Loguetown and the Offer to Surrender

At dawn, Smoker slung his important Sea Stone weapon, the Jitte, onto his beloved Smoke Riders and began patrolling Loguetown once again.

Originally, Smoker was the base commander of Loguetown, but now, with a large number of marines being transferred to the Four Seas, he is only a deputy in Loguetown. The commander of Loguetown is Marine Vice Admiral Dalmatian from the Marine Headquarters.

This veteran Vice Admiral is Zoan-type Devil Fruit Dalmatian form. In terms of Devil Fruit ability, it is quite ordinary and not even worthy of his rank Marine Vice Admiral.

However, as the saying goes, there is no weakest Devil Fruit, only the weakest Devil Fruit User. Although the fruit's ability is not outstanding, Dalmatian's overall strength is definitely not weak among the Marine Vice Admiral. He is proficient in Dual-Color Haki and the Six Powers, making him a very standard Marine Vice Admiral template.

Although Smoker has always been a troublemaker in the Navy, he still has great respect for this veteran Vice Admiral. It was under the leadership of this veteran Vice Admiral that the Krieg Pirates, the strongest in the East Blue and known for having 5,000 members, were wiped out, bringing peace and tranquility to the entire East Blue for a time. Even Loguetown has not seen any pirates for a month.

After circling around the entire Loguetown, Smoker was quite satisfied, but then stopped at the entrance of the Marine Base, feeling a bit bored.

"Another day without pirates! Speaking of which, there should only be two pirate crews left in the East Blue with bounties over ten million, right?"

"I wonder when they'll arrive in Loguetown? But we haven't heard from either the Straw Hat Pirates or the Buggy Pirates for a long time... Could they have gone into hiding out of fear?"

"Colonel, we must not be careless!"

A crisp sound rang in his ears. Smoker, who was smoking a cigar, turned his head and saw his second-in-command, Tashigi, carrying a stack of documents and about to enter the Marine Base.

Having overheard Smoker's words while passing by, the lieutenant adjusted his glasses and spoke with a serious expression:

"According to intelligence from other naval bases, the Straw Hat Pirates have long been preparing to head towards Loguetown, and their members have always harbored great ambitions for the Grand Line..."

"But according to the alerts from those Marine Base, the Straw Hat Pirates should have arrived in Loguetown more than ten days ago! I waited for them for a long time and was on guard for three whole days, but I didn't see them appear."

"From what I can tell, those pirates have probably given up on their plans to go to the Grand Line because of the Navy's severe crackdown! After all, in the past year, there have been fewer than three pirate crews that have successfully entered the Grand Line from the Four Seas..."

Smoker took off his cigar, exhaled a ring of smoke, and said calmly.

"Uh... maybe the Straw Hat Pirates got lost for more than ten days..."

"Hahaha, if they can get lost for more than ten days even in a place like the East Blue, then I think we don't need to care about the so-called Straw Hat Pirates! This kind of idiotic pirate crew will definitely not survive more than three days in the Grand Line!"

Smoker chuckled twice, then shrugged. "Are you kidding me? Lost at sea in the East Blue Sea for over ten days? Why don't you just take a small boat out to sea, or drift in a barrel? That way, you'd be more likely to die!"

Smoker, who has yet to meet Straw Hat Luffy, doesn't think the Straw Hat Pirates have anything to be afraid of. After all, almost all the well-known pirates in the East Blue have been wiped out.

Although the Straw Hat Pirates have gained considerable fame during this period and defeated many Marines, they have not yet encountered any truly tough opponents, and naturally, they have not earned the attention of Smoker, a Logia-type Devil Fruit User.

However, the opportunity soon arrived.

"Captain Smoker, Tashigi, Vice Admiral Dalmatian is summoning you!"

Following the messenger's voice, the two exchanged a glance, put down their motorcycles and the documents in their hands, and headed directly to the Marine Base's parade ground.

At this moment, Vice Admiral Dalmatian, who looked like he was wearing a Dalmatian hat, had already gathered a group of elite marines on the parade ground. Seeing the two approaching, he merely nodded, then immediately gave the order:

"We just received intelligence that the Straw Hat Pirates have entered the port. We can't let this dangerous pirate crew reach Loguetown! We must crush them completely right there at the port!"

