Chapter 66

Freedom. Hancock felt her eyes wandering everywhere, engraving the sky, sea, distant island—everything into her mind. After weeks of imprisonment, being able to move without restriction and breathe in fresh air gave her joy.

Sun. It brightly shone above her and Smoker as they traveled on top of a flying nimbus. Upon receiving the warm sunlight, she felt her eyes tearing up.

And soon enough, within their sight entered the marine ship that was sailing by. On top of that ship, her sisters—Sandersonia and Marigold—were waving at her with visible relief. The nimbus slowly descended and allowed Hancock to safely land on the deck of the ship. She, jumping out of it, hugged her sisters tight and enjoyed their reunion.

"...I'm dead tired," And Smoker, immediately slumping down on the ground, muttered.

He turned his head and watched the horizon where the sun was setting by. It brightened up the world with its golden light, and Smoker, finding a momentary peace as their ship sailed in the gentle sea, relaxed his body.

"...It's all thanks to you, Smoker-san," Rosinante, sitting down next to Smoker, muttered, "Finally, it's over—"

"11 O'clock, a ship is sighted!!" Then, a watcher cried from the Crow's Nest above. Rosinante immediately groaned, and Smoker, grabbing the rail nearby, forced himself back up.

"Ha... let's see," Smoker turned in the direction that the watcher indicated, and saw Robin looking at him stoically. She stated,

"...It's just a fellow Marine ship."

""SMOKERRRRR!!!""

Then, they heard the delighted screams of two men from said Marine ship. Smoker placed his hand on top of his eyes and found Shu and Akehende, who were letting out tears of joy from their comically swollen faces.

And as that Marine ship reached right next to Smoker's and began to sail at the same pace, Shu immediately cried in misery,

"Smoker!! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!!" Shu pointed at the huge lump on his head, "Look at what your girlfriend did to Akehende and me! Can you please tell her to stop—"

BAM!

"WAAAAAAA!!!!!" Shu yelled at his lungs before dropping dead to the deck.

Hina, with her clenched fist smoking, barked at the unconscious Shu, "WHO'S HIS GIRLFRIEND?!!"

Smoker sweatdropped as he leaned against the rail. Akehende, on the other hand, stood rigidly and managed to avoid Hina's wrath.

"Ha..." Hina, turning away from the twitching Shu, sighed. Her eyes, containing dark bags underneath, exhibited nothing but mental exhaustion, which Smoker pitied.

Smoker, removing his gaze from Hina, looked around his surroundings. Boa sisters and those from Amazon Lily were busy looking at the distant sea with amazement—enjoying their freedom. His subordinates, while busily moving back and forth and fulfilling their duties, were occasionally chatting among themselves. On the adjacent ship, he could see Ain, Binz, and the burly man, whom he didn't recognize, whispering with their eyes headed to the unconscious Shu and horrified Akehende.

There was still so much to do in this world. But nonetheless, Smoker felt accomplished. Doflamingo, the one who will not only contribute to the development of 'SMILE' and put Wano citizens to misery, but also take over Dressrosa and commit atrocious deeds, was gone. Though the future was flowing in a direction that Smoker couldn't predict, he believed, that such change was for good.

"Smoker." And then, someone whispered from his side. Turning, Smoker saw Robin, who was gazing at him with a darkened expression.

Smoker raised an eyebrow, "Is something wrong?"

Hina, who was nearby, too looked at Robin in curiosity.

"Look," Robin said while pointing at the unconscious Shu, "He urinated on the deck. That wood's going to rot and weaken the ship. The ship will break and sink. Everyone there will die."

"...What?" Hina frowned in confusion.

"..." Smoker, not saying anything in response, simply deadpanned at the girl.

"HAHAHAHA! That's so funny, Orobi!" And Koala, who was seemingly listening to Robin, laughed while falling on her back.

Smoker and Hina looked at each other with fatigue in their eyes.

__________

"Let me show you what I'm capable of!!"

"Rahahaha!! Bring it on!!"

Under the blue sky, Shuzo and Aramaki were having a push-up competition.

"Now, now, let those fools be, and gather, everyone! It's time forrr," Shu, on the other hand, was rubbing his palms together while gathering up the marines in front of him, "gamble!"

He took out a wooden chest from his back and showed it to everyone. He then shook it,

"In this chest, there is a fruit! If you guess it right, then you get double your bettings—"

"Shut up and take my money!!!"

"Apple!!!"

"No, the sound heard didn't seem to resemble that of apple's. From what I can deduce... aha, elephant-melon!"

"Hahaha! That chest is smaller than elephant-melon, you moron!"

The marine soldiers all rushed in while slamming Belis onto Shu. Shu, laughing giddily with his hands full of money, placed them down and shouted, "And now, the moment of truth!!"

The chest was opened, and,

"...Whoa."

Shu and the marines, instead of the usual lime, saw a fruit with a strange pattern.

"That, that," One marine pointed his shaky hand at the fruit, "Am I seeing the devil fruit?!"

"Devil fruit… mamma Mia." Shu whispered, "If I eat it, I will become as strong as Smoker."

And before he realized, the entire fruit was in his mouth. And by the time he realized, he chewed on it,

"WAAAAAA!!!!!" Shu screamed as the horrifying taste engulfed his senses. Then, swallowing down the entire thing, he grinned madly before running toward where Smoker was found standing next to Rosinante, "Shuhuhuhu! Fight me—"

BOOM!

At the next moment, Akehende suddenly flew out of the neighbouring Marine ship and fell on top of Shu, crushing the latter.

