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If there's one place in Loguetown that's truly famous, it's without a doubt the execution platform of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Years ago, after Roger turned himself in, this was where he was publicly executed.
And his death… marked the beginning of the Great Pirate Era.
Ever since then, countless people from every nation, race, and walk of life have come to Loguetown—just to look at the spot where Roger died.
It's practically become a tourist attraction now.
Logan only gave it a passing glance as he walked by, then lost all interest.
The guy's been dead for decades—what's there to see?
After wandering around the streets for another couple of hours, Logan's stomach finally started to grumble. He slipped into a quiet back alley.
From experience, he knew that tucked-away alleys often hid the best little hole-in-the-wall joints—places that might not look like much, but could easily rival the fanciest restaurants in town.
Following the smell of booze drifting through the air, Logan pushed open the door of a small tavern.
The moment he stepped in, a hunched old man behind the counter greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Welcome, sir! What can I get you?"
"Bring me your best dishes and your finest drink," Logan said casually, picking a random table and sitting down.
"Right away!" The owner nodded and hurried into the kitchen.
Logan glanced around. There were only a few scattered customers inside. Business was clearly bad—this place felt like a completely different world compared to the busy streets outside.
He checked the time. He'd been wandering around for nearly three hours. After eating, he should probably go find that bespectacled girl.
Hopefully Tashigi was still at the Navy base.
Before long, the owner came out carrying a steaming tray of food.
But before the dishes even reached the table, Logan raised an eyebrow.
The tavern door creaked open. Smoker, with his trademark trio of cigars, strode in.
His eyes instantly locked onto Logan.
"Finally found you, Logan—Captain of the Logan Pirates." His voice was low and cold.
A heavy aura surged from Smoker's body as thick white smoke began pouring off him.
A confident grin tugged at his lips. "Logan, your journey ends here."
And that confidence wasn't baseless.
The weapon in his hand—his jitte—was tipped with seastone, the natural enemy of Logia-type Devil Fruit users.
Logan had no such countermeasure.
In other words, Smoker believed Logan couldn't possibly hurt him.
The air in the tavern grew tense, like a storm about to break.
"Is that so?" Logan chuckled and shook his head. "I wouldn't be so sure."
"Hmph. Big talk," Smoker sneered. He wasn't in the mood for more words. Time to fight.
"Gentlemen, please—this is just a small business!" the tavern owner begged, hands pressed together.
"Take it outside," Smoker ordered. His lower body turned to smoke, and he shot out of the tavern in a blur.
Now that he'd found Logan, he wasn't worried about him escaping.
Logan smiled faintly, tossed a few Berries on the counter, and followed him out.
The two soon stood in an open space beyond the alley.
Smoker didn't waste a second.
He needed to take Logan down before Nami could arrive for backup.
"White Blow!"
In an instant, Smoker's whole body dissolved into swirling smoke that surged toward Logan, surrounding him like a moving cage, cutting off all escape routes.
But Logan's Observation Haki locked right onto Smoker's real body. He chuckled.
"Logia users are rare… but ones as weak as you? Even rarer."
Tempest Kick!
Logan's right leg snapped forward, unleashing a blade of compressed air.
Boom!
The slash, wrapped in Armament Haki, struck Smoker square in the chest.
"Ahhh!"
With a cry of pain, Smoker was sent flying backward, a bloody gash torn across his chest.
"Cough—cough…" He hit the ground hard, glaring at Logan in disbelief. "Armament Haki?! You can use Armament Haki?!"
In the East Blue, that was unheard of.
Back in the Navy Headquarters, their instructor Zefa had lectured them about Haki, but Smoker had never paid much attention.
After all, in the East Blue, people barely even knew what Haki was.
And now he'd been crushed by someone who could use it.
"Smoker-san!!"
A panicked voice rang out from the distance.
Tashigi, glasses flashing in the sun, came running toward them.
She'd been patrolling nearby and had arrived just in time to see Smoker get launched through the air.
"Stay back, Tashigi!!" Smoker shouted in alarm.
If he couldn't handle Logan, she'd be walking straight into danger.
Watching the clumsy, busty girl rushing toward them, Logan grinned.
Well, speak of the devil.
He'd been planning to go to the Navy base to find her—but she'd come to him instead.
That saved him some time.
"Smoker-san, are you okay?!" Tashigi knelt beside him, worry written all over her face.
"Idiot! I told you to run!" Smoker snapped.
Was this really how it was going to end?
Logan frowned. "Hey, that's no way to talk to someone who's worried about you."
Tashigi blinked. "Huh?"
Was this pirate… defending her?
Something wasn't right here.
"D-Don't come any closer!" Tashigi stammered, pushing her glasses up as she drew her sword, Shigure.
"Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you," Logan said with a soft smile. Then, looking her dead in the eye, he declared seriously, "As captain of the Logan Pirates, I hereby announce—you're officially part of my crew now."
Tashigi froze, then glanced around in confusion.
No one else was there.
"Yeah, I mean you," Logan added. "The bespectacled girl—Tashigi."
Her face turned red. Bespectacled girl?!
"Don't be ridiculous! I'm a Marine! I'd never become a pirate!" she snapped.
Even if it killed her, she would never join them.
Absolutely not!
"....."