LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 9: 8- Heading to Loguetown
8- Heading to Loguetown
Then, Kara stood aside while the Marines pulled the fish-men out of the rubble of the destroyed Arlong Park.
—Ma'am, we found Arlong and his crew. Only the octopus swordsman, Hacchi, is missing —reported a soldier while the others continued extracting the prisoners.
—It's fine, that guy has a rather annoying acquaintance. Leave him be —Kara replied indifferently—. And Arlong… although I'd love to kill him, Jinbei is a good guy, and I owe him one, so just send him to Impel Down.
—Yes, Ma'am! —said the commanding officer before hurrying to carry out the order.
Kara glanced over and pointed at Zoro and Coby, who were standing idly.
—By the way, bring me a couple of uniforms for these two.
Zoro frowned upon hearing her.
—Do I have to wear that uniform? —he asked with evident displeasure.
Coby, on the other hand, said nothing. Instead, he was visibly excited. Since joining Kara's journey, he had continued wearing his regular clothes and felt that he couldn't truly consider himself a Marine without his uniform.
—Don't complain, it's much better than your clothes —Kara said in a teasing tone—. Besides, it's designed for combat, so it'll be even more comfortable. When we get to Loguetown, we'll find a Marine tailor to make you a suit you like, but only if you manage to get promoted to corporal by capturing pirates. So far, you've only got one… more or less.
After all, even though Zoro defeated Kuro, Kara had caught him first. However, she decided to give him the credit.
The rank of corporal was the minimum required to personalize the uniform as long as it bore the Marine insignia. Moreover, Marine tailors crafted the best combat garments—durable and comfortable.
To Kara, Zoro's clothes looked like those of a beggar, all patched up and worn out.
—Tsk… fine —Zoro grumbled, reluctantly accepting the uniform handed to him by a soldier. He went to change and returned wearing a new white shirt and blue pants. However, he refused to wear the cap and blue tie, and Kara allowed him to do as he pleased with those details.
Coby, on the other hand, wore the complete uniform with pride and joy, so much so that he seemed on the verge of tears.
—Thank you, Vice Admiral Kara! I'll do my best to become the best Marine —he said, giving a military salute—. And in the future, I'll become an admiral…
Although he said the last part in a low voice, Kara heard it and smiled without saying anything. She already knew Coby's dream.
—I have to admit, these clothes are pretty good for fighting —Zoro commented as he stretched the fabric with his hand, evaluating its resistance.
—Good. Let's go. You two wait for me on the ship, I'll be there soon —Kara ordered, momentarily bidding farewell to the Marines and heading toward the village.
—What are you going to do with your little brother? —Zoro asked as he followed her leisurely.
—I'm just going to say hi and then we're leaving. We have a lot to do and little time.
After a few minutes of walking, Kara, Zoro, and Coby arrived at the village, where a big celebration was taking place. Luffy was eating like crazy with his crew, as if he had completely forgotten about Kara's presence.
She smiled upon seeing him.
—You're here for Luffy, aren't you? —Gin, who was sitting under a tree, immediately stood up upon seeing her arrive. He gripped his tonfas tightly, though deep down, he knew he had no chance against the woman before him.
—Krieg's follower, huh? —Kara said, locking eyes with Gin as if she could see through him—. I hope you follow Luffy with pride and don't try to betray him, because you'll be sent to your ex-boss before you even realize it.
She released part of her magical aura, and Gin was the only one who felt it. He trembled, fell to his knees, and barely managed to lift his head.
—Let's go —Kara said, turning around and walking away.
—You're not going to see your little brother? —Zoro asked.
—Nah, let him enjoy himself. I'll bother him another day —she replied calmly.
Gin, still on the ground, struggled to lift his head, but suddenly, the pressure disappeared. When he looked up again, Kara was already gone.
Back on the ship, the soldiers immediately stood at attention upon seeing her appear.
—Vice Admiral, Ma'am!
Zoro and Coby, on the other hand, were pushed aside.
—Hey! —Zoro protested as he landed.
—We're heading to Branch 16, I'll take another ship from there to Loguetown —Kara said calmly as she pulled out a seat from somewhere and sat on the edge of the ship to fish.
—Yes, Sir! —the captain quickly saluted and immediately began giving orders.
—Ouch! —Coby complained as he got up, rubbing the bump on his head.
—Damn bastard —Zoro grumbled as he painfully stood up.
Then, he went off to find a place where he wouldn't be disturbed to train. Luckily, a Marine ship had everything necessary for training recruits, as they often spent long periods at sea.
After a couple of days, during which they switched ships to head straight for Loguetown, they also encountered several pirate ships. In each encounter, Kara would throw Zoro at them so he could defeat them and earn the merits necessary for his promotion.
