The Town of the Beginning and the End: Loguetown
The moment Ivan said that, Sanji's face darkened.
This guy really was a dependable marine, but he was still an insufferable jerk who made Sanji's teeth itch!
His curly eyebrows twisted together, and a vein throbbed at his temple. He wanted nothing more than to kick Ivan's punchable face right then and there.
He admitted he was weaker than Ivan, but Ivan didn't have to say it so casually!
That damn bastard!
Ivan didn't have Luffy's gift for talking people around. Though Sanji was grateful to Ivan for getting him out of trouble, he had no desire to spend any more time with him.
So when Ivan invited him, Sanji refused without a second thought.
Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and said in a low voice:
"I don't want to team up with a guy like you. Just wait and see. Sooner or later, I'll find companions stronger than you and make my dream come true!"
Ivan hadn't held out much hope of recruiting Sanji in the first place.
From beginning to end, his only target had been Nami.
So he waved a hand dismissively and turned toward his warship, leaving only a few words to drift on the wind into Sanji's ears:
"Then don't become the kind of pirate who slaughters innocent people. Otherwise, the next time we meet, I'll have to kill you!"
Sanji watched Ivan's blood-soaked figure, without the slightest doubt about his words.
That guy would definitely do what he said.
But what the hell did he mean by pirates who slaughtered innocent people?
Did that mean he wouldn't go after pirates as long as they didn't slaughter innocent people?
And what about marines, or even World Government officials, who slaughtered innocent people?
Sanji was puzzled, his face full of confusion.
Zeff, who stood nearby, had taken it all in. He sighed deeply and said wistfully:
"Ah, if only there were more marines like him in this world..."
Ivan had spent one million Beli on the lavish meal he had gone to buy at the Baratie sea restaurant.
But thanks to the Krieg Pirates' sudden attack, he had instead collected a full ten million Beli in bounties.
With that windfall, Ivan's savings had broken through fifty million Beli in one go.
That was enough to have a first-rate ship custom-built in Water 7.
After all, truly top-tier ships often required rare materials like Treasure Tree Adam, which were hard to come by. Their value could not be measured in money.
And a ship bought for fifty million Beli would already be considered the best of the best among ordinary vessels.
Out at sea, a small warship cut through the waves, its hull parting the deep blue water and leaving delicate ripples in its wake.
On either side of it were two large pirate ships, their decks still marked with patches of blood.
The three ships, with two in front and one behind, broke through the shimmering waves as they slowly sailed toward Loguetown, the town of the beginning and the end.
Loguetown lay at the end of the East Blue, close to Reverse Mountain, the entrance to the Grand Line. It was the last resupply stop for pirates before they entered the Grand Line.
By rights, such a location should have attracted hordes of pirates bound for the Grand Line, throwing the town into chaos.
Yet Loguetown had not fallen into chaos. Instead, it was more peaceful than most islands in the East Blue.
The reason was entirely thanks to the two marine officers stationed in Loguetown: Smoker the White Hunter and White Dove Ivan!
Captain Smoker was upright and incorruptible, and he never let a pirate who caused trouble get away.
But compared to the more powerful Captain Smoker, those pirates feared Ensign White Dove Ivan even more!
Though Ensign Ivan's title was White Dove, his clothes were often bloodred. Even his coat of justice had been stained red, and the color simply wouldn't wash out.
Unlike Smoker, who did everything he could to capture pirates as soon as he saw their flag, Ensign White Dove didn't bother capturing them at all. He killed every last one!
Because of his ruthless methods and handsome face, Ensign White Dove was held in high esteem among the public, but things were entirely different among pirates.
At Loguetown's port, the owner of a fruit shop stood on tiptoe, looking out over the vast sea. Worried, he said:
"Ah, Ensign White Dove has been at sea for half a month. Why hasn't he come back yet?
I heard he ran into the Arlong Pirates a while ago and got hurt. You don't think something's really happened to him, do you?"
Beside him, an old woman selling snacks glared fiercely at him and snapped:
"What nonsense are you spouting? Ensign White Dove is such a good man. How could anything happen to him? Don't jinx him!"
Just then, the fruit shop owner suddenly rubbed his eyes hard and looked out to sea again.
When he made out the silhouettes of the ships approaching in the distance, his expression changed drastically, and he cried out in alarm:
"Wait, never mind that! Pirate ships are coming!"
"Pirates? What's there to be afraid of? Captain Smoker will capture them all!" The old woman wasn't worried in the least.
Past experience had taught her that, apart from the few strongest pirate crews in the entire East Blue, no pirates could run wild in Loguetown.
The fruit shop owner understood that, of course, but instead of relaxing, he was so frightened his legs went weak. He said in a trembling voice:
"No, they're not ordinary pirates. It's the Krieg Pirates this time!"
"What? The Krieg Pirates?" The old woman's composure instantly shattered, and her face turned pale.
Who didn't know that the Krieg Pirates were the undisputed overlords of the East Blue?
They had a full fifty warships and five thousand pirates under their command, enough to conquer a small country!
No matter how strong Captain Smoker was, could Loguetown's forces really stop such a massive army?
"Quick, quick, quick! Tell Captain Smoker what's happening here!"
In an instant, the entire port fell into chaos.
Ivan knew nothing of the chaos his arrival had caused. He was still lying on the deck, sunbathing.
Perhaps because Satoru Gojo liked sunbathing, Ivan had spent a week sunbathing on the journey, and his approval rating had actually risen by one percentage point.
That made him quite happy.
Beside him, Tashigi sat on a stool, maintaining the long sword in her hands with sword oil.
It was Shigure, her beloved sword.
Speaking of which, Tashigi really loved Famous Swords, especially Great Grade Swords and Supreme Great Grade Swords.
But although Tashigi loved those swords, she only wanted to look at them, not use them.
In her mind, only powerful swordsmen were fit to wield Famous Swords. She was too weak and would only bring shame to them.
At that thought, Ivan said lazily:
"Tashigi, stop polishing that sword. When I'm strong enough, I'll give you a Supreme Great Grade Sword.
For now, we're almost at Loguetown. Go keep things in order."
Tashigi was long accustomed to Ivan's grand promises and firmly believed he could make them come true.
After all, Officer Ivan had never let her down.
"Understood, Officer Ivan!"
Before she had even finished speaking, Tashigi sprang to her feet and went to direct the marines as they brought the ships in.
But she had only taken a few steps when the lookout suddenly cried out in alarm.
Tashigi's expression changed, and she hurried back, saying in a panic:
"Officer Ivan, something's wrong! Loguetown is under full lockdown. From the looks of it, the town seems to have come under a large-scale pirate attack!"