One Piece: I will become stronger by checking in

All the pirate crew were frozen in place.

Their captain had already fled before the fight even started. What now?

"Quick... run!"

At the shout from one of the pirates, it was as if a signal had been given.

All the pirates began to rush toward Buggy's escape route, joining the chaotic retreat.

"We can't let them escape!" Tashigi shouted.

"Thud!"

The sound of something hitting the ground caught her attention, and her face instantly turned to panic.

Smoker had collapsed, blood spilling from his mouth.

Tashigi hurried over.

"Colonel, what happened? Are you okay?"

"No… I'm fine!" Smoker struggled to sit up, waving his hands weakly.

"We don't need to chase them. With my condition, I won't be able to fight any longer!"

"I only managed to hold them off for a bit to scare them away. That's about all I could do."

Smoker coughed a few more times, but no blood came out.

"Colonel, who did this to you?"

A trace of fear flashed in Smoker's eyes as he answered, "Demon King Kai Vane."

"Demon King Kai Vane? Is he here on this island too?" Tashigi asked, confused.

But then she remembered meeting Rononoa Zoro earlier. Zoro was part of the Straw Hat Pirates, and so was Demon King Kai Vane. It made sense now.

Smoker didn't respond further, lost in thought.

Demon King Kai Vane was far more powerful than Smoker had anticipated. One attack had rendered him powerless.

Smoker felt a surge of frustration towards the Marines. Who set the bounty? This wasn't a 300 million Berries level of strength!

But it was too late for complaints. The Marines had been defeated this time.

Turning to a figure on the rooftop next door, Smoker said, "Thanks, Dragon!"

He managed to get back to Loguetown quickly thanks to Dragon's help. Otherwise, his serious injuries would have delayed him by a month and a half.

Dragon chuckled lightly.

"Don't mention it."

With that, Dragon vanished in an instant.

Smoker addressed the remaining Marines, "Prepare the ship. We're heading to the Grand Line!"

"Huh? But Loguetown is your jurisdiction, and with your injuries..." Tashigi began, but Smoker cut her off with a wave.

"Enough talk! I'll file a report to HQ about the situation in Loguetown. I can recover at sea!"

Smoker glanced in the direction Kai had left, murmuring, "I must catch you, Demon King Kai Vane!"

...

A few days later~

On the Going Merry~

Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp were holding Luffy by the neck, fuming.

"Luffy, are you trying to get us killed? You launched us from the town onto the ship! If we hadn't been lucky, we'd be dead by now!" Sanji roared.

The trio had been running through Loguetown when an unknown object flew towards them.

Normally, they could dodge such an attack, but if the object was a rubber man who ate a Rubber-Rubber Fruit, what could they do?

So Luffy, being the "helpful" captain, stretched out his arms to grab them and quickly returned them to the ship.

The problem was, they weren't rubber figures but flesh and blood. Of course, it hurt!

And so, the crew had a moment of friction.

Kai sat nearby, sipping coffee with leisurely air. Life was good~

...

A few days later~

Nami, clad in a raincoat, stared out at the stormy sea.

"We're finally approaching the Grand Line! But the chart is strange. There's a mountain blocking our path. It looks like we have to go through it!"

"Huh? Are you kidding? How can a boat climb a mountain?" Zoro replied, unimpressed.

"But that's how the sea chart shows it!" Nami argued, though her confidence wavered a bit.

It did seem unrealistic for a boat to climb a mountain.

"Bang!" Zoro sneered again, but before he could speak further, a pair of hands grabbed his neck.

"Idiot! Miss Nami is right; how dare you question her?" Sanji said angrily.

( `д ́ )!!!!

Zoro couldn't take it anymore and started arguing with Sanji.

Kai, sipping his coffee, casually commented, "Entering the Grand Line does require climbing a mountain!"

Since when did Kai develop a coffee habit? He took a sip now and then, finding it quite refreshing~

"The entrance to the Grand Line is on the reverse mountain in the Red Line. There's a canal there. Due to the sea currents, you'll see an unusual phenomenon of the sea rising up the mountain."

Nami's face lit up with realization.

But then she looked at Kai with curiosity.

"How do you know this?"

Kai took another sip of coffee and replied nonchalantly, "It's basic common knowledge."

Nami:. . . .

Does this mean I, as a navigator, lack knowledge?

Nami found Kai increasingly mysterious. During their voyage, he seemed to know everything, making her wonder if there was anything he didn't know.

If Kai could read her mind, he'd confidently say:

"You think I watch anime for nothing?"

At that moment, the ship started to shake, and Usopp's voice came over the intercom.

"Nami, the ship's out of control!"

"Huh?" Nami was momentarily stunned but quickly rushed to the railing to check the sea currents.

After a few seconds, she shouted, "Don't worry, just let the boat follow the current. We can't control the ship in such strong currents."

"If everything goes as expected, it should take us to the canal!"

A confident smile spread across Nami's face. She prided herself on solving maritime problems, aspiring to be the best navigator!

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