Alabasta, Nanohana.
Ever since the news spread like wildfire that Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai, had been publicly executed by Rear Admiral Rayne Hawke, the desert kingdom's fragile calm had begun to shift.
Beneath the surface, undercurrents were stirring.
Those scavengers who once cowered in the shadows, intimidated by the name of the Shichibukai, now smelled fresh prey.
At the Nanohana docks, several pirate ships flying skull-and-crossbones flags crept in silently, like rats scuttling through the night.
"Alright, boys, move out!"
"That sand crocodile's dead! From now on, Alabasta is mine!"
A pirate captain with a face full of scars and a massive battle-axe slung over his shoulder grinned wickedly as he gave the order to plunder.
However, what awaited them was not terrified, panicked civilians.
Instead, they were greeted by rows of pitch-black gun muzzles and the cold, unflinching gazes of Marine soldiers.
"Fire!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang—!"
The sudden, deafening roar of gunfire tore apart the dock's silence.
The pirates charging at the front collapsed instantly, their blood soaking into the scorching sand.
"Dammit! You Marine bastards!"
The pirate captain roared furiously, swinging his massive axe and effortlessly cleaving apart the bullets whistling toward him.
At that moment, a thick white mist began rising behind him, swiftly coalescing into a tall, looming figure.
"Oi, small fry."
Smoker stood there, two cigars clamped between his teeth, his voice deep and raspy.
At some point, the Seastone-tipped jitte in his hand was already pressed against the pirate captain's back.
"This place… is under my watch now."
"You… you're the 'White Hunter' Smoker!"
The pirate captain's pupils shrank.
The former gatekeeper of Loguetown… that Marine mad dog—what the hell was he doing here?!
"Correct."
Smoker's gaze didn't waver in the slightest.
Ever since being blasted away with a single punch by that bastard Hawke back at G-3 Branch, and then witnessing firsthand the awakening of those two monsters, Zoro and Sanji, his pride had been utterly shattered.
But his refusal to accept defeat had ignited a new drive within him.
He abandoned his old fighting style that overly relied on his Devil Fruit powers and began relentlessly pushing his limits—training his physique, honing his martial arts, and tempering his Haki.
He, Smoker, was not a man who surrendered easily!
"Heh! I'm the 'Blood Axe' with a bounty of 30 million Belly!"
"Die!"
The pirate captain roared and spun around, swinging his massive axe down toward Smoker's skull.
Smoker didn't dodge or flinch. "White Out!"
In an instant, his body dissolved into a sprawling blanket of thick smoke, engulfing everything within dozens of meters.
"Cough! Cough! Damn it!"
The pirate captain lost all sense of direction, his vision completely blinded.
From within the haze, Smoker's voice echoed from all directions. "White Fist!"
A smoke-formed fist, wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, shot out from the side without warning and slammed brutally into the pirate captain's ribs.
Crack—!
The sound of shattering bones was unmistakable.
"Ughhhhhh!"
The pirate captain screamed in agony as he was sent flying, crashing into a nearby stack of cargo and collapsing it.
He staggered to his feet, barely catching his breath, when another strike lashed out from behind.
"White Snake!"
The smoke twisted and condensed into a giant serpent, its jaws snapping shut and sinking into the pirate captain's shoulder.
"Damn it! Get off me!"
The pirate captain thrashed violently, but the smoke clung to him like maggots on rotting flesh, tightening further with every struggle.
Smoker's silhouette slowly emerged from the haze, his cold eyes fixed on his battered opponent.
"It's over."
Smoker suddenly plunged his jitte deep into the sand at his feet.
Vrrrmmm—!
A powerful, invisible shockwave erupted outward from his position.
The thick smoke enveloping the entire dock instantly responded to his silent command, surging violently inward.
Every particle of smoke converged at the pirate captain's location, compressing rapidly into a dense, glowing-white sphere visible to the naked eye.
Click—
Smoker plucked one of his burning cigars from his lips and flicked it with his fingers.
The glowing ember streaked through the air like a meteor and sank into the violently compressing mass of smoke.
The next second—
BOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion ripped through the dock.
Blinding flames and a pure-white shockwave erupted outward, forming a towering mushroom cloud above the harbor.
The pirate captain, worth 30 million Belly, didn't even manage to scream before being obliterated—his body torn apart instantly by the sheer heat and pressure, reduced to nothing but crimson rain.
As the smoke finally cleared, silence returned to the docks.
A massive, charred crater remained where the pirate once stood, surrounded by the lifeless bodies of his crew.
The remaining pirates, pale and trembling, collapsed to their knees, easily restrained by the Marines.
"Huff…"
Smoker pulled out another cigar, lit it, and took a deep drag.
"Hawke said it himself… Alabasta's under my jurisdiction for now."
"Anyone stupid enough to stir trouble on my turf gets blown to hell."
Just then—
Vrrrrmmm—
From beyond the horizon, ten massive merchant ships came into view.
They bore no flags but were cutting through the waves at incredible speed, heading straight for Nanohana's docks.
"Hmm…?"
Smoker's sharp gaze narrowed as his battle-hardened instincts flared once more.
The Marines swiftly regrouped, rifles raised, aiming squarely at the unknown fleet.
The ships slowed as they approached, finally coming to a halt just outside the harbor.
On the deck of the largest merchant ship, a tall, broad-shouldered figure slowly rose to his feet.
He wore casual civilian clothes, his messy, curly hair tousled in the sea breeze.
His relaxed, laid-back presence contrasted sharply with the tense battlefield atmosphere.
He gazed at the figure standing on the dock, two cigars clenched between his teeth, exuding an aura of absolute danger, and the corners of his lips curled faintly.
"Well, well…"
"Smoker, you've gotten stronger."
At the sound of that familiar voice, Smoker froze mid-drag. "Ku… Kuzan?!"
"What the hell are you doing here?"
"First time running ops in Alabasta—I figured I'd come take a look myself…"
Kuzan's figure blurred, and in the next instant, he appeared before Smoker.
"And while I'm here, I figured I'd help clear out the trash along this shipping lane."
Clap—
Kuzan patted Smoker on the shoulder, scanning him up and down, approval glinting in his lazy eyes.
"Not bad. Your martial arts and Armament Haki have both improved. That move you used just now… interesting."
"Hmph."
Smoker suppressed the upward twitch of his lips, forcing out a gruff scoff as he turned his head away.
"Compared to those two monsters, I've still got a long way to go."
"Oh?"
A flicker of curiosity lit Kuzan's eyes.
"You mean Hawke, right? Yeah, that kid's a monster."
"No!"
Smoker shook his head sharply. "Hawke's in a whole different league entirely—he doesn't even count!"
"I'm talking about his first-tier squad."
Smoker raised three fingers, his expression conflicted.
"That moss-headed swordsman, that curly-browed cook… and that kid named Dane!"
"The second tier—that's where you'll find me, Tashigi, Hibari, and Kujaku."
"…"
Kuzan's lazy grin faded instantly.
He stared at Smoker, utterly stunned.
No one knew Smoker's pride better than Kuzan.
And now, that same man—once so fiercely proud—was willingly placing himself in the second tier?
And this was after excluding Hawke himself?
"Interesting…"
Kuzan's interest was thoroughly piqued. He waved a hand behind him.
Immediately, the elite Headquarters troops—disguised until now as merchant sailors—sprang into action, unloading massive, heavily wrapped crates from the ships.
"Come on."
Kuzan draped an arm over Smoker's shoulder.
"Fill me in on everything."
"Hmph, you've got no idea. The first time Zoro and Sanji trained under Zephyr-sensei…"
"The laughter nearly blew the damn roof off!"
"..."
"And Rokushiki, too! Those two bastards… they mastered the core principles of Soru in one night!"
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