Smoker and Tashigi were slightly surprised, not expecting that the Straw Hat Pirates had already arrived in Loguetown just as they finished their discussion!

Of course, neither of them expected that their discussion actually guessed the truth: the Straw Hat Pirates really did get lost for more than ten days before finally arriving in Loguetown.

They simply assumed the Straw Hat Pirates were quite cunning, and that they hadn't come when Loguetown was heavily guarded at the beginning, but instead attacked when Loguetown relaxed its vigilance slightly.

"Yes, Vice Admiral!"

After receiving orders, a group of sailors immediately and without hesitation took up their guns and knives and headed for the port of Loguetown.

The Navy is currently brimming with confidence. They've wiped out all the pirates in the East Blue, so why would they be afraid of a Straw Hat Pirates?

This is unlike the original story, where even with Smoker in charge, there were still many pirates in Loguetown. Now, in Loguetown, no pirate with a bounty dares to show their face, because showing their face means certain death!

"We're finally here! I want to eat, I want to eat!"

As the Straw Hat Pirates' ship approached the dock, Luffy, unable to bear it any longer, Luffy out his fist, wrapped it around a dock pillar, and flew straight over.

"Idiot captain... don't you sense that something's off here?!"

The blond cook murmured something, while the Green Algae Head swordsman standing next to him raised an eyebrow slightly:

"The navy here must be quite powerful, otherwise the residents and people on the merchant ships wouldn't have those expressions!"

Yes, at this moment, the residents of Loguetown, as well as some people on the merchant ships, looked at them with a feeling of pity, completely different from the fear and apprehension that ordinary residents felt when they saw the pirate flag.

"You... you didn't notice... the flag on top?!"

Usopp spoke hesitantly. Upon hearing Usopp's voice, Zoro and Sanji looked up and saw the row of black flags hanging on the flagpole in the center.

"That's... a pirate flag?"

Zoro exclaimed in surprise, "Although it looks tattered and covered in blood and burn marks, it should indeed be a pirate flag."

No matter how you look at it, the rows of tattered pirate flags hanging in Loguetown don't seem like a pirate crew announcing their occupation of the town; rather, they look like spoils of war deliberately displayed for publicity.

"Those... those must be the remaining pirate flags of the pirate crews wiped out in Loguetown!"

Usopp spoke as if he were screaming. Upon hearing this, Zoro smiled slightly, and Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled several smoke rings.

"It seems... Loguetown really is a den of dragons and tigers!"

"That suits me perfectly! I won't refuse any challenge if I want to become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"

"Hey, hey, hey, you two, that's enough!"

Usopp, looking like he was about to cry, said in a helpless and sorrowful voice:

"I don't want to die so young! Ah! I think I have some kind of disease that will kill me if I come to Loguetown!"

"Hey! Zoro, Sanji, Usopp! Come here right now!"

As Luffy shouted, the long, snake-like arm suddenly grabbed the three of them, and the next second the three of them flew off the ship and directly to the port.

"Hey, can you try a different approach?"

"Idiot captain, you've done something stupid again!"

"No! I don't want to go to Loguetown!"

Amidst the chaotic shouts, the three men crashed onto the harbor floor, some cursing and others standing up dejectedly, but none of them cared about their ships.

Anyway, the ship that Vegapunk gave to Luffy has an intelligent system, so even if an ordinary person wanted to steal it, they couldn't, so there's no need to leave anyone to guard the ship.

Just as the four arrived at the dock, accompanied by the clicking sounds, a large group of navy personnel surrounded them, pointing their guns at them, looking tense and on guard.

"The Straw Hat Pirates? You're surrounded! Surrender!"

The first to speak was not Dalmatian or Smoker, but Tashigi, who seemed quiet and reserved. Holding her Famous Sword, she stood at the front with a determined expression.

The moment Zoro with the Green Algae Head, and Sanji, the lecherous chef, saw Miss Tashigi, they immediately lost their fighting spirit. One of them looked incredulous and excited, while the other had a heart-shaped expression and was infatuated with her. Their fighting power plummeted on the spot.

Usopp was trembling with fear. Even though he was now strong enough to easily deal with pirates worth tens of millions, his innate negative emotions still made him terrified whenever he saw the Marines.

