79 Chapter 78

[Flevance]

"...Tch, there's no threat here at all," Muttered Senor Pink as he walked down the snowy street, "Atonement or not, this is boring as hell."

A day passed since Smoker's departure. While Senor Pink aimlessly patrolled the island, he saw the civilians getting up early and heading to the amber lead mine with pickaxes. '...Why?' Senor Pink couldn't help but think, for the repetitive task of mining on a daily basis for a low amount of income, was something that he wouldn't consider doing for even a tiny bit.

The only other person present on the street, apart from Senor Pink, was one elderly man who seemed to be crazy in terms of mental state.

"Hehe... heheheheh..." He simply laughed with dazed-off eyes as he walked down the street like a drunk man. Judging by how unkempt his overall appearance was, Senor Pink recognized that this person was the 'Crazy' Bill that Dr. Trafalgar spoke of, the man who lost his mind after losing his son.

Not bothering with the man, Senor Pink simply walked past the man. And then, he suddenly stopped.

'...Haa,' Senor Pink sighed, 'Being good is such a hard thing to do.' He turned around and walked to Bill.

"Oi, old man, you're going to catch a cold. Wear something warm or go back to your home."

Upon Senor Pink's words, Bill stopped laughing. He froze, before looking at Senor Pink with widened eyes.

"You are..." Bill's jaw slowly dropped, before closing back, "Who are you?"

BAM! Senor Pink, growing a tickmark on his head, slapped the back of Bill's head, "You freaking old man!!! I thought you recognized me for a second—ah, be a good guy, good guy ye. Be a good guy like that white hair said."

He immediately leaned down and lifted up Bill who was embedded in the snow, "Sorry for that, old man. It's hard to suppress my hard-boiled tendencies ya know."

"...White hair?" Bill, whose nose turned red from being exposed to the cold atmosphere for a long period of time, slowly dropped his jaw in shock.

"Oi!!" Senor Pink immediately barked at the man, "I'm not falling for the second time!!!"

"White hair... white hair, yes, I saw white-haired man coming here a day ago. White hair..." Bill's eyes widened, "White Hunter Smoker...!!!"

Senor Pink watched with a deadpan as a snot dropped from Bill's nose before freezing in an instant. Bill, latching onto Senor Pink's coat, asked with a gleam of hope,

"Y-you are White Hunter Smoker's friend...?"

"Eh?" Senor Pink nodded, "Nah, he's my boss."

"BOSS?! T-then, you must come with me, please!!" Bill pleaded desperately while holding Senor Pink's right hand, "There is no one to trust but you here!! If you are affiliated with Sir Smoker who doesn't allow a single instance of wrong—even if it were to be done by the World Government—I can definitely trust!!"

Bill moved his frail body back, trying to pull Senor Pink, however, to no avail. Senor Pink, humming with his hand under his chin, then frowned while swatting the elderly man's hand away, "Let go. I only hold women's hands."

Then, Senor Pink slapped his hand on Bill'ss back,

"And lead the way," he grinned excitedly, "You got my interest."

And so, Senor Pink was guided into one small house that was covered by a thick layer of snow. Bill closed the door and immediately headed to one small room, before returning back with a book in his hands. He, with trembling arms, handed it to Senor Pink. As Senor Pink took hold of it, Bill said in a teary tone,

"...My son. He used to work as a researcher for the World Government, supposedly analyzing the properties of the Amber Lead. But then, he suddenly quit one day, and died!! Everyone said that my son committed suicide, but no, I know that he won't do such a thing!!" Bill cried, "He was murdered!! He was killed by those agents wearing white suits—I saw behind the window!! And to prevent myself from being killed by them, I had to act crazy for years!!!"

"White suit?" Senor Pink muttered while opening the book, "...A diary, huh."

Senor Pink's eyes, casually flipping through pages, eventually landed on one particular page, the page that informed the toxicity and risk behind Amber Lead. He shifted his eyes to the top of that page. And the date written was: February 21st, 1502.

"...What the fuck?" Senor Pink remarked.

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Located in the southern part of the North Blue was an island named Limetree. This island, known to export a fine grade of lime world-widely, was the island quite close to the Azure Isle.

"And?" In the middle of this busy island, one muscular Vice Admiral, 'Marine Hero' Garp, was found asking one young woman, "How do I get to Rubeck from here?"

"H-haha..." The young woman, oppressed by the fact that the infamous Marine Hero was asking her, replied with a trembling body, "Um, I am not really a navigator, so I'm afraid that I cannot help you."

By the time the woman said that, Garp was long gone, moving on to another person to ask.

"...Not my fault that Bogard handled all the navigation part before." Garp complained while squinting his eyes at the wrinkled map, "You better be at Rubeck when I get there, brat!!"

Garp, then stopping by one cloaked man whose back was turned against him, casually tapped the back of that man and asked, "Hey, you there."

"Huh?" The cloaked man turned around, "What?"

"How do I get to Rubeck from here—" Garp stopped in the midst of his sentence as the cloaked man fully turned around and revealed his face to Garp.

"...Garp?" The man mumbled in disbelief.

