Even when the Dark Bird Ship docked near Loguetown, Third Brother still had a dazed smile on his face.
Gazing at the ^-shaped pure steel welcome sign at the port of Loguetown, Third Brother began to fantasize about how he would better enjoy life from now on.
Previously, he was merely Crocodile's subordinate, or rather, he didn't know back then that his boss was Crocodile.
Even so, relying on the background and subordinates of the mere Baroque Works, and also on his own abilities, he achieved a life of luxury with wine and swimming pools that many envied.
And now...
He was a subordinate of Celestial Dragon, so wasn't he supposed to be...?
"Hey, what are you still standing here for? The adults have all disembarked!!!"
Kaku kicked his butt, giving his third brother a good jolt of calm.
Now, Third Brother finally understands...
He may indeed have a greater background now, but there are just as many people watching him, managing him, and controlling him...
Gawain stepped off the Little Dark Bird used for landing. Before him, the massive walkway, stretching over three kilometers, at the port of Loguetown was already lined with kneeling crowds welcoming him.
Gawain's gaze fell on the front of the crowd, where more than two thousand marines and more than twenty naval officers were kneeling and respectfully saluting Gawain.
This group of naval personnel made Gawain fully aware of the difference between the Four Blues Navy and the Grand Line Navy.
The integrity of the Grand Line's naval personnel meant that even when they saw Gawain, they would only offer a simple salute.
But here in Four Blues...
Well, once these people knelt down, they didn't even want to get up again!
Looking at the kneeling navy, Gawain's gaze fell on one of the enormous figures among them.
The man knelt at the very front of the navy, but that was only one of the reasons he stood out.
As for the rest, it's because this person possesses a physique far exceeding that of ordinary people!
Not because he was a giant, but because he was so fat he looked like a ball!
His bulging pectoral muscles drooped disgustingly over his belly, which, covered in thick body hair, lay softly on the ground.
The man's pure black body hair mixed with the dust on the ground made him look exceptionally dirty, but apart from that, his clothes and appearance were so sleek and stylish that he looked more like a businessman than a naval officer.
Behind Gawain, Smoker, standing in the crowd, gritted his teeth as he watched the scene unfold before him.
"It's unbelievable, eighteen branch base chiefs from near Loguetown have come all at once, including that disgusting guy, Admiral Nelson Roy."
"Heh, these guys are terribly inefficient at hunting pirates, but they're surprisingly quick at flattering the Celestial Dragon!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Smoker, completely disregarding the fact that his voice was heard by the kneeling marines, disdainfully exhaled a puff of smoke and turned his head to the side.
On the ground, the kneeling sailors showed no dissatisfaction; instead, they raised their heads and gave Smoker fawning smiles.
Including that Admiral Nelson Roy!
Gawain glanced at the obsequious smiles of the sailors and roughly understood what they were thinking, so he waved his hand.
"Everyone, please rise."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain lightly tapped his finger, and fine Inazuma struck the ground, causing everyone around him to stand up.
As they stood up, the crowd rose up from the ground like a wave.
Seeing people gradually getting up, Gawain nodded to Smoker.
"Smoker, go and hand over your duties to your colleagues. You will be performing security duties on my ship for the next few months."
Go.
"I...?..."
Upon hearing Gawain's words, Smoker revealed a knowing look, then walked weakly toward his colleagues.
While Smoker was carrying out his operation, Gawain simply led his officers through the crowd toward the town square of Loguetown, about eight kilometers away.
Right after Gawain disappeared, all the Marines around Smoker gathered around Smoker, chattering excitedly.
Apart from that incredibly obese Admiral Nelson.
That guy clearly needed help even to walk, but he desperately chased after Gawain, heading in Gawain's direction.
Leaving aside the desperate Admiral Nelson, they only talked about the navy near Smoker, who were now chatting with Smoker with smirks.
One of the naval captains patted Smoker on the shoulder warmly.
"Smoker, back then, both I and everyone else thought you were a loner."
Or rather, you simply don't want to hang out with us. Instead, you're busy with your own so-called "honesty and integrity" and "pirate hunting," making us look foolish, corrupt, and inactive.
Haha, about this, we've been isolating you all along. Who knows, you did that to make others think you're more qualified to be a navy officer than us?
"Aloofness, haha, that might be a compliment, but it's definitely not a lifestyle that will make your life better."
