One Piece: Transmigrated as Smoker with Dark-Dark Fruit

"Boom!!"

"Screeeeech…"

With a harsh scraping sound, the Marine warship collided with the pirate ship.

A mid-sized warship was nothing a pirate vessel could compare to. The impact nearly capsized the pirate ship.

Pirates threw grappling hooks, latching onto the warship, then leapt across the boarding planks.

The Marines weren't about to back down. Weapons in hand, they rushed to meet the attackers head-on.

"Kill the Marines!!"

"Slaughter the pirates!!"

As soon as the two sides clashed, chaos erupted.

Gunfire, swords clashing, screams and howls, it all blended into one brutal symphony, carried away by the sea breeze along with the scent of blood and smoke.

The Gottar Pirates were an old, well-known crew, infamous for their brutality. Every member was a battle-hardened veteran.

If this were the past, the Marines from the 161st Base wouldn't have been able to handle them.

But now, after being relentlessly forged by Smoker, these Marines had undergone a complete transformation. Dealing with these pirates was no longer a problem.

Even the stronger officers among the pirates couldn't hold their ground against the sheer number of well-trained Marines.

Smoker moved effortlessly through the battlefield, not even bothering to remove his Seastone pendant. One pirate after another fell before him.

In no time, the bulk of the pirate crew had been taken care of.

However, one area of the battlefield still blazed with intensity.

Captain Cole and Lieutenant Commander Barnard had teamed up against Gottar, the pirate captain himself, locked in a ferocious duel.

Smoker knew that the outcome of this clash would ultimately decide the fate of the entire battle.

And Gottar was indeed formidable.

Back when the Great Pirate Era had just begun, the Marines still issued bounties conservatively. Gottar's 17.3 million bounty was actually equivalent to 30 million by modern standards, a sum that would be unmanageable for most East Blue Marines.

Even though Cole and Barnard were fighting two-on-one, they were still being forced onto the defensive.

As for the other Marines, their strength wasn't enough to intervene. Joining in would only get in the way.

Gottar wielded twin axes, spinning them like the blades of a windmill.

Even while fighting, he had the breath to run his mouth.

"Hahaha! What a bunch of losers! And you call yourselves the embodiment of justice? Justice is crying behind your backs!"

"Damn pirate…" Cole and Barnard gritted their teeth, too focused on defending themselves to even spare the time to curse back.

Smoker casually slammed a pirate's head into the deck, then cast his gaze toward Gottar.

[This guy's still full of energy... looks like he can really take a beating.]

Suddenly, he noticed Bell-mère in a corner, fiddling with something.

"Huh? Bell-mère, what are you doing?!"

Bell-mère stood up.

She was cradling seven or eight muskets bound together, their triggers tied with string.

"Heh heh, I've got a surprise for that bastard!"

Before Smoker could even respond, she dove into the melee with a sliding tackle, startling all three combatants.

"Eat this, asshole!"

Bell-mère yanked the string, triggering the bundle of guns.

With a loud bang, a blast of fire and smoke erupted.

Gottar had never taken firearms seriously, but Bell-mère's crazy maneuver caught him off guard. He didn't dodge in time and a bullet grazed his scalp, tearing open a deep wound.

Blood spilled instantly, covering half his face in red.

Captain Cole reacted swiftly, slashing across Gottar's left arm.

"You bitch!!"

Gottar erupted in rage, bloodshot eyes blazing.

With a mighty swing, he knocked both Cole and Barnard flying. Then he launched a savage kick at Bell-mère.

"Damn it!"

Bell-mère raised the musket bundle to block.

But Gottar's kick was far too strong, it shattered the guns and slammed into her stomach.

She felt searing pain in her abdomen and coughed up blood.

Gottar grabbed her by the collar and pressed an axe against her neck.

"Back off, all of you!!"

The Marines had been rushing in to help, but seeing this, they were forced to stop.

Gottar looked around. His crew was nearly annihilated, only a dozen remained, all tied up and thrown aside.

Yet not a hint of sorrow or fear appeared on his face. Instead, he grinned with unrestrained arrogance.

"Ahahahaha! Marines, you've won this battle!"

"But so what?! It's the Great Pirate Era! Men, money, women, I can get as much as I want! And you little worms can't stop me!"

"If you don't want this woman to die, then release my men and get the hell off my ship!"

Cole clenched his teeth hard enough to crack.

Bell-mère struggled fiercely. "Don't worry about me, Cole! Don't let this bastard go!"

She then threw her head back, trying to slam it into the axe.

Cole quickly grabbed her hair and knocked her out cold with a heavy punch.

"Bell... fall back!!"

