One Piece Gunslinger

"Just kidding, but I think it's better if you don't know."

“Yes, we promise we won’t ask anymore, no, nothing happened,” Karina quickly replied.

"Well, let's leave that aside for now," Kella said, waving her hand. "But if anyone asks you about Leon's whereabouts in the future, it's best not to tell them."

"Um, even Admiral Fujitora from earlier can't be told?" Nami asked cautiously.

Kerla nodded and said, "Yes, it's best if you all keep it a secret, including me. After all, Master rarely gets this opportunity to go out alone, and he must have had his reasons for not bringing anyone else along. I don't want to disrupt his plans. I guess he also told you to keep it a secret."

“No, not at all,” Karina and Nami shook their heads.

Then he added, "However, we can tell from his behavior that he wants us to keep it a secret. Although he didn't say it explicitly, we can understand what he means."

"Alright, I'm relieved that you can keep it a secret."

"Don't worry, we will keep Hu Hao's secret to ourselves. Even if someone holds a knife to my throat, I won't say a word."

Judging from their confident expressions, it's hard to tell who was planning to sell Li Ang to ensure their safety.

However, the two weren't particularly concerned about it. "Anyway, I just wanted to betray them, not actually do it," they thought. "You can't arrest me just because I wanted to rob a bank; it's not illegal to just think about it."

So neither of them felt any guilt and readily agreed. As for what would happen next, after Kela's outburst today, it's likely that no one else would dare to defy the rules for a while. After some time, Li Ang would disappear again, and it wouldn't matter if no one was told.

“Oh, right. This is what Li Ang asked us to bring back.” Nami said, showing a roll of blueprints. “It’s a very powerful cannon. Li Ang said he hopes to study its workings and manufacture it.”

"Okay, I've received it. I'll arrange for professional craftsmen and scientists to process it in a moment," Kerla said solemnly, accepting the blueprints. Anything valued by Li Ang was certainly no ordinary item.

And so, for the next period of time, the two women began a completely new life within the revolutionary army, a life they had never experienced before.

As time went by, the various officers got to know each other quite well. Even Fujitora and Haku, who had seemed rather intimidating before, and Sabo, who was always serious and remained somewhat mischievous even after growing up, were able to coexist peacefully.

Sometimes, they were even invited by Fujitora to play mahjong and poker together. With their quick wit, quirky personalities, and irresistible charm, the two quickly and completely integrated into this unfamiliar group.

Chapter 184 Suspicion

So, after Li Ang, who had brought the two women back, left the sea restaurant, they were towed by the manatee Moo Moo until they finally arrived at their last stop in the East China Sea, Rogge Town.

This is where the legend ended and began.

At this moment, Li Ang was unaware that he had almost been sold out by Nami and Karina, who were far away in the New World. If Koala hadn't arrived in time, someone would probably have already come looking for him.

Rogge is a prosperous place.

First of all, Loguetown is a small town in the East Blue closest to Reverse Mountain. Therefore, many people use it as their last supply stop before heading to the Grand Line.

Furthermore, this is the burial place of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, and the plaza still features the platform used for his execution. It's quite a famous tourist attraction.

Moreover, the selfless and impartial Marine Captain Smoker is stationed here, using his Logia-type Devil Fruit powers to protect the peace of this area, ensuring that no foolish pirate dares to provoke them. Even when they come ashore to resupply, most of them keep a low profile, carefully avoiding being recognized as pirates.

Therefore, considering these three favorable conditions, although this place is called Rogge Town, its commerce and culture are actually quite developed.

Its size and prosperity are comparable to a city. Even if it were renamed Rogge, it wouldn't be a big problem.

"Finally, we've arrived at a more normal place. All those places before felt like the countryside, which was really not very interesting." Li Ang was still looking forward to Loguetown, since firstly, there were no evil forces entrenched here, and secondly, the site of Roger's execution ground was located here.

