Pirates: I Loaded the Game Panel

This world was far too cruel to older women.

At fifty-four, Garp still looked like a vigorous, powerfully built man in his prime. Yet Vice Admiral Tsuru, two years younger, already showed every sign of age. Her once-beautiful blue hair was turning gray, and deep wrinkles had begun to crease the corners of her eyes and her forehead.

"Appearances? Crunch, crunch... You can't eat those! Crunch, crunch... Are there really no other tasty snacks?" Garp looked utterly unconcerned.

Vice Admiral Tsuru shook her head helplessly. She had long since grown used to Garp acting like this.

"Gion, have any unusual lone travelers shown up in Loguetown lately?"

"Yes, Tsuru!"

Colonel Gion answered with great respect, though Vice Admiral Tsuru somehow heard a note of gritted teeth in her voice.

"There's a Devil Fruit user who's developed his ability to an incredible degree!"

"Which fruit?" Vice Admiral Tsuru asked.

"The Hollow-Hollow Fruit!" Gion replied at once. "He's the White Ghost from West Blue. Somehow, he's eliminated the Hollow-Hollow Fruit's weakness of leaving his physical body vulnerable. He's immune to all physical attacks, almost like a Logia user!"

"The White Ghost, without that weakness? What's he like?"

"Awful. Deceitful. Obnoxious! ...But... he probably isn't bad at heart."

"You've met him, Gion?"

"...A few times."

"Then you're responsible for the White Ghost during tomorrow's execution. Keep a close eye on him. Don't let him cause trouble."

"..."

"Is there a problem?"

"No problem, Vice Admiral Tsuru! I'll complete the mission!"

The Legend's Final Curtain

The morning of the execution.

After leaving the area around his inn, Adrian looked up at the boundless blue sky. The fresh, clean morning air and the first glimmer of light in the east painted a gradient from blue to white.

"What a rare beautiful day..."

His expression solemn, he set off for his destination.

The closer he got to Loguetown's central square, the more people surrounded him.

They were all heading the same way.

Just as Adrian was about to enter the square, he spotted someone standing stiffly in a patch of ground people had cleared around her. She wore a spotless white Justice Coat marking her as a Marine officer, and her whole bearing seemed to reject any contact with those nearby.

It was Gion, her expression distinctly cold.

"Good morning," Adrian said as he approached.

He got no response.

Fair enough. His behavior yesterday had cost him points.

Even if the person who had provoked that reaction was standing right in front of him.

But argue the facts with a woman who was still angry?

Heh.

Adrian shrugged and retreated into the crowd.

Noticing from the corner of her eye that Adrian had stayed nearby, Gion secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, she had not wanted the assignment of keeping tabs on the White Ghost at all!

It was partly because Adrian had genuinely angered her yesterday. But there was another, deeper reason she couldn't quite put into words...

Fortunately, that shameless man hadn't been oblivious enough to walk straight off. If he had, Gion really would have been at a loss.

Time passed. The weather grew muggy, and the air shimmered faintly beneath the blazing sun.

Suddenly, a stir ran through the people near the edge of the square. Moments later, news raced across the entire plaza—

The Pirate King was here!

Clink, clink, clink...

Metal shackles rattled against one another. The square fell silent in an instant, and everyone turned toward the sound.

At the far end of a passage deliberately cordoned off by two rows of Marine soldiers, a tall man appeared. Long black hair hung loose around his shoulders, and he wore a scarlet pirate captain's coat.

Heavy shackles bound him, yet he strode forward like a general returning in triumph. The scattered, noisy murmurs around him did nothing to slow his steps.

Thus the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, walked calmly and at ease toward the place where he would die, escorted by a group of ordinary Marines carrying Naginata.

Step. Step. Step...

Under the gaze of tens of thousands of onlookers in Loguetown, Roger climbed the steps of the Execution Platform one by one and sat cross-legged at its center.

The proud, unassailable Pirate King lowered his head. Shadows from his hair hid his bright, defiant eyes, and no one could make out his expression.

Just before the execution began, a hoarse voice roared from the crowd, straining to be heard.

"Hey, Pirate King! Where did you hide all your treasure?

"That legendary treasure! The one and only treasure!

"ONE PIECE!!!"

Roger paused. A smile slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

His laughter was low at first, then grew wild and unrestrained.

In the end, his hearty, commanding laughter seemed powerful enough to scatter the clouds.

"Hahahaha... You want my treasure? You can have it all if you want it. Go find it! I left everything there..."

Boom!

The square fell silent for a moment, then erupted. Everyone went wild.

"Carry out the execution!"

Thrust!

Two unremarkable Naginata in the hands of two nameless soldiers ended the life of the legendary Pirate King with shocking ease.

Yet the execution did not subdue the crowd. Instead, it stoked the greed and ferocity hidden in their hearts. Everyone cheered and howled as though they had gone mad.

Inside the City Hall building overlooking the square, Garp stood by a window and stared at his old friend's lifeless body on the Execution Platform. His face was grave, serious for once.

"Even in death, you won't give anyone a moment's peace, Roger..."

Garp could almost instinctively foresee how many people would set sail in pursuit of the legendary One Piece, spurred on by the final words of the Pirate King who had "conquered the Grand Line."

Vice Admiral Tsuru said evenly, "Garp, it's too early to relax. Roger's execution went smoothly, without any interference, but you sensed it just now too, didn't you?"

Garp's expression changed at once. He scratched his head and slipped back into his usual careless manner. "Ahahaha, Tsuru, what are you talking about? Huh? Wait, you're right. I'll go take a look! That Rayleigh actually dared to come to Loguetown..."

