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Rogue Town — "The Town of Beginnings and Endings."
Anyone setting sail for the Grand Line almost always stops here first to stock up on supplies for the dangerous voyage ahead.
Thanks to its prime location—and the fact that it's both the birthplace and the execution site of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger—Rogue Town is one of the most famous cities in the East Blue, maybe even the entire world.
Every day, countless ships dock here, merchants trade goods, and the streets buzz with life and business.
Of course, prosperity always brings trouble.
While Rogue Town's wealth grew, so did the number of pirates and criminals passing through on their way to the Grand Line.
To keep things under control, the Navy stationed a powerful officer here: the Marine Colonel known as the White Hunter—Smoker.
In the East Blue, a sea where Haki is almost unheard of and Devil Fruits are seen as mere legends, a Logia-type user like Smoker and his Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability might as well be an unstoppable force.
With Smoker as the town's guardian, the number of pirates who've successfully escaped from the East Blue into the Grand Line has become laughably low compared to the other seas.
Logan docked the Going Merry at the harbor.
Smoker might be terrifying to most East Blue pirates, but for Logan—who could use Haki—Smoker was the one at a disadvantage.
He had no reason to hide.
In fact, he was even planning to "borrow" a certain bespectacled marine named Tashigi for himself.
Once the Merry was securely anchored, Logan and his restless crew of girls set foot on the island.
Their mission today was simple: spend money.
During the journey, they'd already made lists of everything they wanted to buy.
Nami wanted new clothes, shiny jewelry, makeup, and maybe a few interesting trinkets from the local shops.
Kaya planned to hit the bookstores for new medical texts—she'd already read everything she'd brought from home.
Makino was after ingredients for brewing more liquor; with the crew expanding, their alcohol supply never seemed to last.
Nojiko and Karumen were in charge of gathering food and daily essentials for the next stretch of the voyage.
Logan, in good spirits, didn't hold back. It wasn't every day they got to visit such a lively place, and the girls were clearly excited.
"Go wild," he said with a grin, handing out extra funds—another 200,000 Berries each on top of what they already had.
With a meeting point set, everyone split up to explore the bustling town.
Logan didn't rush to look for Tashigi.
Since he was here, he might as well enjoy what Rogue Town had to offer.
After leaving a small locator marker behind, he strolled into the busy streets.
"Man… no wonder they call it the Town of Beginnings and Endings. This place is alive."
The streets were packed with vendors calling out their wares, shopkeepers haggling with customers, and laughter everywhere.
Logan couldn't deny it—Smoker might not be the strongest, but he'd kept Rogue Town impressively well-organized.
Most pirates didn't dare act out once they heard who was in charge here.
Too many before them had learned that lesson the hard way.
Logan wandered casually, stopping here and there to check out stalls selling strange little trinkets he'd never seen in other towns.
But just as he was leaving one booth, a marine walked out of a nearby shop—and the two nearly brushed shoulders.
The marine glanced at him instinctively, ready to move on, then froze.
He turned back sharply, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
No, he hadn't imagined it.
"That's… Logan! The captain of the Logan Pirates?! He's here?!"
Realizing how serious this was, the marine didn't hesitate. He turned on his heel and sprinted back to headquarters.
He needed to report this to Colonel Smoker immediately.
A pirate worth 30 million Berries was already a big deal in the East Blue.
But Logan's crew also included a navigator worth 50 million. That was no joke.
Inside the Marine base, smoke filled the office as usual.
Smoker was buried behind a mountain of paperwork. Keeping order in a chaotic place like Rogue Town took constant effort.
"Report!" a voice called from outside.
"Come in," Smoker said without looking up.
The marine entered, unfazed by the haze of secondhand smoke that hung in the air.
"What is it?" Smoker asked, flipping through a file.
"Colonel Smoker, sir—Captain Logan of the Logan Pirates has been spotted in town!"
"Oh?" Smoker finally looked up, raising an eyebrow. "That was fast."
When he'd received the wanted posters, Logan's crew had only just left Cocoyasi Village.
And now they were already here?
Still, he wasn't entirely surprised. He'd been expecting this.
Smoker's gaze shifted to the two wanted posters pinned beside his desk:
Logan – Captain of the Logan Pirates. Suspected Cloud-Cloud Fruit user. Bounty: 30,000,000 Berries.
Nami – Navigator of the Logan Pirates. Suspected Thunder-Thunder Fruit user. Bounty: 50,000,000 Berries.
"Hmph… this could get tricky," Smoker muttered, frowning slightly.
A Cloud Fruit user wasn't too concerning—but the Thunder Fruit? Its destructive power far outclassed his own Smoke Fruit.
If it came down to a fight, he'd be at a disadvantage.
"When's Vice Admiral Garp getting here?" he asked.
"In about four hours, sir," the soldier reported.
After leaving Marine HQ, Garp had rushed back to the East Blue, searching for Luffy the whole way—but with no luck.
Frustrated, he decided to head for Rogue Town instead.
After all, he knew his grandson too well.
There was no way that troublemaker would stay in the East Blue forever—he'd definitely aim for the Grand Line.
Rogue Town was the last stop before that journey.
So instead of chasing shadows, Garp planned to wait right here and catch Luffy himself—with a fist full of love.
"Should we wait for Vice Admiral Garp to arrive, sir?" the marine asked.
"Four hours is too long," Smoker said, shaking his head. "Besides Logan, did you see any of his crew?"
The marine shook his head.
"Then we move now," Smoker decided, standing up and grabbing his coat.
"Oh, and where's Sergeant Tashigi?"
"She's out on patrol, sir."
Smoker nodded, picked up his jitte, and walked out of the smoke-filled office.
Time to bring in the storm.
"....."