In the World of Pirates, I Can Copy Any Talent

"They're pirates." Noil cut Ace off. "I'm a bounty hunter who catches pirates."

The cooks' expressions suddenly turned strange.

A bounty hunter sailing on the same ship as pirates?

Was he raising them to catch them later?

Ace paid no mind to his words. He grinned, bowed to thank the cooks, and then Noil tossed them an entire bag of Beli to pay for the meal.

Noil gave Sanji a meaningful look. "I'm Noil, and he's Ace. We might meet again someday."

Noil and Ace jumped aboard, weighed anchor, raised the sail, and set off again, leaving the cooks staring after them in confusion.

Those people were definitely the most unusual customers they had ever served.

They ate like a pack of animals, yet one of them was an astonishingly good cook.

And they were terrifyingly good in a fight.

Holding the bag of Beli, Sanji watched the ship sail away with mixed feelings. "Are they going to the Grand Line too?" he murmured.

Zeff stroked his beard. "With strength like that, they'd probably be rare even on the Grand Line."

Hearing that, Sanji clenched his fists and silently made up his mind.

Sanji, you've got to get stronger!

The dream he and the old geezer had shared all their lives—the miraculous sea known as the All Blue—might be waiting somewhere on the Grand Line!

Back on the ship, Noil picked up the sea chart again and considered their route.

A full meal had restored Ace's energy. He pointed toward the sea ahead and shouted, "Let's go! To the Grand Line!"

Noil looked at his enthusiasm and couldn't resist dampening it. "Before we enter the Grand Line, we need to stop at Loguetown."

Loguetown?

At the name of the town, Ace's smile slowly faded.

It reminded him of the name he had hated since childhood: Gol D. Roger, his biological father.

It was where Pirate King Roger had been born and where he had died, earning it the name "the Town of Beginnings and Endings."

Ace sounded dejected. "Why do we have to go there?"

Noil understood how he felt. "To get you a new ship, of course. You don't expect me to keep following you around forever, do you?"

Ace pouted and muttered, "I wouldn't mind..."

Noil shot him a look, then thought for a moment. "Actually, there's something more important.

"We need to find a way to buy a Log Pose."

"A pose?" Ace asked, puzzled.

"You mean a compass? Don't we already have one?"

Noil shook his head and was about to explain when Mihal, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. "I've heard about them."

"They say the Grand Line's weather is unpredictable, and even finding your direction is difficult. Ordinary compasses are useless. Only a special Log Pose can point the way."

Mihal had said all that in one breath. Noil glanced at him in surprise.

He was right. In the Original Story, Luffy and his crew had blundered into the Grand Line without even a Log Pose to navigate by. Noil had no intention of following their example.

Noil stretched comfortably. "Loguetown is the gateway from the East Blue to the Grand Line. We should be able to find both a ship and a Log Pose there."

With their Grand Line adventure at stake, Ace had nothing to argue about and went along with Noil's plan.

Loguetown.

People walked the streets smiling, while merchants hawked their wares and townsfolk haggled over prices. The town felt full of life.

Now and then, figures with their faces carefully concealed slipped through the shadows.

Meanwhile, orderly squads of Marines frequently patrolled the streets.

It never took long to see them drag some hidden rat into the open—a pirate who had sneaked onto the island.

The townsfolk lived peacefully, while the pirates kept their heads down under the Marines' watch. One careless move could get them recognized and thrown into jail.

Compared with other towns and islands in the East Blue, Loguetown was much safer.

The townsfolk knew whom to thank: Captain Smoker, the Marine officer transferred to the Loguetown branch a few years earlier, known as the Smoker.

Smoker guarded this gateway like a guillotine, drastically reducing the number of pirates hoping to reach the Grand Line.

Inside the Marine Base, the door to a smoke-filled office opened. A Marine soldier saluted and looked at his superior with admiration. "Captain Smoker, the latest batch of East Blue pirate wanted posters is out."

With two cigars clenched between his teeth and his eyes lowered, Smoker replied evenly, "Got it."

Smoker casually flipped through the posters as the soldier continued:

"An East Blue branch previously reported that a pirate named Ace has never lost a fight since setting sail. But his crew only has four members, so no bounty has been issued yet."

Smoker raised an eyebrow. "Ace? A four-man pirate crew is nothing worth worrying about."

The soldier hesitated. "But... Noil, the man they call the strongest Pirate Hunter in the East Blue, seems to have boarded his ship too..."

Smoker gave a contemptuous chuckle. "A Pirate Hunter? Just another hound risking his life for a bounty. The strongest in the East Blue?"

"Hah!"

"As long as I'm here in Loguetown, no pirate is leaving this way unscathed!"

Noil, Always Happy to Help

"Mahjong!"

Noil pushed over the tiles in front of him and shouted in delight.

Ace, Skull, and Mihal immediately looked dismayed.

Deuce nudged Ace impatiently. "Move over. It's my turn!"

