Aeridar and his crew stood before the port of Loguetown. A triangular archway loomed overhead, bearing the word "Loguetown." As he looked up at it, Aeridar couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion—finally, a location straight out of the original story.
"Man~ this place is lively!" Aeridar marveled, scanning the bustling streets beyond the arch. Shops of all kinds lined both sides, with porches out front and crowds weaving in and out. If it weren't for the sheer number of guys slinging swords, packing guns, and dressing like unhinged punks, you'd never guess this was a pirate haven.
"I thought this place was supposed to be crawling with pirates—why does it feel like a festival?" Dimitri scratched his head in confusion. He'd never set foot here before—back when he was sailing with Captain Jaron, they'd always skipped Loguetown and headed straight into the Grand Line.
As the group chatted, they made their way deeper into town. The streets grew even broader and more packed. And sure enough, the deeper they went, the more pirates there were. Taking it all in, Aeridar grinned and waved his hand, signaling for his crew to go enjoy themselves. Before long, only seven of them were left—Aeridar, Arlan, Oliver, Gorbo, Dimitri, and the sisters Millie and Mina.
"Are pirates around here always this... well-behaved?" Oliver muttered, scratching his head and eyeing the crowd suspiciously. He'd already seen dozens—maybe hundreds—of snarling, cutthroat types just on this one street. And that wasn't even counting the ones lurking elsewhere.
He hadn't even finished his sentence—
A man went flying and landed hard, bruised and bloodied, right in the middle of the road. A few pirates with swords slung across their backs came rushing after him and began kicking and punching him mercilessly. In less than a minute, they'd beaten the man to death. Two of them dragged the corpse off without a word, while the rest calmly pulled out mops, rags, and buckets to scrub away the blood.
But the strangest thing?
Nobody around seemed to care. The locals glanced, shrugged, and went about their business as if it were just another Tuesday. Not even a proper crowd gathered.
The group stared, stunned speechless.
"Hehehe~ judging by those faces, this must be your first time in Loguetown, huh?"
An old voice interrupted from the side. It was raspy but carried a light chuckle.
Turning, they saw an elderly man no taller than a child—maybe four-foot-nine—his white hair tied back as he stood with his hands behind his back, smiling warmly at them.
Aeridar asked, curious, "Yeah, it's our first time. The town's bustling, but pirates are openly murdering people in broad daylight... doesn't the Navy do anything? Aren't you afraid?"
"Oh, there's a Marine fortress just outside Loguetown," the old man replied with a wistful smile. "But they're outnumbered. We were afraid at first. Eventually... we got used to it."
"Could you tell us more?" Arlan asked, eyes narrowing.
"Of course," the old man said, stroking his beard as he began to recall the past. "To understand this place, you've got to go back to the day the Pirate King died..."
As the man's story unfolded, Aeridar and the others slowly came to understand the strange state of Loguetown.
When Gol D. Roger spoke his final words, he ignited the Great Pirate Era. His declaration sent countless souls to sea, all chasing the legendary treasure known as One Piece. As pirates began carving out their own dominions, chaos surged across the world.
Even though the East Blue was the weakest of the four seas, many still set sail in pursuit of glory. And with Loguetown sitting right by the entrance to the Grand Line, it became a natural stopover. The Marines once stationed over a thousand elite soldiers here—artillery, fortresses, and even Captains from Marine HQ were deployed to halt pirates before they could enter the Grand Line.
But there were simply too many. One pirate crew might fall—but then two would show up. Or five. Or fifteen. They took turns attacking. The Marines were reinforced by HQ and various East Blue branches, but they couldn't withstand the onslaught. After years of repeated assaults, all they could do was hold the fortress. The town itself was lost to the pirates.
Worse still, the Grand Line was so dangerous that few who entered ever returned. So instead, many pirates stayed in Loguetown, gathering strength or waiting for their chance. And the more they stayed, the more they multiplied.
The Marines tried multiple times to sweep the city clean, but every time, it reverted back. Eventually, they gave up and maintained a fragile status quo.
Some smarter pirates realized that if every crew pillaged Loguetown, the town would be ruined—and then no one would have a place to restock before entering the Grand Line. So a few major crews banded together and created a set of rules. Surprisingly, even the Marines agreed to them.
The rules were simple:
Pirates could fight or even kill each other—but not harm the townsfolk or merchants.
No reckless destruction of buildings.
No large-scale Marine battles within the town. If Marines and pirates wanted to fight, take it to the outskirts or the open sea.
Break the rules, and both pirates and Marines would turn on you.
"Haha... pirates forming a pact. That's rich," Aeridar laughed. "Now it all makes sense. No wonder the weapons shop owner in the original story was furious when Smoker came to town—business must've tanked once the strict order returned."
"Yeah," Arlan said, clapping Gorbo on the shoulder with a grin. "Now we can stock up in peace. Once Gorbo finishes the last of the supplies, we can set sail."
"Hehehe..." Gorbo chuckled, joined by Dimitri.
"Perfect, I'll go grab some booze," Oliver perked up.
Suddenly, an explosion echoed from the direction of the port.
"What the hell?" Aeridar snapped to attention, whipping around toward the source of the blast.
"That was a cannon," Arlan said grimly. The others had already turned as well.
The people on the street were growing anxious. Judging by the sound, the cannonballs had struck inside the port.
Sure enough, moments later, a panicked stampede came surging from that direction, practically clogging the entire street.
"War's breaking out!"
"The Navy's attacking the pirates in town!"
Aeridar and the others were stunned.
Wasn't the East Blue's central base wiped out? Where the hell did they find the guts—and the forces—to attack Loguetown?
"Are the Marines trying to purge the pirates again?" the old man yelped, nearly yanking out his beard in panic before bolting with shocking speed—faster than most young men.
"Damn it! Captain, our ship's still at the dock—we have to get back!" Arlan smacked his thigh as the realization struck.
"Shit—MOVE!" Aeridar shouted, already sprinting back toward the port like a bullet.
"Damn it, wait for us!"
Arlan and Oliver cursed as they tore off after him, the rest of the crew hot on their heels.
Access 40+ Chapters in advance on my : .com / JuanFiction