Lee Ang held Roger in high esteem as the Pirate King who ushered in the Great Pirate Era. The surge of pirates heading towards the Grand Line, while exacerbating the already dire plight of ordinary people, undeniably contributed to the situation. Roger's actions, to some extent, shook the foundations of the World Government, providing fertile ground for the Revolutionary Army.

Imagine if there weren't so many pirates and the Four Emperors; the Revolutionary Army would have been wiped out by the World Government as soon as it emerged. It's precisely because other forces were involved, creating a complex yet balanced situation, that the Revolutionary Army was able to find its place and had time to develop.

But this also brings a new problem: if the Revolutionary Army wants to overthrow the World Government and establish a new regime, it will inevitably have to deal with these pirates and get past the Four Emperors.

However, these problems can be dealt with later. It was already quite an achievement to establish a revolutionary army and raise its banner.

As for Roger's execution platform, Li Ang absolutely has to go ashore and take a look. "He who has not climbed the Great Wall is no true hero," but on this road, perhaps it should be changed to "He who has not climbed the execution platform is a true hero."

As for the manatee MooMoo, Li Ang had already let it play in the sea, only telling it not to go too far and to stay near Reverse Mountain. It would then travel with Li Ang into the Grand Line.

Therefore, Li Ang rowed his small, dilapidated boat to Rogge Town by himself, and he put in a lot of effort to find a suitable berth for it.

"Okay, now all I need to do is find someone and ask where the execution platform is." No sooner said than done, Li Ang randomly picked a passerby on the street and easily asked for directions to the execution platform. He walked and asked along the way, and soon arrived at the foot of the execution platform.

However, Li Ang was unaware that his unintentional action had caught Smoker's attention.

"You said you found someone, all alone, rowing a small wooden boat?" Smoker had three cigars in his mouth, but he could still speak clearly.

“Yes, Colonel Smoker. And this man kept asking about the location of Roger's execution platform, so it seems he wants to visit it. He's very likely a pirate.” The naval soldier replied.

Although Smoker was also a colonel, he was a colonel from the Navy Headquarters, and he was completely incomparable to those scoundrels like Colonel Morgan or Colonel Rat.

Moreover, he's a pragmatist with strong practical skills. Smoker and his marines spend every day studying a stack of wanted posters from the East Blue, all in an effort to catch any pirates trying to cross from Loguetown to the Grand Line.

Loguetown is already teeming with the Navy's intelligence network. No matter how well-disguised they are, the great pirates can't escape so many eyes. Therefore, most pirates only dare to come here, and Smoker will send them to prison. Only a very small number of lucky ones can escape unscathed.

So, since Smoker frequently studies these bounty posters in the East China Sea, he must know something about the serial killer who has recently been causing trouble in the East China Sea.

Moreover, as a member of the Navy, Smoker knew far more information than the newspapers that were printed and distributed.

Since the killer never shows his face, we must focus on other aspects, such as the distinctive small wooden boat, his height, build, and fighting style. These are the keys to finding this killer.

But even these are often not enough. In the vast East China Sea, it's incredibly difficult to find someone whose face and name you don't know. Just when Smoker was at his wit's end, wondering where this serial killer was,

He captured the remnants of the Black Cat Pirates and learned from them that the remnants of the Black Cat Pirates had encountered this murderer in Syrup Village, and after losing several more members, the Black Cat Pirates fled in panic.

Although it was nighttime and they provided very little information, Smoker, who had been fighting pirates for a long time, quickly deduced the killer's location from the map. More importantly, they gave him the killer's name: Jason. Even if it was a pseudonym, it was worth investigating.

By connecting and extending the line between the first and second locations, the killer's goal became clear: he wanted to enter the Grand Line.

Since he still had one person and a small, dilapidated boat, it was impossible for him to carry too many supplies. Therefore, stopping in Loguetown to resupply was a certainty.

Smoker then deployed a surveillance operation in Loguetown, closely monitoring anyone matching the characteristics of a serial killer as they approached the shore.