At this point, the naval captain who had spoken broke into a bright smile. He turned to look at his colleagues, and the group of sailors immediately burst into laughter, as if they were customers of a brothel.
Then, the naval captain continued speaking.
"But now, hahaha, we finally understand you!"
You're not as aloof as you seem. The reason you don't fit in is probably because you have an extreme drive to climb the social ladder that's far stronger than ours!
When faced with the arrival of the Celestial Dragon, all we thought about was to greet them and make a good impression on Celestial Dragon.
We didn't even intend to leave the Navy's ranks and climb up to the Celestial Dragon to enjoy power!
What we couldn't even do, you, a navy officer with thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually did!
You're awesome, buddy!
The naval captain gave Smoker a thumbs-up and patted him excitedly on the shoulder.
"At the risk of being rejected by the Celestial Dragon, you're going to set sail to hunt down pirates just to impress Celestial Dragon."
Tsk tsk, how come we didn't think of that? Although those pirates were hiding dozens of nautical miles away from the Celestial Dragon's shipping lanes, how could Saint Gawain's subordinates not notice such a distance with their strength!
You really put on a good show, you bastard! You've taught us a lot!
Smoker, from now on, you're our role model. We'll definitely learn from you and strive to be even more effective at currying favor with our superiors!!!
"I...!!!"
Listening to the naval captain's words and seeing the admiring expressions on the faces of the other officers around him, Smoker was dumbfounded.
He glared fiercely at the crowd around him and spoke.
"I'm not what you think I am, you trash!"
You people collude with pirates, plunder merchant ships, attack civilians, and accept bribes!
Do you think I would stoop to your level?
"Haha, we can't compare to you!"
Upon hearing Smoker's words, the naval captain burst out laughing.
"What we did was child's play, nothing compared to what you did. Our little schemes are nowhere near as prestigious as those of the Celestial Dragon!"
Look at you now, wow, I'm so envious! Who are the people standing around you?
Celestial Dragon, legendary pirate, former Marine Admiral, Admiral candidate, Shichibukai, Logia Devil Fruit User!
You've joined this group now!
At this point, the naval captain patted Smoker on the shoulder.
"Brother Smoker, we misunderstood you before. On behalf of everyone, I sincerely apologize to you."
In the past, we were blind to your talent and mistook you, who far surpassed us, for a pretentious and aloof person.
It's all the brothers' fault, please be understanding, Smoker.
Anyway, we were colleagues, after all. Now that you've made it big, don't forget about us old colleagues.
If we ever run into any trouble in the future, Smoker, you absolutely have to lend a hand.
If you're willing, just lend us a hand when the time comes, and we'll remember your kindness.
If you're unwilling, then you can reach out and push us down; we won't be angry with you, but rather feel honored.
Instead of letting outsiders give us a push, why not give us one yourself? At least we're on the same side, don't you think?
Ha ha!"
For a moment, the surrounding naval officers and officers laughed heartily. After Smoker was recruited by Gawain to perform security duties, these ordinary naval officers could be considered to have someone by the side of the Celestial Dragon!
As for Smoker's constant emphasis, who would take it to heart?
A filthy person always sees others as filthy.
You're capable, you're aloof, but how did you manage to become so aloof that you ended up doing the work of a eunuch right next to the emperor?
That clearly shows that you're not virtuous; rather, your methods are more sophisticated than ours.
At least that's what the corrupt navy around them thought.
On the other hand, beside Gawain, Hancock walked forward while using her eyes—which, unusually, weren't just Gawain's— to look at the Execution Platform surrounded by the crowd.
At this moment, Hancock's hair moved without wind, and her Conqueror's Haki was becoming increasingly uncontrollable!
"Is this where the Pirate King died?"
"Hancock murmured, and as she spoke, Sabo and Ace instinctively spoke at the same time."
"This is where he died."
"Is this where Ace's father died?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sabo and Ace exchanged a glance. Then, Ace frowned and took a step forward.
"Uncle!" he called out to Gawain.
When Gawain looked at him, Ace continued.
"I've already been here. I have no interest in seeing anything here anymore. I don't understand why he made the decision to die on the Execution Platform, and I dislike that decision even more!"
This place makes me feel disgusted, so I'm going to look around somewhere else.
Uncle, I'm leaving now.
