The moment Mantis saw Smoker's outstretched palm, a chill ran down his spine, something about this felt wrong.
Still, Mantis wasn't some rookie. As a veteran who had followed Garp for years, he had faced countless battles and bizarre Devil Fruit powers. The moment he saw Smoker's movement, he instinctively beat his wings and shot backward.
No matter what kind of ability this was, creating distance was always the safest bet.
But Smoker's palm continued to face Mantis, and suddenly, a powerful suction burst forth.
After years of honing the Dark-Dark Fruit, Smoker's control over gravity had already surpassed Blackbeard's. The gravitational pull he unleashed was highly concentrated.
Those standing nearby felt nothing.
But Mantis suddenly froze, dragged forward by an overwhelming, irresistible force.
"Damn it, what kind of ability is this?!"
Mantis's expression shifted drastically. He frantically flapped his wings, trying to break free.
Yet the Dark-Dark Fruit's gravity was said to be infinite.
In the original story, even Whitebeard didn't try to counter Blackbeard's pull head-on, he attacked to break free. Compared to Whitebeard, Mantis had no chance of resisting.
It was as if he were a helpless insect caught in a spider's web, dragged in no matter how desperately he struggled. The closer he got, the stronger that crushing gravity became.
Within seconds, Mantis was pulled right in front of Smoker.
But to him, this was the perfect chance to counterattack!
"Watch out!!"
Mantis raised his scythe-like arms and slashed downward.
If this had been a real fight to the death, he would've aimed straight for the neck.
But since it was only a sparring match, he twisted his arms mid-strike, aiming for Smoker's outstretched arm instead.
Mantis's reaction was textbook-perfect, even Garp couldn't find fault with it.
When facing an unknown power, the best way to disrupt it was to strike directly at the user.
Yet Smoker didn't dodge or flinch. He simply reached out and grabbed.
"This is bad!"
Garp's brows furrowed as his aura flared so fiercely that his cloak whipped around without wind.
It wasn't without reason that Garp grew alarmed.
From what he'd seen, Smoker, without mastery of Tekkai or Armament Haki, shouldn't be able to block a direct strike from Mantis.
It would be fine if Mantis had pulled his attack.
But at full force, that slash would take Smoker's hand clean off.
Garp had wanted to test the boy, but not cripple him.
"Damn, I can't pull back!!" Mantis's eyes widened as his scythe arms whistled through the air.
The strike carried enough power to rival a swordsman's cut.
Then, in the blink of an eye, something jaw-dropping happened.
A dark sheen coated Smoker's arm, like a gauntlet of pure black.
The instant Mantis's blades touched the darkness, the power of the Mantis Fruit simply vanished, his transformation collapsed, and his scythe arms reverted to ordinary human limbs.
With his weaponized form gone, Smoker effortlessly caught Mantis's arm.
(Note: The Dark-Dark Fruit can nullify Devil Fruit powers. In Impel Down, when Blackbeard grabbed Luffy, his Gear Second state was instantly canceled until Blackbeard released him.)
"What the hell?!"
Mantis stared wide-eyed, stunned.
He had tried to retract his power just moments ago, but hadn't even had time to react, why had it suddenly disappeared?!
Garp, who had been ready to jump in, exhaled in relief.
He'd been seconds away from intervening, but this unexpected turn stopped him cold.
Then surprise flickered across his face.
This kid Mantis, how fast was his reaction, exactly?! Or was it Smoker's power...?
Smoker smirked slightly, twisting Mantis's arm.
"Captain Mantis, this fight isn't over yet."
His fist smashed into Mantis's stomach.
With no exoskeleton to shield him, Mantis's body bent like a bow and lifted clean off the deck.
Smoker followed up with a precise hand strike to the neck, knocking him out cold.
"Captain!!"
"Mantis... actually lost?!"
The Marines around them exchanged shocked whispers, disbelief on every face.
