Pirate: I, Buggy, am the Emperor, the Emperor of the Clown King!

Rain poured down from the sky, pounding on the stone pavement of the square and splashing up in patches of water.

Everyone in the square was drawn to the execution platform that had been struck by lightning and was now emitting a loud roar.

Rain pelted the heads of those who were looking up, running down their bodies.

Baji stood there, rain streaming down his body, creating a deep, dark atmosphere.

Especially when rainwater slides off the mask.

If anyone could paint this scene, it would surely be a masterpiece.

Bucky turned away, no longer looking at the execution platform.

—Luffy?

—I don't care.

—Let's leave it at that for this meeting.

"Kabaji." Bucky's voice carried through the rain.

Below the execution platform, Cabaji is locked in combat with Zoro.

He heard Buggy's voice, forced Zoro back with a single strike, and then jumped back two steps, landing beside Buggy.

"Mochi," Bucky called again.

On the other side.

Mochi is riding on Riki's back, dealing with Sanji... Unlike the injured Zoro, Sanji is in great shape.

Cabaji was able to fight Zoro to a standstill when he was injured.

Even with the addition of Lion Leigh, Mochi still couldn't defeat Sanji; at best, he could only stall for time and delay the situation.

Upon hearing Buggy's voice, Mochi lashed out with his whip, forcing Sanji to retreat. He patted Richie's head, and the lion turned and ran, leaping up behind Buggy in a few steps.

"Let's go," Bucky said.

There was no need for further explanation; the captain's orders were that simple.

Then Bucky started walking towards the port.

As agreed beforehand, it's time for the duel with Smoker.

Although Bucky is prepared to say at some point in the future: As we all know, the Clown King doesn't keep his promises.

but!

He will keep the promises he values!

A promise that is willing to be kept will definitely be kept.

A promise that you don't want to keep will not be kept no matter how much you say yes.

Kabaji followed behind Bucky, rain streaming down his face.

Mochi rode Liki behind Bucky, cracking his whip in the rain.

The brightly dressed members of Buggy's Pirates broke away from the battlefield from various parts of the plaza and followed behind Buggy.

And because of the intimidation of Bucky the Clown, no one dares to follow him now.

Unlike high-level battlefields, where there are back-and-forth exchanges with little casualty.

Many of these low-level pirate henchmen were killed or injured.

However, after this tough battle, these pirate henchmen also seemed to have grown a lot.

They didn't speak, didn't look around, but simply followed the masked man through the torrential rain.

Rain poured down from the sky, hitting them and trickling down their clothes.

They stepped into the puddles, splashing water everywhere.

No one looked back.

No one hesitated.

No one fell behind.

on the square.

The pirates and marines stood there, watching the group of people walk further and further away in the torrential rain.

No one is chasing them.

No one dared to chase after them.

Smoker stood in the shadow of the clock tower, two cigars dangling from his lips, watching Bucky head in the direction he had gone, and nodded with satisfaction—a guy who keeps his promises.

Rainwater flowed down from the eaves, forming a curtain of water in front of him.

"Dorag." Smoker's gaze pierced through the curtain of water, landing on Bucky's retreating figure. "Your son is still lying there."

"Don't watch me here, I won't do anything." Dragon stood on the other side under his robe, his hood soaked by the rain and clinging to his face.

In Dragon's opinion, as long as Luffy is alive, nothing else matters.

Even if Luffy sets sail as a pirate and dies as a pirate, it wouldn't be unacceptable.

But since he's here today, he certainly won't just stand by and watch that happen.

Dorrag raised his hand.

Then the wind came.

The fierce winds that could blow people off their feet from the sea rushed in from the direction of the port, passing through the dense crowd in the square and blowing straight toward the execution platform.

Although Luffy is Dragon's son, Dragon has no intention of seeing Luffy right now.

In this world.

Family ties are said to be useful, and they are actually quite useful.

As long as Dragon doesn't openly make contact with Luffy, Luffy will still generally be considered to be on Garp's side.

After all, Luffy didn't do anything particularly heinous. From the perspective of the World Government and the Navy, it was just a second-generation Navy officer playing a pirate game... with negligible destructive potential.

As long as it concerns Garp, it doesn't matter unless it's an extremely serious disagreement about his stance.

Even the World Government and the Navy can't control Garp.

What truly keeps Garp in check is, more often than not, his own bottom line.

This is also the tacit understanding between Garp and the World Government—let's each take a step back, we can't really fight.

call!!!!

The main force of the gale was on the execution platform that had been struck by lightning before.

Unlike in the original story where the execution platform was smashed into flames and collapsed, this time, thanks to Bucky's intervention, the execution platform was only tilted.

After escaping the battle, Zoro and Sanji's first instinct was naturally to rescue Luffy.

The wind was just too strong, strong enough to hinder their movements.

So strong that Zoro had to stop, lean forward, and brace himself against the ground to avoid being blown over.

So fiercely, Sanji had to grab onto a nearby pillar to avoid being blown away.

Suddenly, all the broken planks, wood chips, and glass lying on the ground were swept up and flew through the air like a flock of startled birds.

Then, under the strong wind, the execution platform collapsed.

This is the execution platform where the World Government established its authority and executed Roger 22 years ago.

And now, the world's most wanted criminal, Dragon, is pushed down by the wind.

The sound of the execution platform collapsing was deafening, like thunder.

The iron frames were smashed to the ground, the wooden planks were broken into pieces, and the screws were scattered everywhere.

Luffy was lying in the pile of rubble when Zoro and Sanji rushed over, each taking one side of him, and dragged him out of the rubble.

"Luffy!" Zoro's voice boomed through the rain, "Are you alright?!"

"Anesthetic..." Luffy's voice was very soft, almost inaudible, "I can't move..."

As for the collapse of the execution platform, simple blunt force trauma is not very effective against Luffy.

Sanji spat out the cigarette that had long since gone out from his mouth, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Zoro, you carry him," Sanji said. "I'll lead the way."

Without a word, Zoro slung Lu Fei over his back, the three swords clanging at his waist.

Three people, one carrying another on their back.

One led the way, while the other brought up the rear.

They ran frantically toward the port in the torrential rain.

The square was in complete chaos.

The remaining marines are capturing the remaining pirates. These pirates enjoyed watching the spectacle for a while, but now their whole families are going to be cremated.

The lower-ranking Marines in Loguetown can't catch Buggy or Luffy, but they can certainly catch these pirates.

Tashigi stood on the street corner, clutching her drawn sword. Raindrops pelted her glasses, blurring her vision.

As a girl who wears glasses, she can't see anything clearly now.

The lens was covered in water, and water droplets flowed down the lens, distorting the whole world into a blurry patch of color.

Tashigi saw people running, people shouting, people falling down, and people getting up.

But she couldn't see who was running, who was shouting, who was falling, or who was getting up.

"Damn it..." Tashigi took off her glasses, wiped them on her clothes, and put them back on.

I still can't see clearly.

There's been too much rain, the humidity is too high, and the sky is too dark.

She could only stand there, listening to the sounds coming from all directions, but there was nothing she could do.

This world is just so unfriendly to girls with glasses.

At that moment, Smoker came to Tashigi's side.

Tashigi felt a familiar large hand placed on her shoulder.

"Colonel?" Although her glasses were blurry, Tashigi still managed to see Smoker.

"That troublesome guy is gone, so I should go and keep my promise." Smoker still had a cigar in his mouth, even though the heavy rain had extinguished it.

To be honest, Smoker's mood has been getting worse and worse these past two days.

Bucky the Clown was already giving him enough trouble.

Adding Monkey D. Luffy to the mix is ​​like a headache that's about to explode.

In particular, their own combat capabilities are completely unreliable.

Smoker only has Tashigi as a reliable subordinate.

As for Brigadier General Brinbrin?

Smoker could only mutter one thing: a civilian brigadier general with absolutely no combat skills!

But if it's just Buggy and Luffy, it's actually not so bad... Smoker thinks those two are still within his capabilities.

But the appearance of Monkey D. Dragon really made him lose his composure.

Theoretically speaking, Monkey D. Dragon's strength is at least on par with that of a Marine Admiral.

Despite the apparent standoff between Smoker and Dragon earlier, Dragon could easily defeat Smoker in a single move if he really wanted to.

Monkey D. Dragon, as the world's most wanted criminal, certainly has the strength to match his status.

However, Monkey D. Dragon himself does not like pointless fighting and has a very weak desire to fight, so generally speaking, the Navy does not need to worry about conflict if they encounter each other.

It's always the Navy that initiates conflict with Monkey D. Dragon; it's never Monkey D. Dragon that initiates conflict with the Navy.

Although Monkey D. Dragon is jokingly called "Cold Sweat King," he is indeed a good person in the normal sense.

...Uh...Don't let his fierce appearance fool you, he's actually a soft-hearted, indecisive guy.

