Chapter 16: He Actually Smiled

Cold sweat dripped uncontrollably from Vivian's forehead.

Teigu…

Mangekyō Sharingan…

Sun Breathing…

Wow, these rewards are terrifying!

Vivian realized that if he chose option 2 and attacked Luffy with Thunder Breathing: First Form – Thunderclap and Flash, he probably wouldn't survive the night.

Not to mention Luffy's father was in this town. Even if he escaped, the Revolutionary Army, the Four Emperors, and the Navy would all be hunting him down.

Just thinking about it was absurd.

So, Vivian quickly pointed behind him.

"The execution platform? Go left from here, then right, then left again, and keep going straight until you reach the central square. That's where the execution platform is."

"Ah, thanks." Luffy grinned at Vivian.

"You're welcome."

[You chose option 3, reward: Strength +1]

Watching Luffy run off, Vivian let out a long sigh of relief. "Phew…"

Survived!

Now he just needed to find Kuto, get his phone back, and hide in the base dormitory to sleep. That should keep him out of any trouble, right?

With that thought, Vivian quickly ran in the opposite direction of the execution platform.

…

Half an hour later.

At the end of Loguetown's Town street, Vivian finally found Kuto after much effort. He immediately tackled him to the ground and started beating him up.

After a while, when Kuto's clean, scholarly face was almost unrecognizable, Vivian finally stopped and grabbed Kuto by the collar, demanding, "Where's my phone?"

"In… in my back pocket," Kuto mumbled through his swollen face.

Vivian pressed Kuto back to the ground and reached into his back pocket. Just then, a deafening shout came from the central square behind him:

"I am the man who will become the Pirate King!!!"

Vivian's hand froze in Kuto's pocket.

Everyone on the street instinctively looked towards the source of the voice. They saw a boy with a straw hat being held at knifepoint by a red-nosed pirate on the execution platform, unable to move.

The residents of Loguetown were stunned by the boy's audacious declaration, doubting their ears.

"Did I hear that right?"

"What did he just say? He wants to be the Pirate King?"

"Is that kid crazy…"

"And he said it in this town of all places…"

Such arrogance!

"Hmph, Pirate King? Are you done talking, you rubber idiot? It's time to send you on your way."

As the clown pirate Buggy raised his sword to strike, two voices rang out simultaneously from not far from Vivian.

"Wait!!"

"What kind of joke is this, Luffy?"

A man with a green headband and three swords at his waist.

A blond man with curly eyebrows, hands in his pockets, with long legs.

They were Zoro and Sanji, two members of the Straw Hat Pirates.

"It seems the main characters from the anime have all arrived in Loguetown," Vivian thought, looking around for Nami and Usopp.

Meanwhile…

On top of the tall building opposite the execution platform, Smoker led a group of soldiers, holding flintlock rifles aimed at the square.

"Wait for my command. As soon as Monkey D. Luffy's head falls, pull the trigger and kill all the pirates in the square."

"Yes, Captain Smoker."

The scene fell into a terrifying silence.

Everyone's attention was focused on the long knife in Buggy's hand.

Only Sanji and Zoro were desperately running forward, trying to save Luffy from the platform.

"It's too late, you fools!" Buggy snarled, about to swing his knife down.

"Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami…"

At that moment, Luffy grinned, showing the same bright smile he had when asking Vivian for directions.

"Sorry, I'm going to die."

o(▽)o

…

"He smiled…" On the rooftop, Smoker, who was about to give the command, froze in shock.

"He actually smiled?" Kuto, who was beaten black and blue and pinned to the ground by Vivian, turned his head with difficulty, his eyes filled with shock.

"He really did smile." Vivian lit a cigarette, showing a bit of admiration for Luffy.

Facing death with such composure, this spirit reminded him of the saying, "I laugh in the face of death, my heart and soul unyielding."

However…

Vivian's peripheral vision caught sight of a tall man, about 2.5 meters, in a green robe appearing at the street corner.

At the same time, the previously clear sky suddenly filled with dark clouds, and light rain began to fall…

Boom——!

A loud crash, and a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, hitting the execution platform.

Blue flames instantly engulfed the entire tower. Just as the long knife was about to touch Luffy's neck, the electrocuted Buggy and the platform collapsed, crashing to the ground.

Luffy picked up his fallen straw hat and laughed loudly, "Hahaha, I'm still alive."

"Attack, surround all the pirates!" Seeing this, Smoker quickly gave the order.

In an instant, the marines hidden around the square swarmed out, clashing with the pirates.

The streets of Loguetown, where people had been watching Luffy's execution, erupted into chaos as gunshots, shouts, and the clash of weapons filled the air.

The entire town descended into chaos.

"Vivian, let me up," Kuto, pinned under Vivian, couldn't help but say.

"Oh?" Vivian took a deep drag on his cigarette and put his phone back in his pocket. "What do you want to do?"

"Of course, to help," Kuto replied.

Straw Hat Luffy, Bounty Hunter Zoro, and Clown Buggy were all dangerous pirates. If they escaped, who knows how many innocent people would suffer.

"Alright, good luck." Vivian blew out a smoke ring and stood up…

[Option 1: Help Kuto stop the Straw Hat Pirates from escaping. (Reward: Conqueror's Haki)]

[Option 2: Stay and fight the Buggy Pirates. (Reward: Random medical skill from another dimension)]

[Option 3: Go back to the dormitory to sleep. (Reward: Random skill experience +1)]