The night still cast its veil over Loguetown, as two formidable figures stood in the heart of a deserted alley, surrounded by the remnants of destruction and blood.
Smoker, his Marine coat billowing in the wind, kept his unwavering gaze on the mysterious man before him.
Rex, a tall man with half his face concealed behind a mask, radiated an aura of Conqueror's Haki that wrapped around him as if it were an extension of his very being.
Moments of silence passed… then Rex spoke in a calm voice, though it carried an unmistakable tone of challenge:
"You know, the Marines always chant about justice, but I rarely see anyone actually uphold it."
Smoker didn't respond. He simply exhaled a slow puff of smoke from his cigar.
"Are you just another government dog? No. You're something different… but the real question is—how far are you willing to go?"
Then, in a single instant—he vanished!
—BOOM!
He reappeared right in front of Smoker within a second, his black blade slicing forward at an insane speed—straight for Smoker's head!
But Smoker didn't move.
At the last moment, his entire head turned into pure smoke, and the blade passed right through without effect!
"Logia? Too simple." Rex muttered before slamming his foot into the ground, leaping back to reposition himself.
But Smoker didn't give him the chance.
Smoke erupted around him with force, his arm morphing into a massive spear of dense fog!
"White Spears!"
Dozens of smoky spears shot forward at high speed, piercing through the air like lethal missiles!
But—
Shiiing!
A black flash!
In a blink, Rex vanished, only to reappear atop a nearby building, his blade dripping with shredded smoke.
"High-speed movement… and advanced Haki cutting techniques." Smoker muttered, studying his opponent with sharp eyes.
But this time—Rex smirked.
"You know? You're far more entertaining than I expected."
Then, he slowly raised his left hand.
A dark, pulsating Haki began enveloping his entire arm, radiating an eerie energy Smoker had never seen before.
"But let's see if you can withstand… this."
Suddenly—
The ground trembled!
A heavy pressure filled the air, and an overwhelming force began to rise!
"This sensation… this isn't ordinary Haki!"
Then, without warning—
—BOOOOOOM!!
Rex disappeared.
And in the blink of an eye—he was right in front of Smoker, as if time had skipped forward by a full second!
"What?!"
—A devastating Haki-infused strike aimed directly at his chest!
But in a purely instinctive reaction, Smoker's body transformed into a vortex of smoke, allowing the strike to pass through—though the sheer impact left behind a shockwave of destruction!
Yet Rex wasn't finished.
"Good… but can you dodge this?"
In less than a second, he circled around Smoker, his black blade gleaming under the moonlight—
"Void Slash!"
A dark aura extended from the sword, before it erupted with unimaginable force!
The surrounding walls cracked and crumbled, and even the air itself seemed to be torn apart!
But when the dust settled—
Smoker stood firm, completely unfazed, smoke calmly rising from his body.
Rex looked at him… then grinned.
"So, you're stronger than I expected."
Smoker, who had remained silent throughout the fight, finally spoke, his voice carrying a lethal tone for the first time:
"And you… are playing with fire."
Then, he slowly raised his hand—
Suddenly, the smoke surrounding him began to change… No longer just a gray mist, but turning into pure blackness, as if the night itself was responding to him.
"What…?" Rex's eyes widened.
Smoker, his cold
smirk unwavering, spoke in a quiet, chilling voice:
"Now, it's time for the real fun."
- End of Chapter -