With the next course set for the Grand Line, it made sense that the new Straw Hat Crew stopped off before their big transition from the East Blue to the greater sea and no place to do it was better then the hometown of Gold Roger.
The crew climbed off as they set foot into the town; each one with their own agenda in mind. "So we know what we're doing here?" Morgan asked the others as he stretched himself off; he had long since ditched the bandages from Cocoyashi and was now wearing a dark green sleeveless jacket and a high collar to hide his mark from Arlong, a pair of dark pants and his trademark boots.
"I'm gonna be looking for some new clothes for the trip ahead, you guys might be okay with wearing the exact same clothes but I refuse to." Nami mentioned as she tossed everyone a sack of berries to use as spending money; "Use this to get what you need but if you want any extra, I'll be charging you 300% interest~"
"Jeez…I thought you were gonna lighten up on the whole money thing since you don't have to gather it anymore." Usopp grumbled as he pocketed the money; "In any case, I'm gonna look for supplies and new gear. I'll need more materials for ammo and maybe a new pair of goggles."
"I'll be getting ingredients for the ship! I will serve Nami the best of the best, but with the rate you guys go through food, it's ungodly and when Morgan gets injured, he eats even more." Sanji remarked with Morgan almost pouting.
"Hey, it's not my fault I have to eat specifically to maintain muscle mass… I'm not Lu-" Morgan retorted but found himself stopping himself before straightening up; "I'll be going to check out the last spot that Gold Roger was at."
"Sometimes I envy him…being able to eat as much as he wants and not get fat…Then again I'm limber but I don't think I can do what he does." Nami would internally complain as she waved the others off and headed into the town.
"I'll be getting new swords, the two I had broke and I can't use the Three Sword Style without the other two." Zoro shrugged it off as he headed into town in a separate direction along with the others.
Morgan left into the town and began to explore wherever he could, considering that he wasn't going to test Nami on her "interest" rates with her money lending; he started off at a store that sold gear. Seeing that Usopp was currently sightseeing, he dipped into the store to see what was there.
It looked like something for everyone was in there; ranging from weapons and gear to maps and general sundries though there was one thing that he found rather interesting; a pair of gauntlets that looked fairly basic but for some reason, he was intrigued by the simplicity. "You've got a good eye there sir." The clerk remarked with a salesman level smile on his face.
"They aren't really that regular, are they?" Morgan asked as he gestured to the price of 30,000 Berries, "Because at that price, I'd say you're more of a pirate than I am."
With a hearty laugh, the clerk walked over; his mind set on fleecing this would be sucker. "Ah, but you forget…In this cruel and unforgiving sea, there is no greater protection for a man than common sense."
"I thought that a pirate's greatest protection was pulling out." Morgan mentioned with a confused look on his face; it was clear that even though Makino taught him manners, she couldn't cover his ears most of the time when Shanks and his crew got to the heavy drinking.
"Ha! That's a funny one, sir! Though I shouldn't really do this BUT if you give me 25,000 than I can toss in this box to carry them in if they get too heavy for sir." The clerk tried to ooze out his charm as he figured that he was an easy mark.
"Wait…The colour of metal on the knuckles…That's Seastone, isn't it?" Morgan asked as the clerk froze up; "I'm surprised that you were able to get something like that from the Marines."
"I-It's not Seastone, sir! It's just a rare type of material…A Grand Line Metal that is more durable than anything in the East Blue!" The clerk nervously tried to deny while peeking out of the store window for any eavesdroppers.
"Nah, I've seen plenty of knuckles around…these ones look like Seasto-mmph!" Morgan clarified but found himself with the clerk's hand clasped over his mouth and nudged away from the window.
"ALRIGHT! It is Seastone but that's because I stole a chunk of the ore, I found it from the last shipment to the Marines when it rolled off the cart. I had it custom made into these! Don't go blabbing about it or we'll both get in trouble!" The clerk said in a hushed whisper; "Look, if you shut up about it and if you don't tell anyone where you got these from, I'll knock the price down to 20!"
"Oh come on, that's still a gouge from my pocket…Can't you go any lower than that? I mean, your sign is for a store…Not a fencer, make it 13." Morgan haggled as he was set on them.
