Malphegor
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OP: AMP Ch. 52
🕑 Added 2025-08-29 00:42:45 +0000 UTCLoguetown.
Zoro walked down the streets, dragging a long chain of prisoners behind him. The metal links clinked against the cobblestones, drawing curious stares from every direction.
"Is that a fishman?!"
"Look at the front, that's Arlong! 20 million berry bounty! Someone actually caught him?!"
"Behind him, that's Kuroobi with 9 million, and Chew with 5.5 million!"
"Does this mean the entire Arlong Pirates got wiped out?"
The streets buzzed with chatter as crowds gathered to gawk at the defeated crew. In Loguetown, it wasn't unusual to see bounty hunters dragging in pirates every day, the town was built on that kind of business.
But most captures were small-time crooks worth a few hundred thousand berries, maybe a million if you got lucky.
Pirates with bounties over 5 million were rare as hen's teeth. And taking down an entire crew? That was the stuff of legends.
"It's the bounty hunter Roronoa Zoro! He actually destroyed the whole Arlong Pirates!"
"No way! I heard he got executed!"
"Your news is ancient history, pal! Over a month ago, not only did he avoid execution, he turned the entire 153rd Branch upside down! Captain Morgan got thrown straight into prison!"
"What? Are you out of your mind?"
"You don't know the half of it! My aunt's second cousin's neighbor's childhood friend's houseguest's wife's lover has a reliable source. Back at the 153rd Branch, right when Zoro was about to be executed, thunder roared from the sky and God himself struck down Morgan's statue with lightning! Then the people rose up against Morgan's tyranny, and under Zoro's leadership they completely purged the corruption!"
"What the hell? What did you smoke? I want it too!"
Wild rumors and increasingly ridiculous stories spread through the crowd. Each retelling added new dramatic details, transforming Zoro from a simple bounty hunter into some kind of mythical folk hero.
Meanwhile, Zoro himself was experiencing his usual navigational difficulties. Despite having visited Loguetown multiple times before, he'd somehow managed to get completely turned around in the familiar streets.
Just then, he spotted a crowd gathered up ahead around what looked like some kind of commotion. Perfect, he could ask for directions while satisfying his curiosity about what was happening.
But the moment he approached the crowd, two sharp screams rang out from the center of the group.
The spectators cheered and immediately parted to create a clear path, eager to see what would happen next.
In the cleared space, a young woman with glasses and short dark hair was smiling and waving at someone in the crowd. But she wasn't watching where she was stepping, and her foot caught on a loose cobblestone. Her body pitched forward, arms windmilling as she tried to regain her balance.
Zoro's reflexes kicked in before his brain could process what was happening. He instinctively reached out to catch her.
But since his right hand was occupied holding the prisoner chain, he could only free one hand to help.
His palm made contact with something undeniably soft.
He froze completely, his mind going blank as he realized exactly what he'd just grabbed.
The shock caused him to jerk his hand back immediately.
But because of that sudden movement, the woman, who hadn't yet managed to steady herself, stumbled completely and crashed to the ground. Her glasses flew off her face and clattered across the cobblestones.
"Ah! My glasses!" The woman ignored her scraped knees and immediately started feeling around on the ground, searching for her fallen glasses.
"Shit, sorry, sorry!" Zoro realized this was entirely his fault and quickly crouched down to help, scanning the street for the missing glasses.
He spotted them a few feet away and scooped them up.
At the same moment, the woman looked up with a hopeful smile. "It's okay, it was just an accid—"
CRACK.
Zoro stared down at the woman, while she stared back at the completely shattered glasses clutched in his hand.
Her cheeks puffed out. What the hell was wrong with this guy? First he groped her, then he deliberately destroyed her precious glasses?
Zoro's thoughts were in turmoil for different reasons. The woman's face... it was almost identical to his childhood friend Kuina, who had died years ago. For a moment, he'd been transported back to their training sessions... But this wasn't Kuina. She was gone forever. This was just a stranger who happened to look like her.
He stood there awkwardly, staring at the broken glasses in his hand.
"Uh... I swear I didn't mean to do that. Do you believe me?"
"Those were designer glasses that cost me half a month's salary," the woman glared at him, her vision now blurry without her glasses. "You're paying me back. Every last berry."
"I don't have any cash on me right now. I'll need to head to the Marine base to exchange some bounty money first." Zoro didn't argue, it was his fault, after all.