Of the four members of the pirate crew, three were out of sorts, but fortunately, Captain Luffy wasn't too affected and was still full of energy.

"The Navy again? No matter who tries to stop me, I will become the Pirate King!"

"Ha! Nonsense! You think you can do this? You crazy, eccentric pirate!"

Smoker, from the Marine camp, snorted, his figure flashed, and he drew the Sea Stone weapon from his back, smashing it directly down at Luffy.

With a smile on his face, Luffy lightly raised his hand, and with a snap, Smoker knocked him down.

"Hai... Sea Stone?!"

He groaned and said something, his Luffy like a lump of mud, before he finally came to his senses.

Sanji, who had been admiring the beautiful woman, suddenly snapped out of his daze and kicked Smoker away. Smoker turned into smoke and staggered back more than ten meters, staring at Sanji with a look of utter astonishment.

"It seems you really can't be judged by the standards of ordinary pirates!"

Luffy, who had just been lying on the ground, immediately stood up again after being freed from the suppression of the Sea Stone, and spoke with a serious expression:

"Watch out! The opponent is wielding Sea Stone weapon. Devil Fruit User will lose all their strength upon contact with it!"

"You're the only one with Devil Fruit User!"

Upon hearing this, Usopp exclaimed with a helpless expression, Luffy was slightly startled:

"Huh!? That seems to be true! We don't need to care about anyone else except me!"

"Are you only realizing it now?"

The Long Nose comedian is still dutifully fulfilling his role, while Luffy has already waved his hand:

"Don't worry about all that, I'll handle this guy!"

"Didn't I just say that the Sea Stone weapon, which should be able to counter you?"

Usopp was still yelling when Zoro, who had calmed down by now, reached out and patted him on the shoulder:

"Don't underestimate our captain! These mere Sea Stone weapon are no match for him at all!"

Luffy's performance did not disappoint Zoro's confidence. Although he often acted unreliably, he never let Luffy down when he needed to be reliable.

The fist, imbued with external Armament Haki, continued to extend, and with one punch, it sent the Jitte in Smoker's hand Air Quake. The rebounding Sea Stone weapon struck Smoker squarely in the chest, instantly wiping him out of his wits and sending him flying.

"Pfft—"

Smoker, who was gushing blood, was caught by a large hand. Marine Vice Admiral Dalmatian, who looked like he was wearing a spotted dog hat, who hugged Smoker and landed him on the ground.

"Damn it!"

Smoker clutched his chest, where he didn't know how many ribs were broken, his expression extremely grim. At that moment, a clear cry of surprise rang out from the navy.

"Captain Smoker! Are you alright?!"

With a look of astonishment, Dasch ran over and helped Smoker, who was almost unable to stand. Vice Admiral Dalmatian gently patted him on the shoulder:

"Don't be discouraged, this is indeed not an opponent your level should be able to deal with!"

"I never imagined that such a powerful expert could emerge from the East Blue. Even in the New World, it's rare to see a master who can use Armament Haki to this level!"

"As expected of...'s grandson."

Smoker didn't hear Vice Admiral Dalmatian's last murmurs, but he wasn't happy at all because of Dalmatian's comfort.

In any case, the pirate in front of him was just a boy who was almost ten years younger than him. Being defeated so easily made Smoker almost doubt the meaning of the justice he had been upholding.

Of course, no matter how unwilling Smoker was, he had no room to intervene in the current situation. He could only barely support his body and stare wide-eyed at the Straw Hat Pirates.

Meanwhile, back at the Straw Hat Pirates' location, Zoro, who was still in a daze, suddenly heard Luffy's voice.

"Zoro! You need to pull yourself together! You're not acting like yourself at all right now!"

Luffy's slightly curious tone made Zoro regain his composure, and he coldly replied:

"Shut up! Mind your own business, you idiot captain!"

Just then, Dalmatian stepped forward and looked at Luffy and the other two:

"You are all exceptional talents, so why did you choose to become pirates?"

"I've investigated your background and know that your Straw Hat Pirates haven't done anything evil, not even killing anyone in battles with the Navy. If you're willing to surrender, I don't mind vouching for you and letting you join the Navy!"