Chapter 30: Buggy
Kyle's foot pushed off the ground, shattering the pavement, and his body vanished for a third time. This time, he was even faster.
When the crowd reacquired him, he had appeared like a phantom, directly above Smoker.
"What?!" Smoker felt the shadow pass over him, his instincts screaming. He tried to dissolve into smoke, but it was too late.
Kyle's fist, clad in hardened Armament Haki, descended with unstoppable momentum and slammed squarely into Smoker's left cheek.
"THWACK!"
The sickening, heavy sound made the onlookers' teeth ache.
Smoker felt an irresistible force, his head exploded in a dull thrum, and his vision blurred. He was blasted from the air like a cannonball, aimed straight at the stone pier.
Just as he was about to be pulverized, his combat instincts saved him. His body dissolved in mid-fall, the smoke buffering the impact as he re-formed on the ground.
He landed on one knee, barely stabilizing himself, as a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
He wiped it away with the back of his hand, his eyes, now full of an unprecedented gravity, locked on Kyle. This kid's power—his impossible speed and overwhelming strength, combined with Armament Haki—made him a natural predator to Logia users.
Kyle, in contrast, landed softly, his breathing perfectly even. He smiled.
"Captain Smoker, that's some impressive mastery of your Logia fruit. It looks like it's impossible to hit you without a little... 'external force'."
The taunt was casual, but it hit its mark.
Smoker slowly pushed himself to his feet, suppressing the roiling in his chest. "Don't get cocky, brat," he growled. "You think you're the only one who knows Armament Haki?"
As he spoke, his right arm—the one holding the Jitte—began to change, a deep, glossy blackness spreading from his wrist up his forearm. It was weaker, less defined than Kyle's, but it was unmistakably Armament Haki.
Far down the street, a figure with a ridiculous clown hat and a bright red nose peeked from an alley, watching the fight.
It was Buggy the Clown.
He couldn't believe his luck. He'd snuck into Loguetown to get his revenge, only to walk straight into this three-ring circus: not only the "White Hunter" Smoker, but also the "Hunter Pirates" who had just defeated that Straw Hat brat.
"Captain Buggy, what do we do?" Mohji the Beast Tamer whispered, nervously clutching his lion, Richie. Both Smoker and Kyle looked way out of their league.
Buggy was in turmoil. As a veteran of the Grand Line, he knew how dangerous Smoker was. And this new kid, Kyle, had already beaten Straw Hat. In his mind, there was no way this brat could beat Smoker. He'd be captured and sent to Impel Down for sure.
"We came to Loguetown for revenge!" Buggy suddenly declared, striking a dramatic pose.
"According to my brilliant analysis, Straw Hat will be here any minute! We will disguise ourselves and wait for the perfect moment! Then, I will publicly execute him, to show the whole world what happens when you cross Captain Buggy! Our honor will be restored!"
His crew, hearing their captain's "flawless" plan, immediately started cheering. "Captain Buggy! Captain Buggy!"
"But... Captain," Mohji whispered, "Smoker is right there..."
At the name "Smoker," Buggy visibly trembled, a bad memory flashing in his mind. But his pride as a "king" took over. He threw his hands on his hips and let out his signature, booming laugh.
"GYAHAHAHAHAHA! Who cares about Smoker? I could take him out easily! Besides, just watch the fight!"
He pointed. "Once Smoker wins, he'll be so proud of capturing these three brats that he'll personally escort them to Marineford! And when he's gone... Loguetown will be defenseless, and my real plan can begin!"
This "brilliant" analysis made perfect sense to his simple-minded crew.
"Captain Buggy, you're a genius!"
"CAPTAIN BUGGY! CAPTAIN BUGGY!"
They started cheering so loudly that people in the crowd began to stare at them like they were idiots. Luckily, they were too far away for Kyle or Smoker to notice. Only Gon, with his sharp ears, glanced in their direction, confused, before turning his full attention back to the fight.
The battle had entered a white-hot, vicious new phase.
The sound of fists and Jitte crashing together echoed nonstop. Smoke and Haki clashed as the two fighters blurred across the pier.
Smoker was using every trick he had—"White Fist," "White Vine," "White Blow"—trying to find an opening. But Kyle's speed was simply unreal. He would either dodge at the last second or contemptuously block the attacks with his Haki-clad limbs.
Smoker was fading. The high-speed use of his Logia powers and his Haki was draining his stamina, but Kyle looked like he was just warming up.
Smoker, in a burst of frustration, overextended on an attack, leaving himself open for a fraction of a second.
Kyle's eyes flashed. He seized the opening.
"It's over, Captain Smoker!"
Kyle's form blurred, and his Haki-clad fist once again connected with Smoker's unprotected face.
POW!
Smoker's head snapped back, blood spraying from his mouth. But it was only the beginning.
Kyle stuck to him, and a storm of shadowy fists rained down, a high-speed, merciless barrage that hammered Smoker's chest, ribs, and shoulders.
"THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD! THUD!"
The sickening, heavy impacts, like a drumbeat, echoed across the pier, making the onlookers' hearts pound in their chests.