"13?! Did you hit your head? These are Seastone Knuckles, any chump with brass knuckles can lay out a normal person but with these? You can punch a Devil Fruit User in the face with no consequence, the prospect alone makes them worth at least 10!" The Clerk was very quickly losing patience and now that this pirate knew that these were Seastone, he could easily rat him out. "Rrgh…Fine, I'll lower it to 10k for the knuckles!"
"You know, you're really taking me for a ride on this…trying to hand over weapons made from stolen Marine property, any sane person would hand these AND you over to them for such a thing but on my word as a pirate, if you lower it than you'll be rid of them and buy my silence." Morgan pointed out with a sly grin. He was enjoying watching this squat man turn a beet red in anger.
"You want to play it that way? Alright! The lowest I'll go is 6,000, I'll throw in the box and you never show your ass back in my store again!" The Clerk relented with a vein bulging on his head.
"Alright, fine…3,000 and you'll never see me again." Morgan said with a resigned sigh like he was giving up, though he found himself with the knuckles in a wooden box in his hands.
"DEAL!" The Clerk jumped on the offer before Morgan finished his sentence; "Now get the hell out!"
"Thanks for the knuckles, sir!" Morgan said thankfully as he flipped three 1,000 Berri coins onto the counter before leaving.
"Lousy, arrogant little shit, thinking he could haggle me ove…Wait…He said 3,000?" The clerk quickly realised his blunder as he clutched the three coins in his hands with a newfound anger; "That sneaky LITTLE BASTARD!" He would yell out in frustration as he banged his head on the countertop.
"Y'know…Most of these clothes were a real steal once I sweet talked the sellers, though I should probably check around…Maybe there's a bookstore for mapmaking in the Grand Line or at least a book on…" Nami flinched as she heard someone shouting some very profane language; "Sheesh…Some people, I guess it is a Pirate town af…ter…all?" Nami then stopped when she saw a noticeboard for sales and shops…along with bounties for pirates…"Oh this is NOT good!" She groaned to herself.
—A Few Days earlier at a Marine Stronghold—
"So gentlemen, we've been brought together to discuss a new development in the Eastblue." One Marine Captain would say as he looked to the rows of fellow captains; "Captain Nezumi has discovered a new up and coming Pirate that could cause problems for not just other pirates but for the Marines as a whole."
"That skeevy little crook who was on the Conomi Islands? He probably just got back sassed and now this is his way of getting his own back at the sap." Another Captain would grumble as the Head Captain slapped some Wanted Posters on the board along with Morgan's smiling picture at the top of the board.
"Buggy the Clown and Iron Club Alvida, these two have a bounty in the millions but they got taken down singlehandedly by that one "sap" so I wouldn't joke so easily." The Head Captain explained as he addressed the room; "As far as I know, the new Captain at Shells town also mentioned this same man took out another Captain by the name of Axe-Hand Morgan for his less than reputable behaviour."
"Even Axe-Hand? This might be serious." A Captain with a pompadour and a cigarette hanging from his mouth quipped; "I heard at one point that when Fullbody got demoted, he saw this guy take on Don Krieg…"
"Don Krieg, the Conqueror?"
"I thought he moved to the Grand line?"
"Now hold on, are we sure that it's this guy that did this? From what I heard, that Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro had joined up with him…Perhaps this guy is taking credit for his new comrade's work?" A Captain with a slicked back hairdo drawled.
"FOCUS!" The Head Captain yelled out to the murmuring group; "You all seem to be forgetting that this face!" He said and then pointed at Morgan's mug; "Fought a Fishman barehanded and won, that alone should be enough for concern!"
"It's gotta be a Devil Fruit…No way in any part of the East Blue can anyone pull a stunt like that without one!" The pompadoured Captain protested as he flicked a cigarette away.
"Are you kidding me, you know how rare those Fruits are…Plus some of the Sea's big hitters are regular people, Red-Haired Shanks, Vice Admiral Garp, Gold Roger himself survived on the sea without a Devil Fruit." The slicked back haired Captain debated as he glowered.
