"Is this Loguetown?"
Sora and his crew of five stood at Loguetown's entrance, surrounded by a bustling, boisterous crowd.
Why five, not six?
Indigo, despite his comical appearance, was a hardcore recluse. Unwilling to mingle with strangers, he stayed aboard the *Freedom* to guard the ship, skipping the outing.
This was the crew's first glimpse of such a thriving port.
The dock sprawled wide, lacking the usual enclosed harbor.
It faced the open sea directly.
A single line of ships—merchant vessels, warships, fishing boats—crammed the wharf.
Even a few pirate ships lurked in the corners.
"No wonder it's the gateway to the Great Line," Sora mused, eyeing the arc-shaped archway of Loguetown. "Big and buzzing!"
Turning to the excited trio—Ahua, Alo, and Ata—he grinned. "We're heading to the Great Line soon. Stock up on essentials, and…"
His words were cut off by a thunderous roar from the main street.
A massive motorcycle tore through Loguetown's central road, trailed by two rows of uniformed Marines.
With a screech, the bike skidded to a halt between the dock and town, blocking Sora's crew.
"It's Colonel Smoker!"
"Morning, Colonel Smoker!"
The dock's crowd clearly knew the rider, shouting respectful greetings.
Then, as if realizing something, their eyes fixed on Sora's crew, brimming with curiosity.
"Odd, they don't look like pirates."
"Newbies, maybe?"
"Could be. Veteran pirates wouldn't dare show up in Loguetown now."
They didn't recognize Sora's group.
No surprise—Sora and Kuina's bounties, issued days ago, hadn't spread widely yet, circulating only in limited circles.
The trailing Marines fanned out, encircling Sora's crew on the dock.
Stone-faced, they gripped their rifles tightly.
One word from Smoker, and they'd open fire.
"No wonder it's East Blue's biggest Marine base," Sora noted. "These guys aren't like other branch grunts."
He saw tension in the Marines' eyes, but no fear.
Clearly, they were elite, their confidence rooted in Smoker.
Sora's gaze shifted to Smoker, curiosity flickering.
This man was one of the few Marines Sora didn't dislike.
Half the pirates aiming for the Great Line from East Blue were stopped dead by Smoker in Loguetown.
His presence kept this dock thriving.
Without him, Loguetown—Roger's hometown and execution site, a pirate mecca—would be a chaotic mess, overrun by swarming crews.
No merchants would dare trade here, killing the prosperity.
It explained the crowd's respect for Smoker.
He secured Loguetown's safety.
"Hm?"
Just then, the crew's attention snapped to a woman stepping from behind Smoker's bike.
"Whoa…"
"Two Kuinas?!"
Ahua, Alo, and Ata gaped, their eyes darting between the woman and Kuina, stunned.
Sora, too, felt a jolt when she appeared.
He hadn't expected such a striking resemblance.
Though Kuina and Tashigi had different hair colors, their faces and builds were nearly identical.
Not quite twins, but close—nine-tenths alike.
Side by side, anyone would peg them as siblings.
No wonder Zoro couldn't face Tashigi's uncanny likeness.
The moment Tashigi emerged, her gaze locked onto Kuina's, drawn like magnets.
Both women, near-mirror images, flashed surprise, wondering if they shared blood.
How else could they look so alike?
"Hm!"
Tashigi adjusted her glasses, spotting the sword at Kuina's waist.
She pulled a small notebook from her coat, flipping through it.
Stopping at a page, she glared at Kuina, eyes wide behind thick lenses, brow furrowed, shouting, "I won't let a pirate like you wield that famed blade!"
"The great sword 'Wado Ichimonji'—I'm taking it back!"
Sworn to reclaim renowned blades from evildoers, she was a true sword fanatic.
"Oh?"
Ahua, Alo, and Ata perked up, eyeing Tashigi eagerly.
"She's trying to snatch Kuina's sword?"
"Wado Ichimonji" was Kuina's heirloom blade.
Only Sora could borrow it.
The trio? Kuina wouldn't let them touch it.
Kuina met Tashigi's gaze, tightening her grip on the hilt, a smirk curling. "Want my sword? Come try."
Tashigi leaned forward, drawing her blade, "Shigure," gripping it two-handed, raising it over her shoulder.
"Tashigi—"
Smoker started to stop her, but Tashigi roared, charging Kuina.
"Hah!"
Kuina drew swiftly, slashing upward.
Clang!
She parried Tashigi's strike with ease.
"This is all you've got, and you want my sword?" Kuina taunted with a mocking smile.
Though Tashigi looked like her, her strength and swordplay were leagues below.
"Sergeant Tashigi!"
The Marines, seeing Tashigi engage, raised their rifles, aiming at Sora's crew.
"Don't interfere! This is between me and her!" Tashigi shouted, not wanting others involved in her personal quest.
Gritting her teeth, she swung again, flipping her blade toward Kuina's exposed chest.
Clang!
Kuina, as if foreseeing it, blocked the strike's path.
No matter how Tashigi attacked, she couldn't breach Kuina's defense.
Clang!
Another clash—Kuina stood firm, while Tashigi's hands shook, panting heavily.
"Sorry, this sword's not yours to take."
With a surge of force, Kuina's blade rang out, knocking "Shigure" from Tashigi's grip.
Stepping forward, her right hand flashed, slashing toward Tashigi's neck.
The strike was so swift, others saw only a glint.
"Shigure" spun through the air, landing with a *thud* in the ground nearby.
Kuina's blade halted a hair's breadth from Tashigi's throat.
One inch more, and it would've sliced her neck.
"Sergeant Tashigi!"
"Hurt her, and you're done!"
The Marines tensed, eyeing the blade at Tashigi's throat.
Smoker frowned, about to move, when Sora appeared beside him, unnoticed.
"Take it easy, just watch," Sora said. "Kuina doesn't hate her. She won't hurt her."
Smoker's pupils shrank, his hand tightening on his jutte.
"What's this?"
"No presence."
"He's just… there."
He didn't dare move. Sora's aura felt like an unbreakable blade, radiating a piercing edge.
One wrong step, and that edge would shred him.
Staring at Sora, his mind raced.
This guy, only 70 million Belly?
This presence—he'd only felt it from Admirals.
"Damn it, is Headquarters' intelligence team asleep?" he fumed. "This monster, rated at 70 million? And I'm the one facing him?"
(End of Chapter)