"What?" Ivan's pupils contracted, and his tone instantly darkened:
"With Smoker stationed there, there are still pirates who dare to attack Loguetown?
Is it pirates returning from the Grand Line, or that scum Arlong and his gang?"
Tashigi's expression was a bit strange. She held up her binoculars, staring at Loguetown ahead. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke haltingly:
"Ensign Ivan, I don't see any signs of attackers. Instead, the Marines stationed at the port have aimed their cannons at us.
They... they seem to think we are pirates!"
Black lines covered Ivan's forehead, and he hurriedly said, "Tell the two ships in front to slow down. Our ship will take the lead. Hoist the seagull flag immediately!"
After a moment's thought, he realized that the garrison at the port must have mistaken them for invading pirates.
Not daring to delay, he hurriedly commanded the adjustment of the formation, attempting to rectify this misunderstanding.
Fortunately, they were still some distance away from Loguetown.
After the formation was quickly changed, the Marine flag was immediately spotted by the lookouts at the port.
When Ivan and the others docked, they saw a tough man with short silver-gray hair and two cigars in his mouth.
He walked over with a frown. As soon as he reached Ivan, he roared in dissatisfaction:
"Damn it, Ivan! It's you causing such a big commotion again. Eat my fist!"
Ivan looked at his superior officer and grinned:
"Hahaha, Commander Smoker, I'm not afraid of you now! Look at this... Iron Fist: Blue!"
Azure light gathered on Ivan's fist. The terrifying gravitational field distorted the air. The fist wind, wrapped in lightning-like blue light, slammed straight into Smoker's fist.
Since it was a spar between friends, Smoker didn't use the elementalization ability of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
Their fists collided solidly.
The next moment, a terrifying shockwave spread outward with the two of them at the center.
The stone pavement beneath their feet cracked instantly, spiderweb-like fissures spreading several meters away.
Both Smoker and Ivan staggered back a few steps. In this collision, the two were actually evenly matched!
Seeing this scene, the onlookers, the Marines, looked at Ivan in disbelief.
Although Ensign Ivan had earned the title "Butcher of the East Blue" from pirates due to his ruthless methods, in everyone's impression, his strength was far from this level.
In past spars with Commander Smoker, he would always fall into a disadvantage and get beaten up badly.
Unexpectedly, in this duel with Commander Smoker, he didn't lose ground at all.
Smoker also looked at Ivan in surprise, clearly not expecting Ivan's strength to have improved so much.
He became even more excited and threw another punch: "Good kid! Let me see just how far your strength has reached now! White Snake!"
Smoker finally used the Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability. His arm turned into white smoke and extended suddenly, like a white python poised to strike, instantly binding Ivan tightly.
Facing Smoker's attack, Ivan didn't dare to be careless. The azure light on his fist became even more intense:
"Iron Fist: Distortion Field!"
Gravity erupted from his fist, absorbing all the surging white smoke around him and compressing it within the gravitational field.
Ivan punched violently at Smoker. The distortion field flew from his fist, landing beside Smoker and exploding fiercely.
The forcibly confined smoke surged wildly in all directions in an instant, and the violent shockwave sent Smoker flying several meters away.
The two went back and forth like this, the sound of fist winds colliding with smoke making the port buzz.
An hour later, both were panting heavily, drenched in sweat, collapsing together on the cracked stone pavement.
Smoker took a deep drag on his smoke, propped himself up to stand, turned to look at Ivan beside him, his eyes full of complexity.
That weak kid from back then had now grown up!
But what the hell was that strange ability of Ivan's? Was it a Devil Fruit?
Smoker asked curiously, "Ivan, your strength has improved a lot. What is that azure light? Is it a Devil Fruit ability?"
Ivan nodded, admitting:
"That's right, it is a Devil Fruit ability.
I obtained a Devil Fruit earlier. When I was being chased by Alvida, I ate it and gained the ability to control gravity.
Thanks to this ability, I was able to turn the tables on Alvida, and my strength has improved by leaps and bounds."
"Gravity?" Smoker was extremely surprised. "Could it be the Press-Press Fruit? No, that's not right... But this is definitely a top-tier Devil Fruit ability. You kid have great luck!"
Ivan chuckled lightly and didn't answer.
This was just the beginning. Wait until he 'researched' Heaven Concealed and Planetary Devastation; it wouldn't be too late to say he had good luck then.
With the fierce battle concluded, the two walked side by side toward the Loguetown Marine Base.
The streets were bustling with people, shops lined the roads, and the sounds of hawking intertwined with the sound of waves.
This place, known as the Town of Beginnings and Endings, was far more prosperous than ordinary towns in the East Blue. Rather than calling it a small town, it was more like a sizable small port city.
Precisely because it had to govern such an area and guard the entrance to the Grand Line, the strength of the Loguetown Marine Base was very formidable.
Just the standing army alone numbered a full two thousand.
For this reason, the military funding for the Loguetown Marine Base had always been plentiful, and various military supplies were prioritized for allocation within the East Blue.
Even extremely rare Devil Fruits were on the branch's exchange list.
On the way back to the Loguetown Marine Base, Ivan suddenly turned to look at Smoker and asked:
"Commander Smoker, with the military merits I've accumulated now, it should be enough to exchange for a Devil Fruit, right?"
Smoker paused in his steps, tilting his head to look at him in confusion:
"Didn't you already eat a Devil Fruit? Why do you still want to exchange for one?"
Ivan grinned and laughed it off, his tone relaxed:
"I did eat one myself, that's true. But the exchanged fruit can be used for my subordinates.
Besides, I'm quite interested in Devil Fruits. Maybe I can dig out some secrets by studying them."
Smoker didn't suspect anything further, only frowning as he warned:
"Ivan, you must remember, a person can only eat one Devil Fruit. If you eat two, your heart will rupture and you'll die instantly!"
Pausing for a moment, he continued:
"With the military merits you've saved up now, I can help you apply for a Devil Fruit from Headquarters.
But you know the rules. If you exchange military merits for a fruit, you can't claim the bounties for those pirates. You can only choose one of the two."
For the Marines, captured pirates could be exchanged for military merits or bounties, but only one could be chosen.
Ivan had anticipated this and nodded without hesitation:
"I know!"