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"Captain Smoker, you don't need to keep trying to persuade me. Although this Saint Charlos wasn't killed by me, I did strike him."
"Several of the knife wounds on him came from my blade. After doing something like this, I'm already an enemy of the Navy—an enemy of the World Government."
Tashigi let out a sigh. She said nothing about what had happened on the island where Cocoyasi Village is located; she feared the World Government would retaliate against that island if she spoke.
At the same moment the reporters, hearing her words, froze for a beat.
Only when Tashigi reached out and peeled back the World Noble's clothes, exposing those cuts, did they react.
"What—what is she trying to do?"
"No way… those wounds were really made by her?"
"From what she said, she was originally a Marine, right? Why would she attack a World Noble?"
"She said she didn't deal the final blow, so Arton really finished him off?"
"Fake—impossible. No one would dare kill a World Noble. That guy can't be the real thing."
"Wait—what is this woman planning to do to the body?"
"Oh my God—she's skewered the World Noble's corpse on the spear Arton left in the scaffold, like a candied hawthorn!"
Eyes bulged, mouths hung open. A chill ran from the spectators' soles clear to their scalps.
Even ordinary onlookers understood: whether or not the corpse was a genuine World Noble, the sight of Tashigi ramming the WN's head onto a spear and hanging it high above the scaffold was an act of monstrous treason.
For the dignity of the World Government, Marines and government agents would stop at nothing to kill Tashigi—no quarter.
Boa Hancock: "That woman… not bad at all. She's worth my regard."
Belo Betty: "She actually went through with it—almost makes me jealous."
Koala: "If only I could hang a WN up high myself… what a wonderful sight that'd be."
Kalifa: "These people are truly insane."
Stussy: "Hehe—before long, the whole world will go insane too."
Smoothie: "She stole my template; if she couldn't even do this she'd be trash. If I could get a strong template, I'd not only hang a WN's corpse—I'd kill one myself."
Ain: "Not bad at all, Tashigi."
Gion: "Tashigi…"
"Tashigi… she—she really did that?" Hibari clasped her hands over her mouth, worry filling her eyes.
For a moment she had no idea what to do, so she looked helplessly to Doll and Kujaku—but both women were just as shocked and didn't notice her gaze.
Left with no choice, Hibari raised her head toward Tashigi—and her heart skipped a beat.
"Did Arton just… glance at me?"
She rubbed her eyes and looked again; Arton had already turned away, as though he hadn't noticed her.
"No… he definitely didn't recognize me. That was just coincidence." Trying to calm herself, she took a deep breath.
…
On the scaffold Arton stroked his chin, brows knitting.
"Those three women… they look familiar. Where have I seen them? Am I imagining things?"
He opened his Transparent World, studying Hibari, Kujaku, and Doll one by one.
Though the Transparent World wasn't Observation Haki, its keen perception let every move of the trio imprint itself in his mind.
In short order Arton sensed a constant off-note about them.
"Not ordinary people—their bodies are far stronger than normal. Marines? Or CP agents here to investigate the missing World Noble?"
"Wait—that ponytailed one looks a bit like Hibari." He raised a brow.
Arton didn't know the three as well as he knew Gion or Hina, but that didn't mean he knew nothing about them.
"Interesting—those three gathered together this fast? Is that special Marine squad already forming?"
"Running into them at this point… can't tell if it's good or bad." He shook his head, a bit regretful.
Had it been another time, he'd have enjoyed a proper interaction, but right now dealing with the World Noble mattered more.
…
"Do you understand what you're doing, Tashigi?" Smoker's grip on his weapon nearly shattered it; his face was dark.
"I do." Tashigi nodded calmly.
Hearing that steady answer, Smoker exhaled heavily—then his body whipped into smoke as he lunged for the scaffold.
No matter what, I can't let the Noble's body stay hanging there! The longer it hung, the greater the chance word would spread—and Smoker couldn't imagine what kind of storm that would stir.
Tashigi raised her blade and pointed at the incoming smoke.
"No use, Tashigi. Even if you can throw flying slashes now, I'm a Logia user—your attacks can't—"
Before he finished, a beam of golden light shot from her sword-tip, slamming into the smoke and launching Smoker backward, crashing him to the ground.
"Cough—what was that? Haki? No… that's not Haki!" Smoker clutched his chest, staring in shock at the still-posed Tashigi.
Arton rested his cheek on one hand, watching with interest.
Tashigi had attacked with spirit power. It wasn't Haki, so it couldn't absolutely negate a Logia body, yet—like Akainu and Aokiji injuring each other's elements—spirit was itself a kind of element, so it could at least damage another elemental form.
For that reason, even without Armament Haki, Arton wasn't overly worried about the three Marine Admirals once he had powerful templates.
Still, he mused, Armament Haki's worth mastering—nothing counters Logias like it.
"That's right, it isn't Haki, but it can still hurt you, Captain Smoker." Tashigi breathed out and thrust again.
"Ola Azul!"
A shell of gold energy crashed down toward Smoker.
He threw up his jitte, yet when the light touched it, the weapon dragged him backward, carving a long trench across the plaza.
"What—what is this power?!" His hands trembled—not from fear, but from the raw force behind her attack.
He couldn't fathom how Tashigi, without Haki, could damage a Logia body—or where she'd gotten this ability.
"Wait—an ability?"
"Arton, did you feed Tashigi a Devil Fruit?!" He leveled the jitte at Arton and roared.
Arton chuckled and looked to Tashigi. "Quit wasting time, Tashigi. Make sure he can't stop us."
Smoker was decent enough, but he wasn't one of Arton's heroines; Arton felt no need to show him special mercy.
"I understand." With a nod Tashigi leapt, hurtling from the air straight at Smoker.
"So fast!" Smoker's eyes widened; he transformed into smoke and shot upward. In that single blink Tashigi had already appeared in front of him—her strength startled him anew.
"Tashigi, you really mean to fight me? What did that man do to you? If he's forcing you, just tell me!"
Suspended in smoke, he shouted down at her.
"Captain Smoker—this is the last time I'll call you Captain." Tashigi shook her head and looked up. A cold wind whipped her white coat, adding a chill edge to her presence.
"Captain Arton never forced me. I simply… made my own choice. Forgive me."
With that, a crushing aura burst from her, blanketing most of the plaza—Smoker included.
"That's… Conqueror's Haki?!" Smoker's eyes went wide with horror.
...
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