LOGUETOWN: CAUSING TROUBLE - PART 1
East Blue Saga - Loguetown Arc - Episodes 48 - 49
Dakota's POV:
We finally make it to Loguetown and stand before one of the gates to enter the city, "Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo! What a huge town!" Luffy exclaims, looking around the buildings.
"Lots of pirates stock up at this town before heading out to the Grand Line," I inform them as I pull my bag over my shoulder with all my supplies that match my black jumpsuit, short jacket, and boots.
"You can get pretty much whatever you want here!" Nami adds.
"Alright! I'm gonna need to get some cool stuff for my upcoming great adventure." Usopp comments, and I nod, pointing to the city's southeast on my hand map.
"The best places are there, but be careful, they're tricky over there," I warn him.
"Thanks, Dakota." He says, and I nod with a smile.
"I'll be there's lots of good food to check out here. And lots of good women!" Sanji gushes, and I shake my head at him.
"The markets are on the other side of the city by the water," I tell him, not wanting to get closer to him in his dreamy state.
"There's something I wanna buy too." Zoro jumps in, and I look over at him.
"Oh? And how would you do that? You're totally broke, aren't you?" Nami teases him, and I shake my head at her antics, and he looks down at her in annoyance.
"I need to go meet some old friends," I mutter and feel the others looking at me.
"Hey, Sis, does one of your boyfriends live here?" Luffy suddenly asks me, and I look at him.
"Yeah, but I'll avoid him, I'm not going to be in the good part of town," I tell him, and he smiles, but I see the hint in his eyes, he wants to hurt the guy I once dated. "I'm not telling you who it is."
"Okay! I'm gonna check out the execution platform! I want to see it! The place where the Pirate King died! And beat up Dakota's old boyfriend!" Luffy shouts as he runs off, leaving the rest of us behind.
"Hey, hey! We haven't decided on a place to meet back up yet!" Usopp shouts after him.
"Luffy, you don't even know who he is!" I shout after him at the same time.
"Man... he's hopeless," Usopp complains as we watch Luffy disappear into the crowds.
"We'll meet back here at the end of the day, see ya then," I tell them as I walk off into one of the alleyways leading to the wrong part of town to see some old friends.
I walk through the narrow alleyways of old buildings with broken windows or doors; I smirk as I pass two men who look at me hungrily, but I ignore them as I feel them follow me.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
3rd POV:
At the Marine base in Loguetown, inside the communications room, the printer pushes out a wanted poster, then a Marine soldier jumps to his feed, then another pushes out, and he runs out of the room.
The Marine soldier bursts into the Captain's smoke-filled office, "Captain Smoker! There's an alert!" The shoulder exclaims and sees his superior officer looking at him through the smoke. "We've received notification from Marine Headquarters... that Monkey D. Luffy and his band of pirates are headed towards Loguetown! He's the East Blue pirate with a reward on his head for 30,000,000!"
"30 million, huh? Want me to congratulate him or something?" The Marine Captain asks in a snarky tone.
"He is the one who defeated Don Krieg and the Fishman Arlong!" The soldier retorts eagerly.
"Shut the hell up!" He snaps as the object falls apart. "Damn your yelling... you broke it."
"Forgive me." The soldier replies sincerely.
"Well, forget it. I have my own way of doing things. I work at my own pace. You know?" The Marine Captain asks his subordinate.
"Y-yes, sir." He agrees as his Captain opens the window, and the smoke from his two cigars flows out of the room.
"So, you were saying?" He asks him.
"Sir, it seems there are a band of pirates headed for the city today... sir." He informs them with urgency in his voice.
"What are you getting all worked up for? Since I've been at this post, has there ever been able to get out of this city once they've entered?" He asks as he puts his jacket on, covering up his bare chest.
"Well, no..." He agrees hesitantly.
"I'll take care of it at my own pace." He replies when another Marine soldier enters the room through the open door.
"Yes..." The Marine soldier mutters under his breath.
"Reporting sir Pirates have been sighted at the harbour! Please come to confirm the situation!" The other Marine soldier exclaims.
