After Smoker’s strike sent Mosen flying, he collapsed on the ground, exhausted and utterly drained. His body was spent, but his mind was even more tired.
If he had correctly read the situation, Mosen had just awakened his Observation Haki during their fight.
Despite winning the battle, Smoker felt defeated. The effort he had expended to beat this kid seemed futile, as the kid had made a breakthrough before his eyes, leaving him with no sense of accomplishment.
Smoker was a natural talent with a solid moral compass, a keen sense of right and wrong, and an intense work ethic. Everything he had achieved was earned through hard work and dedication. In the Marine Headquarters, opinions about him were divided, but he didn’t care about that.
However, this mission had been a tough blow. Who would have thought a kid not yet sixteen could possess strength comparable to a Marine Headquarters Captain? Smoker could only imagine the potential of such a talent under Zephyr’s guidance, possibly rivaling the current Admirals, if not surpassing them.
Even the youngest Admiral, Aokiji, had joined the Marines at nineteen. The appearance of this nearly sixteen-year-old with such prowess indicated a significant future asset for the Marines. Despite this being a good thing, why did Smoker feel so disheartened?
Mosen, meanwhile, lay on the ground with a dazzling smile that could bend steel.
Ever since arriving in this world, his senses had been unusually sharp. Initially, he thought it was just the naturally high physical standards of this world’s inhabitants, but he later realized it was his innate talent.
Awakening Observation Haki was so early, undoubtedly due to this talent. He had expected to develop it after joining the training camp, but meeting Smoker had accelerated his progress. Smoker, it turned out, was quite the good guy.
Sitting up, Mosen looked at Smoker and said, “Thank you, Captain! You’re truly a good man.”
Smoker’s face darkened further, wanting to throw something at Mosen and spit in his direction.
“You’re the good man, your whole family are good people,” he thought.
This was the most frustrating gratitude he had ever received.
The surrounding Marine Headquarters officers and Franca’s group approached to check on them. Smoker, as a Logia user, was unharmed by Mosen’s sword. Mosen also had no physical injuries, but his Justice Cloak was in tatters, leaving him slightly exasperated. Why, he wondered, did the clothes of the big shots in the anime never get damaged, while he seemed to need replacement after every fight?
“Captain Smoker, it’s almost lunchtime. How about I take you to freshen up and then have a meal?” Franca suggested, seeing that Mosen was fine.
“Sounds good. Let’s have lunch first, and then I’ll announce the assignments on the training ground,” Smoker agreed. After such an intense battle, he was famished and needed to replenish his strength. Other tasks could wait a bit longer.
As for Mosen, he needed time to chat with the headquarters. He couldn’t believe there was no information on Mosen. Which idiot had assigned this mission?
In Marineford, the Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku sneezed suddenly, frowning. “I have a feeling someone’s causing trouble again. These pirates just keep coming. Our new recruits are still too few and far between.”
“I hope Smoker can handle it. Admiral potential, hmm? If what Hina said is true, this could be promising.”
That afternoon, after all the work was handed over, Franca officially stepped down as the base commander, and Sindrian took over.
Originally planning to set off that afternoon, Captain Smoker received a report: the repairs on the warship Pedarol would take at least another five hours.
This was primarily due to a shortage of materials at the 77th Base, necessitating the use of substandard substitutes, and even then, there were still shortages.
Reluctantly, Smoker ordered the repairs to be expedited.
Meanwhile, Mosen, having handed over his duties as an instructor—mostly physical training methods he had adapted from special forces training back on Earth—appeared before Smoker, blocking his path.
There was no way Mosen was letting such a perfect sparring partner slip away.
“Captain, care for a round… I mean, a sparring session? I felt there was great potential in your last move. It inspired me, and constant combat is the only way to unleash our potential.”
Smoker had initially intended to avoid the selfish troublemaker, but Mosen’s words made him halt. Compared to the hassle, his obsession with getting stronger far outweighed everything else.
“Kid, for pure sparring, let’s leave out the weapons. I won’t use my Seastone weapon, just our Devil Fruit abilities, okay?”
Smoker wasn’t worried about getting injured but recognized that Mosen’s strength lay mainly in his swordsmanship. Sparring without weapons would allow him to teach this kid a lesson and ease some of his frustration.
Mosen glanced at Smoker. No shame in challenging him to a Devil Fruit ability duel when his ability was more defensive. How typical.
“You think I’m going to back down? With my newly awakened Observation Haki, hitting me will be quite the challenge,” Mosen thought.
He was looking to develop his Devil Fruit ability anyway. Having someone with a smoking ability as a sparring partner was ideal. He’d turn and run as far as possible if it were any big shots like Akainu, Aokiji, or Kizaru.
So, he patted Smoker’s shoulder and agreed.
“Fine, fine, whatever you say, Captain. It’s settled then.”
With that, the six-foot-one Mosen draped his arm around the six-foot-six Smoker’s shoulder, heading back to the training ground.
The sight was peculiar; it looked less like they were going to spar and more like they were off for some… personal bonding.
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