Only then did the woman squint and peer at the long line of prisoners being dragged behind him. Without her glasses, she could only make out vague shapes, but it was obviously a significant number of captured pirates.
"You actually took down an entire pirate crew? Looks like you're quite the capable bounty hunter," she said, getting to her feet and brushing dirt off her uniform. "In that case, come with me, I was just about to escort some prisoners back to base anyway."
She pointed at two small-time pirates with swords who were lying unconscious nearby, apparently defeated by whoever this crowd had been watching before Zoro arrived.
"As compensation for breaking my glasses, you can help me haul these two as well."
"Alright," Zoro agreed without protest, silently gathering up the additional prisoners.
But his expression grew increasingly complex as he studied the woman. The sword at her waist clearly marked her as a fellow swordswoman. It was disturbing how much two completely unrelated people could resemble each other.
The woman walking ahead had no idea what kind of emotional turmoil she was causing. She was focused on her own irritation, getting groped, accidentally or not, and then having her expensive glasses destroyed was enough to ruin anyone's day. But she kept her anger bottled up, maintaining her professional demeanor as they made their way through the streets.
Before long, the unlikely pair reached the imposing gates of the Marine base.
"Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, did you manage to apprehend the pirates who landed on the island earlier? Oh my... is that the Arlong Pirates?! That's Arlong himself!"
The desk clerk's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the long procession of high-value prisoners.
At the mention of Arlong's massive bounty, even Tashigi spun around in shock. She'd been leading this bounty hunter to the base without really looking at his captures.
"It wasn't me," she explained honestly. "This bounty hunter deserves all the credit."
The clerk was equally stunned and immediately began processing the paperwork, ordering soldiers to start counting and cataloging the prisoners.
Several minutes later, after all the bounties had been calculated and verified, Zoro found himself holding a payout of 34.5 million berries.
He turned to Tashigi. "How much were your glasses?"
"Fifty thousand berries."
Tashigi had already put on her spare pair of glasses, but her gaze at Zoro was complicated. By now, she knew exactly who this socially awkward man was, the infamous bounty hunter of the East Blue, Roronoa Zoro.
According to reports, he usually operated near the 153rd Branch in the southeastern part of the sea. And if the rumors were true, he and some kid in a straw hat had exposed Morgan's corruption, leading to the captain's imprisonment.
Stories about Zoro circulated throughout that region. Some painted him as a dangerous renegade, but many others praised his actions. For instance, he'd once agreed to Morgan's impossible conditions to spare a girl from punishment. This was a clear sign that despite his fearsome reputation, he had a conscience.
"We're even now," Zoro said, handing over fifty thousand berries.
He turned to leave, unable to keep looking directly at that familiar face any longer.
"Roronoa Zoro," Tashigi called out, stopping him. "Have you ever considered joining the Marines? With your skill and sense of justice..."
Zoro cut her off immediately. "Forget the Marines. I can't stand being shackled by regulations. I have a promise to fulfill, and the Marines would only slow me down."
Tashigi silently watched him walk farther and farther away until he disappeared beyond the base gates. Finally, she let out a long sigh.
She knew the Marines had already tried recruiting him before, any bounty hunter of his caliber was always approached with job offers. But she'd wanted to try asking once herself, hoping maybe she could succeed where others had failed.
Just then, the front desk clerk approached with a troubled expression on his face.
"During our inspection of the prisoners, we discovered that one of the captured 'pirates' was actually... Captain Nezumi."
"What?! What's going on here?"
"He hasn't regained consciousness yet, so we couldn't question him."
"Then why are you only telling me this now?" Tashigi demanded.
The soldier wiped nervous sweat from his brow. "Well, his face was so badly swollen that we couldn't recognize him at first. Only after the doctor treated the swelling did we realize who it was. Also, this note was tucked into his uniform collar. It says it's specifically for Captain Smoker to read."
He handed over a sealed envelope.
Tashigi snatched the letter without hesitation. She tore it open and began reading.
The further her eyes traveled down the page, the more her hands began to shake. By the time she finished, she was breathing heavily and had crumpled the paper in her fist.
"Lock Captain Nezumi up immediately! Treat him as a high-level criminal awaiting trial!"
