Chapter 738 Unraveling
Smoker could of course hear the sound of Vic pushing the door, but the room was full of smoke and he couldn't see who was coming.
Smoker didn't like to fill the room with smoke. His main purpose was to develop his fruit ability. Naturally, he was a little dissatisfied with being disturbed. He thought it was the reckless Tashigi who pushed the door, but he didn't hear any sound except the sound of the door being pushed. Smoker became alert instantly.
There was too much smoke in the room, and Vic didn't like such an environment very much. He waved his hand, and a small whirlwind suddenly rose in the room, sucking all the smoke into the whirlwind.
Smoker finally saw the figure at the door through the increasingly thin smoke. It looked familiar yet unfamiliar. It was familiar because the face had not changed much, except that it was a little more mature.
What is strange is naturally Vic's temperament and aura, which are very different from when he was in the navy. When he was in the navy, Vic was still a little immature, humble and studious. Now Vic is confident, steady, domineering, and exudes charm all over his body, which not only attracts women, but also men.
"I don't know if you welcome me as a pirate!"
The whirlwind of smoke broke through the window and flew out. Then Vic spoke, waking up Smoker who was in a daze.
What can I say about Smoker? He can't tolerate any grain of sand in his eyes, but there is no doubt about justice in his heart. He has his own judgment and is a bit old-fashioned.
It was not until he met Straw Hat Luffy that he transformed and became the more charming Smoker. However, his strength was a little disappointing. It might be because of his limited talent, or maybe his training was delayed by other things. However, he was lucky enough to eat the natural smoke fruit.
"Of course! Of course you're welcome! Come on! Come in!"
Smoker was a little excited and quickly walked out from behind the desk to greet Vic. His body movements looked a little flustered and he even tripped over the chair outside the desk, then hurriedly bent down to help it up.
When the news of Vic's betrayal to the navy was published in the newspaper, Smoker refused to believe it after seeing the news. It's not that he didn't believe that Vic had betrayed the navy, but he didn't believe the charges listed in the newspaper. At least he didn't believe the charge of killing countless civilians.
He knew Vic very well and knew that he would never do such a tragedy, so he had been applying to return to the Navy Headquarters to find out the truth of the matter.
However, his application was rejected several times, and he finally returned to the headquarters despite the order. He went to Marshal Sengoku to ask him but couldn't get anything out of him. It was not until he met Kuzan, who had been promoted to admiral of the navy and came back to the headquarters to report that he learned the truth and the whole story from Kuzan!
The truth of the matter confirmed that his guess and persistence were correct. At that time, Smoker only felt pity and sadness. The one who felt pity was naturally Vic. He had seen how talented Vic was. It would be no problem for him to become an admiral in the future. But he left the navy just like that. It was a loss for the entire navy!
The saddest thing is the navy. They can't even keep talents like Vic. No matter how well they talk, they are still puppets of the world government. What future does such a navy have? Smoker is confused!
"Smoker! Why did you return to the East Sea? It shouldn't be possible with your strength. Were you ostracized?"
Vic walked into the office, sat on the sofa and said that Smoker had listened to some of what he had said to him at the Marine Headquarters. Although his current strength was not up to the level of a vice admiral of the Marine Headquarters, he could still be a brigadier general of the headquarters. But now he was only a lieutenant colonel of the headquarters and had come to the weakest East China Sea to guard it.
"That's a bit of the reason, but I took the initiative to apply to return to the East China Sea. I just want to focus on catching pirates. Besides, this is my hometown, and protecting it is more important than anything else!"
Smoker sat on the raised chair facing Vic. He was close to Aokiji and had similar ideas to Aokiji. Naturally, he was considered a dove, so Akainu's people naturally disliked him.
Moreover, he is a user with natural abilities, and he poses a great threat in the future. The Hawks will naturally try their best to suppress him once they find his weakness, but he didn't want Vic to know about this, so he didn't elaborate.
"Did you bring Dashiqi here too?"
Vic knew some of the reasons, Gion had told him about them, but since Smoker didn't want to say it, he didn't mention it. He would always cherish this friend, but due to his position, he couldn't help Smoker improve now.
"Yes! I am worried about leaving her at the headquarters. She is practicing swordplay downstairs now."
Smoker lit two more cigars and put them in his mouth, nodding his chin towards the window twice. He could no longer tell what position Tashigi held in his heart now. She was not a sister, nor a daughter. Anyway, he just wanted to keep her by his side and protect her.
"You are running away! This is a great obstacle to your improvement in strength. There are not many strong people in the East China Sea. If you continue like this, you will annihilate everyone. Now you may not even be able to beat Ian, let alone Rebecca!"
Vic knew about Smoker's defeats in the New World, which was all caused by his lack of strength. Vic couldn't bear to see how sad Smoker must be after going through all that!
Smoker is not much younger than Shanks, but one is already one of the Four Emperors while the other can only guard Rogue Town in the East China Sea. He has wasted too much time, and the pirates in the East China Sea are simply unable to overcome his natural abilities. It is estimated that he has not used other means to catch thieves.
"If the navy can't even tolerate someone like you, then I don't care at all. It's enough for me to protect my hometown!"
Smoker is a little disheartened, but not as clear-headed and resolute as Dragon. He seems to have given up on himself, and he also feels confused after the glorious image of the navy has been shattered in his heart. However, the justice in his heart has not changed. Even though he is disappointed with the navy, he still sticks to his own justice.
"Do you know who's in charge in the Navy?"
"Of course I know! It's the Five Elders..."
"Just know it's them. My case is too big for the Navy to make the decision. Sometimes the Navy can't decide for itself! I'm fine now, I'm free!"
"Are you really unable to return to the Navy? I heard that there is a special team in the Navy that is considered an external team of the Navy. In theory, it does not need to report to the Five Elders."
"It's useless. I violated the taboos of the Celestial Dragons and challenged their dignity. They are still eager to get rid of me, but they didn't do it because the cost was too high and they were not 100% sure!
I can only be a pirate now, not any other identity. Do you know why I can still survive after killing the Celestial Dragons?
Because of strength and recklessness! They didn't dare to push me too far, and they weren't sure they could kill me, so they used the identity of Shichibukai to appease me. So only strength can back up a major decision in your mind, and everything else is just luck and speculation! "