章 21: Logue Town Crisis
The next day, after they reached the harbor of Logue Town, they dropped the anchor and left the ship.
Zoro wanted to buy the swords so he ended up borrowing money from Nami. Luffy went to find the execution platform. Sanji went to find the ingredient.
Usopp went to find some new gadgets to make his attacks stronger and Nami went shopping. She asked Zack to go with her but Zack declined. He had something else in his mind.
After nearly ten minutes, he reached in front of a big building with a giant marine flag on the top. Looking at the building
'On both of those marine bases, I didn't find a single Sea Prism Stone. I remember marines from Logue Town using the net made out Sea Prism Stone to capture pirates.'
'I hope I can find some here.'
Thinking so, he walked toward the marine base. Since this wasn't a normal base. Smoker and Tashigi should be inside. He carefully infiltrated the base. He went through the window and found the hallway.
This hallway was quite long so instead of directly walking in this hallway, he started going through different rooms.
But before, he entered each room, he clearly checked out. After he checked through different rooms, he stumbled upon a room with a lot of different records.
This got him curious. After all, he hasn't seen these many records. The shelves were filled with papers. He quickly started looking through different papers and surprisingly, it even recorded the death of the Gol. D Roger.
His death and the fate of his dead body were written there. Zack was stunned to read this.
'Oh my god, I can't believe the government actually took his body to the Mary Geoise. I guess they really hated Roger for starting the Golden Age of Pirates.'
The more he started reading, the more he got engrossed with it. These records weren't that important. They didn't hold different secretive information but lots of them were some information he has never heard.
Eventually, he found a record of three years ago.
It was about a man who wasn't a marine but only because of his strength. He wanted the position of Admiral but the quota of admirals was already full.
Half a year ago, he fought against a powerful pirate that was living a retired life in the East Blue. This pirate had the most unique ability of all time.
Root-Root No Mi!
This fruit allows one to absorb and manipulate any kind of water including seawater. Even though if the user falls into the sea he won't be able to move, he could still absorb the water and manipulate it.
That man and the pirate fought fiercely on one of the mysterious islands of East Blue. This island normally doesn't let anyone get close to it on the boat. Only by flying, it would be possible.
Unless you go there at a certain time. But even so, it would be extremely hard to come out. During that battle, that man suffered quite a powerful injury and had been recovering there for half a year.
Of course, he still managed to kill the pirate.
After reading this, a lot of questions came into his head.
'Wait, does that mean Fujitora and Green Bull were waiting for a chance to get the position of an admiral? Well, considering their strength, it wouldn't be surprising.'
'But, I didn't expect him to be injured severely. Is that why he didn't bother to find us on that island? Or, wasn't he there at all? Wait a minute, since he came with Pudding Pudding, it means he had already left that island before we went there.'
'Man, we were lucky. If we weren't near Logue Town, Dragon and Garp wouldn't have arrived. This is really dangerous. The last thing that I saw was Dragon chasing Green Bull.'
'So, either his injuries haven't been healed completely or he was trying to avoid the battle with two generations of Monkeys. But this also marks us with a difficult situation.'
'We won't be able to face off against the powerhouses like that. When the straw hats meet the first admiral, it was Kuzan. Due to his respect for Garp, he didn't kill Luffy and others.'
'And, on Sabody, it was thanks to Rayleigh. But, I am afraid my existence will create a lot of changes in our journey. I need to be prepared.'
'If my assumption is correct, Admirals won't lose to Emperors instantly. The only difference between them is Conqueror's Haki. Even Kaido said without an Advance Conqueror Haki, it would be impossible to injure him seriously.'
'But, what if you can use your devil fruit instead of Conqueror Haki? No, even with physical strength alone, it is possible to take down Emperor. You just need the strength like Garp and also top-notch Armament Haki.'
'After we set sail into the Grandline, I will make sure that everyone will train enough. I am not sure about finding another devil fruit. I have already lost what I had.'
'But, if I train my physical using Tekkai and its various variation, I would be able to train my body to the very peak. And, as my strength grows, I can also slowly tap into Armament Haki.'
