"Mr. Onigumo."
Smoker gave a casual military salute, then leaned against the railing again, puffing on his cigar.
He and Onigumo were both students of Zephyr, having known each other since youth. In private, decorum was less strict.
"I don't understand what you mean by 'annoyed.'"
Smoker gazed at the distant sea. "If you mean being forced to watch those nobles throw debauched parties every day, barking orders at us as if we were slaves…"
"…and then we had to waste a whole month escorting them the entire way, then yeah, I'd be annoyed too. What's strange is why you didn't react at all."
Just last week, for instance:
He had witnessed a king become enraged simply because the sweetness of his coffee wasn't to his liking. He whipped six maids to death, two of whom were barely teenagers, thirteen or fourteen years old.
When Smoker tried to stop him, he was blocked by Onigumo personally.
"React? You expected me to react? I'm thirty now, not a naive teen. Don't you think that's pathetic?"
Onigumo sneered, his white Justice Cloak fluttering in the wind. "One of those kings is related to the Celestial Dragons!"
"If not, Headquarters wouldn't have cared so much. They sent me to escort them back. I can't afford to offend him, and yet you dare to provoke the king?"
"Remember this, Smoker!"
Onigumo poked Smoker's forehead with his finger. "I just saved your life. You should be thanking me!"
"With your strength, you could easily be a Vice Admiral or even higher at Headquarters."
"And yet? Time and again, you've been rebellious, acting on your own whims, and disciplined countless times without remorse!"
"Even now, you're still just a mere captain, below many fresh graduates!"
Onigumo's tone carried scolding, but also a hint of frustration toward his underachieving junior.
Eight years ago, Smoker had already been a captain.
Eight years later, he was still a captain.
Since last year, he had been transferred to the East Blue's Logue Town, a backwater, and as a Natural-Type Devil Fruit user, he was stuck dealing with petty pirates with bounties in the low hundreds of thousands of Berries.
If it weren't for this mission passing through his jurisdiction, he wouldn't even be allowed to participate in such an important escort task.
"If promotion requires being indifferent to such matters…"
Smoker was silent for a moment, then inhaled deeply from his cigar. "Then I don't regret it. Being a captain forever isn't so bad."
Huh? His gaze suddenly sharpened as he looked to the sea on his right.
A small fishing boat appeared, manned by an elderly couple in their sixties.
They had avoided the warships, but the large cruise ship behind suddenly changed course and barreled toward them. They panicked, unsure of what to do.
"Ram them! Ram them! Ram them!"
The king was riding on a guard like a horse, shouting loudly on the deck.
"Turn left a bit more! Faster! Otherwise, if these two scum jump overboard, I won't get to enjoy the fun!"
Damn it… Smoker's expression darkened instantly, and in a blur of thick white smoke, he launched toward the fishing boat.
This guy… truly incorrigible.
Watching the smoke dissipate in the distance, Onigumo squinted, disappointed.
Reckless, impulsive, acting purely on instinct, disregarding consequences…
Zephyr had been blind to reality, claiming someone like Smoker could lead the Navy's future.
Now, it seemed laughable.
...
"Excuse me."
At Cocoyashi Village Pier, Dracule Mihawk politely nodded to Genzo, signaling no need for farewells. He turned his gaze northeast.
Not here?
Mihawk sighed.
After rushing from the Grand Line to the East Blue, he finally reached the other's hometown.
Yet he heard that the man named Shanu had already departed for the Grand Line.
His luck was indeed not great.
But the villagers were kind, treating him as a friend of Shanu, hosting a feast, and even stuffing a boatload of orange preserves onto the ship.
The coffin-like boat floated toward Reverse Mountain with the current.
Typically, travelers from the East Blue entering the Grand Line would stop at Logue Town for a while.
Mihawk's gaze lingered on the horizon.
He casually opened a tin, took out a candied orange, and slowly chewed it, its sweet flavor giving him hope for luck to catch up to the other party.
...
Shanu stood in the center of the steel training room, eyes closed, tying a black cloth over his eyes.
"Ready, Captain?" Kuina asked, gripping her sword hilt.
"Yes."
He nodded. "Speed is the priority. Don't worry about your sword form."
"Understood, Captain!"
Kuina swung her blade sharply at Shanu's shoulder, but he easily dodged, and again with a lateral strike—still no hit.
Shanu moved like a leaf in the wind, seemingly fragile but skillfully evading every blow.
After more than ten strikes, Kuina saw an opening: as Shanu bent back to evade, she slashed with a burst of sword energy aimed at his waist.
Flying Slash!
Let's see you dodge this.
In the next instant, Kuina's eyes widened. Shanu's left-side abdominal muscles had bizarrely contracted to the right, forming an exaggerated C-shape.
When the sword energy passed, his body returned to normal instantly.
Still impossible?
Shanu removed the black cloth, sighing.
Since leaving port, he had tried various methods to master Observation Haki.
The ability of Kami-e had opened a unique window in his perception, allowing his body to automatically detect subtle movements and air fluctuations.
In theory, with that foundation, grasping Observation Haki should have been easier than for ordinary people.
But reality had other plans.
Perhaps because his Kami-e skill was already too advanced, or because he was overconfident in his body and Armament Haki strength, or maybe both…
Simply put:
No external attack posed a real threat, let alone life-or-death situations. His body's automatic reactions were more than sufficient, never forcing him to push Observation Haki to its limit.
"I'm really so weak…" Kuina pouted. "I can't even keep up with training with Captain…"
"What nonsense. You're already a swordmaster at sixteen. Give it time, and you could traverse the Grand Line with ease. How are you weak?"
Shanu patted her shoulder, sincerely comforting her. He gazed out the window, sighing. "If anyone's to blame, it's me… too strong."
Or maybe his version was just too advanced.
There was no hope for the East Blue. He didn't know if the first half of the Grand Line would have anyone strong enough to push him to use Observation Haki.
"Almost at Logue Town, brother! Get ready to disembark!"
Nami's voice suddenly called from outside.
Logue Town… finally here?
Shanu and Kuina opened the door to see Nami, sweat-drenched, dragging the mop across the floor while wiping the walls with her other hand.
A punishment for her lying and sneaking away from home.
Before entering the Grand Line, she had to help Zeff in the kitchen, and take care of all the ship's chores.
"So tired, brother!"
Nami complained while seeing Shanu. "My back's about to break! You said it's just for these few days, but once we cross Reverse Mountain, I shouldn't have to do this alone anymore…"
"No 'brother' this, Ms. Janitor Nami. I've told you countless times, use proper titles while working!"
Shanu, hands behind his back, scolded her sternly.
Kuina smiled, while Nami rolled her eyes and weakly said, "Yes, Captain…"