Sanji and Zoro, who had been fighting against the Buggy Pirates, snapped back to their senses as they noticed the Marines closing in. Their eyes were drawn to one man in particular—Smoker—who was advancing toward them, his body partially dispersed into swirling smoke as he practically flew forward using the power of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. With his Nanashaku Jitte in hand, he struck down pirate after pirate, sending Buggy's men flying with overwhelming force.
At the same time, Luffy managed to get back on his feet. Sanji quickly called out,
"Luffy, let's get back to the ship! There's no point in fighting the Marines!"
Luffy nodded in agreement.
"Yeah! Let's go back to the ship!"
Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro immediately turned and began to run. But there was no way Smoker was going to let them escape so easily.
In the blink of an eye, Smoker appeared right in front of Luffy. Without wasting a second, he swung his Nanashaku Jitte—his signature weapon, the tip of which was forged from Sea Stone—and struck Luffy directly.
Luffy had been expecting little more than a blunt hit. Instead, the moment the jitte connected, his expression twisted in shock. His strength vanished almost instantly. His stamina drained away as if it had been ripped from his body, and he collapsed heavily onto the ground.
"Weak…" Luffy muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why does it feel like… I'm in the sea?"
Smoker looked down at him coldly and replied,
"The tip of my weapon is made of Sea Stone. Sea Stone has the same properties as the sea itself. When a Devil Fruit user is struck by it, they lose their abilities and become extremely weak."
Seeing Luffy fall, Sanji rushed in from behind and delivered a powerful kick aimed at Smoker. However, the attack passed straight through him. Smoker's body simply turned into smoke, reforming unharmed an instant later.
Still, Sanji didn't hesitate or retreat. He immediately realized what needed to be done—he had to get that weapon away from Luffy first. Shifting his target, Sanji aimed for the jitte in Smoker's hand.
But Smoker was faster.
His left arm detached from his body, transforming into dense smoke while still connected to his shoulder by a swirling stream. In the next instant, that smoky arm shot forward and smashed into Sanji, slamming him hard onto the ground.
Now, two members of the Straw Hat crew were down.
On the other side, Zoro found himself restrained by Tashigi, unable to move as the situation spiralled further out of control.
Just when it seemed that all hope of escape from Loguetown had vanished for the Straw Hats, a sudden commotion broke through the chaos.
A Marine soldier came running toward Smoker at full speed, his voice echoing with urgency.
"Captain Smoker! Captain Smoker! Satoru Gojo has landed in Loguetown!"
Smoker's eyes sharpened instantly. He turned toward the soldier and demanded confirmation,
"Are you certain?"
The Marine nodded frantically.
"Yes, sir! I saw him with my own eyes. He's walking in this direction right now—he should arrive any moment!"
…
From the rooftop of a distant building, Dragon stood silently, his cloak fluttering in the rising wind. His gaze was fixed on Luffy, pinned helplessly to the ground, and on the Straw Hats struggling against an overwhelming situation—one where escape seemed nearly impossible.
Dragon had already begun to shift, prepared to intervene and save his son.
But then he heard the name.
Satoru Gojo.
Dragon paused. His eyes narrowed with interest rather than concern. He had heard of this man—too many strange reports, too many impossible feats. Curiosity stayed his hand. Instead of acting, Dragon chose to wait and observe how events would unfold.
…
At that very moment, rain began to fall from the darkened sky.
Through the curtain of rain, a lone figure came into view.
Satoru Gojo.
As Smoker and the surrounding Marines turned their attention toward him, something immediately felt wrong—unnatural. Gojo walked forward calmly, hands in his pockets, his posture relaxed.
And yet…
Not a single raindrop touched him.
The rain seemed to slow as it approached his body, halting just short of contact, slipping away as if repelled by an invisible boundary. It was as though the world itself hesitated around him.
A murmur spread among the Marines. Unease crept into their expressions.
As Gojo continued walking toward Smoker, his presence alone pressing down on the battlefield, Smoker's grip tightened around his Nanashaku Jitte. Then, instinctively—almost unconsciously—he pulled the jitte away from Luffy's body.
The balance of the battlefield had shifted.
And everyone present could feel it.
Gojo was dressed in his usual casual attire—a black jacket, black pants, black shoes, and the familiar black blindfold covering his eyes. Despite that, he walked straight toward Smoker with unhurried steps, as though he could see everything perfectly clearly.
And, of course, he could.
When the distance between them closed enough, Gojo casually raised one hand in a light wave and greeted him like old acquaintances.
"Hey, Captain Smoker. How are you doing?"
The relaxed tone instantly set Smoker off.
The moment Smoker heard Gojo speak so casually, his expression twisted with anger. Without hesitation, he surged forward, shouting,
"You bastard! Why did you kill a Marine?!"
Smoke exploded around Smoker's body as he closed the distance in an instant. His Nanashaku Jitte swung forward, aimed straight at Gojo.
But it never reached him.
The jitte halted in midair, stopping just a few inches away from Gojo's body. No matter how much force Smoker applied, it wouldn't move forward. It was as if an invisible wall stood between Smoker—and his weapon—and Gojo himself.
The surrounding Marines froze in shock.
Gojo, on the other hand, merely shrugged his shoulders, completely unfazed.
"Why are you so angry, Captain Smoker?" he said calmly. "I mean, I didn't really want to kill him."
Smoker's eyes widened slightly as Gojo continued, his voice steady and indifferent.
"He was looking for death. That Marine captain was in cahoots with the Arlong Pirates. And you know what the Arlong Pirates did—Cocoyashi Village, the entire Conomi Islands… they even destroyed a village. You can imagine how cruel they were."
Gojo tilted his head slightly, as if recalling a trivial memory.
"And your Marine captain was working with them. Of course, that's not exactly a good thing. But don't misunderstand—I didn't kill him for justice or anything noble like that."
His tone grew colder, sharper.
"I killed him because he dared to attack me, even after I gave him a chance to leave. I didn't even care about his collaboration with the Arlong Pirates. I went out of my way to promise him that I wouldn't expose his involvement."
Gojo let out a soft, dismissive sigh.
"And even then, he chose to attack me with the intent to kill."
He looked straight at Smoker—through the blindfold—as if meeting his eyes directly.
"He deserved death. So I killed him. That's all there is to it."
----
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