Smoker Defeated, Tashigi Boards the Ship

Whiskey Island.

After passing through here, Ye Zhuo and his group did not linger for long.

They arrived at Twin Cape.

Laboon and Crocus lived here, quietly waiting for Brook.

This was also the place, aside from the Calm Belt, where one could enter the Grand Line.

Wanting to go from here to the East Blue undoubtedly meant traveling against the current.

Ye Zhuo stretched lazily, preparing either to fly over or make the Demon King accelerate at full speed.

"Hey, are you newcomers? It's very difficult to get to the Four Seas from here!"

Crocus spotted Ye Zhuo's group, as well as their pirate ship.

Of course, he read the newspapers too, but as the Roger Pirates' ship doctor,

he had also spent three years on adventures with them. What storms had he not weathered?

No matter how famous Demon King Ye Zhuo was, he could not frighten him.

"Old man, is there only one route from here to the East Blue?"

"Of course, kid. Do you want to go feed the fish in the Calm Belt?"

Crocus walked toward Laboon and stopped answering.

Laboon let out a cry when he saw Ye Zhuo, then continued quietly waiting here for the person he had promised to meet.

"Strange."

Ye Zhuo paused.

Hadn't East Blue Commodore Krieg been chased by Hawk-Eye and fled from the Grand Line back to the East Blue?

It was impossible that he had gone through the Calm Belt.

Ye Zhuo quickly cast the matter aside.

He simply chalked it up to Krieg being ridiculously lucky.

After all, Gin, the combatant under his command, could still possibly be anyone by now.

"Old man, goodbye!"

"Good riddance!"

Crocus muttered a complaint.

Ye Zhuo placed one hand on the Demon King and accelerated at full speed.

With the Rabbit Talisman's enhancement, even traveling upstream was just as fast.

Whoosh!

The Demon King became as fast as a rabbit and soon vanished from sight.

At the sight, Laboon's huge eyes widened.

"What?"

Crocus froze for a second, unable to help sighing at how formidable the younger generation had become.

Devil Fruits truly came in every strange variety imaginable.

East Blue.

Built with the exceptional craftsmanship of Iceburg and the others, the Demon King had somehow not fallen apart from the strain.

Ye Zhuo stood with his hands on his hips and looked at his crew.

First mate Empress, a Love-Love Fruit user with all three types of Haki.

She also led a group of combatants capable of using Haki.

Masseuse Robin, a Flower-Flower Fruit user. She had not yet awakened Haki and was still learning.

She harbored many questions about Ye Zhuo in her heart.

Shipwright Kalifa, a Mythical Zoan user with Nine-Tailed Fox Form, skilled in the Six Naval Powers. She was learning Haki and progressing quickly.

In private, she was studying shipwrighting.

Ship's doctor Vivi, a Disease-Disease Fruit user. She grew stronger while studying medicine.

What she cared about most was still how to develop the Disease-Disease Fruit and make Ye Zhuo incurable.

Looking at this group of powerful, dependable crew members,

Ye Zhuo understood.

Without a crew member skilled in swordsmanship, his adventure would be utterly dull.

So,

he had come!

East Blue, Loguetown.

It was known as the town of beginnings and endings.

Pirate King Roger had been born here, and his life had also ended here.

"Land."

At Ye Zhuo's command, the mighty Demon King Pirates, surging like crashing waves, set foot in Loguetown.

They swiftly drew the siege of countless Marines.

He did not intend to waste time here. A burst of Conqueror's Haki knocked them all unconscious.

Until he arrived beneath the execution platform.

Ye Zhuo looked at the place. As the man who had ushered in the Great Pirate Era, how would future generations judge Roger's life?

Any Marine would surely find him utterly detestable.

But as a pirate, Ye Zhuo could not help smiling.

If one day, he grew weary of his travels through countless worlds, would he also usher in a Great Era of All Heavens?

When he turned around,

the Demon King Pirates had already occupied the plaza.

Only two figures remained.

Smoker the White Hunter, and the swordswoman Tashigi.

"Are you Tashigi, ma'am? I invite you to sail with me. How about becoming the swordswoman on my ship?"

"What are you talking about? You evil pirate!"

Tashigi pointed her sword at Ye Zhuo.

"Stand back. This man is extremely powerful, with a bounty as high as two billion Beli!"

Smoker shielded Tashigi behind him as smoke began rising from his body.

"What have I done wrong? Have I ever killed an innocent person?"

Ye Zhuo spread his palms. He did not like baseless accusations.

"You killed Celestial Dragons!"

Tashigi retorted.

"Celestial Dragons aren't good people."

"You also..."

Tashigi trailed off. It seemed that Ye Zhuo was not wrong.

"Thanks."

Ye Zhuo thanked Tashigi.

A system notification sounded by his ear.

[Ding!]

[Chain Main Quest completed: Crew Completion Plan IV: Invite Tashigi to sail]

[Quest reward: Rumble-Rumble Fruit]

Ye Zhuo handled the Rumble-Rumble Fruit briefly before putting it away.

A new quest quickly appeared.

[Chain Main Quest activated: Crew Completion Plan V: Find an electrician. She lives in Cocoyasi Village.]

[Quest reward: one billion Beli in voyage funds]

Beli?

Not bad. Ye Zhuo was naturally someone with an occasional backbone.

Whenever he had eaten his fill of soft meals, he liked taking a couple bites of hard food.

Relying on Empress and Vivi to support him all the time had spoiled his stomach.

"Set sail!"

Having obtained the quest reward, Ye Zhuo turned and left.

"Not a chance!"

Smoker wielded a massive jitte made of Seastone and flew over in a cloud of smoke.

White Fist!

Bang!

Ye Zhuo turned and threw a punch.

Two-Color Haki wrapped around his fist, while Observation Haki located Smoker's true body.

The force erupting from that punch became a powerful shockwave.

Boom!

Smoker's fists instantly lost their strength, and his whole body flew backward, smashing into a wall.

He lost consciousness from a single punch.

"Damn it, I will never allow you to harm innocent people!"

Tashigi slashed at him.

Possessing Water Demon Aura, Ye Zhuo did not defend himself.

He allowed the sword to split him in two.

Ye Zhuo, transformed into a mass of water, made Tashigi's pupils contract.

"A Logia user like Captain Smoker!"

"You little girl, I only invited you. I never said I was actually taking you out to sea, yet you insisted on delivering yourself right to me."

Ye Zhuo grabbed Tashigi and slung her over his shoulder.

"Let me go!"

Tashigi attacked desperately, but it had no effect whatsoever.

Seeing this,

Vivi immediately glared at Ye Zhuo. "You're awful. You snatch every woman you see."

"Why wasn't it this empress who was carried away by the captain?"

Empress said jealously.

"Beautiful women think alike."

Kalifa blushed slightly.

"A mere shipwright dares compare herself to this empress!"

Empress boarded the ship arrogantly, making Kalifa so furious that she wanted to fight. If she could beat her, she would never endure it!

"What is wrong with all of you?"

Vivi could not understand what she was seeing.

Only Robin quietly pondered. She had been wondering all along what Ye Zhuo's purpose in coming to the East Blue was.

Someone as powerful as Ye Zhuo must have trained and laid low for many years.

He surely had some unspeakable objective.

This time, he had come to Loguetown and specifically visited Roger's execution site.

Robin became even more certain of her thoughts.

Ye Zhuo truly had enormous ambitions!

Was he going to Laugh Tale to become Pirate King?

Or would he overthrow the world and become its king!

In Robin's heart, Ye Zhuo had become an unprecedentedly ambitious man!

His strength was unfathomable, and his heart was incomparably dark!