"It's got to be the Luffy Pirates, sir! There weren't any others mentioned in the bulletin!" The first Marine Soldier remarks as he holds the Wanted posters in hand.
"30 million, huh? That's something I'd like to see." The Marine Captain thinks out loud.
"Huh?" The Marine officers question their superior.
"Just thinking out loud. Forget it." He replies as he walks out of the room, and the second soldier runs after him.
"Don't you need these?" The first Marine soldier asks, but it falls on deaf ears, and he shakes his head. "Oh, no, I didn't tell him about the Red Devil."
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
Outside a rundown building, figures in cloaks step inside; two stand outside, waiting for the rest and looking out for danger.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
Inside the rundown building, it's a dark gothic room with people sitting around; they look at the figures in cloaks and walk inside; one of the characters walks up to the bar, pulls out a small brown sack of coins and pushes them over to the barman, a young looking man with mess raven-hair wearing glasses and white turtleneck jumper and blue blazer. "I'm putting a bounty on the head of Monkey D. Luffy to be given to me alive." The voice of Buggy orders, and the barman takes the sack of coins.
"Very well, how much is he worth on the front?" The barman asks, and he pulls out a book full of Wanted Posters.
"He's a runt in a straw hat!" Buggy snaps and slams his hand down on the bar, startling everyone inside; they all jump to their feet, raising all types of weapons as the barman slowly looks through the books of Bounties and stops at Luffy's.
"Be careful in here, everyone has an itch to scratch, and I've found you're boy; we'll get him for you." Tommy agrees, places the book back under the bar, and pulls out a golden playing card; he slides it over to Buggy and smirks. "Keep that on you, and have a good day."
"Why thank you." Buggy says, and the group of figures in cloaks walk back out, leaving a tense atmosphere that breaks as the barman laughs and the others join in.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
Outside, one of the figures stops Buggy and pulls him over to them as they look around the alleyway. "Boss, what is this place?" Caboji asks him in a whisper.
"It's called the Golden Campus, the place all Assassin go to get their jobs." Buggy informs them, and they straighten up in shock and look around carefully. "Let's get out of here."
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
Dakota's POV:
I walk away from the two unconscious men who felt they had the right to touch me, and I walk towards a rundown building I've spent some time in and hold my breath as I open the large dark green door and step inside.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
The inside has stayed the same; dark blue walls, dusty-looking chairs, and a large mirror over the unlit fireplace. I walk to the bar where Tommy works, cleaning glasses. I pull out my deck of red cards and two golden playing cards with the names of two pass jobs; he takes the two cards and looks them over. "Anything new while I'm in town?" I ask him, and he nods as he gives me my money and another golden playing card; I turn it onto the back to see my Baby Brother's name written, and my eyes glow red. "I hope this is a joke," I say through clenched teeth, and Tommy looks up at me.
"What's got you all twisted?" He asks me, and I grab his blazer, pulling him over the counter towards me.
"That's my Baby Brother you want to kill, and I'll tell you now, if anyone goes after him, I promise you, they'll all be coming back here in pieces." I threaten him, and he nods, taking the card back and ripping it up. "Who placed the job?" I ask him, and he shakes his head.
"I don't know. They didn't leave a name." Tommy tells me, and I can sense it's the truth, so I let him go, making him fall back onto the floor. I walk across the room, passing the couches as other Assassins sit.
"Poor little Red Devil, she can't even kill a boy worth 30 million?" A smug voice from behind me taunts me, and I turn around to see a man with long raven hair tied in a low ponytail and wearing a white shirt and black lose tie, sitting in the chair; I walk over to him, my shoes echoing around the silent room.
"Got something to say to my face?" I ask him, and he looks up at me as I stand over him.
"I just wonder why the great Red Devil won't kill that puny little Strawhat boy?" He asks, and I smirk down at him before thrusting my hand into his chest; I grip his heart, and he gasps in pain and shock.
