"This is great. We saved so much money on weapons. That shop owner is too nice!"
Stepping out of the weapon shop, Nami wore a look of unconcealable delight.
The feeling of not spending a single cent was simply wonderful. Such a little money-grubber.
Lius rested his right hand on the hilt at his waist. "Ahem, that is because the owner understands swords. More accurately, he was conquered by my charm."
Nami rolled her eyes at him. She suddenly frowned and scanned the quiet street. "Lius, don't you feel like it suddenly got a lot quieter? Were we discovered?"
The soldiers who usually patrolled the streets were nowhere to be seen. Only a dead silence lingered over the empty roads.
"They didn't discover us. They probably found some great pirate. I can sense their presence. The naval soldiers of Loguetown aren't targeting us."
Lius narrowed his eyes. Through the perception range of his Observation Haki, he noticed soldiers converging toward a single direction from all sides.
Clatter. Clatter.
Right then, another squad of soldiers approached from a distance. As they passed by Lius and Nami, their hushed conversation drifted over.
"Thank goodness Captain Smoker saw this coming!"
"Yeah. We were originally waiting for that Lius to show up, but we ended up catching Fire Fist Ace instead."
"He is a Logia type user. He must be incredibly tough to deal with, right?"
"That goes without saying!"
"Hurry. We need to surround him before Ace realizes what is happening."
"Lock down every escape route!"
The voices gradually faded away and completely disappeared at the end of the street.
Nami stood completely dumbfounded. "Isn't Ace supposed to be sleeping on the ship?"
She could hardly believe her own ears after hearing the soldiers.
Lius merely narrowed his eyes. Through the sweeping range of his Observation Haki, he could vaguely detect a solitary presence slowly making its way deep into the town.
It was heading straight for the central plaza.
It was undeniably Ace.
He had claimed he would stay on the ship. However, if he did nothing before entering the Grand Line, his heart would forever remain shackled by that lingering obsession.
After a long and painful internal struggle, Ace ultimately followed his heart. He chose to disembark and walk toward the very execution platform that had ended the Pirate King's life.
"Nami, head back to the ship and wait for me."
Leaving her with those parting words, Lius headed straight for the central plaza.
His opportunity to act like a caring captain had finally arrived.
A towering execution platform stood right in the middle of the empty plaza.
Step... Step…
Footsteps echoed through the area as Ace slowly walked into view.
"So this is the place where Roger died?"
Standing at the base of the execution platform, Ace stared up at the structure. His gaze was incredibly complex. It held a mix of anger, disgust, nostalgia, helplessness, and pain. Above all else, it revealed a sense of confusion about his own existence.
Night cast a heavy veil over the town. Silent figures began to converge on the plaza from every intersecting street.
Right then, a faint voice rang out as a figure stepped into the open plaza.
"The Pirate King single-handedly kicked off the Great Pirate Era right before his death. I wonder how long his impact on this world will truly last." Stopping at the base of the platform, Lius followed Ace's gaze upward.
Nobody answered him.
Ace shot him a sideways glance with a slightly stiff expression. However, he quickly relaxed.
Meanwhile, the soldiers hiding in the shadows around the plaza stared in absolute disbelief.
A soldier stammered in a hushed whisper. "Who... who is that guy?"
"I thought the entire perimeter was locked down. Where the hell did he come from?"
"Look. He came from the eastern entrance!"
"This is bad. Everyone stationed at the eastern entrance is down!"
"What? We didn't even hear a fight. What is going on?"
Lius's sudden appearance instantly threw the soldiers' silent blockade into total disarray.
Panic swept through the ranks. "Hurry. Notify Captain Smoker immediately. The targets might have already noticed us!"
Back at the execution platform, the two young men stood side by side as they stared up at the towering structure.
"Do you want to go up and take a look?" Lius finally broke the long silence with a faint smile. "You want to see the exact view the Pirate King saw right before he died? You know, every rookie pirate born in the East Blue treats this place like a pilgrimage site. They all come here to commemorate the Pirate King's execution before entering the Grand Line."
Ace shot him a skeptical look. "I don't sense any respect for that man coming from you."
Lius's lips curled up. "Ah, but neither do you." His expression turned serious. "Still, I genuinely want to see the world Roger looked at right before he died!"
Upon saying this, he kicked off the ground and launched himself into the air. He walked upward step by step, almost as if an invisible staircase existed in the empty space, ascending straight toward the top of the platform.
Ace stared in shock. "That technique is exactly like the old man's!"
He quickly snapped out of his daze. Moving with nimble agility, he began climbing the metal scaffolding of the execution platform.
"Who in the world is that guy with Ace?"
"He is too far away to see clearly. But judging by the weapon on his waist, he must be a swordsman!"
"Did someone notify Captain Smoker?"
"Yes! Captain Smoker is already on his way here!"
"Alright. Everyone get ready. It doesn't matter who that guy is. We absolutely cannot let Ace leave Loguetown!"
"We are staking our justice on this battle!"
The hidden figures stationed in the streets surrounding the plaza waited in tense silence. A grim and murderous intent filled the air.