stonecrandall 29. The Troublesome Nature System
29. The Troublesome Nature System
The moment Norton landed, the warship's thick teak deck let out a muffled groan. Spiderweb-like cracks silently spread from his feet.
Smoker felt his breath catch slightly.
There was no overwhelming killing intent, no domineering sense of oppression, but the man in front of him just stood there, like an ancient reef, unmoved by the raging waves!
A primal, alarming warning, a sense of impending dominance over a predator at the top of the food chain, pierced Smoker's heart. The ash from the cigar he was holding quietly broke off.
Almost simultaneously, the sound of air being torn apart came from three directions!
On the left is Colonel Barto, "Heavy Armor," from Branch 77.
Standing nearly three meters tall, with bulging muscles all over his body, and draped in a specially made thick navy coat, he charged forward like a human tank, his huge fist slamming into Norton's temple with the force to crush everything.
On the right is Colonel Milia, the "Flash Sword" from Branch 16.
Her figure moved so fast that it left afterimages. Her slender sword, "Silver Shuttle," transformed into a cold star, precisely and ruthlessly stabbing towards Norton's back. The sword whistled as it struck, revealing her signature "Razor Thrust"!
Slightly higher on the front.
Colonel "Falcon" Kant from Branch 98 used Moonwalk to stay airborne, his legs creating dozens of sharp leg shadows that, like a falcon swooping down, covered all the space above Norton's head for dodging.
The three branch colonels, while not exactly in perfect coordination, had virtually blocked all possible directions of Norton's movement, and their attacks arrived simultaneously!
Faced with this near-perfect combined attack from all sides, Norton's movements were perplexingly simple. He took a half-step forward with his left foot with remarkable ease, his body shifting slightly to the side with the step.
It's this seemingly casual, stroll-like half-step.
Barto's powerful punch, enough to shatter rocks, grazed past his tousled silver hair, the fierce wind barely ruffling the tips.
Mia's rapier, swift as lightning, missed its mark by grazing his twisting waist, the tip tearing a corner of his coat.
Kant's sweeping, all-encompassing slashes landed on the deck, which had been empty just half a step before him, carving out several deep gashes.
Norton then raised his right hand, as if the three men's attacks had delivered an opening into his fist's path.
"Bang, bang, bang."
Three soft, almost simultaneous, muffled sounds, like tapping on a ripe watermelon.
Barto remained in his punching stance, his eyes suddenly bulging and bloodshot.
In that instant, he felt an indescribable shock force penetrate his thick muscles and sternum, directly affecting his internal organs.
All his power vanished instantly. Barto's massive body swayed, then collapsed to his knees, vomiting a mouthful of foamy blood.
Milia's wrist went numb, and the rapier flew out of her hand and into the sky. Then, as if struck head-on by an invisible battering ram, her ribs groaned in agony from the unbearable weight.
The beautiful colonel let out a muffled groan, her vision went black, and she fell backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the mast and sliding down.
The one in the air was the most horrified. He felt a slight touch on his ankle, and the next moment, his power circulation was violently interrupted. He felt a tearing pain in the tendons of his legs and lost his balance, falling headfirst onto the deck!
With a dull thud, Kant was knocked unconscious.
From the moment the three launched their attack until they all fell to the ground, less than a second had passed!
The three branch colonels, who were renowned throughout the East China Sea, lost consciousness before they even fully understood how they had been defeated.
The deck of the warship was deathly silent.
The marines froze on the spot, mouths agape, pupils dilating in shock.
In their eyes, the three imposing colonels were launching a thunderous attack from three directions on the wanted criminal worth 100 million Berries, each using their most representative and powerful moves.
Then, the silver-haired man... disappeared?
No, it wasn't disappearance; the movement was so fast that it created an effect similar to "teleportation" in the visual residuals of ordinary soldiers!
The marines only saw a very blurry flash of silver light, as if the scene had jumped a frame.
Immediately afterwards, the silver-haired man reappeared in the same spot, seemingly without even his clothes being disheveled.
The three colonels, however, collapsed to the ground in various disheveled poses and remained motionless.
"What...what happened?"
"The colonels...have they lost?"
"How did they lose? Did anyone see it clearly?"
"I...I don't know...I just saw a shadow flash by..."
Amidst whispers, the marines' hands gripping their rifles were drenched in sweat, and their calves began to cramp.
A man worth 100 million Berries—he's terrifyingly powerful! The cold numbers on the bounty poster have become tangible for the first time.
On the White Pearl.
Fu Ning leaned almost half her body out of the ship's railing, her fair fingers gripping the wooden railing tightly, her eyes fixed on Norton on the distant warship.
"So many navy personnel... and that officer who looks so strong... can King really handle it all by himself?"
Nearby, Nami heard what Fu Ning said, broke off a segment of orange and threw it into her mouth.
