Chapter 22
Loguetown Island (1)
Loguetown was a beautiful and unexpectedly peaceful city. Its streets were wide, and the air carried the scent of both the sea and history.
Here, where a legend had ended and thousands of dreams had begun.
The crew members moved through the city, each carrying a clear goal they sought to achieve…
All except Arthur.
He wandered without any particular مقصد, passing through alleys and shops without real interest. He did not need clothes; he had acquired plenty of them since the world of Sung. Nor did he want swords or weapons, for the Weapon King Bracelet was more than enough for him.
As he moved calmly, he spotted Zoro from a distance.
He approached him, but noticed that Zoro was standing still, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.
A young woman was fighting four pirates…
And quite simply, she defeated them.
Arthur stepped forward and stood beside Zoro.
"What's going on here, Zoro?"
Zoro did not answer.
He remained standing there, his features tense, as if caught between astonishment and confusion.
The girl began searching the ground for her glasses—the very glasses that were in Zoro's hand without him realizing it.
In an unconscious moment, Zoro tightened his grip…
And the glasses shattered between his fingers.
He froze for a moment.
Anger flared in the girl's eyes, and she demanded compensation from Zoro.
Zoro stammered, unsure of what to say or do.
At that moment, Arthur opened the Eye of the Sky and directed his gaze toward the girl.
| Name: Tashigi
| Level: 30 |
'At first glance she seems weak… but her movement isn't bad.
And that mark on her jacket… it's from the Marines.'
Arthur confirmed it quickly.
He stepped forward and addressed her in a calm, gentle tone:
"I apologize for my friend's behavior, but may I know the price of the glasses?"
Tashigi looked at Arthur, and a slight bead of sweat formed on her forehead.
For a brief moment, she felt a hidden pressure… an invisible power.
But the sensation vanished instantly, as Arthur withdrew his energy without a trace.
She smiled calmly, trying to understand what had just happened, then said:
"There's no need for that. I was just angry. I have a spare pair."
She slipped her hand into her pocket, took out another pair of glasses, and put them on.
Then she raised her head and looked carefully at the faces of Arthur and Zoro.
Her expression suddenly changed as she quickly recognized the two of them. The new wanted posters had arrived in the city just the day before.
"Y… you're from the Straw Hat crew?"
The words left her mouth with difficulty.
Zoro stepped back and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
At the same time, Tashigi quickly placed her hand on her own sword.
But before any clash could happen—
Arthur disappeared.
In a fraction of a second, he appeared behind Tashigi.
He pressed against her neck, then her head, followed by a precise strike with his finger to her abdomen.
Tashigi fell unconscious…
Without being given any chance to fight.
Arthur raised his hand, the calm smile still on his face, and prepared to bring it down forcefully on her head—
"Stop, Arthur!"
Arthur froze instantly and slowly lifted his head.
It was Zoro who had shouted. "What?"
Arthur was surprised.
Zoro? Asking him to stop?
"Don't kill her, Arthur."
He did not understand.
Why?
Zoro was not the type to prevent killing if it was necessary.
After a brief silence, Arthur gave a faint smile, then lowered his hand calmly.
He picked Tashigi up and placed her carefully to the side.
He looked at Zoro without saying a word, then turned and began to leave.
He paused slightly, then called out:
"Oi, Zoro. Let's go. Aren't you going to buy new swords or what?"
Zoro smiled lightly and followed him.
After a short while, the two parted ways;
Zoro entered the sword shop, while Arthur continued wandering through the city.
Not long after…
Arthur arrived at the execution platform.
He did not pay it much attention at first, but he paused for a few seconds—
And his eyes widened.
Luffy was standing atop the platform, looking down at the people below.
"That idiot…!"
Arthur dashed forward to pull his captain down before disaster struck—
But disaster came first.
Thick white smoke rushed toward the platform, swirling around it before suddenly gathering and forming into a human body.
A tall, muscular man with gray-white hair, a cigarette in his mouth, wearing a coat bearing the Marine insignia on its back.
