"Nukiashi!"
Klahadore's feet stomped the ground several times in rapid succession—his figure vanished.
Tashigi suddenly felt a chill run down her back. Instinctively, she turned and raised her sword to block.
Clang!
The claw blades clashed against Tashigi's sword, sending out a burst of sparks.
"A Grade sword, huh."
Kuro looked at the blade in Tashigi's hands with a hint of envy.
The sword, Shigure, categorized as a Grade sword.
Grade swords aren't among the 83 Supreme Grade blades, but they're still considered famous weapons.
Still, Kuro wasn't interested. He either wanted the best—or nothing at all.
Besides, Luffy hadn't even reached Loguetown yet, and that shop there had both Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri. But since those two were only Skillful Grade, Kuro had no interest.
Sure, if a famous sword was used by a skilled swordsman long enough, it might eventually be promoted to a Supreme Grade blade—but why go through all that trouble when there were ones already made?
Wasn't freeloading better?
"That move..."
Smoker's attention was locked on Klahadore. At first glance, he hadn't thought the man was particularly strong.
He didn't like the Shichibukai and trusted nothing Mihawk said—only what he saw with his own eyes.
And the Klahadore he saw gave off a sense of hidden strength, but not overwhelming power.
Still, this move surprised him.
"It resembles Soru... Tashigi might be in trouble."
Smoker's heart sank slightly, though he also had his doubts.
"This guy was really forced to join a pirate crew?"
"He has a heart that yearns for justice. Isn't that enough?"
Kuro chuckled.
"Worried your subordinate might lose? Don't stress—Klahadore here is the strongest among us Marines!"
"No. If that's all he's got, Tashigi will win." Smoker shook his head.
Tashigi barely managed to block Klahadore's strike. She stepped back, upper body leaning forward, and slid her blade along the claw, slicing toward Klahadore's throat.
This man was acknowledged by the world's strongest swordsman—she'd go all out!
A cold gleam flashed from her blade. Klahadore's pupils shrank—he instinctively ducked. Tashigi twisted her wrist mid-swing and brought her sword down in a heavy slash.
Boom!
Klahadore's body was sent flying, crashing into the distance. He rolled and got up in a sorry state.
His neatly combed hair was now disheveled, a fresh cut marked his cheek.
If he hadn't dodged in time, that strike might've killed him.
That was close. Almost died.
"Now I'm mad!"
Klahadore's pupils turned nearly vertical. His voice was ice-cold, sending a chill through the surrounding Marines.
"Getting serious, Mr. Klahadore? Show me your swordsmanship!"
Tashigi's excitement only grew—she believed Klahadore was about to go all out.
Klahadore's arms hung low, drained of strength, his body swaying like a pendulum.
Killing intent began to fill the air.
"Nukiashi!"
His figure disappeared completely.
But the killing aura burst forth.
Slash!
One of the Marine buildings was suddenly carved with five deep claw marks.
Tashigi was still brimming with anticipation—when she noticed the surrounding buildings being torn open. Right in front of her, the ground split in five sharp lines, all headed straight for her.
"Tashigi, duck!"
"Yes, Captain Smoker!"
Instinctively, Tashigi ducked her head.
A cold flash swept past her, and a few strands of hair were sliced off—cleanly severed.
Clang!
The jitte collided with the claw blades, revealing Klahadore's figure.
"You..."
Klahadore stared in shock at the claw blades now engulfed in smoke—above them was Smoker's upper body.
Boom!
Smoker punched Klahadore, slamming his head into the ground.
"You're not some guy with the same face—you're Kuro of a Hundred Plans! I can't believe you're still alive—and you even dared sneak into the Marines!"
"K-Kuro!" Klahadore struggled.
"Still calling him that? That idiot was fooled by you."
Smoker growled coldly.
"With a title like Hundred Plans, even I didn't catch on at first. But your strength doesn't deserve Mihawk's praise—hmph, must've been some rumor."
