Endless Loyalty

Loguetown - Chapter Three

The warm sea breeze drifts by, offering some relief against the heat of the day as I work to help prepare the ship to make port. Zoro lifts the anchor from its place hooked around the rail of the foredeck, releasing it into the sea.

"WOOHOO! THIS IS GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN!" Luffy's shout overshadows the splash of the anchor as he launches himself off the ship to shore. I barely have a chance to turn towards him before he is sprinting towards town, his voice disappearing into the distance.

"Hey wait, Luffy!" Usopp calls, dashing to port rail, "We have to pick a meeting place!!!"

He jumps overboard, scrambling to catch up with our energetic captain.

"Is he always this excitable?" I ask as the rest of us disembark.

"Yeah, that idiot has a knack for charging headlong into trouble." Sanji answers, offering me a hand as I hop the small distance from the ladder to shore. "Good news is, that makes him easy to find."

He releases my hand and turns back to the ladder to help Nami. I step out of the way, turning my sights on the city. Not far from the beach is a large archway, its brightly painted flourishes shining under the afternoon sun. A sign hangs from the apex of the arch, swinging lightly in the warm breeze.

"Western Harbor." I read aloud, "I gotta remember that."

"Every pirate who is entering the Grand Line stops here to resupply." Nami says, stopping with her hands on her hips beside me. I glance at her and find her smiling brightly at me, "It has everything you could possibly need."

We enter the city together, each of us moving in silence as we take in the sights. I can't seem to take it all in fast enough. The brightly decorated storefronts blur as my head turns from side to side. The cobbled streets are full of people bustling from place to place. The fragrant smells of fresh food fill my nose and I turn. Sanji turns as well, his lips tipping up around his cigarette. With a soft hmm he steps away from us, following his nose as it leads him down a different street.

Unfazed by Sanji's leaving, Nami and Zoro continue down the street. I follow them, trying to stay close despite the ebb and flow of foot traffic.

"Look at all these shops! It'll be easy to get you plenty of your own clothes here!" Nami exclaims, her eyes lingering on a particularly extravagant looking store.

I pull my lip between my teeth as I follow her gaze.

Everything here looks so expensive... how am I gonna manage a new weapon and clothes with my limited funds...

"You'd think there'd be a swordsmith around here..." Zoro grumbles beside me.

I glance up at him, watching as his lips twist into a hard scowl.

"I thought you were broke. Are you going to steal a sword?" Nami's voice dips, her tone shifting in pitch as she teases him.

Zoro fixes her with a hard glare as his scowl deepens. He grumbles something about borrowing money but the specifics are lost to me as my eyes land on a statue standing tall near one of the buildings.

I step away from them as I study the boy memorialized forever in bronze. Wrapped in a simple cloth, he stands with one bare foot upon the body of a headless woman. A short sword in one hand, the other is raised high, hoisting the woman's head high in the air. A marble placard is fixed to the stone pedestal on which the statue stands. I step closer, my focus narrowing to the words chiseled into the stone. 

"Victory of the Youth." I mumble the title as my eyes are drawn back up to the image of the boy. A low hum rolls in my throat and my eyes return to the placard. "Commissioned by Fleet Admiral Kong in honor of his success in executing the King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, 1500."