"Colonel Smoker! All personnel have assembled and are awaiting orders!"
As the strongest Marine branch in the East Blue, Smoker's subordinates possessed exceptional efficiency. Before long, after the three warships were safely anchored by the shore, the base Major organized the sailors and ran to Smoker's side, saluting sharply.
Glancing at the neat square formation of soldiers, Smoker took a deep breath and said, "Stay here and do not move. Tashigi, you come with me."
"Yes! Yes, Colonel Smoker!" Upon hearing this, the Major immediately trotted back to relay the command.
Tashigi took several deep breaths to steady her nerves before following behind Smoker toward Rowan. From time to time, she cast her gaze at the pirates squatting neatly nearby.
Though these men were, for some unknown reason, staying perfectly still with their hands behind their heads, the sheer volume of them made her scalp tingle. Their Loguetown Marine Base only had a few hundred people. The number of Marines who had come with the warships this time was less than three hundred.
In other words, the number of pirate "captives" before them exceeded their own strength tenfold.
Regulating their breathing, the two quickly arrived at Rowan's side.
"Mr. Rowan."
Smoker and Tashigi both gave a military salute, speaking with utmost respect.
Even though Rowan had been retired for decades, the old man had retired with the rank of Headquarters Vice Admiral. Furthermore, in terms of seniority, this old gentleman was effectively Smoker's "Grand-Master" generation. Forget a mere Branch Colonel; even if the big shots from Marine Headquarters came here, they would have to show him respect.
On the way over, Smoker had explained the old man's identity to Tashigi. Knowing that it was this elder who had called them over, Tashigi's attitude became even more reverent.
Taking the wine gourd that had been refilled by a pirate, Rowan took a gentle swig. A refreshing smile bloomed on his weathered face as he stood up. He patted Smoker on the shoulder and said, "Smoky-boy, I've heard Zephyr mention you many times. You were the most outstanding graduate of that year's training camp. Why did you choose to develop yourself here in the East Blue, a place where 'birds don't even poop'?"
"With your strength, if you had gone to other seas or stayed at Headquarters, you wouldn't be just a small Branch Colonel right now."
Looking at Rowan, who carried no air of senior pretension, Smoker said seriously, "Mr. Rowan, I came to the East Blue because there are things here I want to stand firm for. I joined the Marines to uphold justice, not for promotions or wealth."
"Good lad."
Rowan praised him with a laugh. "Truly worthy of being the best graduate. However..." Here, Rowan's tone shifted, becoming sharp. "I also heard from Zephyr-boy that while your strength is excellent, you've slacked off on your physical training since obtaining the Smoke-Smoke Fruit."
"Though your rank isn't high yet, you are the supreme commander of a base with hundreds of men under you. Their lives and safety are in your hands. Your personal strength is their greatest guarantee of security."
Smoker's brow furrowed.
Regarding this point, Instructor Zephyr had indeed lectured him frequently in the past. However, he hadn't taken it to heart. He didn't expect Zephyr to have mentioned this even to Mr. Rowan. In the years since he arrived in the East Blue, he had spent every day focused on catching pirates, leaving little time for personal training.
Thinking of this, Smoker could only brace himself and say, "Please rest assured, Mr. Rowan. As Marine soldiers upholding justice, we will naturally not become negligent."
"Oh?"
Rowan tucked the wine gourd back into his waist, waved away the surrounding pirates, and looked at Smoker with a beaming smile. "So confident? In that case, today I shall stand in for my student and test the 'strongest trainee' he always talks about. Let's see how much you've grown over the years."
The moment the words left his mouth, Rowan's gaze sharpened. "Smoky-boy, catch this!"
As he spoke, Rowan's right hand clenched into a fist, striking toward Smoker's chest with the speed of a lightning bolt.
"Such a fast fist!"
Smoker's pupils shrank violently. He truly couldn't believe that a man of Rowan's age could unleash such a rapid strike. In his alarm, Smoker instinctively activated his Smoke-Smoke Fruit power, turning his body into smoke.
Elementalization. The strongest trait of the Logia-class fruits, making it impossible for enemies to catch or harm the user. Having guarded Loguetown for over a decade without a single defeat, the Smoke-Smoke Fruit was Smoker's greatest reliance and his pride.
However, in the next instant, Smoker's expression changed.
His upper body, excluding his head, was completely turned to smoke. Yet, when Rowan's fist touched the evolved smoke, it didn't pass through. Instead, as if hitting a solid object, the force directly blasted away the smoke he had transformed into.
And along with the smoke, Smoker's body was sent flying.
The power of Rowan's punch wasn't massive, but it wasn't small either. An unprepared Smoker was sent spiraling backward, sliding across the sand for over ten meters before finally coming to a stop.
After several heavy coughs, a trace of blood leaked from the corner of Smoker's mouth.
Armament Haki.
"Colonel Smoker!"
Tashigi, watching this, couldn't help but gasp, her eyes wide with shock. She had been in the Marines for nearly a year now, and she had spent that entire time by Smoker's side. She knew perfectly well how terrifying the Smoke-Smoke Fruit was.
Tashigi knew that Logia users were immune to almost any physical attack—be it swords, guns, or even cannons—unless a special Seastone weapon was used.
And yet, this retired veteran named Rowan had sent Colonel Smoker flying with such a simple, plain punch. To Tashigi, this was nothing short of a fantasy.
Looking at Smoker, who was struggling to stand up despite the pain, Rowan pulled out his tobacco pipe. He lit it, brought it to his lips, and smiled again.
"Smoky-boy, I'll give you one final piece of advice: Logia fruits are powerful, but they are not invincible. It is best to treat them as a supplement. If you only focus on developing fruit powers and abandon your physical training, you will eventually be limited by the fruit itself."
"Take your senior Aokiji, for example. He managed to develop his fruit powers to an extreme while never neglecting his physical combat skills."
"Otherwise, do you think his Ice-Ice Fruit alone could support him in the seat of a Marine Admiral?"
"Pure fantasy!"
...........BONUS CHAPTER IS COMING.........
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