"The reason is my own, but I'll tell you, he's my Baby Brother, and anyone who goes near him will end up like you." I threaten him and pull my hand out of his chest with his heart in my hand. I drop it to the floor and walk out of the room with my money, and I smirk, taking a towel from the side as I leave.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
I close the door behind me as I wipe the blood off my hand with the towel and throw it away before heading towards my favourite pub where I met him, but I shake the thoughts of him out and focus on my surroundings.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
I walk down the steps to my favourite pub every time I visit this place and hear the old man's voice as I get closer. "But Gold Roger fought and killed him." The old man exclaims, and I shake my head, having heard this story too many times.
"Gold Roger did?" I hear a voice I know all too well, and I walk down the final steps and lean against the doorway to see Luffy sitting on one of the barstools while the old man sits at the table with a glass.
"It's a famous tale! He was a big, rough guy, with a big sword! The battle was decided pretty quickly." He weaves the story and points to the skull on the table. "This gash is what killed him." Luffy leans forward in his seat. "But he was really something. His last words were:"
"'Roger. No one can touch you. I praise you as the eternal pirate." The old man and I say simultaneously, and I walk further into the room.
"Awesome! Cool!" Luffy exclaims in awe of his hero, and I shake my head.
"Still telling the same old stories, I see, old man." I joke and sit down next to Luffy.
"Dakota, what you doing here?" Luffy asks me, turning to face me as I sit down.
"To get a decent drink," I reply, letting the old man continue his story as Luffy clenches his hands in anticipation.
"Of course. King, of the Eric Pirates... the famous gunner Silver-Silver... all were very dangerous men. Yet before Roger, they were like scared little babies." He rambles on, and I see Luffy shaking with excitement. "Wanna hear more?"
"Yeah!" Luffy exclaims.
"Nowadays youngsters don't usually take an interest in this stuff." The old man comments.
"I don't care; just tell me more!" Luffy lightly snaps, and I smack him for his rudeness.
"Pesky kid! Gold Roger... back then... no, still today... he's the only pirate who truly didn't fear the dangers of the Grand Line. Because you see, the area known as the Grand Line is a place where ships disappear and are never seen again. Navigation is said to be impossible. Because people are so scared of it, they seldom come close to that cursed ocean. Saying that he cleared out all the booze in the bar and set off the next morning, as though there was nothing to fear. Later on, when I heard he had conquered the Grand Line, I was so surprised, I even forgot my age for a bit! But now, everyone has passed on. Roger was executed at the gallows here in town twenty years ago. And from that day, everyone's been going around with the audacity to call themselves pirates. They even call this 'The Great Pirate Age.' but it's all just a bunch of rubbish... cowards. Less and less people are daring to sail the Grand Line. and so, that is the reason this place will be closed down." The old man finishes his story, and I look around the old bar and smile at all the memories, good and bad.
"I'm... going to the Grand Line," Luffy announces with a happy tone.
"Huh?" He questions, looking up at the giddy Luffy sitting in his seat.
"He was cool, huh? Gold Roger. Pirates should try to be like him. That's why I went out to sea to go to the Grand Line and find One Piece. I'm gonna be the Pirate King!" Luffy exclaims, and the old man looks at him in shock.
"That's a crazy thing to say! How could you say that, here in this place?" He asks with a laugh.
"What? But I'm just telling the truth." Luffy replies, and I know that's the truth.
"Kid, after having a customer like you, I feel like closing the shop a little later." He announces, and I smile; this place has too many memories to close down.
"Don't do that for me," Luffy tells him as he walks around the counter.
"It's decided. There's nothing you can do to change my mind. It's been a long time since I had a customer. Drink's on the house." He says as he gets out three glasses.
"He doesn't drink," I tell the old man, and he laughs.
"Is that so? Then how about this?" He offers them two glasses of milk and passes me a glass of rum, my second favourite. "Cheers to him, to the Eternal Pirate King." He raises his glass to Luffy, who spins to face the old man.
"To the Eternal Pirate King!" Luffy cheers, and we clink our glasses together in cheers, and I hear footsteps growing closer.
"I think it's time for us to leave, thanks, old man, keep the change," I tell him as I place a few berries on his counter and escort Luffy out the back entrance on the main street.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
I walk alongside Luffy finally on Main Street, with Luffy looking around eagerly. "This is Main Street. Wonder if Gold Roger walked along this street." Luffy wonders aloud.
