One Piece: Transmigrated as Smoker with Dark-Dark Fruit

It was another fresh and energetic morning.

Under the soft glow of dawn, the Marines of the 161st Branch assembled at the training grounds, beginning a new day of drills and discipline.

Not long ago, during the battle to intercept the pirate Gottar, Bell-mère had returned safe and sound, shaken but unscathed, and even stumbled into a blessing in disguise: she had become a Devil Fruit user.

Captain Cole was overjoyed.

Having spent time stationed at Marine Headquarters, he was far more knowledgeable than most. Naturally, he understood the true value of a Devil Fruit.

Especially one like the Scythe-Scythe Fruit.

It possessed great destructive potential, and with just a bit of development, it could make Bell-mère strong enough to dominate the entire East Blue.

Without hesitation, Cole assigned sparring partners to help her grow faster, hoping she could harness her newfound power as quickly as possible.

And Bell-mère certainly didn't disappoint. In just a short span of time, her strength underwent a complete transformation, enough to even surpass Cole himself.

At that moment, she was standing in the center of the training field, facing off against a group of Marines.

"Wind Blade Barrage!"

Her fingers sliced through the air, summoning ten crescent-shaped gusts that formed a pale blue net of death, hurtling forward with piercing howls.

"Watch out!"

"Get out of the way!"

The surrounding Marines scrambled to dodge.

The wind blades grazed their shoulders and arms but didn't strike anyone directly, instead, they shredded the wooden posts and stone blocks behind them with ease.

Only Captain Cole dared to stand his ground, gripping his blade with both hands and bracing himself against a flying wind blade.

Steel and slicing wind clashed violently, filling the air with a screeching noise sharp enough to make one's teeth ache.

"RAAAHHHH!"

With a furious roar, Cole's muscles bulged as he forced the wind blade back, finally shattering it.

But by then, Bell-mère had already raised two fingers again.

One more gesture, and she could've sent another wind blade to finish him off right then and there.

"Alright, that's enough! Bell-mère, that's enough sparring for now!" Cole shouted.

"Damn it, you just keep getting stronger! Even if we teamed up, we still wouldn't be your match!"

Bell-mère didn't act smug, she simply crossed her arms and let out a hearty laugh.

"Ahaha! Right? That's exactly what I wanted to hear!"

"But really, I couldn't have gotten this far without everyone helping me practice. I owe you all."

She wiped the sweat from her brow, walked off the field, pulled a pack of cigarettes from her coat, and bit down on one before casually handing the rest around.

Her exhausted sparring partners perked up at the sight, quickly crowding around to grab a smoke, grinning as they lit up like they'd just won a lottery.

Bell-mère lived alone, no family to support, no desire for fancy clothes or accessories. Apart from food and drink, almost all her salary went into buying quality smokes and booze.

So the cigarettes she handed out were always the good stuff.

They were comrades, of course, no one expected thanks or repayment.

But Bell-mère always showed her appreciation anyway, with fine drinks and high-end smokes.

Cole took a deep drag, savoring the flavor in his mouth before slowly exhaling with a satisfied look.

"Bell-mère, you've officially become the strongest person in the entire base…"

She suddenly thought of Smoker and grew a little sheepish, letting out a dry chuckle without saying anything more.

"But just training's not enough," Cole added. "What you really need is actual combat!"

Bell-mère nodded immediately.

"Exactly! I've been cooped up in this base way too long. Next patrol, I'm going with you, no excuses!"

"Still, I can't believe it's that easy to gain power from a Devil Fruit. Just one bite and boom, this strong already?"

"If the Marines could get their hands on more of these fruits, pirates wouldn't stand a chance!"

Cole burst out laughing. "Now don't go daydreaming. Those fruits are treasures of the sea. Just finding one is pure luck…"

At that moment, Bell-mère spotted Smoker off to the side.

He raised a hand toward the sky and flicked a coin upward.

A News Coo swooped down, snatched the coin, and dropped off a rolled-up newspaper before flying away again.

Smoker caught it and unfolded it, only for several wanted posters to fall out.

"Huh? New bounties? Let's see what kind of trash we're dealing with this time…"

"'Duke Gray-Hat Duka, bounty 1.5 million Berries.'"

"'The Butcher Bank, bounty 315,200 Berries.'"

"'Harpist Lady Caffelina, bounty 970,000 Berries.'"

"And then…"

He continued flipping through the posters.

Bounties didn't reflect danger to civilians, they represented the threat posed to the World Government.

