Chapter 28: Brainstorming Devil Fruit Abilities

After wrapping up the small meeting with Zephyr and Goomir, Wright returned to his room, only to realize—had he just participated in drafting a combat strategy? Was this the treatment cadets received?

Opening the door, he wasn't surprised to see Smoker and Rosinante waiting for him. However...

"Rosinante! Smoker's bad habits are rubbing off on you! Since when did you start smoking too?! And can you explain this charred piece of clothing?"

The moment Wright stepped in, he was hit by a wave of smoke, nearly choking. One smoker was bad enough—now there were two? The room reeked not only of cigarettes but also of burnt fabric. A scorched shirt lay discarded on the floor.

"Hahaha… you're back, Wright," Rosinante greeted sheepishly, exhaling a plume of smoke. "Don't you think smoking looks cool? I can't handle Smoker's cigars, but regular cigarettes? Those are manageable."

Smoker shot Rosinante a sidelong glance, his face as stern as ever. "You heard him. This has nothing to do with me. He picked up the habit himself. As for the shirt—"

"He lit his shirt on fire while trying to light his cigarette. Can you believe that? And the worst part? He didn't even notice it was burning! I was so dumbfounded I almost forgot to help. By the time I tore it off him, it was already ruined. I had to lend him one of your shirts."

Wright covered his face, exasperated. How could he have forgotten? Rosinante's absentmindedness wasn't just an act—it was his natural state.

"All right, fine," Wright sighed. He himself had never been a smoker—sure, it looked a little stylish, but it was ultimately a harmful habit. Granted, in this world of freakishly resilient physiques, such concerns could be ignored. Even so, it wasn't for him.

"So, how did today's battle feel?" Wright found a spot to sit, doing his best to avoid the thickening smoke. Unfortunately, it was futile. He resorted to covering his mouth with one hand while casting a cleansing spell with the other to purify the air.

At the mention of the fight, Smoker, who had been lounging lazily in his chair, straightened up, his expression turning serious. He lit another cigar, somehow managing to speak clearly despite it being in his mouth.

"I need more offensive power. The Smoke-Smoke Fruit lacks attack capabilities. In Paradise, it's fine—I can rely on intangibility to stay undefeated. But against enemies who've mastered Haki, this ability feels useless without strong offensive techniques."

Rosinante, holding his cigarette between his fingers, added, "Today's target was excessively strong for a first battle. Normally, we wouldn't face an opponent of that level right away. If it weren't for you, Wright, Zephyr-sensei's prediction would've been spot on—even with his intervention, the cadets would've suffered significant losses."

As expected of Rosinante, his keen insight was evident. He analyzed the situation from a broader perspective, unlike Smoker's brute-force mindset.

Wright nodded in agreement. "That's true. But this adjustment was made because of my abilities as a safety net. The goal was to push you into high-intensity, even life-threatening combat, forcing you to confront your weaknesses and flaws under pressure. The immense stimulus sharpens your resolve."

"The next battle will likely be less intense, but I won't be participating. That'll be the real test of what you've learned this time."

Wright's gaze turned thoughtful. "After observing your fights today, I'd like to discuss your Devil Fruit development directions."

"Oh?" Smoker and Rosinante's eyes lit up. They had witnessed Wright's absurd mastery over his abilities. His healing techniques alone could serve multiple functions. Any advice from him would undoubtedly be invaluable.

"Smoker, you're a frontline fighter. You should focus more on physical combat. That jitte of yours is a waste—yes, I understand it's designed to counter swords, the weapon pirates favor most, and to compensate for the weaknesses of your Devil Fruit." Wright turned to Smoker, who nodded in acknowledgment.

"But as a Logia user, you clearly don't understand your own abilities well enough. Let me ask you—what is smoke?"

As expected, Smoker looked baffled, while Rosinante appeared deep in thought.

"Smoke is made up of countless tiny particles," Wright explained. "It can suffocate, obscure vision, hover in the air, grant flight and extension abilities. But is that all smoke can do?"

"Since smoke is composed of particles, it has two key characteristics: diffusion and condensation. Smoker, your current usage focuses entirely on diffusion, completely neglecting condensation."

"If you condense smoke to the extreme, it can form a solid—though different from returning to a physical body. It would still fundamentally be smoke."

"A solidified form of smoke under your control could potentially surpass the hardness of steel—perhaps even rivaling Haki!"

"With this ability, Smoker, you'd gain a pseudo-shaping ability—similar to Vice Admiral Kuzan!" Wright grinned. "After all, ice is formed by compressing countless crystals. If shattered into fine particles, how different is ice from smoke?"

"!!!"

Smoker, who was well-acquainted with Kuzan, immediately grasped the implications. Wright's analogy opened his eyes to the possibilities.

"If I could condense my smoke to the hardness of ice… it wouldn't just restrain enemies. I could launch direct attacks in my elemental state!" Smoker exclaimed.

"And if you can seamlessly switch between condensation and diffusion…" Wright continued, "imagine instantly dispersing a condensed smoke sphere back into vapor form…"

"That kind of manipulation…" Smoker's eyes gleamed with understanding, his cigar nearly falling from his mouth. "The sudden expansion in volume… could cause an explosion!"

"Exactly," Wright confirmed. "Master this, and who would dare call the Smoke-Smoke Fruit weak? And once you've mastered Armament Haki, think about how devastating this attack method could become."

"Hahaha! I can't wait to try this out!" Smoker said, brimming with excitement.

"As for you, Rosinante…" Wright turned to him. Rosinante had been silent, clearly deep in thought after Smoker's breakthrough.

"You're on the right track, using overlapping zones of silence to confuse your enemies' auditory senses. It's effective in disrupting coordination and disorienting their perception. However, it's limited against stronger foes."

Rosinante nodded. "This is currently the limit of my ability. In team battles, I can prevent the enemy commander from giving orders or disrupt their auditory awareness. But for powerful opponents, it's not enough."

Wright smiled. "From what I've observed, the Calm-Calm Fruit creates a zone or barrier that blocks sound from traveling. Sound is a vibration—so your ability effectively eliminates vibrations within that zone. Now, what if you could extend that to eliminate other forms of vibration? Or perhaps… motion itself?"

"Motion… itself?" Rosinante murmured, stunned by Wright's imagination.

"Exactly. If you could eliminate all motion within a designated area…" Wright leaned forward, a glimmer in his eye.

"…then you'd achieve what's known as absolute stillness."

Rosinante's jaw dropped. "Wright, you're a genius!"

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