Chapter 184
The celebration at Polar Star Dormitory continued well past midnight before everyone finally began drifting back to their rooms in small groups.
Over the next several days, Haruto found himself busy taking over the responsibilities Eizan Etsuya had left behind as the former Ninth Seat.
On top of that, he still had to prepare his shop for the upcoming Moon Festival.
The sheer amount of work gave him a headache.
Fortunately, after several days of sorting through everything with Isshiki’s help, Haruto finally managed to get all his new responsibilities under control.
There was still a full week before the Moon Festival began.
With nothing particularly urgent left to do, Haruto returned home and decided it was time to visit a new world.
He stepped through the World Gate.
A moment later, Haruto appeared somewhere entirely unfamiliar.
Rough stone pavement stretched beneath his feet, while the wind blowing in from nearby carried the heavy scent of salt and fish.
Haruto raised his head and surveyed his surroundings.
He appeared to be near a harbor.
Numerous wooden sailing ships were docked along the waterfront, while sailors and laborers shouted back and forth as they loaded and unloaded cargo.
"Wooden sailing ships and a coastal town, huh?"
Haruto muttered to himself.
He was about to stop someone and ask where he was when a figure walking past caused him to freeze.
The man was over three meters tall.
More accurately, his upper body was enormous enough to resemble a small mountain.
His arms were thicker than Haruto’s waist, packed with bulging muscles that looked ready to burst through his skin.
But below the waist...
His legs were absurdly thin in comparison, like two bamboo poles somehow supporting a boulder.
The proportions were so ridiculous that Haruto half expected him to topple over at any moment.
Once the man had passed, Haruto took another look at the people around him.
It did not take long to find several others with similarly outrageous appearances.
One man had a head nearly as large as his entire torso.
A middle-aged woman nearby had a mouth that stretched almost to her ears, wide enough that Haruto could practically see down her throat whenever she laughed.
"This art style..."
Haruto narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
He already had a strong suspicion about which world he had entered.
To confirm it, he walked over to a nearby stall where a vendor was sorting freshly caught fish.
"Excuse me, sir. Where exactly is this?"
The vendor glanced up.
One look at Haruto’s clothes was enough to mark him as an outsider, and the man immediately assumed he had arrived in town by chance for one reason or another.
That sort of thing happened all the time on the seas.
"This is Loguetown—the town of beginnings and endings! It’s where Pirate King Gol D. Roger was born and where he died."
Loguetown.
Gol D. Roger.
So this really was the One Piece world.
Excitement immediately appeared on Haruto’s face.
Sea Kings could reach hundreds or even thousands of meters in length. Meat from creatures of that size had to contain an incredible amount of energy, and with muscle that dense, the flavor was probably extraordinary.
Then there were all the bizarre islands scattered across the seas.
The Boin Archipelago alone was practically designed for him.
The islands themselves were gigantic carnivorous plants known as the Baron of the Stomach, and nearly every inch of their surface was covered in edible delicacies.
Just thinking about it was enough to make Haruto’s mouth water.
Then there was Totto Land, ruled by one of the Four Emperors, Big Mom.
For a pastry chef, the place was practically paradise—seas of juice, islands made from desserts, and all kinds of sweets beyond imagination.
The unusual fish from the White Sea and White-White Sea around the Sky Islands were also something he absolutely had to try.
Of course, when it came to the most valuable "ingredient" in the One Piece world, Devil Fruits were the obvious answer.
Unfortunately, Devil Fruits were also infamous for tasting absolutely disgusting.
Still, Haruto had every intention of collecting some.
Maybe he could even figure out a way to make them taste good.
He drew a deep breath of the salty sea air and began considering his next move.
Going to the Grand Line was obviously his first priority.
The Boin Archipelago, the Sky Islands, and Totto Land were all there.
The real question was how he should get there.
Before Haruto could settle on a plan, a deafening cannon blast suddenly erupted nearby, rattling the windows along the street.
A heartbeat later, the entire harbor descended into chaos.
"GET ’EM! LOOT THE WHOLE TOWN!"
"Grab anything valuable, boys!"
"Pirates! Pirates are attacking! Run!"
Women screamed.
Children cried.
