Chapter 22: Kill Them All, and No One Will Know I Took Credit
Chapter 22: Kill Them All, and No One Will Know I Took Credit
"Damn it, why did that man come here?!"
Smoker smashed a boulder into dust with a single punch as he glared at the retreating pirate ship. His jaw clenched in frustration.
He’d finally captured Luffyluffy, only to have the victory snatched away.
"That damned Dragon!"
"Dragon? The world’s most dangerous man?!"
Tashigi gasped, eyes wide with shock. "Commander Smoker, why would Dragon come to Loguetown?"
"Not even the World Government knows where he’ll pop up next", Smoker muttered, exhaling a plume of smoke as he sat on a boulder, his gaze dark and stormy.
"Commander Smoker! Urgent news! Pirates are rioting!"
A Navy officer sprinted over, panic etched on his face.
"What?!"
Smoker shot up, teeth gritted. "Those pirates! Deploy all forces! Surround and eliminate them!"
"We’ve already notified the troops, but Commander… they’ve taken hostages!" The officer hesitated.
Down a nearby street, pirates huddled in a tight cluster, surrounded by Navy forces. Yet the soldiers stood frozen—half the pirates held civilians at knifepoint.
"Ha! Step aside, or she dies!"
A pirate pressed a dagger to a woman’s throat, drawing a thin line of blood. She screamed, trembling like a leaf.
"Don’t! Please!"
The Navy gritted their teeth, helpless. Without the hostages, these pirates would’ve been arrested already.
"Make way!"
A voice cut through the tension. The Navy turned, relief washing over them as Commander Smoker and Sergeant Tashigi arrived.
Smoker’s expression darkened as he locked eyes with the pirates.
"Smoker!"
One pirate snarled, "It’s your fault my captain got caught! I’ve waited months for this. Give me a ship and supplies, or these civilians die!"
"Kill them all!" the others roared.
"Damn You Pirates!"
Tashigi’s hand flew to her sword hilt, her teeth clenched.
"I’m Navy. I’ll never let you scum escape!" Smoker bellowed. "Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I’ll drag you back!"
"Oh? Don’t care if they die?"
The pirate holding the woman licked blood from his blade. "Let’s see you save them all!"
Smoker’s face turned to stone. When civilians were involved, even his Logia powers had limits. The Navy had radicals willing to sacrifice innocents, but he wasn’t one of them.
"Commander, what if we pretend to comply? Attack once they’re at sea?" a officer suggested.
Smoker hesitated, then nodded. "Do it."
"First, make your men vanish from our sight!" a pirate demanded.
"Stop pushing your luck!" Smoker snapped.
But the pirates smirked, unshaken.
"All of you—retreat! Hunt other pirates elsewhere!" Smoker ordered, his voice like thunder.
As the Navy withdrew, Smoker warned, "You’ll get your demands. But if a single civilian bleeds, I’ll raze you myself—even if Headquarters brands me a traitor!"
"Heh! Don’t believe you?"
A pirate stabbed a civilian’s thigh, laughter echoing. "Smoker, how does it feel to beg?! Kneel!"
"Enough!"
Smoker bit through his cigar, knees trembling.
Footsteps echoed—slow, deliberate.
Kuro emerged from the rain, his presence freezing the downpour midair.
"Kuro!" Smoker shouted. "Get back! They have hostages!"
"Another Navy pest!" the pirate roared. "I said—!"
His finger tightened on the trigger.
Whoosh!
Kuro vanished. The next instant, he stood before Smoker, blade sheathed.
The pirates froze—mid-sneeze, mid-scream. The trigger-puller’s hand locked in place.
"Smoker", Kuro said calmly, "you ever wonder why I’ve been a Sergeant for ten years? First, I prefer safety. Second, for minor pirates, I don’t interfere unless they cross me. But for scum like this—"
He flicked his blade. A rhythmic clang rang out.
"—I ensure they die by my hand alone. Not negotiations. Not mercy. Just this:"
The pirates’ heads flew skyward, geysers of blood painting the rain. Civilian eyes widened—no one harmed.
Smoker and Tashigi swallowed hard, stunned.
Kuro turned, walking into the storm. "Next time, avoid Loguetown. The town of beginnings and ends—it’s time to end it all."
"Wait!" Smoker called. "How many have you killed?!"
Kuro paused, then vanished into the rain.
"Who knows?"
Lucius Kro, age 24. My greatest dream? To survive another day.
My nickname? Ten Thousand Swordsmen Slayer.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
