A gentle sea breeze drifted through Loguetown but it carried a tension, one could almost taste.
Inside the office of the Loguetown Marine Base Commander.
"Buru buru buru—"
The Den Den Mushi suddenly rang, loud and urgent.
Smoker, with a cigar in his mouth, frowned impatiently and picked up the receiver.
"Yeah?"
His voice carried a cold edge.
"Captain Smoker, newly promoted Headquarters Captain Mike will arrive in Loguetown in two hours..."
The voice on the other end made Smoker's expression darken.
After listening for a moment, he clenched his teeth around his cigar, brows furrowing tightly as he muttered under his breath.
Smoker's expression darkened.
He clenched his teeth, the cigar groaning under the pressure.
'Damn it... so the rumors were actually true.'
He yanked the cigar from his mouth and bit off the end, spitting it onto the floor.
A flash of pure, unadulterated disdain crossed his eyes.
"That disgrace to the Marines of the East Blue... actually got transferred back to Headquarters," he snarled to the empty room.
"What the hell are those old fossils at HQ thinking? A slacker like that should've been kicked out years ago!"
The nearby soldiers wisely kept their heads down.
Their Captain had a notorious disdain for authority; talking back to superiors was just another Tuesday.
"Thud—"
The sound of the door swinging open interrupted his fury.
"Captain Smoker!" Warrant Officer Tashigi hurried in, clutching a newspaper tightly, her face tense with urgency.
"You need to see this!"
"Something big?" Smoker grunted, his irritation momentarily shifting.
"Yes, Captain!" Tashigi quickly handed him the newspaper, her voice tinged with a strange excitement.
"A new, major pirate has emerged in the East Blue!" She pulled out the freshly printed bounty poster.
"'Straw Hat' Luffy—with a bounty of 30 million Berries!"
Smoker took the poster, his eyes fixing on the wildly grinning face of the boy in the straw hat. His expression hardened.
"Luffy..." he tapped the poster thoughtfully.
"A man like this isn't stopping here. He's heading for the Grand Line." His gaze sharpened.
"We'll capture him right here in Loguetown."
"Yes, sir!"
"Captain, there's one more thing," Tashigi said, pointing to the newspaper's headline.
"'Hawk-Eye Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords, encountered a Marine Headquarters Captain in the East Blue with a sword style even he couldn't decipher.'"
"What?" Smoker froze, snatching the newspaper.
As he scanned the article, his expression grew increasingly grim.
"Damn it... why do I feel like a storm is coming?"
A Warlord in the East Blue was strange enough.
But a Marine Captain with a technique that could stump the World's Greatest Swordsman? It was unbelievable.
'Damn reporters, why didn't you write his name?!'
"Captain Smoker," Tashigi began uncertainly.
"The only prominent Headquarters Captain active in the East Blue recently... is Captain Mike, right? The one who's on his way here now. Could it be—"
"Impossible! It can't be him!" Smoker cut her off, his voice a harsh bark.
"That lazy bastard? Master a swordsmanship Mihawk can't even replicate? Don't be ridiculous! He's just a slacker who got transferred back through connections! He has no real skills whatsoever!"
He grew angrier as he pictured the man's lazy posture, the way he couldn't even be bothered to stand up straight.
"He's a good-for-nothing leech! If someone like him can earn Mihawk's recognition, then I'll—" Smoker stopped himself, waving his hand dismissively.
"Get ready. That bastard is about to arrive."
"What?" Tashigi froze. "But isn't he supposed to be returning via the Calm Belt?"
"Hmph. He probably trying to slack off," Smoker snorted.
"Taking the long way around so he can enjoy the journey. Go and prepare. Let that slacker see the might of the Loguetown branch!"
"Yes, sir!"
As Tashigi left, Smoker relit his cigar, his cold sharp gaze turning toward the sea.
It looked like rain was coming.
...
"Woo—"
A long, drawn-out ship horn echoed over Loguetown, a roar from the deep sea.
A massive Marine warship sailed into the harbor, the flag on its main mast boldly emblazoned with the character for "Yellow"—Kizaru.
This was the personal vessel of an Admiral.
On the deck, Mike stood at the bow, a cigar dangling from his lips, his gaze leisurely sweeping over the town.
The sea breeze whipped his "Justice" cape behind him.
He squinted his eyes at the overcast sky.
"Oh, is it going to rain?" he murmured to himself.
"Snap—"
A soft sound followed as an exquisite umbrella was quietly opened above his head.
Kuro stood silently behind him, already anticipating his needs.
"Haa—" Mike exhaled a slow smoke ring, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.
'Not bad.'
'Much more lively than Branch 186.'
'We're definitely going to have some fun here.'
He thought of Kizaru, off enjoying himself alone.
'Old Man Kizaru, you went off solo. But me? I'm bringing the boys along for the ride. This is the difference between a boss and a leader.'
With a grand sweep of his hand, a playful glint flashed in his eyes.
"Let's go and have some fun!" he announced to Kuro and Commander Hayes.
"All expenses go on the Loguetown branch's tab!"
"Yes, sir!"
****
Inside a quiet inn overlooking the harbor, a man draped in a dark green overcoat lifted his head, his sharp gaze piercing the air.
A striking red tattoo adorned his left cheek, lending him an air of intense mystery.
He was the leader of the Revolutionary Army—Monkey D. Dragon.
He had come to Loguetown for one reason: his son, Monkey D. Luffy, was about to set sail for the Grand Line.
As a father who could never be present, he had chosen to come here not to stop his son, but to see him off.
"What reason is there to stop a man from chasing his dream?" Dragon murmured, a rare warmth in his eyes.
His gaze remained fixed outside the window, but the furrow in his brow betrayed a deep turmoil.
A massive Marine warship was slowly docking at the harbor.
On its white main sail was an unmistakable character: "Yellow."
As a former Marine, Dragon was intimately familiar with the Navy's protocols.
"Yellow..." he breathed, his voice low and dangerous.
"That's the personal battleship of a Marine Admiral."
"Why?" he wondered, his strategic mind instantly kicking into high gear.
"Why would an Admiral's ship appear in Loguetown, right now?"