Fire and smoke intertwined. They filled the entire plaza in a deadlocked stalemate.
It was just as Lius had said.
Their attributes were roughly the same. Without Haki, a victor in a short amount of time was simply impossible.
"Fire Fist!"
His right hand transformed directly into roaring flames. Ace unleashed a fierce punch and temporarily knocked back the approaching Smoker.
"Aha, I'm out of time. Let's settle this next time!"
Leaving those words behind, he raised a hand to press down his cowboy hat. He turned around and left without hesitation.
Whoosh!
The flames gradually vanished. The sea of cloud-like smoke swirled and condensed into Smoker's figure.
He stared at Ace's retreating back. His eyes carried an unprecedented solemnity. He clamped down on his cigar and muttered to himself in a deep voice.
"Fire Fist has the makings of a monster. Why would he willingly join that Lius's crew?"
"If it's just because of sheer strength, it shouldn't be like this at all!"
Smoker truly could not figure it out. What kind of charm did that man possess to make a fellow monster like Ace become his companion?
After pondering for a long while, he finally gave up on the thought.
"If I don't find the answer to this, I'll probably doubt my life forever!"
Upon saying this, he made his move.
Boom!
Smoker's lower half completely turned into smoke. A massive propulsive force drove his entire body forward. He shot out like a rocket.
He gripped his jitte and roared. "Even if I have to risk my life, I cannot let you two group up!"
Initially, he had wanted to capture both of them. Now, his only goal was to slow Ace down.
This was entirely because of the strength Lius and Ace had displayed. It was a level of power that would terrify many great pirates of the Grand Line.
Meanwhile.
Only three minutes remained of the ten-minute timeframe Lius had specified.
Loguetown docks.
Soldiers lay haphazardly all over the ground.
Nami emerged from the engine room. She spotted Lius standing at the bow and shot him an exasperated glare. "Where is Ace? If he doesn't come back soon, the nearby Navy forces will arrive. It won't be so easy for us to leave then."
Lius crossed his arms. "I gave him ten minutes. He should make it in time!"
His eyes were as deep as the ocean. He stared intently toward the end of the street.
"Ten minutes is almost up. Seriously, that guy. Even though this is East Blue, if we get surrounded by the Navy out on the open sea, our ship's capabilities will make it very hard to cope!"
Hearing Nami's complaints from behind, Lius turned his head and offered a smile. "Haha, don't we have you?"
Nami let out a soft snort. She proudly tilted her chin up. "Hmph, then we'll wait a little longer!"
The wait was agonizingly slow.
It was only a few short minutes. Yet to the two people on the ship, it felt as long as a century.
After all, they had alarmed the entire Navy base in Loguetown.
This place was also near the entrance to the Grand Line. If the patrolling Navy forces from various regions arrived, escaping would become incredibly difficult.
Lius was not arrogant enough to believe he could engage in a naval battle against the Navy's advanced warships on the open sea.
Even if they managed to repel the Navy in the end, they would likely suffer heavy losses.
Thud thud thud!
Right then, a sprinting figure appeared in the distance at the end of the street.
Nami's eyes widened in sheer surprise. "It's Ace. Did that guy defeat Smoker?"
Lius shook his head. "Impossible. Their attributes are too similar. Without Haki, the only way to determine a winner is if one side exhausts all their stamina."
Nami arched an eyebrow. "If there's no winner, then why did he come back?"
In response, Lius lifted his gaze. A faint smile curled on his lips.
Ace spotted the two of them on the docked ship from afar. He waved his hands excitedly and shouted. "Guys, I'm back!"
"You're too loud! We agreed you'd stay on the ship. If you leave without permission next time, I'll strangle you to death!"
If Lius hadn't returned, Nami would have never been able to protect the ship from the swarming Navy forces.
The ship would have been destroyed, leaving them stranded. Just thinking about it filled her with rage.
An awkward yet polite smile surfaced on Ace's freckled face. "Ahahaha! Sorry for causing everyone so much trouble!"
Nami let out a cold snort. "What nonsense are you spouting? You still have to steer the ship to pay off your debt!"
That single sentence instantly froze Ace's smile.
An indescribable light flickered in his eyes.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, the sharp sound of something tearing through the air rapidly approached from behind.
A trail of white smoke streaked forward and caught up to him in an instant.
Smoker let out a furious roar. "I told you earlier! If you want to leave this town, you have to defeat me first!"
The Seastone jitte cleaved downward toward Ace's back like a sharp sword.
It was too fast.
Fueled by rage, Smoker had used all his strength to close the distance. Even Ace failed to react in time. He could only turn his head in sheer surprise.
The jitte was just about to strike him.
Swish!
A piercing gust of wind echoed.
Lius instantly vanished from the bow of the ship. Only a cloud of dissipating white mist remained where he once stood.
In the very next second, he materialized right behind Ace. He faced the furious Smoker and broke into a grin.
"I can't allow you to keep my crewmate here!"
Clang!
He drew the Sandai Kitetsu from his waist in a swift backhand grip. The sharp, icy blade instantly blocked the descending Seastone jitte.
The sheer force of their collision sent a shockwave rippling outward.
Lius offered a casual appraisal. "Not bad strength!"
He then forced his arm forward. The blade violently knocked Smoker away.
"But with just this much, there is no way you can make me stay!"
In the following instant.
Lius stepped forward. His demonic sword was coated in Armament Haki as he instantly pursued his target. The blade glinted with an eerie chill before ruthlessly slashing down at Smoker's chest.
Slash!
Blood splattered into the air and rained down like a crimson mist.
Smoker's expression changed drastically. The immense pain nearly caused him to black out.
A hideous, half-meter-long gash appeared across his burly upper body. Blood gushed out endlessly. His stark white ribs were faintly visible beneath the gore.
Crash!
He was sent flying back several meters before crashing onto the ground. The jitte in his tight grip rolled away to the side.
Lius sheathed his sword. He turned around, patted the dumbfounded Ace on the shoulder, and leaped back onto the ship. "Let's go!"
Snapping back to his senses, Ace quickly followed him aboard. He consciously took his place at the ship's helm. "Ah, right, right!"
The sails dropped. Pushed by the sea breeze, the ship slowly departed from the Loguetown docks.
Suddenly, a voice called out from the docks. Smoker clutched his severe, near-fatal wound. He gritted his teeth and glared at Lius. "Cough, cough, cough. Why didn't you kill me?"
Standing at the bow, Lius threw his hands up in speechlessness. "What do you take me for? I'm no homicidal maniac. If you want to die, you don't need to look for me!"
He then offered a faint smile and spoke with utmost seriousness. "Isn't it better to be alive? There aren't many good people left in this world."