Chapter 85: The Weak Have No Right to Talk About Justice (4k)
Chapter 85: The Weak Have No Right to Talk About Justice (4k)
Sage smiled and looked at the man, "You seem quite angry with me? I don't recall you."
"East Sea, Loguetown!"
The man said in a deep voice, "After I left, you took over Loguetown, which was supposed to be my territory. I've been keeping an eye on you!"
Sage was taken aback by this and sized up the man before him, trying to place the name, "Smoker?"
Smoker slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, "While my target is Straw Hat Luffy, someone as dangerous as you can't be ignored!"
Monkey D. Luffy had left a profound impression on Smoker—the kind of impression that shook him to his core. It reminded him of witnessing Gol D. Roger's execution in his younger days, seeing Luffy's calm acceptance of death and his ability to smile in the face of adversity.
That kind of person, if left unchecked, could pose an unimaginable threat.
But Norton Sage was different; he was already incredibly dangerous!
"The sinner who destroyed four kingdoms, with a bounty of two hundred seventy million berries, 'Disaster' Norton Sage!"
Smoker raised his fist, "Let me see if you deserve such a high bounty!"
The arm he raised was enveloped in thick smoke . No, not enveloped—his entire arm had transformed into a smoky state.
"Grrr!"
Miao let out a low growl, baring a threatening intent.
Sage waved his hand, stopping Miao from rushing forward, "You're not his match yet. Let me see for myself what this Logia-type Devil Fruit ability is all about."
He took two steps forward and smiled, "Let's see how capable you truly are."
Smoker replied in a cold tone, "I am a smoke human who ate the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. As for how capable I am, why don't you find out for yourself!"
Whoosh!
Smoke billowed from Smoker's mouth as he bit down on his cigar, and at the same time, the misty arm erupted with a burst of smoke, "White Fist!"
The dense smoke extended like a pillar from Smoker's arm, with his fist at the tip, rapidly striking forward. Sage reached out to grab the incoming fist.
Bang!
The sound of impact resonated in Sage's palm, but as soon as the fist made contact, it turned into smoke and dissipated along with the pillar-like smoke, enveloping Sage's surroundings.
"Oh, it can take physical form and strike, yet it's also a natural element, making it intangible. So this is elementalization?"
Sage felt the sensation in his hand and nodded slightly, then turned his attention to the smoke that filled the air around him.
"The smoke that surrounds me is naturally generated and doesn't have that impactful feeling. It's a standard natural phenomenon—it can suffocate and obscure one's vision."
Before he could finish his sentence, the smoke that enveloped him suddenly shot out in pillar-like bursts, striking at his sides. Sage raised his palms to block, and the smoke passed through his hands, condensing into rod-like shapes that sprayed onto his chest.
Bang, bang, bang!
The smoke bursts accompanied a series of dull thuds.
"It seems you don't always have to form a fist. The dispersed smoke can transform into your power at any time, possessing a significant striking force. However, compared to the condensed fist, it seems to pack less of a punch."
Sage spoke inquisitively, unbothered by the strikes to his chest.
This level of power was too weak compared to his ever-growing might.
Even Lennon's fists packed more of a wallop.
Seeing that his attacks weren't effective, Smoker said in a condensed voice, "So, you have a sturdy body. No wonder you're so fearless, but you're underestimating me! White Snake!"
The smoke that had burst onto Sage's chest suddenly coiled around his body, forming a massive cloud of smoke that wrapped tightly around him like a giant white snake, holding him firmly in place.
Sage moved his arms slightly, attempting to break free, but this white smoke seemed to possess its own strength, and it had solidified like iron chains. Apart from the physical force, the smoke also carried its characteristic suffocating effect. If this went on and he couldn't breathe, he would eventually grow weary and fail.
However...
Sage exerted force, and his arms penetrated through the smoke, freeing himself, but the smoke itself remained unaffected.
He looked at Smoker's silhouette beyond the thick mist, "Not bad. Most people who encounter you will probably end up strangled to death by now."
"Hmph, you'll be no exception. No matter what kind of attack you use, you won't be able to truly hit me!"
Smoker coldly huffed, "Since you understand Logia-type abilities, you should be aware of the power of elementalization. You may have a robust body, but in the face of smoke suffocation, it's only a matter of time before I capture you!"