Garp, narrowing his eyes at the man, said, "...Shiki?"

""AHHHHHHH!!!!!"" Two men pointed at each other and screamed in shock.

"What the hell are you doing in the North Blue?!!" Shiki cried in panic while immediately flying upward.

"Back to you, Golden Lion!!!" Garp, gritting his teeth, blasted himself off the ground and began chasing after Shiki.

Shiki, while desperately flying away from the Marine Hero, grabbed his cloak and threw it away to reduce the air resistance. Garp, upon seeing Shiki's body, laughed while chasing after the latter,

"BWAHAHAHA!!! Three swords to replace three lost limbs?!! What Golden Lion?!!" Garp clenched his fists and punched backward at the empty air, further propelling himself in the air, "More like Golden Toothpick!!"

"Ahhhhh, I'm not interested in fighting you, Garp!!!" Shiki shouted while changing his path to dodge Garp's incoming punch,

BOOOOOM!

"Leave me alone, you monkey!!!"

Even though the conversation seemed childish, two veterans had their eyes narrowed at one another. And Garp knew,

'The intel determined that Id, the underworld powerhouse, desired his wish to gain the Op Op fruit. Then, judging by your presence here, Shiki... you teamed up with that enigmatic man, eh.' Garp thought while locking his eyes onto Shiki, 'Smoker... damn it, you'll have to wait for a while longer at Rubeck, brat.'

The situation in North Blue was getting more and more chaotic.

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The weather was windy and unstable. The sky was cloudy, and with the sun hidden, no light was able to get through. Under such sky, there was one Marine ship that was sailing on a calm and cold sea of the North Blue.

"Martini Hook and his crew were the World Government's slaves from the start. The deaths of Masterson, Dalmatian, Admiral Anastasia, and many other comrades of ours... they were essentially the works of the World Government, Bastille."

Cancer, gazing at the sky with dark bags under his eyes, sighed as he talked to the Den Den Mushi.

<<...You know, I got to see Maynard yesterday. That guy, he's gotten a lot more buff than he used to. But... he's also become pretty strange-dara.>> Bastille, through the Den Den Mushi, said weakly, <<After that attack, Maynard went under the division of Admiral Sakazuki before transferring to Vice Admiral Jobathan's division to build strength, you remember? He desired to avenge Masterson and Dalmatian. And... do you know what he said yesterday-dara?>>

"..." Cancer grimaced in silence as Bastille continued,

<<He reasoned that Smoker has done the wrong, that he shouldn't have attacked Martini pirates and provoked the World Government. It was as if... he's given up-dara.>>

'What a gloomy day it is today,' Thought Cancer. His hand, unconsciously shaking, reached for his pocket and took out a cigarette from its container. Lighting it up, he took a puff out of it.

"Hu..." Cancer muttered, "Why must we fight? Why must the civilians suffer? What are the causes for people to turn evil? I don't know anymore, Bastille. I feel as if no matter what I do, nothing will change, that everything is meaningless in the end."

Cancer watched as the smoke from his cigarette rose up to the gloomy sky, "I'd like to believe that we're trying our best. And so was Smoker—no, Smoker probably was the one who's been working harder than anyone in the rank."

<<...You should get some rest, Cancer-dara.>>

Cancer didn't seem to have heard Bastille's words, "I don't know... I just don't have that kind of motivation anymore."

Cancer scowled while leaning back in his seat,

"What's the point of becoming a high-ranked Marine Officer if we are nothing but pawns that the World Government can discard anytime they want? Look at Admirals, being forced to escort Celestial Dragons whenever they are called. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what could he do when the World Government abruptly established the Warlord system? And then there's Smoker who's been Vice Admiral until recently, targeted by the World Government's dogs and wanted for retaliation."

Around Cancer stood the marine soldiers of his division. Among them was X Drake, and they were silently listening to Cancer and Bastille's conversation with frowns of their own.

<<O-oi...>>

"And you call Marine the Absolute Justice, Admiral Sakazuki? Absolute Justice my ass!! We are nothing but the World Government's dogs!!!" Cancer then exploded into a fit of rage, "What justice?! Fucking—"

Then, one marine soldier hurriedly came running with another Den Den Mushi in his hands.

<<Purururu, Purururu,>>

"C-Captain Cancer! It's the call from the Marineford!" The soldier said warily, "Should I say that you are currently unavailable?"

"...Hu," Cancer took a deep sigh with a cigarette in his hand, before replying to the soldier, "No, no need."

<<...A new mission?>> Bastille asked, <<...Hopefully not related to the World Government.>>

Cancer scratched the back of his head in frustration while taking another puff from the cigarette, "...I'll talk to you later." Cancer ended the call with Bastille and lazily grabbed the dial of the other Den Den Mushi, accepting the new call, "Yes, yes, your non-cancerous Captain Cancer is here. What do you have for me."

<<The recent-most report indicated that you are currently in the North Blue, correct?"

Cancer raised his eyebrow, "What about it."

