Chapter 29 Luffy Provokes Smoker into Betting on AlabastaLuffy grinned and leaned closer to Smoker, lowering his voice to speak:
"Interested in switching jobs and working for me? I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury."
Indeed, recruiting Smoker was one of Luffy's core objectives in coming to Loguetown.
As a transmigrator, Luffy enjoyed the carefree, playful daily life of the Straw Hat crew in the original story.
However, as a user of the Nika-Kamitsu Fruit, he was destined to one day clash with the behemoth that is the World Government, or rather, the corrupt Celestial Dragons.
Having chosen the path of internal reform within the Navy, Luffy naturally won't be recruiting pirate alliances like in the original story.
Therefore, to build his own loyal following, he can only poach talent from within the existing Navy system.
Smoker, without a doubt, is a Navy prospect with immense future potential, appearing earliest and possessing the most upright character.
As for Coby and Helmeppo?
Forget it. One is a spoiled brat who once disregarded human life, and the other is a useless coward with no sense of the bigger picture, relying on emotions to hinder progress at crucial moments.
During the Marineford War, Coby's tearful cry of "Stop fighting!" shattered the Navy's perfect sweep, instantly reducing their gains by a third or more.
Keep in mind that the enemy was a powerful pirate force that had dominated the latter half of the Grand Line for years. The Navy had concentrated its full strength to lure the entire Whitebeard Pirates into an encirclement, aiming to weaken the New World pirates and pave the way for a strong Navy entry.
However, Coby's foolish delay allowed Shanks, the user of the "Face Fruit" (a metaphor for influence), to arrive in time, preventing the Navy from expanding their gains. This resulted in the near-complete escape of the Whitebeard Pirates' elite forces and their allies, except for remnants of Whitebeard's own era.
This also meant that the overall pirate landscape of the New World remained largely unscathed, significantly increasing the difficulty for Fleet Admiral Akainu's subsequent entry into the New World.
And yet, this idiot still cried out that the battle was meaningless and would only lead to more casualties.
He completely misunderstood the Navy's grand strategy. Essentially, they wanted to use Ace's execution as an opportunity to completely eliminate Whitebeard's core forces, one of the Four Emperors, thereby enhancing the Navy's absolute power and facilitating the takeover of Whitebeard's territory, thus reshaping order. Unfortunately, these grand plans were ultimately thwarted by Blackbeard's interference and Shanks' forceful termination.
Therefore, when Luffy encountered the Alvida Pirates, he didn't hesitate for a moment, directly handing over the crybaby Coby and the fat Alvida to Joyce, treating them like ordinary pirates.
This is precisely why Smoker is considered the earliest and most valuable potential asset Luffy has encountered so far.
Faced with this tough guy—one of the few in the original work who dared to directly confront the Five Elders, possessed a strong sense of justice, and had considerable potential—Luffy naturally developed a fondness for him.
Unfortunately, at this time, Smoker was still an arrogant troublemaker who didn't take Luffy, who had risen to the rank of "commodore" through connections, seriously at all.
He glanced at Luffy disdainfully and snorted, "If I wanted a promotion, I'd be sitting in my headquarters office drinking tea by now. Trying to recruit me? Wait until you're an admiral candidate before spouting such nonsense!"
Luffy wasn't angry, smiling at Smoker, "As a rare Logia-type Devil Fruit user, you're stuck in this small, run-down place in the East Blue, dealing with nobody with bounties less than 3 million Berries. Are you really that content?"
"With your current strength, you probably couldn't even clear the first half of the Grand Line, those beginner-level areas, right?"
Smoker flew into a rage, veins bulging on his forehead, "What nonsense are you spouting! In the first half of the Grand Line, my Logia-type ability is invincible! Physical attacks are completely ineffective against me!"
You see, among those rookie pirates in the first half of the Grand Line, most didn't even know what Haki was. With Smoker's overpowered Logia-type elemental ability, unless he encountered a natural enemy with a counter-attribute, no one could harm him in the slightest.
"Oh? Really? So confident. How about we make a bet?"
Luffy stared at Smoker with a sly smile, like a big bad wolf eyeing a little rabbit.
"What are we betting on?"
Smoker was taken aback, asking instinctively.
"Alabasta, the desert kingdom you have to pass through on the first half of the Grand Line, you should know about it, right?"
Luffy's lips curled into a wicked grin.
"Of course I know," Smoker nodded emphatically, a cigar dangling from his mouth. That was an ancient kingdom founded by twenty Celestial Dragon ancestors.
"I just received confirmation that Portgas D. Ace, the Fire Fist of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, will soon appear in Alabasta. Let's make a bet on who can catch Ace first."