He took a bite of his cigar and exhaled a mouthful of smoke, his face gradually relaxing.
"A guy like you is actually worth 270 million? The higher-ups at headquarters must be slacking off."
"The smoke cover can block your breathing. If he breathes in the smoke, he'll only choke. How long can he hold his breath?"
"Hahaha," Sage let out a low laugh. His hand moved back and forth through the smoke as he slowly said, "Your Logia type is also susceptible to counters. Just like water and fire, or fire and wood, your smoke type can be countered by wind. A large fan would be enough to blow it away, but that's not even necessary."
Sage's hand, which had been waving through the smoke, suddenly lowered, and he clenched his fingers into a tight grip.
Smoker's pupils contracted as he felt a sharp pain, and the smoke that had been coiled around Sage's body suddenly dispersed. The smoky arm swiftly solidified, turning into a physical limb once more.
Instinctively, Smoker covered his left elbow with his right hand, his entire arm trembling uncontrollably as if it had gone numb.
"You..." Smoker stared at Sage in disbelief.
Once the smoke lost control, it turned into a natural phenomenon, gradually dissipating into the open air.
As the haze cleared, Sage's figure emerged from the fog, his hand still in the grasping motion from before. Smiling at Smoker, he said, "Looks like I got your elbow there."
In Smoker's eyes, Sage's right hand was covered in a pitch-black substance, like ink.
"Haki..." Smoker gritted his teeth. "So that's how it is. No wonder you're so confident! You possess the power of Haki."
He knew what Haki was, and he had been able to use it himself in the past.
When one's willpower, killing intent, and fighting spirit reached a certain level, it could be manifested as an invisible force—that was Haki.
However, if one's willpower weakened, their Haki would also diminish and could even disappear completely.
As a Logia-type ability user, Smoker's presence in the East Blue was already unusual. He had been sent there because he had disobeyed orders, and his time there had slowly eroded his willpower, causing him to lose his Haki.
If it hadn't been for the appearance of the Straw Hat Pirates and the impact they had on him, he might have stayed in Loguetown indefinitely, growing old without ever regaining his Haki.
"Oh? Can you usually see Haki?" Sage asked in surprise, though he quickly realized it made sense.
If he remembered correctly, this man was a disciple of Zephyr, so it was only natural that he would be able to see Haki.
After all, it was just a matter of controlling one's willpower. Whether one had used Haki in the past or had always possessed it, once they came into contact with it, they would naturally be able to see it.
However... "I didn't grab the physical form, so it can't be considered a true strike." Sage looked at his palm thoughtfully.
Haki couldn't grab Logia types, just as Sage's Haki couldn't grasp wind, even though it was also a natural element. Otherwise, it would be much easier for him to capture the wind with his Haki.
Similarly, he couldn't grab the smoke that Smoker had spread around them.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be a case of a certain Emperor of the Sea being left dumbfounded after using a flame attack, nor would another Emperor of the Sea have been able to withstand the flames through sheer willpower instead of Haki.
At its core, Haki was about manipulating one's willpower. It wasn't like Sea Prism Stone, which could force a Logia user to take on a physical form. However, it could still be used to attack a Logia user's actual body.
The smoke coiling around him was essentially Smoker's arm, and Sage's Haki had struck his arm, but as for which part of the arm—well, with the smoke being so long, only Smoker himself knew for sure.
From the effect, it seemed that Sage had struck a pressure point in Smoker's elbow, causing it to go numb.
"Looks like I've figured it out," Sage said with a smile.
Ordinary Haki could only attack a Logia user's physical form, and the damage dealt would depend on the strength of the Haki.
However, Sage's Haki was infused with the fighting spirit of the Big Dipper Fist, allowing him to strike pressure points even on Logia users. As long as he made physical contact, he could hit their pressure points, regardless of their ability.
Ever since he gained control over Haki, Sage had been looking for a Logia user to test this theory. After all, a user's body could change depending on their ability, and while he was confident he could see most pressure points, Logia types were a bit different.
They were essentially elements and natural phenomena.
But now it seemed that his Haki was still effective against Logia types. As long as he made physical contact, he could strike their pressure points.
