At the mysterious store, people gathered in heavy silence, their eyes fixed on the dark entrance that had swallowed the reckless young man moments earlier. Fear filled their hearts as they wondered whether they should approach or stay safely in the shadows. Each one of them pondered the same question: would the young man emerge, or would his fate be like the terrifying legends they shared about cursed places?
Their minds were taut like a tightly stretched harp string, and with every moment that passed without news of the young man, their tension grew. The silence enveloped them like a spider's web, and every movement or faint whisper from one of them was enough to send a shiver through the crowd. Their eyes were alert, watching the store's door as if expecting it to open at any moment, revealing the young man's fate.
Elsewhere in the city, Marine Captain Roygan finally received news of the chaos caused by this new phenomenon. His office was cluttered with maps and reports, which he was reviewing with a worried expression when one of his soldiers burst into the room to inform him of the strange event. Roygan quickly stood up, his sharp gaze piercing through the soldier, and asked in a harsh tone for details.
After hearing the story, there was no time for hesitation. "Gather the men!" he commanded firmly, directing his soldiers to move quickly. He knew that any delay could be costly, as this city had recently witnessed events that could not be ignored. The soldiers moved in organized formations, exiting the headquarters one by one with speed and precision. The sound of their military boots hitting the ground reflected their determination and commitment to their duty.
When Roygan and his soldiers arrived at the square, the gathering was larger than expected. The people had crowded together, trying to understand what was happening, yet still hesitating to approach further. Roygan shouted in a thunderous voice, demanding that everyone clear the way. His voice sliced through the air like a sword, echoing across the wide square, forcing the crowd to retreat and make way for him and his soldiers.
As he made his way to the store, Roygan was lost in thought, trying to understand this persistent chaos that would not relent in Loguetown. He had barely dealt with the chaos caused by the manga that appeared in the city a few days ago before this strange building emerged. Sweat dripped from his brow as he muttered to himself, "What the hell is happening in this city? Damn whoever sent me here. If only they had sent me somewhere peaceful, far from this chaos..." In his mind, he wished he was on a remote island, away from the noise of this place, where only the sound of the waves and the gentle wind could be heard, working one day and resting for a week. How he wished he were there—at least his miserable life would be quieter.
His soldiers and the city's inhabitants watched him closely, puzzled by his sudden stop. Even one of his soldiers had to wake him from his daydream with a loud voice: "Sir! We have a mission here. We need to find out what this thing is and report to headquarters if anything urgent happens."
Roygan snapped out of his daydream and returned to his hopeless reality, pushing forward toward the mysterious store. He felt the weight of responsibility resting heavily on his shoulders. Standing in front of the building, he examined it closely, his eyes scanning every corner. The structure seemed unreal to him, as if it had come from another world. Roygan tried to understand the nature of this building, but the more he looked, the more confused he became.
"What the hell is this thing?" he muttered quietly, but it was loud enough for those around him to hear. The crowd, who had been waiting for an explanation, shouted in unison, "That's what we want to know too!" demanding to know the truth behind this strange building. Roygan rubbed the back of his head in confusion, then asked aloud, "Did anyone enter there?"
A man from the crowd replied, "Yes, a young man went in a few moments ago, but he hasn't come out since. It's as if the place swallowed him whole!"
"Is that so..." Roygan muttered, returning to his state of confusion. He knew he couldn't leave this matter without investigating, but the fear permeating the crowd made him hesitate for a moment. "What is happening in this city?" The question kept repeating in his mind, but he knew that time was not on his side and that he had to act quickly before things escalated.
Roygan stood contemplating the mysterious door before him, his frown deepening and his confusion growing. He wasn't used to dealing with matters like this; he had always been a man who relied on facts, on strict military procedures, but this situation was beyond his training. He looked around and saw his soldiers staring at him with anticipation, waiting for his orders, while the crowds behind them fidgeted nervously.
One soldier, with a round face and a constant smile, decided to break the silence. "Sir, I think this store is some kind of trap for pirates. Maybe if we go inside, the door will close behind us, and we'll be trapped."
Roygan raised an eyebrow and looked at the soldier. "A trap for pirates? And what about the reckless young man who went in earlier? Do you think he's a pirate?"
The soldier smiled nervously and shrugged. "Maybe he's training to become one, sir!"
The crowds behind them began whispering among themselves, as if they had finally found a plausible theory. "Yes, maybe it's a trap for pirates!" "I've heard that pirates in the East Blue Sea disappear in mysterious places!"
Roygan sighed audibly and turned to the crowd. "This is no time for silly theories. We're here to find out what's going on, not to swap stories!"
But the soldiers didn't stop, and they began suggesting ideas even stranger than the first. One soldier, stepping forward enthusiastically, said, "Sir, maybe this store is a secret entrance to the underworld! I've heard there are stores like this in the Grand Line!"
Another soldier smiled, patting his colleague on the shoulder. "If that's true, sir, then we're lucky! We might find ourselves on a sunny tropical island!"
The crowd began to laugh a little, but Roygan, despite his exhaustion, couldn't stop himself from smiling. He rolled his eyes at the soldiers and said in a mock-serious tone, "If you're all ready for a trip to a tropical island, you're in the wrong place. This store is not the entrance to your next vacation."
Then he turned to the crowd, trying to regain control of the situation. "Alright, enough of this guessing. We need to go in and check it out ourselves. If there's a trap, we'll be ready for it." He cautiously approached the door, but before he could touch the handle, someone from the crowd shouted, "Sir! I think you should send one of the soldiers first, to test the trap!"
Roygan stopped in his tracks, then turned toward the soldier who had suggested this, who was trying to hide his smile. "Good. Since you suggested it, you'll be the one to go in first."
The soldier's smile disappeared instantly, and he took a step back. "Me, sir? No, I was just suggesting... maybe it's better to send someone else, maybe... Ah, that man over there!" He pointed to a man in the crowd, who immediately turned his face away, trying to hide behind others.
Roygan exhaled deeply and said, "Enough nonsense! No one is going in alone." Then he turned to the crowd: "We'll handle this as a group; no one is hiding behind anyone else. Each of you is responsible, and you must be ready to face whatever happens."
One brave soldier stepped forward with a serious smile and said, "Sir, if there's an adventure waiting for us inside, I'm ready for it!" He walked confidently toward the door. But before he could reach it, Roygan's small Den Den Mushi phone rang in his pocket, interrupting the dramatic moment.
Roygan lifted the device to his ear and spoke in a serious tone, "Captain Roygan here." His voice was confident, but he hoped that the call might be some sort of rescue from this strange mission.
But the voice on the other end was calm and disappointing: "Sir, we wanted to inform you that lunch will be ready in half an hour. Would you like to postpone it, or will you return to headquarters for the meal?"
Roygan paused for a moment, then looked at the soldiers and the crowd, who were eagerly awaiting his instructions. He couldn't help but smile before responding, "Yes, yes. Tell the cook I'll be back shortly. Over."
He hung up the device and turned back to his soldiers. "Alright, it seems we have a short time to solve this mystery before we miss out on lunch. Let's all go in together, and if we find ourselves on a tropical island, we'll think about lunch there."
Amid the laughter of the soldiers and the crowd, Roygan approached the door again. This time, he grasped the handle firmly. "Ready?" he asked loudly, and without hesitation, he opened the door, leaving whatever would happen next to fate.
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(To be continued...)
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