"Hey, maybe let go now."
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind—accompanied by a gust of wind.
Lida, now in her younger form, came flying in with a side kick—but her leg passed straight through Smoker.
"A Logia-type?"
Lida looked surprised.
"A Devil Fruit user?"
Smoker thrust his jitte at her. Lida twisted to the side and caught it with one hand—but unfortunately, she grabbed the very tip.
"I can't move... Sea Stone?"
Lida nearly collapsed.
"Another one, huh. So you're accomplices."
Smoker's jitte moved in again, smoke swirling around him as his body began to elementally transform. He snorted:
"I'll take you both down. Tashigi!"
"Yes!"
Tashigi snapped back to attention. She spun her sword and charged at Lida.
Whoosh!
Clang!
A golden slash flew in and struck Tashigi's blade directly. The force knocked it from her hands—Shigure flipped through the air and stabbed into the ground.
"What?!" Tashigi exclaimed.
"Alright, that's enough. Let them go, will ya?"
Kuro had appeared beside Smoker, grabbing his shoulder and speaking loudly:
"Let's call it a draw and go have a drink."
Smoker's expression shifted. He looked at Kuro, then holstered his jitte. In front of the gathered Marines, he allowed Kuro to lead him away.
It wasn't that he wanted to let it go—but even in his elemental form, Kuro had managed to grab him.
"Haki..."
Smoker's gaze turned serious.
"You've been hiding your strength?"
Kuro scratched his head and met his gaze.
"Don't be so serious. Let's just have a couple drinks."
Smoker stared for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright."
"Hey, you two—come on."
Kuro called out to Lida and Klahadore.
A restaurant in Loguetown.
Everyone was gathered around the dining table. Lida was devouring her food like a beast, Klahadore quietly cleaned his glasses beside her, while Tashigi held her sword, watching them warily.
"Luciru Kuro,"
Smoker gave a long look at the man puffing smoke, who had casually stolen another of his cigars just moments ago.
"You've been hiding in the Navy for ten years—what are you really after?"
"Now, now, no need for that. I'm not some villain. I just want to live a safe and peaceful life. It might be hard for you to understand, but that's truly my wish."
"No, I understand."
Smoker looked at him and said, "There's an old guy I know who thinks like that too—a master of doing the bare minimum. The man Hawkeye mentioned... it was you, wasn't it?"
Kuro nodded reluctantly.
"I didn't want to make a move, but the Shichibukai are just too unreasonable."
"Of course! A man capable of an attack like that—it could only be you, Mr. Kuro, the one truly worthy of challenging Mihawk!"
Tashigi said excitedly, "It must've been a name mix-up. Don't worry, Mr. Kuro, I'll clear your name!"
Klahadore gave her a grateful look. That trace of annoyance he'd felt from being pestered by this airheaded girl earlier disappeared without a trace.
What a kind soul.
Kuro tugged at the corner of his mouth. Maybe that attack he threw earlier was a bit too soft.
"Anyway, please keep this a secret. I really don't want to attract attention from the higher-ups. Way too troublesome."
"What a shame, Mr. Kuro!"
Tashigi objected, "Those things don't matter! A man like you, no matter where you are, is like a firefly in the darkness—so vivid, so outstanding!"
Yeah... that attack was definitely too soft.
Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke.
"I don't care what kind of justice you uphold—that's your choice. Just remember your duty as a Marine."
He glanced at Klahadore.
"It's not unheard of for pirates to become Marines. And besides... you're supposed to be 'dead.'"
"Exactly! That's more like it. You really are a reasonable guy, Smoker,"
Kuro laughed heartily.
"I'm off. I haven't even had time to explore Loguetown yet. Oh, and by the way—this meal's on you."
Smoker opened a bottle of rum and didn't bother stopping Kuro from leaving. He was still deep in thought.
A swordsman praised by Hawkeye, and a pretty solid Marine too.
No matter how you looked at it, the Navy had just gained a serious boost in strength.