"Testimony from people including fellow Marines indicate that he has no Fruit power and he is incredibly dangerous, so until we can establish more about this man, I want this poster plastered over every Marine Base, city and town! And we'll set a Bounty to match at…"
—Present Day—
Morgan was standing on top of the scaffolding used to execute Gold Roger and watched the view in awe; "This is it…This was where they ended the Pirate King's life and where the Pirate Era started…So this was the last thing he saw."
While he was watching, a woman from the ground among the other people seemed to recognise him; "You're a rather hard man to find, Morgan D. Ford~" She called up to him as she had a delicate smirk on her face, aware of the droves of enamoured people around her but ignoring them all in favour of him. "I've spent a long time and a lot of effort to get this close again…And I must admit, you certainly make it all the worthwhile~"
"I'm sorry…Do I know you lady?" Morgan asked, the hat she was wearing had covered her face but something about her seemed familiar.
"Hmhm~ I know that it has been a while so I do not blame you for forgetting me…But you were the first man to ever stand up to me with confidence." The woman remarked as she placed a hand on her stomach; "You were also the first man who wasn't afraid to hit back."
This earned Morgan a lot of icy stares that cut through him like daggers; "I…I'm sorry but I really don't know who you are." Morgan reiterated as he was really confused now, "Who is this lady? she's doesn't look like anyone I've met before but she seems to know me well…"
"THEN MAYBE YOU'll REMEMBER ME, STRAW-HAT!" A louder voice could be heard as someone else made himself known; this time it was the very familiar clown that he had sent into a building back in Orange Town; "You ruined my fun before and now I get to pay you back for this new treachery!"
"Oh I know you!" Morgan said as a look of recognition appeared on his face; "You're Bogwater, right?" He would ask, making everyone look at him dumbfounded before Morgan jumped down to confront him.
"IT'S BUGGY!" The clown screamed at him as he drew his knives and plenty of people started to run once they realised that a big name like Buggy showed up. "I can understand you not remembering my new friend, but how dare you deliberately ignore what you did to me AND to my status as a Star!"
"What are you talking about? I did nothing to your status." Morgan defended himself as he watched Buggy getting more and more irate; "The only thing I did to you was kick your ass across town."
"That's just the start of my problems with you! But seeing as you have that dumb look on your face, I'm guessing you haven't seen the news that's being plastered over every wall here." Buggy snorted as he held a rolled up parchment in his hand and separated it to hand it over; "Here, I'll even throw you a bone and spell it out."
As Morgan unfurled the parchment, he quickly understood what it was; a giant warning on the front that showed "WANTED: Morgan D. Ford! Captain of the Straw Hat Crew, Current Bounty….HOW MUCH?!" Morgan yelled out the last part as even he was taken by surprise by what was assigned to him.
"You're damn right to be shocked, I'm so angry at the fact that a bratty little upstart could be assigned a bounty like that on the first try!" Buggy ranted before composing himself; "Alvida, would you mind entertaining him for a little? I want to prepare for a little poetic justice."
"It'll be my pleasure, Buggy~" The skinny looking woman would purr as she eyed up Morgan and pulled out her iron club from….somewhere?
"Wait…I remember now, Alvida? But I thought you were a lot bigger….and scarier looking." Morgan remarked with that same brutal honesty as the first time he met her.
"And the penny drops; since you knocked me off of that ship, I had to start over when I came across something wonderful, one bite of a special Fruit and all that bulky weight practically slid off of me…though it also took away my freckles too…but now I should be more than enough to make you my man~" Alvida smirked as she twirled her club and rushed at him with a wide but equally fast swing.
Morgan jumped back to avoid it and rushed forward on her backswing to try countering but when he tried to grab her to pin her to the ground, she ended up slipping out of his grip.
"…Wait, what?" was the only thought in Morgan's head as he saw Alvida swing her club at his head with a swift spin and knocked him out cold.
"Hmhm~ Looks like I win this one…it's a shame that Buggy wants you dead, because I want you all to myself~" Alvida remarked as the two pirates got to work.
—Meanwhile—
Nami managed to catch up with Sanji and Usopp after they caught up; "We need to get moving quick! I can feel a storm coming in to town and I don't want to be stuck here when people start recognising us." Nami explained to them, which seemed to confuse Usopp and keep Sanji's full attention on her as he and Usopp carried a giant tuna to the Merry.
"What do you mean? No one's recognised us since we got here plus we still need to grab Morgan and Zoro if we're planning on leaving." Usopp pointed out to her.
"Ah, even when you're so serious…it's hard to resist you, Nami~" Sanji cooed over her as he then went back to his surly look at Usopp; "Keep that over your head, I want to keep all of this fish intact so we can cook it."
"That's not the point, the problem is that Morgan's got a wanted poster now! He is going to be recognised plenty and with Marines around this town, we're gonna be sitting ducks if we wait for the storm to roll in." Nami let it out as she saw Merry in the distance.
"Wait, he's got a poster but we don't? We all had a hand in beating Arlong and his crew." Usopp asked as he found it odd that no one on the island brought it up.
"It's because Arlong's got one of the biggest bounties on the sea…Well…he did." Nami elaborated; "Besides, I think it was because of that crooked Marine captain that tried to steal the credit from us back at Cocoyashi…Looks like he got his last spiteful act towards us."
"So our captain's got a bounty now…Dare I ask how much it is?" Sanji asked, wondering what kind of result came of Morgan's rampage at Arlong Park.
"Around 45 Million Berri." Nami pointed out bluntly; "Morgan is now sitting at the top of every Marine and Bounty Hunter's Most Wanted list in the East Blue."
"THAT MUCH?!" Usopp practically screeched it out as he then swiped a badly stuck up wanted poster of his captain on the wall nearby; It had Morgan standing on top of the rubble of Arlong Tower covered in his blood and sweat: clearly a ploy by the Marines to try getting him as feared and reviled by anyone who say it. "Oh…I'm there too."
"That's stupid, this is Morgan's poster more the-Oh…That's just the back of your head!" Sanji refuted but quickly realised what Usopp was looking at.
"If he gets caught than we're all in trouble, Sanji…Head back into town and try finding him and Zoro because if we don't get moving, we're gonna be in a lot of trouble." Nami ordered him as she knew that Sanji was probably the best bet to get the pair back.
"Right away Nami~!" He yelled out as he rushed back into town while Usopp struggled to pull the gigantic tuna onto the ship.
"Morgan…Please don't do anything stupid."
—In the Town Square—
"Ladies and Gentlemen of Loguetown, Scumbags and Rogues alike! Today we will be commencing an execution for the little bastard called Straw Hat Morgan, who is charged with the crime of being a show stealing glory hog and an all around nuisance!" Buggy declared to the gathering of pirates and Marines who were investigating the noise and the large group, included were the Marine Captain Smoker and his subordinate Tashigi.
"Captain, we're ready to intercept Buggy and the other pirates when ready." One of the Marines reported to the white haired man as they monitored the situation.
"Don't mobilise yet! If we jump in now then the pirates will scatter like rats…Wait until Morgan's head comes off and then scramble!" Smoker ordered the group as numerous eyes watched in wait.
"They're really going all out with this performance piece…"
"I don't think this is one."
"Where are the Marines when you actually need them?"
The many voices whispered in the crowd as they seemed to be both intrigued by this pirate squabble and equally disturbed that they were planning a live execution.
The only one who looked disappointed more than anyone was Alvida as she rested her chin in her hand; "It's such a waste…This is all that the man I sought after could muster?"
"Morgan! Where the hell did you go?" Zoro was yelling out as he was looking for his captain after getting lost and was peering into the crowd to try seeing what the commotion was.
"Moss-head? The only time that I'm glad to see you, where did Morgan ge-MORGAN, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING UP THERE!" Sanji yelled out as he saw the familiar straw hat on the top of the podium.
Morgan quickly came to as he saw a crowd of people looking at him; "Wow, so this is the view Gold Roger had…" He mused and then looked up at Buggy, quickly realising what was going on; he began struggling and thrashing to break free but the position he was in made it difficult to move enough to break out.
"Any last words before I end this?" Buggy smirked as he held a sword in his hand; "Because this is going to be your last chance to beg for mercy." He then sneered as he reared the sword back, ready and waiting for Morgan to break down.
"Then I'll want you to listen to me and listen good…I'M MORGAN D. FORD! AND I'M GONNA BE THE NEXT KING OF THE PIRATES!" He screamed out to the crowd; The loud proclamation echoed through the busy streets in tandem with the low rumble of thunder and the growing black clouds.
"IDIOT, This is what's gonna be in store for you!" Buggy yelled as he brandished the sword; the sound of thunder growing and the slight creak of the platform underneath them began to make people nervous.
"MORGAN! WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!" Sanji and Zoro yelled out as they rushed in to the fighting as they fought and pushed their way through to get close, unaware of a green cloaked figure watching Buggy and Morgan on top.
"Heh, Zoro…Sanji…Sorry, but it looks like I'm gonna die here." Morgan laughed as he had a wide smile on his face while the sword swung down.
"MOUTON SHOT!"
"TAKANAMI!"
The two swung their strongest hits at the foundation to try knocking Buggy off balance and knock Morgan free, however while it made the Platform creak and sway before toppling, it looked like it was too late for either of them…
KRAKOOM!
A violent bolt of lightning struck down on the tower as it fell to pieces while the rain began to hammer down on people, zapping Buggy as Morgan kicked the clown away and fell towards the stone ground.
Zoro and Sanji watched as the split second that they saw the whole thing fall; the flash of lightning blocked out the outcome but sighed in relief when they saw Morgan stagger to his feet, he was a little beaten up and dirty from getting thrown into the dirt but he was alive.
The Marines however were shocked and mortified when they saw that the two were indeed still alive; "Have you ever seen a pirate smile like that on their last moments there?" Smoker asked one of the Marines.
"N-No sir, they've always begged or cursed us…I don't think I've ever seen anyone smile or accept their fate like that…I think the only one who did wa-"
"Gold Roger…The last Pirate King, but that lightning strike should've killed them both. Buggy the Clown surviving that makes sense but the kid? I think he's got the Devil's luck on his side." Smoker mentioned as he watched Morgan, Zoro and Sanji make a break for it; "Get my Billower bike…I'm going to hunt them down before they escape to the Grand Line."
"Yes Sir!"
—Meanwhile with the Trio—
"How did you get caught by Buggy? I thought you finished him off!" Zoro groaned as he rushed down the road with Morgan and Sanji; he had been able to get his two new swords but this town had him turned around when it came to directions.
"So it turned out Buggy got one of my old enemies to team up with and try to get the jump on me…Go figure…" Morgan sighed as he kept an eye out while he ran; the fact he nearly got hit by lightning was something that he hoped never to do again.
"Wait, that slender beauty was an enemy of your's?! You bastard, how the hell is it that you got someone so beautiful to chase you down?!" Sanji missed the point entirely as he kicked away another clown pirate.
"You didn't meet her like I did, she was a real monster back then and just as dangerous…And on top of that, she's eaten a Devil Fruit too…" Morgan mentioned as he explained about Alvida from before and her change-up.
"So anything physical just…slides off of her?" Zoro asked curiously as he drew a sword to fight off a knife thrower; "Talk about a bad matchup for a Martial Artist…"
"You're thinking of it all wrong, Moss-Head! With that slippy and beautiful skin, she can zip around quicker and stop other people from getting a hold of her…even if it's a tragedy that I can't get a chance to…." Sanji quickly and misguidedly summed it up before a loud roar broke the sound of the pouring rain.
Morgan turned back, seeing Smoker riding after them on what looked like a motorcycle and then stopped. "Sanji, Zoro…go on ahead and tell Nami to get the ship ready…"
Knowing that Morgan would catch up one way or another; the two decided to leave while their captain squared off against their Marine adversary. "You sure he can handle it?" Sanji would ask, knowing that while Morgan was mostly human…dealing with Pirates, Marines and this colossal storm was pushing it.
"If he said he can handle it, then he can." Zoro plainly stated as another rumble of thunder came over them and the two rushed by a man with a green cloak on and a set of face tattoos.