Even weak pirates could still burn villages to the ground and slaughter innocents.

Then, Smoker paused on one particular poster.

It featured a young, dark-skinned girl caught mid-glance, looking warily over her shoulder.

He stared at the image in silence.

"What's wrong? Another new pirate?" a few Marines asked, crowding around him.

They all froze when they saw the poster.

"Nico Robin… bounty: seventy-nine million Berries?!"

"No way! She's just a little girl!"

The absurd bounty, combined with her absurd age, made every Marine suck in a cold breath.

Bell-mère snatched the newspaper and began reading the related article out loud.

"Ohara… Demon Child…"

"Destroyed an entire fleet at eight years old?!"

"Extremely dangerous. Harboring her is a crime…"

Smoker stepped away, tuning the noise out.

Of course he knew the truth behind the Ohara Incident, but so what?

If he let even a shred of it slip, not only would he be hunted endlessly, the entire 161st base could be purged.

The Ohara Incident, 

One of the most pivotal events in the One Piece timeline.

At first, it seemed like a background event designed to justify Nico Robin's bounty and position as the "key" to deciphering the Void Century.

But as the story progressed, its significance only grew.

It eventually tied in revolutionaries like Dragon, the genius Vegapunk, Saul the Giant, and even the entire Giant Tribe…

[Now that I think about it… how is Kuzan doing?]

The cruelty of the government, the ruthlessness of Akainu, Saul's final words, those things shook Kuzan to his core.

It was this incident that led him to abandon his "burning justice" and adopt the motto of "lazy justice."

Smoker exhaled slowly.

[Kuzan, true conviction doesn't come from pretending justice has no darkness… it's about continuing to believe in justice after you've seen the darkness.]

[Also… it's almost been two years. Don't forget our agreement.]

Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, 

Kuzan sat blankly in his office, lost in thought.

A rare occurrence.

Normally, he was either out on assignment or training under Garp's iron fists.

But ever since the Ohara Incident, he'd been in a daze.

The burning Tree of Knowledge…

The exploding evacuation ship…

Comrades who had become unrecognizably cold…

The CP agents who used the name of justice to justify atrocities…

Saul's voice still echoing in his ears…

And Robin, crying as she fled…

All of it haunted him.

"What… really is justice?"

"What is it I've been holding on to all this time?"

Suddenly, a knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in."

A Marine officer entered with a salute and a file in hand.

"Vice Admiral Kuzan, this is the recruitment notice for the Elite Marine Expansion Program. Please review it."

Kuzan's eyes flashed with recognition.

"Oh yeah… the elite program. Brings back memories…"

His mind drifted to several years ago.

Back when the Rocks Pirates were defeated by Roger and Garp during the God Valley Incident.

But their defeat also meant Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Big Mom, and Kaido were now unleashed upon the world.

Add in rising threats like Roger himself, Redfield, Bundy World, and the Happo Navy…

The Grand Line had become total chaos.

Even with legends like Kong, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, the Marines were stretched dangerously thin.

Because without Admiral-level forces leading the charge, sending troops to fight these pirates was a death sentence.

So under Kong's command, the Elite Marine Program was created.

It recruited the most promising Marine talents, poured resources into them, and forged the next generation of justice-bearers.

Ten years ago, the first batch was formed, with former Admiral Zephyr appointed as lead instructor.

Every two to three years since, a new batch was trained, creating a whole generation of elite Marines.

The brightest stars were Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan…

And Monkey D. Dragon, who left the Marines early…

Those four were called the Monster Recruits.

Rumor had it the next Admirals would come from among them.

There were others too: Tsuru, Gion, Momonga, Doberman, Burning Mountain…

Together, they became known as the Golden Generation.

Their training was elite, each class had only a handful of students, personally taught by Zephyr.

Once they graduated, they filled vital posts across the organization, easing the upper ranks' manpower shortage.

Recently, Zephyr submitted a new proposal, 

To expand the program by recruiting from the Four Seas branches, training grassroots Marines with potential.

Kong approved without hesitation.

Thus, the first Elite Marine Expansion Program officially began recruitment.

As was tradition, high-ranking officers could recommend candidates.

Kuzan, being a Vice Admiral, was eligible to nominate.

He read through the notice carefully… then glanced at the file in his drawer labeled "Smoker."

"Ara ara… it's already been two years. That kid's probably getting impatient."

He pulled out the recommendation form, and with deliberate strokes, wrote down a single name:

Smoker.

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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter