Chapter 19: Smoke and Shadows"
The rain fell, forming a misty veil over Loguetown's harbor, thin streams of rain running down the rooftops and ship decks. Ashen's boots thudded against the cobbled port as he disembarked from his Ship, he pull his hood tighter to protect himself from the rain. The wind was cold with the sting of the approaching Calm Belt, yet his eyes were steady. He didn't intend to stay long here—but some things needed closure before his departure.
Loguetown was quieter than before. The damage from Luffy's brief, chaotic encounter with Smoker was still evident—scorch marks across a building front, some shattered walls half-rebuilt. It was clear something disruptive had passed through, though the silence tells us the town itself had moved on with their daily life.
Ashen swiftly made his way through the streets without any trouble. No bounty meant no eyes were actively searching for him. Yet, when he stepped near the Marine office, the air thickened and became heavier.
And then came the voice from inside the Base. Firm. Deep. Smoke trailing faintly through the alley carrying the voice.
"You again. I had a feeling you'd circle back before vanishing into that cursed sea."
Ashen turned his head.
Smoker stood under the awning beside the office gate, a cigar burning low in his hand, rain evaporating off his coat. He didn't wear the full uniform—just the marine jacket and his jitte. The kind of readiness born from years of commanding the frontline.
Ashen offered a nod, showing neutrality. "Didn't expect to see you standing in the open like that."
"I could say the same for you. Most people who get knocked out on a Marine ship don't come waltzing back into our territory with clean hands." Smoker's eyes narrowed. "But Garp let you go."
Ashen didn't respond to the bait. News had travelled fast.
Changing the topic, he asked, "You fought someone here. Recently."
Smoker exhaled smoke and gave a sharp nod. "Straw Hats."
The way he said him had weight.
"Monkey D. Luffy," Ashen said calmly.
Smoker's brow lifted just slightly. "So you know the name."
Ashen glanced at the wet street. "Hard not to. Vice Admiral Garp said some things, back when I met him aboard his Ship."
A pause. Smoker stepped closer, lowering his voice. "What kind of things?"
"That the world's changing faster than even the old legends expected." Ashen looked up, his tone slow and deliberate. "That maybe… that kid's part of it. Not just because of what he's done, but who he is."
Smoker's expression hardened. "You're talking about the Garp connection."
Ashen nodded slightly. "Yeah."
"…So he told you that?" Smoker muttered. "I always suspected. The raw strength, the recklessness. He's got the same damn spark."
Ashen didn't confirm it further. He didn't need to.
Smoker continued after a beat, "I tried to stop him. The whole squad did. Bastard slipped through with a smile. A damn smile. Just like Roger."
"That's what scares you?" Ashen asked.
"No." Smoker took a drag, exhaled into the rain. "What scares me is how much he seems to draw people to him. Marines, pirates, civilians—they easily get swept up in it. Garp must have known it too. That's why he tries so hard to steer the rest of us away."
Ashen stared into the falling rain, thoughtful. "Maybe some paths aren't meant to be steered."
Smoker turned. "And you? You heading to the Grand Line again?"
Ashen's cloak fluttered in the wind. "Yeah, soon."
"You'll run into him again, if you keep moving forward. What will you do?"
Ashen gave a dry smirk. "Maybe something. Maybe nothing. My path is not his and his is his own."
Smoker's eyes narrowed, as if weighing something. "Just don't become an enemy of the World Government. Don't bring yourself more trouble."
Ashen turned to walk, his voice drifting over his shoulder. "I'm not interested in making enemies. But I won't let them choose what I become either."
As he disappeared down the harbor road, Smoker stayed silent—just watching, the embers of his cigar slowly fading.
The wind carried weight.
Not from the sea's usual fury, but from the shift in presence that now traveled atop its currents. A sleek, reinforced vessel sliced through the waters of the Calm Belt, silent, save for the rhythmic cut of its hull through the tide. At its helm stood a lone figure, cloaked in a dark navy coat lined with gray fur at the collar. His silver-gray hair whipped with the gale. Eyes calm. Posture like drawn steel.
Ashen Veyr had returned to the Grand Line.
The waters that had once tried to kill him. Now, they parted before his will.
It had taken him time—months of silence, relentless training in Shimotsuki Village, then more under Daiken and the remnants of a forgotten intelligence cell. But now, he was no longer the drifting orphan saved by circumstance. He had become someone who could bend steel with his blade… someone Rear Admirals would be forced to acknowledge.
The Reverse Mountain came into view. Not with shock. Not with awe. But with cool recognition. It was a gate. A challenge. And now, an entrance back to his life.
His fingers tightened on the grip of the ship's steering rod. The hull shifted toward the rising stream—a furious current racing skyward, dragging the ship upward at a sharp angle.
Ashen narrowed his gaze. The mast groaned. Sails billowed, the rigging screamed. The water roared beneath him like a beast denied of its prey.
He rode the mountain like a bullet carving it's path through the air.
[Status Update – Confirmed Before Re-entry]
Name: Ashen Veyr
Level: Master
Strength: 9.4
Endurance: 9.8
Durability: 9.6
Agility: 10.5
Skill Proficiencies
Soru: 88%
Tekkai: 63%
Busoshoku Haki: 52%
Swordsmanship – Shimotsuki Style (Intermediate Form): 31%
Projected Wind Slashes (Enhanced): Mid-range capable, high-velocity arc stabilizing
Stone-Cut Precision (Passive): Effortlessly cleaves through reinforced steel
Reaction Flow (Advanced): +8% reflexive and directional response
Focused Edge (NEW): Temporarily sharpens blade concentration, allowing brief clashes against Haki-infused attacks without damage
[System Flag: Combat Tier — Verified Against Rear Admiral-Class Threats]
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