Privately, everyone suspected that the fierce tattoo on Dragon's face was slapped off by Garp with the sole of his shoe.

"That troublesome guy?" Tashigi didn't react for a moment. "Are you talking about Buggy?!"

Smoker's tall stature was enough to shield Tashigi from some of the rain, so Tashigi could now see a glimpse of Smoker's expression when she looked up.

"Yeah..." Smoker said, not intending to tell Tashigi that the troublesome guy he was talking about was Monkey D. Dragon.

It's a pity we can't follow it for now.

Smoker knew that as long as Luffy was released, Laugh Tale wouldn't interfere.

And this storm stirred up by Doraga will, of course, soon come to an end.

The rain can't keep pouring down in Loguetown... Thinking of this, Smoker's face darkened even more.

To be able to easily stir up such a storm, he truly deserves to be called the world's most wanted criminal.

"Get ready, Tashigi, come with me to hunt down Bucky." Smoker took the cigar out of his mouth, squeezed it in the rain, and the cigar turned into a wet blob of tobacco between his fingers.

"Yes!" Tashigi straightened her glasses, rainwater streaming down the lenses, but she didn't take them off again.

Smoker turned around, his white coat billowing in the rain, and he transformed into a cloud of white smoke.

Without an opponent of equal strength to stop them, Logia-type Devil Fruit users are extremely terrifying when launching wide-range attacks.

Even the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, known for its extremely weak offensive capabilities, is no exception.

Smoke billowed from Smoker's body, spreading in all directions like a tide.

The white mist clung to the ground, slithering like a snake, passing through the puddled stone paths, skirting the fallen pirates, and slipping into the gaps between the crowded people.

One by one, the pirates who were fleeing, the pirates who were being chased by the Navy, and the pirates who were trembling in the corner stopped.

It's not because they want to stop, but because they can't move anymore.

White smoke rose from the ground, like invisible hands, wrapping around their ankles, waists, wrists, and necks.

The smoke looked light and airy, but it felt as tight as an iron band around my body.

"What...what is this?!"

A pirate looked down at the white mist swirling around his legs, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He wanted to run, but he couldn't lift his legs; it was as if he were nailed to the ground.

The smoke was tightening.

It wasn't a sudden, violent tightening, but a slow, continuous tightening, like a giant python slowly constricting its prey.

The pirate could feel his bones creaking.

"Help...help me..."

No one heard it.

No one can save him.

Smoker stood in the center of the square, his white coat soaked through by the rain and clinging to his body.

He had a cigar dangling from his lips, his hands in his pockets, and his gaze swept across the pirates shrouded in white mist in the square, his face expressionless.

Then Smoker raised his right hand, pulled it out of his pocket, and spread his fingers.

The white mist seemed to receive a command and suddenly tightened.

"White Snake - Binding".

Smoker's voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of every pirate shrouded in white mist with crystal clarity.

The white mist suddenly contracted, like giant pythons exerting their strength simultaneously.

The pirates' bodies were constricted and deformed, their bones creaking and groaning, and the air in their lungs was squeezed out with a "whoosh" sound.

Some people fainted, some knelt on the ground, some lay in the puddles, some leaned against the wall, and some collapsed on top of their companions.

The pirates who had been struggling fell silent at that moment.

Smoker withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping over the pirates shrouded in white mist in the plaza, and then over the dumbfounded marines standing to the side.

"What are you standing there for?" Smoker's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet square. "Arrest them."

The naval soldiers then came to their senses, rushed forward, and handcuffed the pirates one by one.

Some people were flustered, some almost tripped, and some were so frightened by the pirate's glare that they took two steps back.

Soon all the pirates in the square were handcuffed and taken away one by one.

Tashigi stood behind Smoker, her hand gripping a drawn sword.

She looked at the pirates shrouded in white mist in the square, then at Smoker's expressionless face, and suddenly felt that the man's back seemed taller than usual.

Smoker did not linger.

His body turned into smoke again, but not in the slow, spreading way before.

White smoke billowed from his body, leaving a long trail behind him.

The smoke tumbled, twisted, and deformed in the air, finally transforming into a giant white python.

The white python opened its massive mouth, revealing its fangs, and lunged straight toward the port.

In the torrential rain, the white python stood out starkly against the dark clouds.

The naval soldiers who hadn't gone far in the square looked up and watched the white python sweep over their heads, its mouth agape and its eyes wide open, forgetting to close them.

"Mr. Smoker..."

"What is that...?"

"Wow...that's amazing..."

This is the end.

The final battle in Loguetown is about to begin.

-picture-