The Hero of the Marines burst through the window and raced toward another part of Loguetown.

"I knew it..." Vice Admiral Tsuru shook her head slightly. She turned to the three "monster brats" waiting beside her, anticipation and pride flickering in her eyes.

First, she addressed the other soldiers in a deep voice. "Everyone, follow the original plan and surround all of Loguetown! From this moment on, every 'visitor' remaining in town must submit to a Marine inspection to verify their identity. If you find any pirates, arrest them all, no matter how high or low their bounties are!"

"Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru!" The Marines from the Loguetown base saluted.

Vice Admiral Tsuru was silent for a moment. Once the lower-ranking Marines had left the building, she said, "Sakazuki... I'm leaving Dragon to you!"

"No problem!" Sakazuki's expression was resolute, but his faintly reddening fists betrayed a heart far less calm than he appeared.

Even now, Sakazuki still did not know why Dragon had left the Marines without a word. That would not stop him from bringing Dragon back to Marine Headquarters this time!

"Borsalino, Kuzan, the two of you will take on Scopper Gaban together. He was the Roger Pirates' third-in-command. Even with Logia abilities, you must be careful."

"Yes, Vice Admiral Tsuru!" Kuzan, still a hot-blooded young man, answered loudly. He could hardly wait to rush out and fight Scopper Gaban for three hundred rounds.

"Heh heh~ That's a very dangerous monster~" Borsalino drawled. Even now, he was already showing signs of becoming a jaded Marine veteran.

The Marines' unexpected "mandatory inspections" plunged the town into chaos.

Amid the turmoil, Adrian gazed from afar at the Execution Platform that had carried so many people's hopes. For a moment, he lost himself in thought.

"So the legend ended, and a new era began. No one could stop it..."

A series of beeps sounded beside his ear.

Ten, nine... three, two, one!

[Public beta launched]

[Retrieving data... Data retrieval complete!]

[Player Forum opened]

[Public beta duration: 822 days]

[Welcome to version 1.0 of "Pirate King"—The Dawn of the Great Pirate Era!]

Battle of Loguetown

Rumble!

As the legend came to an end, thunder suddenly rolled across the sky. Ink-black clouds swept in, blotting out the sun, and rain poured down in an instant.

Brilliant lightning streaked back and forth like silver snakes, illuminating the Town of the Beginning and the End amid its chaos, along with every face and fate within it.

Doflamingo swaggered down the main street, an arrogant grin on his face. "Fuffuffu... This is the beginning. The new era has finally begun. Hahaha..."

Not far away, Red Nose Buggy squeezed his eyes shut and wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face;

Beside him, Shanks stood with his head bowed and his Straw Hat on his head. One hand pressed down on the hat, while the other gripped the front of his shirt so tightly that his teeth nearly bit through his lip;

Mihawk's sharp gaze rested on the Execution Platform. He frowned slightly but said nothing;

In the shadows away from the crowd, Dragon stood in a Dark Green Windbreaker, his clean-shaven face set with resolve. "The sea is about to..."

"Dragon, Dragon... Stay right where you are! I'm your father! I'm your father..."

Garp's loud, grating calls carried across the street, though he was running farther and farther away.

Dragon's mouth twitched violently. He was so embarrassed he could have dug a three-bedroom apartment into the ground with his toes.

"Sakazuki, that brat, will be there any second! You'd better not run..."

Even Sakazuki, charging over full of fighting spirit, faltered at the older man's words.

Oblivious, Garp kept shouting as he ran farther away. "Rayleigh! I've spotted you! Once I'm done fighting you, I'll go teach my son a lesson! Hurry up!"

"Dragon..." Sakazuki steeled himself. "I'll take you back to Marine Headquarters!"

"Then come and try, Sakazuki!" Dragon replied stiffly, taking a fighting stance.

The battle erupted the next moment.

Garp versus Rayleigh. Sakazuki versus Dragon. Borsalino and Kuzan versus Gaban, the Roger Pirates' third-in-command. Vice Admiral Tsuru coordinating the main Marine forces...

In no time, Loguetown was divided into one small battlefield after another.

As the game's public beta officially began, Adrian also triggered a new mission.

[Battle of Loguetown: You took part in the Pirate King's final act. The Marines will intercept every pirate in Loguetown with a bounty on their head, while the pirates will do everything they can to break through the blockade. See what you can do.]

It was only a C-rank mission, but the system still laid out three possible paths.

The first was to assist the Marines by intercepting as many pirates as possible and disrupting their escape plans. Rewards would be based on his mission rating;

The second was to assist the pirates, doing the exact opposite. It would also add a new B-rank mission, Escape from Loguetown;

The third was to remain neutral and watch. It offered the smallest reward of the three: a negligible amount of experience.

"I'll watch for now and see how the fighting develops." Adrian opened his umbrella, looking remarkably relaxed amid the chaos around him.

"Garp at his peak against Rayleigh before old age caught up with him... What a battle. And they must both be holding back as much as they can, right? If they went all out, Loguetown would probably be reduced to rubble in an instant...

"Future Kizaru and Aokiji are teaming up against... who's the little guy in sunglasses? Uh, looks like Scopper Gaban? The legendary 'left arm of the Pirate King'? His Haki is insane. A pure hand-to-hand fighter is beating back two Logia users...

"Akainu and Dragon are getting seriously fired up too. Magma-Magma Fruit against Hurricane Fruit—just a guess—two natural-disaster-class Logias. There's no containing a fight like that..."

As Adrian observed the battlefield from the sidelines, he suddenly sensed someone looking his way.