Logia-Type: Smoke-Smoke Fruit / The Importance of Physical Fitness

Before Randall could react, Atlas lunged forward again, pressing her advantage!

She slammed into him with a simple shoulder check. Randall felt an immense force strike his body, and then he was sent flying backward.

Without using the Six Powers, Randall fell far short of Atlas in strength, speed, explosive power, reflexes, and everything else. The only reason he had lasted this long was that Atlas was holding back.

"You little brat. Not cute at all..."

Randall picked himself up and walked toward Atlas again, apparently unhurt.

"But I've still got one move you haven't seen!"

Atlas understood why Randall had asked to spar with her. He probably wanted to teach her the Six Powers techniques he knew through combat.

After all, compared to her swordsmanship, her hand-to-hand combat relied entirely on overwhelming strength and explosive power. Mastering the Six Powers would definitely take her fighting ability to the next level.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Their fists collided several more times. Randall had already abandoned his weapon.

For one thing, his swordsmanship had yet to reach the level of a true swordsman, so a blade did not give him much of an advantage. Against Atlas, it was actually something of a liability. For another, he was afraid she would break his treasured sword. So he decisively put it aside and started trading punches with her.

"Nothing beats a good, bare-knuckle brawl! Now this is a man's romance! Hahahaha!"

Atlas laughed heartily, but her hands never stopped, raining punches down on Randall...

—Two hours later—

"Tekkai!"

Randall shouted, tensing every muscle as he took Atlas's punch head-on. His face flushed, and then he slumped to the ground in defeat. He had blocked it, but not entirely. Clearly, his Tekkai was not refined enough to withstand her fist.

Old man Randall, don't you know Tekkai gets Marines killed? Can you even call that an Tekkai? Atlas grumbled inwardly.

"Atlas, you little brat! Are you thinking something rude?"

The defeated Colonel Randall fixed her with a hostile stare.

"Huh? Of course not! I have nothing but respect for you, Colonel Randall!"

Atlas laughed it off.

"Did you get a good look at the techniques I just used, you little brat?"

A vein throbbed on Randall's forehead at her flippant attitude.

"Of course I did. Don't underestimate me, you old geezer."

Within the range of Atlas's Observation Haki, virtually none of Randall's movements could escape her notice. Techniques like the Six Powers were fairly easy to pick up as long as one met the physical requirements and had a decent amount of talent. During their fight, her Observation Haki and exceptional learning ability had already laid bare every secret of Shave and Tekkai.

Tekkai accelerated blood flow and muscle activity, giving the body the hardness of steel. Its drawback was that the user could not move while using it. Of course, that was merely a matter of insufficient mastery. Once it was developed to a high enough level, movement became possible.

Shave involved stamping the ground dozens of times at high speed within a single instant—0.36 seconds—to generate an explosive reactive force for rapid movement. In combat, it could turn a fight completely one-sided.

After briefly considering how to perform Shave, Atlas sharply contracted her calf muscles. Her trouser legs burst apart, leaving strips of cloth dangling from her legs. Clearly defined muscles wrapped around them like tempered steel. She stamped the ground dozens of times in rapid succession, cracking the earth beneath her feet, then abruptly vanished from Randall's sight and plunged headfirst into a distant wall.

BOOM!!!

A human-shaped hole instantly appeared in the sturdy wall. Atlas emerged covered in dust and dirt, looking sheepish. "Ah, sorry. First time using it. I'm still getting the hang of it."

"Atlas, you little brat!! The repair bill is coming out of your pay!"

Randall roared at her, thoroughly shaken by her extraordinary talent. Learning it after watching a few times was one thing, but how the hell had she pulled it off on her first attempt and apparently moved even faster than he did?

"Ooh! Oh! Awooo..."

The Marines watching from the sidelines were equally stunned, letting out strange cries of awe even though they did not quite understand what had happened.

"Big Sis Atlas, I'd like to spar with you! Please!"

Just then, a white-haired boy squeezed through the crowd, sweating heavily, and addressed Atlas with an earnest expression. It was Smoker.

At his words, the Marines who had been cheering immediately fell silent and turned to look at him.

They wanted to see who had the nerve to challenge Atlas at a time like this. Whoever it was had to be either incredibly stubborn or very confident in their strength.

When they realized it was Smoker, anticipation appeared on their faces...

Logia: The Smoke-Smoke Fruit

"Sure. Come on, Smoker."

