A Powerful Helper

Loguetown Marine Base warehouse.

Ten million Beli in cash had been neatly stacked before the pirates, forming an irresistibly tempting rectangular block.

Besides Captain Smoker of the White Smoke Pirates, more than a dozen East Blue pirates—some confident in their strength, others consumed by greed—had accepted the job of intercepting and killing the Marine detachment.

They gathered around the massive pile of Beli, greed and brutality written plainly across their faces.

"This is the deposit. The remaining twenty million Beli will be paid once the job is done."

Lieutenant Charles spoke gently, though his eyes concealed deep contempt and cruelty.

"Wait."

"Intercepting Marines isn't some minor matter."

A pirate with a savage grin began bargaining with Charles.

"There are so many of us here. Isn't thirty million Beli a little too little?!"

"No problem!"

Without changing his expression, Charles casually wrote the pirates a worthless check.

"Once it's done, Commander Hammer will pay each of you another five million as a commission."

"As for these thirty million, consider them your extra bonus!"

With a few words from Charles, the pirates' pay abruptly multiplied several times over.

"Hahaha!"

The pirates all laughed in satisfaction.

"Fine! Leave those Marines' heads to us!"

Smoker silently smoked his cigar without saying a word.

Yet the anger he had been suppressing continued to ferment along with the rapidly burning cigar and the thickening smoke.

A cold smile quietly tugged at Lieutenant Charles's lips.

He had never intended to let those pirates take that money.

Those scum from the weakest sea were merely fools he had prepared to take the blame for Commander Hammer.

Once Commander Hammer's assassination plan succeeded, Charles would trick this pack of weaklings into walking straight to the execution block.

Amid the pirates' uproarious laughter, another discordant voice rose again.

"Then how are so many of us supposed to split the extra thirty million?"

The atmosphere turned strange once more. More than a dozen pirates looked at one another, their eyes filled with insatiable greed.

"I have the highest bounty here!"

A three-meter-tall brute gripping a massive axe spoke without politeness. "Of course I should get more!"

"Heh."

Another pirate, with a mochi-like body and stick-thin legs, sneered.

"A high bounty doesn't necessarily mean you're strong."

The pirates began noisily arguing and cursing over how to divide the thirty million bounty. The warehouse, which had only just fallen quiet, immediately erupted into commotion again.

Naturally, Smoker had no interest in those greedy, reckless pieces of human garbage.

Until—

"Everyone!"

A pirate with a sinister smile suddenly spoke up.

"I think we should divide those thirty million like this—"

"Whoever kills more Marines gets more money!"

"Good!"

The pirates' eyes lit up, and someone else chimed in.

"We'll count the Marines' heads for payment!"

"Whoever cuts down more, whoever—"

Before he could finish, the hideous grin on his face froze completely.

Because he had already collapsed onto the floor like a dead pig.

Smoker casually swung his Jitte, flinging a fresh splash of blood onto the ground.

"Y-you, what are you trying to do?!"

Another pirate pointed at Smoker in terror.

Smoker ignored him completely and merely exhaled a thick ring of smoke.

His grim, cold face was shrouded in swirling smoke, making him look as terrifying as an evil spirit.

The sound of something cutting through the air rang out again through the vast warehouse, setting off shrieking echoes.

"Ah!"

The pirate who had suggested dividing the money by Marine heads was smashed to the ground with a scream.

Smoker slowly drew back his bloodstained Jitte and cast the other pirates a cold glance.

"That bastard wants to kill us and take all the money for himself!"

One pirate shouted in fear.

"Don't just sit here and wait to die!"

The remaining dozen or so pirates swallowed nervously, exchanged looks, and finally mustered the courage to stand before Smoker with their weapons drawn.

The sudden brawl left Lieutenant Charles somewhat stunned.

But Smoker did not hesitate in the slightest.

Right and wrong had been reversed, justice trampled underfoot, and demons strutted openly through the streets.

Smoker had long since been enraged to the limit by such a twisted reality.

He did not use his Devil Fruit Ability. Instead, he charged the pirates with the most instinctive and satisfying method humanity possessed: the power of his own body.

Those self-important pirates were no match for Smoker at all, even though he had yet to reveal his true trump card.

Before long—

The arrogant pirates who had been shouting about trading Marine heads for money became crippled bodies sprawled across the floor, moaning helplessly, each one drenched in swathes of crimson blood.

