"Clack! Clack! Clack!"
That was the sound of military boots crushing rainwater.
Hundreds of fully armed Marine soldiers, rifles in hand, marched in tight formation, quickly sealing off the entire central plaza.
The dark gun barrels radiated cold killing intent through the rain.
At the very front of the formation, a silver-haired man wearing a coat emblazoned with the word "Justice" rode in slowly on a large motorcycle billowing white smoke.
"White Hunter" Smoker.
Two cigars hung from his mouth. Even the heavy rain couldn't disperse the thick smoke, which instead gathered around him, shrouding his upper body in a hazy veil.
"Straw Hat Luffy…"
Smoker stopped his bike, drew the seastone jitte from his back, and locked his hawk-like gaze onto Luffy.
"This farce ends here. You want to go to the Grand Line? Not happening."
"Tch, Marines."
Sanji glanced at the densely packed soldiers around them, frowning.
"We're surrounded. And there's a lot of them."
Shing—
Zoro nudged Wado Ichimonji half an inch out of its sheath, battle intent surging in his eyes.
"Hey, Luffy. We cutting our way out?"
Ronan gripped the black wooden staff and quietly looked at Smoker.
His Observation Haki spread out, settling over Smoker's body.
But the feedback left him slightly disappointed.
Smoker's presence was much stronger than that of ordinary Marines, but in Ronan's perception… the threat level wasn't high.
At this point, Smoker might have an invincible defense thanks to his Logia fruit, but his Haki was practically nonexistent, and his physical combat was still within conventional limits.
If he had no other trump cards, his strength probably couldn't even trigger the five-times [Deathmatch Mode].
At most, it was about triple—roughly sparring level for Luffy and the others.
Thinking this, Ronan's interest in the future Marine vice admiral dropped sharply.
A target with no experience value wasn't worth much effort.
"We're pirates, you know!"
Usopp hid behind Zoro, poking his head out as he shouted.
"Aren't we supposed to run when we meet Marines?! This is a whole army!"
Luffy froze, then slapped his palm in realization.
"Oh yeah! You're right! Let's run! Getting to the Grand Line comes first!"
With that, Luffy took the lead and bolted toward the weaker left side of the encirclement.
"Trying to run?"
Smoker almost laughed at Luffy's utterly unstructured retreat.
In all his years stationed in Loguetown, he had never seen such an arrogant—and naive—pirate.
"I told you… you're not getting away."
Smoker's eyes went cold. His lower body instantly turned into smoke, transforming into a powerful white jet that launched him into the air at high speed.
"White Vine—!!"
Smoker spread his arms wide. Dozens of thick white smoke tendrils, like massive serpents, surged forward, crossing dozens of meters in an instant and striking from behind—directly over Ronan and the others' heads!
The smoke expanded and coiled as if solid.
"What is this?!"
Before anyone could react, the smoke wrapped around Luffy, Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji—binding their limbs and torsos tightly and suspending them in midair!
"I ate the Smoke-Smoke Fruit."
Smoker's form emerged within the smoke as he looked down at them, bound like dumplings, his tone arrogant.
"My body can freely turn into smoke—no solid form, yet strong enough to bind like steel cables. With your strength, you can't break free."
Rain poured down, striking their faces.
Luffy hung in the air, wrapped in smoke. Instead of fear, curiosity lit up his face as he wriggled and looked at the white vapor around him.
"So this is a Logia ability? …Hehe, kinda fun!"
"Fun my ass!!"
Nearby, Usopp was also caught, a strand of smoke tightening around his neck. His face turned purple as his legs flailed.
"Stop having fun, Luffy! I—I can't breathe!"
"Aah—! What is this smoke?!"
Nami screamed as she too was trapped.
"Help me!"
Yet facing this despair-inducing predicament that would break ordinary pirates—
The three main fighters who were bound—
Ronan, Zoro, and Sanji—
All wore amused, even mocking smiles.
Ronan flexed his bound wrist slightly, testing the smoke's toughness.
It was indeed strong—ordinary people would never escape.
But for Ronan, whose Strength had reached 18 and Constitution 20…
This felt no tougher than a few layers of plastic wrap.
"Hey."
Ronan looked at the others, his tone as casual as discussing dinner.
"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji… who's up? This Logia's perfect for some practice."
Those words sounded especially grating in the rain-soaked killing field.
Smoker's expression darkened instantly.
He felt the contempt, veins bulging on his forehead as he clenched his cigars and snarled:
"Looking down on people… has its limits!!"
"You think beating a few East Blue trash makes you untouchable?! Run into me today, and your pirate career—ends here!"
BOOM—!!
A thunderbolt tore through the sky, lightning illuminating Smoker's furious face.
"Hehe."
Luffy grinned, teeth gleaming.
"I'll take this guy!"
Before the words even faded, Luffy's eyes changed.
Humm—
An invisible pressure burst from his body—the power born of Ronan's hellish training, the fusion of breath and blood.
Luffy inhaled sharply. His muscles swelled, metallic sheen flickering beneath his skin.
"BREAK—OPEN!!!"
With a thunderous shout, Luffy thrust his arms outward!
BANG—!!!
A shocking sight unfolded.
The smoke restraints Smoker regarded as absolute—both shield and shackle—were blown apart by Luffy's sheer physical strength, tearing like fragile cloth!
The smoke exploded outward, scattering into white wisps that dissolved in the rain.
"W-what?!"
Smoker's pupils shrank, his face filled with disbelief.
"Pure physical power… broke my smoke bind?! That's impossible! Unless—"
Before he could finish the thought, even more shocking scenes followed.
"Hmph!"
Ronan snorted coldly, slamming vibration into the black staff. A spiraling force erupted, shredding the smoke around him instantly.
"Hah!"
Zoro tore apart his bindings with demonic strength.
"Get lost!"
Sanji spun at high speed, the wind pressure alone blasting the smoke away.
To Read 100+ advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146