The alley ahead was filled with smoke and dust, and the echoes of the explosion still vibrated in the air. Tomioka's figure appeared at the street corner, assessing the situation.
It was less of an intense battle and more of an irritating entanglement.
The Baroque Works duo, an old woman who could tunnel through the earth and a slow-moving fat man, were constantly harassing Smoker.
Whether it was a surprise attack from underground or the cannonballs launched by the fat man's baseball bat, they all exploded in vain amidst plumes of white smoke.
However, Smoker's condition was indeed as Tashigi had said—not very good.
He still clutched his cigar, his posture erect, but Tomioka could see from a distance that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead every time he reformed his smoke body, and his breathing was much heavier and more hurried than usual.
"That woman, why isn't she here yet... Can't she even handle a little girl? How did she even get to the first seat?"
Ms. Christmas, who had just poked her head out of the ground, gasped, complaining discontentedly, her gaze darting towards the direction of the other street.
Mr.4 slowly looked at the smoke-transformed Smoker, scratching his head, "Logia... types... are... tough... to... deal... with."
"Speak faster! Faster, faster, faster! Idiot!" Ms. Christmas, like a lit firecracker, shrieked at her partner, always exasperated by his slowness.
She turned to look at the strangely shaped dachshund at her feet, "Lassoo! Can it blow that guy apart? Surely cannonballs can have some effect."
Mr.4 glanced at his beloved dog and said slowly, "It... can."
The dachshund named Lassoo understood its owner's meaning and opened its mouth to spit out a spherical time bomb. Mr.4 swung his huge baseball bat, sending it flying with terrifying force.
"Four Hundred Pound Bat!"
The cannonball whistled through Smoker's smoke-transformed chest, exploding not far behind him, the shockwave scattering the debris on the ground.
"I told you I'm smoke, aren't you guys annoying?" Smoker said impatiently, his voice betraying obvious fatigue. Continuously maintaining his elemental form and dealing with this endless harassment was indeed a burden.
Ms. Christmas poked her head out of another hole, a cunning smile on her face, observing the expression of the smoke Marine.
"Yes, even though you're a Logia, there's no way we can defeat you... But, you look so out of breath, it seems like we might have a chance, you stinking Marine, stinking Marine, stinking Marine!"
She made a face as she shouted, "Mr.4, you big oaf, keep going! Don't let him stop, don't let him rest!"
Hearing the urging, Mr.4 seemed to suddenly realize, and once again slowly raised his bat, preparing for the next round of attack.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Tomioka placed his hand on the hilt of his nichirin blade. He took a deep breath, and an invisible mist of water began to envelop him.
He couldn't drag this out any longer; he had to resolve the trouble here as quickly as possible.
"Water Breathing."
The low tone and the sudden change in aura immediately alerted Ms. Christmas. She instantly turned to look back: "Who's there?"
Then, seeing that it was just a one-armed swordsman at the alley entrance, a look of disdain appeared on her face, "What, another one-armed pig, coming to join the fun."
She shrieked rapidly, "Mr.4, behind you, behind you, behind you!"
Mr.4 slowly turned around a beat later and saw the black-haired samurai at the end of the alley.
"Lassoo."
"Woof."
The dachshund Lassoo once again spat out a bomb. "Four Hundred Pound Bat!" Mr.4 swung his bat, and the cannonball shot towards Tomioka with a shriek.
Tomioka merely shifted his body slightly as the cannonball flew towards him. It grazed his clothes and exploded behind him in a burst of flame and thick smoke.
And his figure, under the cover of the rising smoke from the explosion, charged forth, moving like lightning, transforming into a blue blur.
"No, this guy is fast! Mr.4, watch out!" Ms. Christmas shrieked from her hole in the ground.
Mr.4 watched the figure rapidly closing the distance. He couldn't accurately time his swing. In desperation, he simply closed his eyes and, relying on instinct and brute force, swung his bat forward with all his might.
Whoosh—!
The fierce wind generated by the bat rushed towards him. Tomioka's eyes narrowed. As he approached, he clearly felt the terrifying power contained within the opponent's clumsy body.
He couldn't take it head-on.
Tomioka's blade, originally aimed at the opponent's body, instantly pressed down, and the tip of his nichirin blade swiftly plunged into the stone slab ground beneath Mr.4's feet!
"Boom!"
The ground shattered in response, sending gravel flying!
Mr.4's powerful blow completely missed. The immense inertia coupled with suddenly losing his footing caused his obese body to completely lose balance, and he toppled forward.
Opportunity!
Tomioka didn't hesitate. These people were villains attempting to overthrow this country; mercy towards them would be cruelty towards the innocent people of Alabasta.
He lightly tapped his toes on several scattered gravel, each step landing on the flying earth and stone.
"Water Breathing, Ninth Form: Splashing Water Flow!"
Amidst the low chant, the nichirin blade in his hand seemed to come alive. Clear water streams materialized out of thin air, tightly coiling around the deep blue blade, tracing arcs in the air as he swung it.
As the blade approached, it splashed outwards with the slashing motion, and the glint of the blade struck the unsteady Mr.4 from various unpredictable angles.
With the suppleness of water and the sharpness of a sword, Mr.4's massive body trembled violently under the continuous, dense slashes, finally collapsing to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.
All of this happened in a flash.
Ms. Christmas and Mr.4's dachshund, Lassoo, were both stunned, staring blankly at the scene before them.
"Ho... how could this be?"
Ms. Christmas's mouth hung open, and it took her a long time to squeeze out a few words.
Smoker looked at the familiar figure and snorted a thick plume of smoke from his nose, "You... you're here too, as expected. Aren't you afraid I'll arrest you right now?"
Tomioka merely turned around and looked calmly at Smoker, "Ms. Tashigi said you wouldn't."
Smoker's cigar nearly fell from his mouth. His eyes widened, and his face instantly flushed with anger as he roared, "What?! Who told you I wouldn't?!"
Tomioka then raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the adjacent alley, adding, "Her."
Smoker's face began to darken, looking as if it could drip water, and the veins on his forehead throbbed. He gnashed his teeth, momentarily at a loss for words.
Ms. Christmas watched these two men, who had surprisingly started to squabble amongst themselves, realizing this was her only chance to escape!
She immediately retreated back underground, quickly emerging from another hole beside Tomioka. With both hands, she grabbed the unconscious Mr.4 and the terrified Lassoo, dragging both of them directly underground.
"White Smoke Bomb!"