Loguetown is the town closest to the entrance of the Grand Line.
Because of this, the town attracts many bounty hunters—especially where there are large numbers of wanted criminals.
Ever since Smoker was stationed at Loguetown, bounty hunters have been coming to him every few days to get signatures for bounty claims.
Usually, each hunter only brought two or three bounty heads.
But what was going on now?
"Ah, Captain Smoker, you're back!" a marine hurried over to report. "Sir, these are all bounty targets—we've already verified them!"
Huh? All of them?
Smoker was briefly stunned.
Then his eyes fell on Lin Mo, who was leaning against the inner wall of the office, casually drinking.
It was that brat!
Smoker furrowed his brow.
He stepped around the heap of unconscious bodies piled in the center of the office and walked over to Lin Mo.
"Kid, you caught all of these guys?"
Lin Mo set down his gourd and looked at Smoker with a calm expression, giving a slight nod.
Although only half were actually captured by him.
If he told the full truth, it might raise suspicion from the Smoke Man.
Smoker narrowed his eyes. "Are you a bounty hunter?"
"I'm a traveler."
"A traveler?" Smoker didn't buy it. "Does a traveler need to capture this many bounty heads? You that desperate for money?"
Lin Mo gave a noncommittal "mm."
Although Smoker still had some doubts about his identity, one thing was clear:
This brat probably wasn't a pirate.
"Hey, how much are these guys worth in total?" Smoker asked a nearby marine.
The marine immediately stood straight and reported, "Sir, the total is 4.55 million Berries!"
"Register all of them."
"Already done, sir!"
Smoker: "..."
"Bring me the paperwork so I can sign."
"Yes, sir!"
The marine quickly handed over the already-prepared bounty forms.
Smoker signed them and handed them to Lin Mo.
Lin Mo accepted them without hesitation.
Mission accomplished. Time to leave.
Just as he was about to walk out—
Smoker stopped him. "I still have a few questions. What's your name?"
Lin Mo replied flatly, "Lin Mo."
"Your age?"
"Ten."
"Ten?" Smoker was taken aback. "When did you start learning Armament Haki?"
Lin Mo stared at him speechlessly. "Less than a month ago."
"What?" Smoker paused, then burst into laughter. "Hah, what a bold lie. No way you caught a bullet barehanded with only a month of training."
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to explain.
Just then—
A lazy voice came from outside the office.
"Eh? Why so many people piled up here?" Aokiji appeared at the door.
When he saw Lin Mo also inside, he scratched his head. "Oh? You really came?"
"What do you mean, 'really came'?" Smoker asked curiously.
"Nothing. Not important," Aokiji waved it off.
"So, what are you doing in Loguetown?" Smoker asked, exasperated.
"Can't I just be here for no reason? I was passing through and figured I'd drop by."
"Well, that's perfect," Smoker said, biting his cigar. "Roger's death anniversary is in a few days. A bunch of pirate admirers will show up to pay respects. If you're not busy, help me catch them."
Aokiji looked annoyed. "I'm not here to catch pirates. That's your job."
"You're a Marine, too. Isn't catching pirates part of your duty?"
"Ahhh, what a pain." Aokiji scratched his head, clearly lacking motivation. "I was just strolling by. A few petty pirates—you can handle it."
Smoker: "..."
"You're an Admiral of Headquarters. Is it really appropriate for you to say stuff like that?"
"You haven't changed at all." Aokiji waved him off. "Fine, fine. Since you insist, I'll reluctantly help out this once."
"What do you mean 'reluctantly help out'?!" Smoker's temple bulged. "You're a Marine—it's your job!"
"Okay, okay. I get it. No need to blow up," Aokiji said, pointing at Lin Mo, who was walking toward the door. "What about that kid?"
Smoker narrowed his eyes.
His lower body suddenly turned to smoke.
In a flash, he reappeared at the door and blocked Lin Mo's path.
Smoker had the Smoke-Smoke Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that lets him transform into smoke.
His smoke can also become tangible and restrain enemies.
While his ability seems troublesome, in the world of pirates, it's one of the less impressive Logia fruits.
Just look at how he kept losing every fight after chasing Luffy into the Grand Line.
"Lin Mo, you're not leaving until I'm done questioning you," Smoker said sternly.
Lin Mo: "..."
"You're not from Loguetown, are you?"
Though he didn't want to talk to the guy, being uncooperative might get him entangled even more.
After a moment's thought, Lin Mo nodded.
Smoker continued, "Where are you from?"
"Windmill Village."
"Hm? Windmill Village? That rings a bell..." Smoker thought for a bit, but couldn't place it.
Aokiji, stroking his chin, gave him a hint: "Garp's hometown?"
Smoker jolted. "Right! Windmill Village is Vice Admiral Garp's hometown. Since you're from there, do you know him?"
To be fair, Lin Mo did know Garp—and had only recently ditched that old stick-in-the-mud at Baratie.
But if he told the truth, he'd never hear the end of it.
Without hesitation, Lin Mo shook his head. "Heard of him. Never met him."
"Never met him? You sure?" Smoker asked, still suspicious.
At that moment—
Aokiji suddenly sat cross-legged on the floor.
Smoker looked over, speechless. "What are you doing?"
"My legs are tired. Sitting for a bit," Aokiji waved lazily. "Ignore me. Go on."
The interruption broke the rhythm.
Smoker sighed. "Alright, kid. One last question. You say you're a traveler—where are you going next?"
"Grand Line," Lin Mo answered without hesitation.
Smoker was stunned. "You're going alone?"
Lin Mo: "Yeah."
"Do you even know what the Grand Line is like? A kid like you going there is suicide."
"You're exaggerating," Aokiji said, resting his face on one hand with a blank look. "Maybe this kid can make a name for himself in the Grand Line."
"What kind of name can a traveler make? He's still just a ten-year-old kid." Smoker stared at Lin Mo. "If you insist on going to the Grand Line, then fight me. If you win, I won't stop you. If you lose—you join the Marines."