In this world, there were plenty of powerful weirdos.
To Smoker, Kuro was one of them—a strong and eccentric man.
"Hmph, wants to stay low-key?"
Smoker smirked. "You're right, Tashigi—men like that can't stay hidden."
"Check, please."
"Captain Smoker, that'll be 300,000 Berries,"
The restaurant owner walked over with a cheerful grin.
"?"
Smoker glanced at the mountain of plates stacked on the table.
"That little girl... Hey! Kuro!"
Smoker shouted toward the door.
Kuro was long gone.
Save a meal when you can—raising a glutton isn't cheap.
"Sir Kuro, we'll never forget you!"
At the port.
Cass and a group of Marines stood with teary eyes.
Cass gripped Kuro's hand tightly, refusing to let go, his voice choked with emotion.
They were guest troops, technically from Branch 153. Their task of escorting Kuro was complete, and now they had to return.
"Cass, I won't forget you either,"
Kuro replied perfunctorily, forcing a stiff smile.
"Sir, rest assured. Once we're back, we won't forget your teachings! We'll train hard, become real Marines, and strive to enter headquarters—to serve under your command!" Cass sobbed.
Please don't.
Kuro subconsciously tightened his grip. With a fanatic like this around, how could he possibly live in peace?
It was precisely because of this over-imaginative man that Kuro ended up going to headquarters—and even ran into Mihawk along the way. If you follow me there, does that mean I'll be forced to fight the Four Emperors in the New World?!
Cass's hand hurt, but he thought Kuro was just reluctant to part and cried even harder.
After finally seeing him off, Kuro let out a long sigh of relief.
He could finally enjoy some peace.
Loguetown had returned to normal.
Recruiting Lida and Klahadore was easy. Since Smoker was a Marine HQ Captain, he had the authority to approve it directly. They just had to wait for the ship to arrive, and then they'd head to headquarters together.
Their current rank was third-class Navy—the kind awaiting HQ training.
They were now officially under Kuro's direct command.
In Loguetown, pirates constantly passed through on their way to the Grand Line. Capture a few, and you could get promoted at HQ.
That was their business—Kuro couldn't be bothered. After all, third-class soldiers had no real authority. To get promoted, you had to catch a big-name pirate.
Smoker felt comfortable with these two. They were strong. Klahadore didn't even need an introduction—he'd heard the name before. Strong enough to be dependable.
As for Lida, she was a Devil Fruit user, and after spending some time with Kuro, it became obvious she could use Haki. Naturally, Smoker let her go, pairing her and Klahadore with Tashigi. They occasionally went out to capture pirates.
Boom!
Boom boom boom!
On the training field, Smoker was sparring with Lida.
After learning she had Haki, Smoker seemed slightly provoked. He constantly challenged her. Lida wasn't interested, but the food at the Marine canteen was just too good to pass up.
Actually, Smoker wanted to challenge Kuro even more—but Kuro's words changed his mind.
"What? You're asking how I train every day? Let me think. I wake up at 8 AM, smoke a cigarette, then start cutting mountains. I cut until 8 PM, then go home. After that, I spend two hours developing my Observation Haki.
I sleep at 11 PM. Before bed, I drink a glass of red wine and do one hour of physical training to make sure every part of my body gets exercised. Once I'm in bed, I fall asleep instantly. I never carry fatigue or stress into the next day. The Marine doctors say I'm perfectly normal."
Why is a monster like this still in the East Blue?!
Does the Navy not know how to recognize talent?!
Smoker naturally knew some Haki, but his wasn't fully developed. His Observation Haki was decent—but still far behind Lida's, let alone Kuro's.
But he was a Logia user, so normal standards didn't apply.
In theory, Lida could beat him using Armament Haki combined with her Devil Fruit, but Smoker wasn't ordinary—his Logia powers made him extremely mobile.
Plus, covering Haki over Devil Fruit abilities was extremely rare.
