Loguetown. Located in the East Blue, right near the entrance to the Grand Line.
It was famous across the world for one specific reason: it was the birthplace of the late Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and the very place where he was executed twenty-two years ago.
After a late, exhausting breakfast, Darian and Nami finally got out of bed. They set sail shortly after, catching a strong tailwind. Around 2:00 PM, the bustling port of Loguetown came into view, marked by a massive, triangular stone archway.
They had been chased by Smoker's fleet for hours the previous day, only losing them in the dead of night.
Looking at the lively, heavily patrolled harbor, Darian turned to Nami. "We shouldn't dock at the main port. Smoker and his crew likely returned to Loguetown last night. If they spot our sloop, we'll have a fleet on our asses in minutes. Let's find a discreet cove to hide the ship first."
Nami thought for a moment and nodded. "Good idea. It's not safe to park out in the open."
After navigating around the island's perimeter, they found a hidden, rocky inlet and securely moored the ship. It was time to head into town to gather supplies and, for Darian, to find a chef.
As they stepped onto the main road, Nami looked up at the sky, her brow furrowing slightly.
"We need to hurry," she said, her tone serious. "It's going to pour soon."
Darian looked up. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue. The sun was shining warmly on his face. "It's a perfectly sunny day, Nami. How could it rain?"
Nami shot him a deeply annoyed glare. "The barometric pressure is fluctuating wildly. It's dropping fast. This is the clear sign of an approaching, massive storm. Besides, who is the navigator here? Me or you?"
"You, of course," Darian smiled, quickly raising his hands in surrender. "Your word is law."
Darian had absolute faith in Nami's almost supernatural intuition for weather. If she said a storm was coming, a storm was coming.
Speaking of storms, Darian thought to himself. He remembered the original timeline. On the day the Straw Hats set sail from Loguetown, Monkey D. Dragon—Luffy's father—had whipped up a massive, unnatural squall to cover his son's escape and propel them toward the Grand Line. Looks like the protagonist is about to make his exit.
Nami had originally wanted to drag Darian along to carry her shopping bags, but time was of the essence. Darian insisted he needed to find a chef for their journey, so they agreed to split up. Nami headed straight for the boutique district to buy clothes and supplies, while Darian wandered into the heart of the town.
To avoid drawing attention, Darian kept his white mask firmly secured over his face.
He didn't know exactly where to start looking for a skilled female chef, but Loguetown was a hub of culinary culture. After asking a few locals, he learned that a massive cooking competition was currently being held in the central plaza.
Perfect, Darian thought, heading straight for the venue.
When Darian arrived at the plaza, it was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of cheering onlookers. The final round of the competition was already underway.
The air was thick with the rich, mouth-watering aroma of spices, searing meat, and simmering sauces. Even without seeing the dishes, the smell alone made Darian's stomach rumble.
The crowd was dense, and the people of the East Blue were notoriously tall. Standing at a relatively average height, Darian couldn't see over the wall of broad shoulders blocking his view of the stage.
Fortunately, he had a Devil Fruit.
Using his Human Path ability, Darian manipulated the silicone-like properties of his body. He tensed his leg muscles and gently stretched his shins and torso, growing about two feet taller in an instant. With his newfound height, he had a perfect view of the competition stage.
Two chefs were busily engaged in a high-speed culinary duel.
On the left was a young man in a sharp black suit, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and blonde hair covering one of his curled eyebrows. Sanji.
On the right was a striking, flamboyant woman. She wore a dark red, flamenco-style dress, heavy eyeshadow, and had wild, lion-like red hair.
As top-tier chefs, their knife skills were dazzling. But the red-haired woman's movements were intensely theatrical, tossing ingredients into the air and spinning as she cooked, treating the kitchen like a dance floor.
It was undeniably captivating to watch.
The dishes were quickly plated, and the flamboyant host grabbed his microphone.
"Mr. Sanji has finished! And Ms. Carmen has finished as well! Who will be crowned the culinary champion of the East Blue?!"
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers.
