My Temper's Really Flaring Right Now!

At her words, Lice's eyes lit up.

As a resident of Loguetown, she had certainly heard of Smoker's great reputation. Compared to him, what the hell was a mere Marine Ensign?

She made her decision in an instant. "Colonel Smoker..."

"Madam, weren't you here to offer me a blade?"

Before she could finish, Ener cut her off. At the same time, he pulled out a skull ring from his pocket and played with it. After the original owner had captured her son, he had taken it from the boy.

Lice's expression changed drastically.

Because she recognized at a glance that the skull ring belonged to her son.

This bastard was reminding her that Johnson was still in his hands!

Then she heard Ener say to Smoker, "Colonel Smoker, my father is, after all, a Vice Admiral at Headquarters stationed permanently in the Holy Land. Isn't it a little inappropriate for you to listen to one side and immediately decide that I forcibly abducted a decent woman?"

"A Headquarters Vice Admiral? Permanently stationed in the Holy Land?!!!"

Lice immediately caught the key words, her pupils shrinking sharply. At last, she understood why Ener could still be so lawless even under someone as upright as Smoker.

So he had a Vice Admiral father in the Holy Land.

The words that had reached her lips were swallowed again. Lice's gaze dimmed, for she was already despairing.

Yet she still forced out a smile. "Colonel Smoker, you've misunderstood. I really am here to offer him a blade!"

After saying that, she turned to Ener and bowed. "This blade is called Ice Demon. It was forged from special cold iron beneath a ten-thousand-year glacier. The blade is black with a trace of blue, and its edge bears pale blue patterns. It is 130 centimeters long, 3 centimeters wide, and its cutting edge is approximately 1.2 millimeters thick. The hilt is 30 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide. It is a Skillful Blade..."

Afterward, sorrow welled up in her heart.

Her father had inherited none of her grandfather's talent. Otherwise, Ice Demon would have been a weapon in her hands. Who would have dared to bully her?

At the same time, she felt regret. Both Ice Demon and Flame Dragon were Skillful Blades. If her grandfather had lived longer, then with his talent and strength...

Perhaps he could have made their names known throughout the world. Then the two blades could have entered the ranks of Famed Blades.

Now, Ice Demon and Flame Dragon could only be considered decent blades with a bit of fame in the East Blue. They were far from the level of Famed Blades!

Still, they held extraordinary meaning for her.

Unfortunately, she did not have the ability to keep it.

Ener accepted Ice Demon and examined it carefully. Honestly, he could barely put it down.

"What a fine blade!"

Then he looked at Smoker and Tashigi. "See? Madam Lice came here to offer me a blade! What forcibly abducting a decent woman? It's all slander, all defamation... I ask Colonel Smoker to severely punish whoever reported this and give me justice."

"You..."

Smoker was so furious he nearly started smoking.

He knew perfectly well what had happened. But he had no evidence. The victim refused to tell the truth, while that shameless bastard Ener was even turning the tables on him.

What could he do to such a shameless bastard?

"Hmph..."

Smoker snorted coldly, then turned and left. He understood that arguing any further was useless.

Tashigi followed close behind him.

After taking only a few steps, Smoker stopped. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. His unit absolutely would not tolerate someone like this.

He turned to Ener. "We depart in two hours to pursue the Krieg Pirates, who have recently been wreaking havoc in the East Blue. So don't leave the base. Remain on standby at all times."

With that, he left without looking back.

The corners of Ener's mouth lifted slightly. People like Smoker, who had principles and boundaries, were exceptionally easy to deal with because they only played within the rules.

As long as he could not obtain proof, he could not do anything to Ener.

Just then, Ener's expression froze as a mechanical voice rang out in his mind.

"Ding-dong. Detected that the host has obtained a Skillful Blade-grade weapon. The Sword Soul System has been activated."

"Sword Soul System: Skillful Blades, Great Grade Blades, Supreme Grade Blades. When the host obtains a weapon of one of these grades for the first time, the host will receive the sword soul of the weapon's previous owner. Once the sword soul enters the body, the host will inherit all of the previous owner's techniques, as well as their insights and realm in swordsmanship."

"If the blade obtained is a Famed Blade, the host will receive one opportunity to choose a special reward."

"A novice gift pack has been awarded. Claim it?"

"Ding-dong. Detected that the host is a Marine. The Military Rank System has been activated."

"Each promotion in rank will grant a random reward."

"A novice gift pack has been awarded. Claim it?"

"Holy shit..."

Ener was utterly stunned. He had never expected that he possessed not just one system, but two.

He even had two novice gift packs.

Awesome!

This was the beginning of his rise.

"Claim them..."

"Ding-dong. Novice gift pack successfully claimed. Talent obtained: Superman Body."

"Ding-dong. Novice gift pack successfully claimed. Observation Haki obtained."

Host: Ener

Rank: Ensign

Talent: Superman Body [The body's durability, strength, and speed reach superhuman levels in One Piece]

Weapon: Ice Demon

Sword Soul: Two-Sword Burns

Swordsmanship: One-Sword Style, Two-Sword Style [Locked, unavailable. Can be unlocked upon obtaining Flame Dragon.]

Sword Techniques:

One-Sword Style: Iaido—Ice-Sealing Slash, Ice Tiger, Dragon Fang

Two-Sword Style: Ice and Fire Dual Slash, Ice and Fire Whirlwind, Ice and Fire Stair Ascending Slash, Ice and Fire Full Moon Slash [Locked, unavailable. Can be unlocked upon obtaining Flame Dragon.]

Doriki: Major

Speed: Major

Body: Major

Swordsmanship: Major

Observation Haki: Beginner

Overall Strength: Major

These two novice gift packs were amazing!

One gave him Superman Body, while the other gave him Observation Haki. They had directly given him the foundation to establish himself in the East Blue.

Ener suddenly recalled Smoker's words. "The Krieg Pirates, huh?"

Heh heh!

How could Ener fail to understand Smoker's intentions? Smoker wanted him to embarrass himself again in this battle, giving Smoker an excuse to drive him away... After all, he had already been on a battlefield once.

If he went again, he would no longer count as a rookie. If he made a fool of himself again, then even if Smoker could not drive him out, as his direct superior, Smoker could absolutely demote him.

He would be reduced to a mere front-line grunt.

Given the original owner's strength and his habit of bullying the weak while fearing the strong, it would be difficult for him to remain. Smoker had clearly done some calculating.

But now, this was simply a perfect opportunity for Ener to earn merit and rise in rank!

Admiral Krieg: Bounty of 17 million Berries

Demon Man Gin: Bounty of 12 million

Iron Wall Pearl: Bounty of 5 million

Those three were his targets. As long as he captured even one of them, pulling a few strings to gain a promotion would not be a problem.

If he captured two, he would not even need to use connections.

Even Smoker would be unable to suppress it. Not to mention that he had his useless father... An exceptional promotion was entirely possible.

"Ensign Ener, can you release my Johnson now?" Lice pleaded.

Only then did Ener come back to his senses. His gaze fell on Lice, and the corner of his mouth curved into a cold smile. "If I hadn't interrupted you in time, you would have exposed me, wouldn't you?"

"No, no, no..." Lice denied it desperately.

But Ener reached out and lifted Lice's chin, his fingers lightly brushing across her plump lips. "My temper's really flaring right now!"