Smoker looked at the marine soldiers from the G5 branch acting as if Gojo was already in their bag and as if he were just some nobody. Veins bulged slightly on his forehead as he immediately shouted, "Shut up, you scum! You don't know just how powerful he is. He is not some ordinary pirate whom you can defeat and then get heavily rewarded for. He is someone who escaped after fighting an Admiral. So, you can imagine just how powerful he is."
His roar instantly silenced the noisy deck.
The rowdy, thug-like marines of the G5 branch, who had been celebrating in advance and boasting about how they would capture Gojo, all stopped. The smug expressions on many of their faces faded away.
What Smoker said really made sense.
An Admiral.
Just that single word was enough to make them understand that the man standing on the distant ship was not someone they could treat lightly.
On the other side, standing at the edge of his own ship, Gojo watched the entire scene unfold. A faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "Well, it seems that you are not having the best of days, Captain Smoker. Oh, I'm sorry. Should I call you Vice Admiral now?"
His voice carried clearly across the sea.
"You are forced to travel with such foolish people. It's almost laughable watching them clamor around like idiots who think they can just take me head-on, even after knowing my strength."
Gojo's smile widened slightly.
"Well, it has been a really long time since I met such foolish people. I should at least show them my strength so that they know just how foolish they are."
As soon as he finished speaking, he casually reached toward the nearby table and picked up his sheathed sword.
The movement appeared simple.
Ordinary.
Almost lazy.
Yet the moment Smoker saw that action, his expression changed immediately.
On the marine ship, Smoker's instincts screamed at him.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
"You scums!" he roared. "Be ready for an incoming attack!"
The marines were startled.
Some instinctively grabbed their weapons while others looked toward Gojo in confusion.
Then, before they could properly react—
Gojo unsheathed his sword.
The blade slid out with a crisp metallic sound.
Shing!
Without even taking a proper stance, Gojo casually swung his sword.
It looked like a simple slash.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing exaggerated.
Yet the moment the blade cut through the air, a massive flying sword slash erupted forward.
The sea beneath it split apart.
Water exploded into the air as the slash raced across the ocean like a destructive tide, heading straight toward the marine vessel.
The marines' faces instantly turned pale.
Their earlier confidence vanished completely.
"What the hell is that?!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"Move!"
Panic spread across the deck.
Smoker, however, had already moved.
Using Soru, he instantly appeared at the front of the incoming attack.
His arm hardened with Armament Haki, turning dark as he tightly gripped his jitte.
(A/N: Just like in the anime, where Armament Haki was given color after the two-year timeskip, I also decided to give it a color.)
With a roar, he swung it forward.
The flying sword slash collided directly with the Haki-coated jitte.
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed across the sea.
The impact released a powerful shockwave that blasted outward in every direction.
The ocean churned violently.
Towering waves rose around both ships.
Smoker's feet dug into the deck, but even then he couldn't completely stop the force behind the attack.
His eyes widened.
The overwhelming power pushed him backward.
The deck beneath his feet cracked as he was sent skidding across the ship.
At the same time, the ship itself shook violently.
The main sail was torn apart by the residual force, large sections of fabric ripping away as ropes snapped one after another.
The marines who had been clamoring about capturing Gojo were thrown into complete chaos.
Many were blasted off their feet and rolled across the deck.
Some desperately grabbed onto railings and masts to avoid being thrown overboard.
Others weren't so fortunate.
Several marines were launched straight into the sea with panicked screams.
Cold seawater splashed high into the air as they disappeared beneath the waves.
The entire marine ship had been thrown into disorder from a single casual slash.
And only now did the marines truly understand just how ridiculous their earlier confidence had been.
Gojo sheathed his sword and immediately disappeared from his ship.
One moment he was standing on the deck of his vessel, and the next, he had appeared directly on the marine ship.
The sudden appearance startled many of the G5 marines. Several instinctively stepped back, while others tightened their grips on their weapons.
Smoker, who had finally stabilized himself after being sent flying by the previous attack, slowly straightened his body and looked at the man standing opposite him.
The distance between them was only a few meters.
Gojo glanced at Smoker and said casually, "Well, you finally mastered Armament Haki. It was really beneath you not to have mastered it back then. At least now you've managed to learn it."
Despite the compliment, there was a hint of mockery in his tone.
Smoker's expression darkened.
As soon as Gojo finished speaking, Smoker replied coldly, "You are not going to escape from me this time, Gojo."
The moment the words left his mouth, he moved.
Whoosh!
His figure blurred across the deck as he shot forward at high speed. The jitte in his hand pierced through the air, aimed directly at Gojo's shoulder.
The attack was fast.
Far faster than it had been two years ago.
The watching marines could barely follow the movement.
Yet just before the jitte could touch Gojo's body, it suddenly stopped.
It was as if an invisible wall existed between them.
No matter how much force Smoker applied, the weapon simply refused to move any closer.
His jitte hovered mere centimeters away from Gojo's shoulder.
Gojo didn't even bother moving.
He simply stood there with his hands in his pockets.
"Although you have mastered Armament Haki," Gojo said calmly, "your mastery is still not enough to bypass my Limitless and touch my body."
A slight smile appeared on his face.
"After all, I have become much stronger than I was two years ago when we last clashed."
Smoker gritted his teeth.
Before he could pull back, Gojo moved.
Dark Armament Haki rapidly coated his leg.
Then, using the exact same method he had used years ago, Gojo spun his body in a smooth 360-degree motion.
Boom!
His Haki-covered leg slammed directly into Smoker's stomach.
The impact was monstrous.
Smoker's eyes widened.
For a brief moment, it felt as if he had been hit by a giant cannonball.
The deck beneath them shattered instantly.
Cracks spread in every direction.
Wooden planks exploded apart.
Smoker was launched across the ship like a missile, crashing through multiple sections of the deck before finally smashing into a pile of cargo.
Boom!
Splinters and debris flew everywhere.
Many marines instinctively ducked.
Some stared in disbelief.
The attack was almost identical to the one Gojo had used against Smoker years ago.
The same kick.
The same overwhelming result.
Just stronger.
Much stronger.
"Vice Admiral Smoker!"
Several marines shouted in alarm.
Tashigi had already drawn her sword.
The moment Smoker was sent flying, she immediately rushed forward toward Gojo.
However, before she could get close, Gojo casually raised one hand.
"Tashigi."
His voice was calm.
"There is no need to waste your time."
Tashigi halted for a brief moment.
Gojo looked directly at her.
"You are not my opponent."
There was no arrogance in his voice.
No mockery.
He was merely stating a fact.
That straightforward attitude irritated Tashigi even more.
Yet before she could respond—
Gojo disappeared.
The space where he had been standing became empty.
The next moment, he had already reappeared on his own ship.
The G5 marines hurriedly looked toward the neighboring vessel.
Sure enough, Gojo was now standing on his deck as if he had never left.
On the marine ship, Smoker pushed away the broken wooden planks and debris covering him.
Pieces of shattered deck fell from his shoulders as he slowly stood up once more.
His clothes were covered in dust and wood chips.
The pain in his stomach was intense.
Yet his expression remained as stubborn as ever.
Meanwhile, Gojo calmly returned to steering his ship.
The vessel began moving once again, gradually passing by the damaged marine ship.
The atmosphere on the marine vessel became somewhat awkward.
Just moments ago, many of them had been talking about capturing Gojo.
Now they had personally witnessed the enormous gap between them.
----
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