The dishes were presented to the judges, who tasted them with dramatic expressions of culinary bliss. But just as the host was about to read the final scores, Carmen held up a hand.
She had just taken a bite of Sanji's dish.
Carmen looked at Sanji, who was casually wiping his mouth with a napkin after tasting hers. Her flamboyant persona dropped, replaced by genuine awe.
"It's delicious," Carmen admitted, lowering her head. "I lost. You truly are the best chef in the East Blue, Sanji."
Hearing the praise from a beautiful woman, Sanji's cool demeanor vanished instantly. His solitary visible eye turned into a giant heart, and he began to noodle-dance toward her.
"Oh, Carmen-swan! Hearing you say that makes me so happy! Come to my arms!"
Sanji lunged forward to hug her, but two of Carmen's short, stocky apprentices intercepted him, slamming a hot frying pan directly into Sanji's face.
Enraged by the interruption, Sanji delivered a swift, brutal kick, launching the apprentices off the stage.
"That's enough for today!" Carmen declared, pointing a spatula at Sanji. "But next time we meet in the Grand Line, be prepared! I won't lose!"
Now's my chance, Darian thought.
He pushed his way to the front of the crowd and hopped onto the stage.
"Beautiful lady," Darian's voice carried clearly over the murmuring crowd. "Just as you said, you can challenge him again later. But the man you've been working so hard to beat is about to embark on a journey to the Grand Line. He will see new ingredients, taste new flavors, and his culinary skills will only improve."
Sanji and Carmen turned, staring at the masked man in astonishment.
"If you stay here in the East Blue," Darian continued smoothly, walking toward Carmen, "the gap between you will only widen. So, beautiful lady... why not become my partner? Join my ship, travel to the Grand Line, and perfect your craft."
Sanji's eyebrow twitched. Seeing a masked stranger waltz onto the stage and flirt with a woman right in front of him triggered his chivalrous rage.
"Hey, masked freak!" Sanji yelled, pivoting on his heel. "Keep your hands off the lady!"
Sanji launched himself into the air, delivering a blistering flying kick aimed squarely at Darian's head.
Darian didn't panic. He raised his right arm to block.
"Heavenly Path: Gear Boost - Second Gear!"
He silently activated his tenfold multiplier.
BANG!
Sanji's black shoe collided with Darian's forearm. The sheer force of the impact created a visible shockwave of air pressure that rippled across the stage, blowing the tablecloths back.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Sanji felt an immovable, terrifying force rebound up his leg. He was forced to backflip, stumbling several steps backward before regaining his balance. He looked at Darian, his laid-back expression replaced by deadly seriousness. This guy is a monster.
Darian casually shook out his arm, pretending it was nothing, though he was inwardly shocked.
Red-Leg Zeff's training is no joke, Darian thought. Even with a tenfold multiplier to his base strength and the shock-absorption of his Devil Fruit, Sanji's kick still carried enough kinetic weight to make his arm tingle. Sanji's base strength was incredible.
Carmen blushed slightly. Having two strong men fight over her was flattering, but she maintained her pride. She crossed her arms, looking critically at Darian.
"You want me to sail into the most dangerous ocean in the world with you?" Carmen huffed. "You're covering your face with a mask! How can I trust a captain who hides from his own crew?"
The surrounding crowd murmured in agreement, all eyes fixed on the mysterious intruder.
Darian sighed helplessly. He knew taking off the mask in Loguetown was a massive risk, but if he wanted to recruit her, he needed to show sincerity.
"Alright," Darian conceded.
He reached up, unclasped the strap, and pulled the white mask away, letting it drop to his side.
He revealed his face to the crowd. Bright, dark eyes, a high, aristocratic nose bridge, sharp features, and flawless skin. Coupled with the passive, magnetic allure constantly radiating from his Human Path abilities, the effect was devastating.
The moment Carmen saw his face, her skeptical expression vanished. Her eyes literally melted into giant, swooning hearts.
A collective gasp echoed through the plaza, followed by an eruption of excited screams from the women in the audience.
The "White Emperor" had just unmasked himself in the heart of Marine territory.
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