Chapter 60: Arrest Them All!
♂ In the original timeline, Ace only met Buggy after joining the Whitebeard Pirates, which would happen a few years later. But now, due to Ian's interference, Ace encountered Buggy ahead of schedule, and they started fighting the moment they met.
Unlike Ian, Ace fought entirely with fists and feet. Buggy was unlucky to run into him. His Chop-Chop Fruit allowed him to split his body into many pieces, but no matter how he split, those body parts remained solid—a typical trait of Paramecia-type fruits. He could withstand Ian's slashes, but when facing Ace's punches, every hit landed!
Most importantly, Ace had already begun to grasp the basics of Observation Haki. Even if Buggy's severed arms tried to sneak attack him, they couldn't succeed. Ace always dodged them easily.
Thus, the battle between Ace and Buggy was essentially a foregone conclusion. The only question was how long Buggy could endure the beating.
Over on the other side, Ian's fight with Krieg was encountering some trouble.
When Ian had faced Garp and fought his intelligence officer, Colonel Schroeder, he had used Nen wrapped around his blade to injure Schroeder even through his "Iron Body" defense. However, "Iron Body" wasn't truly turning the body into steel. Krieg, on the other hand, wore an alloy armor harder than steel—a completely different concept.
The Seastone handcuffs had to be removed; otherwise, neither Ian nor Ace could fight effectively. But doing so had drained Ian's Nen energy, leaving him to rely solely on his swordsmanship against Krieg.
Unable to cut through Krieg's armor, Ian found himself heavily restricted in combat.
At this moment, Ian transformed from a swordsman into an assassin. He charged forward, leaped up as he reached Krieg, and vaulted over his head. In midair, he swung his longsword toward Krieg's neck, aiming for a vital spot to finish him quickly with his speed advantage.
However, Krieg couldn't match Ian's speed, but his head was a smaller target. He simply wrapped his arms around his head to protect it, and Ian's blade only left a spark on his wrist guards.
Failing to land a hit, Ian twisted his body midair and thrust his sword toward the back of Krieg's neck.
But Krieg stepped forward, creating distance, and Ian's blade fell short.
"Useless!" Krieg sneered as Ian landed, turning to face him. "I know you can only attack my head. As long as I guard it, you can't hurt me!"
Ian clicked his tongue. He felt like Krieg was a giant turtle—as long as he tucked in his head, there was no way to deal with him.
"Mortar!" Krieg raised his shield and aimed at Ian.
Ian thought he was about to fire cannonballs again, so he quickly jumped away. But what shot out of Krieg's shield were actually dozens of iron javelins, covering Ian's escape routes.
Calling out one name but using another, Krieg's cunning trick caught Ian off guard. Though Ian reacted and tried to block, several javelins grazed him, leaving bloody gashes on his shoulder and leg.
"Hmph! See that?" Krieg laughed coldly. "I have invincible defense and countless weapons. I am the strongest! You'll never beat me!"
Ian shook his head. "I can't be bothered with you."
Damn it, I have a card system and I don't dare call myself strong. You, who aren't even a Devil Fruit user, relying only on weapons and gear, dare to claim you're the strongest?
You might shout that in the East Blue, but if you said that in the Grand Line, you'd be killed in minutes!
"You—!" Repeatedly dismissed by Ian, Krieg couldn't hold back anymore. He removed his shoulder guards, clicked them together to form his strongest weapon—the Great War Spear—and roared, "I'll kill you now! I'll show everyone what happens when they defy me, Krieg!"
Ian was slightly out of breath and didn't reply. He was thinking: Do I really have to use that move?
Whatever. I've already been called a monster. Being a bit more monstrous shouldn't matter...
Just as Ian and Krieg were about to launch their final attacks, a sudden change occurred in the plaza. Thick white smoke spread across the area!
The smoke seemed conscious, bypassing the Marine perimeter and heading straight for the battling members of the Krieg Pirates and Buggy Pirates. Any pirate touched by the smoke found themselves bound as if by ropes, unable to move!
"What... what is this?"
"Ah, help! I can't breathe!"
The pirate grunts screamed. With the thick white smoke appearing, they couldn't fight anymore. Seeing others' suffering, they tried to avoid the smoke.
But it was useless. More and more pirates were surrounded by the smoke and tightly bound together.
"What's going on?" Krieg noticed the strange phenomenon.
Ian knew what it was, but he was still surprised: "White Hunter Smoker? Wasn't he supposed to arrive tomorrow? Why is he here suddenly?"
Sure enough, the Marine ranks parted, revealing a man chewing a cigar, his arms already transformed into rolling smoke spreading outward.
Behind him, a large number of Marines rushed in—elite troops Smoker had brought from headquarters. Entering the plaza, they immediately captured the pirates Smoker had trapped, tying them up with ropes.
The Marines of Loguetown base recognized Smoker and saluted him. But Smoker angrily said, "Look at yourselves! Where's your Marine pride?! Standing by while pirates cause chaos—are your guns just for show?!"
No one dared to answer. Many hung their heads in shame. But strangely, including the Marine lieutenant from before, all the Loguetown Marines secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
A new superior had arrived, bringing reinforcements. Loguetown should be safe now.
After scolding them, Smoker fell silent. He also saw the situation in the plaza. The pirates far outnumbered the Marines, so he understood their difficulty. He didn't press further and said, "Go help catch them!"
"Ah! Yes, sir!" The Loguetown Marines quickly snapped to attention and followed the headquarters Marines to assist.
Gunfire began to ring out. The Marines finally opened fire, shooting any pirate who resisted.
Smoker also noticed the glaring bloodstains in the center of the plaza. Even he found it hard to look at. He turned and asked, "What happened there?"
The Marine lieutenant replied, "Colonel Smoker, that young man with the longsword is a bounty hunter. The Krieg Pirates and Buggy Pirates came to settle scores with him. That pile of bodies is all his work!"
Smoker's eyes widened. "You mean he killed that many pirates by himself?!"
"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant nodded.
Smoker said nothing, staring intently at Ian. When he saw Ian's hat, his heart skipped a beat.
"What's the connection between this guy and that tyrant, Kuma?" Smoker thought immediately. "Treating pirates so brutally—it's exactly like Kuma!"
As a headquarters colonel, Smoker naturally knew Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Though a pirate, Kuma was a nightmare for many pirates. He seemed to hate pirates, leaving destruction in his wake. As a Paw-Paw Fruit user, Kuma could compress air and release it in an instant. His terrifying move, "Bear's Shock," had devastating power. The scenes after his battles looked like a hurricane had passed through—not just ships, but even giant rocks were destroyed. Pirates who encountered him ended up in gruesome states.
That's how Kuma earned the title "Tyrant."
Smoker knew Kuma's deeds, but he never expected to see a young bounty hunter wearing a hat similar to Kuma's, treating pirates with the same brutal cruelty.
Smoker hadn't witnessed the events, so he didn't know Ian's anger at the time. The hat alone might be coincidence, but the similar behavior couldn't be explained by chance. From the first glance, he equated Ian with the Tyrant Kuma!
Turning, Smoker also saw Ace and Buggy and asked about Ace's identity. But the Loguetown Marines knew little about Ace. He had just set sail, forming the Spade Pirates with only himself—no reputation at all. They could only treat him as Ian's friend, assuming he was also a bounty hunter.
"Arrest them all!" Smoker decided after hearing the report.
The Marines were stunned. "Should we arrest the two bounty hunters too?"
"Arrest them!" Smoker nodded firmly. "Even if they're bounty hunters, this chaos was caused by them. They must answer to Loguetown!"