Just two days later, Li Ang walked headlong into the trap set by Smoker, completely unaware that he had been targeted.

Smoker, true to his decisive nature, immediately slammed his hand on the table and said, "Very good. He is the only man we've seen recently, rowing a small wooden boat all by himself. We must continue to keep an eye on him. Tashigi, take some men to the port and make sure to block all his escape routes. I will go and meet him myself."

As a notorious criminal with a bad reputation in the East Blue recently, Smoker has every reason to deal with him personally.

As for the possibility of having mistaken someone for someone else, Smoker had considered this question. After all, they could only infer from other characteristics, without direct evidence. But since Li Ang was now highly suspected, Smoker would not let him go easily.

But if they really did find the wrong person, Smoker wouldn't lose anything, would he? At most, it would just be a military exercise, and they could release the person in the end.

"This is not a good situation. It seems we've been targeted by someone," Li Ang muttered to himself as he stood in the square in front of the execution platform.

"I had a feeling of being watched as soon as I landed, but I just assumed it was because of my epic-level little wrecked ship. After all, my epic-level little wrecked ship is so cool that it's no problem for some people to stop and watch. But now that I've walked all the way to the square in the middle, this feeling still hasn't gone away, so this is a bit troublesome."

"So who could it be? First, let's rule out the Revolutionary Army. I don't remember having any informants in Loguetown. Even if we did, I'm already done for. It's pointless for me to do anything. I'll just have to wait for Fujitora to come and take me back."

"So, is it the Navy? A bounty hunter? Hmm, that's possible. After all, I'm the only one in the world with such a cool little ship. If they suspect me of being the serial killer Jason, that's not a problem. But I've never shown my face, so they shouldn't be able to confirm my identity. If it's these people, then we don't need to be afraid. As long as we can dispel their suspicions, that's fine."

"The last people I want to see are pirates. So far, the only pirate crews I've had any contact with are the Buggy Pirates and the Black Cat Pirates. The latter are all idiots and wouldn't dare to lay a hand on me. The former are incredibly audacious, especially Buggy, who hasn't been to prison yet and is fearless. If they hadn't entered the Grand Line and were still in Loguetown, they might have attacked me in front of Smoker, which would have made things difficult."

“There are other possibilities, such as the nobles and wealthy businessmen I met at the sea restaurant. They might also be eyeing me. Many of them want to recruit me, while others might feel that I have offended them and want to teach me a lesson. However, the probability of these situations is too small, so let’s not consider them for now.”

Li Ang went through all the possibilities in his mind and finally decided not to show anything unusual. Since the visitor's identity and intentions were unknown, Li Ang did not intend to alert them or expose himself. Instead, he would observe the situation quietly. It would be best if he could fool them; if not, he would think of another way.

"Hey, how much is an ice cream?" Li Ang asked, walking up to a stall in the middle of the square like any other tourist.

The stall owner was a young girl. When she saw a customer coming in, she smiled sweetly and said, "One thousand Berries."

"Holy crap, that's so expensive! Why don't you just rob a bank?"

"Nonsense, there's no way to make money faster by robbing than by selling ice cream. Buy it if you want, or get lost. That's the price." Upon hearing that Li Ang meant he didn't have the money, the stall owner immediately stopped smiling.

Li Ang looked at his wallet; he didn't even have enough money to buy an ice cream.

"How am I supposed to keep a calm facade in this situation?"

Chapter 185 Retreating to Advance

Honestly, this ice cream wouldn't sell for this price anywhere else. It would be several times more expensive than elsewhere.

However, as a large square without any shade, the sun's power is unstoppable; standing under it for even a short while will make you feel like you're about to be roasted alive.

Secondly, this is a famous tourist attraction, drawing large numbers of visitors, especially pirates. Everyone knows that things inside tourist attractions are more expensive than outside. And these days, anyone who can afford to travel, or even a pirate who lives a life of constant danger, is certainly not short of money. So, to these ice cream buyers, they're easy targets.

