One Piece: Starting with Sign-in Naruto Character Cards

Rikuya was indeed surprised to see that even a mere branch captain possessed a Logia-type Devil Fruit.

"A branch captain isn't even worth my effort," Crocodile scoffed dismissively.

There was, in fact, a significant gap in both strength and rank between a Navy Headquarters Captain and a Captain from the four sea branch offices.

If a branch captain were transferred to Navy HQ, their corresponding rank would be equivalent to a Lieutenant at best—several grades lower in comparison.

However, that wasn't the case for branches in the Grand Line. Those branches were directly under Navy Headquarters and their highest rank could go up to Vice Admiral. Their ranking structure was on par with HQ itself.

Ironically, Smoker would eventually become a Vice Admiral of the Navy's G-5 branch in the Grand Line.

But for now, he was just a relatively unknown branch-level captain.

It was no wonder Crocodile looked down on him—after all, he himself was a world-renowned pirate whom even the World Government had to legitimize by granting him the title of Warlord of the Sea.

If Rikuya hadn't interfered, he'd still be living comfortably in Alabasta under that title.

"Don't underestimate him. In terms of strength, he's at least on par with a Rear Admiral or Vice Admiral from HQ," Rikuya warned.

"Tch, a Vice Admiral from HQ is nothing," Crocodile sneered.

He flicked his coat behind him, lit a cigar, and slowly walked forward.

Coincidentally, Smoker was also a heavy smoker, and his Devil Fruit power was smoke-based. He, too, pulled out a cigar and lit it.

The Navy soldiers standing nearby, though mostly low-ranked, all knew the name Crocodile, one of the former Warlords of the Sea. So when they saw him appear in the plaza, they froze in shock.

Crocodile strolled casually toward them.

"Crocodile, so you're that man's lapdog now?"

Smoker stepped forward, pointing to Rikuya behind him, his tone full of scorn.

"Hmph, who are you to question me? Just a lowly branch captain. Even your Navy Headquarters' Fleet Admiral has to speak respectfully to me. Understand your place."

Crocodile immediately fired back, clearly aware that Smoker was trying to provoke him.

"Oh really? So your 'master' sent you here to deal with us?

How pathetic. A former Warlord reduced to being a lackey—if anything, that makes you even lower than a branch captain like me.

At least here in Loguetown, no one tells me what to do." Smoker sneered.

"Enough talk. You should know I'm a Logia-type Devil Fruit user too.

Let's see your Armament Haki. I want to find out just how much a branch captain is really capable of."

As Crocodile spoke, a reddish aura began swirling around his body.

This was a form of Armament Haki known as "Imbuement".

Armament Haki has various forms and techniques, including:

Hardening: Coating the body to make it tougher than steel, enhancing both defense and attack. It's the most basic and common use in the New World.

Imbuement (Wrapping): Surrounding the body or weapons with a gaseous aura of Haki to increase offensive power.

Emission (Projection): Releasing Armament Haki as a force blast or defensive shield.

Internal Destruction: Penetrating the target's body to damage from the inside—can be combined with any other form.

Although these techniques vary in difficulty, they don't necessarily determine Haki strength.

For example, two people using Hardening could have vastly different Haki strength levels—one might easily overpower the other despite using the same technique.

So when Crocodile activated his reddish Haki aura, it showed that he had come fully prepared for this battle.

Smoker, being a Logia user himself, was well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of such abilities. Without wasting words, he immediately coated his large Sea-Prism Stone-tipped jitte in a light red Armament Haki.

The hue of his Haki was noticeably lighter than Crocodile's.

Many believed that the darker the Haki, the stronger it was—an indicator of both Haki proficiency and personal strength.

So when Crocodile saw the pale color of Smoker's Haki, he smirked in disdain—and charged forward!

"Everyone hold your position! No one moves unless I give the order!" Smoker shouted.

Not that he needed to say it—most of the ordinary soldiers were already trembling in fear. The last thing on their minds was jumping into a fight between monsters like these.

The next moment, Crocodile's poison-tipped hook collided with Smoker's Haki-coated jitte.

A massive wave of Armament Haki burst out at the point of impact.

BOOM!

The two clashed, then immediately recoiled several steps from the force.

Of the two, it was Smoker who retreated farther.

---

Access more chapters at patreon.com/dzeref887