Lida's power required direct contact. But Haki was a formless armor—when she used it, her abilities wouldn't activate. Without Haki, she couldn't grab Smoker.
And her fighting style was high-consumption and explosive. She couldn't maintain it for long.
Their battles usually ended in a draw—as long as Smoker didn't use his Seastone jitte.
Whenever he lost, Smoker was visibly frustrated.
"Hey, Klahadore. Let's train. I'll teach you how to do Soru!"
After another loss, Smoker turned grimly to Klahadore.
Kuro: "?"
Why am I always the one who suffers?
He did ask to improve his strength, and Smoker said his body was suitable for learning Soru—but he wanted training, not punishment!
"Too slow!"
"Are you a snail?!"
"That move you're so proud of? It's just poorly controlled Soru! Loads of Marines can do it!"
"You haven't even grasped it! You need more training!"
And then Klahadore lay on the ground, bruised and battered, staring up at the sky in existential doubt.
"I was wrong. I was so wrong. I should never have joined the Marines. If I hadn't joined, I wouldn't be getting beaten like this. I wouldn't have ended up like this…"
Klahadore's heart was full of sorrow.
In the base office.
Kuro lounged on the sofa, leisurely puffing on a cigar, feeling the gentle breeze from the window. He exhaled a relaxed puff of smoke, eyes closed.
Life… was peaceful.
His feet were up on the table. Then—crack!—a stack of stones Smoker had been balancing collapsed.
"Hey!!" Smoker roared.
"Shhh… feel the peace, Smoker."
Kuro sat up, snuffed out his cigar, and casually pulled one from Smoker's chest pocket to light up again.
"My rank is higher than yours—show some respect. And buy your own damn cigars!" Smoker's forehead veins bulged.
"Money…"
Kuro's mood soured the moment he heard that word.
"Wow, this is tasty! Kuro, hand me that one!"
Lida's voice drifted in from under the window.
She was walking in front, happily munching on snacks, while a miserable-looking Klahadore trailed behind, lugging several bags.
Kuro gave Smoker a deadpan look.
"You call that money? My money isn't mine anymore."
Smoker blinked, then chuckled and shook his head.
Yeah, even he was surprised by that glutton's appetite.
"Captain Smoker! Bad news!"
A Marine burst in and saluted.
"HQ just sent word—Monkey D. Luffy is heading to Loguetown!"
Klahadore jolted.
"Who's that?" Smoker asked.
"A pirate with a 30 million bounty!"
Smoker's face darkened.
"Just thirty million and they call him a big pirate? That's considered high now?"
"Captain, he defeated Don Krieg and Arlong!"
"Krieg?"
Smoker turned to Kuro. "You run into this Monkey D. Luffy?"
"Hmm… I think I've heard of him. Didn't really meet him though—I got stopped by Mihawk before I could," Kuro replied thoughtfully.
"Forget it."
Smoker stood and said to the Marine, "Getting flustered over something like this—what kind of conduct is that? Since I've been in charge, have I ever let a pirate escape?"
"N-No, sir!" The Marine was sweating under Smoker's glare.
"Hey, you going to check it out?" Smoker asked Kuro.
Kuro waved a hand lazily—no interest.
"Figures. Lazy bum."
Smoker walked out.
Kuro looked out the window, eyes squinting.
"The world… is starting to stir."
But what did that have to do with him? Taking things slow and living a peaceful, steady life—that was the true way to go.
Anyway, that troublemaker would come and go quickly and wouldn't cause any civilian casualties.
"Pirate King?"
From where Kuro stood, he had a clear view of the high execution platform in the square.
He let out a dismissive snort. "I'm aligned with Lawful Good, damn it."
What matters most in Lawful Good isn't the 'good'—it's the 'lawful'.
Chaotic alignment? That's just picking fights with whoever you dislike.
As for the main culprit stirring up chaos in the world—how could he feel any goodwill toward that?
(*****)
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