"He lived here once Luffy, of course, he did," I tell him and push him forward, letting out a laugh.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
3rd POV:
Inside the old pub Gold Roger, the old man continues to rummage around his bottles, and the Marine Captain sits on the stool when a Marine soldier walks inside with a pile of Wanted Posters in hand. "Hey! This is the new wanted listing. Post this somewhere visible." The soldier announces and finally takes notice of the room. Seeing his Marine Captain looking at him over his shoulder, startled, he drops two pieces onto the floor. "C-Captain Smoker, sir! Excuse me!" Smoker takes notice of the pieces of paper on the floor; he gets up from his seat and walks over, picking them up; he takes a good look at them.
"That Straw Hat... He's Monkey D. Luffy!" Smoker growls, moves the poster to the side, and sees Dakota's bounty with the new photo. "Dakota." He whispers with an almost lost look in his eyes.
"That's right sir, she's been spotted with the Straw Hat, sir." the soldier informs him; he clenches the posters up and runs.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
Dakota's POV:
I stand next to Luffy as he looks at the execution platform, and I feel the sudden dread sink into my skin but shrug it off and walk around, hoping Luffy doesn't get into trouble when I hear clunking coming from the platform and turn to see him climbing it. Everyone around me turns to face the idiot as he climbs up the platform's frame; he slips up and almost falls but catches himself. "Hey!" A gruff familiar voice shouts, and I look at the person with a shiver before hiding within the crowd. "Hey, kid."
"What is it? I'm kinda busy right now?" Luffy retorts, and I sneak away, walking out of the area. "Smoker?" I hear Luffy repeat and let out a yell. I know he's looking for me, but I jump away, knowing he can handle himself for now or maybe I'm being a little cowardly.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
I walk down the streets as I need more weapons and pick up some old ones, and I know some of the best places to buy them and start heading inside one of the shops, looking around and picking up a fighting bow. "I want to buy katanas." I hear a familiar voice; I look over to see the same green head of hair I see every day and walk over.
"Well, well, well. Welcome. Please take your time and look around. We've been in business for 200 years, you know!" The Shopkeeper greedily greets him, and he slams his hand down on the counter with a handful of money.
"I've got 100,000. Sell me two katanas." Zoro tells him with a firm tone.
"What? Two katanas for 100,000?" The Shopkeeper asks and sits down in his chair in defeat. "50,000 will only get you a crappy sword."
"Well, whatever you have is fine... I don't really have much money right now." Zoro tells him, and I see the Shopkeeper's eyes shift to his remaining sword on his hit, and he begins to stutter.
"Oi, oi... th-th-that Katana - c-c-can I see if for a s-s-second?"
"What's got you all nervous?" I ask the Shopkeeper as I walk toward the counter; Zoro turns around to face me.
"Dakota, what are you doing here?" He asks me, and I place three daggers, a fighting staff and a pistol.
"Buying some weapons," I say teasingly, and he hands over his sword to the old man.
"Weird old guy..." Zoro mutters as he passes over his sword; the old man looks at the blade with wide eyes in shock.
"Wow, what a beat-up old katana. But I'll give you a little something for it. I'll give you 200,000. Then you would have 300,000... and could buy three decent 100, 000 katanas!" The Shopkeeper tells him eagerly.
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Zoro asks him.
"Okay! I'll give you 250,000... no, 300, 000...? 500, 000!" He continues to raise the price for Zoro's favourite sword.
"It doesn't matter how much you offer for that katana..." He tells the Shopkeeper.
"Alright, you've got me, 650,000!" The owner exclaims in frustration. "I got it, you businessman! I'll buy it for 800,000," He begs, and I shake my head at him and hear footsteps come running towards the counter.
