Smoker

Ozymandias POV

''We're almost there,'' I said to Daddy as he steered the ship toward Longtown. We were in a pirate Galleon that we took from the silver sword pirates.

''Hey bounty hunters, please can we negotiate this? Don't you give us the navy and we will give you the location of our treasure, Our spoils are worth more than our combined reward!'' Said the Captain of the Silver Sword Pirates, Nolan Golden Sword. He was chained to the base of the mainmast, while half of the Silver Sword Pirates Deck crew was chained to the Main Deck.

''Shut up, you will pay for what you did. This is the consequence you accepted by becoming pirates! " Said Daddy as he handed me a cup of coffee, which I took while watching the chained pirates. We became Bounty Hunter Partners and formed a friendship along the way. I needed combat experience, to survive and continue my plans for this world. So I joined Daddy as a bounty hunter

"If you don't like it, you are then invited to be part of my booty from the hunt." I gesture to the Lower Deck where there are only decapitated heads of pirates and wanted criminals. They know that Impel Down can be hell, but it's still better than death.

"Ozy, you should take it easy. Killing so many criminals could bring a veiled bad reputation.... with the navy"

"The navy? The same navy that accepts my bribes? That navy that is commanded by a corrupt government to the core? Please don't start with that again, you already know my opinion on this matter." I sigh as I drink the coffee he made

"The Government may be corrupt, But the navy is different. In the navy, there are still good people, Courageous people, Strong people, People who are willing to do good, People who will bring change, No matter how long it takes."

"I'm not going to be here five hundred years later, to live under an almost corrupt law, no. I prefer to live in the present, instead of your and your friends' promised future, which may or may not happen, The present is still very far from your idealistic future dreams''

''These pirates" Daddy points to the chained pirates

"They can still redeem themselves, not everyone will go to prison for life, in Impel Down. They can start over and redeem themselves. They can become something more, something good."

"That's right, you got me. I had forgotten about the Government's excellent rehabilitation program, what was the name again?... That's right.... it was 'thirty years in a Hellscape and then good luck friend, and don't commit more crime.' The navy and the World Government are nothing but...Ugh!'' I roar in pain as I place my hand on my legs.

Seeing this Daddy helps me sit on a barrel while he takes control of the ship's helm.

''The legs again?''

I nod, as I use my hands to give a deep massage to the muscles in my leg, to try and alleviate the pain. It turns out that modifying parts of the body is a very risky procedure, without the appropriate knowledge. The consequences of my actions are a permanent cramp in both my legs.

"You know, you should see a doctor...''

"It won't happen, I doubt any doctor will be able to do anything." Maybe the only ones who could cure me would be Law and Mansherry.

The first one, I have no idea where it could be. The second is in the lair of one of the strongest pirates in the world. So the only thing that can cure me is myself.

To do this I have to learn more about biology and medicine, only then can I heal myself safely and develop my Devil Fruit's ability along the way. Before that I can forget about trying any type of risky procedure on my body, it's not worth the risk

After talking to Daddy for a bit, I caught a glimpse of the busy port of Longue Town. In these five months, Longue town went through a notable change, due to the presence of the newest company on the rise, Hellfire Corp. The city stopped depending exclusively on tourism and began to prosper with the presence of my company. Before Loguetown only had three docks, now it has fifteen, ten of which are for the exclusive use of my company.

I look at my company's fleet of commercial ships, in total, there are 25 ships in activity. Each was commanded by an experienced captain contracted by my company. Ships carry out sea freight throughout the East Blue, transporting all types of cargo. But what differentiates my company's ships compared to others is their speed, because all my ships are steam ships.

In the world of One Piece, technology is something very expensive and rare, cargo transport companies dream of one day just having a steamship in their hands. So how did I get twenty-five of them? It's very simple, I make them in my factory.

My company is not just a cargo transport company, it is also an industrial factory. The machinery to make the engines of a steamship is absurdly expensive, in this world, the only ones who can afford it are the world government, the navy, and a few individuals. But then with the help of certain Navy people of questionable justice appointed by Daddy after so much insistence.

I managed to bribe my way into the navy ship factory and there I took a tour of their machines and 'touched' each one of them. After that, with the help of my Devil Fruit, I only had to redo the machinery that was copied from the Navy. My Devil Fruit is excellent at shaping metal. Machines that would take years to be manufactured take a day for me to shape them.

As a result, my company surpassed all competition in the region, making me a very rich man. Hellfire Corp has a main factory located in the inner part of the island where the engines are manufactured, we also have two shipyards located in the port where the steamships are assembled.

After chatting with Dad for a bit, I caught a glimpse of the busy port of Longue Town.

I get out of the pirate gallon and my presence is almost immediately noticed. Many people came to meet me

"Mr.Ozymandias please hire me I am an experienced sailor I will be of great use to your company!" said an anxious man

"Sir. I am a naval engineer and have 5 years of experience in the field. I will be of immense help." Said a thin man

"Don't hire him, sir, I'm also an engineer with two years of experience but I can be hired for half the price!" Said a chubby man.

The crowd of workers fought for a place in my company, this is nothing new for me. See, I pay my employees very well. my company's starting annual salary is B$3,000,000 belly, for comparison, an ordinary citizen in the world of One Piece earns B$1,000,000 belly annually.

