At that moment, in Loguetown's port, it seemed like the end of the line for all the pirates. As more and more naval ships arrived, and the Navy forces swarmed ashore, sweeping through every pirate in their path, even the notorious Buggy Pirates of the East Blue had been captured. Despair filled the air, and many pirates gave up resisting. On the seas, the Navy reigned supreme—no matter how strong a pirate was, they would eventually meet their end when the Navy closed in.
Before long, the Navy had sealed off all the ports.
At the eastern port, a young man dressed in black, carrying a sword on his back, walked toward the sea. At first, no one paid him any mind, but after he knocked out a marine, the surrounding marines immediately took action!
"Stop right there! You're surrounded!"
"A pirate, huh? Some people really don't learn until they're dead. Even in this situation, you still dare to resist. In that case, kill him!"
"These scum have blood on their hands. Kill them all!"
In an instant, at least a dozen marines surrounded the black-clad youth, rifles aimed and ready to fire.
But the young man simply cast a cold glance at them. Suddenly, a pale blue wave of energy surged from his body, radiating outward in all directions.
Within a 300-meter radius, every marine froze in place, their bodies stiffening. Then, one by one, they collapsed—some foaming at the mouth, others passing out cold. In mere moments, there was not a single person standing within the young man's reach.
Unfazed, the boy continued walking toward the shore.
"What just happened?"
"What's going on?"
Everyone nearby, shocked by the sudden commotion, turned to look at the scene, and were left stunned.
"It's him! The swordsman from the Straw Hat crew—their vice-captain, Moonlight!"
Hearing this, even Buggy, who had been captured, glanced over at the black-clad youth and shouted out in recognition.
"What? He's one of the Straw Hats?"
"A swordsman? That's incredible—he just took down so many marines in one go! How did he do that?"
"I've heard of the Straw Hat Pirates. They've been on the rise lately, defeating both Krieg and Arlong's pirate crews. They're tough! Their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, even has a 30-million-berri bounty on his head. I've seen the wanted poster."
"I've seen it too. But the vice-captain, Moonlight, has an even higher bounty—50 million berri. That's him?"
Buggy's outburst caused a ripple of recognition among the crowd. The wanted posters of the Straw Hat Pirates had spread across the world, and many people knew of this powerful pirate crew from the East Blue. No one had expected to encounter one of them here.
"Captain! We've spotted Moonlight, the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, with a bounty of 50 million berri! This man is extremely dangerous—our forces can't handle him! We need reinforcements!"
The marines quickly reported the situation to their superior officers.
"Moonlight from the Straw Hats, huh? The vice-captain? What a big catch! Today's shaping up to be quite the haul. Send reinforcements immediately—we must capture him. With a bounty higher than their captain, this guy's a major pirate!"
Hearing this, the stationed captain's eyes lit up with excitement, and he quickly gave the order.
Capturing a pirate of such high value would undoubtedly set his career on an upward trajectory.
"Captain, there's more… Moonlight, he—"
But before the captain could finish giving orders to send more troops after Moonlight, another marine burst in, his face pale and filled with shock.
"What is it? Why the panic?"
The captain's irritation was cut short as the soldiers outside the ship began to shout in surprise.
"Look over there! What's going on?"
"Is someone jumping into the sea?"
"The open sea… Who would do something so foolish? Even a pirate can't survive in the water!"
"Huh?"
Following the shouts, the captain rushed to the deck and was greeted by a sight he would never forget.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's that guy doing? Has he lost his mind? Is he really going to jump into the sea?"
"What's happening? Why is he jumping into the water?"
"Wait, what's he trying to do?"
Buggy and the other captured pirates were equally shocked as they stared at Moonlight. This was the infamous vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, with a bounty higher than his own captain. Everyone was stunned and focused their attention on him.
At that moment, after dispatching the marines with his Conqueror's Haki, Moonlight reached the edge of the shore. In front of the stunned crowd, he leapt into the sea.
He… jumped into the ocean!
Before the crowd could fully react, Moonlight raised his sword, the Kusanagi, and locked his gaze on the Merry, which was hundreds of meters away.
"Dragon Rend Sky Cut!"
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, Moonlight and his sword became one, and he shot across the surface of the sea at an incredible speed, leaving afterimages in his wake.
His speed was blinding. As he fused with his sword, he moved rapidly across the ocean, leaving a trail of afterimages on the water's surface. The sheer speed of his movements created a series of booming sounds as the air was sliced apart.
He cut through the wind and waves, racing toward the Merry at breakneck speed.
In that moment, everyone watching saw a massive blue streak, cutting through the ocean waves, heading straight for the Merry, hundreds of meters away.
"This… this… not only did he survive the jump, but he's actually moving across the sea?"
Buggy inhaled sharply. Despite all his experience, even he couldn't hide his shock. He had seen many incredibly strong individuals while serving on Roger's ship, but he had never witnessed anything like this before.
"Is he even human?"
The marines and other onlookers were all in disbelief. Someone was running across the sea—at an incredible speed! This was something they couldn't have believed if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes.
"Captain, do we still pursue him?" One of the marines nervously asked the commanding officer.
The marine captain stared intently at Moonlight, moving across the sea, but remained silent for a long while.
Should they even try to chase him? He kept asking himself.
"Is that… Moonlight?"
Meanwhile, Luffy and the rest of the crew, noticing Nami's strange reaction, followed her gaze. What they saw left them dumbstruck—a figure had jumped from Loguetown's port and was now speeding across the water toward them.
Through his binoculars, Usopp got a clear look at the figure's face. His jaw dropped in shock, large enough to fit an entire egg inside.
"Wha—!"
Luffy and the others all trembled in disbelief as they looked out at the sea.
It was Moonlight.
Though they knew Moonlight was strong, they never imagined he was this strong. This was beyond anything they had ever thought possible.