I deleted chapter 28-30, since it wasn't properly aligned. Continue from 31 since I'm just reposting 28- 30.
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Watching the fallen Marines around him, Smoker looked at Shin'ya's clone in disbelief and shouted, "Conqueror's Haki?! How is that possible? You haven't even left the East Blue—how could you possess Haki, and control it so precisely?!"
The clone replied, "Why so many questions? You just lack perspective. Now, have a proper fight with our Transcenders and combatants. Don't worry, we're not evil pirates—we don't attack unconscious people. So fight without restraint." After speaking, he ignored Smoker, leapt onto a rooftop, sat down cross-legged, and prepared to watch the battle.
Smoker drew his Jitte from behind his back, eyes locked on Luffy and the others. Before anyone could react, he launched his "White Smoke Launcher" directly at them.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji braced themselves and countered with their own attacks.
"Gum-Gum Gatling!"
"No-Sword Style: Tornado!"
"Diable Jambe: Flank Steak!"
The trio roared as they charged forward.
Seeing their attacks, Smoker scoffed, "Pointless. Even if I stood still, you wouldn't be able to touch me. Just surrender quietly."
Just as he finished boasting, he saw a layer of pitch-black coating appear over their hands. Before he could react, a barrage of strikes crashed into him.
"Uwaaah~!" Smoker coughed up a mouthful of blood, trembling as he pointed at them. "Sneak attack! No martial ethics!"
He gritted his teeth. "Why do all of you have Armament Haki?! With your backgrounds, it should be impossible to learn Haki so early!"
Luffy laughed heartily, "Smokey, you mean Haki? It's simple! We met the Warlord Mihawk at Baratie—Shin'ya fought him and got a Haki training method."
Zoro nodded, "You're just unlucky. We only learned Haki yesterday afternoon. Right now, we can only coat our fists and palms."
"Exactly, exactly! We were about to leave—why'd you pick a fight? Now look, you got beat up," Sanji added smugly.
"So what if you can use Haki?! I can actively naturalize! Ah, die!" Smoker shouted, charging again.
Luffy: "Gum-Gum Bullet Barrage!"
Zoro: "No-Sword Style: Random Slash!"
Sanji: "Random Kick!"
Smoker: "..."
A chaotic flurry of bang bang bang, crack crack crack, and clang clang clang rang out.
Alongside them were Smoker's screams:
"Ahhh! Holy crap, not the face!"
"Not below, no—no, not below! Ahh, it hurts!"
"You guys ambushed me again!"
Clearly, Smoker's Logia powers couldn't hold up against their encirclement. He could only dodge two or three attacks out of ten; the rest landed clean.
Another thirty minutes passed. Smoker had been beaten for almost an hour. Now he lay crumpled on the ground—his clothes torn, pants missing, bruises everywhere. His face was so swollen even his own mother wouldn't recognize him.
"What a satisfying battle," the trio said in unison as they stood from their victorious poses.
"Yeah, having Haki is way better than not," Zoro said with a rare smile.
"Totally! Who would've thought Haki would make such a difference," Sanji added.
"Alright everyone, let's set sail—Grand Line, here we come!" Luffy shouted, full of energy.
The group ignored the groaning Smoker and sprinted toward the Going Merry.
After they left, Shin'ya's Wood Clone knelt beside Smoker and said, "Young Smoker, only Haki transcends all. You can't dominate the seas with just Devil Fruit powers. Go. Find the Marine Fleet Admiral—and learn Haki." With that, the clone dispelled itself, crumbling into a small piece of wood.
Smoker picked it up, a spark of determination rising in his heart. He pulled out his Den Den Mushi and dialed Sengoku.
"Pleasant Goat, Beautiful Goat, Lazy Goat, Furious Goat~ Slow Goat, Soft Goat, Red Wolf, Grey Wolf~"
The ringtone blared through the Fleet Admiral's office.
Click.
"Moshi Moshi, Marine Headquarters. This is Fleet Admiral Sengoku. What's the report?" Sengoku answered while scanning his documents.
"This is East Blue—cough cough—East Blue, Loguetown. I—Smoker—cough cough The Straw Hats just arrived. I—"
Sengoku interrupted excitedly, "You captured them?! That's impressive! Was Shin'ya not with them? You've caught Luffy and the others? Excellent! Stall Shin'ya. I'll send Kizaru immediately. Garp's nearby too—I'll notify him now. You've done a great service!"
About to hang up, Sengoku paused as Smoker blurted, "No, no! Wait! Fleet Admiral, I didn't capture them! Shin'ya got a Haki method from Mihawk, and the Straw Hats all learned it. I got beaten up—Wuwu~!" The more Smoker spoke, the angrier he became.
"Wuwu~ Fleet Admiral, I request to train in both colors of Haki! I want to leave Loguetown and form a pursuit unit—I will catch the Straw Hats!"
Sengoku sighed, "Fine, fine. I'll allow it. Stay in Loguetown for two more days—Garp should be arriving soon. I'll notify him. Ask him for the Haki training method. He'll stay in Loguetown until HQ sends someone to replace you. The rest is on you." Sengoku understood Smoker all too well—arguing with him was pointless.
He picked up another Den Den Mushi, explained the situation to Garp, and returned to his paperwork.
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Luffy's Side
Everyone rushed back to the Going Merry. As soon as they boarded, the ship set sail for the Grand Line.
Meanwhile, at a Yakuza hideout in Loguetown, Bartolomeo led his gang to his grandmother's home.
"Grandma, I want to follow my idol Shin'ya and become a pirate. Any advice?" Bartolomeo asked cautiously.
His grandma barked, "Advice? Idiots. You go out to sea, you'll die without even knowing how."
"Aw, come on, Grandma. How about this—I'll take half my men to sea, and the other half will stay and take care of you. I promise we won't do anything reckless," he pleaded.
"Hmph. Since you're that determined, take this Den Den Mushi. If anything confuses you, call me. I know a thing or two about sailing—might even save your lives. Keep that Den Den Mushi safe. If it dies, you'll have to wait for another."
She pulled out the snail-phone and handed it over, then added, "There's a ship I used to sail with in the warehouse below. Figure out how to get it to sea—it's yours. Be careful."
"Don't worry, Grandma! We'll return safe and sound! Boys, move the ship to the harbor!" Bartolomeo shouted.
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One Day Later
On the vast blue sea, the Going Merry sailed under the straw hat flag.
Nami studied the sea chart and said, "Our food won't last until the Grand Line. Luffy eats too much—we need a resupply. Also, we don't have a Grand Line map. Finding the next island will be pure luck. There's one nearby—let's head there."
Luffy yawned, "Alright, let's go."
At that same moment, not far from the Red Line, a Marine battleship approached Gunkanjima.
A blonde little girl, taking advantage of a moment of inattention from the guards, quietly lowered a small boat and paddled away using the current—heading opposite the Marine ship.
The guards didn't notice until the next morning.
A panicked soldier screamed, "Nelson-sama! Apis is gone!"
"What?! You couldn't guard one little girl?! Useless!" roared Nelson, a man nearly a thousand pounds, clad in gaudy clothes.
"Find her now! Retrace yesterday's route! She can't have gone far!" Nelson ordered.
The battleship turned around immediately, starting their desperate search for the missing Apis.
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