Sage smiled and looked at the man, "You seem quite angry with me? I don't remember someone like you..."
"East Sea, Logue Town!"
The man said in a deep voice, "After I left, you took over Logue Town where I was supposed to be stationed. I've been thinking about you ever since!"
Sage was taken aback and glanced up and down at the guy, then remembered, "Smoker?"
Smoker slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, "Although my target is the Straw Hat boy, dangerous individuals like you can't be let go either!"
Monkey D. Luffy brought Smoker a soul-stirring shock, the kind that faces life and death on the execution platform and can still smile, reminding him of when he watched Roger's execution as a child.
If you don't catch someone like that, there's no telling what kind of danger they might cause.
But Norton Sage is different; he's already very dangerous himself!
"The criminal who destroyed four kingdoms, with a bounty of 270 million Belly, 'Scourge' Norton Sage!"
Smoker raised his fist, "Let me see why you have such a high bounty!"
The arm he raised emitted thick smoke, enveloping the entire arm... no, not enveloping, the whole arm turned into smoke.
"Whoa!"
Mute let out a low growl, showing a threatening intent.
Sage waved his hand to stop Mute from advancing, "You're not his match yet. Let me see what's so-called Logia-type..."
He took two steps forward and smiled, "Let's see how strong it really is."
Smoker said coldly, "I ate the Smoke-Smoke Fruit and became a Smoke Person. As for how it is, see for yourself!"
Whoosh!
Smoke emanated from his cigar-clenched mouth. At the same time, the smoke-covered arm burst forth with an emitted smoke, "White Fist!"
The thick smoke extended Smoker's arm like a pillar, with his fist at the tip, rapidly hitting forward. Sage spread his hand, ready to catch the fist.
Bam!
The sound of a hit rang on his palm, but the fist turned into smoke upon impact and dispersed with the columnar smoke, enveloping the area around Sage.
"Oh... a fist that can hit people, inherently a fist, but also a Logia, so it can't be physically touched. Is this elementalization?"
Sage felt the sensation on his hand, nodded slightly, and looked at the surrounding smoke.
"The smoke surrounding me is naturally produced, without that impact sensation, a standard natural phenomenon that can suffocate and also confuse vision..."
He hadn't finished speaking when the enveloping smoke suddenly shot out in columns and struck from the side. Sage raised his palm to block it, and the smoke passed through his hand, turning into a stick-like state, spraying onto his chest.
Bam bam bam!
The smoke's spray created a series of muffled sounds.
"It seems you don't need to deliberately condense into a fist. The dispersed smoke can become your strength at any time and still has a decent impact, but compared to it, the actual fist is still stronger."
Sage said in an exploratory manner, unconcerned about his chest being hit.
This strength was too weak for his ever-growing body.
Even Ennio's fists were stronger.
Seeing the move was ineffective, Smoker said in a firm voice, "A guy with a strong body, eh? No wonder you're so fearless, but you've underestimated me! White Snake!"
The smoke that sprayed on the chest suddenly looped from his chest to the back, forming a large smoke coil that wrapped around the entire body like a white snake, tightly constraining him.
Sage slightly moved his arm, trying to pull it open, but the white smoke clearly had a force, solidifying like a firm chain. Besides strength, it also had the suffocating nature of smoke. Over time, not being able to breathe would lead to fatigue and eventual failure.
Only...
Sage exerted force, freeing his arm from the smoke, but merely pierced through it without causing any change in the smoke.
He looked at Smoker's silhouette beyond the smoke, "Not bad. Most people would be strangled by someone like you."
"Hmph, that will be your fate too. No matter what attack, it's impossible to truly hit me!"
Smoker snorted coldly, "Since you know about Logia-type, you should understand the power of elementalization. You might have a strong body, but against smoke's suffocation, capturing you is just a matter of time!"
He puffed out smoke, his face gradually relaxing.
"A guy like you being worth 270 million, those people at Headquarters must be slacking off."
The smoke's shroud can obstruct breathing. This guy inhaling smoke will only choke and holding his breath, well, how long can he last?
"Heh heh heh..."
Sage let out a low laugh, moving his hand back and forth through the smoke, slowly saying:
"Logia-types can also be restrained, just like water and fire, fire and wood. Smoke, you just need wind to control it. Find a large blower, and you can disperse it, but there's no need for such trouble..."
The hand traveling through the smoke suddenly descended, with five fingers open, grasping the coiling smoke tightly.
Snap!
As if catching something, Smoker's pupils shrank, showing a pained expression. The smoke coiling around Sage's body burst apart, the smoke arm quickly solidifying, turning back to a solid arm.
He instinctively held his left elbow with his right hand, his entire arm uncontrollably trembling, as if numb.