Chapter 24: Introducing Taiyo into the World

Taiyo, Van Augur, and Laffitte, were seen walking in the streets of Loguetown without doing anything towards the civilians that also happened to be in the vicinity with them, but as they walked further and further, they noticed that the number of civilians decreased, Taiyo, Van Augur, and Laffitte already realized what is happening, they are being encircled by numerous marines, and from what Taiyo could gather, they are hunting Laffitte as he is still bountyless. 

After a few minutes of waiting, more than hundreds of Marines encircled around the block of the street where Taiyo, Van Augur, and Laffitte are, which gave them enough confidence that they could subdue all of them, Smoker, who was the head of the Marine base in the Loguetown, became the front runner, as he decided to approached them in all direction, as where all of the Marines have their guns aimed and ready to fire towards Taiyo, Laffitte, and Van Augur, in case they did something. The parties continued to walk until they all came face to face, with Smoker and his soldiers, surrounded and aimed towards the three of them.

"Demon Sheriff Laffitte, you are under arrest, with your companions, please come quietly before any blood was drawn, as we would not hesitate to shoot you if we deem you have any intentions to harm us," Smoker, then shouted, as he made a threat towards Laffitte, made his intentions well known.

"I'm sorry but if you want to arrest me, you must talk to my Captain," Laffitte replied, as he gestured towards Taiyo who was still walking and did not mind the encirclement of the marines that are aiming towards them, Smoker then stood in front of Taiyo as he stopped him in his tracks, which made Taiyo look at him with a calm expression.

"You are under arrest," Smoker said towards Taiyo, as he pointed his Jitte towards Taiyo, which he did not appreciate, Taiyo then immediately unsheathed his sword slashed the Jitte of Smoker, and hit him in every part of his body using armament haki in under a blink of an eye, as he attacked without any hesitation.

The marines just saw their Captain, aimed his weapon towards Taiyo, and immediately got defeated., They did not have the slightest idea of how it happened; what they just saw was the aftermath, as Smoker was bleeding heavily due to his wounds. The soldiers, not sure of what to do next, were about to attack Taiyo, but before they could, Taiyo suddenly talked as he wanted to not shed any more blood pointlessly.

"If you care about your Captain at all, you would stop here and immediately take him to a doctor to help him recover, but if you don't, not only he would die, but all of you as well," Taiyo said, as he warned the soldiers, he then stood and sheathed his blade, and waited for them to react, as if waiting for them to make a choice, which is becoming more and more crucial as the more time they spend on thinking what choice to make, the more Smoker bleed out. 

After a few minutes, the soldiers immediately lowered their weapons and hurriedly carried Smoker to recover, leaving Taiyo, Van Augur, and Laffitte on their own. The entire evacuation happened in just under five minutes, which showed their discipline. The soldiers also did not look at them while they were evacuating, fearing that they would change their minds and massacre everyone of them.

"Why did you let them go?" Laffitte then asked after the evacuation had happened. Taiyo just looked at him without answering, before he started walking once again, as he planned to go back on their ship to start their journey. He was getting bored in the East Blue, and wanted to at least find some decent fight, maybe even meet Mihawk, and spar.

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When Taiyo arrived at the port where their ship was anchored, the area was quiet—only their ship remained, swaying gently in the water. Both Kuro and Jango were already on board, seemingly waiting for Taiyo and Van Augur to return. However, now one more person was walking alongside them—someone they didn't recognize.

"Captain, who is he? Our new member?" Jango asked, eyeing Laffitte with great curiosity.

"Yes," Taiyo replied calmly. "He'll be filling the role of our navigator. His name is Laffitte."

Kuro narrowed his eyes the moment he heard the name. He had heard it before—whispers of a man called Demon Sheriff—and the reputation that came with it. His gaze shifted to Laffitte, scanning him from head to toe, noting the elegant cane, the eerie smile, and the unsettling calm that surrounded him.

"So… this is the infamous Demon Sheriff?" Kuro muttered, his tone calm but laced with a hint of wariness. "Didn't take you for someone who'd work under someone else."

Laffitte chuckled lightly, tapping his cane against the wooden deck. "Oh, I don't follow just anyone. But your captain—he's quite... different. Let's say fate has a strange sense of humor."

Kuro turned to Taiyo. "I hope you know what you're doing, Captain. We barely know anything about him."

Taiyo nodded without hesitation. "You don't need to worry, I know enough to trust him on our journey,"

Laffitte gave a gentleman's bow, placing his hand over his chest. "I'll prove my worth soon enough. After all, what kind of navigator would I be if I didn't lead us somewhere unforgettable?"

Kuro didn't respond immediately, but eventually turned back to the rail, arms crossed. "Just don't get in my way."

Jango, meanwhile, simply grinned. "Well, as long as you're not crazier than me, we'll get along just fine."

Van Augur stood silently nearby, watching the exchange with his usual distant expression. His rifle was leaning against the railing, but his eyes never left Laffitte.

With all members now aboard, Taiyo stepped forward and looked ahead to the open sea.

"Raise the anchor," he said calmly. "It's time we set course for the South Blue."

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Meanwhile, back at the Marine base in Loguetown, the officer second in command to Smoker was seen making a report through a Den Den Mushi. He spoke calmly but firmly, recounting the events in full detail for Marine Headquarters to assess the situation and determine an appropriate bounty.

"So, let me get this straight," the voice from the Den Den Mushi said, laced with disbelief. "You're telling me a Logia user—Captain Smoker, no less—was defeated by a swordsman in the blink of an eye? Without even having the chance to fight back?"

"Yes, sir. That's exactly what happened," the adjutant confirmed. "Captain Smoker will be able to provide his own account once he recovers. For now, he remains in critical condition in the operating room."

The officer on the other end of the line was silent for a moment. East Blue was widely regarded as the weakest of the four seas—an incident like this defied expectations.

"And what about the swordsman? Do we have a name?"

"We do," the adjutant replied. "According to local sources, including a bartender who witnessed their first encounter, the man introduced himself as Shimotsuki Taiyo. He was accompanied by a sniper identified as Van Augur. It was at that bar where they also met Laffitte, who, according to reports, massacred the other patrons—except for the bartender—and later attempted to attack Taiyo."

"And what was the outcome of that encounter?"

"Laffitte was defeated instantly. No significant injuries were dealt, but Taiyo disarmed and outmaneuvered him in less than a second."

Another pause.

"Understood. Forward all eyewitness statements, location data, and any available images. If this Taiyo is heading into the Grand Line, we need to assess how dangerous he is before he causes a larger incident."

"Yes, sir. Transmitting now."

The Den Den Mushi call ended with a click.

The officer on the other end leaned back in his chair, the gears already turning in his head. He picked up his pen and began writing the preliminary report.

Subject: Shimotsuki Taiyo

Allegiance: Unknown

Companions: Van Augur (sniper), Laffitte (confirmed fugitive, former West Blue law enforcer)

Threat Level: Unknown—potentially extreme

Incident: Assault on Captain Smoker, defeat in less than one second; multiple confirmed deaths (bar incident); evasion of capture

Recommended Action: Immediate bounty issuance, high-priority observation upon entry to Grand Line.

The officer exhaled through his nose, muttering under his breath:

"It seems there's a new player entering the Grand Line."