After eating that Logia Devil Fruit, Smoker's teacher, Zephyr, had clearly told him not to rely too heavily on his Devil Fruit ability.
At the same time, Zephyr had explained a series of weaknesses and limitations that Devil Fruit Users faced.
One of them was a special kind of stone—Seastone.
This stone contained the power of the sea. Once a devil fruit user touched it, it felt as though their entire body had sunk into the ocean. They would not drown or suffocate, but they would instantly lose their ability to fight.
Smoker had touched Seastone himself and experienced that sensation. Thus, the moment his fist struck Krieg, that familiar feeling let him immediately realize—
The black armor that man wore was actually mixed with Seastone!
"Is this their trump card against Lynn Barek?"
Smoker withdrew his fist, his brow furrowing tightly.
Both he and Lynn were Devil Fruit Users. Against an enemy wearing Seastone armor, they had been at a disadvantage from the very beginning.
The commotion on the distant street continued.
Elsewhere.
Although Smoker's punch had not fully connected due to the effects of the Seastone armor, Krieg still staggered from the sudden blow.
He turned his head and spotted a silver-haired man standing on a rooftop not far away.
The man had two cigars clenched between his teeth and was glaring at him with a frown.
"Who are you?!"
Krieg roared.
Could he be Lynn's accomplice?
Didn't Kuro say Lynn came to Loguetown alone? This isn't what the plan called for!
Unlike Kuro, who could adapt to changing circumstances, Krieg knew nothing about schemes and plots. Still, he had considerable confidence in his own strength.
So right now, all he wanted was to eliminate every interfering factor and continue with the original plan.
Krieg hefted the black Great War Gun beside him, fixed his eyes on Smoker, and raised his chin.
"Hey, this has nothing to do with you. If you don't want to die, get lost!"
At that, Smoker cracked his knuckles, producing a sharp series of pops.
"Commodore Krieg, in the name of the Marines, I'm placing you under arrest!"
"The Marines?!"
Krieg immediately took half a step back. But when he saw that Smoker was dressed like an ordinary civilian and that no one else was around, he sneered.
"Oh, so that's what this is. You're probably some Marine on vacation in Loguetown who happened to find me, huh?"
"What does that have to do with you?" Smoker asked.
"Of course it does."
Krieg burst into laughter. What he feared was being surrounded and hunted down by hordes of Marines. But in a one-on-one fight, he had no reason to be afraid!
Smoker stared intently at Krieg, calculating how to deal with that troublesome Seastone armor.
Krieg probably had not realized that he was a devil fruit user yet. Before Krieg discovered it, Smoker had to use his ability to strike the unprotected head and take him down in one blow!
With that in mind, Smoker leaped into the air, drew his Jitte from his back, and dived at Krieg.
To keep Krieg from realizing he was a devil fruit user, Smoker did not immediately use Elementalization. He intended to close in using pure hand-to-hand combat first.
However, what greeted Smoker was Krieg's one-ton Great War Gun!
Laughing wildly, Krieg swung the Great War Gun with one hand and smashed it straight at Smoker's head.
Under normal circumstances, a weapon of that weight would have been easily stopped by Smoker with ordinary Elementalization.
But now, constrained by Seastone, Smoker had no choice but to forcibly block the strike with his Jitte.
The Jitte was a special weapon designed to deal with swords. Against a heavy, long-handled weapon like the Great War Gun, it was inevitably at a disadvantage.
Smoker took the blow head-on and immediately felt his right hand go numb. Even the web between his thumb and forefinger nearly split apart from the impact.
But in return, Smoker used that blow to close the distance between himself and Krieg!
Just a few more steps, and Krieg's head, exposed beyond his helmet, would be within range of Smoker's Elementalization attack.
Without the slightest hesitation, Smoker bent low and charged forward again.
Seeing his opponent rush at him so recklessly, Krieg sensed that something was wrong.
He couldn't let him get close!
Krieg immediately swung the Great War Gun one-handed, its tip slicing through the air with a howling whistle.
"Marine! I don't have time to play with you today, and I don't plan on causing trouble in Loguetown either. We each take a step back, and I'll pretend I never saw you!"
Krieg shouted.
That silver-haired man was no ordinary Marine. He possessed enough strength to contend with him, and defeating him would take time.
But he still had to keep an eye on what was happening over at the backstreet! His life was on the line, so there was no time to waste!
Yet Krieg was destined to miscalculate. Setting aside the fact that Smoker had come to Loguetown specifically for them, even if Smoker really had been there on vacation, his stubborn nature would never allow him to let a pirate he had discovered go free.
"Tch, what a pain!"
Smoker took a deep drag from his cigar, then suddenly hurled his Jitte at the swinging Great War Gun.
The Jitte struck the tip of the Great War Gun. The sudden force threw Krieg's arm off balance for an instant, creating a tiny opening in his otherwise airtight defense.
Seizing the opportunity, Smoker instantly transformed his right arm into smoke. His entire arm became white smoke as he threw a punch straight at Krieg's head!
However, in the next second—
Krieg suddenly ducked his head, and the shoulder plates on both sides snapped shut at once, shielding his head.
Smoker had not expected that sudden move. His pupils shrank as he prepared to pull his hand back, but Krieg's hand had already seized his fist.
As Seastone came into contact with his skin, weakness flooded Smoker's body. He could only drop to one knee and use every ounce of strength to steady himself.
"Hahahaha! This armor is really something. It doesn't have a single blind spot."
Krieg grinned broadly, then turned to look at Smoker, who was half-kneeling on the ground.
"Marine, so you're a devil fruit user too. No wonder you were so confident. But now..."
Krieg raised his Great War Gun and aimed it at Smoker's head.
"It's useless now!"
Before his words had even faded, the one-ton Great War Gun came crashing down at Smoker's head!
At the same time—
A man flew into the air.
Over by Number Five Backstreet, Lynn hoisted the hulking man named Barik onto his shoulder, leaped into the air, and then slammed him violently into the ground.
Boom!
The deafening crash and the tremor beneath his feet made Krieg freeze for a moment, his attention briefly diverted.
And in that moment of distraction, Smoker broke free from Krieg's grip with all his strength. Roaring, he swung another Elementalized fist at Krieg's head.
White Shot!
Bang!
The fist slammed into Krieg's face. Immediately afterward, the Elementalized smoke slipped around the Seastone armor, trying to completely envelop Krieg's head.
Just as the battle was about to be decided, a second sound rang out—
Bang!
It was not the sound of a fist striking a face, but a gunshot.
It came from the flintlock in Krieg's hand.
Smoke curled from the pitch-black muzzle, while the white smoke coiling around Krieg's head slowly receded.
His Elementalization was forcibly undone, and weakness spread through Smoker's entire body.
He touched his right shoulder and found blood already flowing from it.
"This..."
As for Krieg, he had already risen from the ground, the Great War Gun resting on his shoulder, his face dark.
He had to kill that Marine in front of him!
Because of him, the final safeguard against Lynn—
The only Seastone bullet had been used up!
Before you continue