The Most Heinous Criminal!

"What!?"

"You said Tashigi was kidnapped!?"

In the smoke-filled office, Smoker, with three cigars clenched between his teeth, abruptly stood up, his eyes widening like bronze bells.

Before him, the two Marines who had rushed back to report were trembling uncontrollably.

A rough hand slammed down on the desk with a furious crash.

"Outrageous!"

"Where are those kidnappers now!?"

"Gulp~"

The two Marines shuddered and hurriedly recounted what they had learned at the café.

"Reporting to Colonel Smoker, there was only one kidnapper. He was a young man who looked to be around twenty, dressed very casually."

"According to the café waiter, the kidnapper used a drug to knock out Chief Petty Officer Tashigi, stuffed her into a sack, and fled toward the harbor!"

"What!? He actually used drugs and a sack!?"

"Despicable pirate!"

"This is an insult to the Marines!!!"

After hearing the two Marines' account, Smoker instantly flew into a rage.

Surging smoke continuously burst from his body.

"The harbor, huh?"

"Good! Very good!"

"You actually dare cause trouble on my turf. Looks like people really have been underestimating me!"

The office window suddenly shattered.

The wind howled!

At that moment, all the smoke in the room rapidly condensed into a white cloudstream and shot toward the harbor.

By using the properties of smoke, Smoker could fly through the air for brief periods.

With the height difference from the Marine base office, he could reach the harbor at top speed.

Meanwhile.

Loguetown Harbor remained as bustling as ever.

No one knew that not long ago, the second-in-command of the Marine force stationed here had been kidnapped and brought here like a sack of potatoes.

"Next, as long as I get back to the ship, everything will be complete!"

Kael did not slow down in the slightest. He slipped past one passerby after another and ran straight toward the harbor without taking his eyes off it.

He had long figured out how to make Tashigi join his pirate crew.

It was a reason Tashigi would never be able to refuse!

Which meant...

He would soon have his first crew member!!!

At that moment, Kael could not help feeling a little excited.

As long as he could board the ship...

As long as he could board the Tiga...

Boom!!!

Smoke like cannon fire suddenly slammed into the center of the harbor!

In an instant, the entire harbor was enveloped in a cloud of smoke.

"Holy shit!? Who turned off the lights!? I can't see anything!?"

"Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack! Pirates must be attacking!"

"Everyone, be careful! Find cover and hide!"

"..."

"..."

The sudden commotion instantly threw all of Loguetown Harbor into chaos.

Quite a few people were even shouting, "Hurry and get the Marines!"

However...

A moment later, after the sea breeze blew away all the smoke and dust.

The figure standing at the very center of the smoke was not the pirate they thought had attacked the harbor.

It was the man they feared and respected...

"Colonel Smoker!?"

As people watched the burly man emerge from the smoke, confusion appeared in every pair of eyes.

But Smoker, who had made such a forceful entrance, ignored their curiosity and quickly swept his gaze across the crowd.

Soon, he spotted a young man not far away carrying a sack, deliberately pretending not to notice him and avoiding his gaze.

Smoker's eyes narrowed. He immediately stepped in front of Kael and blocked his way.

"Hello. Let me inspect the sack behind you!"

As he spoke, he reached toward Kael's back.

But there was no way Kael would obediently comply.

He abruptly twisted aside, avoiding Smoker's large hand.

"Going through someone else's belongings the moment you show up..."

"Does a dignified Marine colonel not know how to respect other people's privacy?"

Kael raised his head and stared coldly at Smoker.

Yet inwardly, he cursed.

Damn it, how did I still end up attracting him here!?

Kael had imagined encountering Smoker during the plan. He had even considered the possibility of the plan failing and getting arrested...

But he truly had not expected that, just as he was about to return to the Tiga and sail away...

Smoker would block him at the harbor!

He quickly realized where the problem lay.

Those two Marines!

If they had returned together with Tashigi, Kael could have taken both of them down as well...

That way, the news would not have reached Smoker's ears so quickly.

What a miscalculation~

Though he muttered inwardly, his eyes were already searching around for a way to escape.

He was not far from the Tiga now, only a few hundred meters away.

And the Tiga Fruit's maximum range was fifty meters.

As long as he could safely get past Smoker and cover this final stretch, he could escape safely.

The only problem was...

The gap in strength between him and Smoker was simply too vast.

Unless he made up his mind and used a Seastone bullet to seriously wound Smoker.

But that was clearly impossible.

Although Smoker had plenty of flaws in his personality, he was one of the rare kind-hearted Marines who truly put people first.

Kael rather admired the big man.

Of course.

If he would just stop blocking his way, Kael would admire him even more.

And technically speaking, Kael was half a Marine himself.

The two of them were practically colleagues~

For a moment, countless thoughts raced through Kael's mind.

However, the wandering look in his eyes as he thought only made Smoker more certain that he was guilty.

Smoker's eyes widened as he glared furiously at the brazen kidnapper before him.