Smoker ignored the chatter. A cloud of black, smoke-like energy began rising from his body.
"Whoa... what's he doing?!"
"Is this his power? It's so eerie!!"
The darkness coiled around him like layers of cloth, wrapping him in a cocoon.
Moments later, the dark shell peeled away, and every injury on Smoker's body was gone.
Garp clapped his hands and laughed heartily as he strode forward.
"Bwahaha! Smoker, you've got guts! Didn't think you'd actually beat Mantis!"
[Kuzan, that brat, you've got a good eye after all. Now I'm relieved...]
"Someone, take Mantis to the infirmary!"
Smoker glanced at Mantis but said nothing.
The man was just unconscious and only lightly hurt, there was no need to waste energy healing him.
Besides, Smoker wasn't about to expose his full abilities yet.
Garp's sharp gaze swept over him. His clothes were torn, but his body looked perfectly fine.
"You, come with me."
"Everyone else, dismissed! And fix that deck before sundown!"
The Marines: "Eh?!!"
Before anyone could protest, Garp whisked Smoker away.
Back in the office, Garp flopped into the chair behind his desk, propping his legs up on the table. He pointed at the nearby sofa.
"Sit."
Smoker obediently sat, glancing around the legendary hero's "office."
As expected, it had everything but work-related items, tea sets, snacks, rice crackers, no charts, no files.
Classic Garp style.
Bogard followed them in, wordless as always, sitting on the other sofa with his usual cold, detached expression.
But even he was curious about Smoker's power.
Garp tossed them a few rice crackers like he was sharing smokes, then asked as he chewed,
"Smoker brat, your power is weird as hell! What kind of ability is that?!"
Devil Fruits owed much of their strength to mystery.
There were countless powers that crushed enemies at first sight, only to be countered the next time, like that batch of girls Usopp once took down.
Every Devil Fruit user worked hard to hide their abilities.
Extreme cases, like Corazon, kept the fact they even had a power a secret.
So someone like Luffy, who openly shouted about his ability mid-fight, was practically one-of-a-kind.
On pirate crews, secrecy was even more important.
Betrayal was a constant threat. Today's crewmate might stab you tomorrow.
Even many pirate captains didn't fully know what their subordinates could do.
In the Marines, though, things were different.
While there were rotten apples among the ranks, most still carried the banner of justice.
Coupled with strict discipline, trust among Marines was much stronger.
Thus, officers often knew their subordinates' abilities well.
Garp's direct question might have sounded blunt, but within the Marines, it wasn't inappropriate.
Given their rank difference, it didn't come across as disrespectful.
If it had been anyone else, Smoker might've stayed guarded.
But this was Garp.
The man might act goofy, but his character was solid. Smoker didn't fear betrayal from him.
"My fruit is the Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit. I can become darkness itself..."
Smoker didn't hold back, explaining his power in broad terms.
He was headed to Marine HQ anyway. Even if he kept quiet now, sooner or later, he'd be exposed.
Better to be upfront.
Of course, he only mentioned the basics, gravity, nullification, and the like.
Garp's eyes lit up.
"Nullifying other abilities, huh? That's a hell of a power! In some ways, it's even better than Armament Haki!"
Bogard nodded slightly in agreement.
After all, certain special powers couldn't be blocked easily even with Haki.
Take Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit, for example.
Even someone like Chinjao, a master of Haki, got turned into a toy.
Compared to that, the Dark-Dark Fruit was on another level.
Garp chuckled. "Touch them once and it's game over, eh? Hah!"
He downed the rest of the rice crackers in one go, washed them down with tea, and finally stood.
"All right, Smoker brat. I've seen enough. You've done well, go get some rest!"
"But remember this, no matter how strong the Dark-Dark Fruit is, your body is the foundation of it all."
"When you get into the Elite Marine Expansion Class, train hard under Zephyr. That old man's got plenty to teach."
Smoker snapped a sharp salute.
