoker narrowed his eyes and looked past Luffy toward the back of the platform. There, indeed, sat a young man cross-legged.
He was dressed entirely in white, with a unique, ethereal aura. Unless you were looking specifically for him, you wouldn't even sense his presence at all.
"Sir! Hand over the wanted criminal, Straw Hat Luffy!"
Smoker stepped forward, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "I am the Marine Captain in charge of this station."
"Hahaha..."
Vladimir chuckled softly. "A mere Captain... But fine. If you want him, take him."
He raised his hand slowly and made a pushing motion through the air.
BAM!
An invisible force struck Luffy, sending him flying straight toward Smoker like a cannonball.
Smoker focused his gaze, surprised that this mysterious figure would comply so easily.
He immediately reached out with one hand, and thick white smoke began to billow from his body.
The smoke solidified into the shape of a giant hand, reaching out to catch the flying pirate.
"White Bind!"
"An ability user?!"
Luffy gritted his teeth and tried to break free, but the binding power of Six Rods of Light was absolute — impossible for him to resist.
In the next moment, the giant hand of white mist closed around him.
"Got him!"
Smoker grinned, preparing to absorb the momentum and bring Luffy to a halt. But at that very instant, his expression shifted drastically.
Luffy was flying with the force of a massive artillery shell. He blasted straight through Smoker's White Bind hand and crashed directly into the Captain's body.
Pfft!
Smoker's face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood as he was sent flying backward by the impact.
____________________
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