"...So it isn't a Logia," One among the marines commented.

Away from them, Hina was found with Robin and Koala. Placing her eyes on Koala, Hina inquired, "So she doesn't know where she's from?"

Robin shook her head negatively, "She is vaguely aware of what her island looks like, but the information is far from enough for us to deduce."

"It's fine!" Koala, who was sitting on a rail and swinging her legs back and forth, said brightly, "I like this place better than my home!"

"...So you want to become a marine?" Hina asked carefully, to which Koala replied by tilting her head,

"Marine? What's that?" She asked in curiosity, "Ohh, is it a teddy bear?"

Robin squinted her eyes, "You want to be a teddy bear?"

Koala nodded, "Yeah!"

Then, there were those from Amazon Lily, running around and showcasing their nimbleness. Ain and Binz accompanied them, getting to satiate their curiosities regarding this mysterious island named Amazon Lily.

And finally, at the front-most section of Smoker's ship, Smoker was found standing next to Rosinante. Rosinante, whose hand was holding onto a cigarette holder, chuckled before handing it over to Smoker.

Smoker's eyes widened in disbelief, "…Who are you and what happened to Rosinante that I knew of?"

Rosinante, visibly relaxed, said as he gazed at the puffy clouds ahead, "I've been relying on that thing for quite some time. My trauma forced me to do so. Without it, I couldn't manage myself through the day. But…"

Smoker, holding onto the cigarette holder full of cigarettes, listened.

"I don't need it anymore. And it's all thanks to you," Rosinante smiled at Smoker, "Smoker-san."

"…Heh," Smoker found himself grinning, as the cigarette holder in his hand was lit aflame, burning away into ashes, "You've overcome, Rosinante."

Two Marine ships were heading toward the Amazon Lily. After doing so, they probably will return back to the Marineford.

'I may encounter a much harder situation in the future,' Rosinante thought, 'A conflict far more severe than Doflamingo.

But I'm not afraid,'

Rosinante's eyes then found, an obese-looking bird with a mustache above its beak, barely keeping itself above the air,

'because Smoker-san will be there to guide me.'

Rosinante closed his eyes. And the lingering trauma of Doflamingo killing Homing—it no longer appeared.

__________

__________

<<Yohohoho~ yohoho, ho~!>>

It was within the dark room, where there lied a snail-shell-like device named 'tone dial' at the side. From it, a particular song named Bink's Sake was playing on an endless loop—over and over again. And here, one man was found relaxing in his seat, with his feet laid on top of a table. Veiled by the darkness, his proper appearance couldn't be pictured.

"...Foolish man." That man commented as he puffed out the smoke. Holding the cigarette with his left hand, the man read through the newspaper that he held with his right, "Secrecy is the key. To willingly give up on an advantage like that... your death fails to surprise me, Joker."

Placing the newspaper down, he shifted his attention to another man nearby, who was angrily chugging down a bottle of rum.

This alcoholic had two swords embedded in his severed legs. In addition, his left arm was missing. He was 'Golden Lion' Shiki, one who found himself unable to live through a day without the healing water.

"So," The man, watching Shiki with annoyance, asked, "When are you going to leave my island, Shiki?"

"Your island? Jihahaha... Fullalead was never yours, Ochoku."

The man, whose name was revealed to be 'Ochoku,' frowned with the cigarette between his teeth. Shiki, uncaring of the worsening mood of Ochoku, exclaimed after emptying the bottle completely,

"You've simply managed to gain control by luck. Whitebeard, Linlin, Kaidou, and me—if one of us desired to take over here, what could you have done?"

Ochoku, crunching up the newspaper, scowled, "...Are you picking a fight?"

"Jihahaha!" Shiki threw away the bottle, which shattered upon crashing into the wall. Ochoku let out an annoyed growl before shouting,

"...What the fuck did Newgate say for you to become like this? You aren't being yourself, Shiki!"

Shiki's laugh abruptly stopped upon hearing Ochoku's shout. Shiki's demeanour took a sudden shift from that of amusement to rage and depression. He then slammed his right fist on the table,

BOOM!

"That heartless man...!!" Shiki barked crazily, "He rejected my offer! Yes, fine then! Whatever! But Ochoku... we are friends, right?! We were on the same crew, eating the same food, sailing in the same ship, and serving the same man!"

Shiki stood up with his sword-legs and looked to his left and right as if looking for someone to fight. Then, the rage-filled gleam suddenly disappeared within his eyes, and he said in sorrow, "Back then, I offered him my loyalty and Captain Rocks's devil fruit. And he... upon one of his crew members expressing his desire to eat that devil fruit, snatched it from me—with no return!!"

"...What?" Ochoku whispered in disbelief, "Dark Dark fruit... you had it?!"

BAM! Ochoku, grabbing Shiki by the collar, pushed the latter against the wall,

"Bastard!!! You know for how long I was looking for that fruit!!!" Ochoku shouted into Shiki with anger of his own, and upon doing so, the cigarette fell out of his mouth, "You should've come to me first!! That fruit was the key, Shiki, you know that very well!!!"

Shiki retorted with bloodshot eyes, "I have no idea what you know about that fruit! But—

...it's him."

Shiki abruptly turned his attention to the wall, and whispered as his eyes gleamed red,

"That filth who asked Whitebeard to snatch the Dark Dark fruit... Marshall D. Teach...!!! Why the hell is he here?!!"

Ochoku, on the other hand, backed off from Shiki and whispered with a frown, "D…?"