"Anyway, I am not a marine. I am not qualified to say anything about Justice. I am a pirate. If one day, I have to save my friends from the hands of marines, I wouldn't hesitate to do so."
"In the process, many people will die those will be marines who represent justice. Of course, marines should be willing to die for justice, isn't that right?"
"A marine shouldn't hesitate to even sacrifice their own comrades to implement justice. If I remember correctly, there is a person, akainu who has this kind of ideology, right?"
When he asked, Smoker couldn't help but nod his head. He is also a hardcore marine. He also believes that all pirates must die. But, he would never sacrifice marines to kill all pirates.
That's not his Justice. In the Navy, there are three factions represented by three admirals. Among them, Aokiji or Kuzan has the most support from marines because of his kind nature.
Marines like Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru are more on the side of Aokiji than Akainu and Kizaru. But, it didn't mean there are no one supporting Akainu. In fact, there are a lot of people who like his Absolute Justice.
Smoker is a part of the Aokiji group but his ideology is to kill all pirates which are disliked by Sengoku. This is why Smoker was just a Captain previously even though his strength was close enough to becoming Rear Admiral of the Headquarters only recently was promoted as a cover up by those old men.
Thinking about this, Smoker couldn't help but clench his fist. He can't accept both factions but right now, they are at the top so he can't do anything about it either.
Zack also understood his mood and said.
"Well, all the things that I have said here will reach Sengoku's ears. So, you might as well tell him this. A person like Akainu might make Marines stronger but will never become the guardian of the ordinary people."
"A person like Aokiji might not make marines stronger but the Justice implemented by him will resonate in the hearts of ordinary people. Unfortunately, even if you and Garp support Aokiji, the next Fleet Admiral will be Akainu."
"Because only an obedient dog like Akainu can satisfy World Government."
Hearing his words, Smoker clenched his fist hard.
Bang!
Suddenly, a loud sound came from behind. The ground beneath Luffy and Yamakaji was crushed into a crater.
[Gomu-Gomu no- Bazooka]
"This kind of petty trick won't work."
[Iron Body]
Bang!
Yamakaji used his Iron Body to block Luffy's bazooka and the battle continued. It was slowly getting intense. Because Luffy's injuries were getting serious.
Of course, Yamakaji also had a lot of injuries. But both of them didn't have the intention to stop.
Looking at this, Chopper couldn't help but come forward.
"Zack, shouldn't you go and help Luffy?"
Hearing his words, Zack smiled and rubbed Chopper's head.
"Don't worry, the most powerful thing about Luffy isn't his Battle Talent or Strength. It is his endurance."
Chopper stared at Zack with big eyes and asked.
"Really?"
"Indeed! In terms of endurance, the only people who could possibly match Luffy can be counted in two hands."
"Amazing!" Chopper looked at Luffy who was covered in scars and blood with adoring eyes.
"Hey, even if Luffy can endure this battle, shouldn't we help him?" Nami couldn't bear to see Luffy injured. Unlike Chopper who was innocent, she was more concerned about Luffy's injuries.
Zack shook his head and said.
"In the future, we need to face terrible enemies. Some of them can even annihilate us in a single strike. Even with my trump card, I am not sure if I can stay alive."
"For such a situation, we must be prepared. Luffy must have a breakthrough here. Alas! If only Yamakaji could last much longer."
Hearing his words, Smoker's lips twitched as he asked.
"Are you also planning on using him to master your Armament Haki?"
Thinking about Zack and Luffy's Armament Haki, he couldn't help but feel envious. Although both of them haven't reached the level of Hardening, they still could release Armament Haki now.
And, it was all thanks to the battle with Yamakaji. He couldn't help but feel speechless when he remembered Yamakaji's confidence before coming here.
If they knew the situation would be like this, they would've sent another vice-admiral for sure.
Hearing his words, Zack nodded his head.
"You should know that I haven't reached Hardening. I truly want to reach that state unfortunately Yamakaji can't win against Luffy anymore."
