Chapter 136: White Dragon Smoker!

At the same time.

East Sea.

A thousand miles from Crow Harbor.

On several warships, lights flickered from time to time, illuminating the sea ahead.

The sea wind howled, whipping up a storm; countless raindrops hammered the deck, splashing up bursts of spray.

Zephyr stood at the prow, expression resolute, like an iron tower, gazing into the distance.

At the current speed, in at most two days he would reach Crow Harbor and utterly wipe out the evil entrenched there.

"Zephyr-sensei, it's been confirmed that the pirates lurking near Pala Island are subordinates of Knight Xiang Gaowen."

Binz stood beside Zephyr, reporting the latest intelligence; the moment Xiang Gaowen's pirate crew was mentioned, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

After all, from the New World to the Paradise, and then to the Paradise again.

Pirates entrenched across the world have created countless tragedies, robbing countless civilians of their homes and loved ones.

Such things he had seen countless times while following at Zephyr's side; even Zephyr himself, who had upheld a no-kill justice all his life, had lost his wife and young child because of it.

In their hearts they had long since concluded that pirates were the root of this world's turmoil — without pirates, none of these tragedies would exist.

This is the cruel era the pirates have created!

Only by completely erasing the existence of pirates can true rebirth truly arrive!

"Should I take action and wipe them out?"

Zephyr shook his head and said calmly:

"Catch the big, release the small."

"These ordinary pirates are nothing but a rash; the East Sea branch Marines are more than enough to handle them."

"The true chronic ill of the East Sea is Knight Xiang Gaowen himself."

"The potential he has displayed has already reached a point we cannot ignore."

"What's more dangerous is that, judging from his dealings with the Goa Kingdom, he may be plotting to secretly control an entire nation."

"That is the most dangerous point of all."

"Once he succeeds, the entire Goa Kingdom will be reduced to a hell on earth."

"Countless similar incidents have appeared on the Grand Line, yet not a single nation has ever become an exception."

Binz nodded, brows tightly furrowed:

"Understood."

"Sooner or later, beneath the banner of justice, evil shall be wiped from existence."

Zephyr nodded, gazing back at the Marine flag fluttering on the sail, and the two great characters for "Justice" emblazoned on the hull.

For a moment, he felt only an uneasy stirring in his heart.

Crack—!

High in the sky, a flash of lightning streaked past, illuminating everything on the sea.

Yet all that met his eyes was a lightless night with no path ahead, and the boundless, blue-black seawater.

Much like his mood at this moment.

Silence fell over the deck; Zephyr reached out to touch his brand-new Smasher, his gaze growing ever more resolute.

Even if the road ahead was already shrouded in darkness, Zephyr believed he could rely on the iron fists in his hands to utterly shatter the darkness that enveloped the sea.

Feeling the coldness between his fingers and palm, Zephyr suddenly recalled how, decades ago when he was still a boy, he had once tied wooden stakes to his hands, dressed up as a hero, and chased off the bullies who had been tormenting his wife.

At this very moment.

That hand had now been replaced with the cold Smasher.

Yet it could no longer protect his wife.

"Time~ oh time~"

After two sighs, the Smasher thudded onto the deck, and Zephyr's expression once again returned to that cold look of old.

"This time, I will end evil once and for all in the East Sea."

The murmur gradually faded.

The warships pressed on steadily through the storm, gradually crossing this turbulent stretch of sea to greet a rising sun.

And it was at this very moment.

In the distant sky, a massive silhouette came roaring in, backlit by the sun.

The Marine standing on the lookout platform froze for a moment, for that silhouette seemed to be the size of a warship itself.

Four legs, two wings, crimson all over — it looked just like…

No!

That was the monster sung of in fairy tales!

"A dragon!"

"It's Knight Xiang Gaowen!"

Binz, who had hurried out from the cabin, instantly identified the newcomer's identity; in his eyes, nothing but fury flickered!

"Enemy approaching! Enemy approaching! Enemy approaching!"

After all, those who followed Zephyr were veterans who had fought in the New World for years.

The shock and panic on their faces lasted no more than a few seconds before they orderly returned to their posts, operating the cannons to launch an attack on Xiang Gaowen.

The warships' muzzles spewed a torrent of steel; crimson shells arced across a hundred meters and struck Xiang Gaowen's dragon body with precision.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Yet it couldn't even break the defense of his scales, leaving only dark traces behind.

A few breaths later.

Xiang Gaowen hovered in the high sky, facing off from a distance with several warships, and spoke with a hint of helplessness:

"I have no intention of starting a conflict with the Navy here. Could you please turn around and head back?"

This was the truth.

From the very beginning, Xiang Gaowen had been doing his best to avoid a direct confrontation with the Navy.

From the Marines on Monca's ship to showing mercy to Smoker twice, all were ways of expressing his attitude toward the Navy.

After all, becoming one of the Seven Warlords was part of Xiang Gaowen's plan.

Only because, before truly possessing the combat power of an Emperor, the title of Warlord could help him save himself from much trouble coming from the Navy.

"Stop joking!"

A voice suppressing anger instantly attracted everyone's attention.

