"Damn it!"
Smoker bit down on his cigar, his lower body turning into smoke as he flew swiftly into the distance, his face filled with frustration.
When he first arrived on the island, everything had gone smoothly. He had successfully infiltrated.
But the series of events that followed became a nightmare in his mind.
"White Hunter, you can't escape!"
Perospero grinned viciously as he pulled back the candy-made longbow in his hands, aiming at Smoker's back and firing a candy arrow.
Smoker instantly turned into smoke.
The candy arrow passed through the smoke, destroying a candy house.
The smoke quickly reformed into Smoker's upper body as he continued flying forward.
"Tch!"
Perospero, seeing Smoker actively using his Logia intangibility to evade the candy arrow, scoffed and continued chasing after him.
If Reddy hadn't suddenly emerged, the New World would still be the stage for the Emperors' competition.
This was a script specifically designed by the Marines—or rather, the World Government—for the pirate community.
Without sufficient reason, the Marines were strictly forbidden from actively engaging in war with the Emperors.
But Smoker's appearance here not only surprised Perospero but also invigorated him.
Capturing Smoker would be an excellent bargaining chip.
Once this card was played, the Marines would be utterly humiliated.
Without a doubt!
The reputation of the Big Mom Pirates would skyrocket!
Watching Smoker quickly fly out of his sight, Perospero took out a Den Den Mushi and said with a sneer, "Daifuku, that slippery little rat is heading your way. Force him into the Seducing Woods."
The Seducing Woods was a forest made of food and Homies.
Since Homies could move on their own, anyone entering the forest would quickly lose their way and become trapped.
With the Tea Party about to begin, all the invited guests had already arrived at Whole Cake Island.
Allowing Smoker to cause trouble on the island would only damage the reputation of the Big Mom Pirates.
...
"I've been exposed. Stand by, and evacuate Whole Cake Island if necessary."
After escaping Perospero's pursuit, Smoker immediately took out a Den Den Mushi to urgently contact Tina and the others, briefly informing them of his current predicament.
He no longer held any hope for the first mission of the Blade Unit.
At this point, forget about finding and capturing Brulee—he wasn't even sure if he could escape Whole Cake Island himself.
Just as he finished his emergency call with Tina and the others, Smoker suddenly saw a genie-like figure appear in front of him, swinging a large sword down at him with force.
"Tch!"
Smoker bit his cigar and used his Logia intangibility again, turning into smoke to evade the Lamp Genie's attack before reforming his upper body and flying straight toward Big Mom's castle.
His thinking was simple and straightforward.
If there were people blocking him ahead, it meant this direction had tactical value.
Disrupting their arrangements was the best strategy.
"You can't escape!"
Daifuku, the Soybean Minister, grew increasingly frustrated as Smoker bypassed the Lamp Genie and continued flying toward the castle. He rubbed his belt furiously, controlling the Lamp Genie to chase after Smoker.
However, Smoker was a Logia-type user with the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. If he focused solely on escaping, it was difficult to stop him.
"Opera, don't let that guy near the castle!"
After several failed attempts to attack Smoker, Daifuku shouted angrily.
"Huh?"
Smoker, hearing the shout behind him, immediately became highly alert.
Suddenly, a massive cream monster appeared ahead, swinging its dripping cream-covered hand down at Smoker like swatting a fly!
Smoker still refused to engage, turning into smoke once again.
Cream splattered everywhere.
The surrounding buildings were instantly covered in scorched black spots.
Opera, the Cream Minister, watched as the scattered smoke reformed into Smoker, his eyes filled with helplessness.
Logia abilities were just too overpowered!
Especially when the opponent had no intention of fighting, actively using intangibility was practically unstoppable.
Smoker swiftly flew past Opera's head, but suddenly, a sense of danger surged in his heart, forcing him to change direction.
The moment he altered his flight path, a fist coated in Armament Haki suddenly shot up from below, barely grazing him as it passed.
"Katakuri!"
Smoker clenched his cigar, his heart sinking.
Katakuri, with a bounty of 1.057 billion Berries, had appeared unexpectedly, putting immense pressure on him. He had no choice but to adjust his plan, attempting to bypass Katakuri and fly into the castle to find a way out.
"White Hunter Smoker… you can't escape."
Katakuri retracted his right fist, staring at Smoker above him. He sprinted across the ground at incredible speed, using his advanced Observation Haki to foresee Smoker's movements and repeatedly intercept him, forcing Smoker to change direction again and again.
"That might be my only way out."
Seeing Katakuri repeatedly blocking his path to the castle, Smoker became increasingly convinced that only by entering the castle could he escape.
With this in mind, Smoker immediately ascended, flying higher into the sky.
Katakuri's eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he activated his ability, transforming his right arm into a gatling gun.
In the next moment!
A dense barrage of bullets filled the space around Smoker.
The bullets were so numerous that Smoker couldn't fully evade them even with his intangibility.
In an instant, Smoker was hit by several bullets infused with Armament Haki, forcing him to dive downward.
The higher he flew, the wider the shooting angle became, making the bullet storm even more relentless.
If going up wasn't an option, he could only go down, minimizing the enemy's shooting angle.
This tactic worked.
As the angle narrowed, the gatling gun's barrage gradually failed to keep up with Smoker's speed.
After taking a few more hits, Smoker abruptly stopped and changed direction, skimming the rooftops as he fled into the distance.
Once he escaped Katakuri's firing range, Smoker exhaled a thick puff of smoke from his nostrils and quickly pulled out a portable injector, jabbing it into his right arm.
The wounds stopped bleeding, healed, and scabbed over almost instantly.
Smoker let out a relieved puff of smoke.
The reason he had traveled with Stussy was twofold: first, to infiltrate Whole Cake Island, and second, to obtain this highly effective second-generation stimulant.
This enhanced stimulant had already been distributed to every member of the Blade Unit.
"Cough!"
Smoker spat out a bloody mouthful, using the buildings as cover to approach the castle.
However, while the buildings provided excellent cover, they also limited his field of vision.
A fist coated in Armament Haki suddenly shot up from below, slamming directly into Smoker's abdomen and sending him flying into the air.
At the same time, the Lamp Genie was already waiting above, swinging its massive sword down with terrifying speed.
Smoker had no choice but to coat his arms in Armament Haki and cross them in front of him for defense.
The next moment!
A figure plummeted like a meteor.
Smoker rolled over in the crater, coughing up another mouthful of blood.
"You can't escape."
Katakuri walked forward slowly, his expression cold.
Smoker gritted his teeth and stood up, scanning his surroundings—his heart immediately sank.
People were closing in from all directions.
Perospero, Daifuku, Opera, and others had already cut off all his escape routes.
"I'd love to see the Marines' expressions when they find out you've been captured."
Perospero looked down at Smoker, trapped in the crater, with the smile of a victor, feeling immense satisfaction.
Though he hated to admit it, he had to acknowledge that it was only after Katakuri joined the fight that they had successfully cornered Smoker.
Smoker's face darkened as he pulled out a fresh cigar and lit it, taking a deep drag.
The cigar instantly burned down by two-thirds.
Exhaling thick smoke, his eyes burned with unyielding resolve.
He was prepared to die fighting here.
But then, Perospero suddenly let out a shocked cry as he was inexplicably yanked toward Smoker.
In that split second, Smoker saw that Perospero had been grabbed around the waist by another Katakuri. Seizing the opportunity, he turned into smoke and shot through the opening, escaping into the castle.
This scene left Katakuri and the others momentarily stunned.
By the time they reacted, Smoker had already flown into the castle.
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