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The battle between the flames and the smoke intensified.
Tashigi smacked her forehead anxiously and said, "Captain Smoker is fighting a powerful enemy!"
With that, the bespectacled girl waved her arm at the soldiers and ordered, "Hurry over there! Support the captain!"
"Yes!"
The marines rushed off, and Tashigi followed.
After a few steps, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to grab Noir.
Noir was touched by Tashigi's devotion, but did she really think she could control him like that?
With a slight twist, Noir easily escaped Tashigi's grasp, darted onto the roof and disappeared into the distance.
A faint voice drifted back, "I'll check the situation first. You hurry and catch up..."
Tashigi stamped her foot in frustration and yelled, "Hurry up!"
Noir moved quickly and soon found the battlefield where Ace and Smoker were fighting.
At that moment, the two had just separated from their intertwined elements, Smoker shrouded in smoke and Ace with his flaming fist raised.
Smoker's eyes flicked over and immediately spotted the approaching Noir. He said, "East Blue Hunter Noir, are you here to help the pirate Ace?"
Ace shouted excitedly, "Noir! We bought the ship! We can set sail!"
Noir covered his forehead in annoyance. Dude, I'm a hunter!
Yelling like that just proves that I'm with you guys!
Sure enough, Smoker, hearing Ace's words, stared solemnly at Noir and said, "So you joined the pirates.
Noir spread his hands and tried to explain, "Actually, I'm not..."
Noir tried to explain, but Smoker wouldn't listen. His lower body turned to smoke, propelling him forward.
"White Blow!" Smoker raised his jutte, which had a seastone tip, and swung it down hard at Noir's head.
The world is so beautiful, and yet you're so irritable...
Noir helplessly raised his sword to block the attack, used both arms to deflect the jutte, and then twisted his body back to slash down.
"Tornado Flash!"
The rotational force of his body combined with the strength of his arms, channeled into his sword, aimed straight at Smoker's exposed chest.
Like Ace, Smoker believed that a mere pirate hunter couldn't hurt him.
Smoker didn't defend, he continued his attack.
But what he didn't know was that Noir's sword was already imbued with Armament Haki!
In that moment of life and death, Smoker instinctively felt a sense of impending doom and twisted his body to withdraw his attack.
This action saved his life.
A shallow cut appeared on Smoker's chest, not far from his heart, bleeding slightly.
Smoker broke into a cold sweat.
Had he not withdrawn his attack, he might have been pierced.
Pirate Hunter Noir could use Haki?
Why is there such a powerful figure in East Blue?
As a graduate of Marine Headquarters and a student of Zephyr, Smoker understood the terror of the Haki system.
He had trained by developing his Devil Fruit ability and wasn't proficient in Haki, not even able to control the Armament Haki at will.
But this young man could?
Smoker, still reeling, stared at Noir. With a faint smile, Noir said, "Will you listen to me now, Captain?"
At that moment, Tashigi and the Marines arrived, guns pointed at Ace and Noir.
Smoker, with a dark expression on his face, said to Noir, "What do you want to say?"
Noir held up three fingers and said, "First, I did not become a pirate. I'm still a hunter."
"Second, your Marine intelligence says that Ace and I are on the same ship. In reality, his ship was destroyed, so he hitched a ride on mine."
"I didn't capture him because Ace had no bounty and I didn't want to deal with him."
"Third..."
Noir looked at the approaching Tashigi and said, "I just helped you deal with the pirate who stole the children. Shouldn't you be paying me?"
Smoker said thoughtfully, "So you're saying you didn't catch him because he had no bounty?"
Noir nodded confidently, "Exactly."
Smoker showed a strange smile, pulled out a bounty notice from his subordinates, and said, "Pirate Ace now has a bounty. You can catch him."
What...?
Noir stared at Ace's bounty in shock.
Good heavens, 40 million berries, and he hasn't even left East Blue yet?
After seeing the bounty, Noir's eyes twinkled and he said cheekily, "Forget it. I'm too lazy to catch him. I'm not short of money now."
Smoker's face immediately darkened and he said coldly, "Are you messing with me?!"
Noir, unfazed, smiled dangerously and said, "What if I am? What can you do?"
The sky gradually darkened and a light drizzle began to fall, the tension between Noir and Smoker growing.
It was then that Ace finally understood the situation.
It seemed that Noir insulted the Marine because of him and couldn't be a pirate hunter anymore?
That wouldn't do.
Although Ace wanted Noir to be his partner, he wouldn't force him. Ace considered Noir a friend and he wouldn't push him.
He had to help Noir!
Ace looked at Noir and suddenly shouted, "Ah! You bastard! Are you trying to catch me?"
Both Smoker and Noir were stunned.
Noir looked at him in confusion. What was this silly guy doing now?
In the drizzle, Ace's arm turned into flames as he lunged at Noir, pretending to yell, "You won't catch me!
As a fellow user of Flame-Flame Fruit, Noir easily blocked his blow. Taking advantage of the close distance, he whispered, "What are you doing?"
Ace chuckled, "You're a pirate hunter, right? Come and get me."
With that, Ace staggered back a few steps and said "weakly", "East Blue's strongest hunter, indeed".
After his performance, Ace turned and ran with Deuce and Skull, leaving behind, "Help... me..."
Noir covered his face in embarrassment and lethargically ran after them, yelling, "If you have the guts, don't run..."
The marines were stunned.
Tashigi reported seriously to Smoker, "It looks like Noir and Pirate Ace are not in cahoots."
"Not in cahoots, my ass!"
Smoker's veins bulged as he shouted at his naive subordinate.
Such a bad act, no one would believe it!
Even Vice Admiral Garp wouldn't believe it!
Smoker's face turned livid as he roared, "Forget about Noir for now!"
"Quick, capture the pirate Portgas D. Ace!"
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