East Blue's Loguetown, on unremarkable pce, had now bee the ter of attentio Blue, often called the "weakest sea," rarely saw any notable figures pass through. But things had ged. This small, quiet town was now filled with big names from all over the world. The reason? The impending execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.

  A massive Marine warship was dog in the harbor, and among its passengers stood Cudius. Garp, Sengoku, and several h-ranking Marines were also present. Kuzan and a few others had already gone ahead tahe security arras within Loguetown.

  "It's quite the spectacle here today," Cudius remarked with a smile, gazing out at the crowded harbor.

  Garp, born i Blue's Kingdom of Goa, frequently returo his home sea and had visited Loguetown many times due to its ve positiohe entrao the Grand Line. Nodding at Cudius's ent, he replied, "Yeah, it's way busier than usual. Looks like a lot of people want to witness Roger's execution."

  Cudius then poio a nearby ship, which had retly docked. "Speaking of which... aren't you Marines going to do something about that?" he asked, grinning slightly. The ship wasn't particurly remarkable, but the pirate fg fluttering from its mast was impossible to ignore.

  It was a rare sight, a pirate ship casually moored not far from a Marine warship. The audacity of these pirates was something to behold.

  Sengoku sighed heavily, his expression troubled. "If we go after these pirates now, it'll stir up ong the others who've e to Loguetown. The town would desd into plete disorder. Today isn't about catg pirates, it's about exeg Roger. For now, we'll turn a blind eye."

  "Fair enough," Cudius shrugged, uned. "I'm not the one in charge of catg pirates. That's your Marine business."

  "You don't seem bothered by much," Sengoku said with a faint smile.

  There was a brief moment of silence before Sengoku pulled out a Den Den Mushi and made a call. Kuzan's voice quickly came through.

  "Everythi?" Sengoku asked.

  "All prepared. The execution ptform is built and secured. We're just waiting for you," Kuzan replied, his tone lighthearted.

  "Good. We're heading over now," Sengoku firmed before hanging up.

  He then turo a nearby Marine Rear Admiral and gave orders, "Move into the town. ahe crowd in the square and make sure the path to the execution ptform is secure. We 't afford any mistakes."

  "Yes, Admiral Sengoku!" the Rear Admiral responded, quickly anizing a group of Marine soldiers. They disembarked and began f ranks, moving effitly into Loguetown to establish order.

  Sengoku, satisfied with the preparations, turo Cudius. "Let's head into town."

  Cudius waved him off with a smile. "You go ahead. I don't want to draw too much attention. People know about CP-X now, but not many are familiar with my face. I havely let my image circute. If I walk into town alongside the top brass of the Marines, I'll blow my cover. CP-X thrives on its discretion, after all."

  Sengoku hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Fair point. Do as you wish, then."

  With that, Sengoku, Garp, and the other Marines disembarked, leaving Cudius on the ship. There were still a few hours befer's execution at noon, so Cudius wasn't in any rush. He strolled off the ship, blending into the crowd.

  This time, Cudius hadn't brought his usual ente. Nia was still in Mariejois, while Stussy had already infiltrated Loguetown in advance. Crocodile, who was eagerly awaiting Roger's execution to gain his "freedom" from Cudius's watch, had also gone ahead to explore the town. With so many pirates gathering in one pce, Crocodile couldn't resist sg out the se.

  The only person apanying Cudius was Ehe young man looked around in awe, wide-eyed and curious about everything. As they walked through the crowded streets, Cudius ehe anonymity of the moment.

  Loguetown wasn't rge, but with so many people flooding in from all over the world, it felt cramped. As Cudius wandered with E his side, his eyes caught a familiar figure in the distance, ohat was bnizable and outndish.

  Donquixote Dofmingo, his cousin, was as fmboyant as ever. Today, the future "Joker" of the underworld looked like a walking spectacle. Draped in his iik feathered coat, wearirimmed e sungsses, and dressed in checkered pants with peasy shoes, Dofmingo didn't look like a pirate at all. If anything, he resembled a pop idol more than anything.

  Around Dofmingo, a group of ckeys helped clear a path for him, keeping the crowd at bay. Cudius smiled and, with Enel in tow, made his way over.

  As they neared, one of Dofmingo's men Vergo, as serious as ever—stepped forward, blog Cudius's path. "Stop," he said coldly, his face still stained with remnants of a doughnut he'd retly eaten.

  But before Vergo could say more, Dofmingo's familiar ugh rang out. "Furufurufurufu! Cousin, it's been too long! I figured you'd show up here, so I saved you a spot. e, join me!" Dofmingo greeted Cudius warmly, a wide grin on his face.

  Vergo froze for a moment, realizing who stood before him. "My apologies, Saint Cudius," he said quickly, bowing with respect. Vergo uood that there was only one person Dofmingo would call cousin, a Celestial Dragon, and more specifically, Cudius, the leader of CP-X.

  Cudius waved the apology away. "It's fine," he said, before walking over to Dofmingo.

  "Doffy, it's been a while. You've grown, haven't you? Almost catg up to me," Cudius said with a grin.

  Dofmingo ughed. "I couldn't let you leave me behind, cousin. But you... you've outdone yourself. First, you capture the Golden Lion, and now, you've even mao get your hands on the Pirate King himself! How did you pull that off? I'm dying to hear the story."

  Cudius chuckled. "It's a long tale, and it starts with me being on vacation in South Blue..."

  As Cudius began reting his adveo Dofmingo, the square around them tio fill with notable figures. Hawkeye Mihawk, carrying his massive cross-shaped sword on his back, stood nearby, his hawk-like eyes sing the area. He, too, was here to withe execution of the Pirate King.

  In another er of the crowd, two familiar figures, Shanks and Buggy, squeezed through the throngs of people. Their expressions were a mixture of sadness and ay, knowing what fate awaited their captain.