Chapter 88: Is Smoker About to Flatten a Mountain?

Chapter 88 - 88: Is Smoker About to Flatten a Mountain? "Vice Admiral Garp, did you hear me clearly? They ate all the food in my base!" Smoker was on the phone with Garp, his tone barely under control. "Ahahaha!" "Smoker, don't be so stingy. It's worth it to win them over!" "As for your base's food, I'll arrange for someone to send more!" Garp laughed heartily, completely unconcerned. In Garp's mind, the Loguetown base only had a few hundred people. For a few hundred meals, Smoker was nitpicking like this? No ambition at all! Hearing this, Smoker's face darkened immediately. "Vice Admiral Garp, my base keeps a week's worth of food in reserve. In other words, Ryuen and his group ate through a week's supply of food!" Smoker said through gritted teeth, barely holding back his anger. "What? A week's worth of food?" Garp exclaimed. Loguetown's Marine base had fewer than 200 people. Two meals a day for a week meant 2,800 servings. That meant those seven people had eaten 2,800 meals? "Smoker, you're not messing with me, are you?" Garp asked suspiciously. "They've already mastered Seimei Kikan," Smoker replied calmly, not answering the question directly. "I see. What do you want as compensation?" Garp asked casually. A week's worth of food wasn't a big deal—Smoker could replenish it by capturing a few pirates. But the fact that Smoker had called to complain? That wasn't normal. Garp was sure Smoker had something in mind. "Then I'll thank you in advance, Vice Admiral Garp. I want your training method for Armament Haki," Smoker said, a sly grin appearing on his face. "Ahahaha!" "I thought you were going to ask me to find you a wife or something. Fine, I agree. I'll send it over shortly. That's that!" Garp hung up without giving Smoker, whose face had turned pitch black, a chance to respond. "Dammit!" "You old geezer!" "Who said anything about wanting a wife?!" Smoker roared angrily. "Captain Smoker, what's wrong? Why are you talking about finding a wife?" Tashigi, who had just arrived at the door, sensed something was off and barged in. "It's nothing. I was just joking with Vice Admiral Garp," Smoker said, quickly calming down and acting indifferent. "Vice Admiral Garp?" Tashigi tilted her head, feeling something wasn't right. "That's right. I just spoke with him. I traded that week's worth of food for Vice Admiral Garp's training method for Armament Haki," Smoker said, gazing out the window with a deep, thoughtful look in his eyes. Tashigi couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration. That was Vice Admiral Garp's method for training Armament Haki! Captain Smoker really was amazing! Just then, the fax machine in Smoker's office started whirring. After a few seconds, a clean sheet of paper came out, containing Vice Admiral Garp's training method for Armament Haki. "Captain Smoker!" Tashigi respectfully handed the paper to Smoker. Smoker maintained a calm expression, but inside, he was thrilled. This was Vice Admiral Garp's training method! He took the paper and slowly started reading it. As Smoker read, his expression grew darker and darker, and by the end, his hands were trembling. "Captain Smoker, are you okay? Is there something wrong with the training method Vice Admiral Garp gave you?" Tashigi asked cautiously. "See for yourself!" Smoker replied coldly, handing the paper to Tashigi. Confused, Tashigi took the paper and read it carefully. As she read, her eyes widened more and more. "This... this can't be true!" Tashigi exclaimed. The paper described Vice Admiral Garp's training method for Armament Haki: smashing mountains. You smash one mountain, then move on to the next one. Keep going until you can destroy a mountain with a single punch. At that point, your Armament Haki will be nearly perfected. "No, this is probably real. Vice Admiral Garp's training method must be true..." Smoker muttered. He recalled Marine records stating that Vice Admiral Garp could destroy an island with one punch. Perhaps this was the secret behind his incredible strength. "But how is that even possible..." Tashigi mumbled, still in shock. "I've decided, Tashigi. Find me an island. I'm going to start punching mountains!" Smoker declared seriously as he stood up. "Yes, Captain!" Tashigi replied hesitantly. "Captain.....Smoker..." she trailed off, her voice growing softer. She couldn't help but feel that this method seemed completely unreliable. --- ~~~~~~~ At Jehalon's restaurant, a celebration was underway for Anya's upcoming journey at sea. Everyone in Loguetown knew that Jehalon had once ventured into the Grand Line, and now it was his daughter's turn to follow in his footsteps. Many people had come to wish the father and daughter well. The reason Jehalon had given Anya the challenge of recreating a specific dish was tied to his past. Years ago, on an island, he had tasted that very dish but had never figured out its secret. Now, his daughter Anya had managed to recreate it, and he was overjoyed. He asked her to visit that island someday and experience it for herself. --- The next morning, the Dream Exploration Team was ready to set sail. Early in the day, not only Jehalon and his close friends but also Captain Smoker came to see them off. "Did you say Vice Admiral Garp will be waiting for us at Sabaody Archipelago?" Ryuen tilted his head and asked Smoker. "That's right. He's confident you'll make it there. Also, this is from Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Smoker said as he handed over an official document. Ryuen, puzzled, took the paper and read it. His eyes widened in surprise. "Me? A Marine Captain?!" "That's correct, and it's official. No one in the Marines objects to it," Smoker said seriously. Smoker thought to himself that he couldn't speak for others, but he was convinced. With the Conqueror's Haki and incredible physical strength, Ryuen had certainly earned his respect. Ryuen frowned as he examined the document. There were no obligations mentioned. It simply granted him the rank of Marine Captain. With this, Ryuen could receive support from any Marine base across the seas. It was certainly a generous offer. "Alright, Captain Smoker. I guess we'll see each other at Marine Headquarters someday," Ryuen said calmly as he put away the document. "At Marine Headquarters," Smoker replied with equal seriousness. "Set sail!" Ryuen commanded as he boarded the ship. With the sails unfurled and the wheels beneath the ship turning, their vessel slowly departed from Loguetown's harbor. "Take care of yourself, Dad! I'll be back!" Anya shouted, tears streaming down her face. "Anya, once you're in the Grand Line, make sure to stay safe!" Jehalon called back. "Ugh..." Jehalon couldn't hold back his tears. His daughter was his entire hope! --- You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my pat reon.com/GMadman