"Is this Loguetown?"
Kouta and his group of five stood at the entrance of Loguetown. The air was filled with the clamor of a bustling crowd.
Why five instead of six?
Because Indigo, despite his comical appearance, was a quintessential shut-in. He didn't want to interact with too many strangers and chose to stay on the ship to guard it, not joining them.
This was the first time Kouta and his companions had ever seen such a prosperous wharf.
The entire wharf was laid out in an open expanse, lacking the typical enclosed harbor of other ports.
Directly in front of the wharf lay the sea.
Ships were docked along a straight line of the wharf.
Merchant ships, warships, fishing boats...
They were packed in tightly.
Even pirate ships could be spotted in the corners.
"As expected of the town that's a necessary stop on the way to the 'Grand Line'."
"It's truly massive and so prosperous!"
Kouta gazed at the arc-shaped archway of Loguetown in the distance, sighing in his heart.
He then turned to face the three excited companions, A Hua, and said with a smile.
"We're heading to the Grand Line soon, so go buy some daily necessities, and..."
"Understood!"
Just as he was about to continue, he was interrupted by a thunderous roar from the street ahead.
A colossal motorcycle sped through the central street of Loguetown.
Two rows of uniformed Marines followed closely behind the motorcycle.
Amidst the roaring engine, the motorcycle eventually screeched to a halt sideways between the wharf and Loguetown, directly in front of Kouta's group.
"It's Captain Smoker!"
"Captain Smoker, hello."
...
The people on the wharf clearly recognized the person on the motorcycle and greeted Smoker respectfully and loudly.
Then, as if remembering something, their gazes all shifted to Kouta and his group standing before Smoker, curiosity evident in their eyes.
"Strange, these people don't look like pirates!"
"Could they be newcomers?"
"Yes! Possibly, since the old pirates probably wouldn't dare come to Loguetown now."
It was clear they didn't recognize Kouta's group.
Understandable.
After all, Kouta and Kuina's bounties had only been issued a few days ago, and it was unlikely they would have spread so quickly. For now, it was only circulating within a small radius.
At this moment, the Marines following behind had also arrived. They spread out, forming a cordon and blocking Kouta's group on the wharf.
All of them wore stern expressions, their hands gripping their rifle barrels tightly.
It was evident that they would draw their weapons and fire at Smoker's command.
"As expected of the East Blue's largest Marine base, completely different from other branches."
Kouta only saw tension on these Marines, not a trace of fear.
Clearly, these Marines were elites.
From this, one could also infer their confidence in Smoker.
Kouta's gaze shifted to Smoker, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Smoker was one of the few Marine officers he knew that he didn't dislike.
More than half of the pirates heading to the Grand Line from the East Blue were permanently stopped by this man in Loguetown.
This was also what created the scene of the bustling Loguetown wharf before them.
Otherwise, Loguetown, as the last stop before the Grand Line and the hometown and execution site of the Pirate King "Roger,"
It would have been a chaotic mess filled with swarming pirates.
After all, Loguetown was a sacred place in the hearts of pirates.
With more pirates, Loguetown would not have the scene of countless merchant ships coming here for business, bringing prosperity.
From this, it was also evident why the people on the wharf respected Smoker so much.
He was the one who ensured the safety of the entire Loguetown.
"Whoa!"
Just then, Kouta and his companions' attention was drawn to a woman who emerged from behind Smoker's motorcycle.
"Wow..."
"Two Kuina's!"
A Hua and the other two exclaimed as they looked at Tashigi.
Their eyes darted back and forth between Tashigi and Kuina.
Their faces were filled with astonishment.
Kouta also felt a flicker of surprise when Tashigi appeared.
He hadn't expected the two to be so alike.
Although Kuina and Tashigi had different hair colors, judging solely by their facial features and height,
If these two weren't exactly the same, they were at least nine parts alike.
If they stood side-by-side on the street, anyone would believe they were twins.
No wonder Zoro had always had trouble looking directly at Tashigi's face.
They were truly too similar.
As soon as Tashigi emerged, her gaze, as if drawn by a magnet, met Kuina's instantly.