Ace slapped the table in frustration. "This makes no sense! Why can't I win a single round?"

Noil grinned. "Because you've got terrible luck."

Ace couldn't take that. Flames flared around him as he prepared to settle things with Noil face-to-face.

Days at sea were dull, so Noil had spent some free time making Mahjong tiles, recreating a game that had been popular in his previous life.

It turned out to be remarkably entertaining. Apart from the single-minded Ace, everyone had taken to it with ease.

As Noil and Ace bickered and tussled, time flew by. At last, they reached their destination: Loguetown.

Mihal, still painfully shy, stayed to guard the ship while the other four disembarked.

Once ashore, Noil tossed Ace a large bag. "Let's split up. You three pick out a ship you like. I'll go to the Black Market for a Log Pose."

Ace opened the bag and found it stuffed with Beli. "Thanks, Noil!"

Noil waved it off. After so many years as a Pirate Hunter, he had saved up plenty.

But since meeting Ace, he had paid for meals and was now helping him buy a ship. Money really was flowing out of his pockets, and they were no longer as full as they used to be.

Looks like I'll have to take a few jobs once we reach the Grand Line.

Ace headed for the island's shipyard with Deuce and Skull, while Noil made his way into Loguetown.

The streets were peaceful, and every townsfolk he saw wore a smile. Life here seemed good.

Noil enjoyed the atmosphere, strolling lazily along and soaking up the warmth of the town.

Then again, Loguetown's peace was hardly surprising.

As the birthplace of Pirate King Roger, it was bound to draw the Marines' attention, whether they meant to focus on it or not.

Besides, the Marine in charge here was Smoker, a man practically unbeatable by rookies.

As Noil saw it, stationing Smoker in the East Blue made him the perfect gatekeeper.

As a Logia user, Smoker was an impossible opponent for East Blue pirates who had never even heard of Haki.

The Smoke-Smoke Fruit might be weaker than other Logia fruits, but dealing with ordinary pirates was still a breeze.

Unfortunately, Noil was currently a law-abiding Pirate Hunter, so Smoker had no reason to arrest him.

And Noil had rather been looking forward to testing himself against that walking chimney.

He entered a quieter street lined with vendors selling obscure seafaring equipment.

After a few turns, Noil found a merchant wrapped up so thoroughly that barely any of him showed. A black cloth lay spread before him, covered in all sorts of strange objects.

Noil's sharp eyes immediately spotted what he needed.

There were two spherical devices with blue glass domes and wrist straps. Judging by their appearance, they had to be the Log Poses he was looking for.

Noil crouched and pointed at them. "How much for these two?"

The merchant wore a hood. The face beneath it was weathered, and he had the defeated air of someone life had hit hard. He glanced at Noil. "Five thousand Beli each."

Not expensive.

Without hesitation, Noil took ten thousand Beli from his bag and handed it over.

The merchant accepted the money, studied him for a moment, and asked, "You're going to the Grand Line?"

Noil paused, then nodded.

Fear filled the merchant's eyes. "That place is a graveyard for sailors. You shouldn't go..."

So he had been to the Grand Line.

And from the look of him, it had dealt him a crushing blow.

Noil smiled easily and wagged a finger. "Only for small fry."

The merchant bristled at that. He snorted and turned away, refusing to speak to Noil again.

Noil didn't mind. His errand was done, so he decided to look around.

Oh, right—the Pirate King's Execution Platform!

Noil left the street and asked for directions. He soon learned where to go.

The place was a historic landmark, after all. The strongest pirate, a man who had sailed around the world, had been publicly executed there.

It was also where the Great Pirate Era—an age of terrible darkness and limitless possibility—had begun.

Following the townsfolk's directions, Noil found the Execution Platform.

He didn't climb it to see how it felt, as Luffy would. Just standing below it among the onlookers, he could sense how shocking the Pirate King's execution must have been.

Come to think of it, those who had watched the Pirate King's execution had all become powerful figures.

Clearly, watching a spectacle not only made people happy—it made them stronger.

Noil was still lost in that ridiculous thought when angry shouts and commotion erupted nearby.

He extended his Observation Haki toward the noise. A squad of Marines was pursuing several pirates, and the pirate in front was carrying a crying child.

Huh?

Noil couldn't ignore that. As an upstanding young man of the new era, how could he let a crime happen right before his eyes?

Of course, if doing a good deed also meant catching a few pirates for their bounties, all the better...

Noil picked his target and sprinted after them.

With his extraordinary speed and jumping ability, Noil leaped onto the rooftops, raced ahead of the pirates, and sprang down in front of them.

At the head of the pursuing Marines was a pretty young woman with glasses.

Tashigi glared at the pirates in frustration.

Damn it! They dared to kidnap a child in broad daylight?

Did they think the Marines in Loguetown didn't exist?

Tashigi drew a deep breath and chased after them, but before she could catch up, someone suddenly blocked the pirates' path.