Chapter 325
Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, Hadouken!
Chapter 325 Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, Hadouken!
“Mmm mmm.”
Sabaody Archipelago, Island No. 4.
With his mouth stuffed full of food, Luffy, who had essentially become a giant-headed man, was enjoying his meal with great relish.
However, Zoro's expression was not good.
"What a pity, Zoro."
Chopper, carrying the medicinal herbs, walked lightly while muttering to himself, "I found the famous sword shop, but it's already closed."
"There's nothing we can do about it."
Beside Chopper, Reiju, dressed in a pink dress, chuckled and said, "After all, truly famous swords aren't cheap. And the Celestial Dragons haven't been coming to Sabaody Archipelago lately, so it's normal for them to close down due to a lack of customers."
"But Zoro-kun—you shouldn't be in a hurry to buy a sword, right?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Zoro.
"Um"
Zoro nodded, then looked down at the three swords at his waist—Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri, and Sandai Kitetsu—these were his current swords.
But as they ventured deeper into the Grand Line, their swordsmanship gradually improved.
Zoro also realized that 'Yukishiro' of the three swords was becoming somewhat unusable.
Although he has no plans to change his sword yet, as a swordsman, he has long been eager to do so—especially after learning that the Sabaody Archipelago has the largest 'sword auction house' in the entire paradise, he was originally very much looking forward to it.
Seeing Zoro's somber expression, Reiju smiled again: "Speaking of which, I gathered quite a bit of information when I traveled the world with my father, including information on some famous swords. Well, most of them are in the New World."
"Let's set off immediately! Let's go to the new world!"
Before she could finish speaking, Zoro excitedly grabbed Luffy's shoulder.
Luffy: "Oh, okay."
Chopper: "Are you two idiots? You didn't listen to what Mr. Rayleigh and Ms. Shakky said at all, did you? Going to Fishman Island from this island these days is practically suicide! I don't want to die, sob sob sob!"
He was only halfway through his sentence when Reiju covered his mouth and nose.
This caused Chopper to show a look of horror—could it be that Reiju has also been assimilated by Luffy and Zoro?
But it followed closely behind.
"Chopper, be quiet."
Chopper then heard Reiju's hushed voice.
Chopper: "?"
He was puzzled, but then he immediately noticed that Luffy and Zoro, who had been talking nonsense, seemed to have sensed something as well, and their expressions turned serious at the same time.
Luffy, unusually, stopped eating, while Zoro gripped the hilt of his sword.
"Hey Luffy, there's some tough guy fighting up ahead."
"Ok!"
Luffy swallowed the food in his mouth, his eyes also flashing with excitement: "Let's go take a look!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the three of them headed forward amidst Chopper's whimpering (Wait, we agreed with Nami that we couldn't do anything reckless).
Soon, they came to see a ruin.
Yes.
The nearby buildings had already collapsed, and the people appeared to have been evacuated.
So Luffy and his crew crouched low, using the collapsed buildings as cover as they continued forward, and soon spotted the two people in the center of the battlefield.
"White Fist - Ten Hands, Thousand Fists!"
At that moment, one of them was covered in billowing white smoke.
His lower body completely turned into smoke, while his upper body was a burly man with a cigar in his mouth, holding a sea stone weapon called 'Ten-te'.
His figure shot and flew through the air continuously.
As he flew, intense Armament Haki enveloped his body, and countless fists materialized out of thin air within the smoke, blasting towards his opponent from all directions.
"That guy, he's from Loguetown."
"It's a smoker!"
Luffy and Zoro immediately recognized Smoker.
Zoro, in particular, noticed that Smoker's military uniform had completely changed.
He was no longer wearing the captain's uniform that belonged to the Navy Headquarters, but instead a dark blue uniform adorned with stars.
However, at the same time, both of them share the same attitude towards Smoker—that is, fear.
They all still remember this guy.
Back in Loguetown, they were almost wiped out by the other side.