"This isn't appropriate," the front desk clerk said, wringing his hands nervously. "The suspect holds the same rank as our base commander, we don't have the authority to detain him without proper authorization."
He really didn't want to piss off a fellow Marine Captain without damn good reason. He was just a lowly desk jockey, not someone who could afford to make enemies at that level.
"If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility!" Tashigi snapped, making several nearby Marines turn to stare.
Hearing her tone, the clerk decided not to push his luck any further. He quickly passed the order down the chain of command, though he couldn't help but wonder what the hell was written on that note to make the usually calm Master Chief Petty Officer so furious.
With the letter still clutched in her hand, Tashigi made her way through the base's corridors to her superior's office. She knocked once and entered without waiting for permission.
Smoker was lounging in his smoke-filled office, playing a solitary game of stones on his desk. The room was so thick with cigar smoke that most people would've started coughing immediately, but Tashigi had long since gotten used to her captain's habits.
"Hmm? Who managed to get you all worked up?" Smoker asked, not even looking up from his game.
Instead of responding, Tashigi simply walked over and placed the crumpled letter on his desk.
Smoker's eyebrows rose slightly. He set down his stones and picked up the note, straightening it out carefully before beginning to read.
The more he read, the darker his expression became.
He was a Marine Captain in charge of the Loguetown branch, so his jurisdiction was limited to Loguetown itself and a handful of nearby towns. Without direct orders from headquarters, he couldn't patrol the open seas or investigate crimes outside his assigned territory.
But a pirate crew had been operating in his backyard for eight whole years, terrorizing innocent civilians, extorting money, and committing god knows what other atrocities, and he'd never received so much as a single report about their activities.
All thanks to Nezumi at the 16th Branch, who'd been taking bribes to cover up their crimes.
"Where is he now?"
"Already locked up in the high-security detention block. But we probably can't hold him for long, headquarters will definitely find out about this."
Headquarters...
Smoker wasn't exactly popular with the higher-ups. His reputation for being too independent and righteous had earned him this posting in the East Blue, far from the Marine headquarters. To imprison someone of equal rank required proper authorization through official channels.
Keeping Nezumi detained without permission wouldn't stay secret for long. At most, they had maybe two weeks before some inspector showed up asking uncomfortable questions. And if that inspector happened to have ties to Nezumi or his corrupt network, the bastard might get released even sooner.
Still, Smoker couldn't resort to illegal punishment or torture, no matter how much the man deserved it. He was still a Marine Captain, and he had standards to maintain.
"Two weeks is enough!" He slammed the letter down on his desk, already reaching for his coat. "Tashigi, write up a detailed report on everything we know. If the evidence checks out, when I return I'm taking this straight to headquarters, even if it costs me my career, I won't let him get away with this!"
He was already heading for the door.
"Prepare a warship immediately, I'm going to sea!"
"But Captain—"
"No buts! Do it now!"
"Yes, sir!"
Tashigi watched her superior storm out of the office. She could only sigh and shake her head.
Even if he went to investigate personally, what he found would probably be heartbreaking. Just from those few sentences in the letter describing eight years of oppression and corruption, she could already imagine the rage and pain of the victims.
Eight years of hell, all because one corrupt Marine had decided to line his pockets with blood money.
She couldn't even bring herself to imagine what those poor villagers had endured.
---
Meanwhile, on Loguetown's busy shopping street, Sanji and Marcus walked side by side, browsing the various stalls and shops.
"Think that guy will actually manage to find his way back?" Sanji muttered, taking a drag from his cigarette. He hadn't spent much time with Zoro yet, but he'd heard plenty of complaints from the crew, like how the swordsman could get lost walking in a straight line.
How was that even possible? Just how?
Marcus just shrugged. "If I had to guess, he'll probably run into someone who reminds him of an old friend."
"How could you possibly know that?"
"You know about Smoker, right? The Marine Captain stationed here?"
"Yeah?" Sanji looked puzzled. "He's pretty famous in the East Blue, after all, he's a Logia Devil Fruit user. What about him?"
"Well, for one thing, he's got a beautiful subordinate working under him."
"What?! Seriously?! Damn it! Why didn't you tell me that earlier? If I'd known, I would've volunteered to escort Arlong's crew to the Marine base!"
"Don't worry about it. You'll be meeting someone beautiful soon enough..."
Before Marcus could finish his sentence, his words were cut off by a voice calling out across the street.
