Chapter 11: Loguetown
The Going Merry carried the Straw Hat crew, and under the guidance of their navigator Nami, they finally arrived at Loguetown, the final stop in the East Blue.
"What are all these ships doing? Has treasure been found nearby?"
Even Luffy, that oblivious guy, could see that Loguetown's port seemed strange. Ships were constantly sailing out of the port, and a group of people who looked like townspeople were waving money around, looking for ships. There were only ships leaving, none coming in.
"Something feels off. Let's resupply here and leave quickly," said the experienced Nami, feeling that Loguetown was not a place to linger.
"Sanji and Usopp, go purchase ingredients and fresh water. Luffy and I will go to town for some clothes. Zoro, you watch the ship by yourself."
"Roger, Nami-swan!" Sanji's eyes sparkled with hearts.
"Stop fooling around, let's hurry up. I don't want to run into the Marines," Usopp said, not wanting any trouble, especially not wanting to encounter White Chase Smoker.
Luffy followed behind Nami, which gave the Cat Burglar some sense of security. Ever since landing in Loguetown, the woman had been restless, constantly feeling like something was about to happen.
The other crew members left, and Zoro sat alone bored on the sheep's head, not understanding why he was left to watch the ship by himself. He felt he could handle small tasks like shopping alone, not at all considering himself to have a terrible sense of direction.
"Hey, you pirate over there, do you want to buy weapons?"
"Yes, you, the guy with the bandana," a little old man in Loguetown's port called out to Zoro.
Zoro, watching the ship, didn't want to bother with him, but the man's next words piqued his interest. "You're a swordsman, do you need swords? I have many good swords here. If you make a good offer, I'll sell them to you."
The world-lines converged here after all; Zoro still encountered the weapon shop owner, Ipponmatsu. Due to Smoker's large-scale arrests of pirates in Loguetown, the weapon shop's business had already been suffering, and recently, he couldn't even keep his shop.
Zoro scanned his surroundings. Nearby were crowds of people fleeing. Since there were no other pirates around, he didn't have to worry about the Merry's safety. He jumped off the ship and walked towards the weapon shop owner. Ipponmatsu, before leaving, had packed up all his belongings, taking everything he could carry.
"Finally, a customer! I have quite a few good swords here. Take a look and see which one you fancy."
Among a messy pile of swords, Zoro, as if fated, still found the Sandai Kitetsu. "Boss, this sword is good. I'll take it."
Ipponmatsu, as a weapons merchant, still had a conscience. "The Sandai Kitetsu is a cursed sword. Every generation of swordsmen who owned it met a tragic end. I suggest you pick another one." This cursed sword had harmed many and was always kept in a corner of the weapon shop; he never expected it to be chosen today.
Tashigi, who was maintaining order at Loguetown's port, had seen a group of pirates enter the port from afar. Seeing they weren't causing trouble, she didn't intervene. But when she heard the name "Sandai Kitetsu," the female Marine's interest was instantly piqued. She had a habit of collecting famous swords, and even if it was a cursed sword, she didn't want to let it go.
"Pirate! Instead of fleeing for your life, you dare to come to Loguetown? Aren't you afraid of death?"
"A Marine!"
Zoro had seen Tashigi on the Sky Screen. Meeting her in reality, he still felt this woman looked very much like Kuina. The moment he saw this Marine, he got a headache. If it were any other time, he would have turned and fled.
But as a Three-Sword Style swordsman, Zoro currently only had one sword on him – the Wado Ichimonji. His other two ordinary swords were shattered by that powerful man during his duel with the great swordsman Hawkeye Mihawk. When fighting the Arlong Pirates, he had even borrowed someone else's sword to defeat Hatchan.
Zoro was set on this Sandai Kitetsu. "Let's see if I can be its master. Let it choose for itself."
The man spread his arm and tossed the Sandai Kitetsu into the air. The slightest mistake and the sharp cursed sword could sever a swordsman's arm. Zoro was calm and composed, but the other two were thoroughly frightened.
The Sandai Kitetsu fell, avoiding Zoro's arm, its blade plunging into the ground. "It's truly a good sword. It has chosen me."
"You're insane!" Tashigi was still shaken by the scene that had just unfolded.
Ipponmatsu had a natural fondness for swordsmen. He was moved by Zoro's courage in testing the sword. He turned and took out the shop's treasure, tightly wrapped, from behind him. A treasured sword is a gift for a hero; the man before him was worthy of it.
"Young man, this is my shop's treasure – Yubashiri. It's just collecting dust here with me. Take it with you and venture onto the Grand Line!"
"Yubashiri, one of the fifty Ryo Wazamono Grade swords? It's actually in the boss's hands!" Tashigi really wanted it. Should she arrest this pirate now? That way, both swords would belong to her.
Obtaining two very good swords at once made Zoro very happy. He was grateful to the weapon shop owner in his heart. "My name is Zoro, second-in-command of the Straw Hat Pirates. I will not bring dishonor to these two fine swords."
Straw Hat Pirates?
Wait, Straw Hat Pirates!
Isn't that the young man from the Sky Screen who inherited the Pirate King's will? To actually encounter Luffy's crew member here! It's truly just like the future revealed by the Sky Screen; these pirates really came to Loguetown.
No wonder Tashigi found their pirate flag familiar; the Straw Hat pirate flag had appeared repeatedly on the Sky Screen. Only when he announced his affiliation did she recognize it. The female Marine drew her sword and shouted, "Pirate, lay down your weapons and surrender! We absolutely cannot allow the Straw Hat crew to set sail and become stronger!"
Ipponmatsu, seeing the situation turn bad, immediately packed up his stall and prepared to flee. "Young man, my name is Ipponmatsu. I look forward to your future achievements. Be very careful of the Marines!"
Seeing the weapon shop owner leave without even asking for money, Zoro watched this benefactor depart the scene. He didn't want the ensuing fight to involve him. Just moments ago, Tashigi's shout had summoned a dozen Marine soldiers. To protect the all-important Going Merry, the swordsman had no choice but to fight.
Zoro bit down on the Wado Ichimonji, holding Yubashiri and Sandai Kitetsu in his two hands respectively. He needed to quickly deal with the Marines before him, not allowing their guns to damage the ship's hull. "Three-Sword Style Secret Technique – Dragon Twister!"
"Three-Sword Style Secret Technique – Three Thousand Worlds!"
...
By the time his crewmates returned, a large number of Marines lay defeated before Zoro, including the female Marine Tashigi. He hadn't taken their lives.
Nami dragged an unwilling Luffy behind her, giving Mosshead no chance to explain. "Everyone, get on the ship quickly! A Marine Admiral is coming! If we don't leave now, we won't get another chance!"
Usopp and Sanji followed behind, one carrying several barrels of fresh water, the other a large amount of ingredients. Both were panting from exhaustion after running all the way.
When the Cat Burglar was buying clothes in town, the clothing stores were all having 90% off clearance sales, practically giving things away. Nami bought a lot of clothes for everyone, and a good amount of money was left over from the planned budget.
From the shopkeeper, she learned that a Marine Admiral was coming to Loguetown, and Buggy the Clown had also appeared here. When that happened, there would definitely be a huge battle on this island. When two monsters fight, mortals suffer. Anyone who didn't want to die was leaving Loguetown...