Chapter 80: Retreat
The storm had worsened, thick sheets of rain whipping through the streets of Loguetown. Thunder boomed as Luffy faced off against Buggy and Alvida, his silhouette framed by flickering lightning. Despite the chaos around them, Luffy stood unshaken, his body still recovering from the Sea Prism Stone but his focus absolute.
Buggy's knives twirled through the air as he grinned maniacally. "You think you can just take us down, Straw Hat Luffy? We're the mightiest in these seas!"
Alvida, with her iron club resting on her shoulder, smirked as she watched her captain. "You're gonna regret facing us. I haven't lost a fight since I got my Sube Sube powers."
Luffy's eyes narrowed. He ignored their boasts, feeling the rain on his skin, the wind at his back. His fists tightened. Not with rubber. Just with flesh and bone and something deeper.
He moved.
One moment he was standing still. The next he was behind Buggy, his fist already extended. The punch connected with Buggy's torso, sending the clown's upper body flying across the street. His legs stood frozen where they'd been, momentarily confused without the rest of him.
Alvida swung her iron club, the weight of the weapon creating a heavy gust in the rain. Luffy sidestepped, the iron missing him by inches. His hand shot out, palm flat against her chest. Not a punch. Just a push. But the force behind it sent her tumbling across the drenched pavement, crashing into a nearby building. Her iron club slipped from her grasp as she gasped for breath. Her slick, invulnerable skin had absorbed much of the impact, but Luffy's strength still left her rattled.
Buggy scrambled to reassemble himself. His body parts flew back together, but the effort took time. Luffy didn't give him any. He was there again, fist driving into Buggy's shoulder before it could reattach. The limb flew off again. Another punch sent a leg spinning into the darkness.
"You're not playing fair!" Buggy screamed, his head floating away from his torso, trying to buy time. "I'm a pirate captain!"
He detached his hand, launching it toward Luffy's face. Luffy caught it mid-air, felt the fingers scrabbling at his wrist, and threw it into the ground hard enough to crack the stone.
Alvida had recovered. She charged again, club raised, face twisted with fury. This time Luffy didn't dodge. His hand shot out, catching the club mid-swing. The impact should have shattered bone. Instead, Alvida's eyes went wide as Luffy's grip held firm. The rain streamed down his face, but his expression was calm.
"You're strong," Luffy said quietly. "But not strong enough."
He ripped the club from her grip, tossed it aside like it weighed nothing. His knee drove into her stomach, lifting her off the ground and sending her crashing into the wet street. The impact cratered the stone.
Buggy finally reformed fully, staggering to his feet. His face was pale, his bravado cracking. "You'll regret messing with us, Luffy! We'll make your crew pay!"
Luffy's expression didn't change. "You won't touch my crew. They can handle themselves." He stepped forward, and Buggy flinched back. "But I'm done playing with you two."
Buggy glanced at Alvida, still struggling to rise. Something passed between them. Fear, maybe. Or the realization that this fight was already over.
"Retreat!" Buggy screamed, trying to salvage some dignity. "We'll be back for you, Straw Hat! And next time, you won't be so lucky!"
His body came apart again, pieces scattering on the wind. Alvida pushed herself up, clutching her side, and limped into the shadows without a word.
Luffy watched them go. He didn't chase. They weren't the real threat. They never had been.
He turned.
Across the square, Smoker stood free of the Sea Prism Stone net, a pair of Marines having cut him loose. They were ready to advance, weapons raised, but Smoker raised a hand, stopping them.
"Stay back," Smoker ordered, his voice sharp. "This one's mine."
"But Captain!" one of the Marines protested. "He's too strong! We should…"
"I said stay back!" Smoker barked. His eyes never left Luffy. "Go after Buggy and the others. I'll deal with Straw Hat."
The Marines hesitated, then obeyed, disappearing into the rain-soaked streets. Smoker and Luffy stood alone in the square.
