Chapter 108

<Hina, Bastille, change of plan. You two grab Koala and head to our next destination without me.>

<...And where will you be at?>

<Fish Man island.>

__________

[Sabaody Archipelago]

"It's been four years since I last came here," Muttered Smoker as he took a step onto the first grove of the archipelago, "and..."

Looking to his left and right, Smoker noticed that the place had reverted to what it used to be before his influence.

"Human Auctioning House... it's back? Again?"

"It's been, ugh, like this since last y-year—" Maynard, found on Smoker's right, was on his knees, trying to calm the dizziness in him.

Thirty minutes ago, Maynard clearly remembered that they were in the Foolshout island. The fact that Smoker's 'nimbus cloud' was capable of travelling at such speed... the more he thought about it, the more flabbergasted he was.

'No wonder we couldn't catch up to him for years. Like how—'

BOOOOM!

At the next moment, Maynard found his eyes popping out of his sockets as he saw the Human Auctioning House abruptly exploding into pieces. Slowly turning his eyes to his left, Maynard found Smoker standing with his index finger extended, along with a smile of satisfaction on his face.

"GAHHHHHH!!!!"

"A-A BUILDING SUDDENLY EXPLODED!!!"

People nearby—most being the nobles—fell into a frenzy. The guards who stood with them quickly checked their surroundings in caution.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!!!!" As all this was happening, Maynard grabbed Smoker by the collar of the latter's shirt and yanked it back and forth. Smoker, not fazed by it, simply looked back at Maynard plainly.

"What's wrong?" Out of genuine confusion, Smoker asked, "I mean, might as well do this since I'm wanted anyway."

"W-WAIT!!" Then, one man—presumably a guard judging by his outfit—pointed his shaky finger at Smoker, "HE-HE IS—"

"AHHHHHH!!!! IT'S WHITE HUNTER SMOKER!!!"

Over the years, Smoker, with his high mobility, managed to roam throughout the world at an astoundingly quick pace. Marine and World Government were incapable of capturing him, and the only information they always received upon arriving late to the scene, were the deaths or heavy injuries of nobilities considered corrupt in the eyes of the public. Thanks to this,

"RUN!!!"

those who sighted Smoker today were busy scrambling their way out, while shedding a tear of sorrow that their entertainment was no more.

"...We're found now," Sighed Maynard, "World Government will definitely respond to this! Ugh, how are we going to reach the Fish Man island if we are forced to deal with them?!"

However, Smoker didn't seem interested in listening to Maynard. Instead, he was found at the nearby stand away from Maynard,

"Hey, how much is this rice cracker?"

"LISTEN TO ME, YOU KNUCKLEHEAD!!!" Maynard screamed, causing Smoker to turn back and blink his eyes.

"Maynard, you idiot," Eventually, Smoker sighed, "Why are we here in the first place?"

"To get a ship coated and start sailing down, obviously!!"

Smoker nodded, "And do we have a ship?"

Maynard froze. The only ship that Smoker had was given for Hina, Bastille, and Koala's travel, and the two of them, on the other hand, travelled on Smoker's cloud.

"...Then why are we here?" Maynard eventually said, "If we need a ship, we should go somewhere and buy—"

"A good ship enough to survive an insane degree of water pressure is what we need," Smoker interrupted, "There is one ship that I'm waiting for in particular."

"This place sells ships?! Since when?!"

Smoker raised an eyebrow, "Since when did I say that I'm going to buy a ship—oh?" Turning away from Maynard and gazing at the distant sea, Smoker grinned, "There it is."

Smoker then vanished, leaving Maynard by himself. Maynard turned around to the direction that Smoker travelled at, and found himself at the loss of words.

'T-That's...!!!'

__________

"Long time no see."

Smoker, casually sitting on the biggest of numerous Marine Warships, spoke to Borsalino and Tensei—two Admirals whom he faced just an hour ago,

"I need this ship, so get out."

The surrounding marine soldiers stood confused, never having come across a scene like this before. Borsalino and Tensei, also confused by what they heard, squinted their eyes at Smoker.

"...Say that again?" Borsalino's left eye twitched as he asked.

"Get out," Repeated Smoker, pointing his thumb at the sea.

And in an instant, countless firearms, along with cannons attached to other Warships, were pointed at Smoker.

Tensei exclaimed, "How... how are you here even...? Didn't we leave Foolshout before you?!"

"White Hunter..." Vice Admiral Doberman on the adjacent warship growled as he unsheathed his sword, "There isn't a second time—"

Thud.

Smoker's burst of Conqueror's Haki was sufficient enough to selectively knock Vice Admiral unconscious, causing the nearby marine soldiers to panic.

"I only need one," Smoker stared into the eyes of Borsalino, "So, do we fight or not?"

"..."

