A massive Marine warship slowly sailed into the port of Cocoyasi Village, its towering white hull gleaming under the sunlight while the seagull-emblazoned flag of the Marines fluttered prominently in the sea breeze.
“Is this Cocoyasi Village?”
“It doesn’t look like anything special.
Why would that so-called mysterious merchant choose a place like this?”
A man stepped down from the warship, draped in a Marine coat with the word “Justice” emblazoned across the back, a lit cigar clenched between his teeth as wisps of smoke curled around his stern face, his entire presence radiating the oppressive aura of a seasoned fighter.
He was a Marine Headquarters officer stationed in Loguetown Captain Smoker, a user of the Logia-type Moku Moku no Mi.
Smoker felt that Marine Headquarters had been severely underutilizing him.
Was it really necessary for him to personally handle the escort of a pirate like Arlong, whose bounty was only 20,000,000 Berries?
If not for the additional report about a suspicious merchant potentially distributing Devil Fruits in the East Blue a matter that could disrupt the balance of the entire sea he might have ignored the order altogether.
“Captain.”
At his side, Tashigi adjusted her glasses as she spoke in a serious tone.
“Should we begin by contacting the villagers to gather intelligence, or proceed directly to Arlong Park, as mentioned in the report, to take custody of the defeated Arlong Pirates?”
Smoker exhaled a long stream of smoke before flicking the cigar to the ground and crushing it beneath his boot.
“First, we deal with those damned Fishmen.”
“After that, contact the local Marine Branch and have them provide the merchant’s location.
And that Captain Nezumi make sure he shows up.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Tashigi immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi and began establishing contact with the Marine Branch responsible for this region.
“Mysterious merchant, Devil Fruits, and vague ability descriptions…”
Smoker let out a cold snort.
“This is getting interesting.”
He did not believe a single word of Captain Nezumi’s report.
A normal villager, after obtaining a Devil Fruit, somehow defeating the entire Arlong Pirates crew without any period of adaptation or training?
Did they think Marine Headquarters was filled with fools?
Worse still, the report could not even clearly describe the ability used only vaguely stating that it “seemed to influence the weather.”
As for the so-called mysterious merchant, the only classification given was the utterly useless phrase “suspected Devil Fruit user.”
“Seemed.” “Suspected.”
The wording alone was enough to make Smoker’s expression darken.
He was already beginning to suspect that someone had betrayed the principles of justice.
…
Arlong Park.
Smoker stood with his hands in his pockets, watching as Marines carried out a massive Fishman, his cigar once again lit as he took a slow drag.
That figure was Arlong, the captain of the Arlong Pirates, a former member of the Sun Pirates who had fled the Grand Line and established himself in the East Blue.
Yet now, Arlong’s condition was miserable.
A gaping wound pierced straight through his right chest, while his body was riddled with scorched marks resembling the aftermath of lightning strikes.
Such injuries should have been fatal.
If not for the natural resilience of Fishmen and the fact that the fatal blow had narrowly avoided his heart, he would already be dead.
Taking into account the similarly charred and battered conditions of the other Fishmen and the defeated officers
The experienced Smoker quickly reconstructed the battle in his mind.
A powerful Devil Fruit user had appeared at Arlong Park.
And in an extremely short amount of time, that individual had completely crushed the Arlong Pirates single-handedly.
This was not a fight it was overwhelming domination.
And precisely because of that, Smoker could draw a firm conclusion.
The person responsible for this destruction was absolutely not an ordinary villager who had just eaten a Devil Fruit.
No matter how talented someone was, or how compatible they were with their fruit, it was impossible to develop such overwhelming mastery immediately after consumption.
“Lightning-based attacks… could it be a Logia-type fruit?”
Smoker’s gaze sharpened.
A Logia user of this caliber was enough to warrant serious attention from Marine Headquarters.
If such a person were to take to piracy, it would not take long before they became a major threat on the Grand Line, easily surpassing a bounty of 100,000,000 Berries.
At that moment, Captain Nezumi hurried over, flanked by a few trusted subordinates, his expression filled with barely concealed panic.
“Sm-Smoker Captain!
Welcome!
I was just heading to the port to receive you, I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly…”
Smoker turned his gaze toward the rat-faced Marine, his eyes cold and appraising.
Without a word, he exhaled a thick cloud of smoke directly in Nezumi’s direction.
“Save the pleasantries.
Take me to the shop you mentioned the one that supposedly sells everything.”
There was no need to question the villagers, who were clearly victims in this situation.
In Smoker’s view, everything in the report reeked of Nezumi’s attempt to save himself.
Shifting blame, exaggerating threats, and hiding his own negligence.
Allowing a pirate like Arlong to establish a base in Cocoyasi Village without interference
Such cowardice, dereliction of duty, and possible collusion crossed a line Smoker would never tolerate.
With his cigar clenched firmly, Smoker issued a sharp command.
“You’re in charge of transporting these Fishmen back to the warship.
I’ll meet this so-called Shop Owner myself.”
“Yes, Captain!”
…
The arrival of the Marine warship caused immediate commotion throughout the village.
The aura of these Marines was completely different from that of the corrupt Branch 16 soldiers who had previously operated under Nezumi.
The defeated Fishmen, bound tightly and still unconscious from Nami’s lightning attacks, were being escorted in silence toward the dock.
Even Genzo and the other villagers, who had long harbored distrust toward the Marines, could not help but feel a shift in their perception.
This was what the Marines were supposed to be.
A force that truly upheld justice.
“Captain Smoker… it’s this shop.”
Nezumi stopped nervously outside a modest storefront, his voice lowering as he spoke.
“That Shop Owner has rules… one of them is that fighting is forbidden inside.”
“So…”
Smoker waved him off impatiently before he could continue.
“I know.”
Without hesitation, Smoker pushed open the door and stepped inside, with Tashigi following closely behind.
Inside the shop, Xia Wen was calmly arranging a batch of jars across a table, lining them up neatly without even glancing at the newcomers.
“New guests, welcome to the Jar Shop.”
“Each jar costs 100,000 Berries.
Limit of ten per person per week.”
Smoker’s gaze immediately locked onto the table.
Exactly thirty jars.
His pupils contracted slightly.
Did this man know he was coming?
And how had he predicted the exact number of people?
“Oh, right.”
Having finished arranging the jars, Xia Wen finally lifted his head and looked directly at Smoker, whose expression had subtly changed.
“Smoking is prohibited inside the shop.”
…
Smoker paused for a brief moment before silently extinguishing his cigar.
It was not fear that made him comply—he simply had no intention of complicating the mission at hand.
As a Logia user, he had absolute confidence in his ability to handle any situation if it escalated.
Dispensing with any form of subtle probing, Smoker spoke bluntly.
“I am Smoker, Marine Captain stationed in Loguetown.”
“I’ve heard that you… sell Devil Fruits here?”
Xia Wen’s gaze flicked briefly toward Nezumi, who stood behind Smoker, too afraid to even raise his head, before he nodded calmly.
“That’s correct.”
“My jars can produce anything.”
“There is nothing they cannot contain only things you have yet to imagine.”
“Devil Fruits are merely one category among them.”
“They are not even considered top-tier items here.”