Except for Ryuen, everyone else was shocked by how similar Kuina and Tashigi looked.
It was hard to believe that there were two people in the world who looked so alike, and this was happening right before their eyes!
"Why do you look like me?" ×2
"Why do you talk like me!" ×2
"Damn it!" ×2
"Clang!"
Both girls drew their swords in anger!
"Wait… don't fight…" Ryuen was about to stop them when Tashigi suddenly stopped.
Her face was filled with excitement, and she said, almost incoherently, "Wado Ichimonji!
This is Wado Ichimonji, right? The great sword from the 21 Great Swords, Wado Ichimonji!"
An intense battle that was about to break out was quietly resolved thanks to Tashigi's sword obsession.
"…"
"Yes, this is Wado Ichimonji…" Kuina, seeing Tashigi's passionate reaction, couldn't bring herself to attack.
"Could I... could I see it? Just for a moment! Please!" Tashigi asked eagerly, her eyes sparkling.
"Well… alright..." Kuina found it hard to refuse, seeing Tashigi's sword-crazed enthusiasm.
She handed Wado Ichimonji over to Tashigi, who grabbed it with great joy.
"What beautiful patterns and a straight blade! This is a famous sword worth no less than 10 million Berries!" Tashigi said, admiring Wado Ichimonji with an infatuated look.
At this moment, Smoker regained his focus and turned his gaze back to the young man, who stood around 2.4 meters tall.
This is the person Vice Admiral Garp values so much?
"Captain Smoker, do I have something on my face?" Ryuen asked directly.
The smoker's gaze was too strange.
"Huh? You know?" Smoker frowned and asked.
"Hard to miss..." Ryuen shrugged and continued, "The merchants in Loguetown are praising you non-stop. They say you're so powerful that pirates are too afraid to cause trouble here, and Loguetown has gotten even more prosperous because of your presence."
Hearing this, Smoker suddenly blushed. It was true that Loguetown had become what it was today because of his efforts.
However... he found it a bit too much to handle for being praised
He felt it was just too cheesy!
"I only did what a Marine is supposed to do, and they didn't have a bounty. I don't have the authority to capture them," Smoker explained casually.
On the other side, the group of women had gathered and were mostly talking about why Kuina and Tashigi looked so alike.
The girls from the inspection team had traveled all over East Blue over the years, but this was the first time they'd encountered two people who looked identical.
"Captain Smoker, are you here specifically to find us?" Ryuen asked, furrowing his brows.
"That's right!"
"This is Vice Admiral Garp's request. He told me to notify him once you arrived in Loguetown," Smoker said honestly.
When the topic turned serious, Smoker's tone became more focused, and the women stopped talking, their expressions turning serious as well.
"This old man really won't give up. It seems our faces aren't completely unknown in the Marine after all..." Ryuen said, somewhat speechless.
Garp, that guy, had actually gone this far to get them to join the Marine. It seemed that the conditions he had promised back then were already dealt with.
"That's right. Even though you haven't joined the Marine yet, after Vice Admiral Garp's promotion, your name, along with your crew's, has become quite well-known within the Marine!" Smoker said seriously.
This wasn't a joke!
Although this was only circulating among the higher-ups, it was precisely because of this that Ryuen's fame within the Marine was so great.
It was Vice Admiral Garp who, for the sake of these young people, convinced Fleet Admiral Sengoku to remove the entire East Blue Marine Criminal Investigation Bureau.
This event had even shocked the World Government at the time, and the World Government tried to stop it, but Vice Admiral Garp stood his ground.
With Fleet Admiral Sengoku's support, the World Government was forced to swallow the loss.
Since then, Vice Admiral Garp had often mentioned this young man's name at headquarters, as if they had already joined the Marine.
However, many people in the Marine were still dissatisfied, including Smoker, as Ryuen was just a young man who had only just come of age.
Still, Ryuen furrowed his brows in thought. Garp, that guy, was really putting them on the spot!
It seemed that whenever they visited the Marine headquarters, they would surely face challengers. However, Ryuen glanced at Hog and the girls, and well, it probably wouldn't even be necessary for him to step in.
"Captain Smoker, you didn't just come to tell me this, right?" Ryuen snapped back to attention and looked at Smoker.
This guy was probably one of those who didn't like him!
"That's right!"
"I want to know what your strength is like now, whether it's worth Vice Admiral Garp's attention!" Smoker said calmly.
In his mind, there was no way Ryuen could beat him. After all, he was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, and Smoker didn't believe Ryuen had mastered Armament Haki.
Even if Ryuen had learned Armament Haki, Smoker didn't think he could defeat him with the Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
Hearing Captain Smoker's words, the other members of the inspection team instantly became serious. They hadn't expected that Smoker had come here to challenge them.
"Alright, let's go to your base," Ryuen said, not refusing.
"Then let's go," Smoker said without surprise, as if he had known Ryuen would agree all along.
Ryuen and his group followed Smoker and Tashigi. When they came here to the Marine base with Nami, they had to sneak in, but this time, they walked in openly.
They quickly arrived at the training ground of the Loguetown Marine base. The people there saw Ryuen and his group and felt they looked familiar.
After thinking for a while, they remembered—these were the people Captain Smoker had been looking for!
"Where's your weapon?" Smoker asked calmly in the center of the training ground.
The others had already moved to the edge of the field.
"I don't need a weapon. But before the fight starts, I have one question, Captain Smoker, have you learned Armament Haki?" Ryuen asked, a bit curious.
Smoker was stunned for a moment and then fell silent. He hadn't learned it yet. Over the years, he'd focused all his energy on developing his Devil Fruit powers.
However, his physical strength wasn't weak, and he suspected he would soon awaken Armament Haki. But now that Ryuen asked, Smoker realized he had likely already mastered it.
"You're in trouble, Captain Smoker. You're no match for me," Ryuen said with a hint of sympathy.
"Don't underestimate me..." Smoker got angry.
"White Fist!"
A white snake-like punch made of smoke rushed toward Ryuen!
Seeing this, Ryuen didn't dodge.
With a clang, Ryuen's entire body was instantly covered in Armament Haki, and a powerful aura swept across the entire Marine base!
*Boom!*
Smoker's white snake punch hit Ryuen, but it didn't even make a dent!
Under Ryuen's overwhelming presence, Smoker felt a chill in his heart. Looking at Ryuen, it was like staring at an invincible king!
At that moment, every Marine soldier at the training ground had already fainted under the pressure of Ryuen's aura.
"Conqueror's Haki!"
"Impossible!!" Smoker stared at Ryuen in shock.
This young man actually has Conqueror's Haki!
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