One Piece: Gawain The Knight Of The Sun

Click!

Gawain hung up the Den Den Mushi, his gaze lifting to the distant sea.

Thick smoke churned, obscuring everything, with only the roar of an engine growing closer.

The environmental impact of a Logia was on full display, far surpassing Gawain's expectations.

His newly awakened Observation Haki, still unmastered and impractical for combat, didn't hinder his instincts. He sensed a ferocious, beast-like presence lurking in the fog.

Wado Ichimonji trembled with excitement in his grip. Krieg had been a letdown, but this opponent promised satisfaction!

No probing needed—Gawain knew the newcomer's strength matched his own, a top-tier Bronze in the East Blue!

"Here he comes!"

Gawain's eyes narrowed as a tall figure wielding a Seastone-tipped jutte burst from the white smoke.

Who else but Smoker?

Using the thrust of his smoke, he accelerated, too fast for the eye to follow.

The ornate jutte stabbed forward with lethal intent.

A killing move from the start, brimming with confidence!

"Such arrogance," Gawain said, a smile tugging at his lips. His rising battle lust tightened his grip on Wado Ichimonji, veins bulging on his hand.

Smoker was his strongest foe yet, even without his near-invincible Logia powers. Trained by Zephyr at Marine Headquarters, how could he be anything but exceptional?

His losses in the original story came in the monster-filled New World, not the East Blue.

"This is worthy of the White Hunter!" Gawain thought, his blade snaking out to parry the jutte.

Scrape!

Steel clashed, sparks flying.

Their gazes locked.

Smoker's eyes held only gravity. In an instant, he confirmed a shocking yet expected truth: this man was on a different level from other East Blue pirates.

His attack, launched with momentum, should've had the advantage, yet Gawain deflected it effortlessly.

Such skill would make a name even in the Grand Line!

"How's a guy like you in the East Blue?!" Smoker demanded.

Gawain smiled faintly. "Didn't a monster like Roger come from here too?"

"Roger was an exception, unlike anyone else," Smoker retorted, his gaze cold. Done talking, he swung his Seastone jutte like a blade.

Gawain dodged, and Smoker pressed the attack, the jutte weaving a curtain of black shadows raining down.

The jutte, designed to counter swords, was custom-made for Smoker's Logia ability. Its Seastone tip negated Devil Fruit powers, and its durability matched famed blades.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

…

The rapid onslaught shattered the ground beneath them.

Yet Gawain's expression didn't waver. His body and spirit heated, his fighting instincts fully awakened by Smoker's assault.

Compared to Krieg, Smoker was a worthy foe.

"Come on!" Gawain roared, halting Smoker's barrage.

His katana moved faster, blocking every airborne strike.

Sparks flew as the two, fueled by battle lust, let instinct guide their weapons.

In such high-speed combat, thought and hesitation only slowed strikes.

Instinct, fighting spirit, and the will to win were the keys to seizing victory in this intensifying clash.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

…

Each clash made Smoker's arm tremble, an unsettling realization dawning: "What's happening?!"

"He's faster—30% faster than before!"

As Smoker grappled with this, the tide turned.

Slash!

Wado Ichimonji's sharp whistle grazed Smoker's face, nearly cleaving it.

No blood flowed—only white smoke swirled, the wound healing instantly.

"As expected, a Logia's elementalization is a problem," Gawain sighed.

His relentless strikes left countless cuts on Smoker, all negated by his smoke form.

This near-immunity to physical attacks made Logias the highest baseline among Devil Fruit types. Without Armament Haki, they were nearly untouchable in a straight fight.

Armament Haki was now a priority.

Gawain's eyes grew serious.

This one-sided ability—where he could be hit but couldn't hit back—was practically cheating and utterly frustrating.

"You know about Logia powers," Smoker said, expressionless, though inwardly shocked by Gawain's prowess.

Not an East Blue native, he was a Headquarters elite trained by Zephyr.

He belonged in the Grand Line or New World, yet here he was, forced to rely on his ability to counter being outmatched in the East Blue?

If Tina or his peers heard, he'd be a laughingstock!

"You're too dangerous to let go!" Smoker's gaze darkened, his killing intent rising.

"White Smoke Launcher!"

Drawing deeply on his cigars, he unleashed the Smoke-Smoke Fruit's power.

White smoke billowed, forming serpent-like columns that surged toward Gawain.

"White Snake!"

Gawain leaped back, swinging Wado Ichimonji. Silver blade energy shot out, scattering the smoke.

Without Armament Haki, the smoke's lethality was weak.

But as the smoke cleared, Gawain realized Smoker had vanished. He looked up.

The jutte's tip loomed large in his vision…

"Got you!" Smoker smirked from mid-air.

His smoke lacked killing power, but in the East Blue, where Observation Haki was rare, it excelled at misdirection.

"Don't be a pirate in your next life!"

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