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East Blue, Loguetown. The Marine base on the island had been temporarily transformed into the headquarters for Sengoku and the others.
As Marine higher-ups, they were not only busy planning the public execution of the Pirate King but also constantly communicating with the World Government.
Over these few days leading up to the execution, they had a seemingly endless series of meetings.
Even Garp, who was usually carefree, was nowhere to be seen during this time. Arashi hadn't crossed paths with him at all.
Roger was imprisoned in a Marine cell, while Arashi and his team were stationed in a civilian house just behind a wall separating them from Roger's cell.
"I don't understand why we're even needed for this mission," Kuzan remarked lazily.
"This must be the first time so many high-ranking Marine officers have gathered in Loguetown, right? Does anyone think they can stir up trouble with this kind of force?"
Arashi smiled faintly at Kuzan's comment but didn't reply.
He had already noticed that the number of people arriving in Loguetown had spiked significantly in just two days.
The news of Roger's public execution had drawn crowds from all over the world—journalists, merchants, pirates, and even mafia members were all gathering.
Polishing his glasses, Borsalino sighed, "Our task seems easy on the surface, but I can already see a lot of headaches coming our way."
Just this morning, Borsalino had wandered around the town and found that the population had exploded.
Reporters from every corner of the world, travelling merchants, and even pirates hiding in plain sight had converged.
The World Government agents had arrived as well, though quietly. But this was only the beginning.
"This world isn't short on people willing to take risks or entertain insane ideas,"
Arashi added calmly. "If that wasn't the case, Shiki wouldn't have dared attack Marineford."
"Shiki, huh?" Kuzan muttered, narrowing his eyes at the mention of the Golden Lion.
The next three days were mostly uneventful, but Arashi couldn't help but notice the growing number of people in Loguetown.
The docks were packed with ships, and the streets were so crowded that even his observation abilities couldn't track everyone.
The sheer volume of people overloaded his senses, forcing him to narrow his focus to an area within a kilometre of Roger's cell.
"No wonder so many pirates showed up during Roger's execution," Arashi mused.
"With the Marine forces spread so thin, all we can do is maintain a general sense of order. As long as nobody causes trouble, that's the best outcome we can hope for."
That day passed without any major incidents, though there were several street fights on the outskirts of Loguetown.
The Marines handled these disturbances, but Arashi could tell from his observation that the Marine presence in the town was insufficient.
Even the troublemakers weren't arrested but were simply scolded and allowed to leave.
By the sixth day—the day before the execution—everyone had begun to relax.
"Once tomorrow's over, we can finally head back to headquarters," Kuzan said casually. "It's been six days already, and nothing's happened. I doubt anything will now."
As usual, Borsalino sipped his tea with a smile while Sakazuki remained stone-faced, betraying none of his thoughts.
"I disagree," Arashi said with a sigh. "Tomorrow is going to be our busiest day yet."
In his mind, Arashi had already noticed a group of mysterious figures, their faces hidden by cloaks, silently entering the area within a kilometre of Roger's prison.
"If we can kill him…"
"If we take down Roger, the world will know our names!"
"If we're the ones to kill the Pirate King, tomorrow's headlines will be about us!"
The conspirators' whispered voices echoed through the dark alleyways. "Captain Ryan, I've scouted the area."
"This route has way fewer Marines than the others. If we can get close to Roger, kill him, and escape, we'll be the most famous pirate crew of the new era!"
Another voice joined in, laughing maniacally. "Zehahaha! You're right. Life is all about risks and gambling.
If we want to reach the top, we must bet our lives on it. There aren't many other ways for low-level pirates to climb the ranks."
"Let's go, men!" Captain Ryan ordered, his voice filled with ambition. "Glory, power, and wealth await us!"
The group sprinted down the alleyway, just as one had predicted. There were barely any Marines in sight.
At the temporary Marine base, Arashi stood up slowly.
"Sakazuki," he said.
Sakazuki looked up coldly, his Marine cap casting a shadow over his face.
"54th Street," Arashi ordered.
Sakazuki blinked, then nodded, swiftly heading out.
"Kuzan, 86th Street. Borsalino, 43rd. Barrett, 52nd. Crocodile, 102nd. Ivankov and Rosinante, 93rd."
Arashi swiftly gave instructions, assigning teams to different areas of the town.
Everyone froze for a second but quickly understood. Their expressions turned serious as they prepared to leave.
"This world is never short of bold people with courage," Arashi said with a light smile.
"They've kept their ambitions in check for the past five days, but today, someone's finally lost control."
"Are they going to attack?" Kuzan asked, surprised.
"If they manage to kill Roger, it will cool the heated ambitions of every pirate and stabilize the world," Arashi replied.
"But if pirates succeed, they'll gain fame and power."
Everyone understood and hurried to their assigned streets. Arashi, meanwhile, stepped out of the house, his eyes scanning the town. He raised his right hand, pointing toward 45th Street.
"Zzzzzzz!"
With a sharp crack, arcs of blue electricity gathered in his hand, shooting forward in a flash.
"Two hundred million volts: Divine Punishment!"
A brilliant column of lightning illuminated the dark alley of 45th Street, racing forward.
In less than a second, it collided with six pirates sneaking through the shadows, their eyes wild with madness.
"Boom!"
The lightning struck them, engulfing the entire group. Their screams echoed through the streets, accompanied by the smell of charred flesh.
As the lightning flickered out, Arashi vanished, leaving nothing but a crackle of static in his wake.
178th Street.
Ryan was sprinting ahead, his face a mixture of excitement and madness, with his crew closely following behind.
