The gate guard led Smoker and Wallace through a series of winding paths until they finally arrived at an unremarkable-looking warehouse behind the Marine base.
"Go in," the soldier said, pointing to the warehouse door, his tone carrying a faint warning. "This isn't your pirate ship. Watch yourselves and follow the rules."
He'd never heard of the "White Smoke Pirates" Wallace mentioned and assumed they were just another no-name crew from the East Blue—too small to even have a bounty. Small-time pirates like that were generally weak and not worth much, so the soldiers' attitudes toward Smoker and Wallace subtly shifted to one of indifference.
"Hmph."
Smoker snorted coldly, glaring at the two soldiers with a chilling intensity that made them instinctively take a few steps back.
He ignored them and pushed the door open with Wallace in tow.
As soon as the doors opened, Smoker's expression grew even darker.
Inside the warehouse was a large crowd of pirates in mismatched outfits, armed with swords, guns, and various other weapons—it was a gathering of scoundrels and miscreants of all kinds.
But Smoker and Wallace's appearance didn't stir much attention. These pirates were too busy shopping.
Yes, shopping.
Smoker glanced around and saw rows of supplies neatly arranged: food, liquor, medicine, swords, muskets—everything you could imagine.
In front of the supplies, several Marines in uniform were busy negotiating "deals" with the pirates.
"What… is going on here?"
Smoker's body trembled with suppressed rage, his eyes locking onto the supplies—still marked with tags from the Marine logistics department.
"I'd heard rumors that Commander Hammer was doing business with pirates…"
Wallace looked just as shaken. "But I didn't expect him to be directly selling Marine-issued supplies."
Smoker didn't say a word. He strode over to a nearby "stall" with intense focus. On it was a pile of nautical charts.
He picked one up and studied it. His already grim expression turned even darker.
"These maps are top-tier," a nearby Marine said, beginning his sales pitch as if nothing were wrong. "They show routes from the East Blue to the Grand Line and even mark the garrison layouts of several Marine bases on the Grand Line's entry stretch!"
"With these charts, your journey through the Grand Line will be a lot easier!"
"These… are contraband, aren't they?"
Smoker asked slowly, each word dripping with menace.
"Of course!" the Marine said proudly. "These are top-secret documents Commander Hammer brought back from Marine HQ! You won't find them anywhere else!"
"And since the Commander's about to be reassigned, we're clearing them out at a discount!"
"You're getting a real deal!"
"A real deal? Heh…"
Smoke puffed furiously from Smoker's cigar, thick and hot, as his voice took on a dangerously low tone.
The Marine started to feel uneasy under his glare. He forced himself to shout, "W-What are you staring at?!"
"If you're not buying, then scram! Or else—!"
But Smoker's presence was too terrifying. The soldier couldn't even finish his sentence.
Meanwhile, Wallace had quietly backed into a safe corner—he could tell that Smoker's Jitte was already thirsting for action.
Just as Smoker was about to explode, a loud voice rang out across the warehouse.
"Attention, everyone!"
"I am Charles, a lieutenant stationed at Loguetown's Marine base, under Marine HQ!"
The pirates, previously focused on their illegal purchases, immediately quieted down and turned toward the speaker.
Smoker looked over too, spotting a Marine officer in uniform and a Justice cloak standing confidently before the crowd of East Blue pirates.
Smoker's murderous gaze shifted to a new target.
"All of you are aspiring to challenge the Grand Line," Lieutenant Charles said, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. "You're all familiar with the policies of the Loguetown base, I presume?"
"Yes, sir!"
Many pirates nodded.
"However," Charles continued calmly, "there's been a slight price adjustment for our Grand Line 'Transit Permits.'"
"Each pirate crew—five million Berries."
The pirates immediately started murmuring in protest.
"Five million Berries?"
One hot-headed pirate shouted, "Why did the price go up so much?!"
"Because this is your last chance," Charles said coldly, fixing the man with a sharp glare. "Once Loguetown's current garrison is replaced, you won't have such an easy time getting through."
"Easy?"
The pirate wasn't backing down. "You call five million Berries 'easy'?!"
The other pirates nodded in agreement. The scene began to grow chaotic.
"Heh…"
Charles sneered. "Think you can bypass Loguetown and head straight to the Grand Line?"
"Feel free to try."
Loguetown stood as the gateway before Reverse Mountain—a natural chokepoint between the East Blue and the Grand Line.
For low-level pirates, sneaking through without the Marines catching them was a death wish.
Hearing this, most of the pirates shrank back. They didn't want to bet their lives testing the power of Commander Hammer and the Loguetown Marines.
The rebellious pirate found himself in an awkward position as Charles's menacing eyes locked onto him.
After a moment of hesitation, the pirate seemed to throw caution to the wind and shouted at the crowd:
"They're just a bunch of Marines!"
"There's so many of us! Why the hell are we handing them our money?!"
BOOM!
With a thunderous crash, Charles appeared before him in a flash and stomped him into the floor, leaving a human-shaped crater in the concrete.
The pirate coughed up blood, unable to say another word.
"Sigh… There's always one of these idiots."
"We take your money and let you live. Why do you insist on getting yourselves killed?"
Charles retracted his foot from the nearly unconscious pirate, looking down on him with disdain. The weaklings of the East Blue dared to dream of conquering the Grand Line?
To Charles, they were nothing more than bugs—worthless except as tribute for Commander Hammer.
In the past, he might have shown restraint for the sake of "reputation," but with his reassignment imminent, why bother?
"I'm just a lieutenant," Charles said menacingly. "I'm sure no one here wants to force Commander Hammer to step in personally, right?"
No one dared meet his gaze.
"Well then…"
His voice remained icy cold. "Is there anyone else who doesn't want to buy a 'Transit Permit'?"
Silence.
"I do!"
A voice, brimming with fury, rose from the back of the crowd.
The pirates turned and instinctively stepped aside to make way for the man.
Smoker stepped forward, tightly gripping his Jitte, his cigar flaring with smoke, trails of vapor swirling around him.
"Well, well!"
Charles laughed in anger.
"If you want to die instead of paying, don't blame me for—"
"Upholding the law!"
The air grew thick with tension—a battle was about to erupt at any moment.
But just then, a Marine hurried in, breathless.
"Lieutenant Charles! Commander Hammer needs you immediately!"
"He's just outside—please report to him right away!"
"…"
Charles hesitated briefly, then glared hard at Smoker.
"You wait right here. I'll be back."
With that, he turned and left the warehouse.
About a minute later, Charles returned.
But his expression had changed drastically—he was no longer calm or in control.
"What?"
Smoker growled, still fuming. "You gonna 'uphold the law' now?"
"N-No…"
Charles scanned Smoker more carefully now: the biker jacket, bulging muscles, silver buzzcut, giant cigar…
This guy looked every bit the wild, dangerous pirate who wouldn't hesitate to kill a Marine.
"If you won't pay…"
Charles said slowly, "…then how about a job?"
He looked around, then back at Smoker.
"No payment required—and I'll pay you 30 million Berries."
"What kind of job?"
The pirates, lured by the money, were instantly curious.
Smoker simply clenched his Jitte tighter, ready to bash in this corrupt Marine's skull at any second.
"Kill Marines," Charles said, eyes cold and sharp.
"In a bit, we want you to ambush and eliminate a Marine squad."
"Ambush… a Marine squad?"
Smoker's face twisted in a complex expression.
After a pause, he growled: "Fine. I'll take the job."
(End of Chapter)