That spinning fat man was flying too fast, and with his mind set on escaping, he didn't care about anything else.
At this distance, trying to intercept a devil fruit user who is determined to run away in mid-air is difficult, even for a Logia-type.
"Forget about those two pieces of trash."
Smoker crushed his cigar against the railing, sending sparks scattering into the sea breeze.
He turned and strode toward the helm, his cape snapping loudly behind him.
"Full speed ahead, target: the port of Iron Fang Island."
"But Colonel..."
His adjutant, Tashigi, chased after him, clutching her sword, her face full of worry. "Even an executive of the Donquixote Family was scared like that; there must be something extremely dangerous on the island. Would it be too reckless for us to just rush in like this?"
"Reckless?"
Smoker snorted coldly, standing at the bow with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed intently on the black smoke drawing ever closer.
"If it's a pirate brawl, we'll just go to collect the bodies. If it's a massacre targeting civilians, then the Marine has even less reason to stand by and watch."
He turned his head and glanced at the nervous Marine soldiers behind him.
"Those who are afraid to die, stay on the ship; those who aren't, follow me. I want to see exactly what kind of monster scared a Shichibukai executive out of his wits."
The warship broke through the waves and sailed into the waters of Iron Fang Island.
The once bustling den of vice was now terrifyingly quiet.
There were no noisy human voices, no hawking, not even the cries of seabirds could be heard.
Only the crackling sound of fire consuming wood could be heard occasionally in the wind.
Half of the pier had already collapsed, and several pirate ships were listing as they sank in the shallows, with only their broken masts visible.
The seawater appeared a strange, dark red, as if soaked through with a vast amount of blood, or perhaps some unknown dye.
"Dock the ship."
Smoker gave the order.
As soon as the gangplank touched the broken pier, a thick, suffocating smell of blood rushed toward them.
Several new recruits turned deathly pale in an instant, covering their mouths and retching.
Smoker frowned, relit two cigars, and took a deep breath, trying to use the scent of tobacco to suppress the stench.
"Tashigi, take the First Squad and follow me. Everyone else, stay with the warship and be ready to provide artillery support at any time."
"Yes!"
The group stepped onto the pier.
The wooden planks beneath their feet groaned with rot, and thick, blackish-red liquid oozed from the gaps.
"Colonel, look over there..."
A Marine soldier said with a trembling voice, pointing at a pile of shipping containers ahead.
It was piled high with corpses.
No, to be precise, it was piles of body parts.
Severed limbs and broken arms were stacked haphazardly together, viscera spilled all over the ground, and most of the corpses showed signs of having been gnawed on.
Some bones even bore clear tooth marks.
"Is... is this the work of a Beast?"
Tashigi's fingers turned white as she gripped her sword hilt, her stomach churning violently.
Smoker walked forward and crouched down to examine a corpse wearing pirate clothing.
The neck had been ripped open halfway; the wound was an unnatural grayish color, and the surrounding veins were bulging and turned black.
"It's not a Beast."
Smoker stood up, his expression grim. "Beasts only kill to feed; they don't kill for the sake of killing. This looks more like... the masterpiece of some madman."
Just then.
Creak.
A faint, crisp sound came from behind the shipping containers.
All the Marine soldiers instantly raised their muskets, aiming at the source of the sound.
"Who's there! Come out!"
Tashigi shouted sternly.
The shadows stirred.
A staggering figure slowly walked out.
It was a man wearing a tattered sailor suit, head bowed, his body twisted at an unnatural angle.
His left arm was severed, with only a piece of white bone exposed, yet not a single drop of blood flowed out.
"Is it a survivor?"
A Marine soldier subconsciously lowered his gun, wanting to step forward. "Hey! Are you okay? We are the Ma..."
"Don't go over there!"
Smoker roared suddenly.
But it was too late.
That "survivor" suddenly raised his head.
What a terrifying face it was.
The skin was grayish and cracked, the eyes were cloudy and white, the mouth was split open to an exaggerated angle, and the teeth were jagged, hanging with dark red shreds of meat.
"Roar——!!!"
The monster let out a hiss that didn't sound human, kicked off the ground violently, and moved with astonishing speed.
The kind-hearted Marine soldier hadn't even reacted before he was tackled to the ground by the monster.
Snap!
A crisp sound of breaking bones rang out.
The monster bit down on the Marine soldier's neck, tearing off a huge chunk of skin and flesh.
"Aaaaaah!!"
The shrill scream instantly pierced the dead silence.
"Open fire! Open fire now!"
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Dense gunfire erupted.
A dozen lead bullets struck the monster, splashing black blood everywhere.
The monster's body was knocked back, staggering, and a large hole was even blasted into its chest.
But it didn't fall.
It didn't even scream.
It just shook its head, seemingly unable to feel pain, and roared as it charged toward the crowd again.
"What... what the hell is this thing?!"
The Marine soldiers retreated in terror, their hands trembling as they reloaded.
"Move aside!"
Smoker shouted angrily.
His right arm instantly turned into white smoke, extending at high speed, wrapping around the monster's neck like a giant python.
"White Snake!"
The smoke tightened violently, slamming the monster hard against the ground.
Boom!
The ground cracked.
The monster's spine was snapped by this immense force, its body folded at an unnatural angle, and it twitched frantically on the ground.
Even so, it still wasn't dead.
That split-open mouth was still opening and closing, trying to bite anything that got close.
Smoker walked over and crushed the monster's head with one foot.
Red and white matter splashed.
The body finally stopped moving.
The entire scene was deathly silent.
Only the Marine soldier who had been bitten was rolling on the ground in pain, wailing.
"What is this thing?"
Smoker looked at the corpse at his feet, his brow furrowed into a deep frown.
No sense of pain, tenacious vitality, bloodthirsty and berserk.
These were not characteristics a human should have.
But he didn't believe for a second that this thing alone could have scared off a Shichibukai executive.
"Help... help..."
The injured man on the ground suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice.
Smoker turned his head to look.
He saw that black veins were spreading across the Marine soldier's body from the wound at a speed visible to the naked eye.
His skin began to turn grayish-white, his eyes quickly became bloodshot, and then cloudy.
"Medic! Stop the bleeding!"
Tashigi shouted anxiously.
"Don't touch him!"
Smoker grabbed Tashigi just as she was about to step forward.
"Colonel?"
"Look at his eyes."
Smoker's voice was as cold as ice.
The Marine soldier stopped wailing.
He slowly climbed up from the ground, his movements stiff, a low, guttural "gurgling" sound coming from his throat.
The next second.
He lunged at his nearest comrade, opening his blood-filled mouth.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
A wisp of smoke rose from the tip of the Jitte in Smoker's hand.
A bloody hole appeared in the center of the Marine soldier-turned-zombie's forehead, and he fell straight backward.
Tashigi covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.
This thing could actually spread!
Smoker exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, which formed a barrier in front of him.
If this characteristic was widespread...
He paused, that terrifying thought exploding in his mind.
Iron Fang Island was a den of vice; with its permanent population and transient merchants, there were at least fifty or sixty thousand people.
If the virus had already spread...
There were likely no living people left on this island.