Swordsman and Navigator

"Let's save the reunion for another time," Sanders said, finishing his drink and stretching as he stood up. "I want to explore Loguetown. I haven't even eaten yet, waiting for you."

As Sanders moved to leave the bar, Smoker, sitting at the bar without turning around, took another deep drag from his cigars. The dense smoke filled the area, causing the bartender to back away coughing, but he didn't dare complain. After all, Smoker was the highest-ranking Marine officer in Loguetown, someone not to be crossed.

"Still got something to say?" Sanders asked, stopping by the door.

"I'm a Marine. How can I just sit here and let a pirate walk under my nose without doing anything?" Smoker said as he picked up his jitte and pointed it toward Sanders.

Sanders chuckled but said nothing, walking out of the bar as Smoker followed behind him.

"Is that Smoker? And wasn't that guy just a pirate?" the other patrons in the bar murmured. Smoker had become a familiar sight in the bar, but seeing him chase after Sanders with his weapon raised made them realize who Sanders really was.

"Looks like another pirate's dream is about to end."

"Smoker's a Logia Devil Fruit user, right? No small-time pirate can stand a chance against him," one patron remarked, raising his glass. "Let's drink to another pirate getting arrested!"

They all toasted, clearly unconcerned about whether Smoker would succeed.

Outside the bar, Sanders overheard their conversation and glanced at Smoker with a grin. "Seems like you've been doing well here."

Smoker said nothing, only grunted before rushing at Sanders. He needed to see how much the gap between them had grown. His lower body transformed into smoke as he soared toward Sanders, his jitte swinging fiercely.

"Tsk, still fighting the same old way, Smoker?" Sanders mocked, his voice dripping with disdain. "Spending all your time in this backwater, no wonder you've got a false sense of invincibility."

Sanders' leg, imbued with Haki, shot out with immense force. His kick shattered Smoker's jitte with ease and continued straight into Smoker's torso.

"So fast!" Smoker's eyes widened in shock as the kick connected before he could react.

Smoker's large frame was sent flying, crashing into a nearby stall and rolling onto the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth as the surrounding vendors and townspeople fled in panic. Experience had taught the people of Loguetown never to stick around when a fight broke out.

"You're too weak," Sanders said dismissively, pointing at the destroyed stall. "Oh, and make sure you pay for the damage."

Without another word, Sanders turned and walked away. Smoker, clutching his chest in pain, watched him leave, his expression dark.

"Damn it! The gap has gotten this big?" Smoker muttered, feeling a wave of frustration wash over him. "He didn't even use his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers."

Despite his rigorous training, which was more intense than in the original story due to his friendship with Sanders, Smoker still found himself leagues behind. The residents of Loguetown trusted him, but compared to Sanders, the difference was like night and day.

"Captain Smoker!" Several Marines patrolling nearby rushed over after hearing the commotion.

"Captain, did you encounter an enemy? Should we gather the Marines to capture them?" one of the Marines asked, clearly concerned.

Cough "No need," Smoker replied, standing with the help of the Marines. "Just take me back to the base."

"And make sure to compensate the vendors for the damage, double the amount," Smoker added.

"Yes, Captain!" the Marine saluted.

As Sanders wandered around Loguetown, having left Smoker behind, he eventually found a restaurant to fill his stomach.

Then he began shopping for the supplies they needed—food, drinks, and essentials.

As he passed by a weapon shop, Sanders stopped in his tracks. If he remembered correctly, this shop had two decent swords. One was the Skillful Grade Sword "Yubashiri," and the other was the "Sandai Kitetsu."

Lately, he had been learning swordsmanship from Issho, and he was considering getting himself a sword to play with.

...

It didn't suit his image to always act like a brute, swinging his fists around.

Since he was on the same ship as Issho, Sanders naturally wouldn't pass up the opportunity to learn from him. By now, he had become a swordsman capable of unleashing flying slashes. Similarly, Sanders wasn't going to miss out on mastering Issho's Paramecia-type "Gravity" Devil Fruit either.

[Currently deducing Issho's Paramecia-type Gravity Fruit abilities... Estimated time remaining: 12 days.]

If it weren't for being stuck on the ship and unable to spar with Issho, the deducing process would be even faster.

After thinking it over, Sanders decided not to take the two swords. They were just Skillful Grade swords—not quite fitting for his status. One of the reasons he came to the East Blue was to find Golden Lion Shiki, who happened to have two excellent swords, "Oto" and "Kogarashi."

To be treasured by a pirate as renowned as Shiki, these two swords were at least of the Great Grade category.

Sanders left the weapon shop and returned to the ship with the supplies.

By then, Robin had already returned and was sitting on the second-floor balcony reading a book. Issho was still nowhere to be seen. They were set to sail the next day, so it was likely that Issho would return by morning.

Sure enough, when the sun rose, Issho appeared at the harbor, tapping his staff on the ground as he walked.

They set sail, and Sanders headed toward their next destination—Cocoyasi Village.

He needed to find a navigator for their crew.

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T/N:

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