One Piece: Gawain The Knight Of The Sun

Bang!

The jutte struck the ground, shattering the floor and kicking up dust.

Smoker's brow furrowed tightly.

A surefire strike missed, and he'd lost track of his opponent. It wasn't just that his move was read.

How was such vanishing speed possible?

"Soru?!"

"Or a Devil Fruit ability!"

"Neither!"

Gawain's voice came from beside him. Smoker broke into a cold sweat, turning to see a ghostly blur charging from afar.

"Spoon—Fang Thrust!"

A ferocious thrust pierced Smoker's body in an instant.

Despite elementalizing to dodge, Smoker lost sight of Gawain the next moment.

The white smoke meant to obscure Gawain now hindered Smoker himself. Scanning around, he felt a chill. "This speed—a Devil Fruit?!"

"No, it's pure physical power, but for a human to reach this level—!"

Before he could finish, a shout rang out.

"Fang Thrust!"

A swifter, fiercer thrust shot from the dust, scattering Smoker's reformed body again.

"Attacks like this can't hurt me! What's the point besides stalling—!"

"You're the one stalling?"

Realization hit Smoker with urgency, but as he moved, only Gawain's endless thrusts awaited.

"Fang Thrust!"

"Fang Thrust!"

"Fang Thrust!"

…

Reforming only to be dispersed again.

In moments, relentless attacks pinned Smoker down.

Without his Logia's immunity to physical attacks, he'd be dead countless times. The realization burned with humiliation.

His opponent's speed was unreal.

Even with Smoker's eyesight, he saw only a vague shadow, unable to counter.

"Damn it, if I had Observation Haki, I wouldn't be this helpless!"

Recalling Zephyr's advice before leaving Headquarters, Smoker gripped his jutte tighter, regret stirring.

As the onslaught intensified, Gawain's strikes grew smoother.

Spoon demanded exceptional physicality, and Gawain's surpassed Kuro's, paired with unmatched reflexes.

His mastery of Spoon outstripped Kuro's, his speed far greater.

With Wado Ichimonji, even a simple thrust unleashed devastating power, evidenced by the crisscrossing slash marks in the port.

Together, Gawain wielded this speed-based suppression tactic with ease.

Against a non-Logia, Smoker would've had no defense against these relentless thrusts.

This was Gawain's evolution of Kuro's indiscriminate Spoon into his own speed-driven move: Fang Thrust!

A piercing attack fueled by godlike speed.

The fight became a one-sided thrashing.

The guard captain, sent by Gaza to scout the port, was dumbfounded.

His eyes saw only endless white smoke and a white-haired man, formed of smoke, repeatedly shattered and reformed. The smoke in the port was torn apart by an invisible force!

"What's happening?!"

"A kamaitachi from Wano legend? A life-reaping wind?!"

"I…"

Despite the bizarre scene, the captain recorded it faithfully, relaying the report to Gaza via Den Den Mushi.

"Guard Captain…" Gaza rubbed her forehead. "I sent you to watch Major Gawain, and you talk about Marines and smoke?!"

"No," Kuro interjected, patting the captain's shoulder. "That invisible thing is likely Gawain."

"Major Gawain's a kamaitachi?" Gaza asked, bewildered.

Kuro, expressionless, said, "Think of it as an ultra-fast sword technique."

"I see," Gaza relaxed. "So Gawain has the upper hand?"

"Upper hand? Absolutely!" Kuro's lips twitched.

From the captain's description, he realized Gawain's mastery of Spoon surpassed his own. A knockoff outdoing the original?

But his awakened Observation Haki gave him confidence.

Only those who'd experienced it understood the vast gap it created—a dimensional advantage.

"Gawain, I'll surpass you soon," Kuro muttered.

"Mr. Locke?" Gaza glanced at him, puzzled.

Kuro masked his expression. "Any ships left to leave the port? Our identities are sensitive; we can't face the Marines directly."

Gaza shook her head. "There were spare ships, but reports say fleeing civilians took them all. And…"

Noticing Kuro's frown, she addressed his concern. "If you're worried about Marine searches, I can help."

"Without a warrant, even Marines can't touch the lord's manor."

Kuro's expression softened. "Thank you."

"It's my duty. We'll need your strength to keep Raven Port's seas safe."

"Mm."

…

Night deepened.

In the port, a sea breeze rose, dispersing the endless white smoke.

After hours of battle, both fighters, exhausted, paused, facing each other from a distance.

Gawain, drenched in sweat, panted heavily.

Truthfully, he had no answer for Logias in this era—they were a dimensional cheat.

Even Fang Thrust could only stall Smoker.

He'd tried seizing Smoker's Seastone jutte, a perfect counter to Devil Fruit users, which could've ended the fight.

But Smoker, anticipating this, tossed it into the sea the moment Gawain showed interest.

His reaction was terrifyingly quick!

Unbeknownst to Gawain, Smoker was inwardly reeling. How does this guy know my jutte's tipped with Seastone?!

There's a leak in the Marines!

If I hadn't thrown it fast, it'd be a blade turned against me!

A ship's horn sounded from the sea. A massive warship cut through the waves, entering the port.

Gawain turned, his sharp eyes spotting a figure on the deck despite the darkness.

Blue short hair, square glasses, clutching a katana—it was Tashigi.

Behind her stood armed Marines.

"Time to go."

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