Chapter 79: Smoker's Visit (Part One)

Seven days had passed since the destruction of the Krieg Pirates.

A navy warship bearing the seagull-and-wrench flag sailed at full speed toward what was once the main island of Krieg’s territory.

Standing at the bow, Smoker gazed into the distance. Dense clouds of cigar smoke veiled his grim expression, intensifying the oppressive tension that hung over the ship.

After purging the corrupt officers of East Blue’s Sixteenth Branch, Smoker had intended to return to Loguetown and resume his post.

But before he could depart, he received a piece of news through the navy’s intelligence system that shocked him to his core:

East Blue’s largest pirate crew—the Krieg Pirates—had been annihilated, and a knight named Garen had become the new ruler of that lawless land.

Upon hearing this, Smoker didn’t hesitate for a second. He swung the ship’s course around and sailed directly for the waters where the former Krieg territory lay.

“Are we there yet?”

Smoker barked for what must have been the umpteenth time, his harsh tone and stormy face frightening the ship’s navigator into cold sweats with each reply.

“Colonel Smoker, please calm down.”

Tashigi stepped forward, unflinching, shielding her colleagues from the brunt of Smoker’s seething temper.

She spoke softly, trying to soothe him:

“There was nothing in our intelligence reports suggesting that Sir Garen became a pirate.”

“Hmph!”

Smoker exhaled a thick plume of smoke through his nose and mouth, his anger barely contained.

“He’s taken over a pirate den and crowned himself king—what else could that make him but a pirate?”

“Just give it a few more days, and I bet we’ll see his bounty poster.”

“Impossible!”

Usually gentle and timid as a rabbit, Tashigi now retorted, her tone sharp and tinged with indignation:

“A man capable of wielding such righteous swordsmanship would never fall to piracy!”

She paused, then spoke her conviction plainly and firmly: “I believe in him.”

There was not a trace of doubt or hesitation in her eyes.

Smoker said nothing, only puffed silently on his cigar.

After a moment, his voice was cold and steely:

“For your sake, let’s hope things are as you believe.”

“Otherwise, I’ll be the one to end him myself.”

……………………………………

The warship sailed a while longer before the navy finally caught sight of the deepwater port on the main island of the former Krieg territory.

It was livelier than ever, even more bustling than when Krieg himself ruled. Fishing boats and merchant vessels crisscrossed the harbor, nearly packing the vast port to capacity.

Smoker’s attention, however, was drawn entirely to the warships:

The remnants of Krieg’s pirate fleet stood tall in the harbor, their sails and cannons forming an imposing line—each ship rivaled the size of Smoker’s own vessel.

“Such scale, such firepower…”

Smoker’s gaze became even more grave.

“Garen’s ambitions are no small matter.”

Tashigi, hearing her superior’s suspicion, stood her ground once more:

“Colonel Smoker, don’t jump to conclusions about Sir Garen!”

“These ships aren’t flying any pirate flags!”

Smoker paused in surprise, finally noticing that the formidable warships bore no sign of the dreaded black banners.

Instead, they were adorned with a flag Smoker had never seen before:

A pure white field, and at its center, a brilliant golden sword descending from the heavens.

The colors and symbol carried none of the terror or menace of a pirate insignia—on the contrary, it radiated justice and light.

It was a flag personally designed by Garen—

In truth, it was simply the icon of Garen’s ultimate ability from the game.

Seeing this banner, Smoker’s mood settled a little:

At least Garen hadn’t openly displayed any pirate flags.

Yet, after so many anti-corruption campaigns, Smoker trusted the surface appearance of justice less than ever;

Preparing for the worst, he ordered his sailors to ready themselves for battle before disembarking.

He even commanded the warship to storm the harbor in a beachhead assault, charging aggressively onto the docks.

The reaction of the armed men on the dock only deepened Smoker’s suspicion:

As soon as they saw the navy’s flag, many jumped in alarm and snatched up their weapons.

As the warship drew closer, Smoker could distinctly hear their shouts:

“This is bad! The navy’s here!”

Hearing such overt hostility, Smoker’s face grew stern.

Before the ship had even fully docked, Smoker transformed into a cloud of smoke and flew straight toward the anxious armed men.

One young fighter clutched his musket nervously, aiming it trembling at Smoker.

It was blatant hostility—he might as well have had “pirate” written across his face.

Smoker’s mood plummeted, his grip on his weapon tightening until his veins bulged and his knuckles turned white.

But before Smoker could act, a heavy slap landed on the back of the “pirate’s” head.

A man, apparently a junior officer, delivered the blow, sending the young “pirate” staggering, and scolded him sharply:

“Still acting like a pirate, are you?”

“You’re now a legitimate employee under Lord Garen!”

“Lord Garen has emphasized many times: navy soldiers are allies! When the navy visits, you must treat them well!”

The officer confiscated the young man’s gun and berated him thoroughly:

“You fool! Pointing your gun at an ally—what were you thinking?”

“Go apologize!”

What Smoker saw next was something he’d never imagined:

The young man he’d mistaken for a pirate hurried over, bowing respectfully and apologizing, only retreating to the ranks after Smoker nodded his acceptance.

“What’s going on here?”

Smoker asked, bewildered.

The junior officer responded warmly:

“Greetings, navy officer!”

“That guy used to be one of Krieg’s underlings—those old pirate habits haven’t been fully reformed yet.”

“When I get back, I’ll have him write a few political reports and self-reflections!”

When handling the captured pirate grunts from Krieg’s crew, Garen had specially granted them a unique path to prove their innocence—

That is, he allowed pirates to voluntarily sign up for the “Great Sword Evilness Detection Ceremony.”

Anyone who could gain the approval of the Sword of Justice would be granted freedom.

As for the consequences of failing the test… it goes without saying.

With Garen’s earlier display—cutting down dozens of evildoers in one ultimate move—few pirates dared to volunteer.

Still, more than three hundred, truly unsullied and with evilness scores under thirty percent, passed the strict screening and became legitimate employees under Garen’s command.

Smoker roughly understood the young man’s identity, but still asked, perplexed:

“Political reports, self-reflections… what are those?”

The junior officer smiled and explained in detail:

“You may not be familiar:

“Our leader, Lord Garen, possesses a miraculous ability to discern good from evil!

“Only those with low levels of wickedness are allowed to serve as officers in the organization.

“Each rank has its own evilness threshold.”

“This…”

Smoker was so astonished he could barely speak:

He knew Garen had a sword technique that could distinguish good and evil, but he never imagined Garen would use it as a method of ideological evaluation for his troops.

The junior officer continued:

“As for political reports and self-reflections…

“They’re treasures taught by Lord Garen himself to help reduce your own evilness!”

“Does writing those actually help?”

Smoker asked skeptically.

The navy had its own forms of indoctrination, but they were far less elaborate.

In Smoker’s experience, writing a couple of self-criticisms or copying regulations—such crude methods—were completely ineffective.

“Of course…”

The officer replied earnestly:

“Lord Garen once said:

“Doing is better than not doing, and the more you say it, the more you believe it.”

“We don’t just write reports and reflections—we regularly hold—”

He rattled off a series of fresh terms that left Smoker dizzy:

“Democratic life meetings, criticism and self-criticism sessions, lessons on the spirit of justice…”