One Piece: A Warlord's Path

Chapter 792: The Third Party Arrives – The New Warlord

"Bastard... now you know what you’re up against!"

As the swirling white smoke coalesced back into human form, Smoker looked down at Orc Otto and barked a cold warning.

In the next second, Otto stood up as if nothing had happened, casually brushing the snow from his shoulders. He lifted his head, his indifferent, golden-brown beastial pupils locking onto Smoker in mid-air. His mouth split into a mocking sneer.

"Is that all the power you’ve got? It seems you Marines are nothing but jellyfish!"

"How is that possible?!" Smoker’s eyes widened, his pupils shrinking in shock as he stared at the completely unscathed Otto.

"You’ve got to be kidding!"

"He took a direct hit from Smoker-san and... and he doesn’t have a scratch?!"

"I must be seeing things! I have to be!"

The G-5 Marines were equally stunned. Some rubbed their eyes frantically, trying to make sense of the scene.

"Tch!" Smoker gritted his teeth. His lower body erupted into a massive jet of smoke, propelling him straight down at his target.

CLANG!

His Seastone Jitte struck the flat side of the giant axe. A shockwave rippled outward instantly, causing the ground beneath Otto’s feet to shatter. Otto immediately flipped his axe, parrying Smoker’s weight and swinging the heavy blade in a horizontal arc aimed directly at Smoker’s head.

Whoosh—

Smoker ducked, letting the whistling blade pass inches above him. At the same time, he thrust the Seastone Jitte toward Otto’s abdomen.

Moving like a lightning strike, Otto extended his left hand. Snap! He caught the Seastone Jitte in his bare palm.

"It’s useless. I’m not a Devil Fruit user!" A savage grin distorted Otto’s beastly face. He raised his axe with his right hand and brought it down toward Smoker once more.

"Crap!"

Smoker’s heart hammered against his ribs. He let go of his weapon, and with a bang, his body dissolved into smoke, scattering in two directions to evade the strike.

BOOM!

The axe cleaved into the snow. The earth groaned under the impact as the blade sank deep, carving a fissure dozens of meters long.

Farther away, the white smoke reconvened. Smoker tightened his fist, his Armament Haki turning his hand jet-black.

"White Snake!!!" Smoker roared. His arm erupted in smoke like a launched rocket, firing his fist forward at high velocity, connected to his body by a trail of white vapor.

BANG!

The black fist slammed into Otto’s chest. A powerful shockwave exploded, stripping away the snow within a ten-meter radius.

"Is this the extent of your skill... Vice Admiral Smoker?"

A patch of black Haki had hardened on Otto’s chest, blocking the punch entirely. His beastly face remained expressionless, but his golden-brown eyes were cold and predatory as they stared Smoker down.

"This... this is..." Smoker’s eye twitched. He stared in horror at the monster before him.

"He... he blocked it!"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"He’s a monster!"

Tashigi and the G-5 Marines were beyond shocked. They had never seen anyone stop Smoker’s punch in such a direct, nonchalant manner.

"ROOM!"

Suddenly, a cold, detached voice rang out. A strange, translucent spherical dome expanded rapidly, engulfing everyone within a half-kilometer radius.

"This is..."

Everyone froze, looking up at the shimmering barrier surrounding them. Moments later, a figure appeared, a long nodachi slung over his shoulder.

"Coming to my villa to cause a scene and disturb my guests... that’s quite rude, Smoker." Trafalgar Law looked at the crowd, a faint, knowing smirk playing on his lips.

"No way!"

"You... you’re..."

The G-5 Marines stared at Law, their eyes nearly popping out of their heads.

"The rookie with the former bounty of 440 million Berries... the man who now stands alongside the likes of Hawkeye Mihawk, Golden Ring Aeridar, Empress Boa Hancock, and Donquixote Doflamingo... the government-sanctioned pirate, Warlord of the Sea, Trafalgar Law!" Tashigi gripped Shigure tightly. Cold sweat rolled down her forehead as she faced the newcomer.

"You should leave, Smoker-san," Law said calmly.

"I don’t want anything to do with this guy!" one Marine whispered.

"You heard the stories, he’s the maniac who sent a hundred pirate hearts to Headquarters just to get that Warlord title!"

"It’s terrifying!"

The G-5 Marines trembled. Law’s reputation preceded him.

"Why? Why are you here too?" Smoker retracted his hand and stepped back, his gaze moving between Law, Otto, and Cavendish.

Why is the newest Warlord involved with the Chris Pirates? What kind of terrifying secret is hidden on this island?

"You’re too slow. You didn’t even realize the Marines had breached the research facility. How are you handling security?" Cavendish barked at Law, showing no courtesy.

"My apologies. That was our mistake," Law replied simply, offering no excuses.

"The Marines are one thing, but why are the Straw Hats on the island? Is your security staff composed of idiots?" Otto’s tone was even more abrasive than Cavendish’s.

"The Straw Hats?" Law paused, confused. What did they have to do with this?

He remembered saving Luffy’s life once before. He instinctively glanced toward the waterway, and his gaze froze. There, anchored in the channel, was a familiar ship.

It was the Straw Hats’ ship, the Thousand Sunny!

"...They really are here. How?" Law was genuinely surprised. He scanned the Thousand Sunny; it was empty, meaning the crew was definitely on the island. He realized then that the pirates captured inside the facility must be the Straw Hat crew.

Seeing Law’s reaction, the other three realized he had been in the dark as well.

"Fine. All electronic signals here are jammed. Without a specific Den Den Mushi, they can’t contact the outside world. Let’s just deal with these Marines first," Otto growled at Law, his voice a threat. "If word of this place gets out, you know the consequences."

"I know. Then I’ll start by cutting off their retreat," Law said tonelessly, seemingly indifferent to Otto’s warning.

Shink—

Law unsheathed his cursed blade, Kikoku. He extended his hand, hooking his index finger upward.

"Takt!"

RUMBLE—

A deafening roar filled the air. The Marine warship anchored in the waterway suddenly lost its gravity, floating into the sky alongside massive amounts of river water and boulders. It looked as if the ship had been hit by the powers of the Float-Float Fruit or the Press-Press Fruit.

"The warship is flying!"

"The riverbed is coming up too!"

"What is this?!"

The G-5 Marines screamed in terror. They had never witnessed such a phenomenon.

"Bastard! Give me back my ship!" Smoker roared, charging at Law.

"Don’t even think about it. I’m your opponent!" Otto intercepted him, swinging the Seastone Jitte he had snatched earlier.

BANG!

The Seastone Jitte whistled through the air and slammed into Smoker’s abdomen.

"Damn... the Seastone—"

Smoker’s strength drained instantly. His Smoke-Smoke Fruit powers flickered out, and a sharp pain flared in his gut. He was sent tumbling backward, crashing into the snow dozens of meters away and creating a deep crater.

"Vice Admiral Smoker!" the G-5 Marines screamed.