Footsteps echoed.
From the ruined doorway, several marines stumbled out in panic—led by the naval lieutenant. Their steps were rushed and messy, as if fear was dragging them forward.
Then—
They froze.
At the entrance, the lieutenant stood completely stiff, eyes vacant, face drained of color as he stared at what lay outside.
On the ground—
Nearly two hundred marines were sprawled out, motionless, unconscious.
"…We're too late."
His lips trembled, his voice tight with fear.
As expected.
Those idiots outside… had still provoked the monster.
"Quick!" the lieutenant barked. "Check their condition!"
He had to know.
If too many of them were dead, Loguetown's Marine Branch would suffer a catastrophic loss. And in East Blue, it wasn't like they could shamelessly beg Headquarters for elite reinforcements.
Not here.
Not in the so-called "weakest sea."
Not long after—
The inspection was complete.
Conclusion:
They were only unconscious. No wounds. No injuries.
Just like the CP agents lying nearby.
The lieutenant exhaled, but the relief only lasted a second—because the truth behind it was even more terrifying.
"If my guess is right…"
"They lost consciousness instantly—just like the CP men."
"So…"
"That monster really did use Conqueror's Haki again."
He swallowed hard.
"An ability that appears only once in a million…"
"The qualification of a king."
His mind surged like a stormy sea.
This was Conqueror's Haki—something he never believed he would witness in Loguetown, of all places… and not only witness it—
But witness it being used skillfully.
Before today, it was merely a theory.
Now it was certainty.
Because what else could knock out two hundred trained marines without leaving even a scratch?
Only Conqueror's.
And after everything they had seen—
After Captain Smoker himself had been crushed—
There was almost nothing left that could surprise them.
Still…
It didn't feel real.
It felt like a nightmare that should end the moment they woke up.
But it wasn't a dream.
It was reality.
A reality caused by a single entity:
A monster who had descended upon Loguetown.
The lieutenant turned to the others as they waited for orders.
"Lieutenant… what do we do with them?"
He stared at the ruined streets—shattered pavement, broken buildings, cracked foundations, walls on the verge of collapse.
This wasn't a simple cleanup.
It was a massive disaster response.
"Contact the branch headquarters," he ordered grimly. "Bring manpower. We need to stabilize the area and handle the aftermath."
His eyes narrowed as dread deepened.
This kind of destruction didn't happen for no reason.
A monster like that didn't appear in Loguetown "just because."
Something had triggered it.
Something had brought him here.
And they would have to investigate it—carefully.
But right now, the biggest problem wasn't the buildings.
It was the injured.
Nearly two hundred marines unconscious.
Captain Smoker—near death.
Everything had collapsed at once.
The lieutenant felt his scalp go cold.
If Smoker doesn't recover soon… I'll be the one cleaning up this entire nightmare?
Just thinking about it made him want to scream.
Then he forced out a bitter breath.
"At least… that monster didn't decide to massacre Loguetown."
"If he had…"
"Loguetown would have become a sea of blood."
And the truth was—
No one could stop him.
Smoker couldn't.
Smoker had been defeated in an instant.
So what chance did anyone else have?
The lieutenant's voice dropped into something like resignation:
"Loguetown's destruction…"
"…was only one thought away for that monster."
Even now, the fear inside him refused to fade.
He headed back into the ruined hall to check Smoker again.
Smoker lay in the cratered floor, face pale, breathing weak.
"How's it outside?" he rasped.
"Same as before," the lieutenant replied. "No exceptions. They were all knocked out instantly… just like the CP agents."
Smoker's eyes tightened.
"…Conqueror's Haki."
There was no other explanation.
Then his expression darkened further.
"He used it a second time in such a short span…"
"This monster is truly terrifying."
For Smoker, the one "fortunate" thing—if it could even be called that—was this:
That monster didn't seem to hate Loguetown.
If he did…
Today would have been the town's end.
Smoker's voice was faint.
"Did you contact the branch?"
"Yes. They're on their way."
Smoker shut his eyes, exhausted beyond words.
"I'll rest… I'm too tired."
It wasn't the fight that drained him—it was the sheer terror and pressure that crushed his mind and body.
And his injuries…
One wrong movement could kill him.
This entire disaster had been started by one monster.
A single monster.
And Loguetown had survived only because that monster chose not to destroy it.
That was the only reason.
A short time later—
Reinforcements arrived.
Dozens of marines poured in from the Loguetown branch, and the moment they saw the scene, they went stiff.
"What the hell…"
"What kind of battle leaves this behind?!"
"The streets—several blocks are basically destroyed!"
"That building… it looks like it could collapse any second!"
"Move! Rescue first—manpower is short!"
Even clerks and paperwork officers were dragged into the response.
That alone showed how desperate they were.
When they finally saw Smoker's condition, shock spread like wildfire.
"Even Captain Smoker… injured this badly?!"
"He's a Logia user!"
"What kind of monster did they fight?"
The rescuers' worldview cracked in real time.
In their minds, Smoker was supposed to be unstoppable.
Yet reality screamed otherwise.
One thing was undeniable:
A monster had appeared in Loguetown.
A monster even Smoker couldn't stop.
"Everyone—stop staring!" someone shouted. "Rescue now! Captain Smoker's injuries are critical—get him to medical immediately! And be careful during transport—don't worsen his condition!"
The marines surged into action—
As Loguetown entered a new era of fear.
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