Starting Off By Attacking the Straw Hat Pirates

Loguetown.

Known as the town of beginnings and endings, it's located in the East Blue, near the entrance to the Grand Line. The notorious Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was born and executed here.

Afternoon.

A troop of Marines appeared, led by a female Sergeant wearing glasses and a katana at her waist. It seemed they were here to welcome a superior officer.

"Sergeant Tashigi, who are we here to welcome?"

A Marine asked, confused.

The Marines looked at Tashigi with admiration and respect in their eyes. Their Sergeant was upright and selfless, strong and brave, and the dream girl of many of them.

She was also generous and steady, never flinching in the face of enemies, fighting bravely.

Under the leadership of the Sergeant and Captain Smoker, they were able to deter the vicious pirates, making Loguetown much more peaceful than before.

However, pirates had been increasing recently, keeping them very busy.

It was said that a few days ago, the Arlong Pirates, who had dominated the East Blue and wreaked havoc, had their captain, Arlong, with a bounty of 20 million Belly, defeated by a pirate crew called the Straw Hat Pirates.

What's more, the Straw Hat Pirates were suspected of landing in Loguetown, and their captain, the Straw Hat Kid Monkey D. Luffy, had a bounty of 30 million Belly, the highest in the East Blue currently.

"We are here to welcome Rear Admiral Wilton."

Tashigi pushed up her glasses with her finger, her expression slightly serious and solemn.

"Rear Admiral?"

Some Marines behind Tashigi swallowed hard. They knew that was a Rear Admiral, an officer they might never see in their lifetime. Even their Captain Smoker was only a Captain.

In Loguetown, he was the highest-ranking Marine officer.

"Yes, I heard from Captain Smoker that this Lord Wilton is a Rear Admiral from Headquarters. He's coming to Loguetown on a mission. Please be alert later."

"Yes."

All the Marines nodded earnestly.

Soon.

In just ten minutes.

"They're here!"

Tashigi looked at the ordinary warship approaching on the horizon. Besides the fluttering Marine's Jolly Roger, there was also a banner with a Dumbbell Emblem.

As the warship docked at the port, a gangplank was laid to the shore. A troop of Marines disembarked and stood at attention along the road, straight and solemn, without looking sideways.

The sunlight was a bit harsh.

Tashigi subconsciously looked at the warship, where a tall and robust figure appeared. When her vision cleared, a tense atmosphere washed over her.

Some Marines held their breath, standing as straight as javelins.

He wore a fitting, thick yellow hooded sweatshirt with "Justice" printed on the back. His height was estimated to be over three meters, and his physique was so robust that even the hooded sweatshirt couldn't hide his perfect muscles and lines.

He wore black fitness shorts on his lower half.

He held two large, dark dumbbells in his hands, constantly training his arm strength and biceps.

"Another beautiful sunny day."

A cheerful, hearty laugh echoed. Wilton jumped from the warship into the air, spun a few times, and landed steadily in front of Tashigi, holding the dumbbells and striking various bodybuilding poses.

He leaned forward at a forty-five-degree angle, showed off his biceps, glutes, and even did a moonwalk.

It was very smooth.

This display truly surprised Tashigi.

After all, the first impression of this Rear Admiral was that he was a goofball, despite his outwardly sunny and handsome appearance.

"Rear Admiral Wilton, I am Sergeant Tashigi, under Captain Smoker. As there have been many pirates in Loguetown recently, Captain Smoker went to deal with them and sent me to welcome you."

Tashigi snapped back to attention and gave a serious military salute.

The Marines behind her did the same.

"Wheh-ha-ha~"

"No problem."

Wilton didn't feel slighted by Smoker's absence. That guy was notoriously insubordinate, which was why he was always benched. A Logia-type Devil Fruit user like him was actually assigned to Loguetown.

Besides, he was only here on a mission this time.

He had only met Smoker once.

They weren't familiar with each other.

The other man had connections at Headquarters, and he wasn't someone who would dwell on petty matters.

"Captain Smoker really wanted to come, but he's just very busy with work."

Compared to Smoker's self-willed and low emotional intelligence, Tashigi was much more composed, still making excuses for Smoker, even though Wilton didn't care at all.

"It's fine, take me to the Loguetown Marine base first!"

Wilton continued his strength training, gripping the dumbbells in both hands. He was thinking about replacing these two dumbbells as soon as possible, because the two dumbbells, made of special weight materials, at 3 tons each, were no longer enough for him.

He needed heavier ones.

"Okay."

Tashigi nodded and took the lead, guiding the group towards the Marine base. However, just as they walked out one street, an accident occurred.

BOOM--

An explosion sounded from not far away, accompanied by billowing smoke. Faintly, shouts of fighting and the screams and wails of civilians could be heard. Without even looking, they knew pirates were causing trouble.

"Rear Admiral Wilton, there's a sudden situation. I need to handle it first. Sergeant Yale will take you to the base!"

Tashigi's pretty face turned grim.

She averted her gaze from the explosion. She would never allow pirates to harm civilians.

Huh?

Where did Rear Admiral Wilton go?

Tashigi was startled. Wilton was nowhere in sight. The spot where he had been was now empty, with only her and her companions remaining.