In truth, they knew they weren't the only ones daring to take such a risk.
Many pirates had the same idea—to kill the Pirate King to boost their fame and status.
In a world full of pirates with countless ambitions and dreams, most of those ambitions boiled down to three things: fame, power, and wealth!
As for the One Piece, that was something only men destined to become Pirate Kings could pursue.
"If we can succeed!" Ryan's heart was pounding as he fantasized about what the future would hold if they succeeded.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminated the dark Street ahead.
Zzzap!
A figure surrounded by lightning abruptly appeared, causing the entire crew to halt.
"Having dreams and ambition is a good thing," the figure said, hovering in midair, surrounded by arcs of electricity.
"But if you choose the wrong path and overestimate your abilities, that becomes your greatest obstacle to survival."
The figure was Arashi, cloaked in lightning.
"Marine?" Ryan's pupils shrank. But almost immediately, he shouted, "Kill him!"
From the moment this mission started, he had resolved to kill anyone standing in their way.
With that shout, his crew charged forward, drawing their swords with twisted expressions and slashing at Arashi.
Arashi didn't even blink, nor did he move to dodge. In the next instant, as the sword passed through his body, arcs of electricity crackled across his form.
The pirate who attacked landed, his face filled with terror.
"Boss! He's a Logia user!"
Arashi raised his right hand leisurely, extending a single finger and pointing slowly forward.
However, he wasn't aiming at the pirate attacking him. Arashi vanished in the blink of an eye as the crew looked on in confusion.
"And not just a Logia user," Arashi said softly. Suddenly, his finger was right before the attacking pirate's forehead.
"How... how is that possible?!" Ryan's pupils constricted, his whole body trembling.
He watched as Arashi's fingertip sparked, and a lightning bolt shot forward, piercing the pirate's forehead.
"Roger isn't someone weaklings like you can even dream of getting close to,"
Arashi turned his gaze to Ryan, his eyes cold and indifferent, causing the entire pirate crew to shiver in fear.
"He's the Thunder Fruit user! The man who controls lightning!" One of the pirates shouted in terror.
In the minds of most pirates, Logia-type abilities were invincible, especially those who wielded the power of lightning.
"Wait, he... he looks like..." Another pirate began to recognize Arashi, and the fear in his voice grew.
By this point, Ryan was completely frozen. "Marine Vice Admiral Arashi? The one who captured Roger?"
"The same Marine who defeated the Golden Lion, Shiki, and sent him to Impel Down just days ago?" Ryan screamed in fear.
Arashi calmly raised his hand, with lightning crackling between his fingers.
"The route you chose just happens to fall within my jurisdiction," Arashi said. "Courage is admirable, but unfortunately, you aren't worth any sympathy."
With Arashi's voice, the arcs of electricity grew more intense, causing the air temperature in the alley to spike rapidly.
In the next instant, Arashi extended his finger.
Zzzap!
The electricity crackle echoed, spreading like tree branches, surging toward the remaining pirates.
"Wait, wait!" Ryan screamed in terror. But instantly, the lightning struck him and the rest of his crew.
The intense heat generated in just a split second set their bodies aflame, and before long, the destructive force of the lightning had disintegrated them entirely.
Arashi's bolt of lightning had vaporized the pirate crew of more than a dozen men in the blink of an eye. Turning around, Arashi frowned slightly.
"It looks like things are only going to get busier from here on out," he muttered. With another flash of lightning, he vanished again.
That day marked the second-to-last day before the execution.
But it was also the day when countless pirates and underground forces, driven by madness and ambition but completely misjudging their strength, launched assaults toward where Roger was being held.
Arashi kept his observation field open, eliminating over a hundred daily pirates and continuously assigning tasks to his subordinates.
As night fell, their work only intensified.
By the seventh day, Crocodile had tallied the numbers: 36 pirate crews had been eliminated, and a staggering 458 pirates had been slain.
"Tomorrow, Roger will be executed!" Borsalino said softly, gazing at the morning sun. Arashi's expression remained calm, not commenting on the remark.
"Let's get to it. Today's going to be another busy one," Arashi said, his voice cold as he adjusted his Marine hat.
"These filthy rats from the sewers never seem to clearly understand their limits."
Sakazuki was the first to leave with an aura of killing intent, followed by the others in the squad.
Arashi then spread his observation field, and using his powers, he generated a massive thundercloud spanning three kilometres over Loguetown.
Throughout that day, anyone outside that three-kilometre radius frequently heard the rumble of thunder and saw flashes of lightning.
They didn't know that every bolt of lightning struck down several, if not dozens, people.
That day at the port of Loguetown, people continued to disembark from ships, quickly merging into the bustling crowds.
Among them were individuals who would later become world-renowned pirates.
"Fuhfuhfuhfuhfuh!" a figure laughed loudly amidst the crowd, arms spread wide. "What an event to shake the world! It makes me both excited and thrilled!"
"I can already feel the pulse of this new era!"
At the same time, on another street, a man with red hair, a long sword at his waist, and a straw hat pulled low over his face walked silently, with a young boy with a red nose trailing behind him.
Dark clouds gathered over Loguetown as the evening approached, and thunder rumbled in the sky.
Boom!
Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating a figure standing in Central Park.
The figure was cloaked in green, with their hood pulled low, obscuring their face.
When the next flash of lightning struck, the man slowly raised his head, staring at the towering execution platform ahead.
"So, this is where you'll meet your end tomorrow, Roger!"
(T/N: Check out my new Translated Novel - Naruto: Different Path)
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