Ethan Chen had always believed in handling things with conversation first. Sit down, talk it out, find common ground. That was his style. What he couldn't stand were people who charged in barking accusations like rabid dogs, tossing out cryptic lines like "You know exactly what you did."
Vice Admiral Mole had done it. Now, Captain Smoker was doing the same thing.
Must be something they teach at the same academy.
Against people like this, Ethan didn't see much point in wasting breath. The solution was simple beat some sense into them.
This time, he wouldn't even need 2B to lift a finger. With a brand-new weapon in hand, Ethan was more than eager to test it out on this so-called "Logia-type Smoke Human."
The clash of steel created shockwaves that scattered the surrounding crowd, forming a natural arena for the two to settle things.
Smoker stared hard at the sheathed blade that had parried his strike. His eyes locked on the pitch-black stone embedded at its tip.
"Sea Prism Stone?"
"Yep. Made especially for guys like you."
Ethan didn't bother explaining. With a twist of his wrist, he slipped past Smoker's jitte and lunged like a striking viper.
The thrust wasn't powerful but it didn't need to be. It was fast and sudden.
Ethan's plan was clear: get that Sea Prism Stone to make contact with Smoker's body. If he could suppress his opponent's powers and strength with a single touch, then the rest was easy. A clean finish.
After all, Sea Prism Stone was every Devil Fruit user's nightmare.
"White Haze Sprint!"
Smoker's arm turned to vapor, dodging just in time an elegant maneuver that made Ethan raise an eyebrow.
Observation Haki?
The thought flashed through Ethan's mind, but he didn't freeze. He knew better than to wait for a counterattack.
Just as Smoker lifted his arm for retaliation, Ethan exploded into motion, vanishing from his original spot.
Behind you!
Smoker's smoke-arm reformed into solid flesh as he spun around, gripping his jitte tightly.
Clang!
Wrong move.
It was a feint.
A chill shot up Smoker's spine. He didn't hesitate he turned fully into smoke and tried to put distance between them.
Too slow.
Thud!
The dull thump echoed as Smoker's eyes widened. His power vanished in an instant. Limbs heavy, strength sapped he took the full brunt of Ethan's strike and was sent flying over ten meters.
When he finally rolled to a stop, Smoker coughed and staggered upright, sweat soaking his brow. He glanced down at his waist. There it was a deep dent where the sheathed blade had rammed into him.
It had been a long time since he'd felt pain like that.
"That's all you've got?" Ethan spun the sheath once and slid it back into place.
Just as he thought low-level Observation Haki could only react to so much. If the strike was fast enough, sly enough, there was always a way past it.
"If I'd followed up just now, you'd be dead already. So can we talk now?"
"There's nothing to talk about with scum like you!" Smoker roared and launched his fist.
"White Fist!"
A smoke-wreathed blow the size of a cannonball came hurtling toward Ethan.
Ethan casually tilted his head aside. "That's it?"
He didn't even glance at the attack. He vanished again.
Smoker raised his guard instinctively.
Clang! Another strike another hit from that cursed Sea Prism Stone.
Once again, strength drained from him. Once again, he was launched across the street like a sack of bricks.
"You're not going to win this," Ethan said calmly, resheathing his weapon. "You rely too much on your Devil Fruit. Your hand-to-hand is weak. Your Haki is mediocre. Add in your fear of my Sea Prism weapon, and you're paralyzed. So tell me how exactly are you planning to beat me?"
Smoker's lack of physical skill had always been his weakness. That much was clear from how he'd been demolished by Virgo back on Punk Hazard.
Hack!
Smoker spat blood, the same spot on his waist having taken another direct blow. He wiped his mouth and staggered up.
"Don't get cocky! Shave!"
This time, it was Smoker who vanished.
Ethan reacted in an instant.
Blade Draw Crescent Slash!
His sword arced forward in a gleaming strike deadly, fast, precise.
Now!
"White Smoke Bomb!"
Smoker dispersed into smoke just before contact, evading the attack and surrounding Ethan in a blinding cloud of mist.
This smoke wasn't laced with Sea Prism Stone. Just plain, ordinary, vision-blocking vapor.
Ethan stood still. He didn't flail or run. Moving would only stir the air and shift the smoke, giving away his position.
Smoke could be cleared with wind.
"Cyclone Slash!"
The blade whipped in a circular motion, wind spiraling outward. The smoke blew away, revealing Smoker diving toward him from above.
Neither man held back.
Clang!
"White Haze Sprint!"
This time, Smoker turned his focus on Ethan's sheath instead of the blade. He'd learned his lesson. Ethan didn't have Armament Haki if he could disarm that sheath, victory was within reach.
But this wasn't a game. There were no rules about which hand held the blade or the sheath. And no rule said one had to attack in the same order every time.
War was about misdirection.
Thud!
Another direct hit. Smoker screamed as his right shoulder took the full brunt of the Sea Prism Sheath. His jitte slipped from his fingers.
This time, Ethan didn't stop.
Smoker had been warned. But he kept coming. Like a rabid dog.
So Ethan decided to beat him until he couldn't stand.
Even if it meant leaving him half-dead.
Smoker wasn't down yet. As he flew backward, he twisted his body in midair, legs morphing into smoke. He launched himself again one last desperate attack.
This time, it was Ethan who couldn't react in time.
The tackle came hard. He hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud.
Above him, Smoker raised a trembling fist, eyes bloodshot.
Too fast to block.
No choice but to take the hit.
"Iron Body!"
"Stop!"
A shout rang out.
Smoker's fist froze in the air.
He was shoved aside.
Ethan felt himself lifted gently into a warm, soft embrace.
It was Hina.
Her breath was ragged from running. Sweat clung to her cheeks, and her hair stuck to her face. But her eyes burned with frustration.
"Have you lost your mind? I already told you this wasn't what you thought. You just came in swinging anyway? Can't you listen for once?!"
She turned her anger on Smoker, then looked down at Ethan, her tone softening.
"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"Yeah," Ethan said, wincing exaggeratedly. "Landed right on my back. Hurts like hell."
"I'll get you to a doctor just hang on."
Smoker, watching from a distance with his arm dislocated and his pride shattered, nearly ground his teeth to dust.
"He's faking it! Can't you see that? Open your eyes, woman!"
"Huh?" Hina blinked. She studied Ethan closely.
Not a scratch.
"Internal injuries," Ethan groaned. "Can't see them. They're... internal. Just help me back and rub in some medicated oil or something."
"Oh—okay. Careful."
She gently helped him up and began leading him back toward the hotel.
Smoker, watching them go, could hardly breathe. When he tried to move, the pain in his side made him curse aloud.
Goddamn it. That bastard hit hard.
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