"Don't worry, Funing! That guy is a monster among monsters! Didn't Norton say he's invincible!"
Zoro crossed his arms, his brow furrowed, seemingly trying to understand how the three colonels had been defeated.
"Tch...I don't understand it at all."
A moment later, Zoro spat under his breath, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even brighter.
This man's fighting style is so simple it's almost like he has no skills at all!
Sanosuke maintained a half-crouched, alert posture, one hand resting on the hilt of his ninja sword behind his back, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.
He didn't speak, but his muscles were slightly tense, as if he were ready to enter the battlefield at any moment—even though he knew Norton might not need to.
Kuro adjusted his glasses. As a former pirate captain, he was acutely aware of the strength and influence of those three branch colonels. That's why Norton's seemingly effortless victory was all the more shocking to him.
This power... has already exceeded the scope of 'powerful'! As Kro thought this, some of his calculations subtly changed.
Unlike the relatively calm atmosphere on the White Pearl, the Black Cat Pirates' ship next to them was in complete chaos.
"The Navy! It's a Navy warship! Three of them! We're doomed!"
Zango paced aimlessly on the deck like a headless fly, "I knew following these crazy lunatics with high bounties wouldn't end well! One hundred million Berries! The Navy will definitely send a large force to hunt them down!"
The cat-men brothers, Buchi and Sam, clung to each other tightly: "We're going to die! We're going to die! We'll be caught and thrown into Impel Down! I heard it's worse than hell! Zango, let's run!"
"Run? Where do you think you're going? If you try to escape, Kuro will be the first to kill you!" Upon hearing Django's words, the pirates showed expressions of despair.
"We can only rely on that new captain! If he can't defeat these navy men, we're all doomed!"
Although these former members of the Black Cat Pirates were "recruited" by Norton, their loyalty and courage have clearly not caught up yet.
Faced with the encirclement of a regular naval fleet, their ingrained fear instantly took over.
"Shut up, all of you!" Zango was getting a headache from the noise. He barely managed to calm his wildly beating heart and frantically pulled out his monoculars from his pocket, holding them up to his eyes with trembling hands.
Zango adjusted the focus and looked in the direction of the warship. When he saw Smoker's face with a cigar in his mouth, he gasped and almost threw the binoculars away.
"A smoker... a cigarette addict?!"
Zango's voice even changed tone.
As a pirate who had been in the East Blue for many years, he knew all too well the reputation of "White Hunter" Smoker. He was a Logia-type Smoke-Smoke Fruit user and was almost impossible to be harmed by conventional means!
Upon hearing this, the cat-man brothers were terrified and huddled together in a ball.
Zango felt a chill run through him, almost ordering a desperate breakout and escape. However, his survival instinct forced him to remain calm, and the telescope's barrel moved unconsciously, scanning the rest of the main ship's deck…
"Wait... who are those three lying on the ground...?"
Zango abruptly stopped the camera, rubbed his eyes hard, and looked again.
That's right! They are three naval captains!
Moreover, judging from their collapsed and contorted postures, they had clearly lost their fighting ability.
Zango was stunned, a feeling of utter absurdity washing over him. His mind was reeling.
This situation... seems to be quite different from their expected scenario of "naval encirclement and our retreat"?
On the warship, Norton lowered his hand, his knuckles showing no red marks.
Looking at the three colonels lying on the deck, he sighed.
"Too weak," Norton said listlessly. "Is the Navy out of manpower? Sending this kind of trash to hunt me down?"
Even though he's only a colonel in the branch, he's far too weak. An enemy of this caliber can't even give him a warm-up.
Smoker's gums nearly bled from biting so hard. The pressure, like molten iron, seeped into his very bones, causing him to instinctively strike!
"White spray!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Smoker's lower body transformed into a billowing white smoke, propelling him like a rocket towards Norton with tremendous force!
At the same time, the ten hands cleaved down vertically!
Faced with Smoker's fierce attack, Norton didn't even bother to get into a fighting stance. He simply moved his right shoulder slightly and swung his arm out like shaking off a water droplet, punching the smoke and the jigs within it.
Bang!
A muffled thud.
Smoker's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, his face contorting in an instant!
The next second, he exploded like a smoke sculpture struck by a giant hammer!
It wasn't a deliberate dispersal; it was scattered! Thick white smoke billowed out of control, engulfing half the bow of the ship and Norton as well.
The white smoke was diluted by the sea breeze.
Norton withdrew his fist, looked at his clean knuckles, then at the white tobacco shreds struggling to reassemble around him, and raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm? Nature type?"
The smoke condensed again around the ship's side seven or eight meters away, revealing Smoker's figure. He was kneeling on one knee, supporting his body with his hands, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, staring intently at Norton as if he were looking at something inhuman.
Norton stared at Smoker's face for a moment, then suddenly remembered Smoker's identity.
