White Hunter

Midair.

Akin's body blocked Gawain's view, along with Krieg's savage expression.

Krieg covered his wound with one hand and raised his uninjured arm, his fingers curling slightly as they pulled the hidden trigger inside...

Bang!

A sharp armor-piercing round shot out from the mechanism in Krieg's arm guard, unimaginably fast, producing a distinct sonic boom in the air.

This was a weapon designed specifically to breach enemy armor and even Warships. It could easily penetrate a steel plate ten centimeters thick.

Krieg did not believe anyone could survive this attack, especially not when he had caught them off guard.

He intended to pierce both of them in a single blow!

"Die!"

As Krieg grinned viciously, Gawain's figure abruptly vanished.

A silver-white blade flash streaked through the air. Its razor-sharp Sword Qi split the bullet down the middle without losing any speed, piercing through Krieg's body before cutting across the sea and vanishing beyond the horizon.

Only then did Akin's body hit the ground with a bang. Upon seeing Krieg's body split neatly in two, he finally lost consciousness completely.

Gawain's attention was entirely drawn to the Kansei Masamune in his hand.

The sensation of wielding it as naturally as an arm or finger was something even the Knight Sword that had accompanied his former self for years had never given him. It reached deep into his soul.

"It isn't that Krieg's armor is too weak. The Kansei Masamune is simply too sharp. Even a Flying Slash has this much power!"

"It cuts iron like mud, cleaves gold and jade."

"From today onward, we're partners!"

"Kansei Masamune!"

The long blade in his hand gave a faint hum.

This made Gawain even more convinced that the famed blades so sought after in the world of the Pirate King possessed a kind of will of their own.

And the Kansei Masamune in his hand had chosen him.

Swish!

Shaking the blood from the blade, Gawain turned to face the fleet in the distance.

On the sea.

The dozens of Pirate Ships came to a complete stop the instant they witnessed Krieg's defeat.

One Lookout after another stared at the scene, too stunned to speak.

Especially when they saw the corpse lying in the harbor, cleanly cut into two halves, a terror that came from the depths of their souls seized them.

"The captain... the captain's dead!"

"Captain Akin was defeated. We don't know if he's alive or dead. What do we do?"

"Fight or run?"

Panic spread from the harbor to the Pirate Ships. Krieg, who had once seemed invincible to them, had died so miserably. No one wanted to be next.

In an instant, the fleet that blanketed the sea turned around and fled even faster than it had arrived, only to find thick smoke billowing over the distant waters.

Their vision was completely obscured by the white smoke, while the roar of an engine grew closer and closer.

"Wait!"

"What's that? Since when did fog rise over the sea?"

"No! It's smoke!"

"No, wait, it's a person! A man riding a jet ski! Damn it, his entire body is made of white smoke!"

Amid the cries of alarm from the Krieg Pirates.

A strangely shaped jet ski, brimming with an iron-clad air, came roaring over from the distant sea, kicking up waves several meters high behind it.

At the same time, everyone got a clear look at its rider.

His features were rugged and his face fierce. He had a full head of short white hair, yet not a single eyebrow.

He clenched two Cigars between his teeth. His open shirt inadvertently revealed his muscular body, and a large Jitte with a Seastone tip was strapped to his back.

It was the Smoke Man known as the White Hunter—Smoker!

He had graduated from the Marine Headquarters Officer Academy several years ago, yet unlike the Marines of his class, he had not chosen to remain at Marine Headquarters. Instead, he had come alone to Loguetown, serving as the East Blue Marines' last line of defense.

Watching the fleeing Krieg Pirates in the distance, Smoker frowned slightly. Just as he was wondering what had happened, his gaze met Gawain's, who stood in the harbor with sword in hand. Faint sparks seemed to crackle in the air.

"Knight Gawain? That Rat really did hook himself a big fish!"

Smoker instantly understood why the Krieg Pirates had been defeated so decisively.

After all, in most cases, a pirate's Bounty was equivalent to their combat strength.

That was especially true when Krieg, with a Bounty of seventeen million, had faced a man whose Bounty was nearly three times his!

After a brief moment of thought, Smoker made his decision.

Catch the big fish, let the small fry go.

Without Krieg's leadership, the remaining Minnows of the Krieg Pirates could not amount to much.

But Gawain was different. The threat posed by him alone was greater than that of every pirate present combined!

As the jet ski bearing the Marine emblem roared past, the pirates present could not help feeling a trace of relief at having survived the disaster.

They had recognized who the newcomer was.

"That guy is Smoker—the White Hunter Smoker, the monster guarding Loguetown!"

"For all these years, not a single pirate has been able to enter the Grand Line. The biggest reason is that they can't get past him!"

"According to the survivors, that guy ate a Devil Fruit and gained the ability to turn into smoke. He's immortal!"

"Neither blades nor guns can hurt his body. There's... there's no way to fight him!"

"We... we..."

"Go!"

Having already lost all will to fight because of Gawain, the Krieg Pirates now fled wildly in every direction.

Gawain raised his eyes and looked into the distance. In his field of view, there was only Smoker, drawing ever closer.

If there was anyone in the East Blue who could stir his fighting spirit while still leaving him helpless, Smoker before him definitely ranked among them.

After all, he was a Logia!

Even the weakest Logia could run rampant in an era without Haki.

After the Pirate King story entered the Grand Line, its first two bosses had both been Logias. Their oppressive presence far surpassed Lucci in the later Enies Lobby arc and Moria of Thriller Bark!

It could only be said that if Luffy had not found one's weakness, and if Luffy who ate the Nika Fruit had not been the other's weakness, the Straw Hat Pirates would never have made it past those two obstacles.

Yet the sheer power of Logias had been displayed to the fullest, and Smoker was a Logia Devil Fruit User!

"A troublesome one has shown up."

Gawain frowned.

If he were alone, getting away would not be a problem at all.

But Kuro was seriously injured now, and there were subordinates in the harbor disguised as Marines. He could not simply look after himself and let Smoker take over Raven Port with ease.

With that thought, Gawain took out a Den Den Mushi from his clothes and called Kuro.

"Kuro, listen carefully. Krieg is dead, but the Marines have sent someone formidable. I can only hold him off for the time being."

"There's a Marine in the East Blue even you can't handle?"

On the other end, Kuro, who had just finished bandaging his wounds, gradually frowned. Clearly, he too realized the severity of the situation.

Gawain continued, "At least until we master Armament Haki, that guy's ability is a dimensionality-reduction strike against us."

"What do you need me to do?"

"He's in the harbor, and our ship has already been burned. You definitely can't put to sea."

"Go find Lord Gaza first. She'll find a way to help you locate a hiding place."

Kuro nodded.

"Alright!"