"Good day!" A female greets the Shopkeeper and walks to the counter between Zoro and me. "I've come to pick up my Shigure. Is he ready?" She asks and looks over at Zoro with joy. I clench my fist at her reaction and move over to the other side of Zoro. "Oh! I'm so glad! You're okay! Earlier, someone broke into the Marine base! And then I noticed you were gone! So, I was worried about you. But I'm so glad you're okay! But since you are safe... that means you rejected another person's charity and ran out on honest work. Your money. Take it back." The woman says and places some money in Zoro's haramaki as he stands there with his arms folded and a scowl. "I refuse to accept money from the kind of man who would do such a thing." She takes out a pair of glasses. "Look, I already bought new glasses too." I look at Zoro as he glares at the woman, and I have to say I feel somewhat jealous of her, but whatever.
"Wow! This katana, could it be? The Wado Ichimonji?" She takes it from the Shopkeeper's hands, examining it. "It is the Wado Ichimonji, isn't it? What a beautiful Suguha! This is definitely one of the legendary 21 O Wazamono." She gets out a little booklet of all the types of swords and flips through the pages. "Look! Look at this. This is a sword that is worth more than 20,000,000! But... why would a person like you have such a famous sword?" She asks him, and the Shopkeeper shakes with rage.
"YOU! You told him everything! You're ruining my business!" He shouts at her.
"Ruining your business?" She repeats. "I'm so sorry... did I say something bad?"
"You came here for your Shigure, right?" The Shopkeeper asks her and pulls out a sword from under the counter. "Here! It's been sharpened. Now take it and get out!" He throws it at her; she tries to catch it but stumbles around and falls into the swords hanging on the wall; I sigh at her clumsiness. "Why did you go that way? What is wrong with you?"
"I'm sorry." She whispers as she clutches her head.
"That ditzy girl saved you. This sword is actually one of the famous swords. Something an amateur like you doesn't deserve to carry." He says, and I clench my teeth together, not wanting to point out who he really is as we have a Marine present. "The 50,000 katana are over there in those bins. Go pick two of them out and get out of my store!" I cough, and he turns to me. "What can I do for you?"
"I left two chakrams to be sharpened here a year ago but was unable till now to collect them, and I want these," I tell him and push the three other weapons; he looks under his counter and pulls out my chakram.
"I've never seen blades like those before." The woman comments as she stands.
"I hope not, they were my Mother's before they were mine and come from her home island at the beginning of the Grand Line," I reply and walk over to Zoro as he rummages around the bins of swords. "Good view," I comment, looking at his bent over; he looks over his shoulder with a startled expression as I smirk at him.
"Knock it off Kota." He warns me, and I shrug my shoulders.
"I didn't realise this was your woman." The woman announces, and we both look at her, startled.
"No, we're not together," I tell her, and she smiles as if she knows something we don't.
"You... really like swords, don't you? Since you're carrying three of them." The woman comments as she stands beside me.
"It almost sounds like that one Bounty Hunter..." I tease him.
"A bounty hunter, eh?" Zoro teases back as he continues to look.
"He's very famous. His name is Roronoa." She adds in but doesn't realise my teasing tone.
"I hear the name a lot," Zoro replies.
"Yes, he has a reputation throughout East Blue as a great swordsman. But he's an evil man! Using a sword as a tool to acquire money is... unforgivable! Why is it that this is an age where evil is so strong? The great swordsmen of the world are all pirates or bounty hunters. All the great swords of the world are in their hands, you see? The swords are crying." She says and holds her sword in her embrace, and this seems to put a smirk on Zoro's face.
"Well, different people have different circumstances, don't they? People's occupations are determined by the needs of the age." Zoro replies, and I agree with him on that point.
"I swear with my Shigure... I will be a swordsman and improve my skills! And then I'm going to travel the world and free the swords from the hands of scum! The legendary 12 Saito O Wazamono. The 21 O Wazamono. The 50 Ryo Wazamono.I'll risk my life for it!" She declares her desire.
"You gonna take this katana too? Wado Ichimonji, you called it?" He asks her, sliding his blade at her.