She turned her head.

At the end of the road, only the afterimage of someone running fast remained.

"Sergeant Tashigi, Rear Admiral Wilton has probably gone to join the fun. He'll be back after the commotion dies down."

Wilton's subordinates were accustomed to this. They first explained to Tashigi before slowly heading towards the explosion site, not in any hurry at all.

It was because their superior loved to join in on the fun.

Even if two stray dogs started fighting, he could crouch down and watch for a day and a night, and then, while watching, he would fearlessly join in, ultimately making them profoundly understand the meaning of a heroic justice that ends in mutual destruction.

"Then let's hurry!"

Tashigi's expression was a little anxious, afraid that if she was a step late, one more civilian would be injured.

A few streets away from the port, this was Loguetown's famous Weapon Street. Basically, any pirates coming from the East Blue who intended to enter the Grand Line would visit this place.

When you're out adventuring.

Weapons are essential.

At this moment, two pirate crews were engaged in a fierce battle on the street. The numbers on both sides were roughly equal, about twenty each. Many residents were screaming and running away, some were caught in the crossfire, and others were watching or cursing loudly.

It was very chaotic.

"Luffy, let's go quickly."

Among the crowd.

Five figures were watching the excitement with great interest. However, one man and one woman were very nervous and wanted to leave – Nami and Usopp. They absolutely did not want to get caught in the crossfire.

Their captain's bounty was 30 million Belly. His head was worth a lot. It was rumored that the Marine captain guarding Loguetown had already received news of the situation here and would surely be rushing over.

It would be troublesome if they were targeted.

"Nami, Usopp, let's watch a little longer."

Luffy was being pulled by Usopp, his entire right arm stretching out long, but his body remained still. It wasn't until Nami punched Luffy on the forehead.

He let out a scream.

Luffy squatted on the ground, clutching his head with both hands, his eyes starting to water.

"Idiot, with such a big commotion, the Marines must have been alerted. If we keep staying here, we'll be targeted."

Nami was frustrated, hands on her hips, acting like a tigress. After speaking, she dragged Luffy by his hair like a dead dog and immediately turned around to leave.

If not for her, this pirate crew would surely be doomed.

Besides herself, none of them had normal intelligence.

But just as the five of them took a few steps, they stopped abruptly. Luffy, who had been dragged, scrambled up and his expression became more serious than ever before.

Zoro instinctively placed his hand on the hilt of his swords.

Sanji frowned, his gaze heavy.

Even the usually timid Usopp subconsciously swallowed. Nami's previous arrogance disappeared, and she subtly retreated behind Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro.

Approaching them.

A tall, burly figure, holding two huge dumbbells in both hands, thicker than Nami's backside several times over, blocked the sun and looked at them in surprise.

"Not good."

Just as they feared.

On those two terrifying-looking dumbbells, the word "Justice" was engraved in large characters. Even someone with 1000-degree myopia could see it clearly. This big guy in front of them was obviously a Marine.

"Straw Hat Pirates."

Seeing Luffy and his crew, Wilton showed no surprise.

He had come to Loguetown under orders from Vice Admiral Dalmatian to escort the captain of the Arlong Pirates, Arlong, to Impel Down. Normally, such a matter wouldn't require him; why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken?

However, since Arlong was involved with the Shichibukai Sea Knight Jinbe and Fish-Man Island, Dalmatia sent him, who was currently in the Grand Line and relatively close to the East Blue, to avoid further complications.

Therefore, there was a decent chance of encountering the Straw Hat Pirates in Loguetown.

"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, we can't get held up here, we need to leave as soon as possible."

Nami was a little anxious.

Fortunately, there was only this one Marine. They could leave after a quick resolution. It was obvious that a large Marine force would be coming later, and if they wasted time here, they might actually get caught when facing a numerically superior Marine force.

"I'll handle this big guy, you guys go on ahead."

Luffy's intelligence was sharp at this critical moment.

He charged at Wilton without any hesitation.

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol."

Luffy, who had rushed forward, rapidly stretched his right arm back, clenched his fist, and slammed it towards Wilton with lightning speed. The elasticity significantly boosted his power.

There was no need for any reason for them to fight; their identities as Marines and pirates were enough.

A collision.

Wilton stood his ground, unmoving. Luffy's charged and stretched fist struck Wilton's rock-solid, bulging chest beneath his loose hoodie, emitting a dull, heavy sound. Luffy felt like he had punched a bronze wall and iron rampart, and the intense pain in his fist made him cry out involuntarily.

"Dumbbell Charge."

Before Luffy could retract his limp arm, Wilton, holding a heavy dumbbell in his right hand, brought it down from above in a simple, unadorned strike. For a moment, the world fell silent.

A massive shockwave formed into a colossal dumbbell shape ten meters high, roaring as it tore through the hard ground. It engulfed Luffy without giving him a chance to react. As the explosions spread outwards for fifty meters, a building instantly collapsed, kicking up a large amount of dust and wood chips.

"Luffy!"

Zoro and Sanji, who had not yet left, widened their eyes in shock. Nami and Usopp turned pale.

Dumbbell Charge.

A sparse, ordinary release of Armament Haki..

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