"The stakes are simple. If I'm lucky enough to capture Ace first, you'll have to obediently submit a report requesting a transfer and come work for me in my territory."
"The reverse is also true. If you capture him first, I'll voluntarily apply for a demotion and become your subordinate in your Marine branch."
"That sounds exciting, right? Want to take the bet?"
Upon hearing this, Smoker nearly dropped his cigar in shock, his face filled with disbelief: "Are you crazy? That's the Second Division Commander under Whitebeard!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates are one of the most renowned of the Four Emperors in the New World!
They are true emperors of the sea, reigning supreme in the New World, and no one dares to mess with them!
This Luffy guy is actually audacious enough to want to lay a hand on one of Whitebeard's core members?
In Smoker's eyes, this behavior was tantamount to suicide!
"Look at you, so pathetic, chickening out before the fight even starts?"
Luffy glanced sideways at the astonished Smoker and launched into a merciless taunt.
Provoked, Smoker instantly bristled like a wildcat whose tail had been stepped on, roaring, "Bullshit! I'm a proud Marine Headquarters Captain, the word 'afraid of pirates' doesn't exist in my dictionary! I take this bet!"
Seeing his provocation work, Luffy's face broke into a sly smile of triumph. "It's settled then. We'll see in Alabasta. I need to get a detailed nautical chart from the base this afternoon, so I won't keep you company any longer."
With that, Luffy swaggered up to Tashigi, teasingly adding, "Glasses, I bet in a few days you'll be calling me 'Commander' and following me around."
Tashigi, seeing Luffy's suddenly close face, feeling his warm breath, instantly blushed crimson, almost as if steam were rising from her head. She hastily retreated several steps.
Smoker, watching from the sidelines, gritted his teeth, grumbling, "What nonsense are you spouting? You think you've already won before the fight even starts?"
Luffy gave Smoker a look of pity, as if looking at a mentally challenged child, silently thinking, "With your blockhead like you, do you even need to guess who's going to win?"
Then, without a word, Luffy led Zoro, who had been merely a background figure, and strode out of the weapon shop.
Only after their figures had completely disappeared did Tashigi's blush slowly fade. She timidly approached Smoker and whispered, "Colonel, what Commodore Luffy said just now... it sounded like no matter who wins or loses, you'll end up working under him..."
A row of question marks instantly appeared on Smoker's forehead: "???"
Meanwhile, at the other end of the bustling Loguetown...
A group of mysterious, cloaked figures, completely concealed, scurried about the town's alleyways like headless flies.
"A bunch of idiots! Still can't sense where my hand is?"
Under the cloaks, a man with a signature red nose and clown makeup roared furiously at his subordinates.
This guy was none other than Buggy the Clown, the legendary figure blessed with Conqueror's Haki and incredible luck!
He was quite pathetic, actually one of the few sensible people in this world of brute force.
Completely different from those mindless villains who hack and slash at anyone they saw and steal any money they could find.
Buggy's greatest hobby in life was nothing but glittering treasure.
His daily pastime was simply inquiring about where the easy money was.
Completely different from those barbaric pirates who burned, killed, and looted as soon as they landed on an island.
Buggy runs his pirate crew more like a traveling circus. Upon arriving at an island, they first infiltrate under the guise of a circus performance to gather intelligence.
If they discover a Marine presence or any troublesome enemies, they immediately back down and abandon their treasure-hunting plans.
Only when they're certain the island is full of easy targets do they drop their disguise and become pirates, looting everything of value.
Furthermore, Buggy has a strict principle as a pirate: he only seeks wealth, never murder.
This explains why, despite being a veteran pirate who debuted around the same time as Shanks (one of the Four Emperors), and having spent most of his life in the East Blue, his bounty is a paltry 15 million Berries.
Because of this, the World Government's higher-ups consider him just a quirky, minor character with ridiculously low threat levels. Of course, this is also largely due to the fact that his top-secret identity as an apprentice on Roger's pirate crew was never revealed.
This group sneaked into Loguetown purely because they had previously stolen a treasure map pointing to the Grand Line from Colonel Morgan.
As a treasure hunter obsessed with money, Buggy certainly wasn't going to let such a golden opportunity to strike it rich slip by.
However, just as he was secretly entering town to resupply and prepare for his big operation,
his unfortunate situation arose: his hand suddenly and inexplicably went out of control, flying off in a certain direction and disappearing in the blink of an eye, exceeding the 200-yard control limit and completely losing all sense of touch.