Xiang Gaowen lowered his gaze and saw only Smoker's face twisted by rage; the latter's pupils seemed to burn in that very moment.

"Being defeated by you twice in a row is my fault."

"But I will not feel any so-called gratitude toward you because of your mercy."

"You are too dangerous!"

"So dangerous that if left unchecked, in a few more years you will inevitably become a major threat to the Navy, and countless civilians will be displaced because of your existence!"

As he spoke, Smoker had already taken action.

On the sea surface, rolling white smoke suddenly churned up, intertwining and dispersing to form shapes of white snakes, which then opened their giant mouths and lunged to bite at Xiang Gaowen.

On the sharp teeth of every white snake, dark Haki was attached!

Smoker knew exactly how powerful the person before him was, so he held back not a single bit and went all out immediately.

After two months of training under Zephyr, his Armament Haki and Observation Haki had both grown significantly, but what grew even more was that he had found the direction for developing his own abilities.

White smoke differs from elemental abilities like fire, lightning, and lasers; it lacks killing power and is naturally far inferior in offense.

But changes in form are much easier to control than these three.

Therefore, pairing it with Armament Haki, which can greatly enhance hardness and even fix the shape of the white smoke, allows the form-changing ability of the white smoke itself to be pushed to its extreme, while simultaneously endowing it with formidable killing power.

The final effect achieved is precisely these countless white snakes biting at Xiang Gaowen at this very moment!

"White Snake - Tooth Mountain!"

【68】 The next instant.

The next instant.

Xiang Gaowen's dragon body was wrapped by countless white snakes.

The Armament Haki-coated snake fangs pierced at Xiang Gaowen's skin, sparking little sparks, yet ultimately failed to pierce through.

"Troublesome."

Xiang Gaowen was slightly impatient.

He flapped his wings to blow away the attacking white snakes, but more white snakes emerged from the surrounding dispersing smoke and dust in the next instant, attacking Xiang Gaowen again.

It was at this very moment that Smoker's figure emerged from the mouth of one of the white snakes, and the ten-pointed trident embedded with Sea-Prism Stone at its tip stabbed fiercely at Xiang Gaowen!

"Since you are a Devil Fruit user, once hit by Sea-Prism Stone, there is naturally no reason for survival!"

But right then.

Xiang Gaowen's indifferent voice rang in Smoker's ears:

"Oh my, oh my~"

"I am truly foolish, really."

Looking at this man barking wildly before him for the third time, Xiang Gaowen finally realized he was wrong, absurdly wrong.

In his original conception, Xiang Gaowen thought that as long as he showed a friendly side to the Navy, avoided direct conflict with them, and demonstrated powerful combat strength, he would gain the World Government's favor.

And then, when a vacancy arose among the Seven Warlords, he would be given priority consideration.

This should have been an extremely perfect script, yet he had overlooked the most crucial link within it.

No single Warlord was recognized by the Navy and the World Government simply because they were obedient enough.

Mihawk's combat power comparable to an Emperor, Boa Hancock's unreasonable instant-kill ability, Crocodile's unparalleled strategic planning and layout abilities, Moria's immense combat strength in his youth, which was enough to rival Kaido...

Everything and all stemmed from their own inherent power!

In other words, those who can become Warlords are not loyal dogs of the World Government and the Navy, but a group of ambitious schemers, each with their own hidden agendas!

Thinking of this.

A sinister smile curled at the corner of Xiang Gaowen's mouth; he simply abandoned the thought of becoming a Warlord and decided to use pure power to slaughter through everything before him!

It was also at this moment that something in the mist began to nurture within Xiang Gaowen's body, just like his crimson dragon at this very moment, majestic and domineering, symbolizing an absolute will of the self.

Dyeing the world in his own color!

"Heh."

"In that case, I will play this game to the very end!"

A sinister smile curled at the corner of Xiang Gaowen's mouth; azure flames surged within his oral cavity, yet he compressed them to the extreme, finally transforming into a laser...

Hiss!

Boom!

Amidst the earth-shattering explosion, the warship beneath Zephyr's feet was directly sliced in half from the middle, with molten steel flowing at the cut position.

Zephyr turned his head to look.

He saw a laser beam stretching to the horizon, evaporating thick water vapor over the great sea, landing on a distant island and triggering a violent explosion.

Boom!

In a deafening roar, the distant volcano was ignited by Xiang Gaowen's breath, spewing scorching lava that nearly boiled the surrounding sea!

"Say it again!"

"Leave this place or I'll sink you to the bottom of the ocean!"

This time.

Even Master Zefa heard the unmasked killing intent in Xiang Gaowen's voice.

He did not know what had happened to this man, but he could feel that Xiang Gaowen had broken through some limitation, undergone a transformation, and become…

Utterly dangerous!

If previously, in the Navy's internal meeting, they had merely thought this man possessed the potential to rival Kaido…

Now he possessed the same will!

"You're too dangerous!"

"Your existence is a disaster for this world!"

Xiang Gaowen sneered:

"Then come kill me!"

"Justice's messenger?!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA—!"

(End of Chapter)