Smoker clenched his teeth and said harshly,
"But still, you shouldn't have killed him. He was a Marine. Do you even understand what you've done? Killing a Marine means becoming an enemy of the World Government."
Gojo simply shrugged, his posture relaxed, as if Smoker were talking about something trivial.
"I'm definitely not an enemy of the World Government right now," he replied calmly. "But in the future? I can assure you—I will be."
He tilted his head slightly, his tone almost casual.
"So yes, I suppose you could say I became their enemy a bit earlier than expected. But it's not like this goes against my plans or anything."
Smoker's anger only intensified. Smoke rolled more violently from his body as he snapped,
"If you really intend to become an enemy of the World Government, then it would be better for you to stay right here in Loguetown and be captured by me."
The moment he finished speaking, Smoker launched himself forward again, attacking with full force. His jitte struck repeatedly, thrusting and swinging with precision and intent. Yet every single attack stopped short—never touching Gojo, never even brushing his clothes. An invisible boundary rejected each strike effortlessly.
Smoker froze mid-motion, shock flashing across his face.
"Even my jitte…!" he said incredulously. "It's made of Sea Stone—and it's still not working on you?!"
Gojo replied calmly, his voice unshaken,
"Of course it won't work."
He raised one hand slightly, as if illustrating an obvious concept.
"For your Sea Stone to affect me, it has to actually reach my body. It has to touch me. But your weapon will never be able to do that."
He looked straight at Smoker through the blindfold, his words precise and absolute.
"Only if I choose to attack you—only if I allow the distance between us to close—would you even have the chance to touch me with that weapon."
A faint, confident smile formed on his lips.
"And trust me," he added quietly,
"You're never going to get that chance."
The moment those words left his mouth, Gojo moved.
Without any warning, his left fist became coated in Armament Haki. To the ordinary eye, there was almost no visible change—but beneath the surface, dense power gathered and hardened around his knuckles. In the next instant, Gojo stepped in and drove that fist straight into Smoker's gut.
The impact was brutal.
Smoker was launched backward like a cannonball, his body tearing through the air before crashing into the roadside. Several stalls were obliterated on contact, wood and debris exploding in all directions. His momentum only stopped when he smashed through the wall of a nearby building, leaving behind a gaping crater of shattered stone.
For a moment, silence fell over the battlefield.
From beside the destroyed wall, Sanji stared in disbelief. He had just seen his own kick pass harmlessly through Smoker's smoke body—and yet Gojo had struck him solidly, physically. Zoro, who had reappeared nearby, was equally stunned. He had witnessed firsthand how useless normal attacks were against a Logia-type Devil Fruit user.
So how?
Even Luffy couldn't keep the question inside. He blurted it out loudly,
"Eh?! How did you hit him? Is that your Devil Fruit power or something? How were you able to punch that Marine guy?!"
From within the rubble, movement stirred.
Smoke swirled as Smoker pushed himself up, coughing lightly as he stood. Tashigi rushed to his side at once, her eyes wide with concern. Smoker stepped out of the ruined building, brushing dust from his coat, and stared at Gojo in pure shock.
"You…" Smoker said slowly, disbelief heavy in his voice. "You learned Armament Haki?"
His grip tightened as he continued,
"When did you learn Haki?"
The moment Smoker voiced that question, murmurs rippled through the surroundings. Marines, pirates, and townsfolk alike exchanged confused looks.
"Haki?"
"What's Haki supposed to be?"
Gojo glanced around at the bewildered faces before speaking casually,
"Of course, I learned it from Buggy."
"I mean," Gojo continued calmly, "he attacked me first, so I just asked him how Haki works. I already knew about the advanced applications of Haki in theory, but I didn't actually know how to use Armament Haki at the time. Kind of ironic, isn't it?"
He shrugged lightly, as if he were talking about learning a new cooking recipe.
"So yeah. After asking Buggy the Clown a few questions—peacefully, mind you—he gave me some answers."
Smoker stared at him as though he were looking at a monster rather than a man.
"You… learned Haki in just a few days?" he asked, his voice stiff with disbelief.
Gojo shook his head slightly.
"Not exactly a few days. More like twelve hours to get an initial grasp of it—Armament Haki, specifically. After that, I just refined my control."
The shock on Smoker's face deepened.
As Gojo spoke, he began walking toward Smoker and Tashigi, his steps slow and unthreatening. There was no killing intent in his posture—only confidence.
"Relax," Gojo said evenly. "I'm not here to attack you."
He stopped a short distance away.
"Before leaving Loguetown, I thought I should at least meet you properly. After all, you're not bad people and also we are acquainted. And it's not like Marines and pirates can't be friends."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Anyway, I already defeated you. So there's really no issue with me leaving now, right? You don't need to attack me any further."
A faint, dangerous edge slipped into his calm tone as he finished,
"Because if you do… I'll just have to beat you up even more."
The moment those words left Gojo's mouth, Smoker's expression darkened.
The words were arrogant—undeniably so. And even though Gojo clearly possessed the strength to back up that arrogance, Smoker was far too proud to let it slide.
Smoke erupted violently from his body as he charged forward, shouting,
"It seems you're underestimating me, kid!"
As Smoker surged toward him, Gojo also began to move. At first, his steps were slow and casual, but with each stride his pace increased—until, in the next instant, he vanished completely.
Smoker's eyes widened.
Gojo reappeared right in front of him.
Reacting purely on instinct, Smoker brought his jitte up defensively. Gojo, however, didn't even try to strike it. He knew better than to make direct contact with Sea Stone. Instead, he twisted his body midair, his movement fluid and effortless. His leg became coated in Armament Haki, and with a sharp motion, he drove a powerful kick straight into Smoker's stomach.
The impact sent Smoker flying upward.
Before Smoker could even stabilize himself in the air, Gojo appeared above him—as if space itself had folded to place him there. His fist, once again coated in dense Armament Haki, came crashing down into Smoker's chest.
The blow was devastating.
Smoker was smashed straight into the ground, the force of the impact carving out a large crater and sending cracks spiderwebbing through the surrounding stone.
From the side, Tashigi screamed,
"Captain Smoker!"
The moment she saw Smoker sent flying and slammed into the ground, she abandoned all caution. Drawing her sword, she sprinted toward Gojo with desperation and resolve written all over her face.
Gojo had already landed calmly by the time she reached him.
Just as Tashigi closed the distance, Gojo disappeared once again.
In the next instant, he appeared directly behind her.
Before she could even react, Gojo struck lightly—but precisely—delivering a sharp hand jab to the back of her neck. The force wasn't lethal, but it was perfectly placed.
Tashigi's eyes widened for a split second.
Then her body went limp.
She collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the falling rain and the faint groan of shattered stone—clear proof of just how overwhelming the difference in strength truly was.
----
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