"Okay, go ahead, have some fun, and take Sabo and Isuka with you."
Gawain responded with a smile, and at the same time, he patted Sabo on the shoulder.
"You brat, once you get to Loguetown, you'll be one step closer to Luffy."
Don't worry, it won't be long before I take you back to our hometown.
As for what you should do after you get home?
Before you go home, let's set aside a time when we're both free so we can have a good chat.
As they were talking, Gawain gave Sabo a push from behind, sending the anxious young man out of the crowd and making him follow behind Ace.
As Sabo followed closely behind Ace, he let out a soft sigh.
Hearing the sigh, Ace put his arm around Sabo's shoulder and asked with a smile.
"What's wrong, bro? What are you thinking about? Why are you sighing like that?"
"Nothing."
Sabo shook his head.
"I was just wondering, what are some activities you're going to take me to do?"
"What are you playing for? How old are you to still be playing? Haha!"
The place I'm taking you to is, of course, the biggest tavern in Loguetown!
"The wages the uncle gave us aren't even enough to spend. If we don't have a big feast in Loguetown, we'll just have to keep drinking those free drinks on the Dark Bird Ship, kid!!!"
In no time, Ace, carrying Sabo, and accompanied by Isuka and Koala, headed straight for the largest tavern in Loguetown.
Before long, Ace's snoring and the occasional loud burp filled the tavern.
After Ace left, Gawain raised his hand and pointed to the Execution Platform in front of him.
"Gentlemen, don't you want to see the last things Roger saw before he died?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain walked towards the Execution Platform.
Behind him, Rayleigh nodded slightly.
"Of course I want to, haha. Although I have the strength of two arms, even I can't break through all the obstacles to get to this Execution Platform and take a good look."
Roger's decision really hurt a lot of people.
For us crew members, rather than obeying his orders to disband the pirate crew, we'd rather risk our lives and have one last showdown with the terminally ill Roger on the high seas!
Whether we attack Mary Geoise or Marineford, rather than watch Roger be executed while we live on alone, we'd rather die a glorious death alongside Roger!
Besides us crew members, Ace also had a lot of opinions about Roger.
Roger, despite having a terminal illness, still wanted to leave Ace behind before he died.
In order to give birth to him, Ace's mother even desperately suppressed her childbirth instincts, forcing Ace to stay in her womb for a year.
This requires considerable strength to do. Ace's mother must have been someone extremely skilled in Seimei Kikan; otherwise, an ordinary woman couldn't do this.
But the price to achieve this was that Ace lost his parents at birth.
"That's not all!"
Before Rayleigh could finish speaking, Zephyr couldn't help but spit.
"That Roger guy did more than just harm Ace and his mother."
Because of the information Roger left behind about the child, Ace was born a year before, which was the year Ace should have been born normally.
All the children of childbearing age born in the South Blue were executed on the orders of the Five Elders!
As soon as he finished speaking, Zephyr gritted his teeth.
"Those were hundreds of millions of children in the South Blue, yet none of them survived; every single one of them died a violent death!"
Not to mention the Great Pirate Era that followed, which continues to this day, with thousands upon thousands of pirates plundering and ravaging every innocent island in the world!
This world has been exploited by those damned nobles for far too long. Now, not only are they being ripped off financially by the nobles and Celestial Dragon, but their lives are also threatened by pirates..."
At this point, Zephyr looked at Gawain.
"I'm talking about you, Gawain. Whether you like it or not, I have to let you know that you nobles, along with those pirates, have brought far too much disaster to the sea!"
Gawain, you must stay grounded in reality and continue to forge ahead with courage and determination!
We bear so many responsibilities; we must bring a new look to this sea!!!
At that moment, old man Zephyr's hair and beard bristled, and he shouted to Gawain with great passion.
Gawain nodded gently in response to the old man's instructions.
I will do it.
Or rather, we will do it.
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain walked past the tense guards and ascended the Execution Platform.
The next moment, he sat on the Execution Platform, silently looking down at the noisy and bustling crowd below.
"Is this what Roger saw before he died?"
A group of people who originally wanted to watch the excitement, but were inexplicably set ablaze by the flames of the Great Treasure?
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain sat on the Execution Platform and lit a cigarette.
"I saw what you saw, Roger."
But you will never see the scenes I created for the ocean.
Hehe..."