"Oh! I didn't mean that I want to have the swords! I just meant that I don't want them in the hands of evil people." She retorts, and I see Zoro grip the handle of one of the swords before pulling it out. "That katana... perhaps..." She pulls out her little book, flips through the pages again, and stops. "Yes, that's it! Sandai Kitetsu. It's definitely Sandai Kitetsu. Its predecessor, the Nidai Kitetsu, was one of the O Wazamono! And the Shodai Kitetsu was one of the Saijo O Wazamono!" She informs us, and I look at the blade as Zoro pulls the sheath away, and I feel something strange from the katana. "Do you really want to sell this katana for only 50,000? That's amazing! It's one of the legendary works of sword-craft! You, you should get it! Its worth should be 1 000 000; that's a great deal!"
"No way! I won't sell it!" The Shopkeeper exclaims, seeming to fight the struggle within himself.
"I thought so! That sword for 50,000... I thought it seemed strange..." She begins to argue.
"No, it's not that -," He tries to say as Zoro examines the sword.
"It's cursed." Zoro and I say at the same time and share a look.
"You knew?" The Shopkeeper asks.
"No, I feel it." We reply at the same time, looking down at the blade.
"Starting with the Shodai Kitetsu, they are all excellent katana. But they are all cursed. The swordsmen who have used the Kitetsu over the years... all of them came to tragic fates, mysterious deaths. You won't find a single swordsman in the world nowadays who will use a Kitetsu because everyone who used the sword is dead! I wanted to get rid of the damn thing, because of its curse. .." The Shopkeeper spins the tale.
"I-I'm sorry! I had no idea it was such a terrible thing! I-I shouldn't have intruded!" She cries, bowing to Zoro; I shake my head as he raises the blade towards the ceiling, looking up at it with a smirk.
"I like it." He announces.
"Are you stupid? If I sell that to you and you die, then won't it be like I killed you?!" The Shopkeeper exclaims and gets hit across the face by a big woman.
"You're the one being stupid! Just sell it!" She snaps at him, and I shake my head at the couple.
"H-Honey!" He pleads with her.
"How about this? My luck... and this thing's curse. Let's see which one is stronger!" Zoro announces and flips the sword up into the air, the others all cry out in protest, but I know Zoro is meant to have this sword; I can feel it. The blade flips up towards the ceiling and then down towards Zoro's outstretched arm; it misses his arm by millimetres; I hold my breath for a second before it hits the floor and sinks almost to the hilt; Zoro looks up with a big grin on his face. "I'll take it." He announces, causing the other two to collapse onto the floor, and he picks up the cursed sword while I walk over to the counter, collecting my new weapons and paying. "Oi, pick out one more out for me, will you?"
"Ah... uh... yes-" She replies, fixing her glasses.
"W-Wait!" The Shopkeeper yells, runs to the back room, and comes back moments later carrying a case covered with a purple cloth and settles it clumsily onto the counter; he pulls the fabric away to reveal a katana clad in a black sheath. "The sheath, a black-lacquered long inlay. The blade an unrevealed edge with a small 'T'. One of the 50 Ryo Wazamono. The Yuboshiri! This may not be a big store, but it's the best katana I have." He announces, showing the blade.
"I can't buy it." Zoro reminds him. "I told you, didn't I? I don't have the money."
"No, forget the money. And I don't want any money for that Kitetsu either. I'm sorry for trying to cheat you before. It's been a long time since I last saw a true swordsman. They say, 'a katana chooses its master'. I'll pray for your good fortune." The Shopkeeper says, Zoro takes the swords, and we walk out without the woman from the shop.
We walk along the street; I place my new weapons into my bag and almost trip; Zoro catches me, and I feel my cheeks grow hot.
"Thanks," I whisper, looking ahead as we continue to walk.
ONE PIECE - LOGUETOWN ARC
3rd POV:
At the Marine base, Captain Smoker sits in his chair in his office with four Marine soldiers awaiting orders. "Find Luffy! He must be hiding somewhere here in Loguetown! Find Dakota; she may be with Luffy!" One of the soldiers yells their orders.
"Yes, sir!" The three others yell back.
"Didn't I tell you that your yelling interrupts my 'pace'?" Smoker questions places his feet on the desk, and holds Dakota's Wanted Poster. "They wouldn't bother to hide. It's okay. I'll catch him again, finally luring her to me."
Hey, another chapter is out already! DEADGIRLETERNAL OUT!