Arthur immediately opened the Eye of the Sky.
| Name: Smoker
| Level: 80 |
"Damn… his power is close to Luffy's. I need to move quickly."
Arthur lunged forward, but Luffy was quicker to act.
He jumped from the platform, and behind him Smoker vanished, then reappeared in front of him at unbelievable speed.
Luffy attacked, but every strike passed through smoke without hitting anything.
"Devil Fruit users… really are troublesome."
Arthur reached the battlefield.
Luffy smiled when he saw him, suddenly extended his hand, grabbed Arthur by the waist, pulled him along, and fled.
Luffy ran quickly, wearing that foolish grin, while Arthur was caught in his grip.
Arthur wanted to shout at him to stop—
But at that precise moment—
A hand appeared from nowhere and slammed Luffy's head forcefully into the ground.
Luffy's head struck the ground, and Arthur leapt away at the last second.
He stood before Smoker, ready to attack—
But before he could move—
Another man suddenly appeared, placed his hand on Smoker's weapon, and smiled.
"Why do you want to stop this small pirate from going to sea?
Doesn't everyone have the right to do what they want?"
Smoker froze and lifted his head in shock.
"You… why are you here?"
The man did not answer.
He merely smiled calmly, then looked directly at Arthur.
It was a simple smile…
But Arthur's body shivered to the core.
"This feeling… it's the same sensation Mihawk gave me, but… stronger."
"Eye of the Sky."
| Name: Monkey D. Dragon
| Level: ???? |
'Damn… I knew it.
He truly is on an entirely different level.
But his name… Monkey D.? Does he have something to do with Luffy?'
The thoughts quickly vanished from Arthur's mind.
This was not the time for useless questions.
He calmly lifted his gaze toward Dragon, then toward Smoker, and in the next instant—
Arthur unleashed his full power.
Dense dark energy surged from his body, forming a black aura that surrounded him, then expanded with suffocating pressure toward both Dragon and Smoker, until even the air itself seemed to choke.
Arthur extended his right hand forward.
The Weapon King Bracelet instantly transformed into the battle sword.
He struck the ground with his foot, cracking it under the force, and shot forward like an arrow.
Smoker did not notice him.
And even if he had been focused—
He would not have been able to retreat.
Arthur's speed far surpassed his.
Arthur swung the massive black sword, directing the strike straight toward Smoker's head.
And at that exact moment—
Luffy forcefully lifted his head from beneath Smoker's hand, pushing his arm backward.
Smoker's head moved back involuntarily.
But Arthur did not stop.
He changed the trajectory of the strike in a fraction of a second and swung the massive black sword with cutting force toward Smoker's arm.
It severed.
Smoker's hand separated from his body.
In less than a second, the sword returned to its original form as a bracelet around Arthur's wrist.
He immediately bent down, grabbed Luffy from beneath Smoker's body, pulled him away in a flash, then retreated to his previous position.
In that square—
Only one person had followed everything.
Dragon.
He had not taken his eyes off Arthur from the very beginning.
He watched his charge, traced the path of his movement, noticed that the target had been Smoker's head…
Then observed the instantaneous change in the strike and the smooth shift toward Luffy, pulling him away.
He smiled.
Arthur felt it.
He realized that every movement he made had been seen.
His sweat increased.
Smoker's severed hand fell to the ground, and he did not comprehend what had happened until moments later.
He placed his right hand over the severed spot, pressing firmly as pain tore through his body, his eyes fixed on Arthur.
"You… Sky Demon, Arthur Narin, aren't you?"
Arthur smiled calmly, looked at Smoker, then lifted his head toward Dragon.
He wanted to fight.
Truly…
He wanted to test that overwhelming power.
But reality was different.
Marine soldiers began arriving from every direction.
Tashigi was among them.
And in that moment—
Dragon disappeared.
As if the wind had swallowed him.
No one saw how he left, nor from where, nor to where.
No one…
Except Arthur.
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