Chapter 113

The man at the front wore a pirate captain's hat, pointed a gun at Luo En, and grinned viciously. "Kid, hand over that blade at your waist, and I might be in a good enough mood to spare your life."

"Master, Master, can I make a move?"

Xiao Qi said excitedly to Luo En.

Seeing it speak human words truly startled the whole little pirate crew.

"Where did this monster pop out from? It can actually talk…"

Luo En glanced outside the alley and said to Xiao Qi with a smile:

"Looks like you won't get the chance to make a move."

Xiao Qi hadn't even reacted yet.

A fist like a cannonball, trailed by white smoke, charged into the alley and sent that pirate captain flying with a single punch.

That pirate captain slammed heavily into the wall, his cheek caved in, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

"C-Captain!!"

"A bunch of trash. With your level, you want to head to the Grand Line?! Lock every one of you up in prison."

A cold man's voice rang out from the smoke.

"Th-This couldn't be…?!"

A group of weapon-wielding pirates stared at the smoke gradually condensing into a human shape, their faces filled with terror.

When that smoke condensed into Smoker, a cigar clamped between his lips, someone among those pirates shouted:

"It's the White Hunter! Run!"

A mob of pirates immediately scattered in panic.

"Want to run?"

Cigar in mouth, Justice cloak draped over his shoulders, Smoker let out a cold laugh and threw a punch, his fist slamming into the pirates like a cannonball.

Before long, every last one of them was knocked to the ground; not a single one got away.

Footsteps approached from outside the alley, and a group of Marines quickly gathered.

The Marine at the front saluted Smoker: "Lieutenant Smoker."

"Perfect timing. Take all these guys away."

Smoker puffed out a cloud of smoke and said.

"Yes, sir!"

As the Marines were hauling that pirate crew away, Smoker, cigar clenched between his teeth, called out to the black-haired youth who for some reason felt oddly familiar: "Be more careful from now on. Stay away from these pirates."

After saying that, he glanced at the Kung Fu Dugong Xiao Qi by Luo En's feet, then turned to leave.

Just as he was turning to head out of the alley, a youth's voice, tinged with amusement, sounded in his ear.

"Don't you recognize me? Smoker."

Smoker the Cigar-Smoker's eyes widened slightly.

That voice…

He turned his head, his gaze fixed on the black-haired youth with a black blade at his waist and a smile on his face.

When those clean, delicate features overlapped with the black-haired youth from his memory, Smoker's eyes went wide.

"It's you?!"

……………………

Luo Bin and Koniis saw Xiao Qi return alone and were a little surprised.

"Where's the captain?"

"Master seems to have run into someone he knows. He told us to head to the execution platform first; he'll come meet up with us shortly."

Xiao Qi scratched his head and said.

"I see."

Koniis nodded.

……

Inside a tavern on a street in Rogue Town.

Smoker and Luo En sat at the counter.

"I didn't expect you to actually leave Marine Headquarters."

Smoker downed his drink in one gulp and glanced at the seemingly harmless, delicate-looking youth beside him.

"Did the Fleet Admiral and the others actually let you go?"

Three years ago, when this guy was eleven, he defeated the strongest freshman of that year's Marine Academy—me.

Compared to me, who'd eaten a Logia Devil Fruit, this guy is the real monster!

The present-day Smoker understood this perfectly well.

"After I showed my firm intention to leave Marine Headquarters, they didn't want to let me go, but there wasn't much they could do about it."

Luo En said to Smoker beside him with a smile, "After all, this was something we'd agreed on long ago."

"Indeed. The Marines can't hold on to someone whose heart isn't with the Marines, unless they erase them."

"And the Marines, who stand for justice, can't treat an ordinary citizen who's never committed a crime that way either."

Luo En nodded with a smile: "Exactly."

Smoker glanced at Luo En beside him and said: "When you first proposed joining the Marines as a trainee, were you already planning to leave?"

Luo En didn't hide it and nodded.

For him, becoming a Marine trainee was indeed just one step toward becoming strong.

"Why?"

Smoker didn't quite understand. "A guy like you—if you joined the Marines, you could capture more criminals, reach a higher rank, and better maintain order on these seas. Compared to your own personal freedom, do you really think it's better to let the evil on these seas run wild?"

He didn't understand what Luo En's reason for getting stronger actually was.

Luo En looked at the bubbling drink in his hand and said calmly:

"Smoker, do you think getting stronger needs a lot of reasons? Just being able to live freely—that one reason is enough."

"Even if you become a Marine, even an Admiral or Fleet Admiral, you still have to obey the World Government's orders."

Luo En's cool gaze slanted toward Smoker: "If the World Government ordered you to destroy this town, would you agree? Or would you defy them?"

Smoker couldn't say a word.

Because right now, he didn't know the answer to that question.

The two of them fell into a long silence.

After taking a sip of wine, Luo En's expression eased slightly. He looked over with a smile and asked, "After I fought you that one time, it seemed like you disappeared from Marine HQ. I even asked Vice Admiral Momonga later, and only then learned you'd requested a transfer yourself. Didn't expect it would be to the East Blue…"

Smoker had no words to reply.

Back then, he'd assumed that once Tina found out he'd been seriously injured by Luo En, she'd absolutely take the matter and mock him relentlessly all over Marine HQ, so he'd applied for a transfer.

He hadn't expected that Tina didn't seem to know about it at all.

There was no sign of the story circulating in Marine HQ either, and by now no one remembered it at all.

Except Smoker himself.

Glug glug glug.

Feeling a bit frustrated, Smoker took a few swigs of his drink in silence, then looked at Luo En to change the subject: "So what are you going to do now that you've left the Marines? You're not planning to become a pirate, are you?"

"Hmm… hard to say."

Luo En stared at the ice in his glass, running a finger along the rim as he spoke.

Smoker's expression instantly turned serious: "Hey, kid, that's not something you joke about. If a guy like you became a pirate, HQ definitely wouldn't let you off easy. They'd probably send top Marine power like Vice Admiral Garp or an Admiral to capture you and throw you in Impel Down right away."

"Haha, that really does sound pretty scary."

Luo En laughed, then turned to look at the dead-serious Smoker beside him: "Relax. Right now I'm still just an ordinary adventurer who's never committed a crime. As for whether I'll end up on a Marine bounty list in the future… I can't say either way. In any case, that's all for later."

Luo En took a small sip of wine and said casually.

Smoker stared at him without speaking.

After finishing the wine in his glass.

Luo En tossed down a pouch of Berries, stood up, and said to Smoker:

"See you around. If you run into Tina and Tsuru, give them my regards."

Just as he turned to leave.

Smoker, sitting at the counter with his back to him, said:

"If you become a pirate someday, I'll definitely be one of the Marines coming to capture you."