Coby, on the other hand, was still too weak to fight even a simple enemy, so he continued training on the ship with weights on his arms and legs.
Thus, after four days, they finally arrived at the town of the beginning and the end: Loguetown, the place where Gold Roger was born and executed.
At the dock, many Marines were already waiting, led by Smoker and Tashigi.
—Greetings, Inspector Kara! —Tashigi quickly said as she saluted along with the other soldiers.
—Bastard, they let you out of Marineford? —Smoker said irritably, not even bothering to greet Kara.
—Why do you always have that grumpy face when I see you, Smokey? You should have more respect for the Central Inspector —Kara said, approaching with a smile.
—You wish —Smoker replied, while all the soldiers, including Tashigi, started trembling in fear at their boss's disrespect toward someone sent from headquarters.
—Tsk, tsk, Smoker, you need… —As she spoke, something caught Kara's attention. She paused for a moment, looked to the side, and then disappeared.
Seconds later, she reappeared with her hands full of candy and cotton candy.
—What was I saying?… Oh well, doesn't matter. Promote this idiot to corporal. We'll stay for a week before leaving —Kara said as she stuffed her mouth with sweets.
The soldiers stood frozen in place.
—Aren't you, as a vice admiral, supposed to be able to promote someone up to the rank of ensign? Do it yourself —Smoker asked, annoyed, watching Kara eat.
—Sengoku took that right away from me when I promoted that fake Hawk-Eye, monkey crounch version —Kara replied without stopping eating.
Normally, Kara was quite orderly and neat when eating, but that didn't apply when sweets were involved. After being at sea for so long, she needed some sugar.
—Fine, I'll send the paperwork. Just don't cause a mess while you're here —Smoker said quickly.
After all, Smoker and Kara had known each other for a long time. They had a few encounters when they were both cadets.
For some reason, Kara liked to mess with him. According to her, she wanted to see if his head would turn into smoke when he got angry.
Some said Smoker had gone to the East Blue just to stay away from Kara.
—Sure, sure. Meanwhile, I'm going to check if you have anything illegal hidden —Kara said, walking casually alongside Smoker.
—Excuse me, but could that sword be Wado Ichimonji? If it is, could you show it to me? —Tashigi asked, who, after snapping out of her shock, quickly turned her attention to Zoro… or rather, his sword.
—Wado? —Zoro asked, not even knowing the name of his own sword, while being surprised by Tashigi's resemblance to Kuina.
—There are only 21 swords of this kind. How did you get it? Ah, sorry, I'm Tashigi. Come, follow me, I'll show you where the base is —she said quickly, without stopping talking.
—Sure —Zoro replied. He had to go to the same place anyway, and Kara had disappeared again, so it was better to follow Tashigi.
Who, by the way, talked about swords the entire way.
—Speaking of swords, I need to get two more —Zoro said, interrupting Tashigi's comments.
—Two more? —Tashigi asked, looking at him confused.
—That's right. I use the three-sword style, but my other two were destroyed —Zoro replied. —Do you know of any sword shops? —he asked again.
—Of course! Follow me —Tashigi responded cheerfully, guiding him to the shop where she had left her sword for maintenance.
—Now that I think about it, there's a bounty hunter who also carries three swords —Tashigi said, looking for something to talk about.
—A bounty hunter, huh? —Zoro replied as he kept walking beside her.
—Yeah, he's quite famous. His name is Roronoa Zoro —Tashigi said, remembering the name without realizing she had him right in front of her.
—I think I've heard that name before —Zoro said with a smile.
—He's quite popular in the East Blue, but he has a bad reputation. He uses his katanas for evil purposes. I just can't understand why evil reigns in this era. The best swordsmen are either pirates or bounty hunters, and the rarest katanas end up in their hands. It's such a shame, isn't it? —Tashigi said, feeling down, as she was a sword lover and couldn't stand them being in the hands of bad people.
—I don't know, everyone's situation is different —Zoro replied calmly while listening to Tashigi's chatter.
—No matter what, I won't give up. I'll become a powerful swordswoman and gather all the katanas scattered around the world in the hands of outlaws. The 12 Supreme Swords, the 21 Great Swords, and the 50 Skillful Swords —she said, puffing out her chest with pride. —I'd risk my life for it.
—Then, do you want my sword too? Wado Ichimonji, right? —Zoro said as he stopped for a moment to show his sword.
—Aah, well… It's just that I want to have the best katanas, but above all, I'd never steal one from a fellow Marine —Tashigi quickly replied, deflating.
—We're here —she suddenly said, realizing they had arrived at the sword shop.
Meanwhile, Coby, who had been ignored all this time, simply followed the other Marines to the base.
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