Giovanni slowly turned on his stool to face the man beside him, his expression calm but sharp.
"And what's it to you?" he asked.
Smoker exhaled a thick plume of smoke, the haze drifting lazily between them. "What hostility," he said evenly. "Have I angered you somehow?"
Giovanni frowned. "Blowing that smoke right in my face has something to do with it."
Smoker raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well then, I apologize."
He said the words plainly and then continued puffing smoke all the same.
After a moment, Smoker shifted his attention, turning slightly toward the bar. "How rude of me," he said. "How are you ladies doing on this beautiful day?"
Melissa and Miah straightened instinctively.
"We're doing fine, Captain Smoker," they said almost in unison. "And how about you?"
"I'm doing fine," Smoker replied. His eyes slid back to Giovanni. "I just wanted to have a conversation with this man right here. You don't mind me stealing him for a second, right?"
Miah hesitated. As a resident of Logue Town, she knew exactly who Captain Smoker was and how terrifying he could be to pirates. Her gaze flicked to Giovanni, uncertainty tightening her chest. She didn't know if he would survive a clash with him.
Before she could say anything, Giovanni spoke.
"Captain Smoker, huh?" he said casually. "Are you, like, the big Marine boss around here?"
Smoker nodded. "That's correct."
Giovanni smiled. "That's amazing. Congratulations."
Smoker let out a small breath through his nose. "I took the post two years ago," he said. "So it's a little late for congratulations, don't you think?" His gaze sharpened. "Aside from that, what Warlord did you face to get such a nasty scar?"
Giovanni answered without hesitation.
"Dracula Mihawk."
Smoker hummed. "Mmh. The latest one, huh. He must be quite strong then."
Then his tone shifted, colder, more deliberate. "Now then, are you going to answer my original question?"
Giovanni tilted his head. "Which one?"
Smoker's eyes hardened. "I think I already have my answer," he said. "But I'll ask anyway. Are you a pirate?"
Miah suddenly stood, panic flashing across her face. "N-No, he isn't, actually—"
"Yes," Giovanni cut in calmly. He met Smoker's gaze head-on. "I'm a pirate. Is there a problem?"
The room seemed to quiet.
Giovanni's thoughts were simple. He didn't want to be a coward. Why should he lie about being a pirate just because he was standing in front of Smoker, a Logia user? He wanted to become a symbol of fear. Cowering now would only hold him back.
If someone like Luffy could stare down two Yonko and declare he would surpass them and become Pirate King…
If Nami could shout the same words straight to Ulti's face, even while outmatched and on the brink of death…
Then why should he fear Smoker?
Melissa and Miah stared at him in shock.
Smoker rose slightly from his seat. "Oh," he said flatly, smoke curling around his shoulders. "Thats not good as we don't like pirates here."
He moved to attack—
But Giovanni was faster.
In one smooth motion, Giovanni drew his saber and swung it across Smoker's midsection. The blade passed cleanly through him, through smoke without resistance, without a single drop of blood.
Smoker remained unharmed.
Giovanni clicked his tongue.
"Logia users," he muttered. "What a pain."
Smoke twisted unnaturally as Smoker's lower body dissolved into thick white clouds. In the blink of an eye, he reformed directly in front of Giovanni.
Before Giovanni could react, a massive hand slammed against his face.
The world spun.
Smoker drove him forward with brutal force, smashing Giovanni straight through the bar counter. Wood splintered and bottles shattered, alcohol spilling across the floor as Giovanni skidded to a halt amidst the wreckage.
Without hesitation, Smoker reached over his shoulder and drew his Nanashaku Jitte in a single smooth motion. The long rod gleamed faintly, its Seastone tip radiating menace as Smoker brought it down, aiming to crush Giovanni's skull.
Giovanni grit his teeth and raised his saber just in time.
CLANG.
The impact reverberated as the force traveled through the blade. The floor beneath him cracked outward in a spiderweb pattern.
Smoker leaned in, eyes narrowed.
"Your eyes," he said coldly, "they remind me of a pirate who once terrorized these seas. One who commanded one of the most terrifying crews to ever exist."
His grip tightened.
"I must eliminate you before you become just like him."
Giovanni lashed out, trying to kick Smoker away but his leg passed straight through smoke.
"Tch—!"
Smoker raised the Jitte again and swung.
This time, Giovanni didn't block. He jerked his head aside, the Seastone weapon smashing into the floor with explosive force. Using the opening, Giovanni planted his hands and launched himself backward into a desperate backflip.
But Smoker was already there.
He released the Jitte mid-motion, surged forward in a burst of smoke, and drove a punch straight into Giovanni's wound, effectively reopening it.
Giovanni crashed into a cupboard stacked with cups and bottles. Wood exploded apart, glass raining down as he slammed into the wall. Blood spilled from his mouth, splattering onto the floor.
He groaned, his vision blurring as the wound Mihawk had given him tore open anew.
Still, he swung his head forward in a headbutt.
It passed through smoke.
"Damn it…" Giovanni said, teeth clenched. It's pointless. I can't touch him at all.
Smoker stepped back half a pace, then launched a brutal left hook.
CRACK.
It connected cleanly with Giovanni's jaw, blood spraying outward. Before he could fall, Smoker followed with an uppercut that snapped Giovanni's head back, sending more blood arcing through the air.
Across the bar, Miah and Melissa stood frozen, hands shaking, unable to look away from the one-sided beating unfolding before them.
Smoker pressed forward again, throwing a straight punch.
Giovanni barely dodged, rolling to the side of the bar. He staggered to his feet and spun into a kick only for it to pass harmlessly through Smoker's body once more.
In the next instant, Smoker's solid hand closed around Giovanni's leg.
With a sharp twist, he hurled him into the floor.
The impact created a shallow crater, dust and debris bursting outward. Giovanni lay there, unmoving, his breathing ragged as pain finally caught up to him.
The bar had descended into chaos. Screams, overturned tables, patrons scrambling for the exits as they witnessed the utter domination.
Smoker calmly retrieved his Jitte, walking toward Giovanni.
"It's time to end this," he said flatly. "The world cannot afford another Rocks."
He raised the Seastone weapon high.
Then—
BANG.
A gunshot rang out.
A bullet tore through Smoker's wrist.
"—ngh!"
Blood burst from the wound as Smoker dropped the Jitte with a clatter, clutching his arm, shock written clearly across his face.
A calm, steady voice echoed from the bar's entrance.
"That's enough."
Smoke parted as Smoker turned toward the doorway.
"I can't have you doing that to my crewmate now."
Standing there, pistol still raised, eyes sharp and unshaken—
was Benn Beckman.
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