<<Three days after, in Minion island, the Marine troop led by Vice Admiral Mozambia and Rear Admiral Strawberry will advance and attain the 'Op Op fruit' from 'Sir' Crocodile and 'Marauder' Diez Barrels. You are to join up and support Rear Admiral should a fight breaks out, and successfully deliver it to Mariejois— >>

"Fuck."

<<...Sorry?>>

"Nothing," Said Cancer, before his eyes suddenly widened in realization,

"...Wait," Cancer's voice shook, "Op Op fruit...?"

__________

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Here Smoker stood, at the edge of Kuen with a frown on his face. He was about to leave, and then happened to hear the ongoing conversation that reached his ear by the wind.

"Why did you give birth to her..." A bony woman was gazing at a young girl, who was just as starved as her, in contempt. She, filling her words with hatred, whispered with a dry throat, "Not only is she useless... she eats damn too much...!"

Said young girl, curling up on the ground while trembling in fear, was surrounded by multiple adults. Smoker could tell that based on the girl's immediate reaction, this wasn't the first time that this happened.

"I've been holding for years... and I don't even know what I decided to keep you until now!" The woman expressed anguish before lifting up the stick in her hand as if trying to hit the girl. However, she, finding herself tired just from the act of raising the stick, lowered it and huffed heavily. The other adults, glaring at the young girl, nodded, agreeing with the woman's words.

'Ha...' Smoker felt like getting a headache. A long flight was required, and time was running out. Yet, happening to coming across a scene like this—Smoker couldn't afford himself to ignore the situation.

Tap.

At the next moment, a loaf of bread fell in front of the adults all of a sudden. It was the one thrown by Smoker, one that he kept with him since the Flevance.

"...Huh?" One man exclaimed as his eyes immediately locked onto the bread. The other starving adults too, along with the woman, eyed the bread with widened eyes. Then,

"MINE!!!"

Puk.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, FUCKARDS!!!!"

A fight broke out among the adults. Like the savages, they bit, hit, and clawed each other without a control, just for one loaf of bread.

The young girl, covering her face and not even daring to take a peak from horror, couldn't even afford to breath out of fear that they may attack her also. However, she then felt her body being lifted up.

"...So light."

And one man's voice, the one who's probably responsible for lifting her up, was heard. The young girl slowly opened her eyes and found a cloaked man—Smoker—looking at her with a complicated expression.

"A... a...." The young girl tried to say something, but her hoarse through didn't manage to complete its task. Smoker, taking out a bottle of water with his other hand, opened the cap and helped the girl from drinking it. Upon receiving the water, the girl's eyes widened, and she instinctively gulped down the entire thing.

"Ha... ha..." And the girl huffed after finishing the entire bottle. Smoker, staring at the empty bottle for a second, then threw it to the back of one bleeding man.

"GAHH—huh?" The man turned around while swaying side by side, before finding the bottle of water, "HAAH?!!"

He lifted it up and began clawing the bottle upon sighting a droplet of water in the bottle.

"You see that?" Smoker, while placing the young girl on his shoulder now, said impassively, "They had much more years to live. The fact that they survived until now, and based on the history of the North Blue, they probably were living in a better condition in the past. The current state of this island, and the miserable condition of their lives... all of them are the catastrophes that they brought on themselves."

The young girl, who stared at the horrific fight between the adults ahead with teary eyes, mumbled, "I..."

"But you are different. You are a child who was born in this state." Smoker, taking a light sigh while closing his eyes, snapped his fingers. From his cloak, the wisps of white smoke exited out before joining altogether and forming a small, bouncy-looking nimbus cloud. Smoker placed the young girl on top of it and said, "What's your name?"

"..." The girl looked down, not wishing to see the fight any longer. Then, she responded, "...Baby 5. Baby 1, Baby 2, Baby 3, Baby 4... they all disappeared, and I'm the only baby now."

"...Heh, your name is just as bad as mine." Smoker snorted, "The name's Smoker." He stared at the young girl, named Baby 5, and said, "Do you want to come with me?"

A cloaked man whose cloak was painted with blood here and there. By no means did Smoker looked safe, and coupled with his naturally scary-looking face, no average child would've found him liking appearance-wise. However, Baby 5 was different.

"...Will I be of use to you?" She asked timidly, "If I'm going to be useless anyway, then..."

"Throw away that useful crap, and decide your worth by yourself." Smoker harshly cut the girl's words and said, "Hell, I don't even care if you're a smelly dude who loves to expose his nipples 24/7, an idiot who trips on himself all the time, a hysterical pinkie whose mood changes every second, or a weirdo who wears sunglasses in the night."

"...H-huh?" Baby 5 jolted in shock as the flying nimbus suddenly moved, moving upward to the sky along with Smoker who stood by the side.

"So, what do you say?" Smoker said casually as they began to fly forward at a rapidly increasing speed. Baby 5, unable to open her eyes properly even, had to hold onto the flying nimbus with all her might just to stay on top of it. Then, the nimbus morphed its shape so that it fully encased Baby 5's body except for her head, and Smoker snickered,

"What? Yes? Good."

'But I didn't say thing...' Thought Baby 5.

And just like that, Smoker got a dead weight on his journey.