"Hey, what do you mean? Vice-Admiral hasn't lost against your captain yet." Hina snorted with dissatisfaction.
"Not yet but soon."
Zack's eyes turned to Luffy.
Although it seemed like the battle was in the favor of Yamakaji, the Armament Haki in Luffy was slowly forming into a thin layer of coating above his skin.
"Haa! This battle will still last a few more hours. Let's go to sleep." Zack said as he lay down on the ground.
"Hey, we are marines. How can we sleep with pirates?" At this moment, even Smoker felt speechless. He couldn't help but stand up and walk toward the ship.
Suddenly, he turned around and ask.
"When will you return us Transponder Snails?"
"After the battle ends. After all, we don't want to be chased by several Vice Admirals or even Admiral right now." Zack answered as he slowly closed his eyes. His body was fine but his hand was covered in bandages.
And, that previous battle truly made him sleepy. Even though there was a battle going on, he didn't think too much and fell asleep.
Seeing the Vice-Captain sleeping so openly when Marines are still present here, everyone from the crew was speechless. But, suddenly, Nami took this as an opportunity and went next to Zack and slept while putting her arms above him.
"Damn this bastard!" Sanji chewed his jealousy and burst into flames of jealousy.
There were several firewoods burning in front of them. It was already night time but thanks to the fire from the firewood, they could still see the battle.
As for Luffy and Yamakaji, they were relying on their Observation Haki while sharpening it to fight in the dark.
When Smoker walked away, those commodores quickly followed him and asked.
"Smoker, are we really not doing anything?"
Although they were higher in rank, they didn't dare to underestimate Smoker's strength. If you can't use Armament Haki, there was no one who could win against Smoker unless it is Ace.
"We can't win." Smoker didn't say much and directly answered.
Hearing his words, those commodores stared at each other and helplessly sighed. It was true that they couldn't win. And even if they try to attack them during sleep, Smoker won't help them.
Even Hina might not help them.
Normally, they shouldn't let Pirates go like this especially Smoker who wouldn't hesitate to kill pirates. But, they found Straw Hats to be quite different.
After eating that meal, they also didn't want to attack them during the night. But even so, as a marine when they had a chance, they deiced to ask. Now that Smoker won't agree, they had no reason to attack them.
While they reached the warship, one of them asked one of the sailors.
"How is T-bone's condition?"
"Sure, he is recovering well." The sailor quite gave him a salute and answered.
Right now, both Zoro and T-bone were down due to that battle.
On the ground,
Everyone was slowly going to sleep while Luffy and Yamakaji were still fighting. But there was one who didn't go to sleep.
Chopper couldn't help but look at Usopp while lying on the ground.
"Aren't you going to sleep, Usopp?"
Usopp shook his head and said.
"No! I will watch over this battle."
Chopper stared at Usopp for a moment but he quickly fell asleep. He was too tired to keep watching. Unlike them, Usopp wasn't that tired.
And, he felt it would be too irresponsible to not keep a watch while they were literally a few meters away from their lifetime enemy.
Even though Usopp knew that they wouldn't attack. He didn't want to let down his guard.
But more than that, he wanted to keep watching Luffy's battle. He didn't know why but he had awakened his Observation Haki a long time. It's just that he didn't know how to use it perfectly.
Right now, it was night time and the fire will go down quite soon. He thought this would be a good chance to use his Observation Haki and train it further.
'According to Zack, my father is absolutely great at snipping and most of it is due to his strong Observation Haki. Luffy said that our crew must surpass Shanks' crew.'
'If Luffy is going to surpass Shanks, then I can't back down. I must surpass my dad as well.'
Instead of relying on his eyes, he closed them and released his Observation Haki. At first, he didn't exactly sense them but as time went by, he started clearly making their figure in his mind.
Soon, he started seeing their movements. Each time they attack or move, he captured that in his Observation Haki.
