Chapter 37: The Arrival at Logue Town

  In the dimly lit captain’s quarters aboard the Going Merry,the soft sounds of the ship creaking and waves pping against the hullprovided a peaceful ambiance. Goku and Nami y beneath the warm covers, theirbodies rexed after a long day of sailing. Although it was still early, thetwo were wide awake, talking quietly about what y ahead. The small roundwindow near the bed cast moonlight across the room, illuminating their faces.

  Nami nestled closer to Goku, resting her head on his chestas they spoke in hushed tones. “Logue Town’s not far now,” she murmured. “We’llneed to restock on supplies—food, fresh water, maybe some medical supplies,too. I don’t want to run into another situation like when we faced Arlong anddidn’t have enough to patch anyone up.”

  Goku nodded, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. “Yeah,we need supplies, but…” His voice trailed off before he continued. “That’s notall, Nami. We need to get stronger. All of us.”

  Nami lifted her head slightly to look at him. “Stronger?You’re already the strongest guy I know, Goku. I don’t see how any of us couldkeep up with you.”

  Goku sighed. “I’m not strong enough, though. Aokiji nearlykilled you and Usopp. I couldn’t protect you—either of you.” His tone was cedwith frustration, the weight of his failures hanging heavily over him. “AndAokiji isn’t the only one. We’re going to the Grand Line, and from what I’veheard, monsters like him are everywhere.”

  Nami frowned, feeling the tension in Goku’s words. “Butwe’ve been training. You’ve been teaching everyone how to use Ki, and they’reimproving.”

  “Not fast enough,” Goku replied, his voice stern. “Theothers are getting better, sure, but that won’t matter if we don’t pushourselves harder. In a fight, when your life’s on the line, things happen. Youtap into reserves you didn’t know you had. That’s what we need.”

  Nami considered his words, biting her lip. “So what? Youwant to throw us into combat and hope we get stronger by nearly dying?” shesaid, half-joking, though the concern was evident in her voice.

  Goku’s expression softened, and he smiled slightly. “Notexactly. But it’s not far from the truth. We’ll need real fights to pushourselves, to see what we’re made of. That’s how I learned—by fighting strongeropponents and getting better each time.”

  Nami raised an eyebrow. “And where are we going to findlife-threatening combat out of nowhere?”

  Goku chuckled. “I think we won’t need to look for it. I’vegot this gut feeling that once we reach Logue Town, something’s going tohappen. We’ll probably get the chance to see just how strong we really are.”

  Nami stared at him for a moment, her expression a mixture ofdisbelief and trust. Goku’s instincts were rarely wrong. “Well, if your gut istelling you something, I’ll trust it. But we need to be careful.”

  Goku nodded, his gaze distant. “We will. But we can’t avoidit forever.”

  ---

  The next morning, the crew of the Going Merry awoke to acalm sea, with the warm sun rising over the horizon. The soft rustling of thewind filled the sails as everyone went about their morning routines. Sanji,ever the diligent cook, was already preparing breakfast in the galley. Thesmell of fresh bread and eggs wafted through the ship, making everyone’sstomachs growl in anticipation.

  Zoro, already up and sharpening his swords on the deck,worked silently, his focus as sharp as ever. Usopp tinkered with his slingshot,making minor adjustments as he pnned to restock on ammo once they reachednd. Gin, perched high in the crow’s nest, scanned the horizon, keeping asharp lookout for any signs of danger.

  It was Gin who first spotted it. “Land ho!” he called down,his voice carrying across the ship. “Logue Town is in view!”

  At his words, everyone turned toward the front of the ship.In the distance, the outline of Logue Town came into view, the city’s buildingsgradually taking shape as they neared. The crew gathered near the bow of theship, gazing ahead with a mixture of excitement and anticipation.

  “Finally, after three days at sea,” Goku said, his voicefilled with a mix of relief and wariness. “We’ve made it.”

  Nami stood beside him, her hand shading her eyes from thesunlight as she took in the sight. “It looks busy,” she observed. “Lots ofships docked there.”

  Goku’s face grew serious as he watched the isnd approach.The events of their encounter with Aokiji still weighed heavily on his mind. Hehad nearly lost his entire crew that day, and the memory of Nami and Usopplying on the ground, frozen and helpless, haunted him. It was a bitter reminderthat despite his strength, he wasn’t invincible.

  Ever since that fight, he’d realized that this world wasn’tas simple as he’d thought. Sure, he was a Saiyan, but that didn’t mean he couldbreeze through this world like he had on others. The Grand Line was full ofmonsters, and many of them had powers he didn’t fully understand—Devil Fruitsthat could defy logic and reality itself.

  He clenched his fists at the thought. “I need to find a wayto fight these Devil Fruit users,” he muttered. “If someone like Gol D. Rogercould take them on without powers like theirs, then there has to be a way.”

  Zoro, standing nearby, noticed Goku’s intense expression.“Still thinking about Aokiji?” he asked, his voice low.

  Goku nodded. “Yeah. He beat me like I was nothing. I thoughtbeing a Saiyan would be enough, but this world has its own rules. I need tounderstand them if I’m going to get stronger.”

  Zoro crossed his arms. “We all do. We’ve trained hard, butlike you said, it’s not enough. Not yet.”

  Goku gave him a sideways gnce. “We’ll get there. And we’llfight whoever we need to, to learn.”

  As the Going Merry docked in the harbor of Logue Town, thebustling sounds of the isnd city greeted them. The port was busy withmerchants unloading their goods, sailors shouting orders, and marinespatrolling the docks. The crew tied off the ship, and Goku gathered everyonearound.

  “Alright,” Goku began, his voice commanding as ever. “We’vegot a lot to do before we head to the Grand Line. Sanji, you’re in charge ofrestocking food. Gin, you’ll handle getting the booze. Usopp, I need you topick up weapons and anything else that might be useful. Zoro,” Goku turned tothe swordsman, “you’ll get new swords. Make sure they’re good ones. And Nami, youand I will find the Log Pose.”

  “The Log Pose?” Nami asked, raising an eyebrow.

  Goku nodded. “Yeah. It’s an instrument that’s the onlyreliable way to navigate in the Grand Line. I read about it a while back. We’llneed it if we want to make it through.”

  Everyone nodded, and with that, they split up, each crewmember heading off into the busy streets of Logue Town. Goku and Nami walkedtogether through the crowded marketpce, their eyes scanning the stalls forany sign of a shop selling the Log Pose.

  ---

  Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows of the harbor, a marineofficer observed the crew from a distance. His sharp eyes tracked each memberas they left the ship. He tapped the small transponder snail strapped to hiswrist, whispering into it.

  “This is Lieutenant Daris. Straw Hat Goku and his crew havearrived in Logue Town. Yes… the one with the fifty-million bounty. Understood.”

  He clicked off the transponder and slipped back into thecrowd, blending in with the citizens. The marines had their eyes on the GoingMerry, and Goku’s presence in Logue Town wouldn’t go unnoticed for long.

  As the day went on, the crew went about their assignedtasks, but there was an underlying sense of tension in the air. Logue Town, thecity where the Pirate King had been executed, was steeped in history, and itwas said that any pirate who set foot here was bound to face a challenge.

  And with Goku’s bounty now sky-high, it was only a matter oftime before the crew’s presence in the city would spark something big.

  [A/N: Read 20 chapters ahead avaible onpatreon.com/saiyanprincenovels]