"Damn it..."
Ye Chen staggered back several steps and nearly fell.
Smoker's Jitte had struck his shoulder hard. The attack had caught Ye Chen completely off guard; he had not even used his Golden Bell Shield. The Jitte, as hard as diamond, had hit him squarely in the flesh. The result was obvious.
Smoker puffed on his Cigar and gave Ye Chen a contemptuous glance. "Only an eight-million-berry bounty, and you're this arrogant? This time, I'm catching you and sending you to Impel Down."
At twenty-three, Smoker was young, hotheaded, and relentless toward anyone he considered a criminal. He did not care what Ye Chen had done before. Ye Chen was a pirate, and that alone was enough.
Besides, watching Ye Chen grin and joke with Hina and Ain had irritated him.
"Pah..."
Ye Chen spat on the ground, licked the corner of his mouth, and gave a bloodthirsty smile.
Lucci, perched on a nearby rooftop, smiled too. He rarely did, but lately he had been smiling more often—and Ye Chen was always the reason.
Without Ye Chen there, Lucci would have worn his usual deadpan expression, without the slightest hint of a smile.
Lucci had not even noticed how much Ye Chen had quietly changed him.
But he recognized the look on Ye Chen's face. Ye Chen was angry now. He was getting serious.
Smoker might have been able to defeat Don Krieg, but against a serious Ye Chen, his chances were pitifully slim.
"What did you just say? You're taking me to Impel Down? Fine. I hope you don't disappoint me. That last hit hurt. Watch yourself."
Ye Chen pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. With his Twin Swords in hand, his smile grew colder. Even Ain and Hina felt the unusual killing intent in the