Part 12: Let’s make a total mess... 30/36

Listening to the friendly bickering, Smoker couldn't believe that just moments ago he had witnessed them trying, if not to kill each other, then at least seriously injure each other. And it didn't look like a performance or an attempt to lull his vigilance — certainly not when one of the 'actors' was burning alive. However, just a couple of minutes had passed, and 'Beheader' and 'Butcher' were behaving as if everything Smoker had seen was nothing more than a figment of his imagination. The captain also couldn't help but note the teamwork of his opponents. In their argument and fight, Smoker couldn't discern any hint of a deeper strategy. Yet, as soon as the guys disappeared behind a curtain of fire, they not only disarmed the soldiers but had also planned their attack so well that Smoker barely avoided immediate defeat. The captain couldn't help but recall everything he had heard from his informant, Luffy, about the fruits of 'Beheader' and 'Butcher,' their teamwork, and their family dynamics. The more Smoker saw and heard, the harder it became to convince himself that Luffy had exaggerated about the 'Pirate Slayers.' 'Beheader' and 'Butcher' had already proven to be extremely dangerous opponents… so how dangerous must Roronoa Zoro be? And Cthulhu? And the mentioned Sanji? Not to mention the newcomer Usopp and the famous 'Queen.' For the first time in his life, Smoker felt like he had bitten off more than he could chew.

"Let's take care of this bastard first, and we'll think about everything else afterward, okay?" Yosaku suggested with undisguised enthusiasm. The guy was burning with the desire to beat the hated Logia, and then, as they say, let the chips fall where they may.

"Okay!" Johnny agreed immediately… after all, he wanted to beat the Logia as much as his friend, though he was slightly worried about the consequences of using 'crutches.'

Armed with seastone weapons, the guys prepared to seriously fight the hated Logia… and they fought. The result was surprisingly — or perhaps predictably — disappointing. Johnny and Yosaku found out firsthand on their own skin — or maybe Smoker's? — what the expression 'overconfident Logias don't live long' really meant. No, even without his Logia fruit, Smoker was one of the strongest opponents they had ever faced. In terms of strength and speed, Smoker was even slightly above Arlong. If Johnny and Yosaku had fought Smoker one-on-one, such a battle could have dragged on. However, the guys were fighting two against one, and any touch of the seastone-tipped jitte noticeably drained Smoker's strength. Losing most of his invulnerability and falling behind in strength and speed, the captain had to retreat — essentially run away — but his pride wouldn't let him. As already mentioned, the result was disappointing.

About ten minutes after entering the battlefield, entangled in a net, Smoker lay at Yosaku and Johnny's feet. The old friends wore two extraordinarily smug smiles. Only a god knew how hard it had been for them to limit themselves to just a couple of smug smiles. In reality, they wanted to grab each other's hands and start jumping and squealing with joy like two little girls. No matter what anyone said, they had managed to defeat an invincible Logia! The only thing that darkened their mood from this significant victory was the inevitable reaction from Luffy regarding the use of seastone weapons. Johnny and Yosaku knew he would be displeased, and an unhappy Luffy spelled trouble for them. On the other hand, they had defeated the Logia, so even the inevitable consequences couldn't dampen their spirits too much. But soon Zoro appeared, and he did manage to darken their mood.

"Now we need to kill him!" Yosaku declared with excitement as his euphoria from victory began to wane. "Logias don't belong in this world!" The guy unsuccessfully tried to pass off his ordinary glee and thirst for revenge as grandiloquence.

Before Yosaku could act on his words, Johnny, who was nearby, managed to grab his hand just before the jitte's tip pierced Smoker's hate-filled eye.

"What are you doing?" Yosaku's voice held an unmistakable hint of hurt.

Around them, the houses torched by Johnny's attacks were burning fiercely, but the guys acted as if they were standing in the middle of an ordinary street, not a fiery ring tightening more and more with each passing minute.

"If you try to kill him, I can guarantee that you'll end up being the one who suffers," Johnny replied, letting go of his friend's hand. "Lu… Cthulhu-aniki forbade killing him," the gods had evidently decided to show mercy to the unfortunate idiot and allowed him to recall his captain's warning in time. Johnny couldn't even imagine how much trouble he had avoided by correcting himself just in time. If he had named Luffy's real name now, he would have had to spend the next few months daily lying at Nami's feet. In their family, only Nami could make Luffy show leniency towards anyone. Zoro could theoretically do it too, but the name 'Zoro' and the word 'leniency' didn't exactly go hand in hand.

"You mean we can't even kill him?" Yosaku's voice now carried unmasked disappointment.

"Orders are orders… if you want, you can try to disobey," Johnny teased his friend slightly.

Before Yosaku could respond, they were suddenly attacked by a kamikaze:

"Release Captain Smoker! UAAAAA-a-aa-a!!!"

One of the lieutenants, either gaining courage or completely losing his mind from terror, threw himself at the peacefully conversing guys. Slightly bending down, the young man delivered a thrust directly into Yosaku's back and, to his own shock, pierced him through. The lieutenant was so stunned by his successful attack that he didn't notice how Yosaku, half-turned, reached for his neck.

"Johnny, give me his sword…" Yosaku asked, holding the squirming lieutenant at arm's length.

Johnny, without a word, pulled the katana from Yosaku's body and handed its hilt to his friend.

"Next time, before you try to kill someone, you should think carefully about the consequences. As my captain likes to say, 'What you give is what you get!'" Yosaku declared, thrusting the lieutenant's own katana through his body.

"Radvid!!!" Smoker roared, struggling fiercely against his restraints.

"Sorry, captain…" the lieutenant whispered, smiling with bloodied lips at the furious Smoker.

"You know, I never really thought about it before, but if you give it some thought, you'll realize that all the marines are real hypocrites," Yosaku said, tossing aside the bleeding lieutenant without a shred of pity. "We haven't touched anyone in this town, yet the marines tried to kill us without a single attempt at negotiation. Now a lieutenant attacks an unarmed man from behind, and as soon as I retaliate, I'm immediately the bad guy. As Cthulhu-ani likes to say, where's the logic in that? Hey, I'm asking you!" Yosaku gleefully kicked Smoker, who was radiating fury. "Why are you looking at me like that? With so much hatred, as if I killed your whole family. I repeat for the slow-witted, if you guys didn't attack us, no one would have gotten hurt today!"

"You're pirates!" Smoker spat out. "As long as I'm responsible for Loguetown's safety, no pirate will leave this island!"

"…You attacked us just because we're pirates?" Yosaku focused on the main point. "What a dumb reason," the guy sighed, then sat down by Smoker's feet and began removing his boots.

"…Hey, what are you doing?!!" The captain was so shocked that his hatred took a back seat for a moment.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm naked… and you have some nice clothes… especially I like your jacket," Yosaku smirked.

Johnny, standing nearby, burst out laughing.

"…!!!" Smoker exclaimed.

"Man, I'm a pirate; it's my god-given right to rob and kill, so I don't get why you're so mad…" The opportunity to mock the hated Logia instantly awakened Yosaku's inner Luffy. "Or is it that it pisses you off that it's you who's being robbed? Nothing, there's a first time for everything. I suggest you enjoy the new experiences while you can… And, seriously, no need to thank me; it's no trouble at all," the guy generously offered.

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(the Loguetown arc is finished in there, and next one started explaining part of Luffy's past...)