After they stopped discussing whether he would join the Marines, the two soon began talking about other matters.
Before long, however, Smoker's Den Den Mushi rang. He took it from his coat, glanced at it, then rose to his feet somewhat apologetically. "Sorry, Bane, I..."
Bane took the initiative and said, "Looks like I'm interrupting your work. Should I go take a look around?"
This was a Marine base. Though Smoker did not suspect Bane of anything, he did not want him wandering around the base either. He waved a hand and said, "No need. Rest here for a while. I'll step out to answer the Den Den Mushi."
Smoker quickly left the room. He did not go far, stopping at the corner of the hallway by a window before answering the Den Den Mushi.
"Is this Smoker?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
Hearing that familiar voice again made Smoker feel a trace of nostalgia, but he showed none of it. He replied evenly, "It is, Fleet Admiral."
Marine Headquarters—Marineford.
At the very top of the Fortress of Justice, in the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku sat behind his desk, speaking through the Den Den Mushi while reviewing the mountain of documents piled before him.
Hearing Smoker's voice from the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku's expression also turned somewhat nostalgic.
Smoker had been in the Marines for many years. He was highly talented and possessed the power of a Logia. By all rights, he should not have been wasting away in a place like the East Blue.
In fact, Smoker had once been quite the prominent figure at Headquarters. He had studied under the former Marine Admiral, Dark-hand Zephyr, was close friends with the current Marine Admiral Kuzan, and had close ties with Marine bigshots like Garp. He was the sort of outstanding talent who had both aptitude and connections.
But his personality was far too unyielding. He could not tolerate even the slightest injustice, and whenever he saw something wrong, he had to intervene. Yet Marine Headquarters was far too steeped in politics. It could even be said that it was too close to Mary Geoise and too far from justice.
There was no shortage of dirty dealings at Headquarters, and Smoker could not stand them. As a result, his Marine career had been full of ups and downs. He repeatedly earned merits and promotions, only to be demoted soon afterward for causing trouble. Within a few years, he had become Headquarters' infamous "problem child," one of its most troublesome thorns.
Perhaps they wanted him to settle down, or perhaps they wanted to temper his personality. In any case, Sengoku eventually transferred Smoker out of Headquarters and sent him down to Loguetown in the East Blue to serve as base commander.
From then on, Smoker became the only base commander in the East Blue holding a Headquarters rank.
Sengoku had originally thought that after sending Smoker down there, it would not take long before he could no longer bear the loneliness. Once he softened up, Sengoku could find an excuse to transfer him back to Headquarters. After going through all that, Smoker would surely understand many things, and then he could be put to good use.
But Smoker was truly stubborn. After coming to the East Blue, he put down roots there without ever mentioning returning to Headquarters. He wasted away in that beginner village of a fishpond until Straw Hat set sail the following year, when he finally made up his mind to change and leave the East Blue.
The later facts proved that once Smoker left the East Blue, his promotions and pay raises soared like a rocket. In just two years, he rose directly from colonel to Vice Admiral.
The only problem was that during his best years for growth, he had remained in the East Blue for far too long, matching wits with a bunch of backwater Pirates. Not only had his strength failed to improve, it had declined significantly.
In that regard, he was much like Moria, who had holed up in the Florian Triangle, and Crocodile, who had hidden in Alabasta while stirring up trouble.
Thus, although Smoker later became a Vice Admiral, several of his battle records were rather embarrassing, and his displays of strength left much to be desired.
Sengoku settled his thoughts before speaking. "I just received a report that the man who killed a Whitebeard Pirates division commander in the New World has appeared in your Loguetown. Is that correct?"
"Yes," Smoker replied.
"Can you confirm it?" Sengoku asked again.
Smoker thought for a moment before answering, "There should be no mistake. He came to collect the bounty for Thatch. His appearance matches the portrait released by the Whitebeard Pirates. However, he is not an ability user connected to space as the rumors claimed. He is a Logia user with the Dark-Dark Fruit. According to him, he took that power from the Whitebeard Pirates as well."
"A Logia? Then what do you think of him? Is he suitable for recruitment into the Marines?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked again.
Smoker sighed softly. "His name is Bane. He is a pirate hunter. I have already spoken with him about this. He is generally favorably disposed toward the Marines, but he has no plans to join us at the moment. He is only twenty this year. He said he still wants to see more of the sea, though he may consider joining the Marines in a couple of years."
"Is that so? What a pity," Sengoku said with slight disappointment.
Of course, as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sengoku's expression of regret was nothing more than a casual remark. If this matter had not involved the Whitebeard Pirates, he would never have noticed a minor figure like Bane, much less personally asked whether he wished to join the Marines.
Still, considering that Bane bore goodwill toward the Marines and might join in a couple of years, along with Smoker's confirmation that he was a Logia user and his achievement in killing Thatch, Sengoku regarded Bane as a talent worth recruiting.
After giving it some thought, Sengoku continued, "Then show him more goodwill from the Marines. If he has any requests or needs, fulfill them as long as they are not excessive. That will let him know that the Marines value him, and it may subtly influence some of his judgments and decisions, reducing the chance that he will fall into evil in the future."
"As expected of the wise general, Fleet Admiral. I understand," Smoker agreed after considering it.
Once they had finished discussing Bane, Sengoku hesitated briefly, but soon said through the Den Den Mushi, "Headquarters has also been considering a new round of personnel transfers recently. As for you in the East Blue..."
"Don't worry about me. I'm doing quite well in the East Blue," Smoker interrupted with a frown, rejecting him outright.
Sengoku was left somewhat awkward by the retort. After a moment of silence, he asked again, "Are you really doing well?"
"I really am. At the very least, here, I can uphold my own justice," Smoker replied calmly.
"Then let it be so." Seeing that Smoker remained completely unmoved, Sengoku said no more and hung up the Den Den Mushi.
After putting away the Den Den Mushi, Smoker took a deep drag from his cigar and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke that obscured his face.
Before long, he reined in his emotions and left the window as though nothing had happened.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." When Smoker returned to Bane, he carried four briefcases in his hands, three large and one small.
Before Bane could speak, Smoker set the briefcases on the table. "This is your bounty: 362.2 million Belly. Would you like to count it?"
Bane laughed. "No need. I have great faith in the Marines' credibility."
As his words fell, Bane raised a hand, bringing forth a trace of Darkness Element. The darkness spread over the briefcases on the table, and soon swallowed them all.
It had to be said, the Dark-Dark Fruit was incredibly convenient for carrying cargo.
Smoker showed no surprise. After tapping the ash from his cigar, he said to Bane, "At the same time, in view of your achievements, the Marines are willing to provide whatever assistance we can. If you need anything else, you may tell me."
Bane's eyes lit up. Now that you're talking about that, I'm wide awake.
Before you continue