The Human Who Couldn't Swim

"Decision made. We'll meet this guy first, then go investigate the Sixteenth Branch."

Smoker made the call.

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate? Ling Donglai is a wanted pirate, and Captain Nezumi of the Sixteenth Branch is someone of the same rank as you..." Tashigi asked innocently.

Within the Marines, there was no official superiority between headquarters and branch ranks—only a difference in quality.

A headquarters colonel could easily crush five branch colonels. Some exceptional ones could crush a thousand without any trouble.

But in terms of authority, there was little difference. Both were colonels who had to stay at their posts and dutifully guard their own territory.

So if Smoker wanted to investigate someone of the same rank, even if he was powerful, it would still draw criticism.

Rumors might even start spreading that everyone sent from headquarters was a Celestial Dragon, swaggering around and bullying the branches.

That would undoubtedly damage the Marines' reputation.

"First, don't be so rigid. If Ling Donglai really intended to become a pirate, catching him would only take a little effort.

"Second, nothing is more disgusting than maggots within the Marines. Even if the Fleet Admiral tried to stop me, I wouldn't listen!"

Smoker was a Marine with his own sense of justice.

As for why he had kept pursuing Luffy, they had to shift the perspective to Luffy himself.

Luffy had been trapped on the execution platform and was about to die when a bolt of lightning just happened to destroy the lock. Then heavy rain fell and fierce winds rose, allowing Luffy to escape.

It was practically as though the heavens themselves had come to save him.

Then, before his execution, Luffy had smiled just like Roger, creating the impression that the two overlapped.

When the pursuit began, the Marines' number-one wanted criminal—Revolutionary Dragon—personally appeared to interfere.

And Luffy kept shouting every day that he was going to become the Pirate King.

If they didn't arrest Luffy, who were they supposed to arrest?

Compared to him, Ling Donglai had far fewer reasons to be arrested, so Smoker doubted whether he was truly a pirate worth thirty million.

If there really was a problem, it would mean that a branch had freely fabricated a wanted poster and forced someone into becoming a pirate.

The consequences of that would be far more troublesome.

In the East Blue, supposedly the safest sea and the Marines' backyard, the Marines were instead forcing people to become pirates.

That would be the joke of the century if it got out.

The greatest evil in the East Blue wasn't pirates, but the Marines.

Smoker threw on his coat, bit down on his cigar, and left.

Tashigi hurried after him, clutching a sword in her arms.

Ling Donglai had made no attempt to hide his actions in Loguetown, so it was easy for the Marines to find him.

A series of knocks sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" Nami hurried over in a sundress to answer the door, only to find a Marine colonel in a coat standing before her!

"M-Marines? What are you doing here?"

Nami took two steps back.

"What else would Marines be doing when they come looking for pirates? Is the adult of the house here?"

Smoker had no interest in a little girl like Nami. He scanned the room's layout and found the man in a baseball cap reading on a chair out on the balcony.

The partially visible cover showed that it was a bestselling cookbook of marine cuisine, one that even recorded recipes for Sea Kings.

"You like food, pirate?"

Treating the place like his own home, Smoker sat directly on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other.

Ling Donglai did not answer. He quietly continued reading about how to cook Sea Kings.

"I'm talking to you. Hey."

The two men, both of whom disliked wearing their clothes properly, faced each other head-on for the first time.

"What a rude fellow. If you're looking for pirates, there are plenty outside." Ling Donglai slightly raised his head.

"Hahahaha..." Smoker's expression turned pleased. This powerful man did not acknowledge that he was a pirate.

Didn't that already explain everything?

"Are there no pirates here, then? Thirty million?"

This was a verbal clash, while the two women of similar age glared wide-eyed at each other in the corner.

"Are you saying that people should change because of what others say? What a pity. I'm not that kind of person."

"Go on, Marine. What do you want with me? It's my vacation right now. If you want to fight, I'll be very angry."

Current Drive at one million volts, along with Armament Haki—the bargaining chip that let him face off against a Logia.

That gave him the confidence to challenge Smoker.

"Very interesting. But I didn't come to fight you today. There are many doubts surrounding your wanted poster, and I came to learn the truth."

"And also, how did you train your Armament Haki?"

"What would knowing the truth change? Smoker, the maintenance of power must come at any cost.

"As for my Armament Haki, I have to thank my Devil Fruit ability for allowing me to discover it so early."

"Your... Devil Fruit ability?" Smoker's gaze sharpened. Even Nami and Tashigi became intensely curious.

It had to be some incredibly powerful fruit related to lightning, right?

Devil Fruits had superior and inferior varieties, and the advantages they granted varied in strength as well.

In truth, the saying that there were no useless Devil Fruits, only useless users, was somewhat flawed. It was merely a way for people to console themselves.

When developing Devil Fruit abilities, Paramecia and Logia were naturally very powerful. Their lower limits for growth were high, and even casual development could make them strong.

The most complicated were Zoan Devil Fruits. Giraffe forms, snail forms, or even Mythical Zoans—those possessed far too many uncertainties.

Although Zoans could grant their users stronger physiques and animal abilities, a poor fruit could instead burden someone with flaws, making it difficult to reach the top. It was nowhere near as reliable as training one's own physical skills.

As a controller of smoke, Smoker instinctively classified Ling Donglai's Devil Fruit ability as a Logia. That inevitably made him think of the legendary Rumble-Rumble Fruit, one of the top-tier varieties that had vanished long ago.

"You all really want to know what Devil Fruit I ate, don't you?"

"That's right..."

The atmosphere gradually grew heavier.

"I... ate the legendary..."

"Zoan Human-Human Fruit: Model Human—the Human-Human Human who can't swim!"

Smoker:?

Tashigi:?

Nami: "?"

"Hey... Don't joke around, bastard. Isn't that fruit basically meant for animals? And it can't grant powerful combat ability, much less the power to control lightning. There's a limit to how far you can go when you're messing with people!"

A vein bulged on Smoker's forehead.

Did he really think a headquarters graduate like him had never read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia?

The Human-Human Fruit was one of the Devil Fruits with the highest respawn rate. The encyclopedia's description of that thing was incredibly detailed.

Please vote. This book has already fallen beyond thirtieth place on the contract ranking. What exactly is that ranking based on, anyway?

Thanks to reader 2018... for the one-hundred-point donation, and Beiming Youyu x Mingwei Kun for the three-hundred-point donation.