The Going Merry sailed into a city unlike any they'd seen before.
Tall buildings lined the port, crowds buzzed through cobblestone streets, and the smell of grilled seafood filled the air.
Luffy leaned over the railing, eyes wide. "Whoa! Look at that! It's huge!"
Nami smirked. "Welcome to Loguetown — the city where the Pirate King was born… and where he died."
That quieted everyone for a second. Even Kai lowered his camera snail, staring at the towering gallows visible from the harbor.
He muttered softly, "The beginning and the end, huh…"
[Stream: LIVE]
[Title: "City of Legends — Enter Loguetown!"]
[Viewers: 3.8M]
[Chat: "LET'S GOOOO" / "Gallows camera angle!!" / "Kai looks nervous lol"]
As they docked, Kai opened his stream's "Shop Menu."
[Balance: 7.4M berries]
[Item Purchased: Compact SnailPhone Prototype x20]
[Disguise Mode: Active — Seller ID: "Dream Vendor"]
He grinned to himself.
"Perfect. Time to expand the business."
Within hours, rumors were spreading across the city about a mysterious merchant selling "mini-snails that could play live adventures and talk across seas."
No one knew who he was — and Kai planned to keep it that way.
Meanwhile, the crew split up to explore.
Luffy went off to find the execution platform.
Zoro wanted new swords.
Sanji went grocery hunting — and girl hunting.
Nami went shopping for supplies (and probably jewelry).
Kai decided to tag along with Nami. "For safety," he said.
Nami rolled her eyes. "Right. Totally not because you want to carry my bags."
He grinned. "You saw right through me."
[Chat: "NAMI AND KAI EPISODE LET'S GOOOO" / "Ship it." / "He's totally simping."]
They wandered through the busy market, bright colors and shouting merchants everywhere.
Nami's eyes sparkled every time she found something shiny.
Kai kept glancing at alleys, making sure his secret "Dream Vendor" stall stayed unnoticed.
At one point, Nami turned suddenly. "You're acting weird."
Kai froze mid-step. "Weird? Me? Nah, I'm the definition of—uh—normal!"
She smirked. "Sure you are."
Elsewhere, Zoro stood in a sword shop, examining blades.
The shopkeeper was shaking slightly. "That one's called Sandai Kitetsu. It's cursed."
Zoro just smiled. "I'll take it."
Kai was watching through the stream replay feed and muttered, "Yup. He's gonna throw it. He's gonna—"
Zoro tossed the sword, and it spun straight past his arm without cutting him.
Kai facepalmed. "Of course it worked."
[Chat: "ZORO LUCK STAT MAXED." / "That's anime logic for you."]
As the sun set, Kai's "Dream Vendor" stand exploded in popularity.
Pirates, Marines, and civilians all lined up to buy the new snail devices.
[Sales: 12.5M berries]
[System Notification: "Viewer Base Expanded — +5M Potential Subscribers"]
[Reward: Skill 'Network Influence' Lv1 — Increases passive income from stream exposure.]
Kai chuckled quietly. "And they'll never know who's behind it."
He shut the stand down, changed back into his regular clothes, and returned to the Merry with a bag full of food and tech parts.
That night, the crew gathered for dinner.
Luffy was grinning ear to ear. "This place is awesome!"
Zoro tested his new swords.
Sanji set the table like a five-star restaurant.
Nami was humming, still excited about her new clothes.
Kai sat back, pretending to relax — but his system alerts kept flashing.
[Warning: System Tracking Detected — Unknown Source]
[Caution: Someone in the area is monitoring Stream Data.]
His smile faded slightly. "Huh…"
[Chat: "Why'd he look serious all of a sudden?" / "Foreshadowing???" / "Don't tell me the Marines found him."]
He turned off the camera snail quietly, staring out at the city lights.
Somewhere out there, someone had noticed his broadcasts.
And if Kai's instincts were right… that someone worked for the Marines.
The next morning, as the Straw Hats prepared to explore again, the sky darkened.
Thunder rumbled over the sea.
Luffy stared up at it, hat fluttering in the wind.
"Storm's coming," Kai said quietly, pulling up his hood.
But it wasn't just the weather.
It was something far bigger.
[End of Chapter 15 — "The Dreamer Meets the Storm."]