Now they know that the other party is a user of the strongest type of Devil Fruit, the 'Logia'.
Meanwhile, on Smoker's other side.
"That guy is a fish-man?"
Zoro frowned and looked at the person opposite Smoker.
It was a huge fish-man with dark blue skin!
He was wearing a kimono and looked quite round.
But his bulging muscles were brimming with explosive power.
"Fishman Karate - Karakusa Tile Punch!"
At this moment, facing Smoker's relentless and fierce attacks.
He simply lowered his waist and stood up, then threw a punch.
"boom!"
A massive shockwave erupted from his fist, instantly shattering the giant smoky fist that Smoker had unleashed.
Seeing this, Smoker did not panic. Instead, he exhaled a deep breath of smoke and raised his jitte high before bringing it down again!
White Fist Style: Hand Breaker!
"Samewa Shoken!"
The fishman's palms were like knives as he raised them and slashed horizontally.
The next instant.
"Boom!"
The palm blade collided with the iron rod, and a huge shockwave instantly spread outwards.
Both of them leaped backward, each leaving a huge crater in the ground.
"So strong!"
Chopper stared intently: "That man in the smoke is the Marine from Loguetown that Luffy and Zoro were talking about? He's that strong!?"
"."*2
At this moment, Luffy and Zoro remained silent and did not reply.
They had fought Smoker before, so their understanding was much clearer—the strength Smoker was displaying far exceeded their previous knowledge in Loguetown. At least back then, they were certain that Smoker had never used Armament Haki.
"He's gotten stronger. He's gotten a lot stronger!"
Zoro gripped his sword tightly.
Along the way, he considered that he had seen countless powerful figures and fought many battles, and his sword skills had improved significantly.
He has always believed that if he were to encounter Smoker again, the situation in Loguetown would never repeat itself.
But today, he finds that things may not be as he thought.
They are making progress, and Smoker is making progress too.
His progress was even comparable to that of the Straw Hat crew.
"That guy's opponent."
But at this moment, Reiju, who did not recognize Smoker, looked sharply at another person: "That fishman looks like..." She had obviously recognized the fishman.
"Jinpei, the 'Knight of the Sea'".
And it was at this moment that Smoker spoke in a low voice.
"I heard you fled to Fishman Island, why did you suddenly come here to attack me?"
He bit his cigar and looked at the fishman in front of him.
"It was not an attack."
At this moment, Jinbe, standing in front of him, spoke seriously: "I just want to understand why you are here—you are a cadre of the Star Hunting Force, you should be able to give me the answer."
"If you are willing to tell me, I will leave immediately."
As he spoke, his expression became somewhat solemn.
As he said.
He left Fishman Island today for the Sabaody Archipelago.
His goal was to determine the reason for the existence of the Star Hunting Force in the Sabaody Archipelago and the army gathered in Mary Geoise—whether they came for him and for Fishman Island, which was very important to Jinbe.
But it must be said that even Jinbe himself didn't expect this.
The first Starhunter officer he encountered after arriving at the Sabaody Archipelago was surprisingly strong.
"Oh, that won't do."
Upon hearing Jinbe's words, Smoker grinned and said, "You're no longer one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—I don't have the habit of exchanging information with pirates."
As he spoke, he clenched his fists and said in a deep voice, "However, I can tell you that if you appear on this island now, your chances of escaping successfully are slim."
As he spoke, he could feel the pain coming from the tiger's mouth.
So he thought to himself, 'As expected of a Shichibukai.'
You should know that when he was in Loguetown, he put aside his pride and underwent rigorous training with Roy and Garp.
Whether it was his physique, his Armament Haki, or his combat skills, he believed that he had made considerable progress compared to before.
However, in this situation, although his battle with Jinbe just now seemed to be evenly matched.
But Smoker knew very well that he had only managed to create this stalemate by relying on the power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
If it were a real life-or-death battle, he probably wouldn't be a match for Jinbe.
However, he wasn't in a hurry.