Unknown to all, Usopp's Observation Haki slowly getting better even better than Sanji's.
"Damn it! This guy is improving too fast. If this goes on, I won't be able to defeat him." Yamakaji stared at Luffy while retreating several meters away from him to take a breath.
It was another day but they were still fighting. After standing on equal feet against Yamakji, Luffy never stopped fighting. Since both of them were using their Haki normally, they either run out at the same time or only with slight differences.
Yamakaji was covered in blood and his breathing was relatively uneven. Even more so, he could feel tiredness throughout his body. If this goes on, he wouldn't be able to stand.
But, at the same time, he managed to learn something new. It was a trick that he should've learned a long time ago but didn't have the opportunity.
On the other hand, Luffy's condition was even worse. Because Zack wasn't changing places with him, he was getting bullied by Yamakaji at the beginning. The blood traces and injuries from the beginning were still fresh.
And, the injuries during the battle only got worse. But, his improvement was extremely high. Luffy not only managed to learn Armament Haki and Observation Haki but also learned Gear Third.
He also managed to consolidate his body by using Gear Second and Gear Third without suffering from side effects. It's just that it won't be useful until he properly recovers.
That's because he needs to use his own devil fruit resistance ability and life return that was taught by his grandfather to push his physical strength to that level. Until then, he can only suffer from those side effects.
"Straw Hat, it seems like this is going to be my last attack. If you can't defend against it, you will lose." Yamakaji prepared his Haki into his arms as he spoke.
Although this was the first time he was going to try it, he was still convinced that this would work.
Luffy also stared at Yamakaji preparing for his last attack. He nodded his head and puts his finger on his mouth. After blowing air into his bones, he started expanding his hand.
Although he had created Gear Third during the battle, he didn't dare to use it in the battle. After all, if he uses such a move and suffers from side effects, Yamakaji would easily win.
So, this was his first time using Gear Third.
"Hey look! Luffy's arm is getting bigger. I can see it from so far away." Chopper was suddenly attracted by the large expanding arm of Luffy and shouted cheerfully.
At this moment, Straw Hats were simply doing their own thing. The busiest was Sanji. After hunting down a few giant sea kings together with Zoro and Zack, he started cooking.
Zack already told him that Luffy would need at least food equal to fifteen meals. That was his total intake when Luffy defeated Crocodile in the original. And, during that time, he was extremely injured just like his current situation.
Hearing Chopper's words, everyone got attracted. Zack, reading a newspaper, also stood up and released his Observation Haki.
Because the destruction of the battle was getting bigger, they had to move far away. So, it was quite hard to see from such a distance.
Nami, Robin, Vivi, and Chopper used binoculars while Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, and Zack released their Observation Haki. In an instant, they captured every single movement of the battle.
Zack raised his hand and swung it toward the warship.
"Hey, smokey, the battle is going to end."
Just as he said, Yamakaji puts his wrists opposite to each other. He charged forward with all of his strength and Armament Haki while Luffy's gigantic arm covered in Armament Haki clashed and moved forward.
[Rokuogan]
When Yamakaji released this move, he suddenly couldn't help but feel grateful to Straw Hat Crew.
'This is a power that only those who have mastered Six Styles can use. But, I never got a chance to master it before. Thank you for giving me this chance, Straw Hat.'
At this moment, a massive force burst out of his fists. It was a like an air cannon that clashed against Haki-infused Gear Third. Because he still hadn't mastered Gear Third perfectly, he had to expand his entire arm.
Luffy pushed his arm against the massive air cannon.
Bang!
The clash between Armament Haki, Arm of a Giant and Air Cannon produced by a powerful move, Armament Haki started to create ripples in the surrounding.
A massive shockwave was generated from their clash, breaking the ground and sending the seawater away from the shores. The trees were uprooted and a massive amount of sand flew out.
As soon as he saw that, Zack shouted.
"Zoro, Sanji, smokey!"