Smoker stood amid the dripping pool of blood and turned to glance at Lieutenant Charles.

Charles's expression immediately turned ugly.

From what he had just seen, the captain of the obscure White Smoke Pirates was actually far stronger than him.

He had wanted to find some weak pirate fools to take the blame for "murdering a Headquarters colonel," but he had instead found a genuine monster.

Seeing Smoker's eyes webbed with scarlet veins, Charles's attitude immediately softened.

"B-brother!"

"The commissions for those pirates... they're all yours!"

But Smoker remained utterly unmoved, as though he had developed a taste for killing and refused to stop.

Charles was immediately frightened out of his wits.

Just then, a messenger rushed inside. Ignoring the bloody and terrifying scene, he addressed Charles at once.

"Lieutenant!"

"There's fighting in the conference room! Commander Hammer asks you to bring people over and support him immediately!"

Smoker froze slightly, and the killing intent in his eyes immediately faded considerably.

"What?!"

Charles's face instantly darkened, and he was a hundred times more panicked than when Smoker had stared him down.

The key to their survival plan was for Commander Hammer to successfully assassinate Headquarters Colonel Smoker while the man was off guard.

If Commander Hammer had started fighting Smoker, that meant the assassination plan had completely failed.

Which meant—

They would have to face an enraged Logia Devil Fruit user, a Marine Headquarters colonel.

"Damn it."

Charles gritted his teeth and instinctively wanted to run.

But Commander Hammer's control over his core subordinates had always been strict and terrifying. They shared glory and ruin alike.

Assets, family, evidence of crimes.

Commander Hammer held too many things over Charles. After hesitating for a long time, Charles still lacked the courage to defy Hammer's orders and flee alone.

Charles quietly comforted himself.

Since Commander Hammer was still able to fight Smoker, the man must have been seriously wounded during the assassination. Otherwise, with a Logia's invincible nature, Commander Hammer would never have had the spare strength to send someone for reinforcements.

That meant they still had a chance to turn things around.

"..."

Charles pondered for a moment before finally making up his mind.

He clenched his teeth and adjusted the weapons on his body.

Then Charles suddenly thought of something.

He turned to the powerful, bloodthirsty, violent, and unruly "great pirate."

"Come with me and kill that Headquarters colonel!"

"When it's over, you can have as much money as you want!"

Commander Hammer's situation was extremely miserable at the moment, just like Steel Cutlass's had been before.

The fact that he completely outclassed Garen only delayed that misery somewhat.

Blood constantly poured from his wounds, his stamina continued to drain away, and sweat silently soaked through his clothes—

It was Hammer's first time fighting such a marathon battle.

Yet his opponent remained completely uninjured and full of energy.

Hammer wanted to flee, but it was already too late.

His exhausted body could no longer support high-speed movement techniques like Shave, and his weakening legs could not outrun that strange fellow who could suddenly accelerate.

Only now did the always-arrogant Hammer finally think of using his subordinates' lives to wear down his enemy.

But the ordinary corrupt Marines were too weak to withstand Garen's blade.

Meanwhile, Tashigi, who had been waiting for news, had also heard the fierce fighting within the base. She had already led her men in through the entrance, tying down most of the forces under Commander Hammer's command.

As he struggled to hold on, Hammer could only silently pray for Lieutenant Charles, his capable and trusted subordinate, to arrive with reinforcements.

Fatal Strike!

For what felt like the hundredth time, Garen raised his gleaming greatsword high and brought it down upon Hammer's head.

A familiar metallic clang rang out as Garen's blade was barely knocked aside by Hammer.

Hammer's hands, which had blocked Garen's greatsword, were already shaking uncontrollably, and the muscles in his arms ached unbearably.

"Commander Hammer, I'm here to support you!"

Lieutenant Charles's voice suddenly rang out nearby.

"I even brought a powerful pirate to help!"

Hammer immediately let out a breath of relief.

"There's another helper?"

But Garen's heart sank. He had only barely managed to keep Commander Hammer occupied through his data-like body and healing passive.

He had worked hard to gradually wear down Hammer's stamina. Garen could not handle another "powerful helper" appearing on the enemy's side.

So Garen turned toward the voice with considerable concern.

"Uh..."

Garen's expression immediately became extremely strange.

"Your helper really is powerful."