The execution platform still loomed in the heart of Loguetown, tall and weathered from time but unmoved by history. Tourists came and went, snapping photos or whispering stories of the Pirate King's final words. But for Luffy, standing atop those very planks, it wasn't just a monument.
It was a promise.
He stepped to the center where Gol D. Roger had once stood.
The wind tugged gently at his coat. His straw hat tilted slightly backward. Below him, the people bustled unaware—buying bread, bargaining over seaweed, watching street performers juggle fire.
And beneath him, his shadow stretched long and sharp under the noon sun.
He raised one hand.
Instantly, a ripple spread across the ground, and the dark mist swirled to life.
Arlong's figure rose from it—tall, armored in abyssal black, glowing blue eyes locked forward, obedient and silent. There was no resistance. No hesitation. Only submission.
Luffy didn't even glance at the summon.
He was testing.
Verifying.
The connection was strong. Exact. Perfect.
"Stay hidden," he ordered.
The shadow dipped its head, then dissolved into the floor with a soft whisper of mist, vanishing from sight.
A second later, the system flashed in front of him.
[Shadow General – Arlong: Deployed in Stealth Mode]
[Monarch Sync: 92%]
[Status: Stable]
Luffy smiled faintly.
That was more like it.
No surprises. No chaos. Just tools—deadly, precise, and fully his.
Across town, Zoro stood at the counter of a local blacksmith, examining a rack of finely forged katana. Usopp stood on a crate in the middle of the marketplace, trying to sell a "one-of-a-kind long-range explosive slug launcher" to a crowd of confused tourists. Sanji trailed after Nami with a dozen shopping bags and a nosebleed from watching her haggle with the jewelry vendor.
Everything was normal.
Too normal.
That's why Luffy remained still at the execution site. He didn't trust peace that lasted too long. His instincts had been sharpened through battles, betrayals, and the unnatural awareness that came with the System.
He could feel it.
Someone was watching.
High above, atop the Marine base tower, Smoker stood in silence with his arms crossed and both cigars burning. His long coat fluttered in the wind as he watched the crowds below through narrow eyes.
A bounty poster crumpled in his fist.
MONKEY D. LUFFY – 30,000,000 BERRIES
He took a long drag.
"He's here."
The officer beside him adjusted his collar. "We've received no pirate flag reports. The harbor logs—"
"He's smarter than that," Smoker interrupted. "He's not going to march in with fanfare."
He turned slightly.
"Deploy no one."
"Sir?"
"I'll handle this myself."
Back near the central square, Luffy moved through the edge of the crowd. His pace was calm, his aura unreadable.
But under the surface—he was hunting.
With a thought, the system responded.
[Search Command Activated: Scan for Threat Presence – Radius 500 meters]
[Marine Activity Detected: 1 Notable Presence – Loguetown HQ Roof]
[Subject Classification: Smoker – Captain-Class, Logia Type (Smoke)]
So the rumors were true.
Luffy's eyes narrowed.
He remembered the name. One of the only Marines in East Blue who could be considered dangerous.
Powerful. Relentless. Logia.
He didn't fear him.
But he wouldn't underestimate him either.
"Arlong," Luffy whispered.
The shadow general reappeared silently beside him, cloaked in a narrow alley where the light couldn't reach.
"Track that signature. Do not engage unless I command."
The shadow gave a silent nod and sank back into the pavement like a phantom.
Elsewhere, Smoker leapt from the Marine tower, transforming into smoke mid-air. He swirled across rooftops, eyes locked on the street near the old execution site.
He wasn't chasing a pirate.
He was stalking a shadow.
In the clocktower near the town's north side, the cloaked man who had observed Luffy's bounty earlier lowered his spyglass.
He'd seen the shadow move.
He knew what it meant.
"That's not a Devil Fruit," he muttered. "That's something else."
He pulled the hood tighter and disappeared into the stairwell, vanishing into the dark.
Back in the alley, Luffy leaned against the stone wall, arms folded.
The crowd moved on past the square.
Then—his eyes flicked upward.
Smoker's smoke form spiraled across the rooftops.
He was coming.
The system flickered again.
[Hostile Signature Approaching – ETA: 40 seconds]
[Shadow General Position: In Perimeter – Awaiting Orders]
Luffy took one calm step forward.
Then smiled.
"Let's see if smoke can be cut."
[End of Chapter 90]
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