"Yes" *3
[God Double Hammer Punch]
[Three Swords Style- 108 Phoenix Cannon]
[Diable Jambe- Flying Dough]
[Black ignition punch]
Zack, Zoro, Smoker and Sanji burst out some of their strongest attacks at the same time, infused with Armament Haki. The massive shockwave and sand moving toward them were broken by their attack.
Sanji landed on the foot and the fire on his foot disappeared. He looked at the front with shock in his eyes.
"Is that just the after-effect of their collision?"
Zoro didn't say anything but even he had a shocked expression on his face. Only Zack was calm.
"This is nothing compared to the clash between Admirals and Emperors. Sanji, you should continue preparing the food."
Zack said while pointing his finger at the food behind them. This was the main reason why they deflected the shockwave. Otherwise, it was easy for them to bear the impact of this attack.
Zack didn't stay there instead turned around and rushed toward the battle. When he reached there, he saw Luffy's body slowly shrinking into chibi Luffy but in front of him, Yamakaji was lying on the ground several meters away.
Both were covered in blood and Luffy's hand seemed to be bleeding excessively.
He walked toward Luffy who was still conscious and picked him up in his arm. It was like picking up a baby.
"You won against a Vice Admiral, Captain. Congratulation!"
Zack smiled as he spoke.
Luffy giggled and slowly put his head on Zack's shoulder, finally falling asleep.
Zack walked toward his group while Smoker passed by him, rushing toward Yamakaji with some other marines.
"Zack, how is Luffy's condition?" Nami worriedly moved forward and asked.
"Well, he is completely tired. Chopper, bandage him properly, and let him rest for a while." Zack answered while putting Luffy next to Chopper. Because the side effect only remained for a few minutes, Luffy's body returned to its normal state.
"Hey Zack, don't you think it is too early to start cooking." Seeing Luffy sleeping so soundly, Sanji frowned and turned his head at Zack, asking.
"Do you want to keep cooking while everyone else is celebrating the massive win against the marines?" Zack turned his eyes to him and asked.
Hearing his words, Sanji paused for a moment and nodded. He also understood the situation. Unlike normal times, Luffy's intake would increase by fifteen times.
And, since it was a banquet for defeating marines, he didn't want to stay cooking while everyone else is enjoying the banquet.
"Nami, take out those Transponder Snails!" Zack turned around at Nami and asked.
Nami took out the transponder snails that she had kept inside her jacket. There were several of these.
Zack took them and walked toward the marine ship. He saw marines taking Yamakaji on the ship while Smoker standing on the shores. He walked next to Smoker and passed those Transponder snails.
"Well, I hope you won't ask for help immediately." Zack chuckled as he said.
"Humph! Since our battle has ended, we won't continue unless we get the new order from HQ. But, after this battle, your crew bounty will increase for sure." Smoker snorted.
"Ah, yes! That made me remember. Why did you send such a drawing of Chopper alongside other bounty posters?" Zack curiously asked.
Suddenly, Smoker blushed a little as he said.
"I lost his picture so we had no choice but to release such a bounty poster."
Zack almost fell to the ground. He quickly took out a picture from his pocket and gave it to Smoker.
"Don't lose it this time."
Taking the picture, Smoker frowned and asked.
"Aren't you afraid of getting hunted by Admiral or even several Vice Admirals for a higher bounty?"
Hearing his question, Zack shook his head and chuckled.
"Smokey, you are a marine. You won't understand this. We might not be bad but we are still pirates. Except for cowards or Emperors, every pirate cares about his bounty. After all, that represents his strength."
"But, I think this time we might not get a bounty raise. First of all, the Marines won't publicize their defeat. Second, Luffy's grandfather will still do his best to suppress Luffy's bounty which means our bounty will be suppressed as well."
Smoker frowned and gave Zack a final glance before heading toward the warship. Seeing this, Zack rolled his eyes.
Sigh
"This guy. At least say goodbye before leaving. And hey don't forget to master your haki as well or be ready for a beating next time."