No… that couldn't be right.
If it were simply a matter of mental strength, then Smoker's willpower shouldn't be stronger than Trafalgar Law's.
Even Law had shown signs of being affected by Kaito Arisawa's Conqueror's Haki. There was no way Smoker could remain completely unaffected.
Although surprised, Kaito didn't panic. Instead, he remained calm and began thinking carefully.
His gaze remained fixed on Smoker.
Once again, he used Observation Haki to read the man's inner thoughts.
From the moment he had released his Conqueror's Haki until now, every fluctuation in Smoker's heart was carefully examined.
After some time passed, Kaito seemed to understand something.
"…Evil and justice?"
He muttered thoughtfully.
Reading the other man's inner fluctuations was not difficult. But only after carefully studying them did the underlying reason begin to reveal itself.
There were plenty of corrupt people within the Marines.
But Smoker was clearly not one of them.
He was the type of Marine who truly believed in justice.
Even after becoming a prisoner, Smoker had never felt fear toward Kaito.
Instead, like a man firmly rooted in righteousness, he felt only intense hostility and resistance toward Kaito—the pirate he regarded as evil.
The human will was complex.
It was a higher psychological function.
And it could be heavily influenced by emotions.
Kaito now understood why Smoker had been able to completely resist the suppression of his Conqueror's Haki.
Justice and evil were natural opposites.
Smoker's resistance wasn't only because his willpower was strong.
It was also because the belief in justice within his heart fiercely rejected Kaito, a pirate who represented evil.
In other words—
Belief strengthened willpower.
"…Interesting."
Kaito rubbed his chin.
Up until now, he had believed that only a sufficiently powerful mental will could resist his Conqueror's Haki suppression.
But this experience taught him something new.
Besides willpower, belief itself could also provide resistance.
Especially when that belief stood in opposition to him.
Even if such beliefs were subjective—based purely on personal perspectives—once they opposed him, they could greatly strengthen someone's ability to resist his Conqueror's Haki.
A person's will can grow stronger or weaker…
And belief seems capable of doing the same.
Kaito's eyes fell on Smoker again.
But this time, his gaze was cold.
Almost as if he were looking at a test subject.
Interesting…
Let's experiment with this next.
Cocoyasi Village
Seven years ago, this had been nothing more than an ordinary village in East Blue.
But now—
It had become one of more than twenty villages occupied by the Arlong Pirates.
In fact, it had effectively become the pirates' headquarters.
Outside a small house, orange trees grew neatly in rows.
Inside the house, a blue-haired young woman was carefully applying medicine to the wounds on the arm of another girl.
The injured girl was around fifteen years old.
She had shoulder-length orange hair and brown eyes.
Despite her young age, her delicate features already made her exceptionally beautiful.
"Nami, I know you're desperate to collect 100 million Berries as quickly as possible so you can buy back the village from Arlong…"
"But you still need to take care of your body."
The blue-haired girl spoke softly while changing the bandages.
Her name was Nojiko.
"Don't worry. I'll be more careful next time."
Nami smiled brightly as she looked at Nojiko treating her wounds.
Even though she endured countless hardships while trying to gather the enormous ransom needed to free the village—
She always hid those struggles from her family.
The only thing she showed them was her cheerful smile.
But Nami didn't realize that seeing that smile only made Nojiko's heart ache even more.
Nojiko understood.
That smile existed only to reassure her.
But how could she possibly feel reassured?
Deep inside, Nojiko hated her own helplessness.
Unlike Nami—who possessed an extraordinary natural talent for navigation—Nojiko had no special abilities.
All she could really do was grow oranges.
Or perhaps—
The only thing she could do was treat Nami's injuries every time she returned home battered and bruised.
"All done."
Just as Nojiko finished applying the medicine, Nami stretched her arm experimentally.
Seeing that the wound no longer hurt too much, she grinned happily.
"Wow, Nojiko! Your medical skills are getting better and better."
"At this rate, you might become a doctor someday."
Before Nojiko could respond, Nami leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Alright, I'm leaving!"
"Make sure to cook an extra portion tonight—I'll come back for dinner!"
With that, Nami waved and dashed out of the house.
"Slow down!"
"You'll reopen your wound!"
Nojiko hurried to the doorway, calling out anxiously.
But Nami had already run far down the road.
Watching the direction Nami was heading, Nojiko's heart grew heavy once again.
She knew exactly where Nami was going.
A place filled with disgust.
A place filled with resentment.
But a place Nami had no choice but to visit.
Arlong Park
This was the headquarters of the Arlong Pirates, built along the coast near Cocoyasi Village.
From the outside, the place looked surprisingly beautiful.
Palm trees swayed in the wind.
The buildings had a tropical resort atmosphere.
At first glance, it even resembled the luxurious districts of Sabaody Archipelago on the Grand Line.
But as Nami approached, looking at the park that grew closer with each step—
Disgust rose uncontrollably in her chest.
She slowed down.
Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her emotions.
Then she forced a bright smile onto her face.
"I'm back!"
As she walked through the open gate, the interior of Arlong Park immediately came into view.
Several Fish-Men were gathered around a swimming pool, lounging lazily.
Nami greeted them skillfully with her cheerful expression.
"Oh, Nami's back!"
"How much money did you steal this time?"
"Nami! Did you finish the sea charts Arlong told you to draw?"
The Fish-Men looked at her one after another.
Some merely glanced at her before ignoring her again.
Others greeted her with strange, mocking smiles.
Nami's disguise was flawless.
But unfortunately—
The Arlong Pirates, led by Arlong himself, had never truly regarded her as one of their own.
From the very beginning, they had only intended to use her ability to draw sea charts.
Even the promise of returning Cocoyasi Village in exchange for 100 million Berries was nothing more than a lie.
"Nami…"
Near a tall tower-like building stood Arlong himself.
He had been reclining lazily on a beach chair.
Hearing Nami's voice, he slowly opened his eyes and sat up.
A sharp-toothed grin spread across his face.
He was just about to speak—
But suddenly—
From the seaside entrance of the park—
A fierce roar erupted.
The deafening sound instantly interrupted Arlong's words.
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