Smoker's Shock

Chapter 216: Smoker's Shock

"Luffy," Solo looked directly in Luffy's direction. "He is truly an unbeatable cockroach."

Though Solo hadn't used his full strength in the sword aura just now, it was still incredibly powerful. He thought he could defeat Luffy in seconds. Unexpectedly, he managed to struggle and stand up from the ice.

It's incredible. But, while Solo admires Luffy's perseverance to some extent, this is a top-level battle that affects the future of the world. The most influential and largest war of the century.

In the original plan, the Marine Headquarters didn't achieve a true victory. After Whitebeard shouted about the real big secret treasure, the sea, which had finally calmed down, was once again stirred by the arrival of numerous powerful pirates.

Simultaneously, many dangerous individuals were released from Impel Down. And within the Marine ranks, Sengoku took responsibility and resigned.

Aokiji left the Marine Headquarters, and completely betrayed them and became an enemy of the world. Even though Akainu moved the Marine Headquarters to the New World to show determination, after two years, there was still no impact on the region.

On the contrary, due to various factors, the Sabaody Archipelago became even more chaotic. Starting from there, the number of pirates heading to the New World multiplied even further.

"No matter how you look at it, pirates like Luffy are the minority. Most pirates are like Blackbeard—only plundering the weak and causing endless chaos in this world," Solo thought to himself.

In any case, the Whitebeard Pirates must be dealt with, allowing the Navy to achieve the ultimate victory in this war.

"It's not just the Whitebeard Pirates," Solo continued.

As a traverser, he knew very well that the Blackbeard Pirates had just left Impel Down and were heading to Marineford. After all, Blackbeard's goal was Whitebeard's Devil Fruit.

If Blackbeard were left unattended here, it would undoubtedly be allowing the tiger to return to the mountain, making the New World even more turbulent.

"Not a single one."

With this in mind, Solo made up his mind. He was here to end the war. At the same time, Solo's actions caught everyone's attention, leaving them in shock.

No one could have imagined that this war, which had such a significant impact on the world's structure, would turn into Solo's one-man show at this moment.

Even the Warlords, the Three Admirals, had become nothing more than a backdrop for Solo.

"Mr. Solo's strength is too terrifying," Koby said, staring at Solo with wide eyes, nervously swallowing his saliva.

He never expected Solo, who was only in his twenties, to be this strong. The powerful individuals on the battlefield were being defeated one after another by Solo, effortlessly. It was in stark contrast to his own struggles.

"Monster... Mr. Solo is a monster," Helmeppo couldn't help but gasp.

Among all the people she had encountered, no one could be compared to Solo. It was outrageous and it wasn't just them. Perona, Robin, and Smoker, everyone present was dumbfounded.

"Solo, does he want to end this war by himself?" Perona complained.

She even felt that Solo was working harder than the Vice Admirals and Admirals of the Marine Headquarters.

"Surely this was your plan, Solo," Robin recalled her previous speculations.

Hawkeye Mihawk, Jimbei. Add to that Crocodile and Moria.

Among the Warlords, four had already been defeated by Solo. This guy truly wanted to eradicate the unjust Shichibukai system. His ambition was the greatest in the world!

"Solo..." Smoker gritted his teeth.

Each enemy that Solo defeated was among the strongest in this sea. In terms of strength, they far surpassed him. Yet, one by one, they fell to Solo's swordsmanship.

And Luffy, he had tried to capture Luffy on multiple occasions. But every time, Luffy managed to escape. It made him doubt his own abilities.

However, in front of Solo, Luffy had no strength to fight back. And...Armament Haki.

As Z's disciple, Smoker was aware of Armament Haki's existence. He had even started practicing it himself. But even now, his grasp of Armament Haki was limited, and he wasn't very skilled with it.

He could only use it with weapons like his jitte against Devil Fruit users. However, Solo, who was once considered weak, was now displaying highly advanced Armament Haki.

Comparison brought understanding. Such a scene inevitably made Smoker doubt himself. What have I been doing all these years?

"Solo," Smoker clenched his fists.

Of course, he didn't believe that Solo had only recently become stronger. That would mean Solo wasn't human at all. He preferred to think that Solo had been hiding his true strength from the very beginning.

But why did Solo do that? No...

That's not the point.

The real question was, how strong is Solo now?

"The Haki emanating from this guy Solo is no less than that of Instructor Z," Smoker gasped involuntarily.

He couldn't help but recall his teacher, Z.

Both of them were strong individuals who relied on physical strength rather than Devil Fruit abilities. And they had become Admirals of the Marine Headquarters at a young age.

The proficiency of their Armament Haki was impeccable.

Z's was known as "Black Arm."

However, in Smoker's eyes, Solo's Armament Haki, and aura were no less impressive than Z's. 

The strength of Solo...How powerful was he? Equivalent to a top-level Vice Admiral? Or… Had he already reached the level of an Admiral? Is someone in their twenties becoming an Admiral?

Even if he had been hiding his strength. Even if he had been secretly training since birth. It would only have taken a little over twenty years to reach the level of an Admiral.

Was there another monster in the sea like Solo? Probably not!

"I'm afraid this guy is stronger than Roger..." Smoker clenched his teeth, unable to accept this thought.

But aboard the Moby Dick...Whitebeard stood at the bow of the ship, closely monitoring the battlefield. And from Solo, he saw a familiar figure. That's right, Gol D. Roger!

"That marine brat," Whitebeard thought.

In his view, letting others deal with Solo would only be a futile sacrifice. It seemed like he had to take care of this himself. Get rid of this guy.

In an instant, the calm Whitebeard raised his arm once again, curling his fingers into a fist. Using his Devil Fruit ability, he compressed the air around him. Immediately, a white, transparent light ball enveloped his fist.