"Finally! I've found you, Sanji!"
A woman dressed entirely in crimson red, with decorative peonies adorning her outfit, made an entrance that drew stares from every passerby. She moved like she was performing on stage.
Sanji spun around at the sound of his name, cigarette nearly falling from his lips in shock.
"For ten long years, I've dreamed of seeing you again!"
Marcus took one look at the woman, who was posing like a peacock displaying its feathers, and chuckled to himself. He'd seen this coming from a mile away.
"She's here for you, Sanji," Marcus said, patting his crewmate on the shoulder. "I'll leave you two to catch up. Try to remember your manners."
With that, he walked away, leaving Sanji standing dumbfounded in the middle of the street. But within seconds, the cook's mind was completely occupied by the stunning beauty standing before him.
"Ah, my lovely lady!" Sanji recovered his composure and struck his usual suave pose. "Have we perhaps met before?"
Marcus, watching this scene play out exactly as he'd expected, became more certain of something he'd been suspecting for a while: this world was developing as a combination of both the manga and anime storylines.
After all, the manga had never included this particular scene. But the anime had introduced an original character, a beautiful chef named Carmen who had a ten-year history with Sanji.
If that was the case, then he had good reason to suspect something else that could change everything.
The movie storylines might exist too.
Characters like Shiki the Golden Lion, Gild Tesoro of Gran Tesoro, and Zephyr of the Neo Marines definitely existed in this world, since he had seen newspaper articles mentioning their activities.
But others, like Douglas Bullet or Uta, he hadn't seen any sign of yet.
There were also the movies he barely remembered: something about Pure Gold, one involving a cursed sword, another featuring some kind of sea race competition... the rest were just vague memories.
"I can confirm Uta easily enough, just ask Luffy about his childhood and I'll know for sure. As for the others..."
As he muttered to himself, lost in thought, he suddenly bumped into someone coming around a corner.
He rubbed his nose where it had collided with what felt like a brick wall. "Sorry about that, didn't see you there."
Then he looked up to see who he'd run into, and immediately froze.
Standing before him was an elderly man wearing a distinctive dog-shaped hat, grinning widely and munching on what looked like rice crackers.
"Um... if there's no problem here, can I just leave now?" Marcus asked with an awkward laugh, already taking a step backward.
The man's grin widened as he clamped a massive hand down on Marcus' shoulder, effectively trapping him in place.
"Bwahaha! You've got a strong body there, kid! How about becoming a Marine? I could use someone with your potential!"
It was Garp, the legendary Marine hero, casually extending a recruitment offer.
Marcus forced another nervous laugh and scratched his head. "Hahaha... thanks for the offer, but I've already made promises to other people. For now, joining the Marines just isn't in the cards for me."
"Is that so? What a shame, you would've made an excellent recruit."
With a heavy pat on Marcus' shoulder that nearly drove him to his knees, Garp continued on his way, still munching on his rice crackers.
Marcus watched him disappear into the crowd, noting that the old man was walking alone without any Marine escorts or attendants.
Wait a minute... what the hell was Garp doing in Loguetown?
According to the original timeline, shouldn't he be at the 153rd Branch right now, dealing with Morgan's transfer and taking on Koby as his new apprentice?
Had one of his seemingly small actions somehow altered Garp's entire schedule? If that was the case, would Koby still be able to become Garp's trainee and grow into the Marine's future hero?
And more importantly, what was Luffy doing right now? If Garp and Luffy ran into each other here in Loguetown, what kind of massive chain reaction would that cause?
He couldn't shake the terrifying image of Garp's Fist of Love cutting Luffy's pirate journey short before it really began, transforming the future Pirate King into the Marine King right here in this town.
He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought. No way that could happen. If something that drastically altered the timeline occurred, his experience gains should've maxed out immediately, changing Luffy from Pirate King to Marine officer wasn't just nudging fate, it was completely rewriting the story.
Still, if Garp was here in Loguetown, then Dragon should be somewhere nearby as well. The Revolutionary Army leader had his own reasons for keeping tabs on this place.
But that raised another question: would Buggy still show up here and create that iconic public execution scene? The one that had launched Luffy's reputation as a fearless pirate captain?
Just imagining Luffy's execution taking place with both Dragon and Garp in attendance would be just as earth-shaking as the Summit War itself.
