Pirate: I have a Hollow living inside me!

Dalitz gave a sinister smile.

He was a vengeful person by nature, and his future "decent" life was shattered by those damned pirates.

This made him unable to suppress his anger.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have come to us on their own initiative.

Now that the target has been found, let's use the most ruthless means to send them on their way...

……

'boom!'

The flames and smoke collided again, creating a deafening roar and a shockwave that spread outwards...

"Damn it, they're both naval captains, so why is there such a huge difference in their strength..."

After the attack, Ace was forced to retreat.

Flames rose from his body, but his expression was very solemn.

The previous naval captain was killed by him in a few moves, but this naval captain was extremely powerful.

They're both naval captains, but their abilities are worlds apart...

"This person must have been transferred from the Navy Headquarters!"

Deuce's expression was grave as he whispered to Ace, "Although the ranks of the Marine Headquarters and the Marine Branches are the same, their strengths are not the same. The Marine Headquarters selects only the elite..."

Ace took a deep breath and said quickly, "Deus, I'll hold them off. You go to the port and get the ship moving. I'll be there soon!"

"But……"

"Don't worry, I won't be defeated so easily. I haven't become the Pirate King yet, how could I possibly lose here?"

Ace grinned: "As long as we can get out to sea, the warships won't be able to catch us!"

His goal is to surpass that man.

How can we be blocked here?

For him, Loguetown was just the beginning, not the end!

Chapter 43 Mistaken Identity...

"Okay, be careful!"

Deus glanced at Ace, knowing full well that he would only be a burden here.

No hesitation.

He rushed towards the port...

"You can't escape!"

Smoker snorted and his hands turned into white smoke, sweeping towards the fleeing Dews at an even faster speed.

"Kagerou!"

Ace, of course, wouldn't just stand by and watch.

He raised his hand and unleashed a massive curtain of fire, blocking Smoker's smoke.

"Your opponent is me, Navy Captain!"

The flames on Ace's body grew even higher, and the raging fire caused the surrounding temperature to rise rapidly. His gaze was fixed on Smoker.

"Staying behind to cover the retreat? What a touching friendship!"

The smoke from the cigar dangling from Smoker's mouth rose, as if it had somehow connected with the smoke he himself had become...

"But pirate loyalty means nothing to me. You only have one fate today!"

"White spray!"

Smoker had no intention of getting entangled with Ace. He turned his lower body into smoke and used the smoke as propulsion to bypass Ace and continue his pursuit.

This Logia-type Devil Fruit user is quite strong. Although he hasn't mastered Haki yet, I won't be able to defeat him in a short time.

He knew exactly what the two of them were planning.

If you want to go to sea, you have to ask him if he agrees!

"fire punch!"

Ace cursed under his breath for being cunning, raised his hand and unleashed a fiery fist that swept towards Smoker in front of him.

"Flame and smoke are evenly matched..."

Smoker ignored it completely, raising his hand to unleash a cloud of smoke that appeared to be solid, blocking Fire Fist's attack.

The scattered flames and the surrounding high temperature had little effect on him, who was in the form of smoke...

Those who lack domineering aura cannot pose a threat to Logia-type Devil Fruit users!

"You're not the only one who can fly; flames are more powerful than smoke!"

Ace gritted his teeth and, following Smoker's example, transformed his lower body into flames.

The gushing flames propelled him to his maximum speed.

Faster than Smoker, he caught up and unleashed a deafening fire punch!

"A troublesome fellow..."

Smoker's face was somewhat gloomy.

The opponent's attack lacked the implication of Haki and could not harm him, but the flames and smoke intertwined, hindering his movements...

'boom!'

White smoke billowed and surged, blocking the fiery fist head-on.

However, Smoker's movements were inevitably hampered, and his speed slowed down...

If we were to say that smoke has any weaknesses...

That is the wind.

The wind could disperse the smoke, and the aftershocks of the attack created a gust of wind, making it difficult for Smoker to stabilize himself...

"I've figured it out, your weakness is the wind, isn't it?"

Ace doesn't possess Observation Haki, but he has excellent eyesight and a certain intuition for battle.

He discovered that the opponent was unable to maintain their elemental state effectively when the explosion created a strong wind.

The opponent's weakness is the wind.

As long as there are weaknesses, we can take targeted measures to address them!

"..."

Smoker's face darkened upon hearing this.

This guy actually discovered that...

Just as Smoker was thinking of a solution, he suddenly saw a familiar figure and his eyes lit up.

After blocking Ace's attack again, Smoker burst out in a cloud of smoke, shouting, "Tashigi, you've come at the perfect time!"

"Block that blue-haired guy for me!"

He wondered why Tashigi was here, with an unfamiliar orange-haired girl beside her...

But at that moment, Tashigi was positioned directly in front of the fleeing person.

If Tashigi can hold off the opponent for even a short while, he will be able to catch up and capture them!

However, what Smoker didn't expect was...

Tashigi seemed not to hear him and simply brushed past the criminal...

"?"

Smoker paused for a moment.

What on earth is Tashigi up to?

Are you deaf?

"Sergeant Tashigi, I recall that all naval units have already been notified to begin operations, right?"

Smoker stormed off towards Tashigi's location, disregarding the need to continue the pursuit of the criminal.

Looking at Tashigi, he coldly questioned, "What are you doing here? And didn't you hear what I just said?"

Although Tashigi usually appears careless, absent-minded, and clumsy, she still messes up at this crucial moment...

This infuriated Smoker!

"Ok?"

Seeing Smoker's aggressive questioning, Tashigi... no, Kuina paused, a look of confusion on her face...

Who is this guy?

Who is Tashigi?

Why does this navy person seem to know themselves so well?

But I'm not called Tashigi, and I don't know this Marine...

Kuina pulled Nami behind her, her right hand resting naturally on the hilt of her sword: "May I ask what brings you here, Marine?"

"Ok?"

Smoker frowned slightly, noticing something was amiss...

He stared at Kuina and asked in a deep voice, "You're not Tashigi? Who are you?"

Although the other person has a face that is almost identical to Tashigi's, their hairstyle and temperament are completely different.

more importantly……

This "Tashigi" isn't wearing glasses!