There is indeed such a character in the original work. In the early stages, he chased Luffy all over the East Blue, but later he was just a nobody on the side of the road.
"This is a bit tricky..." Norton scratched his head; it was the first time he had faced an opponent he couldn't choose.
At this moment, Smoker had already gathered his offensive momentum again and charged forward with a low growl!
The ten hands were raised, and smoke swirled around the weapon, forming a spiral drill bit.
"White Spiral!"
Norton stared blankly at the spinning, smoke-filled drill bit that was hurtling towards him.
That punch clearly landed, but the opponent was only knocked away...
Natural-type elemental transformation renders physical attacks ineffective, unless Haki or...
He quickly retrieved his hazy memories of his past life.
Sea stone? Seawater? A specific substance?
The auger bit is right in front of us, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound!
Norton didn't take the hit head-on; he lightly tapped the ground with his foot.
boom!
The deck exploded, creating a shallow crater. Norton's body rose vertically into the air, leaping more than thirty meters in an instant.
Smoker tilted his head back, his pupils contracting sharply.
High in the air, Norton looked down at the entire warship, his silver hair dancing wildly in the wind. He raised his right fist, but this time it was no longer casual.
Norton punched the center of the warship's deck below!
He didn't hit anything, but at the end of the punch's trajectory, the air suddenly distorted!
Extreme speed and power compress a large area of air in front of it in an instant, forming a transparent shock wave that can be seen with the naked eye!
The shockwave expanded rapidly, and the fist's force, like an invisible meteorite, crashed down!
Time seemed to slow down at that moment; Smoker only had time to hold the Jitte in front of him, his entire body shrouded in smoke—
boom!!
A deafening roar! The entire middle section of the warship—deck, keel, and cabins—dented, fractured, and shattered the instant the fist struck!
Wood chips, iron scraps, cables, broken cannon barrels, screaming marines... everything was flying everywhere!
The warship was smashed into a V-shape from the middle, seawater rushed in, and the broken part emitted a tooth-grinding groan!
The shockwave spread out in a ring, creating a huge depression in the sea surface and raising a wall of waves several meters high, which violently slammed against the two warships next to it, causing them to shake violently!
On the White Pearl.
Fu Ning opened her mouth into an "O" shape.
The orange segment in Nami's mouth fell to the ground.
Zoro had lowered his arms at some point, and his knuckles, which had been gripping the hilt of his sword, were now white.
Sanosuke crouched down, leaning slightly forward, his eyes widening beneath his forehead protector.
Chloe's glasses were askew, and she forgot to straighten them.
On the Black Cat Pirates' ship.
Zango's telescope slipped from his hand and shattered with a crash.
...
All the pirates stood frozen in place, watching the rapidly sinking warship and the figure slowly descending from the sky, with only one thought in their minds.
Is this... really something a human could do?
On the deck of the Baratie floating restaurant.
Zeff's chef's hat was blown off by the strong wind, and his braided beard danced wildly in the wind.
He stared intently at Norton in the air, his eyes swirling with complex emotions, a mixture of shock and pirate fervor.
Paddy plopped down.
Sanji didn't even notice that the cigarette in his mouth had fallen out.
On the sea, amidst the wreckage of a warship.
Beside the broken keel, wisps of white smoke seeped from the seawater, laboriously reforming into Smoker on the floating deck fragments.
He knelt on the shards, breathing heavily, his face pale, with lingering fear in his eyes.
Smoker... was completely unharmed.
The instant the fist landed, he completely elementalized, dispersing into the finest smoke particles, allowing the destructive force to penetrate him. Physical impacts had no effect on him.
But Smoker could sense that if he had been a physical being, even with Armament Haki protecting him, that punch would have been enough to turn him and his armor into mincemeat!
This man's fists... are monstrous!
Norton floated lightly onto another floating plank, looked at Smoker re-formed not far away, and sighed.
"It just won't work..." Norton muttered. "Elementalization is such a cheat."
Norton doesn't possess Haki. After breaking his human limiter, Norton has never encountered an enemy that required Haki to defeat, so his body naturally hasn't developed that power.
Seastone is strictly controlled by the World Government and is rarely seen on the market.
Seawater? There was seawater all around, yet the other person was standing on the wreckage of a ship…
and many more.
Norton’s gaze fell on the weapon that Smoker was gripping tightly in his hand.
That ten-handed weapon.
Fragments of memory flashed by, and Norton suddenly remembered that it was mentioned in the original work that Smoker's jitte tips were inlaid with seastone, which was used to restrain Devil Fruit users.
Thinking of this, Norton's eyes lit up slightly.
At the same time, Smoker noticed Norton's gaze. He instinctively clenched his jib tighter; it was his trump card against ability users, and the only weapon he could possibly use to threaten them at this moment.
However, the moment this thought arose, Norton vanished before his eyes!
Smoker's internal alarm bells went off instantly!