'During Luffy's training with Rayleigh, he managed to remove the weakness of Second Gear and Third Gear. It wasn't because of Haki. Lucci said that Luffy was pushing his body over the limit to use those gears.'
'That means as long as Luffy trains Tekkai and strengthens his body, he would be able to use gears without any side effects.'
Zack released a deep breath. He could see that there were a lot of things he must do. But first, he must leave this room and search for Sea Prism Stone. While he was looking into one room, the door suddenly opened as one of the marines came in.
Zack instantly hid behind the door. When the marine came in, Zack chopped his neck with his hand. His chop managed to knock that marine unconscious.
Putting him to the side, he looked through the room but even in this room, he didn't find anything. Just when he was about to leave, he heard the marines leaving the Marine Base.
He found that Smoker had already left.
'I need to hurry. This time, Dragon might or might not be able to save Luffy.'
Thinking so, he hurriedly left the room and started searching other rooms.
After searching for a while, he finally got what needed. He found two big rods kept inside a Smoker's office and also some of the nets.
He hurriedly picked them up and tied them inside a cloth.
But just when he was about to leave the smoker's room, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. This figure swung her sword toward him without any hesitation.
Whoosh!
Zack's instinct instantly triggered as he retreated in hurry but he was a bit late. The sword managed to scratch his skin. The blood gushed out of his chest but he didn't stop.
He instantly took out two rods from the bag and charged at Tashigi. He didn't expect her to be at the base. He thought she had left with Smoker.
"You are Zack!" Tashigi blocked his rods with her sword and instantly recognized him.
"These are sea prism rods. How dare you steal from Marine Base?" Tashigi tried to push him with her strength but she couldn't. She retreated a bit and slashed her swords furiously.
"Hehe! I am a pirate. I am free to do anything I want. And, who asked you to make your base so weakly secured?" Zack instantly struck her sword with his rods.
The sea prism rods were really heavy. He was having trouble lifting them but he couldn't back down. He intended to force Tashigi into retreat and then leave this place.
The more scene he makes, the higher the chances of him getting caught. He instantly raised his foot and kicked Tashigi in her stomach.
"Gah!"
The brute force of his kick managed to force her to retreat. She coughed out while he instantly rushed to the sideway. In front of him was a window. He threw both of his rods.
Bang!
His rods broke the window as he jumped from the first floor of the marine base. He landed on his foot without any hitch. The marines nearby couldn't comprehend what just happened.
"Shoot him!"
Tashigi also jumped and shouted. The marines instantly targeted Zack but before they could shoot, Zack had already left with those two rods in his hand.
"Zack, is that you?"
A familiar voice rang near him. When Zack turned his head, he saw Zoro. He was stunned for a moment but quickly remembered that Tashigi forced him to work in the marines for a few minutes.
"Did you just steal from marines?" Looking at the bag and rods he was holding, Zoro curiously asked.
Zack nodded his head and said "These are something we need for the future. Anyway, you haven't bought the swords. You should go buy them soon. I will go and put these in our ship."
"Alright"
Zoro still encounter Tashigi on his way to find a suitable sword like in canon.
Zack didn't waste his time on the ship. When he securely kept those rods and the bag inside the ship. But, he did the net made out of Sea Prism Stone. He rolled it inside his clothes. He immediately left the ship. His goal was to find Luffy.
Fortunately, he wasn't stupid. He immediately went to the middle of the town where he saw Luffy and Cabaji. He recognized the situation and rushed toward the execution platform.
He saw Buggy walking toward the top of the execution platform. Unlike Zoro and Sanji, he wasn't going too late but he suddenly noticed the Buggy Pirates in front of him.
Although they haven't seen him yet, they were still standing in his way. He looked to the side and found that if he took the long route, it would take him some time to reach there.
Zack ran toward them without any hesitation. He slapped the head of the pirate in front of him and jumped as high as he could. With his current physical strength, he managed to jump across them.
Pat!
The person he slapped was a bald pirate so the sound of the collision rang throughout the square. Everyone saw Zack running toward the execution platform.
"Buggy, look out!" Alvida shouted as she also ran toward Zack.
"Huh!" Buggy while noticing it still choose to be hit ,turned around but only saw a fist in front of his face.
