However, across from him, Sengoku, upon hearing Smoker suddenly let out a low growl, assumed the other man was furious over the deaths of those Marines. A satisfied nod formed in his mind.
"As expected, Smoker's still the same as ever—can't stand to see such vile acts happen right in front of him," Sengoku thought. "Sure, his personality still has its share of issues, but he's definitely a talent worth nurturing."
Without offering any words of praise, Sengoku issued a stern order: "Smoker, the bounty poster for that guy will soon be distributed worldwide. Headquarters will also send you a copy shortly. Your task is to prepare defenses in Loguetown ahead of time. That guy's so reckless, acting without any regard for consequences—he's likely a rookie pirate just setting out to sea. Loguetown, being the place where Roger was executed, might attract him for its fame. If you spot any trace of him, you must apprehend him there. Don't let him slip away into the Grand Line."
"Vice Admiral Garp has already set out and should arrive in Loguetown in about a day. When he does, this matter will be handed over to him. Your role is to assist him from the sidelines. Understood, Smoker?"
"Yes, sir," Smoker replied, fully grasping the weight of Sengoku's words. He responded with immediate seriousness.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Smoker was both stunned that Vice Admiral Garp himself was coming to handle this and curious about the situation. He turned and walked to the side, waiting quietly.
His eyes fell on the freshly delivered bounty poster that had just arrived. Smoker stepped forward, picked it up, and studied it with keen interest.
The image showed a handsome man with a few drops of blood splattered on his face, his head tilted slightly, a smile of pure exhilaration on his lips—as if he were born to revel in battle. The sight burned itself into Smoker's eyes.
Staring at the man on the poster, Smoker, for some reason, didn't feel the usual disgust he harbored toward pirates. Instead, a glint of admiration flickered in his gaze.
"'Madman' Will," Smoker muttered, noting the audacious epithet. Even his moniker was brazen.
His grip on the poster tightened slightly, and with a tone laced with anticipation, he murmured to himself, "I hope you really do show up in Loguetown. I want to see with my own eyes what kind of man dares to pull off stunts like that!"
At that very moment, in a secluded building somewhere in Loguetown, a middle-aged man cloaked in a cape, with peculiar tattoos on the left side of his face, stood silently by a window. His gaze followed the occasional passersby below.
Standing nearby was Bar Joe, who had safely escaped from the Kingdom of the Bridge. He was reporting something with a grave expression. "That's the whole story, Dorag-san."
"Hm?!"
Even Dorag, who prided himself on remaining unshaken by most things, couldn't hide his astonishment after hearing Bar Joe's account. "You're saying that the man who suddenly stormed into the Kingdom of the Bridge didn't hesitate for a second before attacking the Celestial Dragons' entourage? And in the end, he not only killed one of them but also strung the Celestial Dragon's body up on a lamppost?!"
"Exactly!" Bar Joe nodded solemnly. "I happened to be hiding nearby at the time, so I witnessed the entire thing."
"Hm." Dorag gave a slight nod, his mind quickly regaining its composure. He sank into deep thought.
The Celestial Dragons—those were the very targets the Revolutionary Army had long sought to overthrow. A group that lorded over the World Government and the Marines had no right to exist.
Even so, the Revolutionary Army had never killed a single Celestial Dragon, let alone committed an act as provocative as hanging one's corpse on a lamppost. Dorag believed the timing wasn't right. The Revolutionary Army's preparations were still incomplete, their strength not yet sufficient. The winds of fate had not fully risen.
They needed to bide their time a little longer.
What Dorag hadn't expected was that his visit to Loguetown—prompted merely by Sabo's tip that Smoker was stationed there, spurring him to check in just in case—would lead to this. Not only did he unexpectedly run into Bar Joe, who was supposed to be lying low in the Kingdom of the Bridge, but he also learned such shocking news from him.
"That guy… to do something like that, does he have some personal grudge against the Celestial Dragons?" Dorag speculated silently, though he couldn't arrive at a definitive answer.
"I'd really like to meet this man who dared to kill a Celestial Dragon," he thought. "I wonder what his views are on the Revolutionary Army and the state of the world."
Dorag gazed out at the clear sky, his eyes brimming with contemplation.
By afternoon, Will, having restocked his supplies, noticed that the two women still hadn't returned. Deciding to stretch his legs, he disembarked once more and wandered around.
His leisurely steps brought him to a large plaza, where he gradually came to a stop. Amid the crowd, a square platform stood prominently, unmistakable in the center of the plaza.
"So this is Roger's execution platform…" Will mused.
He had to admit, seeing the platform in person left him a bit disappointed. It was plain, almost crude, with nothing particularly noteworthy about it. If not for Roger's death there, it probably wouldn't draw so many visitors.
Will had some cursory knowledge about Roger, the pivotal figure who sparked the Great Pirate Era, but he struggled to grasp the man's thoughts and actions.
Take the God Valley incident, for example. When Rocks led his crew to attack the Celestial Dragons, Roger pursued Rocks to the scene. Meanwhile, Garp, then a Marine, set out for God Valley upon hearing of Roger's movements.
But once they arrived, instead of clashing, Roger and Garp joined forces to take down Rocks. It wasn't as if Roger was there to protect the Celestial Dragons—his motives likely lay elsewhere. Garp, too, probably wasn't driven by a desire to shield them.
Still, the outcome was undeniable: Rocks was defeated by the duo, the Rocks Pirates were dismantled, and the Celestial Dragons, who should've perished, were saved. Garp, who'd claimed he was chasing Roger, even earned the title of "Marine Hero" with Roger's indirect help.
This chain of events left Will with a flurry of questions.
"Why would Roger, a pirate, not prioritize taking out his enemies—the Marines like Garp or those vile Celestial Dragons? Why go after Rocks, another pirate, first, even teaming up with his foe Garp? Wouldn't the logical move be to eliminate the Celestial Dragons and the Marines before settling scores with Rocks? Or was Roger too wary to face Rocks alone? After all, he did go on to become the Pirate King."
"Rocks fearlessly led his crew to slaughter the Celestial Dragons, only to be stopped by Roger, a fellow pirate. And then he was taken down by Roger, Garp, and possibly even the Knights of God working together. Talk about a rough deal…"
"Was the pirate life back then really that cutthroat?"
Unable to puzzle it out, Will let his wandering thoughts drift away, too lazy to keep speculating. He tilted his head back, gazing at the clear sky, and thought to himself, "Maybe in this pirate world, people just act on their whims, doing whatever they feel like. Come to think of it, that kind of world suits me pretty well."
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