Those with money to spare on their journeys weren't short of cash and paid the bill readily. Even the most ferocious pirates in Loguetown could only cower and behave themselves, not daring to cause trouble.

That's why the vendors here are so brazen; they greet wealthy old men with smiles and hurl insults at those without money.

"Oh dear, I'd say your service attitude is a bit problematic."

Upon hearing Li Ang's words, the ice cream girl smiled and said, "Oh dear, sir, please don't do that. I'm not forcing you. You can buy it if you want, or you can leave if you don't."

"Oh my god, didn't you ever think that people might buy it elsewhere?" Li Ang asked in surprise, seeing that this girl's skin was as thick as his.

"Tch, of course I'm not the only one around here, but no matter where you go, the price is the same, so don't even think about it. As for other places in town, there are other ice cream vendors, of course. But you outsiders aren't familiar with this area, so you can't find them, and it's a real hassle. That's why we make our money off you."

Is selling ice cream this expensive these days? So young and already like this, it's unbelievable how people behave these days. This is blatant ripping off! Li Ang had no choice but to back down and think of another way.

Why did Li Ang want an ice cream so badly? There's definitely a deeper meaning to it.

Since Li Ang had realized he was being watched, and after some thought, he concluded that the navy or bounty hunters were the most likely culprits, feigning weakness and concealing his identity was the best course of action.

Once others realize that Li Ang is just an ordinary person with no real talent, all those suspicions and doubts will vanish.

As for carving out a bloody path, not only is the operation itself extremely difficult, but once you're out there, you can forget about continuing your journey peacefully.

So how can he show that he is an ordinary person? The ice cream tactic was the first method Li Ang thought of.

Li Ang's original plan was to first pretend to be sweating profusely from the scorching sun while buying an ice cream. Then, after getting it, he would seemingly accidentally let the ice cream slip from his hand. In the ensuing frantic struggle, he not only failed to catch the falling ice cream but also tumbled and fell to the ground.

If this Oscar-worthy performance is successfully executed, then everyone will think that Li Ang is just an ordinary person. Anyone with a bit of skill could easily catch an ice cream cone falling from a height.

However, the plan failed before it even began; nothing happened except for him being covered in sweat. The ice cream girl gave Li Ang absolutely no chance to show off his acting skills.

However, if this plan fails, it will be quite fatal.

Smoker didn't have much time to give Leon a second plan before he arrived at the square with a pair of naval soldiers, which shows how swift his reaction was.

Having lost his best chance to escape because of a lack of money, Li Ang felt as if he had swallowed a fly. Seeing Smoker rushing over while he was thinking of other methods, he angrily made up his mind.

I must take action against these opportunistic rip-offs when I have the chance, and also teach them to carry more cash when they go out.

In order to capture Li Ang and prevent him from harming innocent people, Smoker sent eight teams from eight directions through eight entrances to the square, dispersing the crowd and blocking Li Ang's escape routes.

The ice cream vendor also ran away in a flash, leaving behind a car and ice cream worth "tens of thousands" of yuan.

However, Li Ang also confirmed that the people targeting him were none other than the navy here. Therefore, Li Ang certainly wouldn't give up the struggle so easily. As the saying goes, an actor's self-discipline means that as long as the director doesn't yell "cut," then one must continue acting, no matter what unexpected situations arise.

Li Ang immediately looked tense and wary, and asked, "What do you mean by this? You're not going to arrest me, are you?"

Li Ang's question was not unfounded. This seemingly ordinary question, though seemingly powerless, actually portrayed the helplessness of an ordinary person facing a powerful authority.

In many situations, this would be completely useless; the person would have been shot dead long ago. But Smoker is a Marine, and a Marine with a strong sense of justice. This requires him to have a legitimate reason for his actions, and not to rashly order an execution before confirming the person's identity.