At this moment, Smoker brimmed with ambition.
At this moment, Smoker was also dizzy as hell.
That last bite of the [Dark-Dark Fruit] was trying to crawl back up his throat…
Off in the distance, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon. Judging by the emblem on its sail, it belonged to the notorious Black Fang Pirates.
A bucktoothed pirate was scanning the coast with a spyglass. When he spotted Smoker, his face twisted like he'd just seen a ghost. He frantically turned and shouted at a burly man downing liquor straight from a washbasin-sized bowl.
"Captain! Captain!"
The giant man, easily over three meters tall, hurled his bowl aside with a crash. "Damn it! Don't ruin my buzz, you idiot!"
This was the infamous Black Fang Eugene, captain of the Black Fang Pirates, with a bounty of 3.4 million berries.
Known for his cruelty, he once massacred three towns in a single week.
The bucktoothed pirate shrank back nervously. "Captain, there's a kid on the beach holding a weird fruit… Do you think it's one of those Devil Fruits people keep talking about?"
"What?!" Eugene bolted upright and snatched the spyglass from him.
Sure enough, there was a white-haired boy on the shore, cradling a pristine, untouched Devil Fruit.
Eugene sobered up in an instant.
"It really is a Devil Fruit! Just like they said!"
"HAHAHAHA! Luck's finally on my side! Full speed ahead! That fruit is ours!"
The other pirates erupted in cheers, their eyes glinting with greed.
So it's true—those mythical fruits that could make a man unstoppable… were real!
No one knew exactly what power it would grant, but if their captain got stronger, they'd all ride the wave to wealth and glory.
They raised their weapons and howled with excitement.
"With that treasure of the sea, the East Blue will belong to the Black Fang Pirates!"
"Screw the East Blue! The captain's taking us to the Grand Line!"
Just a few days ago, they'd hijacked a merchant vessel. While the ship itself was weak, it had a shocking origin—it had been to the Grand Line!
Under torture, the crew gave up a wealth of intel about the Grand Line, but what stuck with Eugene most was the legend of Devil Fruits.
And now, one had just fallen into his lap.
The pirate ship surged forward like a hungry beast. Even if Smoker had been blind, he would've noticed it.
[The Black Fang Pirates? What the hell are they doing here?!]
[Still, they're quite the catch… Might be a good chance to improve my living situation.]
Smoker looked at the [Smoke-Smoke Fruit] in his hands.
If someone managed to sneak a bite out of it, it would be game over—no second chances.
He quickly wrapped it in his jacket, dug a pit, and buried it securely.
Before long, the pirate ship docked on the shore.
Eugene led his crew straight up to Smoker with arrogant swagger.
"Listen up, brat. Hand over that Devil Fruit nicely!"
"Or better yet, tell me you already ate it—so I can cut open your belly and see for myself!"
Smoker remained calm, unflinching.
"Bounty: 3.4 million berries. Black Fang Eugene…"
"The Devil Fruit's right here. If you want it, come take it the pirate way."
Eugene grinned with bloodlust. "You've got guts, kid…"
Like a rampaging bull, he charged forward, aiming a punch straight for Smoker's face.
He was confident he could blow the brat's head off with a single strike.
"Fist fight?"
Smoker didn't dodge.
He threw his own punch to meet Eugene's head-on.
The moment their fists collided, a deafening shockwave erupted, blasting the surrounding sand and gravel into the air.
The pirates onshore started hooting like cheerleaders.
"Hahaha! What an idiot! Trying to punch it out with the captain!"
"Don't let the name fool you—Captain Black Fang is famous across the East Blue for his iron fists!"
"Yeah! That brat's bones are dust for sure!"
But their laughter stopped cold in the next second.
Both fighters were sent flying backward at the same time.
Eugene stared at his reddened knuckles in disbelief.
Evenly matched? No way!
Smoker, meanwhile, was clutching his fist, gritting his teeth in pain.
"Tch, just pretending to be tough, huh?"
Smoker shook out his hand, trying to dull the sting.
[So this is the [Dark-Dark Fruit]'s drawback… amplified pain—yup, that hurts like hell.]
[But pain isn't injury. If it's just pain, I'll endure it!]
With a roar, Smoker lunged forward again. "Come on!"
"You don't know when to quit!"
Eugene snarled and charged to meet him.
It was as if they had silently agreed—no Devil Fruit powers, no weapons.
Just raw fists and fury.
Two wild beasts locked in a brutal brawl.
Dust clouds erupted across the beach. Each thud and grunt made hearts tremble.
After several brutal exchanges, Smoker tanked a kick to the stomach and countered with a punch that sent Eugene flying.
Eugene staggered to his feet, wiping blood from his eyes.
"Huff… Huff… Kid, your power and speed are impressive…"
"But you're still green. Just look at the sorry state you're in after a few scratches."
