"And so, to join their family, it's not enough to just have strength," Tashigi whispered almost to herself, repeating the words Luffy had said at the beginning of their conversation. However, only now did she and Smoker truly realize what those words meant.And no matter how much they tried to deny it, after everything they had heard, it was hard not to feel a sense of awe at such unshakable faith in each other. Despite their flaws, the 'Pirate Slayers' had created something truly astounding.
'What about the power of the 'Beheader'?" After several minutes of silence filled with realization, Smoker decided to change the topic. The captain understood that this conversation, however enlightening it was, had dragged on excessively. Moreover, he now knew that his subordinates faced far greater danger than he had ever imagined. Nonetheless, Smoker couldn't afford to interrupt the ongoing discussion — he needed the most comprehensive information about his opponent now more than ever.
"The 'Beheader' possesses a Zoan fruit power," Luffy began to reveal another secret about his family, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the air. "A mythical type, model dragon."
"A dragon?!' Tashigi exclaimed.
Smoker barely suppressed the urge to bang his head against the table. A mythical type? A legendary dragon? Mythical Zoan types were even rarer than Logias. How did the 'Pirate Slayers' manage to find two fruits with such impressive powers even if they really were connected to 'Pure Sky'? And how could one interrupt such a conversation? Every piece of new information was almost completely changing the known balance of power and making him increasingly anxious about the fate of his subordinates.
"Like any Zoan" Luffy continued, "the fruit grants the 'Beheader' incredible strength, probably more than any other Zoan fruit. Fortunately for you, he hasn't learned to fully transform into a dragon yet, though he can use fire. He can attack large areas, making his power very effective against many opponents. Don't even think about confronting him with a large crowd; you'd only be doing him a favor. To be honest, when 'The Butcher' and 'Beheader' fight together, they form a perfect team. 'The Butcher' is good against strong opponents, while 'Beheader' handles the masses. They complement each other perfectly. And don't forget, 'The Butcher' and 'Beheader' have been friends since childhood, so when they fight, they act as one. If they are strong individually, together they are almost unbeatable. If you don't want to lose all your men, I advise you to fight them yourself, — Luffy looked at Smoker.
"So we have two confirmed Devil Fruit users in the 'Pirate Slayers' team, and one more potential one," Smoker concluded grimly, puffing on his cigars.
"Actually, three confirmed Devil Fruit users," Luffy didn't miss the opportunity to 'delight' Smoker once more. "The 'Queen' is also a Devil Fruit user. She ate the Sube Sube no Mi (Slip-Slip Fruit), so physical attacks don't affect her. I'm not even sure if your smoke would work on her. Again, fortunately for you, she won't be fighting. If you manage to defeat the 'Pirate Slayers' captain, she'll surrender immediately without any resistance."
"Why?" Tashigi couldn't help but ask.
"Unwavering faith in her captain," Luffy replied calmly, turning his gaze to the girl. "She is the best navigator in East Blue, and fighting isn't part of her duties. Roronoa Zoro trains her not for battle but for self-defense. The pirate crews she has defeated were merely her training exercises. If you attack the 'Pirate Slayers,' their family will prioritize protecting the 'Queen.' It's not an exaggeration to say that she is the most vulnerable member of the 'Pirate Slayers.' If you manage to capture her, you might even force Roronoa Zoro to surrender… but you'd better not do that," Luffy's gaze returned to Smoker. "The 'Queen' holds a special place in their family. If something goes wrong and even a single hair on the 'Queen's' head is harmed, the 'Pirate Slayers' will flood the entire city with blood. No," the guy shook his head as if disagreeing with himself, "frankly speaking, if something happens to the 'Queen,' I wouldn't even venture to guess their reaction. It might be a hundred times easier to negotiate with a hungry pack of rabid dogs than with enraged 'Pirate Slayers.' Most likely, because she is the only girl in their family, all the 'Pirate Slayers' react especially strongly to any threats against her. And believe me, it's not about her beauty. She has been treated this way almost since the moment she joined the family, when she didn't even have a fraction of her current beauty.
If Smoker was still willing to doubt everything else, he had no doubts about the truth of what was said about the 'Queen.' While Roronoa Zoro was the strongest among the 'Pirate Slayers,' and 'The Butcher' and 'Beheader' had frightening stories told about them almost as much as their captain — or rather, the one the world saw as their captain — Smoker had the most information about the 'Queen.' This was simply because, due to her beauty, everyone took an interest in her. She was especially popular among reporters — any news accompanied by a new photo of her instantly became a sensation — and among some very repulsive bastards from influential circles. As far as Smoker knew, Roronoa Zoro had been offered astronomical sums for the girl — the official bounty on her head was only a fraction of the amounts offered to him. Smoker knew this because various people had contacted him several times, demanding — precisely demanding! — that he arrange a meeting between their representatives and 'that pathetic hunter.' Smoker, of course, sent them packing every time. Other captains couldn't afford such treatment but were eager to share information with Smoker.
"I'm not sure how accurate my information is," the captain began, "but I've heard rumors that Roronoa Zoro was offered several hundred million Berries for the 'Queen.' Do you know if that's true?"
"One billion," Luffy corrected him. "The last offer was for one billion Berries… The intermediary turned out to be a rude, disgusting, and not very smart fat guy. The 'Pirate Slayers' captain broke his legs and arms, then bled him out and tossed him into a pen with hungry pigs."
Feeding someone alive to pigs was a pretty horrific death, but Smoker merely nodded in understanding, and Tashigi didn't react at all, which was itself quite telling. Tashigi usually took deaths and adherence to the law very seriously.
"Just don't think that the 'Pirate Slayers' captain did that to punish the scoundrel for his rotten nature," seeing their reaction, Luffy decided to clarify the situation. "If necessary, he himself might make such an offer to someone. Don't think there's anything good in him when it doesn't involve his family; the 'Pirate Slayers' captain is a bastard with few equals… By the way, that's another reason why I reconsidered and decided to come to you today."
"In what sense?" Smoker didn't understand.
Luffy looked at Tashigi:
"Near the sword shop, you clearly sensed him, didn't you?" Instead of answering Smoker's question, Luffy asked the girl.
"Near the sword shop?" Tashigi asked, somewhat confused, but then realized: "You mean he…"
"Yes," Luffy interrupted her, "he was there, and worse, he saw you. I was right next to him at that moment and noticed his reaction. Apparently, you resemble his late partner. Before she died, she was his main rival on the 'Sword Path,' and probably his first love. The problem is, you resemble her so much that at first, he mistook you for her, which is why you were able to sense him. At that moment, he simply lost control.
"What are you getting at?" Smoker frowned.
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Please consider supporting with power stones and also consider supporting on patre*n -> moctopus
(the Loguetown arc is finished in there, and next one will start soon explaining part of Luffy's past...)