The salty breeze carried the hum of the bustling port city as the Queen's Grace quietly settled into an unremarkable dock on the edge of Loguetown.
Unlike the chaos of Orange Town, Loguetown radiated a certain calm.
It was the eye of the storm.
The threshold between ordinary seas and the legend-shrouded waters of the Grand Line.
For many pirates, this was the beginning—or the end.
Kaito's gaze lingered on the distant execution platform rising above the rooftops, a silent monument to Gol D. Roger's final moments.
His crew gathered on the deck as they prepared to disembark.
"Move carefully," Kaito instructed. "The Marines here are stricter, and we're not pirates—but we're not civilians either."
Nojiko adjusted the straps on her bag. "Understood. I'll find the navigation charts for the Grand Line."
Kuina secured her sword at her waist. "I want to see the platform."
Kaya packed a list of rare medical herbs. "I'll check the local apothecaries."
Carmen tied her hair back and stretched casually. "I've got one more thing to settle."
They didn't ask.
They all knew.
Loguetown wasn't just the last town before the Grand Line.
It was where Carmen would meet Sanji again.
The last page of a chapter that Carmen had been quietly carrying since the day she joined them.
Kaito didn't push.
She would choose her own story.
That had always been the way of the Queen's Grace.
Freedom first.
The streets of Loguetown were alive.
Merchants peddled exotic goods from across the seas.
Marines patrolled the alleys with sharp eyes.
Wanderers, pirates, bounty hunters, and dreamers filled every corner.
It was a place where the air itself seemed to buzz with destiny.
Kaito, walking alongside Kuina and Kaya, soon heard whispers among the crowds.
"They say a strange boy with a straw hat is in town."
"He punched a noble yesterday! He's looking for the execution platform!"
"And there's a swordsman with him… they say he's terrifying."
Kaito's smile was quiet.
Luffy was here.
The Straw Hats were moving exactly as they should.
Their story was alive.
And Kaito's crew—growing alongside them—was right where they needed to be.
But Kaito wasn't here to interfere.
He was here to finish what his crew had started in the East Blue.
To tie up loose ends.
To sail forward on their own path.
Carmen moved alone.
Her steps were light, but her mind was heavy.
She walked the streets with familiarity, moving past bakeries and open markets where she and Sanji had once crossed paths.
She wasn't chasing him anymore.
She wasn't comparing herself anymore.
She was simply… curious.
Would Sanji remember her?
Would he still look at her as the girl who always challenged him, who always trailed behind?
Or would they now stand as equals?
Her system chimed softly.
[System Notification: Key Event – Sanji is currently in Loguetown's open-air market.]
Carmen's feet guided her there, instinct pulling her toward the inevitable.
And there he was.
Sanji, leaning casually against a produce stand, smoking a cigarette as he haggled with a fish vendor.
His eyes sparkled with that same confident mischief she remembered.
But he wasn't the same cook she once chased.
He was stronger now.
Part of something greater.
And yet, when his gaze briefly landed on her, he paused.
His expression softened.
He remembered.
"Carmen?" he called, his voice laced with surprise. "You're still chasing me?"
She smirked. "Not anymore."
Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"I've got my own ship now," she said, stepping closer, her eyes steady. "I've got my own family."
His grin widened. "About time."
They stood there, a quiet acknowledgment passing between them.
No competition.
No bitterness.
Just mutual respect.
"I heard you're joining the Straw Hats," Carmen said, crossing her arms. "Seems like you found your place."
"I did," Sanji answered. "But you found yours too, didn't you?"
Carmen's smirk softened into something real. "Yeah. I did."
He scratched the back of his neck. "You're not here to recruit me, are you?"
"Please," she scoffed, turning away. "I can cook better than you now."
He laughed. "We'll see about that one day."
She didn't look back.
Some stories didn't need a dramatic ending.
Some simply needed a quiet farewell.
Back at the Queen's Grace, Carmen returned in time for their evening meal.
Kaito noticed the shift immediately.
She was lighter.
Unburdened.
At peace.
"You found him," Kaito said without asking.
"Yeah," Carmen replied, sliding a tray of roasted fish across the table. "Turns out I don't need to chase him anymore."
She sat down and clinked her cup against Kuina's. "I'm exactly where I want to be."
Kuina's smirk was subtle. "Took you long enough."
Nojiko unfolded a fresh map. "Ready to sail?"
Carmen's grin widened. "I've never been more ready."
Kaya, quietly observing, smiled softly. "You're home now."
Kaito leaned back, watching his crew.
They had grown in more ways than skill.
They had each found something here.
Something that bound them—not through force or destiny—but through choice.
They weren't here by accident.
They weren't here because they had nowhere else to go.
They were here because this was the ship they chose to call home.
The next morning, as they prepared to leave, Kaito guided the Queen's Grace past the execution platform.
The structure towered above them, weathered by time but still standing tall.
It wasn't a symbol of death anymore.
It was a symbol of beginnings.
Of journeys yet to unfold.
Of stories that would one day be told across the seas.
The Straw Hats had already departed, heading toward Reverse Mountain.
Kaito's crew would not chase them.
Their course would intersect naturally.
But Kaito had his own seas to sail.
His own skies to find.
His own family to protect.
As the ship sailed beyond Loguetown's borders, the system chimed softly.
[Main Mission: East Blue – Complete.]
[New Mission: Enter the Grand Line.]
[Side Mission: Seek the Path to Sky Island.]
Kaito looked at his crew—Nojiko at the wheel, Carmen cleaning her knives, Kuina tightening the sails, and Kaya reviewing her medical notes.
They weren't pirates.
They weren't kings.
They were free.
And as they crossed the threshold into the unpredictable waters of the Grand Line, Kaito knew—
Their story had only just begun.