As he said, the one who needs to be anxious on this island now is not him, but Jinbe.
"The message has been sent back to headquarters. Hansfar and Renly just reported that they have each captured a group of pirates and are currently hunting down the leaders of those two groups. They probably won't have time to come and provide support."
"So, um... that guy came to help in person?"
With this thought in mind, Smoker's gaze toward Jinbe became even sharper.
"Ah, I understand."
Upon hearing Smoker's words, Jinbe nodded: "As long as we can obtain the information and ensure the safety of Fishman Island, my life is not such an important matter."
As he spoke, he once again adopted a defensive stance: "Since you are unwilling to tell me the information, then I will not be polite!"
"Fishman Karate - Five Thousand Tile Hand Knife!"
And while the battle between the two continued.
"It's actually Jinbe, the former Shichibukai 'Knight of the Sea'."
Reiju, hidden behind the ruins, had sharp eyes: "He actually appeared in Sabaody Archipelago—according to Mr. Rayleigh and Ms. Shakky, he should have come to gather information about Fishman Island."
As one of the Straw Hat crew members who knows the most information about the sea and is also one of the smartest, Reiju immediately realized Jinbe's purpose.
"Huh? That fishman uncle is a former Shichibukai? No wonder he's so strong!"
Upon hearing this, Chopper's little mouth gaped open.
Meanwhile, Luffy, standing to the side, looked excited: "Hey, Zoro—that fishman uncle looks super strong!"
"Hmm, I've heard my teacher mention 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe. He's definitely a very strong guy."
Zoro nodded as he watched Jinbe send Smoker flying with a palm strike that sent the wave crashing through the sea.
"Hey, don't you guys understand what's going on? We need to leave immediately!"
At this moment, Reiju put away her usual gentle demeanor and spoke seriously.
"Leave?" *3
Upon hearing this, Chopper, Zoro, and Luffy were immediately taken aback.
They certainly wanted to keep watching this level of battle.
"Ah."
Reiju had clearly realized the crux of the problem: "The news that a former Shichibukai has appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago will soon reach the Star Hunting Force, and they will send reinforcements soon."
"Given the strength of 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbe, the guy who comes here is definitely not weak. Staying here will only make things dangerous for us."
But she didn't have time to finish her sentence.
At this moment
"I know your support should be on its way."
After blasting Smoker away, Jinbe stood up and looked at Smoker, who was soaked in seawater and temporarily lost his elemental abilities.
"Although I consider myself quite strong, I do not believe I can survive your encirclement and suppression, so I will not stand on ceremony."
As he spoke, his aura became as calm and unwavering as a deep pool.
"Buzz!"
An unprecedented aura gathered in his hands, along with a water sphere condensed to its fullest extent.
Jinbe gripped the water sphere tightly, his hands trembling from the force he exerted.
Visibly intense energy began to surge in the air, and the sharp and powerful Armament Haki even stirred up a low tsunami sound in the surrounding air.
"call"
Jinbe exhaled deeply, his voice almost in sync with the tsunami: "Fishman Karate - Secret Technique"
"Wu Laiguan!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he threw a punch.
That was a strike powerful enough to send even the Emperor of the Sea flying; it was one of the strongest techniques of the Fishman Karate he had practiced.
"!!!"
At that moment, Smoker's expression also changed drastically—he too could sense the power contained in this attack.
Even he, if hit head-on, would definitely lose the ability to fight, even if he didn't die.
"You want to defeat me quickly, take me away, and then try to extract information from me?"
Smoker realized Jinbe's intentions: "How could that be possible!?"
He growled, and the smoke around his body began to churn violently.
But only for the next moment.
“If you force your way through this attack, you’ll be spending a long time in the infirmary, Smoker.”
A calm and clear voice came through.
"Step aside and hand it over to your most respected superior."
Accompanied by such sounds.
"Hadouken: Tenshou!"
A magnificent golden wave descended from the sky.
(End of this chapter)