Locating the pressure points was a bit tricky, especially when Smoker extended and expanded his smoke. In such a case, it would be a matter of hitting wherever possible.
"That doesn't matter," Sage said with a smile as he looked at Smoker. "Do you want to continue fighting? If not, then move aside. I'm here to enjoy myself and don't want any delays to my banquet."
Smoker glanced at his left hand, which was in a strange state of numbness, and his right hand still gripped the jutte at his back. His body bent slightly as he said in a low voice, "I am a marine, and you are a pirate. It is only natural for me to capture you!"
The lower half of his body transformed into a thick mist, as if something had added power to it, and it quickly shot towards Sage. The tip of the jutte thrust forward, aiming at Sage's throat.
Pap!
The rapidly thrusting tip of the jutte was caught in Sage's palm, and he blocked it with his left hand, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You're not a Devil Fruit user?!'' Smoker exclaimed in surprise.
The strange numbness in his left hand had led him to believe that Sage was also a Devil Fruit user, but the casual way Sage handled it clearly indicated otherwise.
"The tip is very hard. Is it made of Sea Prism Stone? Even if I were a Devil Fruit user, this amount of Sea Prism Stone..."
Sage moved his left hand, pulling the iron rod to the side and using the opportunity to pull Smoker's body closer to him.
"...would be useless!"
Sage balled his right hand into a fist, and his Haki covered it. He threw a powerful punch.
Boom!
Just as the fist was about to hit Smoker's abdomen, a cloud of white smoke quickly materialized, causing his body to rapidly expand and turn into thick white mist. Sage's punch passed through the mist without making contact with any solid entity.
There was no feeling of hitting anything substantial.
"You voluntarily elementalized? I thought you would actually take a hit and open a hole in your body. But it seems you can also rapidly expand and turn the part that's about to be hit into ordinary smoke, making it impossible to land a hit."
Sage grinned and said, "That's a good observation, but unfortunately..."
A coil of pitch-black fire appeared on Sage's fist, which was still inside the smoke. As Sage spread his fingers, the black fire burst forth.
"Sky-Destroying Vivification!"
He released it with full force!
Boom!!
The cloud of white mist was entangled by the black fire and then seemed to be blasted by a cannonball, causing the smoke to explode and propelling a figure to shoot out and crash into the ground, creating a dent.
Smoker's body lay in the pit, trembling, and his face paled as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The sudden release of Haki had impacted his rapidly expanding body, directly hitting his abdomen and propelling him out.
"You're lucky," Sage said, shaking his head as the pitch-black fire on his fist dissipated.
Even though he couldn't use external destruction and internal destruction simultaneously yet, the power of the Sky-Destroying Vivification was enough to penetrate Smoker's pressure point and inflict severe damage.
If he had used internal destruction, this attack would have shattered Smoker.
"I'll let it go since you accompanied me in this experiment," Sage said as he adjusted his fur cloak.
Without even glancing at Smoker, he strode past him and continued walking forward.
Buzz!
Just then, a jutte was pointed at Sage from the side.
Sage stopped in his tracks and looked down at Smoker, who was still in the pit. Smoker's chest rose and fell rapidly as he struggled to breathe, and he slowly turned his head to face Sage, raising the jutte and aiming it at him despite the blood flowing from his mouth. With a labored breath, he gritted his teeth and said, "I... I also have my own sense of justice. I won't let you leave!"
"Justice," Sage scoffed, glancing at the word 'justice' on Smoker's coat, now covered in dust. "The weak have no right to talk about justice, Smoker."
"Whether it's justice or evil, you won't find a standard even if you search the entire sea. You consider me evil, but I am my own sense of justice. Ultimately, only the winner can talk about such things. The losers have long sunk to the bottom of the sea, whether they are people or islands."
Just like Ohara.
Sage's gaze shifted from Smoker and looked upward, finally stopping at the roof of a nearby building. His eyes narrowed as he said, "You know I'm right, don't you, spectator?"
On the roof, a man with a bare upper body and an orange cowboy hat squatted, watching Sage with keen interest.
In the manga, when a Devil Fruit user voluntarily elementalizes, their body opens up to dodge attacks, but since this is a novel, I won't follow that depiction.
Of course, if we're being pedantic about it, then you're right.
(End of Chapter)
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