After spending a few days in Cocoyasi Village, Light, Zoro, and Nami set sail aboard Arlong’s former ship, the Shark Spurb.
Now under Light’s control, the ship remained unchanged, as he saw no reason to rename something that might not even last long in his hands.
Once they left Cocoyasi Village, they made a brief stop at the Baratie, the floating restaurant, where they encountered Sanji.
Light had hoped to gain some connection to Germa through him, but after a short conversation, it became clear that Sanji had no way of contacting them.
With nothing to gain, they enjoyed a hearty meal and departed without delay.
Light was not particularly surprised.
If Germa had been easy to reach, it would not hold much value.
He would simply look for another opportunity in the future.
With no remaining business in the East Blue, Light decided their next destination would be Loguetown.
There, he planned to resupply, possibly recruit a few crew members, and pay a visit to Smoker.
If things went well, he might be able to obtain a Log Pose, which was essential for entering the Grand Line.
Moo Moo pulled the ship swiftly across the sea, while Nami’s precise navigation ensured they stayed on course.
Since the Baratie was relatively close to Loguetown, the journey took less than three days.
As soon as they docked, the situation turned tense.
A group of Marines quickly surrounded the ship.
“Pirates!”
“Drop your weapons!”
The Shark Spurb still bore the appearance of a pirate vessel, complete with its flag, which Light had not yet bothered to change.
Tashigi stood at the front, gripping her sword Shigure, her eyes fixed sharply on the ship.
“Pirates on board, surrender immediately and do not resist.”
Before things escalated further, Light leaned over the deck and waved.
“Relax, Tashigi.
It’s me.”
She blinked, adjusting her glasses as she took a closer look.
“Mr.
Light?”
Recognition spread quickly among the Marines.
“Light!”
“You’re back!”
“As expected, you even captured a ship from the Arlong Pirates!”
The tension dissolved almost instantly.
With the misunderstanding cleared, the gangplank was lowered.
Zoro crossed his arms as he stepped forward, glancing at the Marines.
“I didn’t expect you to be this popular with them.”
As he scanned the crowd, his gaze landed on Tashigi.
His expression froze, then shifted dramatically.
“Kuina!”
He pointed at her in disbelief.
“That’s Kuina, right?
You’ve seen her before, haven’t you?”
Light shook his head.
Her name is Tashigi.
She’s a Marine officer.”
He paused, studying her for a moment before smirking slightly.
“Still, the resemblance is uncanny.”
Zoro narrowed his eyes, clearly unsettled, but said nothing further.
Soon, the three of them stepped onto the dock.
Tashigi approached with visible enthusiasm.
“Mr.
Light, Captain Smoker returned to Loguetown two days ago.
He’ll definitely want to see you.
Thanks to your previous assistance, his position here has become much more stable.”
Before she could continue, her attention shifted abruptly to Zoro’s waist.
Her eyes lit up.
“Wado Ichimonji…”
She stepped closer, almost unable to contain herself.
“This is truly Wado Ichimonji, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords.
A legendary blade worth over ten million Berries.”
Zoro instinctively leaned back slightly, caught off guard by her sudden excitement.
Nami’s ears perked up immediately.
“Ten million Berries?”
Tashigi shook her head.
“That is only a conservative estimate.
In reality, swords like this are priceless.
A blade like Sandai Kitetsu once sold for hundreds of millions.
Wado Ichimonji ranks even higher.
If it were ever auctioned, it could easily exceed eight hundred million Berries.”
Nami’s eyes sparkled at the number.
“Eight hundred million…”
Zoro tightened his grip on the sword, his tone firm.
“No amount of money would make me sell it.”
Tashigi nodded seriously.
“That is exactly how it should be.”
After a moment, she composed herself and looked at him properly.
“What’s your name?”
“Roronoa Zoro.”
“I’m Tashigi, a Marine officer.”
She hesitated briefly, then added,
“I was heading to a local sword shop.
They recently received a new shipment.
If you are interested, we could go take a look.” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Zoro considered it, his hand brushing against his other two swords.
They were reliable, but he could already feel them becoming insufficient as his strength grew.
Money, however, was an issue.
At that moment, a ripple of dark energy flickered in Light’s hand.
He reached into the space it tore open and pulled out a paper bag, tossing it casually to Zoro.
“Go take a look.
Might as well upgrade while you can.”
Zoro caught the bag and glanced inside.
There were several million Berries.
He nodded without hesitation.
“If I find something good, I will pick one for you too.”
Light laughed.
“I will leave that to you.”
Not to be left out, Nami quickly moved closer, wrapping her arms around Light’s and pressing herself against him with a bright smile.
“I also need to restock.
Clothes, navigation tools, supplies…”
Light glanced at her briefly, then handed her another bag of Berries.
“Get what you need.
Meet me at the Marine base later.”
Nami’s face lit up as she hurried off.
Tashigi led Zoro toward the sword shop, while Light made his way toward the Marine base alone.
Elsewhere in Loguetown, inside a busy restaurant, two men were eating with alarming intensity.
Portgas D.
Ace devoured plate after plate of roasted meat, while Marshall D.
Teach stuffed himself with cherry pie.
Suddenly, Ace froze mid-bite.
“What is it?” Teach asked, barely looking up.
Ace’s gaze was locked on the street outside.
“It’s him.”
He slammed his hand on the table.
“Light.
The one who killed Thatch.
Look outside.”
Teach stiffened, then quickly stood and moved to the window.
The moment his eyes landed on the figure walking toward the Marine base, his expression twisted with hatred.
“It’s him.”
His voice dropped, filled with venom.
“I would recognize him anywhere.”