Bang!
Zack punched Buggy to the ground and hurriedly climbed the stairs.
"Bastard, how dare you punch me?" Buggy instantly comically got up and shouted through their wasn't a single scratch. Zack didn't know whether it was a comical effect or simply Buggy's endurance, but he managed to withstand Zack's punch without getting injured.
Zack didn't care about him. He reached the top and kicked the wooden lock.
But was too late , buggy men were about to behead luffy.
"Thankyou for coming but it seem I won't be able to complete my dream and see my crew accomplish our dream because I am dead" said luffy and smiled .
Smoker who have just arrived along with Buggy and civilians were shocked because they saw a split image of pirate king. The sky darken and wind picked up its speed . Thunder crackled and sea became furious.
'He is the one , captain you talked about ' smiled Buggy in his mind.
Just when the blade were a inch away from luffy neck, a shadow of a figure with green cloak appeared in the alleys. A lightning ⚡ beam fell from the sky on the platform destroying and freeing luffy. Zack came rushing in , picked luffy up and start runing towards their ship.
"Zack, thanks for saving for me!" Luffy immediately hugged Zack as he finally felt free.
"Captain, we don't have time. Marines should be arriving here soon. Hurry up and leave!"
Zack looked at the sky and saw the moredark cloud slowly gathering and raining. He couldn't help but frown. Even though he had been reading One Piece for so long, he still didn't know whether the dark cloud caused natural or because of the Dragon's ability.
He didn't think too much. Dragon picked a fight with a future admiral. Even if he had escaped, he might be injured. Whether he will appear or not he isn't sure .So, he can't rely on Dragon.
"Luffy! Zack!"
Suddenly, Zoro's voice rang from the crowd. Both of them noticed Zoro and Sanji fighting against the Buggy Pirates.
"Straw Hat, I won't let you leave!"
"Chop! Chop! Flashy Fist!"
Zack's instinct instantly kicked in as he turned around and dodged the attack but he didn't relax. Buggy could control the body part. So, Zack rushed toward Buggy and punched him.
"Chop! Chop!"
But, Buggy instantly separated his body into small parts. His fist missed Buggy but Zack didn't stop there. He pulled his hand and lifted both of his hands.
"No Sword Style"
Zack tightened his muscle and started spinning with all of his strength. His spin generated the wind around him, forming a tornado that engulfed Buggy's body parts in it.
God's halo!"
After ten seconds, he stopped. He was feeling a bit weird after spinning. Suddenly, Luffy wrapped his arm around Zack and jumped down.
"Wait, Luffy!"
Thud!
While Luffy landed on his feet, Zack landed on his shoulder.
"You bastard!" Zack instantly got up and choked Luffy. Unfortunately, his strength wasn't enough to truly harm Luffy.
"Shouldn't we leave?" Luffy looked at him and asked.
Zack lowered his head, defeated and exhausted. He released Luffy and both of them ran toward Zoro and Sanji.
"Oi Luffy, you almost got executed. Do you know how much trouble you are causing us?" Sanji spoke.
"Hahaha! I didn't expect them to sneak up on me." Luffy laughed as he ran side by side with others.
While running, they were constantly fighting against the Buggy Pirates and soon, the marines arrived. Not surprisingly, the Smoker was missing here.
Zack knew he was waiting a bit far away from here. Just as he thought, they finally encountered Smoker. Zack instantly turned around and looked at the top of the houses.
But, he couldn't even see the shadow of the Dragon.
"Straw Hat, I told you earlier. Without defeating me, you can't go to the grand line." Smoker whose job is to either hunt pirates or smoke cigars stood in front of them and spoke.
He was wearing a marine's dress but his shirt was open. His boots were quite big as well and he was next to a bike.
"Zack, do you know who he is?" Zoro asked.
"Guys, leave this to me!" Luffy smashed his fists together but Zack smacked his head.
"Idiot, this guy has the power of Logia. You won't be able to win against him. Let's try something else and run!"
Hearing his words, Luffy became a bit silent and shook his head.
"Zack, he said without defeating him, I can't go to the Grand line. So, I must defeat him first."
