The Octopus. That was the codename for the unknown head of 'Clear Sky' in all Marine documents. And now it turned out that the unknown head of 'Clear Sky' was actually the well-known Roronoa Zoro.
"Actually, Roronoa Zoro isn't even twenty yet," although it was not apparent from him, Luffy eagerly shared this information, evidently provoking another reaction from Tashigi.
"He created such an organization at ten?! And he's younger than me?!!" The girl's face showed even more astonishment, and emotions finally appeared on Smoker's face.
In fact, if Zoro or Nami were here, they would have confidently said that Luffy had definitely let slip too much in his pursuit of amusement. The kid definitely shouldn't have mentioned 'Clear Sky'… unless he planned to kill both Tashigi and Smoker afterward, or it was a prelude to something bigger. Otherwise, why keep such a secret for so long only to blurt it out like this? Of course, Roronoa Zoro didn't actually found 'Clear Sky,' but that was a minor detail. The main thing was that, thanks to Luffy's loose tongue, the Marine could now connect 'Clear Sky' with the 'Pirate Slayers,' and who was actually in charge was secondary. On the other hand, if Tashigi and Smoker were removed, the secret would remain a secret.
"Of course, as far as I know, 'Clear Sky' wasn't originally intended to be what it became," Luffy continued to fan the flames. "According to the 'Pirate Slayers' captain, he originally created this organization to change the situation in his home kingdom, and everything else happened afterward. Judging by your reaction, you understand what 'Clear Sky' means in East Blue. So you should also understand that the 'Pirate Slayers' captain was aware of the trap set for him in Loguetown."
"…And yet he and his crew are here," Smoker voiced the obvious thought. "Why?"
"Because all your people, even combined, can't defeat 'The Butcher' or 'Beheader,' let alone Roronoa Zoro," Luffy answered seriously. "Don Krieg gathered more than ten thousand pirates under his flag… you know their fate. But what you probably don't know is that it took the 'Pirate Slayers' only a few hours to completely destroy Don Krieg's armada. And you certainly don't know that only four people participated in that slaughter, and they came back from it without a scratch.
"I know about the massacre," Smoker disagreed. "I read the reports… although they mentioned three people, 'Queen' wasn't mentioned in the reports."
"That's correct, 'Queen' wasn't involved in that massacre."
"Then who?"
"You didn't let me finish," Luffy's face twisted into an unpleasant smirk again. "I already said that Don Krieg and his armada were destroyed by four people. They didn't suffer any injuries and weren't even particularly tired. But now, right here in Loguetown, there are seven members of their crew... and you have almost half the number of people as Don Krieg did."
"Seven? Hearing this number, Smoker immediately remembered the oral report from his lieutenant: a man with a very long nose and another unidentified person. That makes six... so who's the seventh?"
"Have they added new members?" Smoker asked, almost as if it were a given.
"Yes and no," Luffy frowned. "There's only one newcomer, named Usopp. His nose is so long that it's easy to recognize him. Personally, I've never seen anyone with a nose that long before."
Hearing about the long nose again, Smoker involuntarily started anticipating the upcoming meeting with its owner — was it really that long and memorable?
"A long nose?" Tashigi asked skeptically, finally managing to process another portion of Luffy's revelations.
"I'm serious. You won't forget his nose."
"Can you tell us anything else about him besides his remarkable nose?" Smoker asked again.
"He's a marksman. His name is Usopp. He doesn't look particularly strong or skilled, and he's an incredible coward and liar. Out of ten things he says, nine are complete lies. He'll even lie about which way the sun rises."
"And someone like that was accepted into Roronoa Zoro's crew?" Tashigi asked.
"Exactly."
"Why?" Smoker asked, lighting a couple of new cigars to replace the ones he had crushed. It seemed that the captain had finally recovered from all the shocking news.
"The reason is that while everything mentioned pertains to Usopp's everyday behavior, if you corner him in the future, you'll understand why he's one of the 'Pirate Slayers.' Don't be deceived by his harmless appearance, blatant lies, and cowardly behavior. Underestimating him will lead to the pointless loss of all your men."
"I see… who's the second one?"
"Sanji. A cook. Blonde, always in a suit, one eye constantly covered by hairs, and the other with a distinctive curly eyebrow. Also, he always smokes. He fights only with his legs. But the most important thing is that he joined the 'Pirate Slayers before 'The Butcher' and 'Beheader.'
"Then why does nobody know about him?"
"Because the 'Pirate Slayers' captain wanted it that way. It's another manifestation of his greed. While traveling the Grand Line, he doesn't intend to deny himself anything, including food. Sanji, although part of the crew, spent most of his time working in a restaurant, perfecting his culinary skills. All of it was funded by the 'Pirate Slayers' captain."
"Is he strong?"
"Two days ago, on the way to Loguetown, the 'Pirate Slayers' made a stop, and I saw with my own eyes how Sanji fought against 'The Butcher' and 'Beheader'… they fought together against him alone... and lost," Luffy dropped another 'bomb.'
"That strong?!!" Tashigi was stunned, and Smoker choked on the cigar smoke. For the captain, it looked especially comical since his fruit was directly related to that very smoke.
Johnny and Yosaku each had bounties of fifty million berries — a bounty more suitable for the first half of the Grand Line rather than the quiet East Blue. And now a previously unknown individual turns out to be more impressive than two already impressive guys. It was surprising. And there was reason to doubt. Was Luffy really telling the truth? Unfortunately, Smoker's experience suggested that the kid sitting in front of him wasn't lying. Moreover, that experience told him that despite his frightened and harmless appearance, the kid was far from simple. Just his speech alone was worth something — no village would teach such eloquence. And his age… he might look thirteen, but his speech suggested someone considerably older. If Smoker hadn't seen his interlocutor, he would have easily guessed him to be around twenty or even more.
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Please consider supporting with power stones and also consider supporting on patre*n -> moctopus (the loguetown arc is finished there...)