One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 84: The Death of Altai

"Damn Marines, you dare to fire on us?! Hahaha, now you know who's stronger!" a bald man in a captain's hat roared with a savage laugh, looking up at the execution platform with reverence. "Even a Marine Vice Admiral is no match for you! Hey! Boss Shane, take us in! We'll follow you from now on!"

His voice instantly ignited a fervent passion among the pirates, and a chorus of agreement rose from the crowd.

"That's right! With you leading us, who in the East Blue can stop us?! It's all ours!"

"You're thinking too small! Forget the East Blue! We should follow Boss Shane and plunder the entire Grand Line!"

"What are you waiting for, brothers?! With Boss Shane backing us up, who cares about the Marines in this town?! Let's loot this place first!"

"Loot Loguetown! Kill any Marine who stands in our way! Offer all the treasure to Captain Shane! Let's go!!"

At the edge of the square, many pirates laughed wildly and charged toward the remaining shops, kicking down the broken doors. The screams of women and the cries of children came from within.

How did it come to this?

The residents of Loguetown were thrown into a panic.

Wasn't this Lord Shane famous throughout the East Blue for punishing evil and promoting good?

How had he suddenly become a vicious pirate?!

—BOOM!

The commotion had barely begun when two crescent-shaped, pale blue shockwaves shot down from the execution platform. Dozens of pirates were sent flying like bowling pins, screaming in agony.

The unlucky few who were hit head-on by the sharp edge of the Tempest Kick were sliced in two at the waist, a spray of blood misting the air.

The deterrent effect of this attack was undeniable.

The pirates who had already broken into the houses broke out in a cold sweat. They froze, then cautiously retreated back into the square, looking up at the execution platform in confusion.

"Boss Shane…" the pirate captain who had spoken first said with a forced smile. "We were just trying to offer you this whole town as a welcoming gift. What… what do you mean by this?"

"I think you've all misunderstood something," Shane said, lowering his right leg and looking down coldly at the pirates below. "Before you go lumping me in with you, you seem to have forgotten why I became famous in the East Blue in the first place."

"In the end, I've only killed one… no, two Marines so far. But the number of pirates who have died at my hands is thousands of times that."

What does that mean?

The pirates looked at each other, a simultaneous realization dawning on them. Their fervent passion was instantly doused, as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown in their faces. A chill ran down their spines…

...

On the warship, Smoker lay weakly against a wall, staring dazedly at the distant scene through the rain.

He wasn't fully conscious yet, his mind still a jumble.

He only remembered fighting Onigumo and being knocked out in a few blows. Later, when he had groggily opened his eyes, he had vaguely seen two figures on the tall execution platform in the distance.

One of them was being held down. After a brief struggle, it had gone still.

That silhouette…

Was it Onigumo?

Onigumo is dead?

How is that possible… Smoker shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. Have I come to hate him so much that I'm wishing him dead?

There's no one in Loguetown who can defeat him. It must be a hallucination.

Smoker grabbed the railing and struggled to his feet. Just then, he heard a piercing shriek from nearby.

"Go! Are you all deaf?! I said escort me out of here, now! Can't you hear me?"

That voice was so familiar… He looked over and, sure enough, it was the pig-like Altai, frantically beating a Lieutenant Commander over the head with his golden scepter.

"Your Majesty, please be calm. It is not yet time," the tall, thin Lieutenant Commander said, blood streaming from his head. But he didn't dare move. "We still have many men on the island, and they are retreating this way. The enemy doesn't seem to be pursuing us. We must wait for our comrades… especially the Rear Admirals in command, to get on board before we can leave. Otherwise, I will surely be held accountable by Headquarters…"

"Wait for what?!" Altai's expression suddenly turned savage. "So it's for such a ridiculous reason! A bunch of commoners, what's there to wait for!"

"Don't forget, your primary mission is to safely escort me back to my country! If you stay here any longer, you'll end up being buried with that useless Onigumo!!!"

BANG! BANG!

He had pulled a gold-plated pistol from somewhere and was firing it wildly. Several Marine soldiers clutched their chests and fell to the ground.

"Do you see?! Set sail immediately!" Altai pointed the gun at the Lieutenant Commander and roared, "For every second you delay, I will kill another man, starting with you! Let's see if you still dare to…"

THUMP!

With a dull thud, Altai's eyes rolled back in his head, and he pitched forward.

The tall, thin Lieutenant Commander, his head still bleeding, stared at the figure who had appeared behind Altai. "C-Captain Smoker, you… you… what is this?"

"He wouldn't stop screaming, the noisy, fat pig…" Smoker muttered, as if he hadn't heard. He raised his hands, which were still bound in Seastone handcuffs. "How did I ever put up with scum like this…?"

THUMP!

He brought his clasped fists down on Altai's head again, and again.

Altai's skull was already caved in, but as if that wasn't enough, Smoker grabbed the golden scepter from the ground and, with all his might, plunged it down—

SQUELCH!

A torrent of blood sprayed out, splattering both of them. Only then did Smoker toss the scepter aside, panting heavily, a look of long-overdue satisfaction on his face.

"You…"

The tall, thin Lieutenant Commander touched the warm blood on his face, his hand trembling. He could no longer contain his fear and let out a high-pitched scream.

What are you screaming about now?

Smoker shot him an annoyed glare. "Hey, tell me, what's the situation in Loguetown right now?"

From the sound of the conversation, it seemed the Marines had already been soundly defeated and were fleeing. Could it be that what he had seen in his daze wasn't a hallucination?

"The situation?!!"

The tall, thin Lieutenant Commander stumbled backward in terror, pointing a finger at Smoker. "You… you bastard! How dare you ask about the situation?! You've caused a catastrophe, don't you know?! Are you trying to drag us all down with you?!"

So you're not going to answer?

Smoker sighed and couldn't be bothered with him anymore.

He grabbed the railing and limped onto the docks, walking against the tide of panicked Marines who were retreating toward the shore. He headed for the square.

What in the world happened at the execution platform…

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