"Mr. Onigumo."
Smoker casually saluted before leaning back on the railing and lighting up his cigar.
Both he and Onigumo were students taught by Zefa, and they had known each other since their early years. In private settings, they didn't stand on ceremony.
"I don't understand what you mean by 'displeased,'" Smoker said, gazing at the distant sea. "If you're talking about watching those nobles host debauched parties every day, ordering us around like servants..."
"And then having to waste an entire month escorting them, then yes, I'm indeed displeased. What's more, I find it strange that you don't seem to react to any of this."
Just last week, for instance.
He had witnessed the king of the Pith Kingdom in the East Blue fly into a rage over the sweetness of his coffee. The king had whipped six maids to death, two of whom were barely teenagers, aged thirteen or fourteen.
When Smoker, unable to contain his anger, pushed past the guards to intervene, it was Onigumo himself who stopped him.
"React? What reaction do you expect from me? You're thirty years old, yet you're still as naive as you were in your teens. Don't you find that pathetic?"
Onigumo sneered, his Justice cloak flapping in the wind. "Of those three kings, the other two are one thing, but His Majesty Altai of the Pith Kingdom has one-quarter Celestial Dragon blood!"
"Otherwise, the Headquarters wouldn't have taken this so seriously, sending me to escort them back. Even I can't afford to offend him, yet you dare to provoke His Majesty Altai?"
"Remember this, Smoker!"
Onigumo grinned, poking Smoker's forehead with his finger. "I just saved your life. You should be thanking me!"
"With your strength, you could easily be a Rear Admiral, if not a Vice Admiral."
"But what's happened instead? You're always defying orders, acting on your own whims, and getting disciplined by the Headquarters time and time again, yet you never learn!"
"Now, you're still just a lowly captain, not even comparable to many newcomers who graduated just a few years ago!"
Onigumo's tone carried not just reprimand but also a hint of frustration toward his junior brother.
Eight years ago, Smoker had already been a captain at the Headquarters.
Eight years later, he was still just a captain.
Since last year, he had even been transferred to the remote and desolate Loguetown in the East Blue. A Logia-type ability user, reduced to dealing with petty thieves whose bounties barely reached a few million Berries?
If it weren't for the fact that this mission happened to pass through his jurisdiction, making it convenient to assign him, he wouldn't even have been qualified to participate in such an important escort mission.
"If I have to become indifferent like you to get promoted..."
Smoker fell silent for a moment, then took a deep drag from his cigar. "Then I don't regret it. Staying a captain is just fine with me."
Huh? Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he looked toward the sea on the right.
There, a small fishing boat was being steered by an elderly couple in their sixties.
They had already moved out of the way of the warship, but they hadn't anticipated the large cruise ship behind them suddenly changing course, heading straight for their tiny boat. Panicked and helpless, they were at a loss for what to do.
"Ram through! Ram through! Ram through!"
His Majesty Altai of the Pith Kingdom was riding a guard like a horse, shouting vigorously on the deck.
"Turn a bit more to the left, move faster! If these lowlifes jump into the sea, I won't get to enjoy the show!"
Bastard… Smoker's expression darkened instantly. In a flash, his body transformed into thick white smoke, rising from the ground and darting toward the fishing boat on the sea.
This guy is truly an irredeemable fool.
Watching the distant white smoke, Vice Admiral Onigumo narrowed his eyes slightly and sighed in disappointment.
Rash, impulsive, acting on instinct, disregarding consequences…
Teacher Zefa must truly be losing his sight if he thinks someone like Smoker could become the kind of leader to carry the future of the Marines.
How laughable it seems now.
...
"Excuse me."
At the Cocoyasi Village dock, Hawkeye politely nodded to Genzo, signaling that there was no need to see him off. He then turned his gaze toward the northeast.
So, he's not here anymore?
Hawkeye sighed.
He had just rushed from the Grand Line to the East Blue, finally making it to the man's hometown.
Only to hear that the man named Xiano had already set off for the Grand Line.
His luck really wasn't great.
On the other hand, the villagers here were incredibly warm, treating him as Xiano's friend, throwing a feast with good food and drink, and even forcing a boatload of orange products on him.
The coffin-shaped boat started, drifting with the current toward Reverse Mountain.
