Chapter 96

With Nami back among them, the Straw Hats steer toward the Grand Line but stop first at Loguetown, the place where Gold Roger was both born and executed. Aboard ship the crew bickers over the rising cost of newspapers and Usopp's new blinding chili pellets before Nami points out the approaching island. Luffy fixes on visiting the execution scaffold while the others split off to shop for food, tools, and gear.

At Marine Headquarters, Lieutenant Commander Brannew reviews the bounties of the East Blue and notes that every notorious pirate there has fallen to Luffy, who now carries his first price of 30,000,000 Berries. Nami realizes their crew can no longer hide in the East Blue. Wandering Loguetown, Zoro watches a bespectacled swordswoman cut down two thugs, and when she loses her glasses he stares in shock: she is the very image of his dead friend Kuina. Far away, Mihawk seeks out Shanks to tell him of the rookie's poster, and the delighted Red-Haired captain throws a party in Luffy's honor.

This chapter launches the Loguetown arc and delivers several firsts: Luffy's debut bounty, the first glimpse of Marineford, the first mention of the World Government in the manga, and the introductions of Brannew and Tashigi. Her resemblance to Kuina rattles Zoro, while the easy rapport between Shanks and Mihawk hints at a long history. In Foosha Village, the locals celebrate Luffy's notoriety even as the mayor frowns at the boy's chosen path.