Borsalino kept his mouth shut. The wind began to pick up as Smoker narrowed his eyes, and within the wind was a sliver of white smoke, getting more and more intense as time passed by. As the atmosphere grew intense, a cold sweat left Borsalino's body, knowing full well that the last fight against Smoker didn't involve the latter using his full strength.

"...Kowaine~"

Eventually, Borsalino raised his hands up as a sign of yield and sighed, "Take it!"

"...WHAT?" Tensei, who thought they would be fighting, shouted at Borsalino. Borsalino, shrugging, said,

"My working hour is over~!"

No one expected such an answer out of Borsalino. Comically, they slipped and fell head-first to the wooden deck.

"Thanks, Borsalino." Smoker nodded, before saying, "Now get out of my ship. I'm in a hurry."

"""IT'S YOUR SHIP ALREADY?!!""" Shouted the marines, to which Smoker exhibited an annoyance.

From a far distance away at the edge of Grove 1 of Sabaody Archipelago, Maynard stood with a confused frown on his face as he watched the ongoing conversation between Smoker and marines—though he couldn't get a sense of what they were talking of. Then, a masculine voice was spoken from someone behind him,

"Gentleman, I heard previously that you plan on going to the Fish Man island?"

Maynard, shaking his head to lose the dazed expression, turned around and was met with the sight of a muscular man with long and wavy white-silver-coloured hair, a matching coloured beard, and round glasses on his face.

Said man smiled and said, "I was at the edge of becoming a slave, having been stuck in that Human Auctioning House just before. Since your friend saved me, how about I give you a discount?"

"...Who are you?"

"Oh my, forgive my forgetfulness! I'm the coating mechanic Ray; nice to meet you."

Maynard, looking at the self-proclaimed Ray's outstretched hand, reached for it and shook it.

"And the discount, you say?"

"Why, yes!"

"How much exactly?"

"Hm... 1—0.5%... actually, 0.25%."

"Fuck off."

__________

"So we're going to where, you say?" Asked Maynard.

Smoker and Maynard were found walking side-by-side, with Smoker carrying a huge Marine warship on a floating white cloud he formed through the use of his fruit ability. People whom they went through looked at the floating ship with their jaws dropped open, but Smoker didn't care in the first place, and Maynard had gotten far too tired to care.

"There," Said Smoker, pointing a finger at,

-Shakky's Rip-off Bar-

Maynard groaned, "That's a bar, mate!"

"A legendary coating mechanic lives in here, I heard," Smoker said confidently before placing down the warship on a flat ground and opening the door into the bar.

Creak—.

"Hahaha! Listen, Shakky, after that, I was going to—eh?"

Sitting at one seat in the bar was the coating mechanic Ray. Maynard, upon following Smoker, turned stoic as his eyes met Ray's.

"..."

"..."

Not feeling the atmosphere, Smoker walked up to Ray and said, "You are the coating mechanic Ray, right? I'm here to request a quick coating. We're in a hurry, so—"

"..." Ray stared at Smoker plainly, before saying, "One million Beli."

Smoker nodded, "Sure, but in return, do it in an hour—"

"Ten million."

Smoker's eyes sharpened. Ray stared back at Smoker in an equal seriousness, and the surrounding wooden constructs began to vibrate—as two opposing Conqueror's Haki began to surface.

Vrooooooooom—

Then, a woman's voice interrupted, "If you're going to fight, do it outside."

The unspoken struggle of Haki between the two men ended.

"Haha, I guess I was being a little childish there, eh Shakky!" Ray laughed as he placed his elbow on a table.

Smoker sighed, before taking out ten million Beli from his jacket and placing it in front of Ray. As Ray expressed a surprise, not having expected such an amount of money to actually be given to him, Smoker said seriously,

"'Demon Heir' Douglas Bullet is in Fish Man island. Every second counts."

Maynard frowned and said to Smoker, "Oi Smoker, why tell him that? He's just a commoner anyway—"

"What did you say?"

Maynard stopped, upon seeing a deep, concerned frown on Ray's face. Shakky behind the bar also, was found grimacing.

Standing up, Ray exited the bar through the door,

"...You want me to coat THIS in an hour?"

before coming back in with a deadpan. Sighing, Ray then reached to the back of the bar and brought out a... small boat.

"Use this instead. I can do it in 15 minutes."

"Are you trying to kill us?" Maynard refuted in disbelief, "That thing's going to break for sure!"

"It's made out of Adam wood."

"I-It's made out of... what...?"

Maynard's head was in a chaos.

'Who the hell wastes Adam wood like that?!!'

"May look simple, but it's one of the masterpieces that Tom made himself."

"T-TOM?!! As in the one who made Oro Jackson of the Pirate King?!!" Maynard screamed, unable to believe what was spoken by the man.

Smoker, walking up to the boat that Ray held, placed his hand and felt the texture of it. Eventually, he grinned,

"Deal."

And it has only been around an hour or so since they left the Foolshout island.