Hearing the voice, Luffy turned his head in surprise and exclaimed, "It's you, Buggy the Clown!"
In front of him stood Buggy the Clown, along with Cabaji, Alvida, and the rest of the Buggy Pirates. They had been planning this moment for a long time and had finally tracked down Luffy. While Luffy was enjoying the feeling of standing where the Pirate King once did, Buggy used his Chop-Chop Fruit powers to silently reach the platform and seize Luffy.
Being a rubber man, Luffy's weakness was sharp weapons, and Buggy's blade was pressed against his neck. Buggy smirked, "That's right, it's me, you damn rubber! You humiliated me last time, and now it's time for me to settle the score!"
Buggy's voice was filled with hatred. As a former crew member of the Pirate King's ship and a user of the Chop-Chop Fruit, Buggy had once been invincible in the East Blue and was about to head for the Grand Line when Luffy defeated him—a humiliation Buggy could never forget. Now, he would exact his revenge.
"And me too, you rubber fool! Today, I'll have my revenge!" Cabaji sneered. As a senior officer of the Buggy Pirates, he had been defeated by Zoro, and now he was here to reclaim his pride.
"I'm here too! You dared to hurt my beloved steed so badly; I won't forgive you!" said Mohji coldly, recalling how his pet lion Richie was beaten by Luffy. As a tamer, he was out for vengeance.
"Don't forget about me, Straw Hat Luffy!" Alvida smiled at Luffy.
"Who are you?" Luffy asked, confused. He understood why Buggy was seeking revenge, but this beautiful woman—did he have a grudge with her?
"You bastard! You're the only man who's ever touched my body, and you don't even remember me? Unforgivable!" Alvida roared in anger. Once a notorious pirate leader feared across the East Blue, she had never been disregarded like this. For Luffy to hit her and then forget her was a humiliation beyond belief.
"Huh?" Luffy still looked puzzled, unable to recall.
"Kill him!" Alvida, infuriated, shouted. If he couldn't remember, he would pay with his life.
"Hehehe, Straw Hat, aren't you always dreaming of becoming the Pirate King? Fine! Right now, in front of all these people, on the same platform where Roger was executed, you'll die like he did!" Buggy sneered, raising his blade high. "Your rubber body may be invincible, but my blade can cut through anything. I'll take your head with one slice! At least it's a grand way to die!"
As Buggy raised his blade to strike, Smoker, having turned into smoke, arrived at the central square and leapt onto a nearby building. Seeing the scene unfold, he was taken aback. He had crossed paths with Luffy before, but he hadn't realized this was the Straw Hat worth 30 million Beli—about to be executed.
"Who's that kid? He said he wants to be the Pirate King?"
"No idea, never seen him before. The last Pirate King was Roger; who does this kid think he is, standing up there in a straw hat?"
"The one with the blade is Buggy the Clown, captain of the Buggy Pirates. I can't believe he's showing up in Loguetown like this. Have pirates become so brazen in this town?"
The crowd around the square was shocked. Loguetown had been peaceful for a long time, and such disturbances were rare. The commotion quickly spread throughout the town—someone in a straw hat was about to be executed on the same platform as the former Pirate King.
Meanwhile, Sanji, having defeated the beautiful chef and claimed his rare ingredient, was heading towards the central square where the crew planned to regroup before returning to the ship. But as he walked, he heard the news of a Straw Hat boy being executed, and his heart sank.
"Could it be Luffy?" Sanji thought, breaking into a run towards the square.
"Luffy's in danger!"
"Someone's trying to kill Luffy? This idiot's in trouble again!"
"This is bad; we need to get there fast!"
At the same time, Usopp, Zoro, and Nami also received the news and rushed towards the central square. By the time they arrived, they saw Buggy on the ten-meter-high execution platform, his blade poised to strike Luffy.
"Straw Hat! Die gloriously before the eyes of the crowd!" Buggy cackled, showing no mercy as he swung down.
"Luffy!" The four crewmates screamed, running frantically towards the platform. He was their captain—how could he die here? He still had to take them to the Grand Line, help Nami draw a map of the world, find the legendary All Blue, and fulfill Usopp's dream of becoming a brave warrior of the sea. Their journey had only just begun; this couldn't be the end.
"Is he really going to die?"
"He's getting the same treatment as the Pirate King Roger, right? At least he's going out in style."
"I guess so…"
The crowd murmured, some sighing, others indifferent. On the seas, death was a daily occurrence, but it was rare for someone to die on this very platform. To some, it was a fitting end.
"Straw Hat, die!" Buggy roared.
The blade flashed.
"Nami, Moonlight, Usopp, Sanji, Zoro… I'm about to die." Luffy struggled for a moment but quickly realized it was pointless. Letting go of his fear, he looked down at his crew and smiled calmly.
"He's smiling?" Smoker was stunned. He'd seen countless people face death, but never someone who smiled at the end. Luffy's smile was serene, as if he had found peace in his fate.
"Luffy!" Zoro and the others shouted in agony, their eyes wide with terror.
"It's over; he's done for."
"He's smiling even in death… what kind of person is he?"
"Damn."
The crowd shook their heads, and some turned away, unable to watch. Overhead, dark clouds gathered, and thunder rumbled as if the heavens themselves were about to unleash their fury. Just then, a crescent-shaped slash of sword energy cut through the crowd, slicing its way toward the execution platform!
The sword energy was unstoppable, splitting the air with terrifying force as it struck the platform.
"Crack!"
The execution platform shattered into pieces, sending everyone on it tumbling down.