"Understood, Vice Admiral Garp! I'll take my leave!"
With that, he turned and left.
After he was gone, Garp looked to Bogard. "What do you think?"
Bogard lowered his gaze, silent for a moment, before replying coolly, "Both of them are promising. You can rest easy."
Garp grinned. "These brats... one's more troublesome than the other!"
Within the Marines, Vice Admirals had the right to recommend personnel.
They could propose promising officers for transfer to HQ or nominate them for the elite programs.
This was, in essence, how they built their own squads.
Though there were Admirals and a Fleet Admiral, they were few in number.
Vice Admirals were the backbone.
Each typically had their own circle of trusted officers.
In extreme cases, these circles could act as independent forces.
But at the same time, any recommendation reflected directly on the Vice Admiral's reputation.
If the recruit excelled, the mentor's prestige rose.
If they flopped, it was embarrassing for all.
Kuzan had never used this privilege before, Smoker was the first.
While it wasn't public gossip, some people were paying attention.
Kuzan might have been Garp's protégé, but Garp was never fully at ease with him.
Over the years, Garp had shown no interest in power or politics, acting carefree and dismissive.
Part of that was his refusal to serve the Celestial Dragons.
But it was also a way of protecting himself.
After all, he had too many "red flags" attached to him...
Unmatched strength, legendary fame, zero loyalty to the World Government, and a son who had become a revolutionary...
Sure, the World Government kept him on a pedestal.
But if Garp ever displayed ambition, cunning, or political shrewdness, they wouldn't hesitate to take him out.
His refusal to accept the Admiral position wasn't just stubbornness, it was mutual posturing.
If he had agreed, the World Government would never have slept easy.
Thus, Garp cultivated his "old fool" image, avoiding unnecessary entanglements.
What he didn't expect, however, was for Kuzan to mimic his approach to a fault.
It drove Garp nuts!
While other Vice Admirals were busy building their influence, Kuzan was wasting time breaking battleships with him.
[Like I need you to help me break ships?!]
Couldn't the kid do something more... bureaucratic for once?
Garp saw it all and fumed inside.
Hints went over Kuzan's head.
Years passed, and seeing Kuzan's lack of "political growth," Garp could only sigh and accept it.
[Fine. At least his strength hasn't slipped...]
But now, Kuzan had finally recommended someone.
This delighted Garp, maybe the kid was finally growing up.
Then he found out the nominee was a Seaman Recruit from the East Blue, someone Kuzan barely knew.
Garp nearly blew a gasket.
Left with no choice, he came himself to evaluate Smoker.
If Smoker wasn't up to par, Garp would have shut it down himself, no way was he letting Kuzan embarrass himself at HQ.
Luckily, Smoker passed with flying colors.
Garp was satisfied with his strength.
Even without the Devil Fruit, the boy's combat skills alone could pass the test.
And this proved that Kuzan's eye for talent wasn't bad.
For a Marine leader, recognizing and nurturing talent was vital.
More importantly, whether intentional or not, Kuzan had finally started building his own circle.
That step was critical.
Smoker walked along the deck.
[Looks like I passed Vice Admiral Garp's test.]
In the original timeline, Smoker wasn't recommended to HQ until years later, becoming Kuzan's trusted subordinate.
But Smoker himself was disappointing.
In terms of strength,
He had one of the strongest Logia Fruits, yet only used its intangibility to bully weaklings.
The moment he faced an enemy with Haki, he fell flat.
In terms of rank,
That was even worse.
He had none of Garp's political luck but shared Garp's bad temper.
He alienated his superiors, ending up stuck in Loguetown, unable to truly assist Kuzan.
Even after surviving Marineford, when the Navy desperately needed manpower, he didn't support Kuzan, he only cared about chasing Luffy.
Two years later, he got what he wanted and moved to G-5, but that was practically an exile...
[This time, I'm different.]
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter