“Rumble…” At the same time, thunder roared in the sky.
Immediately after, a bolt of lightning descended from above and, by sheer coincidence, struck Moke directly.
However… Everything was within Moke’s expectations.
Under that bolt of lightning, Moke’s entire body was blasted apart, turning into countless droplets of mud that splattered in every direction.
But almost immediately, those countless droplets rapidly gathered back together.
Moke had already returned to normal.
However, by now, he was back on the ground.
The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he laughed inwardly.
Dragon, you old schemer.
I knew you’d pull something like this.
… “Uh, this…” In one corner of the square, Tashigi’s face was filled with shock.
Smoker’s eyes also widened.
He turned his head and looked at Tashigi.
“Didn’t you say he was an ability user similar to the Dice-Dice Fruit?” Similar to the Dice-Dice Fruit, my ass!
That had clearly been elementalization just now!
This made it obvious that he was a Logia user.
Most likely, a user of the Logia-type Mud-Mud Fruit.
At this moment, the way Smoker looked at Moke changed even more.
A swordsmanship genius, plus a Logia Devil Fruit user.
If someone like him joined the Marines, he would surely become someone great in the future.
Perhaps he might even become one of the future admirals.
Then Smoker’s gaze fell on Luffy again.
His eyes instantly turned cold.
“The most important thing right now is that guy… Tashigi, follow me.” As soon as his words fell, his entire body turned into a mass of smoke and rushed toward Luffy at great speed.
However, at this time, Luffy had already broken free.
He had also noticed the Marines.
Most importantly, Nami and Usopp had already arrived.
They grabbed Luffy and ran.
… “Tsk, tsk…” Moke watched Smoker and Tashigi chase after Luffy.
Then he looked at Bartolomeo’s worshipful gaze as he stared at Luffy.
Unable to suppress the excitement in his heart, he could not help but laugh.
“I truly didn’t expect that you were not only a formidable swordsman, but also a Logia-type Mud-Mud Fruit user.” At some unknown point, the weapon shop owner had arrived beside Moke.
He had a smile on his face, and the way he looked at Moke carried a hint of flattery and ingratiation.
Moke turned to look at the owner, feeling a bit puzzled.
He did not understand why this man had come over.
So he asked, “Is something the matter?” The owner hesitated for a moment, but quickly made up his mind.
“It’s like this.
My wife has a younger sister named Ata.
She is a cook who loves cooking.
In order to pursue better culinary skills, she went to the Grand Line.
She said there were better ingredients there, and she wanted to broaden her horizons.
If… I mean, if you go to the Grand Line and happen to pass by Cook Island, please help my wife and me ask about her whereabouts.
Her last message came from there.” After saying this, the owner gave Moke a deep bow.
“Huh?” Moke was quite surprised.
After all, in the original story, the owner had never mentioned this matter to Roronoa Zoro.
It seemed that, because of him, this world had already begun to change in some ways.
Precisely because of that, he suddenly wanted to see just what these changes would become.
So he nodded.
“Don’t worry.
I will go to Cook Island.
I’ll also help you ask around about Ata.” Hearing this, the owner was slightly stunned.
He had only asked that if Moke happened to pass by Cook Island, he could help ask about Ata’s whereabouts.
Because he understood very clearly that he did not have enough face to make Moke go specifically to Cook Island just to help him search for Ata.
“Uh, this…” After coming back to his senses, the owner revealed an expression of disbelief.
Then he was overjoyed.
“Thank you so much…” … Just like in the original story, with the help of his super-powerful father, Dragon, Luffy and his crew successfully rushed out of Loguetown and headed toward the Grand Line.
Soon, they sailed against the current and rushed up Reverse Mountain.
With that, they took their first step into the Grand Line.
At this moment, Moke’s attention was already focused on Bartolomeo.
He wanted to see exactly how this guy obtained the Paramecia-type Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
Time passed bit by bit.
After Smoker also left in pursuit of Luffy, Loguetown became a chaotic place.
After all, the fact that Loguetown had been able to become the weakest and most stable place among the four seas had a lot to do with Smoker.
And now, without Smoker’s deterrence, both pirates and local thugs like Bartolomeo became lawless one after another.
Especially Bartolomeo.
He had always been the kind of person who feared nothing.
Once Smoker left, there was no longer anyone who could restrain him.
“Boss… we got the news.
The one coming to Loguetown is Colonel Wild Dog from the East Blue’s 12th Marine Base.” “Who?” Bartolomeo was completely stunned.
The three great pests of the East Blue Marines: Colonel Morgan, Colonel Nezumi, and this Colonel Wild Dog.
Only an idiot like Smoker would not know about them… The people below, however, had long been well aware of it.
But to be fair, although these three guys were indeed the three great pests of the East Blue, their strength… Each one was weaker than the last.
Bartolomeo laughed.
“This great me was just planning to set out to sea.
Then I’ll use their heads to make a name for myself.
At the same time, I’ll be removing a pest from Loguetown.” After all, he had been born in Loguetown.
He did not want this Colonel Wild Dog to become the highest-ranking officer in Loguetown.
Otherwise, the entire town would probably end up living in hell.
Moke, who was secretly watching Bartolomeo, raised an eyebrow.
What kind of place was Loguetown?
It was the throat of the East Blue.
Marine Headquarters would absolutely not allow a weakling to sit in such a position.
Even if the person’s character was poor, their strength had to be sufficient.
Even if they were not as strong as Smoker, they still had to possess enough power to deter the pirates of the East Blue.
Otherwise, all of Smoker’s hard work over the years would go to waste.
Bartolomeo did have some strength, but only when compared to ordinary people.
Against someone capable of replacing Smoker, he would only be walking to his death.
Damn… At this moment, Moke began muttering inwardly.
Could there be some hidden reason behind this?
Or perhaps this guy had obtained the Barrier-Barrier Fruit before this?
Otherwise, Moke did not believe that the current Bartolomeo could defeat the person the Marines had sent to replace Smoker.
… Three days later, a small Marine warship sailed into Loguetown’s harbor.
Soon, a squad of Marines walked off the ship.
The one leading them was an extremely tall Marine colonel.
“Tsk, tsk…” And the moment they left the harbor and entered the town, Bartolomeo led a group of people to surround them.
He stared at Colonel Wild Dog with a face full of contempt and spoke arrogantly.
“Colonel Wild Dog, I know you’ve embezzled plenty.
Take some of it out and share it with the brothers.
Otherwise, you won’t be getting past this checkpoint today.” From the shadows, the corner of Moke’s mouth twitched.
This Bartolomeo really has guts!