Nami and Usopp ran toward the Going Merry while the rest headed straight for the Buggy Pirates to stop their captain's execution.
Luffy was on the execution platform trying to free himself.
"Do you want to say your last words?" Buggy asked Luffy, ready to cut off his head. "We've got a big crowd here that could hear them. Though if you've got something to say, I doubt anyone would care"
Luffy, a bit uncomfortable with Buggy's nonstop talking, took a breath and shouted.
"¡¡¡I'M GOING TO BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES!!!" Luffy shouted, his voice echoing across the entire square.
"W-what did he just say?!"
"Did he say King of the Pirates?!"
"Of all places, he says that in this city..."
"What kind of madness is this?"
The citizens were shocked to hear those words in the very place where Gold Roger had died.
"Is that all you had to say, Rubber Man?!" Buggy said, raising his sword.
"Stop that execution!"
At that moment, Oliver, Zoro, and Sanji arrived at the square, clearing a path as they pushed forward toward Luffy.
"Oliver! Sanji! Zoro! Save me!" Luffy shouted, calling for help from his nakamas.
The Buggy Pirates blocked their path, but they were easily defeated as the trio kept advancing.
"Gyahahaha! Watch closely, boys! This is the end of your captain!" Buggy said, bringing his sword down at full speed.
The three kept moving forward, striking down every pirate in their way.
"Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Nami! Oliver! Sorry, but I think I'm dead" Luffy said with a smile.
Oliver leaped over the pirates to reach him, and just then, a lightning bolt struck the execution platform, completely destroying it.
Everyone present was stunned as Luffy emerged from the rubble without a scratch.
"In the end, I made it out alive. I'm so lucky!" Luffy said, placing his straw hat back on and laughing.
The crew regrouped after defeating a large number of pirates as the rain began to fall.
"Hey, do you believe in God?" Sanji asked Zoro.
"Shut up. We need to get out of this city. Looks like another battle is about to break out soon," Zoro replied.
"I agree. We should head back to the Merry. The rain is getting heavy," Oliver said. 'Was that really because of Dragon?'
"Surround the square! Corner the pirates!"
With the arrival of the Marines, they started running to avoid a confrontation.
"The rain is getting worse," Zoro said.
"Hey, the Marines are still chasing us. Shouldn't we stop and fight them?" Luffy asked.
"No, it'd never end. Nami-san told us to return to the ship as soon as possible," Sanji replied.
"I agree. And with this rain, the sea might get even rougher and affect the Merry," Oliver added.
Up ahead, a woman stood in their path—the same one Zoro had encountered before.
"Roronoa Zoro!" the woman shouted angrily.
"Sergeant Major Tashigi!" the Marines shouted upon seeing their superior.
"You deceived me! You were Roronoa Zoro! And on top of that… you're a pirate! You're despicable!" Tashigi yelled even more angrily.
"What the hell did you do to that girl?!" Sanji asked Zoro angrily.
"And you're with the Marines?" Zoro said.
"I will reclaim the Meito, Wado-Ichimonji!" Tashigi said, drawing her sword.
"I'd like to see how you plan to do that," Zoro said, drawing his sword and clashing with hers. "Go on ahead"
"How dare that idiot attack a girl like—!" Sanji shouted, but Oliver grabbed him.
"There's no time for their fight," Oliver said.
"Let's go!" Luffy shouted.
They kept running, leaving Zoro behind as they headed toward the Going Merry.
As they got closer to the dock, a man with gray hair stood before them, wearing a Marine jacket with the word "Justice" on the back and jeans.
"There's someone ahead!" Luffy shouted.
"Again?" Sanji asked.
"There you are, Straw Hat Luffy," the gray-haired man said.
'Damn, I forgot Smoker was here,' Oliver thought.
"Who are you?!" Luffy asked.
"My name is Smoker. Captain of the Marine Headquarters. You won't escape back to the sea!" the Marine shouted as smoke came out of his hands, trapping Luffy.
"W-what the hell is this?!" Luffy said as he was captured.
"Damn freak!" Sanji tried to kick him, but it didn't work. "Huh?!"
"I'm not interested in weaklings," Smoker said. "White Blow"
Smoker's arm turned into smoke and shot forward, trapping Sanji as well.
Oliver charged at Smoker and used Whirlwind Iron Cutting Fist, unleashing a cutting blast that sliced through him—but Smoker regenerated instantly.
"Damn it! That didn't work!" Oliver said, following up with an Electro punch, which also failed.
A smoke fist shot toward Oliver, capturing him just like Sanji.
'A Logia really is hard to deal with'
Smoker easily captured Luffy as well, but a powerful gust of wind forced him to release Luffy. Then, a massive wind blast sent everyone flying, allowing Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Oliver to escape toward the dock.
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At the dock, Nami and Usopp were waiting until the others finally arrived.
"Luffy! Hurry! I can't hold the rope any longer!" Usopp shouted while gripping it tightly.
"What a rain," Luffy said.
"Nami-san, I'm back!" Sanji shouted.
"Get on! We have to leave!" Nami yelled.
Everyone quickly boarded to escape Loguetown.
Once they were far enough, their only concern was not letting the ship sink due to the waves.
"Whoa!! It feels like the ship's going to flip over!" Luffy said while looking at the waves.
"The storm is really strong. It's impressive the Merry is holding up," Oliver said.
"Look, a light!" Luffy said.
"That's the guiding light. It points to the entrance of the Grand Line. What do we do?" Nami asked her captain.
"But how are you going to handle this storm?" Usopp asked nervously.
"We've got our amazing navigator. No need to worry about that," Oliver said.
"Let's celebrate our success entering the Grand Line!" Sanji shouted, placing a barrel down.
All the crew members smiled at what he was planning.
"To finding the All Blue," Sanji said, placing his foot on the barrel.
"To becoming the King of the Pirates," Luffy said, doing the same.
"To becoming the world's greatest swordsman," Zoro said.
"To drawing a map of the entire world," Nami said.
"To... to becoming a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp shouted.
As they began their ritual, Oliver thought about his own dream. He didn't really have one—not even before arriving in One Piece.
'A dream, huh...' Oliver thought, joining them. "To seeing the whole world"
Everyone raised their feet and slammed them down, breaking the barrel.
"Let's go! To the Grand Line!" all six shouted in unison.
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