"Thanks for the warm-up… Now let's end this."
He signaled his men.
They quickly brought over a massive black steel trident, over three meters long.
The edges gleamed coldly, stained with dried blood.
Eugene swung it a few times, then pointed it straight at Smoker.
"Two choices, brat."
"Hand over the Devil Fruit, and I'll take you under my wing—you'll eat well and live large."
"Or… die right here."
Smoker stood bloodied and battered. Crimson dripped from his chin and spattered the sand.
The [Dark-Dark Fruit] had altered his pain perception—and it had also thrown off his reflexes and instincts, making combat harder.
So he kept taking hits, just to study the changes and adapt.
"You leave me no choice."
Eugene stepped forward and raised the steel trident high.
"Giving up? Then go to hell!"
He thrust the weapon toward Smoker's chest.
Suddenly, Smoker's hand turned pitch black.
He caught the trident midair with one hand.
Eugene's heart jumped. He tried to yank it back, but it was stuck fast—as if rooted to the earth.
Smoker stood up.
A viscous black substance—like living tar—began to seep from his body.
"Thanks for helping me train…"
"And since you're so eager to understand Devil Fruits…"
"Let me show you one."
The darkness spread over his entire body, transforming him into a towering shadow cocoon.
Seconds later, the darkness faded—and all of Smoker's wounds were gone.
Eugene's jaw dropped. "W-what the hell?! What power did you get?!"
Smoker gave a cold grin, his eyes gleaming ominously.
"Crap…!"
Eugene's instincts screamed. He dropped the trident and turned to run.
This kid nearly took him down without powers—now he'd healed back to full strength?!
"Not a bad reaction," Smoker muttered.
"But you're not getting away."
"Dark Vortex."
A wave of immense gravity exploded outward.
The trident in Smoker's hand was twisted into scrap, sucked into the abyss.
Eugene screamed as he was yanked backward like a kite with its string pulled.
Smoker caught him midair.
Darkness engulfed Eugene's body, swallowing him whole.
Only a dying shriek echoed back.
When the shadows finally receded, Eugene was lying on the beach.
His eyes were wide open.
His limbs and chest had gone limp. His body twitched slightly—but not a single sound came out.
Smoker hadn't killed him.
Instead, he closed his eyes and focused.
A moment later, he raised his palm. A white glowing orb shimmered in his hand.
[So this… is my "pain."]
All these years, Smoker had been thinking about how to develop Devil Fruit abilities.
To simplify, he divided powers into "base abilities" and "derived abilities."
Base abilities were the innate powers granted by eating the fruit.
Like the Dog-Dog Fruit—it just let you turn into a dog.
Derived abilities, however, had to be discovered and developed.
Like how Enel used lightning to defibrillate his heart, or how Doflamingo stitched his organs shut with strings.
Base abilities set the floor.Derived abilities set the ceiling.
But developing them required not just hard work—but insight.
Sometimes, it wasn't that something couldn't be done… it just hadn't been imagined yet.
Of course, that wasn't a problem for Smoker.
A transmigrator's brain was made for creativity.
In his spare time, he'd theorized about all kinds of fruits—especially the [Dark-Dark Fruit].
To him, it had three fundamental powers:
Infinite gravity
Power negation
Damage absorption
That's right—the [Dark-Dark Fruit] didn't just fail to dodge damage. It could actually absorb it.
(In the colored manga, this was made obvious—when Blackbeard was injured by Ace's flames, absorbing the fire made his wounds disappear.)
What Smoker had just used... was a derived ability:
Pain Absorption.
The white orb in his palm was concentrated, amplified pain.
"Since this pain was caused by you…"
"You can have it back."
"If you survive, we're even."
He pressed the orb into Eugene's chest.
Eugene convulsed violently, mouth agape, eyes bulging—but no sound emerged.
After several seconds of agonizing spasms, his eyes rolled back, and he went still.
Dead.
Smoker frowned at the orb still glowing in his hand.
"Still got more left… Pathetic."
He turned toward the other pirates.
Those guys… could help him dispose of the rest.
The Black Fang Pirates had frozen in shock.
They had been too terrified to flee—and now, finally regaining their senses, they tossed their weapons and screamed as they bolted for the ship.
But Smoker had no intention of letting them go.
To defenseless civilians, these weakling pirates were just as dangerous as the Four Emperors.
If they were like Coby, just doing grunt work, he might've shown mercy.
But these beasts… had eaten human flesh.
They didn't deserve it.
Smoker sneered coldly.
Darkness surged from his body like a tidal wave.
"Dark Void!"
Trees, rocks, pirates, even their ship…
Everything caught in the darkness was swallowed whole.
Within moments, not a single trace of the Black Fang Pirates remained.
(End of Chapter)