Smoker stared at Natsuya.
A massive amount of white smoke suddenly surged from his body, twisting like ropes and cords before sweeping fiercely toward Natsuya.
"White Vine!!"
Nami clenched her small fists tighter at the sight.
Tashigi and the others, however, brightened.
Though they had been completely defeated, Captain Smoker would definitely be fine!
He was an invincible Logia Devil Fruit user!
But just as Tashigi and the others thought this, something bizarre happened.
The white smoke, like ropes and cords, vanished the moment it swept before Natsuya.
It was as though an invisible abyss had opened before him and swallowed all the smoke.
"Eh!?"
Tashigi and the others froze in surprise.
Smoker frowned.
An Air Door had appeared directly in front of Natsuya.
His smoke had entered that Air Door and vanished.
"Is that the Door-Door Fruit ability!?"
Smoker's thoughts stirred, and he immediately understood something.
But to fully understand Natsuya's ability, he naturally needed to test it further.
With that thought, white smoke surged around Smoker again and swept out.
"White Snake!"
"White Fist!"
As Smoker swung both fists, two streams of smoke shot out with a bang. One formed a white smoke fist, while the other spun like a python.
But just like before, these smoke constructs vanished strangely as soon as they flew before Natsuya.
The corners of Natsuya's mouth rose.
There was no doubt that this bizarre phenomenon was because he had opened a Different Dimension before himself.
Thus, all that smoke entered the Different Dimension.
Against Smoker, who possessed smoke abilities, this kind of Different Dimension defense was clearly more suitable than Rashomon.
Of course, defense alone would not be enough to defeat Smoker.
Natsuya smiled and suddenly raised his leg for a kick.
"Tempest Kick!!"
Azure light flashed, and a fierce slash immediately tore through the air.
"Captain Smoker!"
Tashigi and the others were instantly alarmed. The azure slash cut Smoker's body directly in half.
However, Smoker's severed body soon turned into smoke and reformed.
Clearly, this kind of attack was ineffective against a Logia Devil Fruit user.
Tashigi and the others immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but their hearts soon tightened again.
Natsuya's figure suddenly appeared in front of Smoker!
At that instant, Smoker's pupils constricted as well.
Without another word, he drew the weapon from his back—the Jitte—and smashed it viciously toward Natsuya!
With a bang!
Natsuya's fist collided with the Jitte.
Smoker's expression changed, and he staggered back several steps.
Clearly, Natsuya was far stronger than him.
But Smoker's expression soon turned delighted.
Because during that clash, Natsuya had touched his Jitte!
At the same time, Tashigi and the others noticed it and their eyes lit up.
"He was hit by the Jitte!"
"Great, he'll lose his strength!"
They all knew that Smoker's Jitte was actually a specially made weapon infused with Seastone.
In other words, if this weapon struck an ability user, it would drain all the strength from their body and leave them unable to use their Devil Fruit ability.
And now, although Natsuya had knocked Smoker back, he had also come into contact with the Jitte.
Then next, he should lose all strength, allowing Smoker to seize the chance to capture him in one go, right!?
But just as Tashigi and the others thought this, something that utterly surprised them happened.
After touching the Jitte, Natsuya merely raised an eyebrow before continuing his attack on Smoker!
"What!?"
"He's actually fine!?"
Tashigi and the others were stunned.
Smoker was also taken aback, but he had no time to think. He could only swing the Jitte and fight Natsuya.
"White Snake!"
"White Blow!!"
But as the battle continued, Smoker grew more and more alarmed.
During this time, Natsuya had touched his Jitte no fewer than ten times!
With that many contacts, Seastone's power should have taken effect no matter what, yet Natsuya had remained completely unaffected!
This bizarre situation deeply shocked Smoker.
At the same time, Tashigi and the others were dumbfounded as well.
In truth, the reason Smoker had been able to capture so many pirates so effortlessly was not merely due to his Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability. His weapon, the Jitte, had also contributed greatly.
After all, some pirates possessed Devil Fruit abilities that even Smoker's smoke powers could not handle.
At times like those, the Seastone-infused Jitte became extremely useful.
After being struck by that weapon, every ability user's final fate had been to be captured alive by Smoker.
This time, Tashigi and the others had believed the same thing would happen.
As long as Smoker used the Jitte, no matter how bizarre Natsuya's Door-Door Fruit ability was, he would end up defeated.
That was why they had all been invigorated when they saw Smoker use the Jitte.
But they never could have expected that this time, Smoker's Jitte would fail.
Natsuya had clearly touched the Jitte, yet he showed no reaction whatsoever!
Even afterward, as Natsuya fought fiercely with Smoker, he came into contact with the Jitte again and again. Once, the Jitte even struck his body, but he showed no signs of weakness at all!
What exactly was going on!?
Natsuya, however, was not surprised in the slightest.
This situation went back to his earlier battle with Arlong.
At the time, Arlong's attempt to use seawater to subdue him had served as a warning to Natsuya.
After becoming a Devil Fruit user, things like seawater and Seastone had indeed become his weaknesses.
But in Natsuya's view, this weakness was not impossible to overcome.
Just like Luffy in the future.
Therefore, during the time after leaving Cocoyasi Village, Natsuya had not been idle.
While continuing to develop his Door-Door Fruit abilities, he had also begun devilish training to overcome this weakness.
Actually, overcoming the weaknesses of a Devil Fruit was very simple.
He only had to expose himself to them more often and let his body adapt to the weakness.
So from that day onward, Natsuya began bathing in seawater.
That was right—bathing in seawater.
This was the training method Natsuya had devised!
At first, Natsuya was naturally in unbearable agony, but after only a few days, he adapted.
By now, he could bathe in seawater without changing expression.
Of course, it still weakened him afterward, but it could no longer make Natsuya lose his fighting strength.
And that was precisely why Smoker's Jitte was ineffective against Natsuya now!
Unless Natsuya truly fell into the sea or came into contact with Seastone for an extended period, a mere few touches could not affect him at all!
With both Smoker's smoke ability and Jitte ineffective against Natsuya, the course of the battle was obvious.
Before long, Smoker was being pressed down by Natsuya!
Of course, without Armament Haki, Natsuya seemingly could not do much to Smoker either.
Under his attacks, Smoker's body was scattered apart many times, only to stubbornly recover as before.
Smoker seemed to be relying on that fact as he sneered at Natsuya. "Stop wasting your effort. You can't hurt me!"
Hearing that, Natsuya suddenly smiled.
"Is that so?"
As soon as the words fell, he Shaved toward Smoker again.
Since Natsuya had chosen to attack Smoker, he had naturally already thought of a way to deal with Smoker's smoke ability.
The next moment, he scattered Smoker's body once more, then suddenly reached into the smoke filling the sky and grabbed something solid!
That solid object was Smoker's weapon—the Jitte!
Yes, this was the method Natsuya had prepared to deal with Smoker's smoke ability!
"You!?"
Smoker seemed to understand something, and his expression changed drastically.
Natsuya gave a light laugh, gripped the Jitte, and directly pinned Smoker's body to the ground.
Smoker tried to struggle, but he only reaped what he had sown. Suppressed by the Seastone power emanating from the Jitte, his strength rapidly faded.
Without hesitation, Natsuya raised his left hand. The Door-Door Fruit ability surged forth as he prepared to open Smoker's Gate of Heart and steal the Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
But at that moment, a powerful large hand suddenly grabbed Natsuya's left hand!
Before you continue