He gave the order through gritted teeth. The Marines exchanged bitter glances, then silently returned to the warship.

Gottar dragged Bell-mère and retreated with his surviving men back to the pirate ship.

"If you want her to live, don't follow me!"

"Ahahahahaha!!"

As his laughter faded into the sea wind, the pirate ship sailed farther away.

"Damn it!!"

Cole slammed his fist against the railing, a flicker of grim determination in his eyes.

"Lower a lifeboat!"

Their warship was too large to tail the pirates without being spotted.

He planned to pursue in a small boat and rescue Bell-mère when the time was right.

The other Marines panicked and rushed to stop him.

"Captain, please reconsider! A lifeboat can't catch a large ship, and if you're discovered, you're dead!"

It wasn't just that Cole was no match for Gottar.

In order to stay hidden, their warship would have to keep its distance, leaving the lifeboat completely exposed. If they got spotted, it would be a sitting duck.

And if they got lost at sea… well, they'd be as good as dead.

Unlike Luffy, who survived in a barrel and got picked up by sheer luck, most people in a barrel wouldn't last more than a few days before becoming a skeleton in a straw hat.

"Damn it! Bell-mère is my subordinate, I can't just stand by and let her fall into a pirate's hands!"

"This is an order! Barnard, you'll be in charge of the warship!"

Suddenly, Barnard noticed something. "Wait… where's Smoker?"

The Marines looked around in confusion.

"Huh? He was just here a second ago."

"I saw him during the fight…"

"Don't tell me he fell overboard…"

Cole's face changed as a thought struck him. He turned and stared hard in the direction the pirate ship had gone.

Aboard the pirate ship.

Gottar tossed Bell-mère aside.

"Ahahaha, what a crappy day!"

"Boys! It's party time! Eat, drink, and once we're full, let's find a town to let off some steam!!"

The surviving pirates raised their weapons and cheered.

"Woohoo!!"

"All hail Captain!!"

Even though most of their crewmates had died, no one cared. The survivors were happy, fewer people meant a bigger share of the loot.

As for manpower…

Just like Gottar said, in this era, the one thing you'd never run out of was idiots dreaming of pirate glory.

Go to any town, and you could easily recruit a new batch.

"Cough, cough…"

The noisy cheering woke Bell-mère.

As soon as she realized she was bound tightly, her mind cleared instantly.

"You disgusting scumbags…"

"Oh? You're awake."

Gottar squatted beside her, grabbing her chin and examining her with a lewd smirk.

"Tsk tsk… now that I take a closer look, you're not bad at all. Take her to my cabin, I've never had a female Marine before, hahahaha!"

"You bastard!!" Bell-mère's heart pounded with fear and rage.

She knew exactly what fate awaited a woman captured by pirates.

Survive instead of die?

That was a lie.

When food was plentiful, maybe they'd keep her around to toy with…

But once supplies ran low?

She'd either be thrown overboard, used as bait, or… eaten.

She was already thinking about whether she should end it herself.

Around her, pirates laughed and jeered.

"Boss, don't forget to share after you're done!"

"No worries! Everyone gets a turn! Hahahaha!!"

Summoning every ounce of strength, Bell-mère suddenly jumped up.

She kicked a nearby pirate down and swung another kick at Gottar.

"Still struggling, huh?"

Gottar grabbed her leg mid-air and slammed her onto the deck.

"Urgh!!"

She let out a scream and collapsed, completely limp. She couldn't even lift a finger.

Gottar glanced at his arm, her kick had reopened his wound.

"What a buzzkill… fine, you can have her. Just toss her overboard when you're done!"

"Yes, Captain!" The pirates surrounded her, eyes gleaming.

Bell-mère's heart sank into despair.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Why not ransom her back to the Marines? I hear pirates in the North Blue do that sometimes."

Gottar's eyes lit up.

"Huh?! That's a great idea! Wait… how do you know what pirates in the North Blue do?!"

"Thanks for the compliment. I'm a Marine. We get reports you outsiders never see."

"Oh, a Marine, huh? That explains… wait, what?! Marine?!"

The voice belonged to Smoker, calmly sitting on the railing, his fingers dripping blood.

The pirates finally realized what was happening, and all hell broke loose.

"Damn it! Where'd this Marine come from?!"

"How'd he get on the ship?!"

"We're under attack!!"

Someone leaned out and saw a row of bloody holes along the ship's hull.

"Sorry, Bell-mère. You know I can't swim…"

Smoker had clung to the speeding ship by stabbing his fingers into the hull, hanging outside without making a sound.

Only when the pirates thought they were safe did he climb aboard.

Tears welled up in Bell-mère's eyes as she whispered, "Smoker…"

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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter