To help Smoker firmly establish a sense of justice, Cole, though it was unclear where he found the energy, dragged him around all day.
From the founding and expansion of Base 161 to its food, sleeping quarters, and even the toilet situation, they went through every detail.
By the end, Smoker had been walked so thoroughly he almost surrendered on the spot.
At last, nighttime arrived, and Smoker was finally granted some rest.
"Smoker-kun... you really want to stay here?!"
Cole frowned at the dilapidated shack in front of them, repeating his question for confirmation.
The Marines emphasized endurance and discipline, but shared dormitories were readily available.
If one became an officer or had a family, they could even apply for a private room.
Yet Smoker had actually refused dormitory accommodations, insisting on living in a small wooden hut beside the training field.
His reasoning? Convenience for training at any time.
The problem was, while the hut did have a bed, it was more like a cluttered storage room filled with broken, outdated gear...
Thick dust coated the surfaces, and garbage lay scattered throughout—nowhere near livable.
Smoker smiled lightly. "It's fine. I used to sleep in the mountains. This is already pretty good."
"But still…"
Smoker waved a hand. "Base Commander, don't worry about me. I actually get along with people pretty well!"
"…Alright then."
Seeing how firm Smoker was, Cole didn't push further.
"Get some rest for tonight. Make do as best you can. I'll have someone clean this place up and toss out the junk first thing tomorrow."
"Thanks. I really appreciate it."
Once Cole left, Smoker finally let out a long breath, walked into the hut, and lit a small oil lamp.
In the dim glow, the shack looked even messier, cramped, filthy, and disorganized.
He sat on the edge of the bed in the corner, reached for his chest, and pulled out a pendant.
As soon as he removed the necklace, he sighed in relief, his entire body visibly relaxing.
["Kuzan's method is pure torture..."]
["I wonder if all three Admirals trained like this..."]
Hanging from the pendant was a chunk of seastone, Cole's earlier gift.
When he had met Kuzan, Smoker had asked about seastone in passing.
According to Kuzan, 100% pure seastone was incredibly rare. Only branches under the World Government or Wano Country, the origin of the mineral, had access to it.
Most of what was sold on the market was unrefined ore with low purity.
Still, even raw seastone could suppress Devil Fruit powers and drain stamina. It was more than enough to bring a pirate with a bounty in the hundreds of millions to their knees.
But for top-tier monsters, Emperor-level beings with maxed-out Haki and physical strength, its effects were significantly diminished.
They could level entire cities or nations without using their Devil Fruits at all.
As for Smoker's pendant? It was more like seastone residue, with a purity of only about ten percent.
When Kuzan held the chunk, he was barely affected.
But when Smoker wore it, he immediately felt drained, like he'd reverted to the scrawny mutt of his previous life.
Not only did it suppress his powers, it reduced his stamina to that of a regular human.
Smoker had studied Marine recruitment policy.
Under the age of sixteen, one could not enter Marine Headquarters under any circumstances.
In other words, he'd be stuck at Base 161 for two years.
At the moment, his development of the Dark-Dark Fruit had hit a bottleneck.
Without a strong enough body, there would be no further progress.
So, he made a decision to keep training his physical strength.
Following Kuzan's advice, Smoker had the seastone fashioned into a pendant.
Now he wore it every day like a weighted burden, training from the ground up alongside everyone else.
He believed that if he kept this up for two years, his physique would see significant improvement.
More importantly, his resistance to seastone would also increase greatly.
Once he entered the Grand Line, there was no telling when he'd encounter enemies wielding seastone weapons.
Better to prepare early than regret it later.
If he ever got caught in seastone chains, even if he couldn't use his Devil Fruit powers, at least he'd still be able to fight back.
However, if he wanted to use his abilities, he'd have to take off the necklace.
That was an unshakable truth in the world of pirates. Not even the Emperors or Admirals could activate their powers while wearing seastone—even if it was low-grade ore.
Smoker placed the pendant on the bed and looked around at the chaotic room.
["I should probably clean this up first. It's all junk anyway."]
Darkness like thick ink began to seep from his body, swallowing the entire room.
Everything vanished into the shadows, except for the bed beneath him and the table holding the lamp.
Seconds later, the room was completely empty and spotless.
Even the chipped walls and ceiling had been scraped smooth by the darkness.
Smoker glanced around, nodding with satisfaction.
["Now that's better."]
["Thank my past life for developing minimalist habits..."]
He lay down on the bed and put the necklace back on.
With that familiar wave of weakness returning, he quickly drifted off into sleep.
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter