Chapter 68 Unexpectedly powerful enemy

Smoker stared at Grun, lighting a cigarette and taking a drag.

"Judging by how those pirates reacted, they didn't know you were a Devil Fruit user."

"Who are you really? Why did you infiltrate the Shattered Pirates?"

Was he a spy for another pirate crew? A bounty hunter? CP? Or perhaps a hidden ally?

Grun didn't answer. Instead, he calmly removed his shirt, revealing a lean and muscular figure.

"I didn't expect to encounter someone as troublesome as you in the Marines," Grun said flatly.

"It seems I won't be able to leave unless I defeat you."

Smoker raised an eyebrow. "'I'? What an old-fashioned way to talk..."

Grun's body began to transform.

He grew to over three meters tall. His face stretched into a sharp, pointed beak. Feathers spread across his arms, forming broad crane-like wings, while his legs morphed into sharp bird talons, the claws gleaming ominously.

"A hybrid form?"

Smoker cracked his knuckles with a smirk.

"My powers might come from my Devil Fruit, but hand-to-hand combat is my real passion!"

"In a close fight, I won't lose to someone like you!"

Grun snorted and flapped his wings, closing the distance to Smoker in an instant. He lashed out with a powerful kick.

The attack was so fast that even with Observation Haki, Smoker could only raise his arm to block.

With a loud crack, Grun's leg slammed into Smoker's arm, sending a wave of pain through it as if struck by an iron rod. The force hurled Smoker backward.

Mid-air, Smoker adjusted his posture, landing firmly on his feet, though he skidded several meters before coming to a stop.

"What power and speed!" Smoker thought, flexing his arm despite the lingering pain.

Grun, now fully transformed into a giant crane, folded his wings and dove at Smoker with blinding speed. His sharp beak aimed straight for Smoker's head like a spear.

Smoker's eyes widened. "If that hits, I'll have a hole in my skull!"

Prepared this time, Smoker dodged to the side and coated his hands in Armament Haki, grabbing Grun's beak and hurling him toward a nearby boulder.

But with a simple flap of his wings, Grun steadied himself, gracefully avoiding the impact.

"Tempest Kick: Rain!"

Smoker unleashed a flurry of razor-sharp air blades like a rainstorm.

Grun remained calm, covering his wings in Armament Haki to shield himself. The air blades struck his wings with a clang, sparking like metal on metal but failing to penetrate.

With a powerful sweep of his wings, Grun stirred up a cloud of dust, reducing visibility to zero.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Grun lunged through the dust cloud, his razor-sharp wings slashing at Smoker's waist like guillotine blades.

"Iron Body!"

"Armament!"

Smoker barely had time to reinforce his defenses.

Even so, Grun's attack tore through, leaving a deep gash along Smoker's side. The layered defenses saved him from being cut in half, but the pain was searing.

"That hurts! Damn it, this guy's insane!"

Darkness rippled across Smoker's body, absorbing the damage.

Despite his tendency to fight recklessly and push himself to the limit, Smoker wasn't about to underestimate an opponent like Grun.

Raising his hand, Smoker activated his power.

"Dark Water!"

The swirling dust around them was sucked into Smoker's palm, clearing the battlefield.

Grun flapped his wings, hovering above. He glanced at Smoker, surprised to see him still standing.

"That attack landed. How is he not hurt?"

Smoker's expression was serious.

The brief clash had made it clear: Grun had the upper hand in both speed and power.

Spitting out his cigar in frustration, Smoker's voice carried a note of irritation.

"Who the hell are you?! Someone as strong as you shouldn't be this unknown!"

Over the years, Smoker had taken down plenty of pirates with bounties over 100 million, but Grun was easily among the strongest—perhaps even on par with Doflamingo from two years ago.

Grun's expression was cold.

"To someone about to die, knowing my name won't mean anything."

He spread his wings, the feathers sharpening and darkening as Armament Haki coated them. The soft white feathers transformed into deadly black arrows, glinting with a cold light.

"Crane Feather Arrows!"

Grun flapped his wings, unleashing a barrage of feather-like arrows toward Smoker, then charged straight at him.

No way to dodge!

Smoker's eyes widened as he quickly released a sphere of darkness to absorb the incoming feathers with its gravitational pull.

But in the next instant, Grun appeared in front of him, landing a powerful kick to Smoker's stomach and sending him flying.

Smoker crashed hard into the ground, clutching his chest as he forced himself to stand. Just as he was about to counterattack, his eyes narrowed.

The dark sphere he had created earlier was still floating in midair, lingering for a few seconds before slowly dissipating.

Could this be...

Smoker's gaze lit up with realization.

Most Logia users, and even some Paramecia with transformation abilities, could separate parts of their bodies or use their powers remotely.

For example, Akainu could hurl magma, and Katakuri could create mochi out of thin air.

But Smoker's dark matter had always been tethered to him, vanishing the moment it broke contact.

Yet now, after Grun's kick, the dark matter had remained in place. It hadn't disappeared immediately!

Smoker took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement as he replayed the feeling from that moment.

Grun wasn't about to give him time to think. With a sweep of his wings, he unleashed another flurry of feather arrows.

Distracted, Smoker couldn't dodge in time. He braced himself, shielding his vital points as dozens of feathers pierced his body.

Gritting his teeth, Smoker ignored the pain, holding his hands in front of him and focusing intently.

This sensation was rare—rarer than the Devil Fruit itself. He couldn't let it slip away.

Grun frowned, puzzled, and paused his attack.

"What are you doing?"

Logically, he should have pressed his advantage, but Grun's pride got the better of him. If his opponent wasn't resisting, he wouldn't take the cheap shot.

Smoker maintained his stance for several minutes, and Grun simply watched, his curiosity growing.

Suddenly, Smoker felt a breakthrough.

Extending his hand, a small black sphere appeared before him.

As the sphere formed, the air around it was pulled inward, creating a fierce gust of wind.

The suction grew stronger, drawing in nearby stones and debris, though Smoker himself remained unaffected.

After a few moments, the sphere disappeared. Smoker's face lit up with excitement.

Grun tilted his head, baffled.

"Are you planning to use that black sphere against me? Don't waste your time!"

Though the black sphere was strange, it was far too slow to pose a real threat.

Smoker smirked. "Apologies for getting distracted, and thank you for waiting! That move was just a test—I can't use it in a real fight yet. Let's continue!"

Without another word, Grun flapped his wings, sending more feather arrows flying at Smoker.

Smoker dodged swiftly, the feathers striking the rocks behind him and piercing clean through, leaving smooth, crack-free holes.

"Crane Arrow Barrage!"

Grun launched wave after wave of arrows.

Smoker focused, using Observation Haki to evade as much as possible. What he couldn't dodge, he blocked with Iron Body and Armament Haki.

Still, the relentless storm of feathers was overwhelming. Smoker couldn't avoid everything, and some arrows found their mark, drawing blood.

Damn it, when will this end?

How does this guy have so many feathers?!

Despite the onslaught, Smoker refused to rely on his Devil Fruit abilities. He relied solely on Haki and his combat skills, recalling the words of his mentor, Zephyr.

"True strength isn't forged—it's earned in battle. The same goes for Haki."

"Training increases the amount of Haki you have, but only fighting can improve its quality."

"You must face death itself to push your Haki to the next level."

Smoker glared at Grun, his resolve unshaken.

You... you're the key to my growth!