Time passed quickly, and before long, it was the year 1505 in the Sea Circle dar.

  A navy ship sliced through the harsh sea winds, cutting through the waves as it made its way across the Grand Line.

  Hina stood at the bow of the ship, her pink hair flowing freely in the wind. Her clothes g to her body, atuating her slender figure.

  Two years had passed, and Hina had grown taller, her figure mraceful. Under Smoker’s careful training, her presence had beore anding.

  She gazed out at the o for a moment before turning to Smoker. "Smoker, what are you looking at? You're so focused..."

  Smoker, sitting on the ship’s railing, was deeply engrossed in reading a neer.

  When he heard Hina call to him, he slowly lifted his head, exhaling a long puff of smoke.

  "Ha... It's been seven years since Roger died. The seas are still so uled," he muttered with a sigh.

  "Huh? Is there some big event happening?" Hina asked, her curiosity piqued.

  "Nothing huge, but a few smaller things," Smoker replied, his voice steady as he sed the paper.

  "Like what?"

  "A pirate atta the Kingdom of Tim, a Wover ally. They captured and killed 500 soldiers. The Wover had to step in to settle things," Smoker said, his expression darkening slightly. "And there’s a death notice... Princess Scarlet of Dressrosa passed away young. She was supposed to be a talented heir to the throne."

  Hina houghtfully. "Seems like there's always something happening..."

  She didn’t pay much attention to the news. With so many stories from around the world, it felt like waves in the sea—stantly ing and going, not worth stressing over.

  But for Smoker, it was different. He read these articles to see how much his as had impacted the course of events.

  At least, there had been no sign of Rob Lucci or Kaku’s team getting affected.

  "el Smoker! Lieutenant Hina!"

  At that moment, several navy soldiers ran over, out of breath.

  "Lieutenant Nitt Orl sent a message! He’s found the trail of the Fang Pirates!"

  "Where?" Smoker asked sharply.

  "Nine o'clock dire, three hours' sail away."

  Smoker nodded. "Finally caught up with those bastards! Let’s go after them!"

  "Sir..." The soldiers looked uneasy.

  "What’s wrong?" Smoker asked, sensing something was off.

  "Looking at their course, they’re heading straight for Pumiso Isnd!" one of the soldiers replied.

  "Pumiso Isnd?!" Smoker froze for a moment, his thoughts rag. "Map!"

  A navy officer quickly unfolded a map, and Smoker’s eyes narrowed as he studied it.

  "The Fang Pirates are less than two hours from Pumiso Isnd," the officer said.

  Smoker’s expression grew serious. The realization hit him hard.

  "Which means, out of the three hours, over an hour was them standing still?!" he asked, disbelief in his voice.

  "Yes... yes!" the officer firmed.

  Smoker went silent, processing the information. With such a distahere was no way to intercept them ahead of time.

  Hina g the map, her mind already w.

  "Smoker, maybe I should go ahead..." she suggested, her voice calm yet resolute.

  Smoker looked at her, his gaze softening for a moment before his usual stern demeanor returned.

  "No. It’s too risky. We o approach with caution."

  Without hesitation, Smoker stopped her.

  At this distance, simply relying on the Moonwalk wouldn’t be enough.

  Although his Smoke-Smoke Fruit allowed him to fly, the strong sea winds today would make it impossible to trol his dire if he turned into smoke. He could easily get lost or end up off course.

  Smoker stared at the map, the details of the Fang Pirates fshing through his mind.

  Captain Bend, bounty of 133 million berries.

  First mate Macha, bounty of 60 million berries. Both were powerful batants.

  What made them even more dangerous was that they weren’t just some elite pirate crew—they had eight rge ships and a fleet of five to six hundred pirates.

  Such a rge crew in the first half of the Grand Line was rare. If they reached an isnd with civilians, the chaos would be catastrophic.

  Smritted his teeth and gave the order.

  "Call Orl, reveal our position, and do whatever it takes to slow down the pirate fleet!"

  "Throw away all unnecessary supplies from the ship, reduce weight, and sail at full speed!"

  "Yes, sir!"

  The soldiers saluted and hurried off to deliver the ands.

  Ohey were gone, Hina approached, her face filled with .

  "Letting Orl handle such a strong pirate crew alone is risky, isn't it?"

  Nitt Orl was not only their cssmate but also a close friend. He had eaten the Bird-Bird Fruit, Night Owl form, making him the only one in their css who could fly long distances. His skills in reaissand trag were top-tier, and he had numerous battle achievements. However, in terms of bat strength, he was average. Even if he was just stalling, fag pirates with bounties over 100 million berries was still extremely dangerous.

  Smhed, the weight of the situation pressing on him. "I only hope the Fang Pirates see a navy presend back off from Pumiso Isnd..."

  "Hina, if it es down to it..."

  "Don't worry, Smoker. If the distance isn’t too far, I’ll try to catch up as fast as I !" she reassured him, her determination clear in her voice.

  Smave her a nod, his mind already rag with strategies as he prepared to face the looming threat.

  "

  "Thanks, Hina..." Smoker said, walking to the ship's railing and staring out at the sea.

  [Be careful, Orl...]

  ...

  On the ship, over 100 people were aboard, most of them Smoker’s cssmates. The Elite Expansion Css was inally supposed to st only two years, after which the students would return to various brathen their ranks. However, for some reason, the css had beeended signifitly, and they still hadn’t graduated.

  As a result, their opportuo go out to sea were limited, and none of them held high ranks. Smoker, the highest-ranking among them, was only a el.

  But there were some advantages. With plenty of resources ied iheir abilities had improved siderably. Almost everyone had mastered the Six Powers and was w on learning Haki.

  Smoker and Hina, in particur, had both mastered both types of Haki.

  Together, they could even hold their own against Zephyr for a while.

  This time, they were out to capture the Fang Pirates. The mission had inally been scheduled to be pleted days ago, but the Grand Line was uable. Just as they were closing in on the pirates, a strange current had appeared, leaving the navy ship lost and disoriented. By the time they regained trol, the Fang Pirates had vanished.

  With no other options, Smoker had sent Orl out to scout. After several days of searg, Orl had finally located the pirates.

  Retly, the Fang Pirates had been heavily pursued by the navy. With no navy presen the past few days, they would undoubtedly be rampaging and looting ialiation.

  Smoker’s ay was growing by the minute...

  ...

  In the distance, Orl soared high above the sea. Though his speed was incredible, he made no sound.

  He slowly put away his transponder snail, a bemused expression on his face.

  "Smoker’s making it too hard for me..."

  "But at least he knows who to trust. This difficult task is the kind of thing only I handle!"

  With that, he focused on the pirate ships below, spread his wings, and shot down like an arrow.

  "No matter if you’re a big fleet or a rookie pirate, you won’t harm the civilians on my watch!"

  "As a navy man, I won’t let you get away with it!"

  Void996