Loguetown was unusually busy at noon. All kinds of shops lined both sides of the streets, and vendors' cries rang out endlessly. The porches outside were bustling, with streams of people passing through.
As the town in the East Blue closest to the entrance to the Grand Line, it drew people from nearly every island. There were pirates, bounty hunters, and Marines.
A tall wooden archway stood at the entrance to Loguetown. Time had left mottled marks on it, and it looked as though it might collapse at any moment.
An additional sign hung right in the middle of the archway, bearing the words "Logue Town."
A stone-paved street about fifteen meters wide stretched from the archway, with an enormous square standing at its far end.
Five people stood beneath the archway, three men and two women. They were Lott and his companions, who had stopped here for supplies.
Ling'er looked at the bustling street before her, her face full of excitement. She hooked her arm through Nami's and shook it. "Nami, it looks like there are lots of pretty clothes here! Let's go shopping."
Nami was also exceptionally excited. Since leaving Cocoyasi Village, they had passed many islands and encountered many towns, but few were as prosperous as the one before them.
She turned back and nodded to Lott, then pulled Ling'er along with her.
Watching the two about to disappear into the distance, Lott couldn't help calling out, "Hey! Nami."
Hearing Lott call, Nami turned back with a puzzled look. "What? Do you want to come along too?"
Lott shook his head. "There are quite a few Marines on this island. Although they haven't seen your faces, there's no guarantee they haven't already learned that you're part of Lott's crew. So be careful."
Ling'er waved her little fist and said dismissively, "What's there to be afraid of? We won't lose."
Kuro spoke up. "The captain isn't afraid of them, but the less trouble we have, the sooner we can enter the Grand Line."
Ling'er made a face at Kuro. "Got it, got it, Uncle Kuro."
"Pfft, hahaha!"
Zoro couldn't hold back his laughter. "Kuro, I told you to loosen up a little, didn't I? Stop acting so solemn all day."
Lott was also holding back laughter beside him.
Kuro's face remained calm. That was simply his personality: he was exceptionally coolheaded when things happened, and on top of that, he had his shiny, slicked-back hair. Aboard the ship, his routine consisted of moving between the training room, dining room, and lounge.
His ways were decidedly old-fashioned, so Ling'er and Nami teasingly called him "Uncle."
After taking just a few steps, Nami turned back again and asked, "Oh, right. Do you need any money?"
At the mention of money, the expressions on all three men's faces instantly grew somewhat awkward.
After Nami joined the crew, Lott had fulfilled his promise and made an enormous safe.
He had put his entire fortune inside and, naturally, handed the key to Nami.
So now the three of them had completely empty pockets.
Zoro scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I need some money to buy a scabbard."
The Supreme Grade Great Grade Sword awarded by the system hadn't come with a scabbard. In the East Blue, he believed no one could recognize that sword.
But they were about to enter the Grand Line, where someone would certainly be able to recognize these two swords.
To be safe, he still planned to have a scabbard made in town.
Nami turned around to look at Zoro. "Oh? How much do you need?"
"Fifty thousand Beli."
Nami's expression changed at once. She took an abacus from behind her and began calculating. "A loan of fifty thousand Beli, with sixty percent interest. Let me see... if you pay it off in a year, that'll be one million Beli!"
Zoro's eyes widened. "How did you calculate that? That interest rate is way too high. Besides, even at that rate, it wouldn't reach a million in a year!"
A sly smile curled Nami's lips. "Just tell me whether you want the loan."
Looking at the swindler before him, he gritted his teeth. "I'll take it!"
Nami immediately took out an IOU she had prepared beforehand and handed it to Zoro. Then she turned to Kuro. "Uncle, you've run out of hair gel too, haven't you?"
Watching the two women disappear into the distance, Zoro complained to Lott, "Lott, putting Nami in charge of the finances was definitely your biggest mistake!"
Kuro nodded too, for once. Nami had just extorted two hundred thousand Beli from him.
Lott shook his head helplessly. Even as captain, and despite the ambiguous relationship between him and Nami, he hadn't escaped either. She had extorted five hundred thousand Beli from him.
"Let's go. I'm heading into town."
With that, Lott put on his Kizaru-style sunglasses and headed toward the square.
He walked slowly through the packed crowds the whole way.
By the time Lott reached the square, there weren't many people around. A tall steel platform stood in its center, already covered in rust after years of exposure to rain.
Standing beneath the Execution Platform, Lott sighed in admiration. "So this is the platform where Pirate King Roger was executed? It really is impressive."
Lott recalled the manga he had read in his previous life. Many fans said that the person who ushered in the Great Pirate Era wasn't Pirate King Roger, but the random bystander who had asked, "Pirate King, where did you hide your treasure?"
He found it rather funny, yet also thought it made perfect sense.
Lott shook his head, a little bored. "I might as well see what the others are doing."
Before Lott could use Observation Haki, a clamor came from the street to the north.
Lott changed direction and headed that way.
As soon as he approached, he saw Zoro surrounded by a crowd.
Zoro surveyed the situation before him with a headache. "I was already being so careful. I didn't think anyone would still spot me."
Zoro had originally wanted to find a blacksmith's shop in town. He had asked for directions many times along the way, but still ended up getting lost and walking straight into a meeting of bounty hunters.
And the subject of their meeting was a discussion about heading out to sea together to find Lott's crew.
"Excuse me, is this a blacksmith's shop?" Zoro looked around, then shook his head. "Doesn't look like it."
The bounty hunters instantly recognized his signature three swords and moss-green hair.
A bounty of fifteen million had appeared in their meeting room, leaving the bounty hunters staring.
The bounty hunters attacked without a second thought. Zoro hurried out into the street, only to find bounty hunters everywhere, all closing in on him.
Lott felt a headache coming on. "Seriously, Zoro, you're just as good at stirring up trouble as Luffy."
Hearing that familiar voice, Zoro looked up and saw Lott wearing sunglasses. "You jerk, why didn't you give me a pair of sunglasses?"
Lott rolled his eyes. "I only have one pair."
The surrounding bounty hunters looked from Zoro to Lott. "You've got an accomplice too? You're still not getting away today, Roronoa Zoro!"
"Need a hand?"
"I don't need anyone's help with something this minor. I can easily handle it myself." As Zoro spoke, he drew his Wado Ichimonji.
Lott nodded and prepared to watch, only for a bounty hunter to charge at him with a sword.
"You're one of Zoro's accomplices too, right? You might not have a bounty, but you can still die!"
Lott shook his head. No matter when it was, there were always people who couldn't see the situation for what it was.
"That's it?" Zoro slid Wado Ichimonji back into its scabbard, looking utterly bored. He had thought these people might put a little pressure on him, but they hadn't.
After mastering Haki, Zoro's strength was already beyond what anyone in the East Blue could hope to challenge.
"Wait! Could you let me take a look at that sword?" A girl's voice rang out from behind Zoro.
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