Why would a Saint Seiya become a pirate?

In the depths of his being, he seemed to sense a powerful resentment emanating from these so-called "dancing fans."

This uncomfortable feeling made Luffy very unhappy, and his temper flared up immediately.

He was furious and shouted angrily.

"You scoundrels! How could you try to trick me with something so disgusting and weird!"

As he spoke, he set the dance powder in the car on fire.

The caravan members had never seen anything like this before, and they immediately scattered and fled.

Unexpectedly, as the dancing powder was burned, the sky over the entire area suddenly turned gloomy.

Immediately afterwards, a torrential downpour began.

Raindrops pattered on the desert sand, splashing up tiny droplets.

Vivi and Run Fast happened to witness this scene. They exchanged a surprised glance and then rushed over immediately.

"Luffy, what have you done?"

"I can't breathe," Vivi asked.

Luffy scratched his head and said with an innocent look.

"I just burned all that awful stuff, and then it started raining."

Weiwei carefully examined the remaining powder on the ground, then looked at the markings on the car, her expression turning serious.

She stopped abruptly and explained to Luffy.

"This stuff is called dancing powder, or 'rain-summoning powder'."

"Although it can be used to bring rain, once it is used, neighboring countries that live downwind will experience drought."

"In other words, the reason for the drought in Alabasta is very likely that someone is secretly using this dancing powder."

"Damn it, this is how the disaster in the Yuba Oasis came about!"

Luffy's eyes widened upon hearing Vivi's words.

He never expected that his unintentional action would reveal the truth about the drought in Alabasta.

However, this little incident passed quickly, because Luffy's stomach started growling again.

His attention quickly shifted to finding food.

Luffy, who was starving, finally saw a town ahead.

His eyes shone with hope, as if he could already see delicious food beckoning to him.

He quickened his pace and ran towards the town.

Just as he was about to step into a restaurant, that man appeared.

Smoker, a former outstanding graduate of Admiral Blackhand Zephyr's training camp, originally had a bright future in his career within the Navy.

Unfortunately, his personality was just like his stubborn teacher, Zephyr, who surpassed him in every way.

They are intolerant of even the slightest imperfection and will never condone any illegal or criminal behavior.

Although his zombie-like face, which looked somewhat like it was being exorcised, always had a cold and aloof expression.

But in reality, he has a gentle heart.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be using their pants to eat ice cream.

However, fate played a cruel joke on Smoker.

After Zefa's incident, his prestige greatly diminished, and he ultimately chose to retire.

Smoker was implicated as a result, and his career took a sharp downturn.

After serving several corrupt superiors, he was directly relegated to Rogge Town.

To make things difficult for him, the Navy even assigned Tashigi, a stubborn and problematic relative, to him as his second-in-command.

Smoker has always upheld his duty in Loguetown.

It wasn't until Luffy caused a huge disturbance that he had a reason to set sail.

When he learned that Luffy had arrived in Alabasta, he immediately rushed over.

They waited in town for Luffy's arrival.

When he saw Luffy about to enter the restaurant, he blocked Luffy's path without hesitation.

"Monkey D. Luffy, your pirate journey ends here."

Smoker said coldly.

Luffy was furious when he saw Smoker, who was preventing him from eating.

he shouted.

"Hey, you smoker, don't block my way from eating! I'll settle the score with you after I'm done!"

Smoker snorted coldly.

"Hmph, do you think I'll let you get away so easily? Today, I'm going to send you to prison."

The two started fighting after arguing over a single word.

Without donning his Saint Cloth, Luffy relied solely on his rubber powers and physical prowess (his resilience) to engage in a fierce battle with Smoker.

They fought from the restaurant to the street, and then from one end of the street to the other.

Luffy's body is like rubber, stretching and contracting at will. His attack speed is extremely fast, making him impossible to defend against.

Smoker, on the other hand, can use his Smoke-Smoke Fruit ability to turn his body into smoke at will, thus avoiding Luffy's attacks.

The two of them went back and forth, fighting inextricably.

However, Luffy had been hungry for too long and his strength was gradually failing.

As the battle continued, his movements became increasingly sluggish.

Smoker keenly sensed this and seized the opportunity to pin Luffy against the wall with his jitte.

"Luffy, you've lost."

Smoker said coldly.

Just then, Smoker felt a heat behind him.

A powerful aura rushed towards him, and he instinctively turned his head away.

"Phoenix Blazing Fist!"

A roar came.

Smoker's eyes widened as he saw a familiar figure.

The man wore a cowboy hat, had short black hair, and his face was covered in freckles.

He was wearing a black cloak embroidered with a red phoenix spreading its wings as if about to take flight.

He was none other than Portgas D. Ace, one of the Whitebeard Pirates' twin phoenixes, the second division commander, the Hell Phoenix.

"Portgas D. Ace?"

Smoker was filled with shock; he hadn't expected this guy to show up at this time.

……

Chapter 24: Smoker gets scolded during a video call with Zephyr.

In the vast Alabasta desert, the scorching sun pours down without reservation.

The yellow sand was baked until it was scorching hot.

Each grain of sand is like a spark that has been ignited, radiating a scorching heat.

An unfortunate lizard crawled out from underground, up the military boot, and prepared to mark the top with its leg.

Then Smoker kicked him into the sky.

Standing in this desolate desert, Smoker's usually stern face was now filled with helplessness and anger.

He stared intently at the black-haired, bespectacled man who had suddenly appeared before him, a smirking expression on his face.

The anger in my heart was like a volcano about to erupt.

"Get away."

Smoker gritted his teeth and forced out the two words, his voice low and threatening.

His hands were clenched into fists, his knuckles turning blue from the force, and veins bulging on his forehead.

He couldn't wait to beat this ungrateful bastard to a pulp.

If he hadn't known he couldn't beat his opponent, he would have already made a move.

He hadn't been paying attention for a moment, and Fanny had inexplicably brought him to this desert in the middle of nowhere.

Fanny, however, was completely unconcerned about Smoker's anger.

He maintained his nonchalant smile, hands in his pockets, and spoke casually.

"Don't be so formal, we're all on the same side, let's talk."

As he spoke, he exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders.

"Besides, it's not appropriate for outsiders like you to disturb the brothers who have been separated for so long."

In fact, Van Nistelrooy could feel the intense heat emanating from across most of the desert.

That was the unique aura of Phoenix. Sure enough, it was that guy Ace.

Smoker snorted coldly, his eyes full of disdain.

"Who says I'm one of your own, a pirate? Besides, what's there to talk about with a pirate like you?"

In his eyes, pirates are a group of scoundrels who do evil, harm society, have sores on their faces and pus on their feet, help the elderly cross the road, and steal lollipops from children.

There is absolutely no need to communicate with them.

Fanny spread his hands, making an innocent expression.