Atlas had naturally noticed the Marines' reactions. She was curious about what Smoker was relying on. Could it be...?

Smoker's face lit up at her agreement. Then he slowly calmed himself, leaned forward slightly, and took a fighting stance.

Seeing how tense he was, Atlas could not help laughing. "Watch yourself, Smoker!"

Atlas always gave her all in a fight, especially when her opponent was Smoker. She had no reason to spare the kid's pride, and this was a perfect chance to practice Shave. With almost nothing held back, she unleashed her strength, repeatedly stamping the ground beneath her feet with a deafening rumble. Her execution of Shave was still far too crude...

BOOM!!

Another enormous crater appeared in the training ground, and Colonel Randall's expression darkened further. Atlas paid it no mind. Money was never something she cared much about anyway.

Iron Fist: Bird Thorn!

With no blade in hand, Atlas simply performed the thrust with her fist. Its terrifying speed sent a roar tearing through the air.

Danger!!!

The instant Atlas struck, every hair on Smoker's body stood on end, as though death itself were bearing down on him.

I'll die! I'll die!

An instinctive warning rang through his mind. At the last possible moment, Smoker's entire body suddenly turned into a cloud of smoke, and Atlas's fist passed harmlessly through him.

"Oh? So you've already eaten a Devil Fruit, Smoker!"

Understanding dawned on Atlas. No wonder Lieutenant Wright had looked that way when he mentioned Smoker.

"Oh! Ohhh! There it is! A Logia Devil Fruit, the strongest type!"

The Marines watching from the sidelines shouted excitedly.

"I only ate it recently."

Smoker returned to solid form and scratched his head sheepishly.

He had stumbled upon the Devil Fruit half a year ago while chasing a band of pirates onto a deserted island during a mission. Atlas would have been furious if she had known. They had both gone out chasing pirates, yet Smoker had picked up a Devil Fruit—a Logia, no less—while she had ended up drifting around the East Blue. Sometimes the gap between two people was greater than the gap between a person and a pig!

"Be careful, Big Sis Atlas. I ate the Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit."

Smoker gave her a warning.

As far as he was concerned, victory was assured. Ever since he had obtained his Devil Fruit, nobody had been able to hurt him. Not even Colonel Randall!

Poor Randall might as well have been crying himself unconscious in the bathroom. The base's highest-ranking officer was being looked down on by two brats.

It was hardly surprising that Smoker had become so conceited. In the East Blue, where people did not know Haki, a Logia user whose true body could not be struck was practically invincible!

"Then I'm going all out now, Smoker!"

Atlas addressed the visibly excited boy before her.

The instant she finished speaking, she vanished. The Six Powers technique Shave had given Atlas wings. With his half-baked hand-to-hand skills, Smoker could not even track her movements, let alone counter them.

Iron Fist: Dragon Tail!

It was a swinging punch, so fast that Smoker's reflexes could not keep up. Unable to block it, he once again turned his entire body into smoke.

"This won't cut it, Smoker!"

A Logia's ability to transform into its element was certainly broken, making its user virtually invincible in these early stages before anyone knew Armament Haki.

But transforming the entire body still consumed stamina. For someone with a powerful physique, that cost might be negligible.

For a weakling like Smoker, however, it probably would not be sustainable for long. He could only serve as Atlas's punching bag.

"Smoke: White Fist!"

Suddenly, two streams of white smoke formed Smoker's fists and hurtled toward Atlas.

Atlas met them without hesitation, answering both fists with her own. Raw force was her answer to every fancy trick. Still, Smoker clearly had not been idle during the six months since he had obtained his fruit. He had at least developed its abilities a little.

Bang!!

Another collision blasted both of Smoker's fists into smoke!

Smoker felt frustrated. He was completely outmatched in hand-to-hand combat. If he wanted to win, he would have to rely on his Devil Fruit ability.

Time ticked by. Smoker transformed his entire body several more times, but sweat was already beading on his forehead. The strain was clearly taking its toll. Atlas, in contrast, remained perfectly composed. Even her breathing had barely changed, leaving Smoker feeling discouraged.

"Those two kids are monsters!"

"Looks like Smoker's almost done."

"Hey, come on! Smoker's power is invincible..."

The soldiers watching from the sidelines began arguing excitedly. From the look of things, they were almost ready to start a fight themselves.

They had never expected two youngsters to be so powerful. Atlas, in particular, had pushed a legendary Logia Devil Fruit user this far through hand-to-hand combat alone. Ever since word had spread that the Navy's three monster vice admirals were all Logia users, people had practically put Logias on a pedestal.

