Will had expected some extraordinary technique or trump card from his opponent, but upon witnessing this scene, a flicker of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
In the very instant Smoker gripped his weapon, poised to strike, Will suddenly raised his left arm. Under Smoker’s bewildered gaze, he met the incoming jutte head-on!
A heavy metallic screech rang out as Will effortlessly deflected Smoker’s weapon with his left arm alone.
As Smoker’s face betrayed a stunned expression, Will’s right hand shot forward in a blur, aiming straight for Smoker’s forehead!
In that split second, Smoker’s pupils dilated, his heart pounding as an overwhelming sense of dread surged within him. Instinctively, he tilted his head to the side.
Will’s hand, sharp as a blade, grazed Smoker’s left eyebrow, slicing through a chunk of hair on the side of his head. As white strands fluttered in the air, Smoker didn’t hesitate. He immediately propelled himself backward, conjuring a trail of smoke beneath him to obscure Will’s vision.
Will’s eyes glinted. With a single step, he launched himself into the air, his other leg whipping forward at high speed.
Tempest Kick: Vacuum Spear!
A straight, pale-blue slash, sharp as a spear, roared toward Smoker, who had only just stabilized himself mid-air.
Seeing his opponent unleash such an advanced Six Powers technique, Smoker’s eyes widened in shock. He didn’t even have time to wipe the blood trickling from above his eye.
Frantically, he swung his jutte, desperately blocking the incoming linear slash.
Though he managed to parry it, the force of the blow sent Smoker’s jutte recoiling. Will, already closing in, seized the moment to strike again.
Moon Step: Lotus Chain!
His feet rapidly stomped the air, his speed skyrocketing several times over. Like a missile accelerating toward its target, he shot toward Smoker.
In Smoker’s astonished gaze, Will crossed a vast distance in the blink of an eye, appearing before him and throwing a ferocious punch straight ahead!
With no time to dodge, Smoker hurriedly gripped his jutte with both hands, holding it horizontally to block the fist aimed at his chest.
A dull metallic impact echoed as Smoker’s weapon sank under the blow. It nearly pressed against his chest before he barely managed to withstand the terrifying force.
But Will’s punch didn’t stop there. His legs kept accelerating, pushing Smoker downward in a rapid descent.
The two plummeted from the sky, slicing through the air toward the plaza below. Smoker’s face twisted in a grimace. Seizing an opportunity, he released his weapon and transformed into smoke, narrowly dodging to the side.
The unopposed fist crashed into the ground, instantly shattering it into fragments! The surrounding dozens of meters of stone cracked and upheaved, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
Smoker’s discarded jutte fell soon after, its tip embedding into the ground with a thud, a testament to its considerable weight.
Hovering in the air, Smoker panted heavily. Staring at the scene below, he muttered gravely to himself, "This guy... he’s got the strength of a monster."
Even Smoker, born with monstrous strength himself, doubted he could unleash such destructive power with a single punch.
But as the dust below gradually cleared, Will’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Smoker’s eyes narrowed, and he quickly scanned his surroundings. At that moment, he felt a gaze boring into his back. Whirling around, he spotted Will standing atop a lamppost on the edge of the plaza, arms crossed, watching him with keen interest.
Seeing Smoker finally notice, Will didn’t immediately press the attack. Instead, he spoke bluntly, "After that little skirmish, you must realize by now, don’t you? With your current strength, you’re nowhere near enough to capture me."
Smoker let out a cold snort, his face showing no trace of fear or retreat. "I’m a Marine, and you’re a wanted pirate. As long as you’re standing in front of me, I’ll find a way to take you down!"
Will’s eyes turned icy at those words. "Smoker, you can eat whatever you want, but you can’t just say whatever you please. Who told you I’m a pirate? That’s just a label you Marines slapped on me! I’m nothing more than an ordinary guy who loves a good fight and wants to sail the seas as an adventurer."
Smoker’s eye twitched, and he growled, "What you’ve done has nothing to do with being an adventurer!"
Will’s expression shifted to one of genuine surprise. "What? You don’t think what I’ve done is adventurous enough?"
Smoker froze for a moment, then his face contorted in exasperation. "So that’s what you mean by ’adventurer’..."
His expression soon hardened again. "Regardless, Marine Headquarters has issued a bounty on your head. As a Marine, it’s my duty to apprehend you here and now!"
"Hmph." Will scoffed, his face dripping with disdain. "Those so-called higher-ups at Marine Headquarters think they’re qualified to put a bounty on me? Laughable!"
He then fixed his gaze on Smoker, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised admiration. "But after that fight, you still think you can take me, Smoker. That’s some impressive resolve."
His tone suddenly shifted. "If I were you, though, I’d let go of that stubbornness and go train some more. Keep fighting , and I might not be able to hold back. I could end up crushing you—a fruit that hasn’t fully ripened yet. Fighting a weaker opponent without killing them? Controlling that strength is no easy feat."
His words carried no mockery. They were his honest thoughts. Smoker’s current strength was simply too weak to satisfy Will’s craving for a real fight. When he realized Smoker could barely withstand even a fraction of his power, Will lost interest in continuing.
But for someone like Smoker—a relatively decent guy among the Marines—Will wasn’t keen on killing him with a single punch. After all, in this chaotic world, people with both strength and a semblance of goodness were rare. They were practically endangered species; lose one, and there’d be one less.
So he spoke to persuade Smoker to back off, hoping to avoid accidentally killing him.
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