First mate Mochi, standing beside him, turned deathly pale and stammered in a low voice, "Captain, do you think Loguetown is haunted? After all, the Pirate King was beheaded here; it's got a lot of eerie energy."
Upon hearing this, Buggy couldn't help but shudder, then slapped him, "Idiot! Where would ghosts come from in broad daylight!"
Then he muttered guiltily, "Even if there were ghosts, that old ghost Captain wouldn't come looking for me specifically."
Meanwhile, the acrobat Cabaji was riding his unicycle around a street corner, happily throwing apples and performing acrobatic tricks.
"Captain, look! These people in town are just plain stupid and rich, giving out so many tips so casually!"
Bucky nearly spat out blood, rushing over and kicking Cabaji, cart and all, flying. "You brainless idiot! We need to keep a low profile! Don't you understand? The one in charge here is that so-called 'White Hunter,' a Logia-type Devil Fruit user! If our whereabouts are exposed, none of us will leave alive!"
"Stop standing there! Go find the hand! Once you find it, retreat immediately!"
Bucky was frantic, scratching his head and roaring.
Cabaji, kicked and sent sprawling face-first from the unicycle, frantically put his gray cloak back on, terrified of being recognized.
These idiots were completely oblivious to the fact that Loguetown was a bustling tourist destination. Their mysterious, fuzzy outfits, like they were wrapped in blankets in the middle of summer, were practically screaming, "I'm not a good guy, come and get me!"
At least for Usopp, with his sharp eyesight, they were as conspicuous as searchlights in the dark.
Having just finished gesturing with Daddy, the doting father, Usopp immediately spotted these crazy cosplayers in broad daylight.
"Hey, Uncle Daddy, can you take a look? Isn't that guy leading the group the legendary Buggy the Clown?"
Usopp huddled in the corner, nervously asking Daddy beside him.
This Daddy was no ordinary man. He had once dared to challenge Yasopp, the sharpshooter of the Red-Haired Pirates, to a duel. Although he lost, Yasopp escaped with his life after seeing a picture of Usopp's daughter, and from then on, he became a bounty hunter specializing in capturing wanted criminals.
To ensure he could raise his daughter safely, Dadi memorized the files of these wanted criminals thoroughly, and he was extremely principled, only targeting those with bounties under 3 million.
But a man who could go toe-to-toe with a core member of a Yonko crew and survive a gunfight couldn't be an ordinary bounty hunter.
Even though Yasopp was just starting out at the time, it was enough to prove that this middle-aged man with a child possessed considerable strength.
Unfortunately, to prevent his daughter from ending up on the streets, he smoothed out his rough edges and holed up in Loguetown, specializing in bullying rookie pirates who were just about to head to the Grand Line to their deaths.
His keen sense for wanted criminals far surpassed that of a half-baked trainee Marine like Usopp.
Dadi squinted, scrutinizing the red nose beneath the cloak, and nodded firmly. "That's right, it's Buggy the Clown, the captain of the Buggy Pirates."
Usopp, upon hearing this, nearly jumped for joy. "Fantastic! I can't believe I found him first this time!"
Dadi, standing beside him, looked at the overly excited Usopp with a strange expression. "What, do you have a grudge against him?"
"Ah, no," Usopp quickly waved his hand in denial. "It's just that our captain's short on cash lately, practically broke. He wants us to capture this guy and take him to the Marine base to get some bounty to buy rice."
Dadi stared at Usopp in astonishment. "Didn't you just brag that you were a Marine?"
Usopp awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Strictly speaking, currently only the captain is a formally appointed member of the crew. According to the captain, the rest of us are just temporary workers..."
Dadi: "..."
When Dadi heard about the bizarre configuration of Luffy's dilapidated ship, his lips twitched uncontrollably.
Having spent so many years at sea, he'd never heard of a Marine Headquarters Commodore with neither warships nor soldiers—just a lone commander with a few temporary workers.
Back then, how impressive was Hopodie's first appearance! Even as a bum, he had a warship and dozens of Marine underlings.
Even after being demoted to some backwater, he still had a dilapidated ship and a few small fry.
But Luffy, a Captain at Headquarters, a rising star on the verge of promotion to Commodore, had such a meager crew—Dadi was utterly baffled.
Just then, Usopp, watching Buggy and his crew not far away, silently pulled out his slingshot.
"Hey? What are you up to, kid?"
Dadi asked, looking surprised.
"Of course we'll capture him," Usopp replied matter-of-factly. "We made a bet; whoever catches Buggy the Clown first wins."
Daddy looked at Usopp like he was an idiot: "He's a pirate with a bounty of 15 million. Are you sure your little body can take him down?"