To these soldiers, Atlas, who relied purely on hand-to-hand combat, was the woman shattering that myth!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After several more clashes, Smoker clenched his trembling fists, a determined gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Be careful, Big Sis Atlas. I'm going to use a move I only just developed. I might not have full control over it yet."

"Smoke: White Domain!"

As soon as he spoke, Smoker transformed his entire body into smoke. A vast cloud of white swallowed Atlas, reducing visibility to almost nothing. The Marines outside could no longer see how the fight was going.

Surrounded by Smoker's White Domain, Atlas found all her senses severely dulled. The smoke stung her eyes so badly that she could barely keep them open.

Tiny particles of white smoke even tried to slip into her nose with each breath. Immediately alert, Atlas slowed her breathing, shut her eyes, and used Observation Haki to sense Smoker's attacks.

Smoker could not possibly maintain an area-of-effect move of this size for long, so he would have to try to finish the fight quickly. All Atlas needed to do was lie in wait.

Suddenly, a fist silently appeared behind her. Smoker was clearly trying to land a sneak attack, but none of it escaped Atlas's Observation Haki.

Once his fist entered her range, Atlas turned sideways and seized it in a crushing grip. Smoker immediately turned into smoke to escape the pain.

Atlas could only feel helpless against such a shameless tactic. She did not know Armament Haki yet, so she had no way to hold on to Smoker's solid body. All she could do was wear down his stamina bit by bit...

On the Importance of Physique

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sounds of their clashes rang out without pause. Smoker's attacks grew increasingly frantic, because Atlas was calmly blocking every single one!

Finally, with all his stamina exhausted, Smoker was forced back into solid form and collapsed limply to the ground. Atlas remained virtually unchanged, with only a light sheen of sweat on her forehead. She looked nothing like the bedraggled Smoker.

This left Smoker feeling dejected. Ever since obtaining the Smoke-Smoke Fruit he was so proud of, he had completed almost every pursuit mission with ease. With Atlas away from the base, none of the Marines his own age could beat him. Even Colonel Randall had sparred with him in private and failed to do anything to him. Smoker had grown conceited, becoming increasingly absorbed in the glory his Logia Devil Fruit brought him.

Smoker had always admired Atlas and envied her extraordinary talent. He also knew her strength came from grueling training. But as someone her age, he had a young person's pride and competitive spirit of his own. The moment she returned, he had challenged her, like a child who had received a beloved new toy and could not wait to show his big sister.

"Come on, Smoker. Pull yourself together. Surely your sense of justice isn't that shallow!"

Seeing his dejected expression, Atlas could not help frowning as she tried to console him.

Smoker was actually quite talented, and the Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit was a powerful Devil Fruit. Properly developed, it could be extraordinarily dominant. It was nowhere near as weak as it had looked in the anime from her previous life; Smoker had simply done a terrible job developing it. If the Smoker before her kept going down this path, he might truly squander this powerful fruit's potential. Atlas felt she needed to knock some sense into him.

His physical potential was good, too. After obtaining his Devil Fruit, however, he had become overly reliant on its powerful Logia abilities and neglected his physical training, leaving him lacking on both fronts. Most absurdly, he had reached his thirties without mastering even one type of Haki, effectively losing any chance of competing with the strongest.

"Listen, Smoker. You're already heading down the wrong path!"

Smoker, who had been wallowing in misery, instantly raised his head. A flicker of resentment stirred inside him.

Yes! Fine! You're much stronger than me, Atlas, but that's only because I haven't had my fruit for long! Once I develop its abilities, I'll definitely beat you!

Atlas calmly met his resentful gaze and spoke without mercy. "I know what you're thinking. Once you've developed your Devil Fruit abilities, you'll be able to beat me."

Smoker froze, but his eyes remained defiant.

"If you keep thinking that way, you'll never catch up to me. You need to understand something. On these unforgiving seas, not a single top-tier fighter has reached the pinnacle through Devil Fruit abilities alone."

"Remember that. Not a single one."

At those words, Smoker began listening intently. Even the soldiers around them unconsciously held their breath, afraid of missing a single word.

"Look across the seas. Whether it's the mighty pirate overlords or the Navy's three monster vice admirals, they may possess powerful Devil Fruit abilities, but every last one of them also has a physique that stands at the very pinnacle of this world."