Stalls crashed over.
Steel rang against steel.
The peaceful, lively harbor turned into complete bedlam in seconds.
Haruto’s expression immediately soured as he watched people flee in every direction.
He had not yet decided whether to simply avoid the trouble when several vicious-looking pirates came charging down the street, waving bloodstained swords.
The pirate in front grinned savagely and brought his blade down without hesitation.
A civilian fleeing in panic barely managed half a scream before collapsing into a pool of blood.
Warm crimson splattered across the weathered stone pavement.
Haruto’s face turned cold.
The next instant, his body vanished from where he stood.
To the fleeing civilians nearby, it felt as though nothing more than a powerful gust of wind had swept past them.
The pirates were still caught up in their frenzy of looting and killing and never even realized Haruto had appeared directly in their path.
He gave them no chance to react.
One kick each.
That was all it took.
Several heavy impacts exploded through the street as the pirates were launched dozens of meters away like sacks struck by cannonballs.
They crashed through roadside stalls, scattering broken timber and chunks of stone everywhere.
And Haruto had held back more than ninety percent of his strength.
If he had kicked them seriously, there would not have been enough left of them to identify as human.
Even with that much restraint, however, the force of those blows should have been enough to kill a large wild beast.
Which was why Haruto was mildly surprised when the pirates began moving again.
Their chests were visibly caved in, and blood frothed from their mouths as they coughed.
Yet somehow, supporting one another, they staggered back to their feet.
Their eyes were filled with terror and hatred.
"Heh. Figures. People in the One Piece world really do have ridiculous health bars."
Haruto raised an eyebrow and muttered the complaint under his breath.
A blow strong enough to kill a wild animal had only severely injured these ordinary pirates.
They could even still stand.
Since he had already intervened, Haruto had no intention of letting them walk away.
Before he could finish the job, however, hurried footsteps and shouted orders approached from farther down the street.
A squad of uniformed Marines came rushing in.
Seeing that the pirates were already badly injured, the Marines showed them no mercy and immediately beat the remaining resistance out of them.
Within moments, all of the pirates had been restrained.
Bruised, bloodied, and barely conscious, they were tied up securely and dragged away by the soldiers.
Once the situation was under control, a Marine corporal hurried toward Haruto.
"Sir, thank you for helping us!"
"No problem."
Haruto waved casually.
"I just don’t like scum who slaughter innocent people."
"If that’s everything, I’ll be going."
He disliked pirates, but he did not have particularly favorable feelings toward the Marines either.
The corporal nodded instead of trying to prolong the conversation.
There were still pirates causing trouble elsewhere in town, so he had no time to waste.
After thanking Haruto once more, he gathered his men and hurried toward the area where the fighting was fiercest.
Gradually, the chaos on the street began to settle.
Residents who had been hiding cautiously emerged and started picking up overturned stalls and scattered belongings, complaining bitterly as they worked.
"Seriously... that’s the third time this month. Do these pirates ever stop?"
A woman holding a child frowned as she gently patted the little one’s back.
An elderly man beside her let out a heavy sigh.
"If Captain Smoker were still here, no pirate would dare cause trouble in Loguetown!"
"Ever since he left, more and more of them have started showing up."
The surrounding residents immediately agreed, their voices filled with nostalgia for Smoker and frustration at the town’s current situation.
Haruto raised an eyebrow.
If Smoker had already left Loguetown, then the Straw Hat Pirates had already entered the Grand Line.
He had originally thought that if they had not yet passed through Loguetown, perhaps he could hitch a ride on their ship.
Naturally, that had absolutely nothing to do with any curiosity about how broad the famous "Cat Burglar" Nami’s horizons truly were.
He merely wanted to taste Sanji’s cooking.
That was all.
Haruto shook his head and pushed the stray thoughts aside before looking toward the center of Loguetown.
He intended to head for the Grand Line soon, but since he had already arrived here, there was no way he could leave without visiting the place where the Pirate King had been executed.
Even if the current execution platform had been rebuilt afterward, it was still worth seeing.
After all, this was the place where Gol D. Roger’s final words had ignited the Great Pirate Era.
Having made up his mind, Haruto asked for directions and headed toward the execution square.
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