Execution Begins

After finishing his drink, Carlos also left. None of the people in there caught his interest, and he couldn't be bothered to stay.

Leaving the tavern, Carlos found an inn and rented a room. He stayed inside, pondering Observation Haki and Armament Haki.

With his own understanding of Observation Haki supplemented by the Golden Lion's explanations, Carlos felt that awakening it wouldn't be too difficult.

Observation Haki, as the name implies, splits into two forms: "observe" and "sense." Carlos had consumed the Eye of the Devil, a special Paramecia Devil Fruit, and was proficient in Dojutsu—Byakugan, Ghost Eye, Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan—all powers of "seeing." This greatly aided Carlos in awakening Observation Haki.

Carlos felt that awakening Observation Haki posed no challenge.

The application of Observation Haki comes in the two forms of "observe" and "sense," but its uses are numerous.

Observation Haki's effects manifest through development in range, precision, and depth. It allows for predicting attacks, judging numbers and strength, reading minds, sensing emotions, influencing others, perceiving auras, and even brief future sight.

Observation Haki is powerful and useful, but it cannot be activated at all times, nor can anyone keep it running constantly. It can only be used in a calm state; losing one's composure renders it unusable.

Though his Dojutsu were formidable and his insight sharp, learning Observation Haki was still necessary. At least in special situations where he needed to close his eyes, he wouldn't be completely blind.

In the inn room, Carlos sat on the sheet-covered bed, eyes closed, following the method the Golden Lion had taught him, sensing the surrounding auras. But the effect wasn't great.

There was a faint, elusive sensation, but not strong enough to reach the point of awakening. After trying a while longer with no change, Carlos decided to give up for now and train once he returned to his own territory. He could borrow from Luffy's method of awakening Observation Haki—applying pressure to himself, digging out potential, and sharpening his senses.

Looking out the window, he realized dusk had fallen without him noticing. To Carlos, it felt like only a moment had passed.

Sighing at how quickly time flew, Carlos got off the bed, left the inn, and headed out to find a restaurant for dinner.

The execution time hadn't arrived yet. To avoid accidents and minimize risk, the arrangements for Roger's execution were meticulous. The warship escorting Roger wouldn't reach Loguetown until around noon on the day of the execution, and the execution would proceed immediately upon arrival, leaving little time for pirates to react.

As darkness fell, Carlos made his way to Loguetown's restaurant row. Shops on both sides of the street had their lights on, casting a motley, colorful glow. Mixed sounds of hawking, chatter, and laughter filled the air. Though lacking the golden splendor and high-end elegance of a great city, it had its own charm—like the difference between a night market food stall and a luxury hotel.

It was dinner time, so the street was lively. Many pirates were drinking and eating here. The heavy presence of Marines kept them from causing trouble easily. For the shop owners, though they served with trepidation, the money they made was substantial.

Pirates lived on the edge of the blade, embracing a philosophy of "drink today, for tomorrow we die"—living in the moment. At least half their money went to eating, drinking, and having fun, so they spent generously.

Under normal circumstances, pirates would be eager to dine and dash. But in this special moment when the Marines' authority was at its peak, any pirate with a brain wouldn't willingly walk into the line of fire.

Of course, the world never lacks fools. There are always those looking for death, especially when alcohol numbs their minds and clouds their judgment.

After a comfortable dinner, Carlos ran into a group of pirates with scrambled brains—or rather, ones whose courage had swelled after drinking.

Carlos finished his meal, paid, and left. As he prepared to wander around a bit more, he sensed a group of about twenty pirates tailing him. Their faces were flushed red, reeking of alcohol—a bunch of complete drunks!

Seeing this, the pirates dining on both sides of the street couldn't help but sneer. They were sneering both at Carlos for being in trouble and at the twenty brain-dead drunk pirates.

They must have forgotten this was Loguetown in the East Blue, not their usual stomping grounds where they got everything through force.

What could they do? Carlos's clothes clearly marked him as a wealthy man. If not him, who would they rob?

Carlos found the blatant tailing utterly ridiculous. Was this a game?

He had no mood to play with these drunken pirates. He couldn't even muster the interest to kill them, but he still needed to teach them a lesson.

Turning around, his eyes had already shifted to Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Pupil Power radiated outward, and he cast an Illusion Technique on the seven or eight pirates who saw his eyes. Drunk, disoriented—these drunks were far too easy to ensnare with illusions.

These idiots only needed a single glance to be dealt with. Let the Marines sober them up!

After casting the illusion, Carlos left.

"Ah..."

A pained, miserable scream rang out. One of the pirates caught in the illusion suddenly drew his blade and swung at the nearest person. The strike landed on a shoulder, cutting a gash deep enough to see bone. Blood sprayed everywhere—brutal and bloody.

That one cut was agonizing, instantly burning away the alcohol's haze. The wounded pirate clutched his arm, face twisted in pain, and roared through gritted teeth: "Have you lost your damn mind, bastard? Stabbing your own brother?"

As he spoke, he saw his brother's movements grow more frantic. He watched his brother's hand reach for his pistol...

This was bad—life-threatening! Terrified out of his wits, the wounded pirate charged forward to save himself, muttering under his breath, "At home, your wife seduced me first," revealing a hidden, cuckolded story.

This was only the beginning. The others caught in the illusion also attacked their comrades. Blades swung, guns fired. They slaughtered each other, showing no mercy.

The drunken pirates not caught in the illusion were cut and shot. The alcohol wore off, but they couldn't wake their ensnared comrades. To survive, they had to fight back, slaughtering each other.

The pirates on both sides of the street quickly backed off to watch the show, avoiding collateral damage. They cheered and jeered as they watched. Tonight was just too entertaining.

This group of drunk pirates had some nerve, starting a firefight right in the middle of the busy district.

Could that old saying be true?

"If you've got the balls, the Marines take maternity leave?"

Only a very few strong, observant pirates noticed the brief flash of Carlos's crimson eyes as he turned. In the darkness of night, they were so sinister, eerie, and powerful!

With such a violent disturbance, how could the Marines tolerate it?

At this special time, they arrived quickly, dealt with the mess in no time. The unlucky ones were killed, the slightly luckier ones arrested. The street soon returned to its lively state, with only the lingering blood and traces showing it wasn't all a dream.

Carlos paid no mind to the evening's little incident. He went about his business as usual. Aside from that small interruption, everything was normal. He ran into no more trouble until the morning of the execution.

That morning, Carlos arrived early at the execution square and secured a good spot. He was here to witness this historically significant moment—for better or worse.