Chapter 83: Where is Ralph!
Before anyone noticed, a cumulonimbus cloud had drifted slowly from the eastern sky, enveloping all of Loguetown.
The sky darkened.
The atmosphere in the execution square grew heavy along with this sudden change in weather.
The clamor of the crowd quieted somewhat, but countless eyes still watched Buggy the Clown's execution of the Straw Hat Girl from every angle.
Smoker and a group of Navy Headquarters soldiers were also observing the events unfold from a high-rise building nearby.
Pale smoke rose from the two cigars in White Hunter Smoker's mouth, quickly scattering in the strengthening wind.
Beside him stood over twenty elite soldiers from Navy Headquarters.
Each was fully armed and solemn-faced, awaiting orders.
"A rookie," Smoker spoke slowly, "who defeated the Alvida Pirates, Buggy Pirates, Krieg Pirates, and Arlong Pirates right out of the gate. Her first bounty reached 30 million Berry."
He exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Straw Hat Girl, Lufia." Smoker uttered the name with complex emotions. "You almost slipped right through my fingers."
He recalled the naive girl from the young pair he'd encountered on the streets hours earlier.
Now, watching the shackled figure on the execution platform, Smoker felt an indescribable sensation.
Not sympathy, nor regret.
But rather... a sense of absurdity.
"Colonel."
A Navy soldier stepped forward half a pace behind him, speaking in a hushed tone, "The main members of both the Buggy Pirates and Alvida Pirates are in the square. Should we move in now?"
Smoker replied in a steady voice, "No rush."
"Colonel?"
"Wait until the Straw Hat Girl is dead," Smoker said, his voice carrying cruelty, "then immediately move to surround Buggy and Alvida, along with all their accomplices."
His gaze returned to the execution platform.
"Don't let a single one escape."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldier retreated to continue standing by.
Meanwhile, below the execution platform.
Aside from the spectators, there were members from both the Buggy and Alvida pirate crews.
Cabaji, the staff officer and acrobatics expert of the Buggy Pirates, glanced at his captain's execution speech on the high platform before looking around, his eyes holding a certain expectation.
"Is Mr. Ralph... nearby?"
Cabaji murmured to himself, his voice carrying a strange yearning,
"Once the Straw Hat Girl dies, his pirate crew will disband. Then Mr. Ralph can join our Buggy Pirates..."
Scenes from Orange Town surfaced in his mind.
In that moment, Cabaji felt he had met his soulmate.
"Under Mr. Ralph's guidance," Cabaji's eyes lit up,
"I can definitely complete the world's most powerful, unique tricks and acrobatics! My acrobatics will reach entirely new heights! I'll—"
Before he could finish.
A heavy iron club came down solidly on his head.
"Thump!"
A dull sound echoed.
A large bump swelled visibly on Cabaji's head, glowing bright red.
Clutching his head, tears nearly springing from his eyes: "Who—who did that?!"
Alvida stood single-handedly carrying her signature iron club—the perpetrator was obvious.
Having eaten the Sube Sube no Mi, she was no longer the obese, ugly female pirate she once was.
Now she possessed a slender and seductive figure with alluring curves, her long black hair flowing in the wind. The freckles on her face had vanished, replaced by skin as smooth as fine porcelain.
The Sube Sube no Mi had not only altered her appearance but also granted her incomparably smooth and tender skin. Any attack would simply slide off her body, incapable of causing substantial harm. From any angle, she stood as one of the world's foremost beauties.
"Don't joke with me," Alvida looked down at Cabaji, her voice sweet yet dripping with menace. "Ralph—he's the man I've set my sights on."
She hoisted her iron club back onto her shoulder, using her other hand to toss her long hair in a coquettish gesture, though the killing intent in her eyes remained undiminished.
"Ralph, the man who nearly sent me to prison—your despicable shamelessness, your cold-blooded cunning," Alvida spoke, her body trembling slightly, "every trait that defines a pirate fills me with both fear and delight, thrilling me to the core!"
Her gaze shifted to the execution platform, settling mockingly on Lufia, who was chained there. "Eighty percent of the Straw Hat Girl's achievements in the East Blue must have been Ralph's doing, right?"
Alvida's voice lowered, tinged with jealousy and longing. "If Ralph were to help me, I'd surely surpass her! Conquer the East Blue? No—I aim to conquer the entire Grand Line!!"
She turned back to Cabaji, her smile turning dangerous. "How could such an outstanding pirate join your crew and play circus tricks with you?"
Alvida declared once more, "He's my man."
"After that straw-hat brat dies," she raised her iron club, pointing at the execution platform, "he belongs to me."
Cabaji clutched the bump on his head, seething with anger but not daring to speak.
Just then, Buggy's voice rang out from the execution platform. "What a rare audience to witness your death!"
He pressed his foot down on Lufia's straw-hatted head. "Care to say some last words? Not that anyone would listen anyway, hahaha!"
Lufia's straw hat was crushed under Buggy's foot. She pouted, her face filled with defiance. She'd been ambushed and chained while visiting Roger's execution stand—she despised such underhanded tactics!
Hearing Buggy mock "no one would listen," Lufia suddenly lifted her head. Not toward Buggy, but toward the dense crowd below, toward the entire square, toward this place where Roger had died, toward the skies where the Great Pirate Era had begun.
With all her strength, she shouted those words—the words engraved in her soul since the day she first set sail.
"I am—" her voice clear and resonant, exploding through the oppressive air, "the woman who will become the Pirate King—!!!"
The entire square fell into stunned silence.
The wind seemed to halt for a moment.
The residents of Loguetown stood frozen. In this town where the Pirate King had died, someone actually dared to shout such words—and a girl who looked barely twenty at that!
And she shouted so loudly, so resolutely, as if it weren't just a dream but a future destined to be realized.
The smile on Buggy's face stiffened. The next second, it twisted into rage. "Is that all you have to say?!" he roared, raising his sword high. "Die, you stupid rubber girl! Damned straw-hat brat!"
But just before the blade descended—
"Spare her—!!!"
A shout came from the edge of the square.
Lufia's eyes instantly lit up.
"Zoro! Sanji!"
Lufia exclaimed excitedly, "You're here! Where's Ralph?! Where is he?! Come save me quickly!"
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