Naruto: Copy System

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Kalifa rolled her eyes at her opponent's obvious inexperience. She'd hoped to impress Shin with a proper display of skill, but her opponent was proving disappointingly inadequate.

The enemy was so weak that even trying to show off felt pointless.

"Face it—you're way out of your league. You wanted to arrest me? You're nothing but a rookie." Shin regarded Smoker with detached amusement.

This was entirely Smoker's fault for picking a fight he couldn't win. If he'd stayed put or even bothered to check with Sengoku first, he wouldn't be bleeding on the ground right now.

"Captain, should I kill him?" Kalifa asked.

"WAIT!"

Tashigi immediately stepped forward, gripping her sword tightly as she fixed Kalifa with a wary glare. Fear trembled through her entire body, but she couldn't stand by and watch her superior officer die.

"Forget it. There's no need to kill him." Shin glanced dismissively at Smoker. He wasn't bloodthirsty enough to murder someone over a minor confrontation.

Tashigi exhaled in relief at his words.

"The fight's not over yet," Smoker snarled, his pride refusing to accept defeat. Despite Shin's mercy, he remained stubbornly defiant.

He launched himself at Kalifa again—only to be sent flying by her kick, his body crashing through several buildings.

"Know your limits," Kalifa said coolly.

If Shin hadn't made it clear he wanted Smoker alive, Kalifa would have ended him without hesitation. She didn't pull punches when she fought—her training as a former agent had taught her to strike without mercy.

Smoker had essentially won the lottery today. He'd come within inches of death.

"Let's go." Shin had no desire to linger in Loguetown.

He'd only stopped to satisfy his curiosity. Having seen the execution platform, that curiosity was sated.

Time to find the little thief cat, Nami...

Right now, she was probably stealing her way across the East Blue, hoarding money. Her obsession with wealth stemmed from her desperate plan to buy her village back from Arlong.

Making deals with pirates—Nami's naivety was showing. Though in fairness, what other options did she have?

————

As they departed, Smoker struggled to his feet, watching their retreating figures with burning humiliation.

"Captain, please don't chase after them! You'll die for real this time!" Tashigi pleaded with Smoker.

"Death would be meaningless anyway. Throwing your life away for nothing—Captain, please listen to me and stand down."

Tashigi earnestly tried to reason with him.

Smoker might be stubborn, but he wasn't completely unreasonable. Deep down, he knew the truth—in a real fight, he didn't stand a chance.

Charging in would be suicide. He wouldn't even force Shin Uzumaki to lift a finger.

How laughable that he'd thought his strength comparable to a Four Emperor's. The gap between them was astronomical.

He couldn't even beat one of Shin's subordinates.

"I'll get stronger. One day—mark my words—I'll arrest him. I swear it." Smoker roared his vow to the sky.

Tashigi flinched. Can't you be a little quieter? What if they hear you?

She anxiously watched Shin's distant figure, only relaxing when she saw they hadn't turned around.

"I think that's probably impossible," Tashigi muttered under her breath.

She didn't know the full extent of Shin's power, but she could guess from his subordinates. Kalifa had crushed Smoker effortlessly, nearly killing him—and she wasn't even among the crew's strongest members.

Even a lifetime of training probably wouldn't close that gap.

But Tashigi kept these honest thoughts to herself. No point crushing her captain's spirit completely. What if she destroyed his confidence entirely?

Oblivious to his subordinate's doubts, Smoker left without another word, even tossing away his beloved cigars.

Perhaps Smoker's stagnant growth in the original story came from all that smoking.

Okay, that was a joke. But seriously, Smoker's strength barely improved throughout the series.

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Shin, Hancock, and Kalifa returned to the ship.

"Did you restock our supplies?" Shin asked Olvia.

While Shin's group had gone sightseeing at the execution platform, Olvia and the others had handled the shopping.

"Of course. Did you really think I couldn't handle something that simple?"

Olvia couldn't help sounding indignant.

"Oh, by the way, we caught a thief. She's waiting for you to decide what to do with her."

Olvia suddenly remembered.

"YOU CAUGHT A THIEF?" Shin paused, then thought—it couldn't be that much of a coincidence, could it?

Well, knowing his luck, it probably was exactly that coincidental. Better check who this "Thief" was.

"A female thief. We've got her locked up for now. If you're interested, go take a look. If not, we can just toss her overboard."

"What does she look like?" Shin suspected the thief Olvia had captured might actually be Nami. Just a suspicion, though. He couldn't be certain. The odds seemed too astronomical.

"You'll definitely be interested. Pretty girl with orange hair." Robin informed him.

"I feel like you're implying something..." Shin gave Robin a pointed look.

Robin scoffed. Implying? Please—I'm being completely explicit.

"By the way, how was Roger's execution platform?" Robin asked, changing the subject.

"Curious? If you were interested, why didn't you come along earlier?" Shin asked, puzzled.

"No, I wasn't curious," Robin shook her head. Just making conversation. If she'd actually been curious, she would have joined them at the platform.

"Where's Shirahoshi? I don't see her around." Shin asked Olvia, genuinely worried the mermaid might have gotten lost.

"Don't worry, Shirahoshi's fine. She's playing with Margaret, Baby-5, and Monet right now," Olvia assured him.

"What, did you need her for something?"

"No, just checking. I'm going to see this thief you caught."

From Olvia's description, Shin was almost certain it was Nami. How fortunate—she'd delivered herself right to their doorstep before he'd even started looking.

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