One Piece: Starting With Flame-Flame Fruit

As a Marines Headquarters captain, Smoker would never back down. His motto was "death before dishonor," and he was determined to carry out the Marines' justice to the end. Furious, he shouted at Tony.

"Do you want me to compromise with you pirates? Don't make me laugh… unless... unless I'm dead first!"

Bang!

Before Smoker could finish his sentence, Tony delivered a powerful kick that sent Smoker flying overboard and into the sea. Tony had no interest in hearing any more of Smoker's ranting. He simply turned and set sail with Nami.

The Marines aboard the ship were too intimidated to make a move, fully aware they stood no chance against Tony. They remained frozen in place, paralyzed by fear.

Tony wasn't a bloodthirsty person. He didn't kill Smoker because he respected the man's personality and sense of duty. Despite their differing positions, Tony found himself admiring Smoker.

It wasn't until Tony's ship was about thirty meters away that the Marines jumped into the water to rescue the drenched Smoker.

Devil Fruit users couldn't swim, and once they hit the water, their powers were completely nullified, leaving them helpless.

It took some time before Smoker regained consciousness. He looked at Tony's ship disappearing in the distance, his fists clenched tightly as he slammed them into the ship's mast.

"Damn pirates! The next time I see you, I'll defeat you with my own hands! I'll throw you into Impel Down!"

Although they could still catch up, Smoker didn't consider pursuing Tony any longer. He had a bad temper, but he wasn't reckless. He had clearly felt the overwhelming gap in their strengths. Even if they did catch up, the result would be the same.

Looking at his broken Jutte, Smoker now realized that his priority was to inform the Marines Headquarters about the terrifying person he had encountered in the East Blue.

A Devil Fruit user who was immune to seastone. That was something the world had never seen before.

With a heavy heart, Smoker grabbed the emergency transponder snail aboard the ship and dialed the Marines Headquarters, Sengoku's office.

Buru buru, buru buru.

The transponder snail rang, interrupting Sengoku, who had been chatting casually with Garp. When he saw that the call was from the East Blue, he initially thought Smoker had handled the recent issues.

He walked over to answer the call casually, not expecting the urgency in Smoker's voice as soon as the line connected.

"Report! This is Captain Smoker," came the heavy voice from the other end.

"Sengoku, the East Blue wanted criminal has been located… Just now, he escaped our encirclement and is heading toward the Grand Line."

Sengoku's anger flared momentarily, but as he processed the information, he couldn't help but feel curiosity stir inside him. If even Smoker couldn't stop him, what kind of person was this East Blue criminal?

Sengoku pressed further with a question.

"Is he a Devil Fruit user? If you couldn't stop him, his strength must be considerable."

Sengoku had always thought highly of Smoker's abilities. While his rank as a captain was lower than some, his strength was already on par with elite commanders. He could hold his own in the Grand Line's first half, with few rivals.

Meanwhile, Garp, intrigued by the mention of the East Blue, leaned in to listen closely.

Smoker, unwilling to hide anything, relayed all the information he had on Tony.

With a hint of frustration in his voice, Smoker continued.

"Sengoku, this guy from the East Blue is far more troublesome than any typical Logia-type user."

"He's called Tony, around eighteen or nineteen years old, and he has the powers of the Flame-Flame Fruit, a natural-type Devil Fruit! He's with a girl named Nami, who seems to be a professional thief operating in the East Blue."

"This kid, Tony, can use Armament Haki! What's worse is… he's immune to the effects of seastone! I made sure my Jutte hit him directly in the chest, and he broke it effortlessly! This guy… he's definitely going to be a major threat!"

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T/N:

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