After completing yet another difficult mission, Smoker was finally on his way back to the Marine headquarters. The sea was calm as he sailed alone, his ship cutting through the waves with ease. He lit a cigar and leaned against the rail of the ship, his thoughts drifting away from the chaos of the past days. But that peace didn't last long.
Suddenly, the horizon shifted. In the distance, Smoker spotted dark shapes emerging from the mist. His keen senses immediately alerted him. He stood up straight, narrowing his eyes as he saw the unmistakable black flags of pirate ships. Thirty in total.
The sea around him seemed to freeze in an instant.
"Looks like I've run into trouble," Smoker muttered to himself, his voice low but confident.
The pirate ships circled around him, their sails high and their cannons ready. It was clear that they were ready for a fight, and they had no intention of letting Smoker escape. The leader of the pirate fleet, a towering man with an eyepatch, stood at the front of the largest ship, grinning menacingly.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" The pirate captain laughed. "The so-called 'White Beast' of the Marines. You're far from your backup, Marine. This will be your grave!"
Smoker exhaled a cloud of smoke from his cigar and glared at the fleet. "You think thirty ships will be enough to stop me?"
The pirate captain's laughter grew louder. "We outnumber you, Marine. There's no way you can fight us all."
Smoker's eyes burned with determination. "You underestimate me."
Without warning, Smoker leaped from the deck of his ship, his body transforming into a cloud of thick, dark smoke as he floated through the air. The pirates, taken by surprise, scrambled to aim their cannons at him, but Smoker was already too fast.
In an instant, he descended on the nearest ship. His body condensed into solid form, his fists raised high. The pirates didn't even have time to react before Smoker's punches shattered the deck beneath them, sending men flying into the water. His smoke-coated arms struck like thunder, tearing through wood and steel.
"White Prison!" Smoker roared.
The thick smoke swirled around the entire pirate ship, enveloping it in a dense fog. The pirates' vision was completely blocked, and before they could even regroup, Smoker's massive smoky hands crushed their cannons, rendering them useless.
"Take him down!" shouted the pirate captain, ordering his men to board Smoker's ship.
But Smoker was already moving. He turned his attention to the second ship in the fleet, moving like a blur through the air. His body transformed into smoke once more, and he surged toward the next target.
"White Barrage!" Smoker cried out.
Dozens of thick tendrils of smoke shot out from his body, wrapping around the enemy ship's masts and pulling them down. The pirates onboard were helpless, their ship disintegrating under the force of the onslaught. Smoker's fists and smoke tore through their defenses, leaving nothing but chaos in his wake.
The pirates on the third ship saw the destruction unfolding before them and quickly realized they were outmatched. They fired their cannons in desperation, but Smoker was already on them, moving too quickly to be hit. He appeared in the air above the third ship, his eyes glowing with intensity as he shouted:
"White Storm!"
A massive, tornado-like column of smoke spiraled down onto the ship, destroying everything in its path. The ship began to break apart, and the pirates screamed as they were caught in the whirlwind of smoke, crashing into the ocean.
Smoker landed on the last remaining pirate ship, standing tall and unscathed as the remaining pirates turned to face him. The pirate captain, now realizing his forces were dwindling, gritted his teeth and charged.
"You'll pay for this, Marine!" the captain yelled, drawing a large sword.
Smoker smirked, his eyes cold. "I don't have time for you."
He raised his hand, and the smoke surged around him like an unstoppable tide. In a split second, his hand shot out, and the smoke tightened around the pirate captain's throat, choking him.
"Justice is never kind to pirates," Smoker said, his voice calm yet full of authority.
With a single, swift motion, the pirate captain was sent flying into the sea, his ship crumbling around him.
The remaining pirates, now disheartened and broken, threw down their weapons in surrender. Smoker didn't hesitate. With a final motion of his hand, he summoned a wave of smoke that disarmed them all.
The battle was over. Smoker stood alone, surrounded by the wreckage of the pirate fleet. The sea was eerily quiet once more.
Smoker lit another cigar, taking a deep puff as he surveyed the destruction. "Thirty ships… and yet, they were no match for me."
With a determined look in his eyes, he turned away from the wreckage and made his way back to his ship, ready to continue his journey.
The pirates had learned the hard way that no matter the numbers, Smoker wou
ld always be a force to be reckoned with.
— End of Chapter —