—On the Merry, a moment later—
"REMIND ME AGAIN WHY WE'RE WAITING FOR THAT FIGHT HAPPY LUNK TO FINISH A SCRAP?!" Both Nami and Usopp yelled at Sanji and Zoro, both of them were caught up: With Sanji trying to keep Zoro on the right path and Zoro either getting lost or losing his mind over the Vice Captain Tashigi messing with his head.
"He said he could handle it, besides…You've seen how tough he is, he's got quite the rap sheet to back himself up." Sanji mentioned as he tried to vouch.
The cannons and the turrets from the Marine ships and from Loguetown were bearing down on them, if they didn't move than that was it; "A-Alright, we'll circle around and keep it moving but we can't just stay here!" Nami ordered as Usopp grabbed the helm while the others stayed on deck.
However before the Long Nose could make his adjustments, a powerful gust of wind rushed over the island like a typhoon, making every sailor, pirate and passerby grip onto any solid surface they could. The mountainside guns were being blown off of their supports like they were made of paper, both the Marines and any fleeing Pirates including Nami and the others had to cling on for dear life but just like any storm, the winds died down and the ran continued to batter down on them like nothing happened.
"NAMI! GET THE MERRY READY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT STICKING AROUND!" Morgan yelled over the rain as he was making a mad dash to the edge and then dived into the choppy waters.
"Morgan!" Nami yelled out in surprised as she knew better than anyone how dangerous the sea was but sighed a breath of relief when she saw him swimming against the current towards the ship.
"SWIFT STYLE KENPO: CARP'S MAD DANCE!" Morgan called out as he then grabbed a rope that Usopp threw over the side and began to climb up.
"Yeah, Yeah! We know you got names for all your moves! Just get up here, you dork!" Nami yelled before pulling him into a hug as he climbed over the rail; "Just….I'm glad you're safe…." She admitted softly enough for him to hear.
"Well, it's not like I haven't done this before…Besides I can't let a little thing like water stop me when we're so close." Morgan remarked rather obliviously and earned his a light smack on the back of the head by both Sanji and Nami.
"Can't you take this seriously?!" Nami yelled at him.
"Don't squander the tender feelings of a woman, you love blind moron!" Sanji piped in with his own gripes.
"So, now we're all together…We've got a chance to move." Zoro pointed out as he gestured to the other ships trying to adjust for the harsh waters.
"We break on through, we get through Reverse Mountain and lose them on our way in." Morgan stated as Usopp changed course; "We have our way in, we have everyone so let's get moving!"
The lighthouse grew ever closer in the distance as Reverse Mountain hung in the dark clouds like an ill omen, a grim reminder that those who failed to navigate it ended up as the red in the Red Line.
"Alright, this is it…The water's eased up but we shouldn't relax yet." Nami remarked as they found the current pulling them towards the climbing slope. "So this is what that look was on the map…I saw there were canals and markings for current flows but I never understood why."
"Alright, Sanji, Zoro! You two get below deck and help steer the rudder, Usopp! You be our eyes for distance between us and the sides…And Nami…You keep us on the right path." He would give them their instructions before taking his perch on the Merry's figurehead, doing his best to help guide the others from his position as they climbed and climbed further up the path, breaching the clouds and seeing the bright blue sky above for the briefest of moments…Before descending back down.
Once they were on a downward slope, the feeling changed; Nami started to grin as the others looked to her. "We did it…We finally did it!" She cheered as she watched everyone group up.
"We should do this to celebrate." Sanji remarked as he pulled a barrel to the centre of the ship; "A proper cast off before we legitimately land in the Grand Line."
Morgan smirked as he raised his leg up and propped his foot up on the barrel; "I'm gonna be the Greatest Martial Artist and the Pirate King!"
Zoro was the next to follow; "I'm gonna get stronger and become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
Nami giggled a little as she kicked up her leg; "I'll draw a full map of the World and etch out every detail."
"I-I'm gonna become a brave Warrior of the Sea!" Usopp stammered before bringing his leg up and soon followed by Sanji.
"And I will find the All Blue!"
The five pirates reinforced their dreams as they hit the water with a mighty splash before a deep, guttural rumble emanated from the bottom of the ship and a giant head rose up, engulfing them and the water before surfacing.
Five Seconds into arriving at the Grand Line…And the Straw Hats were eaten by a giant Whale.