Chapter 99

Furious at being mocked, Buggy decrees that Luffy must die and orders his pirates to terrorize anyone in Loguetown who might interfere. Luffy, slow to grasp that he is the condemned, cheerfully expects to witness a real execution, while Buggy announces the public killing to the gathered crowd. Out at sea, Nami warns Usopp that an approaching storm matters more than the spectacle, and back at the Going Merry, Mohji and Richie ready a fire as insurance should the crew try to flee.

The Marines hold back, with Smoker content to let the rival pirates exhaust each other so the Navy can capture Buggy and Alvida once Luffy's head falls. On the platform Luffy shouts his vow to become the Pirate King, stunning everyone present, and as the blade descends he smiles and accepts whatever comes.

Zoro and Sanji burst in to rescue their captain, shocking Smoker and Tashigi, who had not realized the famous Pirate Hunter sailed with Luffy. The two crewmates carve into Buggy and Alvida's forces, trying to destroy the scaffold's supports. The sight of Luffy laughing at death jolts Smoker, who recalls Gold Roger wearing the same grin at his own execution twenty-two years earlier in this very place. Lightning then strikes the platform, shattering it; Luffy, made of rubber, walks away unharmed and counts himself fortunate.

Amid the confusion, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji sprint for their ship through the encircling Marines. Smoker orders his first unit to fire, but the storm has soaked their gunpowder, leaving the harbor open for the trio's escape. Enraged, Smoker resolves to capture Luffy whatever it costs. The chapter ties Luffy's smile directly to Roger's, framing him as a successor. The cover serial follows the Koby-Meppo diary, with Garp's aide Bogard slicing Koby's pistols apart.