"Enough nonsense, brat! You dare cause trouble on my turf!"

"Are you tired of living!?"

The swirling white smoke spread outward, swiftly pushing all the bystanders away and forming a circular wall of smoke that surrounded Kael and Smoker.

"..."

Was there really any need to go this far...

Looking at the now-blocked escape route, Kael gave a bitter smile inwardly.

But asking him to give up Tashigi now that he had her was obviously impossible.

Kael quietly placed his hand at his waist and released the safety on his flintlock.

Then he said coldly to Smoker:

"Sorry, Marine sir, but I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"And could you please stand a little farther away? I'm allergic to secondhand smoke. Thank you."

"Allergic to secondhand smoke?"

"Fine!"

Smoker bared his teeth in a mocking grin.

"Then I'll personally make you a smoke-filled cage and keep you locked inside it for the rest of your life!"

White Blow!!!

Smoker stopped wasting words and roared.

His muscular arm suddenly shot toward Kael, while the connection between his arm and shoulder joint came apart.

Smoke blasted out from his joint, adding terrifying momentum to his heavy punch.

"Honestly, I don't want to fight anyone right now."

Kael focused his eyes.

With his сверхintuition, he predicted Smoker's attack before it even came.

With a sideways leap, he perfectly dodged the howling smoke-wreathed fist.

Using the momentum of his dodge, Kael swiftly widened the distance between himself and Smoker.

"Hm?"

Smoker furrowed his brow.

An attack being dodged was nothing unusual to him.

But he had clearly seen Kael predict the evasion before he even launched his attack.

That was worth thinking about.

Could it be that someone among the pirates of the East Blue had already begun training Haki!?

That was not good news for him, the commander stationed in Loguetown.

After all, a large part of his reputation came from the Logia Fruit's ability to transform his body into an element!

Smoker's gaze immediately turned dangerous.

With a thought, he activated the Smoke-Smoke Fruit again, releasing a large amount of white smoke from below his waist.

White Vine!

Using the force of the smoke's propulsion, his upper body rapidly flew toward Kael.

But right then...

A flash of fire suddenly burst through the smoke!

Smoker's expression changed, and his charging body abruptly came to a stop.

Meanwhile.

Kael, who had just fired a blank shot into the air, slowly lowered his gun and aimed it at the sack he had brought before him.

He drawled lazily:

"Hey~ hey~ hey~"

"That's really scary~"

"Attacking someone without even a word. Is this how the Marines of Loguetown operate?"

"You really are unreasonable~!"

"In that case, don't blame me for using some dirty methods."

As he spoke, Kael loosened the mouth of the sack with a wicked grin.

He wrapped both arms around the unconscious Tashigi's waist and held her tightly before him.

The flintlock, its safety already off, was aimed directly at her head.

"Don't make any rash moves, Colonel Smoker~"

"I'm sure you don't want your subordinate to leave this world at such a young and beautiful age, right!?"

"What are you doing!? Put down that gun!"

Smoker's eyes turned bloodshot as he shouted.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk~"

"That doesn't sound like the tone someone being threatened should be using."

Kael gently shook his head and waved the flintlock in his hand.

The threat needed no further explanation.

"What... what are you going to do!?"

For a moment, even Smoker lost his composure.

Seeing that his threat had worked, Kael put on the face of a villain and said in a mocking tone:

"Hahaha..."

"That's more like it, Colonel Smoker."

The next second, his tone darkened as he laid out his conditions.

"Let us leave this place!"

"I can guarantee I won't do anything to this girl. Given enough time, you might even have a chance to meet again!"

"Impossible!"

Smoker shouted.

"You must release Tashigi first!"

Bang!!!

A gunshot rang out without warning, nearly stopping Smoker's heart.

Kael grabbed Tashigi by the collar and pressed the muzzle directly against her pale neck.

"Do you think I'm playing house, Marine!?"

"Either you trust my promise!"

"Or this chick and I die here together!"

"Oh~ Sorry, I forgot!"

"According to your laws, even if I murder and commit arson and every evil imaginable, as long as I surrender, it seems you only have the right to arrest me, not execute me."

Kael lowered his brows, his smile growing ever more manic.

"In other words!"

"Even if I kill this chick, I might only end up serving time in prison."

"Hehehehe, what a wonderful law!"

"Damn it!!!"

Every word Kael said struck home.

Smoker clenched his fists tight, his eyes bloodshot!

"If you dare hurt a single hair on Tashigi's head, I'll make you regret coming into this world!"

"Oh~? Still trying to act tough?"

Kael let out a mocking laugh.

"Is this all the elite Marines trained by Marine Headquarters are capable of?"

"You!"

Smoker flew into a rage again.

But when he saw the pistol aimed at Tashigi, he did not dare make a rash move.

After a long while, he suddenly exhaled a plume of smoke through his nose. Still, he waved away the smoke screen and reluctantly turned his body aside.