In Alabasta's port town known as Rapeseed, the air felt strangely heavy. Since the day news exploded across the kingdom that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords, had been publicly executed by Rear Admiral Renn Hawk, an undercurrent began surging beneath the desert's calm.
For years, Crocodile's shadow had loomed over the land. Even those who wished to plunder Alabasta had never dared cross into his territory. But the moment the desert king fell, a scent escaped into the winds. A scent that scavengers recognized instantly.
Opportunity.
That morning, several pirate ships flying crude skull flags crept toward the harbor like vermin slipping through an alley at midnight.
"Move it, boys!"
"The sand crocodile is dead! Alabasta belongs to me now!"
The pirate captain spoke with a brutish grin. His face was covered in twisted flesh and jagged scars, and he carried a massive battle axe across his shoulder.
His men cheered and rushed forward.
But instead of terrified civilians, they were greeted by rows of leveled rifles and the unwavering, icy stares of Marine soldiers.
Gunfire erupted in a deafening barrage. The first wave of pirates dropped instantly, staining the sand red.
"Marine bastards!" the pirate captain roared. Swinging his massive axe, he sliced incoming bullets out of the air with a wild, furious strength.
Then a thick column of white smoke rose behind him, swirling into the shape of a tall human figure.
"Hey. Trash," a deep voice growled.
Smoker stood there with two cigars clenched between his teeth, his face half obscured in drifting smoke. His seastone-tipped jitte was already pressed against the pirate captain's back.
"This place is under my jurisdiction now."
The captain froze.
"You… You're the White Hunter! Smoker!"
"Correct," Smoker said flatly.
Ever since he had been blasted away by Renn Hawk back at G–3 and later witnessed both Zoro and Sanji unlock their monstrous potential, the pride he carried for years had shattered completely. But buried beneath that humiliation was a stubborn, burning determination. He stopped relying solely on his Devil Fruit and instead threw himself into relentless physical training, pushing his body and haki until both nearly broke.
Because Smoker was not a man who surrendered.
"I have a thirty million bounty. They call me Blood Axe," the captain roared and spun, attempting to cleave Smoker's skull open.
Smoker did not dodge.
"White Smoke Curtain."
His body dissolved into a surge of smoke that engulfed the pier. Visibility vanished within seconds.
"Damn it… I can't see anything!"
The pirate captain flailed blindly.
Smoker's voice echoed from every direction.
"White Punch."
A smoke-formed fist reinforced with blackened Armament Haki smashed hard into the captain's ribs.
A loud crack echoed across the harbor.
The brute screamed and flew across the pier, shattering wooden crates in his wake. Before he could scramble back to his feet, another attack struck.
"White Serpent."
A thick tendril of smoke shaped like a snake lunged forward and wrapped tightly around the pirate's torso, biting into his shoulder with crushing force.
"Get off me!" the captain screamed, thrashing helplessly.
Smoker emerged from the haze, his expression silent and merciless.
"It's over."
He planted his jitte into the sand.
"Smoke Burst."
A deep vibration pulsed through the air. Every fragment of drifting smoke suddenly contracted inward with immense force, collapsing toward the pirate captain. The smoke compressed into a dense, white sphere around him.
Smoker flicked one of his cigars with a single finger.
The glowing ember drifted into the sphere.
The explosion blasted through the pier like a thunderclap. Fire and white concussive force erupted upward, forming a small mushroom cloud.
The thirty-million-bounty captain didn't even have time to scream before his body disintegrated under searing heat and crushing pressure.
When the smoke cleared, only a scorched crater remained.
The rest of the pirates had already thrown down their weapons, trembling violently as Marines stormed in to restrain them.
Smoker lit a new cigar and exhaled slowly.
"Renn Hawk said Alabasta falls under my protection for now. Anyone who thinks they can cause trouble here will learn exactly what an explosion tastes like."
Just then, a fleet of ten massive merchant ships appeared on the horizon, slicing through the waves with unusual speed.
Smoker's gaze sharpened. Marines snapped back into formation, rifles raised toward the unknown fleet.
The largest ship halted just outside the harbor. A tall figure rose from its deck.
He wore simple casual clothes. His curly hair was messy from the wind, and his entire presence radiated laziness completely out of place amid the tense atmosphere.
His eyes fixed on Smoker, and a faint smile curved at his lips.
"Smoker. You've gotten stronger."
Smoker stiffened.
"Kuzan?! What are you doing here?"
Aokiji hopped casually off the deck and landed in front of him.
"This is my first time overseeing Alabasta's transition. Naturally, I had to come take a look… and clean up the trash along the way."
Kuzan clapped a hand on Smoker's shoulder and inspected him with an approving nod.
"Not bad. Your physical combat and Armament are sharper. And that last technique… interesting."
Smoker tried to hide the pleased twitch at the corner of his mouth. He turned away with a grunt.
"Compared to those three monsters, I'm still far behind."
Kuzan blinked.
"Three? You mean Renn Hawk?"
Smoker shook his head.
"Renn Hawk doesn't count. That man exists on a completely different plane."
He raised three fingers.
"I'm talking about the first-tier monsters under his command. The green-haired swordsman. That curly-browed cook. And the kid named Dane."
"Only after those three do I fall into the second tier," Smoker said bitterly. "That includes me, Tina, Hibari, Peacock… all of us."
Kuzan stared at him, stunned.
He knew Smoker's pride. He had never imagined the man would willingly place himself in second tier.
And not even counting Renn Hawk?
This was… interesting.
Kuzan motioned to his disguised Marines. They immediately began unloading massive crates wrapped tightly in tarps.
He slung an arm around Smoker's shoulders again.
"Tell me everything."
Smoker clicked his tongue.
"You should have seen it. The first time Zephyr-sensei trained Zoro and Sanji… he laughed so hard the roof nearly blew off."
"And then those two freaks learned the core of Soru in a single night."
Smoker sighed deeply.
"I hate to admit it, but compared to them… I really am second tier."
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