Chapter 32: One Month
Tashigi bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. Forcing herself to remain calm, she pulled out a Den Den Mushi. Her voice was steady, but still trembled as she reported everything that had just happened, requesting immediate medical backup and reinforcements.
After organizing the report, she directed the remaining soldiers to carefully move Smoker to the base's infirmary.
Marine medicine was top-tier. Thanks to advanced healing technology and regeneration drugs, Smoker was treated and fully conscious in under an hour.
He was wrapped so tightly in white bandages he looked like a mummy. He instinctively reached for a cigar, but Tashigi, who was watching over him, firmly stopped him.
"...Are they gone?" Smoker's voice was hoarse. He stared at the ceiling, his gaze unfocused. His calm was more frightening than any rage. Tashigi could feel it: his pride, his very foundation of justice, had been shaken to its core.
She lowered her head. "Yes, sir. The port watchtower reported they... bought a large amount of supplies, then set sail. They've left Loguetown."
Smoker was silent. Beneath the sheets, his bandaged fist clenched so hard his joints creaked. A humiliation, deeper than any physical pain, burned in his chest. He bit out the words, as much a vow to himself as an order:
"I... will... catch them."
At the same time, in Marineford, the full after-action report landed on Fleet Admiral Sengoku's desk. As he read Tashigi's report, complete with photos, his brow furrowed, a storm gathering in his mind.
How had this happened so fast? From Shells Town to Loguetown... this kid, Kyle, had now defeated Smoker? When did the East Blue, the "Weakest Sea," produce such a monster?
Garp, sitting across from him, let out his trademark, carefree laugh, munching on rice crackers. "What's wrong, Sengoku? Another troublemaker giving you a headache?"
Sengoku threw the file at him.
Garp caught it, his smile fading as he saw the photos of Smoker, bloody and unconscious. "Ho? That brat Smoker is a Logia. To get beaten this badly... Sengoku, you don't think this kid... already has Armament Haki, do you?"
By the end, he sounded less worried and more... excited.
"'The report states Smoker's Logia form was completely ineffective. There is no other explanation," Sengoku said, rubbing his temples. "We have to completely re-evaluate their bounties. These three are far more dangerous than we thought."
Garp, however, was grinning. "Hahaha! How interesting! Sengoku, let me go! I'll track down these arrogant brats and 'educate' them personally. Maybe they'll turn out to be good Marines! We need this kind of new blood!"
"You're too late," Sengoku said, pointing to the last page. "They've already set sail for the Grand Line. There are seven routes from Reverse Mountain. We have no idea which one they'll take. Sending you now is pointless."
Garp just laughed. "Fine! We'll wait for them to make some noise! Kids like this can't stay quiet for long. I'll go have a 'chat' with them then!"
"Yes, well, first we need new bounties. Garp, what's your assessment? This Kyle... what's he worth?"
Garp looked at the photos again, his gaze lingering on Kyle's composed, barely-even-breathing expression. He grinned and gave a single, explosive number:
"One hundred million!"
"One hundred million?!" Sengoku was shocked. That was an unprecedented starting bounty for an East Blue rookie.
"That's right!" Garp's eyes were sharp. "From this report, this Kyle kid... wasn't even trying! He didn't use a single named technique. He just... beat Smoker down with basic combat and Haki. That kind of effortless power, that potential... he's worth every bit. This is a declaration to the entire Grand Line: a real monster has just entered the game."
Sengoku was silent. Garp's assessment matched his own. Using Haki alone was enough for a high bounty. Defeating a Logia with it... He stamped the paper. "Fine. As you say. Bounty: 100,000,000 Beri!"
Meanwhile, Kyle's group had landed on a small, deserted island.
Kyle was sighing as he looked at their supplies. Killua's entire pack was just candy. If it hadn't been for Gon, who had learned how to be frugal from Aunt Mito, they wouldn't even have the bare essentials.
"Kyle, are we training here?" Gon asked, looking around. The island was tiny.
"Yep," Kyle said. "It's deserted. We'll train here for one month. By then..." he added, "Smoker's injuries should be just about healed."
The moment he said that, both Gon and Killua snapped their heads to look at him, their eyes wide.