The sun had barely risen, but Loguetown was already awake.
Magnus pushed open the shutters of the small inn window, the hinges squeaking as the salty morning air rushed in.
The streets below were a tide of bodies pirates with blades on their belts, merchants dragging carts of fruit and barrels, Marines forcing their way through the crush of people.
His hair caught the breeze, sharp eyes narrowing as he leaned forward.
The hum he had felt yesterday was gone.
Now it was a roar. Fear, greed, excitement it rolled off the crowd in waves so strong he could almost taste it. Observation Haki flickered at the edge of his mind, drowning him in pulses of emotion until he steadied his breathing.
"Magnus?" his mother's voice called softly from behind. "Come eat something before we head out."
He turned. His family was already preparing: Darius tightening the strap of his satchel, his sister fussing over her hair in the small mirror, their father's Marine uniform sharp and clean despite the worry tightening his jaw.
Magnus slid into his chair, the wooden floor creaking under his small feet. The bread was warm, the eggs simple, but he barely tasted them. His eyes kept darting to the window, to the sound of the swelling crowd outside.
"Father," he said suddenly, "how many people are expected today?"
His father hesitated before answering. "Thousands. Pirates, civilians, nobles… the whole world wants to see the Pirate King's end."
Magnus's chest tightened. And the whole world will hear his words.
By the time they left the inn, the streets were bursting. People pressed shoulder to shoulder, voices rising in waves as they pushed toward the central square.
Marines shouted orders from horseback, trying to keep the flow contained. The clang of weapons, the smell of sweat and sea salt, the heat of bodies packed too close as it all pressed down on Magnus.
He clutched his mother's hand as they were carried by the tide of the crowd. His sharp eyes darted everywhere: a pirate with a scarred face slipping a dagger into his sleeve, a group of Marines glaring at each other as though debating whether to act, merchants abandoning their stalls just to catch a glimpse of the square.
Darius leaned down, speaking close to Magnus's ear so he could be heard over the din. "Feels like the whole world's here, huh?"
Magnus didn't answer right away. His gaze had caught the wooden platform rising in the distance. It loomed over the square like a grim monument, the scaffolding around it crawling with workers tightening ropes and beams for the last time.
He swallowed, voice low but certain.
"Because it is."
The closer they drew to the square, the heavier the air became. People weren't just excited anymore because they were waiting and holding their breath.
And in Magnus's chest, his heart beat fast.
Not from fear but From certainty.
This is the day everything begins.