Along the narrow country path, tender yellow daisies bloomed on both sides.
Their faint floral fragrance mixed with the scent of fresh grass, and Logan breathed it in deeply, almost greedily.
"Ten years… It's been ten whole years since I last saw my little brother, Luffy," Logan said with a faint smile.
"I wonder if that brat can even recognize me now."
He tightened the grip on Zhenhai across his back and unconsciously quickened his pace.
Before long, following the villagers' directions, he spotted a group of people standing in the distance.
Looking closer—
If it wasn't Luffy and his crew, who else could it be?
At the moment, he saw Zoro, green-haired, standing with Sanji, who wore his usual black suit.
Usopp sat idly on a roadside rock, lost in thought.
As for Luffy—
He was lying flat on the ground in a starfish pose.
…Asleep?
Logan cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted loudly:
"Hey! Pirate King!"
Luffy's eyes snapped open.
His whole body jolted, and he sprang up, twisting his head around wildly.
"Who?! Who called my name?!"
Zoro and Sanji were instantly speechless.
Both of them covered their foreheads in embarrassment and subtly stepped away from Luffy.
Usopp, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered—
until he saw the approaching white-haired swordsman.
His face changed, and he instinctively hid behind Luffy.
He was genuinely afraid of this monster.
When Luffy saw Logan clearly, confusion flashed across his face.
He froze for a moment, his expression shifting several times—
Then suddenly, Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Usopp! Sanji! Zoro! Run! My big brother is a Marine!"
Without waiting for anyone else, Luffy bolted.
Logan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
In a flash, he moved after him, arriving first and lifting Luffy up by the collar.
"Little Luffy, what are you running for?" Logan said irritably.
"Your big brother isn't a Marine anymore."
Zoro and Usopp exchanged an awkward glance.
They had already met Logan before—there was no reason to run now.
"You little brat… I didn't expect you to grow this tall already," Logan said, rubbing Luffy's head.
In his memory, Luffy had always been the kid following behind him everywhere.
Luffy grinned widely.
"Of course! Ten years have passed!"
"Usopp told us he ran into you on the island. I didn't believe it at first—but it really is you, big brother!"
"Aren't you supposed to be with Grandpa at Marine Headquarters?"
Logan smiled faintly.
"A few days ago, your big brother was still a Marine Major."
The moment Usopp heard that, his legs gave out and he collapsed onto the ground.
Zoro's hand went to his sword.
Sanji subtly raised his leg.
Both were ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Luffy, however, didn't look surprised at all—as if Logan being a Marine Major was perfectly normal.
"Big brother really is amazing!" Luffy laughed.
"Ace is doing pretty well too! I heard he's making a name for himself in the Whitebeard Pirates."
A shadow flickered across Logan's eyes before quickly fading.
"We'll talk about that later," Logan said.
"Right now, we need to find Nami. She needs you the most."
Luffy scratched his head and grinned.
"I know! We were just about to head into the village to find her. She's my navigator!"
Sanji clenched his fist, eyes burning.
"I never imagined Nami-san had suffered so much… That bastard Arlong—I'll never forgive him!"
Logan walked over and patted Sanji on the shoulder.
"Great minds think alike," he said calmly.
"I agree."
"By the way—after we deal with Arlong, treat me to a meal."
"I'll teach you Moonwalk."
"Huh?"
Everyone froze.
"Moonwalk? What's that?"
Usopp reacted the fastest. He immediately grabbed Sanji.
"Sanji, trust me—don't ask questions. Just agree! This guy is a freak!"
Before Sanji could respond, Logan smiled gently—
And stepped into the air.
One step.
Then another.
His feet landed on empty space, as if invisible steps existed beneath him.
"Like this."
Sanji's hesitation vanished instantly.
"Deal."
Luffy and Zoro merely found the technique amazing—
But to Sanji, who had devoted his life to leg techniques, the implications were terrifying.
Just watching it made his heart pound.
Luffy puffed out his cheeks.
"Big brother! I want to learn that too!"
"Me too!" Usopp raised his hand eagerly.
Logan shook his head.
"At the moment, only Sanji has a chance of learning it."
"Even if I explained the theory to you, you wouldn't be able to do it."
"As for you, Sanji—you can start by figuring out the principle yourself."
With that, Logan turned and began walking forward.
"Let's head into the village first. Nami is still waiting for us."
Meanwhile—
After Logan left, Nami went alone to Arlong Park.
She still believed firmly that Arlong would keep his promise.
That man had once said—
Even if he died, he would honor their agreement.
Creak.
The gates of Arlong Park slowly opened.
"Arlong!" Nami shouted the moment she entered.
"I'm here today to fulfill our agreement!"
"I've saved one hundred million Berries. You should sell the village back to me now!"
"From now on, none of you are allowed to step into the village again!"
Arlong, seated comfortably in his chair, paused in surprise.
"Oh? Is that so?" he said slowly.
"Of course I'll honor our agreement—but words alone aren't enough."
"I'll need to see the money."
Nami couldn't hide her excitement. She clenched her fists tightly.
"Of course! As long as you keep your word, I'll take you to it right now!"
Arlong stood up, expression unreadable.
"No problem. A promise is a promise."
Nami led the way, with Arlong and his officers following behind.
A large group of fish-men marched toward Cocoyasi Village.
As they walked, Arlong frowned and asked Chew beside him:
"What's going on? Didn't that rat colonel find the money?"
"Useless trash."
Chew replied,
"I heard from others that the rat colonel was killed with a single slash by a white-haired swordsman."
"I thought the rumor was unreliable, so I didn't report it."
Arlong nodded.
"Makes sense. How could a small village like this produce such a strong fighter?"
"That rat really was useless—money delivered right to his doorstep, and he still couldn't take it."
"But this works out nicely."
"We were only supposed to get seventy percent. Now that one hundred million Berries is all ours."
The fish-men burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
Walking at the front, Nami was fully focused on fulfilling the agreement.
She didn't notice anything strange behind her.
Under her lead, they soon entered Cocoyasi Village.
As they passed through the streets, villagers peeked out from behind windows, all eyes fixed on Nami.
Hope.
Gratitude.
Guilt.
Anticipation.
Their gazes burned brightly.
Gone was the contempt they once showed her.
Everyone knew—
Whether they would regain their freedom…
depended on today.
What Nami didn't know—
Was that behind her, every door quietly opened.
Villagers stepped out one by one and silently followed her down the street.
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