Encounter with the Marines (2)

He struck Akainu's outstretched fist, but Akainu was unharmed. The fist had detached from his body, and even though it was destroyed, he felt no pain.

If Smoker's punches were all delivered externally, then even if he had injured his fist, Smoker would have been perfectly fine. Even if that fist was destroyed, he could easily recreate it.

However, he only managed to slash the opponent's fist, and the opponent was already injured. This is enough to show that the opponent's training is not yet up to par.

"Oh, is that so?" Smoker was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Yes, every Devil Fruit has a time to Awakening; you just haven't discovered it yet. Spend more time researching it yourself. Actually, every Devil Fruit is quite good; there's no hierarchy. The key is whether you can fully develop its potential."

Fanxin said, "If you don't believe me, you can watch the fight between Straw Hat Boy and Crocodile. Don't you all say that Logia Devil Fruit are stronger than other Devil Fruit? But Straw Hat Boy defeated Crocodile, a Logia Devil Fruit user, leaving him powerless to fight back. Why is that?"

"This is enough to show that the strength of a Devil Fruit user does not depend on the power of the Devil Fruit, but on their own efforts. If you develop your Devil Fruit and unleash its full power, then your strength will definitely be much greater than what you see here."

"Heh, do you still want to fight? If you want to fight, I can show you just how strong I am, and how big the gap is between you and me."

Fanxin looked at Smoker and smiled slightly. He had already tested Smoker's strength. The other party had indeed become stronger, but while he had become stronger, he had also become stronger.

Therefore, it's highly unlikely that Smoker can defeat him.

"I will never give up, even if I die in battle, I will never back down. You are a pirate, and I am a marine, that's our stance," Smoker said firmly.

"Oh, so it seems you've decided to oppose me. Fine, then I'll grant your wish now." Upon hearing this, Fanxin knew that Smoker wouldn't let it go so easily.

Since that's the case, he's prepared to grant the other party's request and give them a good beating.

Having said that, Fanxin stopped wasting words. He immediately fused with the Diamond Beast. This time, he fused with a hundred Diamond Beast, reaching a terrifying height of over four meters. However, he didn't maintain this height. Instead, he compressed himself, and soon returned to the size of a normal human. Although his physical form remained unchanged, the explosive power within him became even more astonishing, though others couldn't see it.

"Come on, Smoker, now I'll show you the difference between you and me."

Fanxin said, "I hope that after you realize the gap, you will go back and cultivate diligently. Otherwise, you will never be able to reach the highest peak, and you will never be able to capture the people you want to capture, because your abilities are insufficient."

After saying that, Fanxin Xin chuckled, his face full of provocation.

"I don't need you to lecture me." Smoker snorted, then turned into smoke and rushed towards Fanxin, intending to teach him a Fanxin.

However, Fanxin had already made his move against him.

He was incredibly fast; the instant Smoker turned into smoke, he was right in front of Smoker.

"You're too slow." Fanxin Xin grabbed Smoker. Although he had turned into smoke, his hands were wrapped in Haki, allowing him to grasp Smoker's physical form.

He grabbed Smoker's body with his left hand, while his right hand was brutally beating Smoker.

His strength was extraordinary; it was the combined power of a hundred Diamond Beast. How could he possibly be weak?

He beat Smoker mercilessly, bringing Smoker back to his original form. However, he didn't stop there; he continued to beat him relentlessly.

He only stopped when Smoker was no longer able to fight back.

At this moment, Smoker was severely injured by Fanxin, his body covered in blood, a truly terrifying sight.

He lay on the ground, completely unable to move.

"Hmph, go back and think carefully about where you fell short," Fanxin said. "If you had met anyone else, you would be dead by now. The reason you're alive is because you met me."

"However, I can tell you that the New World is a cruel place. If you're not strong enough, you could die."

After saying that, Fanxin headed towards the ship. He had said everything he needed to say.

"Stop!" He tried to leave, but the marines were unhappy because he had injured their leader.

The marines drew their weapons, preparing to attack Fanxin.

"Stop, let him go. You're no match for him." Smoker, seeing this, endured the pain, stood up, and said.

If he couldn't win, his men would be even less capable. So, he immediately stopped them, because he didn't want them to suffer losses.

"Boss Smoker, this..." The group hesitated, unwilling to let Fanxin go.

"That's an order, let him go," Smoker said.

Fanxin Xin alone could wipe them out. Fanxin pirate crew hasn't even made a move yet. Therefore, this is a very troublesome situation.

It's impossible for them to prevent Fanxin from leaving. Rather than that, they might as well let Fanxin leave, so that they won't lose anything.

"Yes, Boss Smoker." The marines were unwilling, but Smoker had given the order, so they had no choice but to obey.

"Hehe, looking forward to your next time. Alright, I'm leaving now." Fanxin waved his hand, then immediately left and returned to the ship.

Before long, the ship set sail and headed into the distance.

Smoker watched until Fanxin's ship left before he sat down. The ship's doctor immediately came over and began bandaging Smoker.

"Boss Smoker, what are we doing now...?" a marine asked.

Smoker was seriously injured, and if he encountered a powerful enemy, things would be very difficult. Therefore, he was very worried.

"Let's go back to base now. We'll come out again in a while," Smoker said helplessly, looking at his body.

Being severely injured was something he hadn't anticipated. He had assumed his strength was no less than Fanxin's. But now he realized the gap between Fanxin was enormous.

He's immobilized, let alone able to fight. If a skilled opponent were to arrive, it would be a significant blow to them.

Therefore, he decided to return home temporarily and not to go out to sea for a while. He would go out to sea again once he had recovered.