Will had no idea what was going through Smoker's mind at that moment.
Upon hearing Smoker's words, his brows furrowed, and he snapped sharply, "You're spouting too much nonsense, Smoker!"
"Why waste time overthinking? Come face me head-on!"
With that, Will didn't bother using the Six Powers' Soru. Instead, he charged straight at Smoker with blistering speed, pulling back his right fist, ready to unleash a devastating strike.
"Hmph! If that's how you want it, bring it on!" Smoker bellowed, a grin splitting his face. He, too, surged forward, choosing not to use his elementalization to dodge.
The distance between them closed in an instant, and both swung their fists with full force!
BOOM!
Their clenched fists collided with a thunderous impact, sending a shockwave rippling outward!
"What the—?!"
But Smoker, who had also used Iron Body, suddenly paled. Gritting his teeth, he was sent flying backward!
He skidded across the ground for several meters before finally coming to a stop.
Will stood tall, retracting his fist, his tone tinged with surprise. "I haven't even gotten serious, and you're already down."
"Damn it…" Smoker's forehead veins bulged as he shot to his feet, supporting himself with one hand.
This guy's strength… it's monstrous! Smoker's right arm trembled slightly as he stared at the man before him, shock coursing through him.
Having eaten a Devil Fruit, his physical prowess was already far beyond that of an ordinary human. Coupled with his natural brute strength, he'd always been confident in his power.
Yet, in a head-on clash, he was completely outmatched—blasted away with a single punch.
Noticing Smoker's shifting expression, Will spoke up. "Looks like your Six Powers aren't quite up to par, Smoker."
"Why don't you use that Devil Fruit ability you're so familiar with?"
"Hmph, no need for you to tell me that," Smoker growled, his brows knitting together.
Without hesitation, his arms transformed into swirling clouds of smoke, shooting forward rapidly.
But the smoke didn't target Will directly—it split, streaming toward both sides of him.
In the next instant, the smoke dispersed further, forming five long tendrils that sealed off every direction around Will.
The smoke then began to converge, attempting to bind him in place.
"Five Smoke Strands?" Will raised an eyebrow, his expression still calm and composed.
He bent one leg, channeling strength, then lashed out with a powerful kick, stirring up a massive gust of air.
Tempest Kick: Instant Slash!
A pale blue slash rocketed forward, slicing the smoke in front of him clean in half before hurtling straight toward Smoker.
Swoosh!
The slash grazed Smoker's left shoulder, but he had already elementalized to evade, and the cut quickly reformed.
Will hadn't expected the attack to land a hit on Smoker anyway.
Using the gap he'd carved through the smoke, he burst out of the encirclement in a flash.
In the next second, Will was already in front of Smoker, his fist rocketing forward with ferocious momentum!
Iron Body: Crashing Fist!
The sheer force of the punch dispersed the lingering wisps of smoke around them, but Smoker showed no intention of dodging.
Elementalization!
Confidence gleamed in his eyes. He was ready to use his smoky form to trap Will's punching arm.
After all, Will's speed and reflexes were terrifyingly fast—without this tactic, landing an effective counterattack would be nearly impossible.
But in the next moment—
THUD!
To Smoker's utter shock, the fist that should've passed through his head slammed into his face with a dull, bone-rattling impact.
He was sent flying backward, blood spraying from his nose as he soared through the air.
Thud!
Crashing to the ground, Smoker was momentarily dazed, his head spinning from the brutal hit.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that he regained his senses.
Flipping to his feet, he wiped the blood from his nose and glared at Will with burning intensity.
"How is this possible?! I elementalized in advance!"
Disbelief surged through him, but then a realization hit, and his expression turned to one of utter shock. "Could it be… Armament Haki?!"
The thought solidified in his mind.
If it wasn't Armament Haki, how could Will have struck him when he was already elementalized?
"I underestimated you, Madman Will!" Smoker said through gritted teeth, wincing as the sharp pain in his face lingered.
"To think you were hiding your true strength back when you stormed the Kingdom of the Bridge!"
The intelligence reports on Will had made no mention of Armament Haki.
Clearly, he hadn't used it during his rampage in the Kingdom of the Bridge.
"That's because the opponents there were too weak," Will replied casually, then added, "But you're clearly stronger than those guys, Smoker."
"After all, you're the man who ate a Logia Devil Fruit."
"Hmph." Smoker snorted, unconvinced that Will was genuinely praising him.
This guy had just sent him flying with a single punch—his words now felt more like mockery.
Without warning, Smoker transformed into a cloud of smoke, shooting skyward as if planning a sneak attack to return the favor.
As Smoker rose into the air, his arms morphed into twin streams of smoke, his fists rocketing toward Will like missiles.
Will instantly saw through his plan, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. "Going for a long-range attack, huh?"
"Or are you trying to lure me in?"
"Either way, your ideas are a bit too naive, Smoker!"
Just as the fists were about to connect—
Moon Step: Rising Dragon!
Will stomped the ground and launched himself skyward, soaring to a height of over a hundred meters in the blink of an eye.
Glancing down at Smoker, who was slightly below him, he kicked off the air, hurtling toward him with ferocious speed.
But Smoker remained unfazed, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes.
"You're coming straight at me, Madman Will?!"
Fully prepared, he drew the massive jutte strapped to his back, its tip embedded with Seastone.
Gripping the weapon tightly, he thrust it toward the charging Will with lethal precision.
This was no ordinary jutte—its weight and durability far surpassed standard weapons, and the Seastone tip could neutralize Devil Fruit powers.
Even a non-Devil Fruit user would be gravely injured if struck by its tip.
With Will diving toward him, there was no time to stop or change direction.
This strike was guaranteed to hit!
Even if Will reacted in time and used Armament Haki to defend, Smoker was certain he could still send him flying.
Then, he could pursue Will in the air, capitalizing on the advantage.
Smoker also knew that using Armament Haki was extremely taxing.
If it came to a war of attrition, his stamina would surely outlast Will's!
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