Chapter 345: Chapter 345: Smoker – Good thing I didn’t embarrass myself in front of Ryuen!
The moment the four pirate ships appeared—
The Marines who had just been patrolling the harbor instantly got ready for battle, raising their guns and aiming at the pirates on board.
"That’s Thief Kazuo and his gang..."
"And those others... Mountain Bandit Toss, Lupin, Meters, Yami—the ones who used to give the kingdom so much trouble!"
"And that guy... isn’t he the loan shark Plus from the Magiatsuka Kingdom?!"
"Hey!"
"The guy on the far left... that’s the assassin Maruyama!"
"Can’t believe even he became a pirate. What the hell happened while they were gone?"
"Are they..."
"Are they planning to rob this place?"
"These guys... they’re all from our Magiatsuka Kingdom! And they all went out to sea and became pirates?!"
...
Some people at the harbor recognized them—the pirates on those four ships were all once big names in the kingdom.
Even the dozens of crew members on each ship were wearing clothes from the Magiatsuka Kingdom, which shocked the people at the port even more.
These guys, once infamous across the kingdom, had now gathered together as pirates.
Their appearance threw the harbor into total panic and fear.
People started guessing what they were here for, afraid they’d become the pirates’ next target.
Some people began fleeing the harbor, looking for somewhere safe to hide. Others just stood there, tense, staring at the ships, waiting to see what would happen next.
At that moment, the whole harbor felt heavy—like a storm was about to hit.
"Pirates!"
"We’re not letting you run wild in this city!"
Suddenly, an angry shout rang out, followed by the sound of countless footsteps.
"Marine!"
"It’s the Marines!"
"Rear Admiral Smoker, Lieutenant Commander Tashigi, and Captain Ori are here too!"
"Almost the entire base came!"
Everyone turned toward the sound, and sure enough, a group of Marines in white justice coats were rushing toward them. Leading the group were Smoker, Tashigi, and Ori.
Seeing this, Kazuo, Kinuta, Plus, Maruyama, and the others didn’t look scared at all—instead, they looked excited.
"Heh, finally a real fight!"
"Time to stretch our muscles a bit!"
Maruyama and Kazuo clenched their fists eagerly, their eyes full of battle spirit.
Meanwhile, Yami was hiding behind Lupin and Meters, shivering as he muttered, "We’re done for... there’s no way we can beat that many Marines!"
Mites shot him an annoyed look and said, "What are you scared of? If it comes down to it, we’ll just fight!"
The people of the port city, however, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness, the Marines are finally here!"
"With Rear Admiral Smoker, they’ll definitely defeat these pirates!"
"Yeah, Rear Admiral Smoker has the powers of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit—he’s really strong!"
By now, Smoker and the Marines had reached the port. He glanced at the four pirate ships in front of him and gave a cold smirk.
"Just a bunch of pirates, and they actually dared to come to the Magiatsuka Kingdom? What a joke."
Kazuo burst out laughing, "Ha! You Marines aren’t so tough either! Besides, we know this kingdom way better than you!"
Smoker’s face darkened, and he shouted, "Enough talk—this is your last day!"
As he spoke, his hands turned to smoke and shot toward Kazuo’s pirate ship.
Seeing this, Kazuo immediately launched a counterattack, charging straight at Smoker.
"Attack!"
"Let’s go! Follow Rear Admiral Smoker and take out these damn pirates!"
As soon as Smoker moved, the other Marines charged in after him.
"Yahahaha!"
"Everyone, take out these Marines and show them what we’ve got!"
"Yeah!!"
Maruyama, Plus, and the rest weren’t going to back down either. They quickly gave the order for all crew members to attack the Marines. The pirates drew their weapons and clashed with the incoming soldiers.
In no time, the dock was filled with the sounds of shouting and fighting. Neither side was giving an inch.
On the top floor of a hotel, the Dream Crew stood by the window, closely watching the intense battle at the port.
"Huh?"
"These guys are actually pretty strong. They’ve held out against Smoker for this long." Hogg raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
Kuina frowned slightly, eyes locked on the fight below as she calmly analyzed, "It’s only a matter of time before they lose."
Nojiko nodded in agreement and added, "Yeah, I’d say they’ll be defeated in about half an hour."
"But... Ryuen, Angela still hasn’t shown up. If these people really get captured and thrown into the Marine base... is that okay?"
Ryuen smiled slightly and reassured them:
"Don’t worry, we don’t need to get involved. I’m sure Angela has everything under control."
"Don’t forget—she’s not just some regular 13-year-old girl. Besides, Sabo is still in the Magiatsuka Kingdom too."
"No interfering, no interfering!" Reina said firmly.
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Everyone nodded and agreed to keep watching without stepping in for now.
Everyone believed that Angela had what it took to handle the situation, complete the mission, and make sure those people were safe. At the same time, she would also make sure the plan went smoothly.
....
As expected.
In just half an hour, all four pirate crews were defeated. Every member was brought ashore by the Marines led by Smoker.
"They’ve got some strength, but not much. Take them back to the base!" Smoker stood in front of the pirates and gave a cold order.
"Yes, sir!"
"Rear Admiral Smoker!" Tashigi responded seriously.
Right after, she gave orders to the soldiers, and once the pirates were tied up, they began escorting them back to the base.
"Good, no damage was done, and I didn’t embarrass myself in front of that bastard Ryuen." Smoker glanced toward the hotel and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"He’s amazing~"
"Rear Admiral Smoker is really strong. He beat Kazuo, Maruyama, and the others in just half an hour!"
"Logia-type powers really are powerful!"
...
The fact that Smoker and his men took down so many pirates so quickly shocked the people of the port city. Cries of amazement filled the air.
At the same time, everyone felt even more confident in Smoker and the Marines under his command.
"Wait a second!"
"Rear Admiral Smoker!" A voice suddenly called out from afar. It was King Angela, leading a group of kingdom soldiers as they ran toward the shore.
"It’s King Angela!"
"Why is King Angela here? And that’s Captain Witt!"
"Could it be because of Kazuo and his crew?"
...
As Angela and her troops got closer, all eyes turned to them, full of curiosity and expectation.
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