Pirates are often restless, and there are quite a few restless ones in the Navy as well, and Smoker is among them.
However, his restlessness is not like that of Mouse or Morgan, but rather a matter of temperament.
He acts independently, refuses to be bound, and some people secretly call him a mad dog.
As a Logia-type Ability User, having him stationed in Log Town is clearly a waste of talent. His appearance in the East Sea is both a form of protection and a temporary demotion.
His attitude toward pirates aligns with the Navy's overall policy, but not with the World Government's policies; the World Government never aimed for extermination.
Sending him to the East Sea was partly to calm him down, as well as to temper his nature in hopes he would learn to better obey.
However, his temperament is not so easily changed, and under his management, Log Town, the place of Roger's beginning and end, also entered a relatively stable state.
The pirates in the East Sea aren't very strong overall, but they also raid towns. Especially Log Town, having birthed the Pirate King, attracts quite a bit of attention.
Ever since Smoker was stationed here, Log Town has become the pirates' graveyard in the East Sea.
Similarly Logia-type, Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino each have their own characters, and whether it's Kuzan's laziness, Borsalino's slacking, or Sakazuki's ruthlessness, they all chafe at the World Government's officials.
But this does not affect their status as Headquarter Admirals, because they're strong enough, being major combat powers of the Navy.
In many ways, Smoker is similar to the Three Great Admirals; he just has a similar temperament but lacks the corresponding strength, otherwise, even if people don't like him, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
Smoker being stationed in Log Town also has to do with him offending certain people.
The scale of the World Government is enormous, and people have varied views on the Navy. Some even think the Navy has always been just a dog of the World Government.
They can't do much against Admirals, yet they have ways to be an annoyance. The attack on Zephyr's family remains a mystery within the Navy.
Where did the protective soldiers go? How did those people find Zephyr's family? Too many aspects remain unexplained.
Even the former Zephyr got involved, let alone the current Smoker. However, he hasn't reached that point, so the higher-ups merely let him fade from their sight for the time being.
A Loigia-type Ability User loyal to the Navy is too precious to destroy.
Some disapprove of Smoker's ways, but this doesn't stop others from appreciating him. He also has friends within the Navy; his relationship with Kuzan is rather good.
He specifically made a call to Smoker, not wanting him to undertake any "suicidal" actions.
According to his understanding of Smoker, Yamato's activities in the East Sea would inevitably attract Smoker's attention. There's a high probability he would actively seek her out; if he couldn't find her, all would be well, but if he did, he'd just be delivering himself.
Smoker hasn't extensively utilized the attributes of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit; in his hands, it's just a tool for dodging attacks. Such a person encountering a Haki-mastering, body technique-type pirate would easily be overpowered one-sidedly.
"Colonel Smoker, you must comply with this order and not concern yourself with that woman. Do you understand?"
Hearing nothing on the other side of the line, Kuzan once again gave him an order with an extremely formal tone, even addressing his rank.
"Yes, I understand."
"There's no need to feel resistant. This is all for your own good. That woman is not simple; she now possesses the ability to hurt me."
Sensing a bit of dissatisfaction in Smoker's tone, Kuzan, given their personal rapport, added a few extra words.
In fact, the battle between him and Yamato a year ago left him with a massive headache.
There are hierarchical differences among Devil Fruits, such as the Arms-Arms Fruit and the Slash-Slash Fruit, Ton-Ton Fruit and Kilo-Kilo Fruit, and this hierarchy is more pronounced among the natural elements of Logia-types.
The Ice-Ice Fruit and Okuchi no Makami had no connection, but after Okuchi no Makami's transformation, the newly born Kyurem obtained a unique power belonging solely to this world.
Devil Fruits harbor demons, but the demon within Okuchi no Makami was erased by Arceus. After the demon disappeared, the empty position required filling.
No new demon emerged; Yamato's consciousness completely dominated that fruit, causing the original Demon Power to change.
As the body of Daolong, Kyurem also holds the title of "strongest." Under these circumstances, the new Okuchi no Makami becomes the pinnacle of all Ice-Type Devil Fruits.
She has an additional "Ice Eating" trait, rendering ice attributes ineffective against her. Not only can Kuzan not freeze her, but even frozen ice can be consumed as food.
In another world, she could claim the title of Ice Demon Slayer easily. However, she has little interest in eating ice, although it could restore a bit of stamina, the amount restored isn't worth it for her.
She has such a high health bar that it'd take eating an iceberg to see any effect.
The absolute suppression of ability forced Kuzan to compete in body techniques with Yamato, and in a sense, he couldn't tell whether it was Yamato retreating leisurely or just not wanting to fight.
The suppression of abilities is even more absolute than that of an Advance Fruit. Among the Three Great Admirals today, Kuzan is the opponent Yamato finds easiest to deal with.
This battle further made Kuzan understand just how powerful Yamato's body techniques are. He's sure Smoker can't withstand even one of her blows.
After reiterating his instructions, Kuzan hung up the phone and left Headquarters to begin his defense duties as per his designated position.
The World Government's orders are simple: prioritize ensuring Mary Geoise remains undisturbed no matter what, and as for other places, they can let them be destroyed and reshuffled later. That's been the way for hundreds of years.
In the centuries of history, nations often fell to the flames of war, but some were erased by Mary Geoise itself.
As for Smoker, after hanging up Kuzan's call, he was silent for a while. It wasn't that he felt underestimated, but he always wanted to tell Kuzan not to treat him like a brainless brute.
Sometimes, he indeed ignores orders, but he hasn't gone insane enough to take on the Four Emperors alone. Monsters with bounty in the billions aren't foes he can deal with in his current state, and he's very well aware of this.
Otherwise, when he saw Dragon in Log Town before, he wouldn't have compromised so easily.
He definitely doesn't want to test whether getting hit on the head with a club could awaken Haki or other powers.
Due to Kuzan's concerns, Smoker looked at his adjutant to verify a few things.
"Tashigi, what kind of person do you think I am?"