Luffy reached up slowly and removed his straw hat, letting the rain soak his hair. He looped the cord around his neck, securing it against his back. The rain drummed steadily on the stone streets, and Luffy smiled.
"So," he said, his voice light but his eyes sharp. "It's just us now."
Smoker pulled his jitte from his back, the Sea Prism Stone end gleaming in the storm light. "You won't be so confident after this."
The two warriors faced each other, the storm intensifying around them as if the sky itself was waiting for what came next.
---
From atop the rooftops, the mysterious figure continued to watch.
He hadn't moved in hours. His cloak was soaked through, his face hidden in shadow, but his eyes never left the square below. The battle between Buggy and Alvida had been a sideshow. This, this was what he'd come to see.
The Straw Hat boy was strong. Stronger than his bounty suggested. But strength alone wasn't enough. There was an invisible barrier between the strong and the truly elite, a wall that most fighters never breached. The boy had power, raw and untamed, but did he have what it took to cross that line?
The figure watched Smoker advance. Watched Luffy's stance widen, his fists come up. No fear. No hesitation. Just the calm before violence.
He watched the two young men with the interest that their future selves demanded. Something stirred in his chest. An inkling. A premonition. These two would change the world. He could see it in the way they moved, in the fire behind their eyes.
He needed to see more. He needed to understand what kind of future was coming.
Unbeknownst to him, another set of eyes watched from the shadows of a narrow alley. Ria pressed herself against the wall, her breath misting in the cold air, her gaze fixed on the square. The rain plastered her dark hair to her face, but she didn't move to brush it aside.
She watched Luffy. Watched the way he stood, the way he faced Smoker without flinching. She had seen him fight before, in Orange Town, in Syrup Village. She had seen what he was capable of.
But this was different. This was the man who had freed Nami's island. The man with the highest bounty in the East Blue. The man who had looked at her across a bar and smiled like he had nothing to prove.
She watched. And she waited.
---
Back at the port, the Going Merry rocked gently in the storm, its sails fluttering in the harsh winds. Sanji and Usopp arrived at the docks, soaked from the rain but carrying the last of the supplies. They hurried to get the wagon's contents aboard, their urgency clear.
"Why do these things always happen to us?" Usopp muttered, shivering from the cold rain as he handed Sanji a crate.
"Quit complaining and keep moving!" Sanji snapped, shaking the water from his hair before climbing up the ship's side to store the supplies.
At that moment, Yosaku appeared from below deck, lending a hand to the two Straw Hats. His frame, strong from training, was unbothered by the storm as he effortlessly hefted the supplies onboard.
"You're late," Yosaku grumbled, his voice carrying over the wind. "But at least you made it."
"Where's Zoro?" Usopp asked, looking around anxiously.
Just as Yosaku placed the final crate down, Zoro arrived, his swords still sheathed but his face marked with exhaustion. "I had to lose a Marine," Zoro muttered. "But we're cutting it close. We need to leave now."
"Where's Luffy?" Nami asked as she emerged from the ship's interior, concern written across her face. "We can't leave without him."
Zoro, wiping rain from his brow, shook his head. "He's still busy, but we need to set sail now. Luffy can handle himself."
As if on cue, a mighty roar of cannons echoed through the storm. Half a dozen pirate ships suddenly appeared, surrounding the Going Merry from all sides. Buggy and Alvida, their flags flying proudly, had returned with reinforcements. Cannons were primed and ready to fire, and their crewmen stood menacingly on deck, prepared for battle.
"They've got us surrounded!" Usopp shouted, his heart racing. "What do we do?!"
Nami's eyes narrowed, her mind racing. "We need to get out of here, fast!"
Sanji cracked his knuckles. "Let them come. They'll regret messing with us."
The pirates on the ships surrounding the Going Merry cheered and prepared for an all-out assault. As the storm raged on, the Straw Hats braced themselves for the next fight, unsure of what Buggy and Alvida had planned but knowing that they wouldn't go down without a fight.