Of course, I earn less because of this, but one thing I noticed when living in this world, if you treat people well they will be very loyal to you. If you save one's life then... she will practically die for you...

"Clear the way! I already told you that we are no longer hiring! Let the President pass" A man with a shaved head with a blue fin on the back of his head wearing a white shirt with red writing saying 'Hellfire Corp" on the front and behind a logo with a gear on fire.

"Hello, Sapi. What's new in the time I've been away?" Sapi was my Ship Manager he supervised the two shipyards and the docks, and he was also the boss of my 25 captains. In the story of One Piece Sapi is half human and half Fishman he is a fish seller but apart from being a great fisherman, we don't know anything else about him.

It turns out that Sapi is a really competent guy. He knows the East Blue like the back of his hand and knows the best sea routes, but he is undervalued by the local population because he is a hybrid and couldn't find a good job worthy of his talent. Because he is a half-fish man, he can hold his breath underwater for a long time. He is also quite strong compared to a normal human, as well as being an excellent swimmer.

Seeing such talent being wasted, I hired him, and today he is one of my best employees

"Everything is going well. Too well, in fact, we need more ships to cover the growing demand. Two ships are almost finished at Shipyard 1 and four more are being built at Shipyard 2 but I'm afraid that won't be enough"

"You can take this one to give you some relief" Daddy said as he got off the ship and greeted Sapi

"Daddy-san, how was the hunt?"

"It was interesting, we caught a lot this time"

"You can have the galleon Ozy but I'll want all the reward this time." How was Daddy the one who found the ship, the ship was his

"I accept" I no longer hunt for money he can keep the bounty, I now just do it to gain combat experience

"Ah, I forgot to say, a Navy Captain recently arrived in the city and he seems to be famous" Sapi tells us

"What's his name?" I ask with a sour face, Daddy notices and gives me a disapproving look

"I think the name was..." Before he finishes, everyone at the port becomes silent. I look in the direction everyone is looking and I see a navy platoon marching towards us led by no one other than the smoker himself, who was smoking two cigars at once. He comes to where we were

"Smoker, how are you friend? It's been a while. I see you've been promoted to captain, congratulations" Daddy takes the lead and greets him. The two were colleagues before Daddy retired. Smoker recognizes him and greets him back

"Daddy, It's been a long time indeed. I didn't think you would actually retire and become a second-rate bounty hunter. You had a promising future in the Navy."

"I have a daughter now, Marine is no longer my property, I hope you understand that..." Daddy said solemnly, making Smoker sigh

"I may not understand, but I accept it. At least it was for a very valid reason." Smoker then looks at me and Daddy notices his look

"Let me introduce this..." Daddy didn't have time to finish

"Ozymandias, The man I can't stop hearing about. I checked your past, and do you know what I found? Nothing. We know nothing about you, where you were born, who your parents are, or friends, or what you did before you Came to Loguetown and become the greatest bounty hunter in the East Blue, we don't know anything about you. You're a hell of a mystery, Ozymandias." Smoker says with an accusing look as he blows smoke in my face

People upon returning were alarmed by such hostility towards Ozymandias, particularly Firehell Corp employees.

"So that's why you're here... so early..."

Smoker is confused for a moment. I quickly regain my posture and blow the smoke away

"The Navy doesn't waste time checking people's backgrounds, especially those who aren't criminals. So that tells me that it wasn't you who checked my background, it was agents of the world government. And the reason you're here is to make sure the safety of the city or more specifically the safety of my company. which you are very unhappy about..." I say with a smile

Hellfire Corp is not only profitable for me, but the Navy and Government benefit indirectly from my company. The first is through the supply chain that I provide with my steamships, helping them to have greater control in the region. The second is for the expensive taxes I pay while cutting the operational costs that the government has with the navy

The navy already had plans to send someone to Longuetown, my presence only accelerated those plans.

"You can bet that makes me unhappy. But we discovered something about you, you made an unauthorized visit to our bases not long ago. A base where steamships are manufactured, which is impossible since civilian entry is prohibited, which leads me to believe either you broke in or bribed your way in, both are against the law"

"Navy base invaded that makes steamships? First time I've heard about it, I don't know anything about it. If you have evidence that implicates me in this then you can arrest me" I hold up my hands to him. I wait a little but he doesn't do anything.

"So...you're just barking, guard dog?" I smile as I lower my hands

He gets angry and grabs me by the collar with an angry face, I don't do anything.

"Listen here, you don't fool me. I know a criminal when I see one and you Ozymandias don't smell like a law-abiding citizen to me."

With this statement, all port workers became hostile towards the navy and some raised sledgehammers and hammers and began to surround the navy platoon. Which made the navy soldiers tense and take up battle positions.

"Smoker-taichou we can't arrest him, please stop! We just arrived and we don't want to create hostility with the local citizens!" Tashigi who was next to Smoker said. Smoker reluctantly lets me go

"Don't be like that Smoker, Let's do it like this, Let's forget about this unfortunate episode. Stop by the Gold Roger's bar tonight, so we can talk more. The bill is on me. You know what? I'll pay for everyone tonight!" I shout to the crowd and they celebrate

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do" So I say goodbye to the smoker and head towards my factory