Zack sighed but before he could say anything, Zoro spoke.
"Luffy, did you forget what happened two days ago?"
When he heard that, Luffy suddenly trembled. The memory of his entire crew dying appeared in his mind. If it wasn't for his grandfather and the dude in a green cloak appearing out of nowhere, they would've died for sure.
Zack patted his shoulder and said "Captain, it's not about the strength. It's about ability. I already told you. We can't fight Logia right now."
"Enough with chitchat! I won't let you leave. Zack, you bastard, you dare to steal from the marine base. If I let you go right now, the entire marine will lose their face?" Smoker thrust his hands, and they transformed into white smoke.
" Even then I can't give up now , can I " said luffy.
With that Luffy vs smoker began , through luffy was clearly at disadvantage. While Zoro got challenge by Tashigi, the battle continued . Suddenly Zack looked at sanji and shouted, "Throw me at him!"
His voice wasn't loud but Smoker could still hear him. Before he could understand anything, sanji immediately caught him and threw him toward Smoker with all of his strength.
Poof!
Zack entered the smoke and immediately took out the net and started unfolding it. Just the touch of the net started restricting smokers' movement.
"You….."
When Smoker realized what was going on, Zack was already in front of his body. Zack struck his body because the net instantly restricted his devil fruit ability and got punched by Luffy.
Zack and Smoker fell to the ground. Smoker's body was covered by a net and he was having a hard time moving his body. Zack instantly got up and struck smoker's neck.
The strike was truly hard, almost breaking his bone. But, instead of fighting, Zack instantly got up and shouted.
"Let's leave!"
Although the sea prism net was holding off the power of smoker, he knew smoker was trained in HQ. He should've been taught some ways to escape especially when he didn't bind him.
Zack couldn't waste his time binding smoker. The reason was simple. While Smoker's abilities were bound by the net, he still had physical strength. Not to mention, if more marines arrived, they will free smoker.
Of course, this wasn't the main reason. He simply didn't continue because he only felt secure at sea, not on land. He was afraid that Green Bull might chase them before they land on the Grandline.
As soon they started leaving, Zack noticed something. He turned back and saw the smoker slowly standing up. He had lost his energy but he was still gritting his teeth and trying to get up.
It's not like the net had bound him. And, a marine quickly arrived at that position. That marine was none other than Tashigi.
She wanted to shout at Zoro but when she saw smoker in a trouble, she immediately went to help him.
The fated battle between Tashigi and Zoro remained incomplete.
While Smoker wanted to chase straw hat, he was blocked sudden wave of wind from none other than Dragon.
Zack and others had already left for the shores. They saw the ship slowly drifting away as Nami and Usopp were shouting from the deck.
"Alright! Let's go!"
Luffy suddenly went back and caught the pole. His body stretched as he flew toward Sanji, Zoro, and Zack, kicking them to the sea.
"Everyone, you finally arrived."
Nami and Usopp got excited but Zoro, Sanji, and Zack were in a disturbing situation. Zack sighed and stood up as he looked at the island they were leaving behind.
"Zack, are we going to leave for the Grandline?" Nami asked.
Zack took a deep breath and turned around.
"Let's leave! The more time we spend here, the greater the risk. If it wasn't for their arrival, we would be dead by now."
His words once again brought the nightmare into their heads. Suddenly, Sanji asked "Why would a marine help us? And, who was that man in a green cloak? You know them, don't you?"
Hearing his question, everyone looked at Zack who looked at Luffy. Luffy turned his head and trembled. He was very much afraid of his grandfather.
Zack smiled and shook his head "They are related to Luffy and also the second reason why I joined Luffy's crew."
Hearing his words, everyone except Luffy understood. For someone with so much knowledge and wisdom, Zack could have started his crew. But, Zack didn't do that instead he joined Luffy for protection.
Of course, they didn't think that his idea was wrong. After all, Zack had already fought to death a few times. At this moment, Luffy asked.
"Zack, what is your first reason then?"
Zack was surprised by his question but he smiled.
"Of course, it is to go on the greatest adventure that one could ever have."
"Yay! Everyone, let's set sails!"
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