Chapter 33: Ya Tu (Tuesday Data PK Recommendation Slot, Requesting Follows!!!)

Bang!

The ten-pronged weapon hit the ground, shattering the floor and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Smoker’s brow tightened in frown.

A strike that should have been certain missed—and now he’d lost track of his opponent. This wasn’t just about his technique being read.

More importantly, how had he vanished so suddenly?

“Shave?!”

“Or a Devil Fruit ability?!”

“Neither!”

Gao Wen’s voice came from beside his ear; Smoker broke into a cold sweat, turning to see a ghostlike blur streaking toward him from afar.

“Shakuji—Ya Tu!”

A violent, swift thrust pierced Smoker’s body in an instant.

Even after he elementized to evade Gao Wen’s attack, his vision lost the target the next moment.

The white smoke, once used to obscure Gao Wen’s sight, now became his own prison. Smoker snapped back to awareness and stared in horror around him.

“Is this speed a Devil Fruit ability?!”

“No—it’s achieved through sheer physicality. But for a human body to reach this level—!”

Smoker’s words cut off as another roar came from afar.

“Ya Tu!”

A faster, more ferocious thrust sliced through the dust, scattering Smoker’s newly reformed body once more.

“This kind of attack can’t harm me—what’s the point besides buying time?!”

“You’re buying time?”

Smoker suddenly realized the truth—and a surge of urgency gripped him. But the moment he moved, he found only Gao Wen’s endless thrusts waiting for him…

“Ya Tu!”

“Ya Tu!”

“Ya Tu!”

…

Again and again, he reformed his body—only to be shattered the next instant.

Within a few breaths, the relentless assault completely overwhelmed Smoker.

Had it not been for the natural-type’s immunity to physical attacks, he would have died countless times. Realizing this, Smoker felt only profound humiliation.

The opponent’s speed was simply too fast.

Even with his own eyesight, he could barely make out a blurred black shadow—no countermeasure was possible.

“Tch. If I’d mastered Observation Haki, I wouldn’t be this helpless!”

Recalling Zefa’s parting advice before leaving Marine Headquarters, Smoker felt a pang of regret—and tightened his grip on the ten-pronged weapon.

Amid the intensifying assault, Gao Wen felt his strikes growing smoother.

Shakuji was extremely demanding on physical conditioning—and Gao Wen’s physique far surpassed Keluo’s, augmented by Keluo’s lack of superhuman reflex speed.

Naturally, his mastery of Shakuji was far superior, and his speed dwarfed Keluo’s!

Combined with the newly acquired sword, Kanshisei, even the simplest thrust now unleashed unimaginable power—the crosshatched cuts across the harbor were proof enough.

With this synergy, Gao Wen became increasingly skilled at his speed-based suppression tactic.

Had the opponent not been a natural-type, he would have had zero chance against Gao Wen’s endless thrusts.

This was Gao Wen’s own creation—developed from Keluo’s indiscriminate Shakuji—his signature technique of overwhelming with speed!

Ya Tu!

A thrust driven by divine speed.

The battle had now become a one-sided beating.

The guard captain, sent by Gasha to scout the harbor, froze in shock at the sight.

His vision held only endless white smoke—and a white-haired man formed from it, constantly shattered and reformed. The smoke in the harbor seemed torn apart by some invisible creature!

“What the hell is going on?!”

“The legendary Kamaitachi of Wano? The wind that reaps lives?!”

“I…”

Though the scene in the harbor was absurd, the guard captain faithfully recorded it and transmitted the information via Den Den Mushi to Gasha.

“Guard captain…”

Gasha rubbed his forehead:

“I told you to observe Lieutenant Gao Wen—not to report on marines and white smoke?!”

“No.”

Keluo, standing beside Gasha, patted his shoulder:

“The invisible thing he described—that’s Gao Wen.” “Lieutenant Gao Wen is a Kamaitachi?”

Gasha was even more confused.

Keluo’s expression remained blank:

“Think of it as an extremely fast sword technique.”

“I see.”

Gasha relaxed:

“So Gao Wen is currently on top?”

“On top? Of course he’s on top!”

Keluo’s lip twitched—he understood perfectly from the guard captain’s description: Gao Wen had surpassed Shakuji’s mastery even beyond Keluo’s own.

Isn’t it a bit ridiculous that a copycat outperforms the original?

Still, recalling his own awakened Observation Haki, Keluo retained confidence.

Only those who’ve touched Observation Haki understand the chasm between having it and not having it—the gap was nothing short of dimensional suppression.

!

“Gao Wen, the day I surpass you is not far off.”

“Mr. Locke?”

Gasha glanced at Keluo, who immediately wiped his expression clean and spoke:

“Are there any ships still able to leave the harbor? Our identities are sensitive—we can’t directly contact the Marines.”

After a brief pause, Gasha shook his head:

“There were backup vessels, but we just received word—all were taken by fleeing civilians. And…”

Seeing Keluo’s brow furrow, Gasha understood his concern:

“If you’re worried about Marine investigations afterward, I can help.”

“Without a warrant, even the Marines can’t touch a lord’s residence.”

Keluo’s expression softened. He spoke to Gasha:

“Then I’m in your debt.”

“It’s my duty. After all, we’ll still need your strength to maintain stability around Crow Harbor.”

“Mm.”

…

…

…

Night deepened.

In the harbor, the sea breeze rose, scattering the endless white smoke.

After hours of fierce combat, both men grew exhausted and, by unspoken agreement, halted, facing each other across the distance.

Gao Wen was drenched in sweat, gasping for breath.

To be honest.

He had no real solution against natural-types—this version of the world made them a dimensional advantage.

Even using Ya Tu, he could only stall Smoker.

He’d tried seizing Smoker’s Sea-Prism Stone ten-pronged weapon—after all, that item was a direct counter to Devil Fruit users; if Gao Wen got it, the fight would end instantly.

But Smoker had anticipated it. The moment Gao Wen showed unusual interest in the Sea-Prism Stone weapon, Smoker casually tossed it into the sea.

His reaction was terrifyingly fast!

Unbeknownst to him, Smoker’s inner state was even worse than being poisoned.

What the hell!

This kid knew the tip of my weapon was made of Sea-Prism Stone?!

There’s a spy in the Marines!

If I hadn’t thrown it fast enough, it would’ve become a blade aimed at me!

At that moment, a whistle echoed from the distant sea—a massive warship cut through the waves and entered the harbor.

Gao Wen turned his head. Even under the night sky, his vision easily made out a figure standing on the deck.

Short blue hair, slightly stiff square glasses—the woman was Dazhiki, holding a long sword.

Behind her stood a group of armed Marines.

“It’s time to go.”

(End of Chapter)