Tashigi was just about to ask the almost crying boy about his sudden and seemingly irrational outburst when she felt it. In her entire life, Tashigi had never experienced anything like it. The harbinger of inevitable defeat, the realization of the futility of resistance, the resigned expectation of death. She felt her back become sweaty, and her legs trembled traitorously. The air she breathed seemed to thicken to a viscous gel, making each new breath and exhale incredibly difficult. Beside her, she heard two thuds — her subordinates falling unconscious. The next second, Tashigi realized she too was already on her knees, pressing her hands to the ground. With some effort, she realized she could hear someone's voice nearby. The voice sounded like it was coming through cotton, but surprisingly clear:
"…Zoro, are you still not on the ship? …Great, great! …What made you think? …Forget it! I have a task for you. …No, you'll definitely like it, I guarantee! …Someone didn't heed my warnings, so I need you to provide some extra stimulation. …Your distrust hurts me right in the heart! …All you need to do is be cool and pompous! …You'll manage, just act as usual, but avoid killing! Got it? …Yes, yes, I acknowledged you as cool and pompous, now you can be proud of yourself. …Then return to the ship; I won't be here long. …Okay, you prepare the champagne, and I'll finish my business in the meantime. …Afterward, you can drink clean ethanol if you want but start with champagne! …Alright, alright, you're cool and pompous, stop whining, over and out."
Tashigi heard everything but, in her semi-conscious state, could barely understand any of it. She didn't immediately realize that throughout all this time, only one voice had been speaking to her, and only when she heard the characteristic 'ka-cha,' the sound of the Den-Den Mushi call disconnecting, did she realize that the unknown man had been speaking on the Den-Den Mushi. However, she didn't hear the voice of the person he was talking to, though she should have, as she had heard the call disconnect.
At that moment, Tashigi realized she had long been lying with her cheek on the cold pavement, and someone vaguely familiar was looming over her. Or not? It seemed familiar, but also unfamiliar. However, the girl finally realized that the person standing over her was the source of the terrifying sensations she was experiencing. Cold clamps tightened around Tashigi's already barely beating heart. When she joined the Marine, she always knew she might die one day. And she sometimes imagined what her end might be like. However, she never thought she would die such a meaningless death. Tashigi was prepared to face death in battle or for the sake of saving another life, but such a death? Lying on the cold pavement in a narrow dark alley, gasping in terror, and not even knowing who her killer was? At that moment, the girl's consciousness finally faded, and she fell into the blessed oblivion.
Standing next to the unconscious girl, Luffy — who else could it be? — dialed a new number on his small Den-Den Mushi.
"Luffy-senpai?" Bartolomeo's easily recognizable voice came almost immediately.
"Bartie, I have another task for you."
"Command me, Luffy-senpai!!!" The small Den-Den Mushi in the boy's hands nearly jumped with excitement, trying to fully convey the Ork's reaction.
"Then listen to what I need…"
After dictating everything he needed, Luffy put the now sleeping Den-Den Mushi back in his pocket and, with a satisfied smile, looked at the unconscious Tashigi at his feet. Bending down, Luffy grabbed the girl by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. Picking up Tashigi's katana, the boy, whistling cheerfully, walked towards the alley's exit. Without a doubt, Luffy's day was turning out splendidly and was about to get even better. Conversely, for some people, this day promised to be one of the worst of their lives. For example, for Captain Smoker.
Around the same time, near the port, Johnny and Yosaku, looking radiant with satisfaction and noticeably relaxed, emerged from a building that appeared to be a bar. If two hours ago the guys resembled a pair of boiling steam kettles ready to explode, now they looked more like two smug, well-fed cats ready to nap in the sun after a hearty meal.
"It's so good!" Johnny said with a satisfied squint and scratching his bare chest as he slowly descended from the bar's porch.
The guys were dressed in their sleeveless kimonos, which had become like a second skin to them. They used to try to diversify their wardrobe, but now they saw no point in it. Protection from the cold or the sun? The guys had become indifferent to temperature changes. Johnny, for instance, felt equally comfortable in both freezing cold and unbearable heat. Yosaku's tolerance wasn't as good — he couldn't fall asleep in a fire like Johnny — but even so, Yosaku needed truly extreme conditions, like a blazing desert or the North Pole, to feel discomfort from heat or cold.
"What do you expect?" Yosaku said, stretching contentedly beside his friend. "The girls here are wonders, just look at them."
The guys had long stopped dressing up to look better or cooler for the girls or to intimidate their enemies. People could say whatever they wanted about them looking like two overgrown monsters, but in reality, Johnny and Yosaku looked just fine. They didn't suffer from a lack of female attention, even with their fearsome reputation! Small-time crooks steered clear of them, as if one careless swing of their arms could send a person to their doom. As for more serious enemies… they hadn't had any of those for a long time. Krieg and Arlong had been the first in a long while and would definitely be the last in the East Blue.
"What was expected from the most famous city in the East Blue, even the girls in the brothels here are of a different level," Johnny smirked.
The main reason Johnny and Yosaku always stuck to their white and red kimonos was the constant need to change clothes. Johnny's often burned to ashes, while Yosaku's turned to rags. And this could happen multiple times a day! Even though there were no more enemies left, training was still in full swing. Eventually, anyone would get tired of constantly choosing new clothes. Now they just grabbed a new set of kimonos from the many stored on the ship and didn't have to worry about what to wear to replace the destroyed clothes.
"And what did you expect?" Yosaku began to light a cigar. "Besides the fact that this island is on the route to the Grand Line, it's also where the 'Pirate King' was executed, so there's no shortage of tourists. Quite a profitable place."
"By the way, don't you want to go and see?"
"See what?" Yosaku asked, releasing a puff of smoke into the sky. "Haven't you ever seen photos? It's just an ordinary platform in the city's main square… a bit bigger and higher than the others. Well, if you really want to, we can go. I don't mind."
" …Let's not go," Johnny decided after a short pause. "It's been standing there for twenty-two years and will stand for another twenty-two. We'll have plenty of time to see it in the future. Besides, I didn't tell you to get ready for nothing."
"Yeah, I kind of got the reason," Yosaku smirked, glancing around the area.
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Thanks to everyone who is supporting with PS.
Please consider supporting with power stones and also consider supporting on patre*n -> moctopus
(the Loguetown arc is finished in there, and next one started explaining part of Luffy's past...)