"Given that he can defeat Jhonny and Yosaku... that means, in terms of strength, this Sanji is closer to Roronoa Zoro?" Smoker clarified, quickly recovering from the new shock and shoving aside thoughts about his unexpected informant. He could think about that later, after capturing all the 'Pirate Slayers.' Smoker still believed in his own strength. Although it couldn't be denied that Luffy, during their conversation, had significantly shaken that confidence.
"Closer to Zoro's strength?" Luffy asked, somewhat surprised, then… laughed. Loudly, but with an unsettling edge. The laughter revealed genuine madness and despair... Seriously, Luffy was a great actor. "Do you think if Zoro had such strength, I'd be unsure about coming to see you or not?" After laughing, Luffy looked at Smoker with real malice. "You've been sitting on your pedestal as 'The Strongest Marine in East Blue' for so long that you've completely lost touch with reality. Do you think I don't know about your Moke Moku no Mi (Smoke-Smoke Fruit)? Or do you think Roronoa Zoro doesn't know about it? I can tell you right away that the 'Pirate Slayers' captain knows and doesn't give a damn about your fruit. With a Logia type fruit, it's not surprising you're considered the strongest Marine in East Blue since your opponents can't even touch you. There's a saying that's very apt for someone like you: 'Overconfident Logias don't live long,'" — this phrase, common in the New World, was another 'bomb' for Smoker, while Tashigi remained almost indifferent to it. Unlike her captain, the girl didn't have New World experience.
And Luffy didn't intend to stop:
"Invulnerable Logia?" The boy scoffed contemptuously. "I've seen with my own eyes how the 'Pirate Slayers' captain ripped out the heart of one such so-called invulnerable Logia. That's when he said the phrase about overconfident Logias. If you face Roronoa Zoro relying on the power of your fruit, you'll die without even realizing how. Realize that you have no chance of stopping the 'Pirate Slayers.' And I didn't come to ask you to fight them now. You give me your den-den mushi number, and I'll inform you of their route whenever possible. With my information, you'll be able to organize a full-scale hunt for the 'Pirate Killers.' And you'll have the chance to set a trap they won't escape from. But for the trap to work, the 'Pirate Slayers' first need to start taking you seriously. From your reaction, I can only tell that Marine Headquarters doesn't respect the 'Pirate Slayers' properly. Probably even sees them as mere rookies. Rookies who can be crushed at any moment, but believe me, crushing them will be very difficult. To defeat the 'Pirate Slayers,' you need real vice admirals, if not a full admiral, and they…
"Stop. Be quiet."
At this moment, Smoker unexpectedly calmed down. For the first time since the conversation began, he could confidently say that the kid had gone completely off the rails. Vice admirals? Admirals? Against rookies? It became clear to Smoker that Luffy had turned the 'Pirate Slayers' into an invincible evil in his eyes. Fear magnifies things, and it was now evident that Luffy had long been gripped by fear of the 'Pirate Slayers.' Most of what he said could be safely halved, if not reduced to a third. The situation with the Logia was unclear. Ripping out a heart with bare hands? Was that true or another manifestation of fear? Smoker was willing to bet on the latter. After all, if you cut out a person's heart and hold it in your hand, it could easily be interpreted as 'ripping out the heart'… especially if you only saw the end result… And was the Logia really a Logia?
Smoker's thoughts raced.
There were countless strange Paramecia fruits — one of the three types of Devil Fruits — and many of them could easily be mistaken for Logias at first glance. Over his career, he had mistaken a fruit's nature several times, and here was just a kid from the East Blue. Almost certainly a mistake or another manifestation of fear of the 'Pirate Slayers.' On the other hand, how to explain Roronoa Zoro's appearance in Loguetown? The main 'Slayer' knew about his Logia fruit, and yet he wasn't afraid to land on the shore. Overconfidence? Unlikely. Sea-Prism Stone? Possibly. However, the phrase about overconfident Logias… a phrase that seemed straight out of the New World. And it made sense there because in the New World, you could encounter users of Haki everywhere. But a user of Haki in the East Blue? Isn't that nonsense? Nonsense. And not even funny nonsense.
Smoker relied once more on his experience and logic… and once again made a mistake. On the one hand, logic led him to the correct conclusion — Roronoa Zoro possessed Haki. On the other hand, the same logic led him to discard this conclusion — a rookie with Haki could not have emerged in the East Blue. Unfortunately for the captain, he still hadn't realized who he was dealing with. And this was when Smoker had already encountered the most important 'Pirate Slayers.' It was no surprise that nothing good awaited him in the near future. And not just for him. Tashigi hadn't understood anything either.
"I get it, you don't believe me," Luffy, slightly downcast, shook his head when the silence dragged on. "Although, I admit, it's my fault. I shouldn't have mentioned vice admirals and admirals," the boy sighed. "I now understand how unbelievable my words sounded… but you know what? It doesn't matter! All I need from you is the number of your den-den mushi so I can contact you," Luffy lifted his head and looked Smoker straight in the eyes. "You won't lose anything by complying with my request. If I'm wrong, and you can indeed defeat the 'Pirate Slayers,' you'll just find me on their ship. If I'm right, you'll have your own informant on the 'Pirate Slayers' ship. I realize that without thorough verification, you can't have much faith in me, but I think I've already given you quite a bit of important information. Haven't I earned just one measly number?"
"…I'll give you the number," Smoker decided without much hesitation, as from his perspective, the kid was absolutely right, and it cost him nothing. "However, you still haven't told us about the last member of their crew."
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you much about him," Luffy shook his head in disappointment. "He always tries to stay in the shadows, so only a few know about his existence… He's always in sight, but almost no one takes him seriously. People don't even consider him a full-fledged member of the crew, although he's been sailing with Roronoa Zoro for three years now. He calls himself Cthulhu… I mean, he doesn't just call himself Cthulhu but Cthulhu Noyapo-tama-something, but no one but the 'Pirate Slayers' captain can pronounce his full name. Moreover, the name is clearly made up. Cthulhu is like Usopp, meaning he also looks pretty weak, harmless, and often lies. But again, don't let this deceive you, or the consequences will be a thousand times worse than with Usopp," Luffy said, becoming particularly serious. "You must remember firmly that Cthulhu is not just a killer — he's a bloodthirsty maniac! If Cthulhu decides to show mercy to his opponents, it only means he'll kill them quickly rather than slowly strangle them with their own intestines. Next to him, even Roronoa Zoro seems like an embodiment of love and compassion. Also, Cthulhu is extremely vengeful. A single sideways glance from him when he's in a bad mood can end with an entire city being wiped out. And I'm not exaggerating. You should be well aware of the names 'Ace Family' and 'Clockwork Island,' so you should understand what his intervention could lead to. Only a handful of scholars survived on that island. And although the captain of the 'Pirate Killers' was responsible for destroying the armada of Don Krieg, about seventy percent of those killed in that massacre were on Cthulhu's conscience."