Logically speaking, those setting off from the East Blue to venture into the Grand Line would linger in Loguetown for a while, right?
Hawkeye's gaze lingered in the distance.
He casually peeled open a tin can, took out a piece of candied orange, and slowly chewed it. The flavor was sweet and refreshing. He hoped it would bring him good luck to catch up with the man as soon as possible.
...
Xiano stood in the center of the steel-forged training room, closing his eyes and steadying his breath. He reached up and tied a black cloth band over his eyes.
"Are you ready, Captain?" Kuina gripped the hilt of her sword and looked up to ask.
"Yes."
He nodded. "Be as fast as possible. Don't worry about sword techniques or forms."
"Understood, Captain!"
Kuina shouted, and her blade suddenly slashed toward Xiano's shoulder, but he easily dodged it. She followed with a horizontal strike, but it was the same.
Xiano's movements were like leaves in the wind—seemingly fragile but able to deftly evade every sharp attack.
After more than a dozen missed strikes, Kuina's eyes suddenly focused. Seizing the moment when Xiano bent backward to dodge and couldn't move his feet in time, she raised her hand and unleashed a sword slash aimed directly at Xiano's waist.
Flying Slash!
Let's see how you dodge this!
In the next instant, Kuina's eyes widened as she saw the muscles on the left side of Xiano's waist bizarrely contract to the right.
This caused his upper body to twist into an exaggerated C-shape.
And as the slash flew past, his body instantly returned to normal.
Still not enough?
Xiano removed the black cloth band and sighed.
Ever since setting sail, he had been trying various methods to master Observation Haki.
The ability of Paper Drawing was like opening a special window in his perceptual world, allowing his body to automatically capture those subtle movements and air fluctuations.
Logically speaking, with the foundation of Paper Drawing, comprehending Observation Haki should be easier for him than for ordinary people without such a foundation.
But things didn't go as expected.
Perhaps it was because he had already mastered Paper Drawing to an unparalleled level, or because he was overly confident in his physical strength and the intensity of his Armament Haki.
Or perhaps it was a combination of both.
To put it simply.
The attacks from the outside world couldn't bring him a sense of threat, let alone the kind of life-and-death crisis or terror.
The casual reactions his body made were enough to handle everything effortlessly, never pushing him to the limit where his perception would be strained to the extreme.
"I'm really weak…" Kuina pouted, her face filled with frustration, "I can't even keep up with your training, Captain…"
"What nonsense are you talking about? You became a Master Swordsman at sixteen. Give it some more time, and you'll be able to dominate the Grand Line. How is that weak?"
Xiano patted the girl's shoulder, offering sincere comfort, then gazed out the porthole and sighed with melancholy, "If anything, it's my fault for being too strong…"
It's just that the version is too advanced.
The East Blue is hopeless, and I don't know if there's anyone in the first half of the Grand Line who can push me to awaken Observation Haki.
"We're about to arrive at Loguetown, Brother! Time to prepare to go ashore!"
Suddenly, Nami's voice came from outside the door.
Loguetown…
Finally here?
Xiano and Kuina pushed the door open and walked out, only to see Nami, drenched in sweat, mopping the hallway while also wiping the walls along the way.
This was her punishment for lying and sneaking away from home.
Before entering the Grand Line, not only did she have to help Zeff wash dishes, but she was also responsible for all the miscellaneous chores on the ship.
"I'm so tired, Brother!"
Seeing Xiano, Nami instinctively whined and complained, "My back is about to break! You promised, this punishment is only for these few days. Once we cross Reverse Mountain, you can't make me do all this alone anymore…"
"What 'Brother, Brother'? Cleaner Nami, how many times have I told you? Address me by my title when you're working!"
Xiano clasped his hands behind his back and scolded her sternly.
He really had the air of authority down pat. Kuina chuckled, while Nami rolled her eyes and leaned on the mop, weakly responding, "Yes, Captain…"
The name Mandarin fits the comic style, but purely phonetic names lack memorability in web novels. After careful consideration, I've decided to change the ship's name in future chapters to something more fitting for the crew. I've also reset and deleted the content about the ship's name from yesterday's chapter. Here, I sincerely apologize to the reader who proposed the original idea, Uncle Baoshan, and thank the other readers for their suggestions.
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