Loguetown, located at the entrance of the Grand Line, is known as the "Town of Beginnings and Endings."
It was both the birthplace and the execution site of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
A few days later, Luffy stood alone at the port, tiny and inconspicuous amidst the bustling townsfolk.
Shanks had delivered him to Loguetown and immediately set off on his own adventure.
After asking around, Luffy, under curious gazes, made his way to a tavern.
At this time, Smoker had yet to arrive in Loguetown. The era of the Great Pirates was at its most chaotic: the Four Emperors hadn't established dominance, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were not yet formalized, and all manner of people flooded the seas.
Loguetown, being a hub where the seas meet the Grand Line, was teeming with pirates. Even local merchants primarily conducted business with pirates.
Inside the tavern, it was a noisy scene—some were drinking together, others engaged in sparring matches, with crowds cheering around them.
The Marines rarely intervened in town affairs, staying mostly at their base.
The tavern served both as a place to drink and rest and as a hub for information trading.
Luffy entered, ignoring the bartender's suspicious gaze, and chose a seat near the bar.
"One glass of milk, please."
The bartender froze mid-motion, even the nearby patrons stopped drinking.
"Hahaha! Little guy, still on milk? Don't wander off—go back to your mama!"
A bald, muscular man in a green vest laughed, reaching out to grab Luffy.
"Don't touch me." Luffy swatted the man's hand away and calmly said to the bartender, "One glass of milk—quickly."
The vest man, ignored, fumed and stood, cracking his fingers. "Kid, you don't seem to understand the situation."
"Hey, kid, apologize! This man is the 3.5 million Bounty Giant Fist Johnson—a cold-blooded killer!"
The bartender, trying to prevent a tragedy, intervened.
But it was useless—Luffy's eyes lit up at the mention of the bounty. He carefully sized up the man, then jumped down from the stool.
"You really have a 3.5 million Bounty?" Luffy asked.
"Kid, apologizing now won't help. No one's ever spoken to me like that before."
Luffy's eyes glimmered even more. He stepped forward. "It's nothing, just confirming."
Before the man could react, Luffy dashed two steps forward, leapt to reach the man's height, drove his hips forward, and landed a punch to the man's throat.
BOOM! The man crashed against the tavern wall, falling to the floor.
His neck twisted completely—he was dead.
The tavern fell silent.
A 3.5 million Bounty might not be impressive on the seas, but in Loguetown, such high-profile arrivals were rare.
Giant Fist Johnson was one of the highest-bounty local pirates, and now a child no taller than his knees had killed him with a single punch.
[Ding! Host killed a normal pirate. Experience gained: 255.]
"Huh?" Luffy paused. For the first time, he gained over 100 experience points—a whopping 255!
"Not sure if it's because of the human factor or the bounty," Luffy thought as he sat back down.
"To the bartender: one glass of milk."
"Ah… ah! Yes!" The bartender jumped, startled, then ran to the kitchen.
After all, no one ever came to a pirate tavern for milk. Luckily, there was some left from cooking.
The bartender fetched it as fast as he could, thinking to himself that tomorrow he'd have to prepare plenty for the crew.
Luffy drank the milk, feeling hungry again, and had another hearty meal.
Before leaving, he requested the latest bounty list, pointed to the vest man's corpse, and told the bartender, "Count what I spend from his head."
Outside, Luffy examined the bounty list, memorizing the faces of these pirates.
"First things first," he muttered.
Putting rapid leveling aside, Luffy headed to the port. He found a merchant ship heading toward Shimotsuki Village, and by acting cute and naïve, convinced the captain to let him ride for free.
That night, aboard the ship, the captain personally brought a meal to Luffy.
"Luffy, eat quickly. Don't worry, we'll reach Shimotsuki Village soon and find your parents," the kind captain said, deceived by Luffy's lie to comfort him.
Luffy accepted the food with a smile and thanked him before eating.
Watching him, the captain laughed, "Just like my kid—slow down while eating."
During the meal, a commotion erupted outside.
"Captain! Captain! Trouble on deck!"
The captain immediately ran out. Luffy finished his meal and followed.
On deck, a sailor pointed toward the horizon, speaking urgently.
The captain raised his telescope, frowning as he observed the approaching ship.
Luffy, with his superhuman eyesight, saw a pirate ship gradually drawing near, its deck crowded with figures.
"Confirmed. The Hammer Crew. No mistake," the captain said, lowering the telescope and instructing a sailor.
Then he shouted commands to the crew: "Hoist the sails! Turn 45 degrees left! Full speed with the wind! Communicator, alert the nearby Marine base for backup. Everyone else, ready weapons and secure yourselves—watch for cannon fire!"
Orders given, the sailors began acting. To avoid attack, they tossed heavy, nonessential cargo overboard.
Luffy tugged at the captain's sleeve. "Are these pirates strong? With so many of us, do we need to be afraid?"
The captain lowered his head. "Little Luffy, you stay below deck! Don't come out!"
"Captain, you haven't answered my question yet." Luffy tugged again.
"The Hammer Crew is notorious nearby. Their captain, Jackal the Big Hammer, has a bounty of 5 million, and the crew has over a hundred pirates. But don't worry, we'll be safe," the captain said, trying to calm Luffy while panicking inside.
"5 million… a hundred people!" Luffy's eyes lit up.
He yanked himself free.
"Don't worry, I got this." Luffy's eyes shone bright with excitement.