"Smoke Fist!"
With Smoker's explosive shout, innumerable plumes of smoke instantly filled the entire street. The advantage of a Logia fruit was displayed to its fullest at this moment.
"All of you, fall back. I can handle this alone." In the face of such a wide-ranging attack, having more people was actually a disadvantage. If Smoker chose to attack the others, Bellamy would have to divert his attention.
The merchants had already been terrified when Smoker first appeared. Seeing the other pirates retreat, they immediately followed behind and fled. Bellamy's figure was enveloped by the mist, gradually disappearing from everyone's sight. Soon, only a dense white fog remained on the street. And Smoker, completely elementalized, hid within the white mist, waiting for an opportunity.
Smoker's development of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit didn't stop there. The smoke he released possessed certain characteristics of a smoke bomb. Ordinary humans who inhaled too much would become dizzy, even directly lose consciousness. Furthermore, this smoke was also a strong eye irritant. If one's eyeballs were continuously exposed to the smoke, they would start to water incessantly until the eyes could no longer be opened.
But how could Bellamy be someone so easily put on the defensive? He directly held his breath and closed his eyes. "Is your only tactic to hide?" His Observation Haki shot out, blanketing the entire street in a breath's time. Smoker's figure was instantly exposed in his mind's eye. This kind of tactic might be somewhat effective against ordinary pirates, but against Bellamy, it was a bit too childish. "In front of me, how could you possibly hide?"
From the moment Smoker chose to appear before Bellamy alone, everything was already fated. Stomping on the ground hundreds of times in an instant, Bellamy's figure abruptly appeared in mid-air.
"Armament: Steel Leg!" A foot covered in Armament Haki directly kicked Smoker out of his elementalized state.
"Not good!" The moment Bellamy moved, Smoker instinctively tried to react, but his reflexes simply couldn't keep up with Bellamy's speed. This kick landed precisely on his hidden position. A series of sharp sonic booms instantly echoed through the air. Smoker's figure, carrying immense impact force, slammed heavily onto the street. BOOM! With a loud crash, a large crater appeared in the street.
"Not a bad reaction." That kick just now hadn't hit a vital spot. At the critical moment, Smoker had used his Sea-Prism Stone jitte to block. The instant the Sea-Prism Stone made contact with Bellamy's body, his power was momentarily weakened. "But what use is that?" Even if he blocked the first attack, how would Smoker counterattack afterwards? He couldn't even catch Bellamy's afterimage. Aside from the Sea-Prism Stone jitte in his hand, Smoker was utterly powerless before Bellamy.
Bellamy floated in the air, extending his right hand towards the large crater on the ground. An immense amount of elasticity rapidly converged in the center of his palm; the air before him began to vibrate violently. The ultimate secret art of the Six Powers, known as the Rokuogan, slowly bloomed in Bellamy's hand.
"Six Powers Ultimate Secret Art: Rokuogan!" An invisible, massive shockwave erupted from Bellamy's hand. Bellamy's proficiency in the Six Powers was not yet enough to perfectly control this ultimate technique. However, this forcibly unleashed shockwave was in no way inferior in destructive power to a true Rokuogan.
"Be buried together with your justice." The shockwave, carrying a tremendous whistling sound, slammed heavily onto the crater. With a deafening roar, the entire street seemed about to be shattered. The massive impact force directly blasted the large crater in the ground into a giant hole. Countless clouds of dust rose, completely burying Smoker's figure.
"It's over." This battle had begun suddenly and ended just as abruptly. Bellamy felt rather bored. He didn't know when it started, but opponents of Smoker's level could no longer arouse any interest in him. "So why did you have to come looking for death? Isn't it good to be alive?" Bellamy couldn't help but sigh. Smoker should have been aware of the gap between them. After all, Vice Admiral Onigumo had just suffered a defeat at his hands; being in the same Marine force, how could he not know such important news? Bellamy found Smoker's choice somewhat difficult to understand.
Just as he turned to leave, a frail, weak voice suddenly answered his unspoken question. "Of course… it's for the justice in my heart!"
"What!" Smoker wasn't dead yet?! To take a Rokuogan head-on and still be alive? Bellamy was greatly surprised by this. He was well aware of the destructive power of his attack; the Rokuogan was hailed as the ultimate secret art of the Six Powers – it hadn't earned its reputation for nothing. That single strike not only concentrated immense destructive force but also possessed terrifying penetrative and impact power. Even Bellamy himself would be injured and vomit blood if hit by that attack. Having taken it directly, how could Smoker still stand?
Bellamy's assessment hadn't actually been wrong. Smoker was indeed covered in blood, on the verge of death. But he still insisted on standing up, refusing to let himself fall.
"Where do you think you're going? I haven't lost yet!" This fellow was clearly down to his last breath; what was it that supported him to continue fighting?
Bellamy's Observation Haki clearly perceived the incomparably fervent fighting spirit in Smoker's heart. This fighting spirit was so overwhelming, so ardent, it directly ignited the flames in his own heart. Originally, this should have been an uninteresting battle.
"My apologies." Bellamy inexplicably apologized to Smoker, but after that, his expression became incredibly serious. "Let us continue this fight." This time, however, Bellamy was giving it his full attention, bringing out all his strength.
"Godspeed Shave!" In an instant, his figure vanished into thin air. This instantaneous burst of speed left not even an afterimage in the void.
The next second, Bellamy's figure abruptly appeared behind Smoker. "Finger Pistol: Heaven and Earth Piercing Wave!" A finger coated in Armament Haki jabbed heavily at Smoker's heart. The incomparably tyrannical finger force directly pulverized his heart. The massive residual power blasted a huge hole through Smoker's chest along with it. Puh! Suffering such a heavy blow, Smoker spat out a mouthful of blood towards the sky and collapsed heavily onto the ground. No matter how strong his fighting spirit, Smoker's power was ultimately far too inferior to Bellamy's. After one move, he could no longer stand.
But his intense willpower once again created a miracle. Smoker still hadn't died; clinging to his last breath, he desperately grabbed Bellamy's trouser leg. "Don't go!"
He was clearly about to die, why still insist so stubbornly? Bellamy couldn't understand his actions. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
"Bellamy! Marine justice… is absolutely not… a false justice!" On the verge of death, Smoker stared intently into Bellamy's eyes and spoke his last words in this world.
So, this was the reason he refused to fall.
Bellamy fell silent. He looked at Smoker's gradually clouding eyes, and for a moment, he was speechless.
Time passed, minute by minute. Smoker's breathing grew weaker and weaker. His eyes, looking at Bellamy, suddenly showed a hint of pleading. Smoker seemed to be waiting for something. Bellamy suddenly felt a heaviness in his own chest.
"I understand now." He finally relented.
Hearing these words, Smoker finally closed his eyes completely.