Huge thanks to Ender and Rystar123, our chapter sponsors! 4 chapters daily for this week!💪
***
Loguetown.
Plaza.
The once-boisterous noise was silenced in an instant. A heavy pressure sank into the heart of every person enveloped by Tashigi's aura. Even the surrounding air seemed to wail.
Smoker stared at Tashigi in shock; the domineering aura made him link it at once to Conqueror's Haki.
He had no way of knowing that this was not Haki at all, but spiritual pressure—Reiatsu—a power that can equally shake a person's soul.
Though Tashigi did not yet wield Tier Harribel's power with fluency, she was the Tercera Espada. Her innate potential let Tashigi deploy Reiatsu flexibly enough to overawe an opponent.
Smoker froze where he stood at the thought that the little Tashigi who once trailed behind him had somehow awakened Conqueror's Haki.
At that moment Tashigi's figure vanished from its spot. When she reappeared she was already above Smoker's head.
"Bad!" Smoker's face tightened; instinctively he thrust Ten Hands upward. But in the next breath he was horrified to find the jitte already clutched in Tashigi's grasp—his own hands were empty.
"So fast! Tashigi, you—" He never finished the sentence.
Tashigi angled the sea-stone tip of Ten Hands straight down and stabbed. She moved so quickly he simply could not react. In a blink a helpless weakness washed through him.
"I… I was subdued by my own weapon?" Smoker looked grimly at Tashigi—she had one fist in his collar while the other pressed the sea-stone point against him.
"Captain Arton was right." Tashigi said. "You shouldn't carry a weapon like this on your body. It can help you restrain some Devil-Fruit users, yes, but if you can't keep hold of it, it becomes the perfect tool to use against you, Smoker."
Her gaze was complicated as she held him.
In earlier days she could never have imagined defeating the invincible Smoker so easily.
Yet now, after possessing Harribel's template for only a short while, she had felled her former commanding officer—without even entering Harribel's Resurrección or releasing her Zanpakuto.
A sigh welled in her heart.
Smoker felt stifled listening to her lecture. He wanted to retort, yet looking at himself dangling powerless in her grip, all his words turned to a sigh.
"Tashigi, what Devil Fruit did that man feed you? How did you vanish and appear out of nowhere? Even the Marines' Shave isn't that fast."
"And how can you float in midair? Moonwalk can't do that!"
He glanced at Tashigi, who stood in the sky as though on solid ground.
"About my ability… sorry—it's a secret." Shaking her head, she rapped him smartly on the skull with Ten Hands. Sea-stone or not, the blow sent Smoker's eyes rolling back; he slumped unconscious on the spot.
"Captain Smoker… lost?!"
"But he's a Logia user—the powerful Marine who's blocked countless pirates from the Grand Line!"
"So what? Can't you see he's up against one of Arton's people?"
"But Tashigi used to be Smoker's subordinate."
"Whatever's going on, she's a pirate now."
"We're doomed—Smoker's out cold. Won't Arton kill us next?"
"Big scoop, huge scoop! Former Marine strikes down Marine captain—then hangs a World Noble's corpse—Arton apparently ready to announce he killed the World Noble. This will rock the world!"
As Smoker collapsed, Tashigi withdrew her aura; the weird oppression over the plaza lifted and everyone could finally breathe and speak again.
On the scaffold Arton watched her toss Smoker to the Marines who had rushed over and made no move to stop it; he simply observed in silence.
He never expected Tashigi to kill Smoker—had she tried, Arton would have doubted her very identity. The decisiveness with which she knocked him out pleased him greatly.
[Smoker's potential isn't bad; within two years he'll make vice admiral and even cross swords with Vergo for a spell.]
[Granted, Vergo dominates him—but that still proves Smoker's latent ability.]
[Give the guy time and the Navy might really raise a White Smoke Admiral. Still, the Navy's future star must be that newcomer who inherits Garp's Marine Hero title.]
[Anyway, being routed so easily by Tashigi today might spur him on—after all, she just displayed overwhelming power, a Reiatsu akin to Conqueror's Haki, Sonido far beyond Shave, and the Arrancar air-platforming that surpasses Moonwalk.]
[Powers Smoker can't fathom—especially that Haki-like Reiatsu—should ignite his fighting spirit. Really, Reiatsu ought to be stronger than Conqueror's Haki.]
[If Tashigi trains Harribel's strength well, could she someday suppress hosts of foes with Reiatsu alone?]
[I'll have to push her—if she can wipe small fry for me, I won't need to waste my own Haki. Haha, a captain ought to sit in back and enjoy the show.]
Doll: "Does Arton rate Smoker that highly—able to grow enough to duel Vergo?"
Monet: "B-bad… Does that mean Vergo is exposed in future? Or maybe they were just sparring as fellow Marines…"
Gion: "Smoker might reach admiral? He has that much potential? And… a new hero receiving Garp's title—who can it be?"
Cinnamon: "So the Navy will have plenty of talent too! If we could finish Smoker early it might benefit us."
Black Maria: "Shame we don't know that new hero's background—else we'd cut him off early, too."
Smoothie: "Reiatsu that strong and usable like Conqueror's? If I obtained Harribel's template I'd basically gain Haki—plus Sonido and that air-hover of Hollows!"
Galette: "Tier's template is way too versatile! Big Sis must be furious she missed it. Here's hoping Arton holds a template perfect for me when I find him."
Baccarat: "He will. Even if this lottery only netted him high-grade Conqueror's Haki, he'll draw more templates later. If he rolls another Haki reward he might hand it off."
She pictured scaring off Gild Tesoro's men with sheer pressure, and her lips curled unconsciously.
Monet beside her sighed.
Monet: "If I could get Conqueror's Haki too, I'd be so much more help to Young Master… then he'd know coming after Arton was the right call—and he wouldn't blame me."
…
A clear voice broke the hush.
"Arton, may I ask—what exactly are you trying to do? Did you truly kill that World Noble?"
Everyone turned. A short-haired blonde girl holding a camera was walking toward Arton.
"Hm? You look familiar. Have we met?" He raised a brow, eyeing her with interest.
"We have. Remember? When you beat Shiki, I tried to interview you—but you refused."
"Oh, you're Ellie, right? Didn't expect we'd meet again."
"So—you plan to interview me this time too?" he asked with a grin, glancing at Tashigi who had landed beside him.
...
For every 3 five-star reviews → +1 extra chapter
For every 100 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.
Read 50+ chapters ahead on Patreon! [patreon.com/METARLN]
Use code FREE2ALL for 30% OFF!