Two women with nearly identical appearances simultaneously showed surprise in their eyes.
Both were wondering if they shared any blood relation.
Otherwise, how could they look so alike?
"Hmm!"
At this moment, Tashigi pushed up her glasses and noticed the sword hanging from Kuina's waist.
She pulled a small book from her inner coat pocket and flipped through it.
Finally, she stopped at a page.
She looked up at Kuina, her pupils widening behind her thick lenses, and shouted with a frown.
"I will not allow a pirate like you to wield that famous sword."
"The renowned sword, 'Wado Ichimonji,' I'm here to reclaim it."
She had sworn to collect all the famous swords stolen by villains.
She was a classic sword enthusiast.
"Oh..."
A Hua and the other two watched Tashigi with excitement.
"This woman wants to steal Kuina's sword."
After all, "Wado Ichimonji" was Kuina's ancestral sword.
Normally, only Kouta was allowed to use it.
As for them, Kuina wouldn't even let them touch it.
Kuina looked at Tashigi, her left hand gripping the sword tightened. A smirk played on her lips as she said to Tashigi with a cold laugh.
"If you want my sword, then come and try to take it!"
Tashigi leaned forward, drew the sword "Yubashiri" from her waist, held it with both hands, and raised it diagonally over her shoulder.
"Tashigi..."
Just as Smoker was about to call Tashigi to a halt, she let out a loud yell and charged rapidly towards Kuina.
"Ah..."
Kuina looked at Tashigi, quickly drew her sword, and swung it upwards.
Clang—!
She easily blocked Tashigi's strike.
"With this much strength, you think you can steal my sword?"
Kuina said with a contemptuous smile at Tashigi.
Although this woman looked very much like her, the difference in strength and swordsmanship was vast.
"Sergeant Tashigi."
The surrounding Marines, seeing Tashigi make her move, raised their guns in unison, aiming at Kouta's group.
"Please do not interfere. This is a matter between this woman and me."
Tashigi, seeing the surrounding Marines about to act, couldn't help but shout.
She truly didn't want anyone else to get involved, as this was her personal matter.
Gritting her teeth, she quickly raised her sword, flipped the blade, and slashed towards Kuina's exposed chest.
Clang—!
As if foreseeing it, Kuina preemptively retracted her guard to block Tashigi's slash.
Then, no matter how Tashigi swung her sword, she couldn't break through Kuina's defense.
Clang—!
With another collision, Kuina remained motionless, while Tashigi's arms trembled, and she was already panting heavily.
"I'm sorry, but this sword will absolutely not be given to you."
Saying this, Kuina applied force, and with a "clang," she directly knocked Tashigi's sword out of her hands.
Then, she stepped forward and, with extreme speed, drew her right hand to slash towards Tashigi's neck.
Due to the incredible speed, others could only see a flash of steel.
"Yubashiri" tumbled in mid-air for several 360-degree rotations, and with a "swish," it was diagonally planted into the ground not far away.
Kuina's blade, however, stopped at Tashigi's neck.
It was just a hair's breadth away from slicing through Tashigi's throat.
"Sergeant Tashigi."
"If you dare to harm Sergeant Tashigi, we will never let you go."
The surrounding Marines, seeing the sword at Tashigi's neck, tensed up.
Smoker frowned, about to move, when Kouta, who had appeared beside him at some unknown point, spoke.
"Well! Just watch carefully!"
"Kuina probably doesn't dislike this woman, so she won't harm her."
Smoker looked at Kouta, his pupils contracting, and his right hand tightly gripped his Jitte.
"What is this?"
"I can't sense it at all."
"He just appeared next to me."
He dared not act rashly, for in his perception, Kouta was like an indestructible sword, emanating an overwhelming sharpness towards him.
He felt that if he moved, he would be torn to shreds by this sharpness.
He stared at Kouta, his mind racing.
How could this guy only have a bounty of 70 million Berries? In his understanding, he had only felt this kind of aura from Admirals.
"Damn it, is the headquarters' intelligence department incompetent?"
"Such a powerful individual is only listed at 70 million."
"And I actually ran into him."
...