One piece: Dark Smoker

Zean trapped the three in the interrogation room.

"Before returning to the branch, you three, please stay here!"

"If you dare to play tricks, don't blame me for being rude!!"

With that, she turned and left without another word, confident in her abilities.

Years of perfecting her Devil Fruit powers had made her thorns as strong as steel. Once they formed walls, they were even tougher than iron plates. Even a layer as thin as her palm was strong enough to withstand cannon fire.

Now, the interrogation room was sealed shut, leaving it pitch-black inside.

Smoker and Hina were composed, but Diamante was a mess. He banged on the door in a panic, tears streaming down his face.

"Let me out! Please, let me out!" he wailed. "Help me! Someone!"

Suddenly, the faint sound of movement came from the back of the room. A small flicker of light appeared—it was Smoker, lighting a candle.

Since turning his body into a storage space, Smoker had developed a habit of carrying all kinds of supplies. His collection was vast and surprisingly well-stocked.

Seeing the light, Diamante froze momentarily before lunging at it like a wild animal. Snatching the candle, he retreated to a corner, clutching it as if it were his lifeline.

Smoker's eye twitched at the sight. *Looks like the last encounter left some serious mental scars...*

He smirked slightly. *That ability of Zean's is more terrifying than I thought. Still, it's perfect for dealing with scum like him.*

*Judging by its effects, this "confinement" even blocks life cards... Imagine tossing a Celestial Dragon or a CP agent in here...*

Hina, frowning, interrupted his thoughts. "Smoker, let's figure out a way out of here!"

Snapping back to the situation, Smoker nodded and approached the wall. He pressed his hand against it. "Solid… really solid."

He glanced at Diamante. "Think you can use your ability to break through this?"

Diamante, slightly calmer but still trembling, clutched the candle tightly. "No… My Flutter-Flutter Fruit can only make things pliable, change their shape, but not destroy them. This room doesn't have an exit, no matter how much I twist it around."

Hina sighed, her body dissolving into smoke as she searched every corner of the room. After a while, she reappeared with a frustrated expression. "No good. There's no way out."

Her Smoke-Smoke Fruit had its limitations, much like the Swamp-Swamp Fruit. Neither had the offensive strength needed to break through.

"Maybe brute force could work…" Hina muttered. She approached the door, clenched her fist, and delivered a powerful punch.

A loud *boom* echoed, causing the room to tremble slightly. But the spot she hit only dented slightly before quickly repairing itself.

Hina was stunned. "It's self-repairing? That's insane!"

Smoker observed the walls carefully. "This ability… it's awakened. Zean's a genius."

Devil Fruit awakening was rare, typically seen only in elites with the strength of the Warlords. For someone of Zean's rank, awakening her fruit's power was almost unheard of.

"Let me try," Smoker said, stepping forward.

He placed his hand on the wall, and dark smoke oozed from his fingers, sticking to the surface like tar. After a moment, the smoke dissipated, leaving behind a cleanly cut hole.

"Done. We've got an exit," he said.

Turning to Diamante, Smoker gave him a sharp look. Diamante froze.

"What… What are you planning?" Diamante stammered.

"Sorry, but…" Smoker grinned. "Confinement."

"Wait! No! Please—" Diamante's protests were cut short as Smoker shoved him back into the dark space, sealing the room behind him.

Smoker and Hina slipped away unnoticed.

"Let's find Zean," Smoker said. "We've been exposed, so we'll face the whole crew if we have to. That woman isn't getting away."

"Hina understands," she replied.

Both of them turned to smoke, silently infiltrating the ship's lower levels.

Meanwhile, Zean hurried to her office.

Though her mind swirled with unanswered questions, she focused on the task at hand: fortifying their defenses.

With Diamante captured, it was possible that Doflamingo himself might appear. That was a risk she couldn't ignore.

Zean wasn't skilled in aerial combat. On land, she was confident, but on the sea? Things were far less certain.

And then there was Smoker.

Having infiltrated the Science Division for so long, had he stolen any information? Or worse, harmed the scientists?

Despite her personal clashes with the researchers, Zean knew their value. If anything happened to them, the consequences would be devastating.

She clenched her fists, determined to prepare for whatever was coming.

Zean initially planned to handle things herself, but the involvement of the Science Division made her hesitate.

*This isn't just my problem… no, it's not even just G-2's problem anymore,* she thought. *Better report this to headquarters.*

Turning toward the communications room, she began walking briskly, her thoughts drifting to Smoker and Hina's mastery of the Six Powers.

*Where did they learn those techniques? Has the Navy really been infiltrated this deeply? It's unsettling.*

*Hina doesn't seem too far gone… Maybe she can still be saved. But Smoker… he's going to be trouble.*

*What a shame. Such talented young people, yet they're not part of the force of justice.*

When Zean reached the communications room, she dismissed the soldiers, opting to make the call alone.

"Yes, that's right—three of them," she reported. "They're from Doflamingo's pirate crew."

"One of them is a top officer, Diamante. The other two… seem to be newcomers. They go by the names Smoker and Hina, though I'm not sure if those are their real names."

Suddenly, she heard someone grab the receiver on the other end.

Before she could process what was happening, a familiar, commanding voice came through. Zean instinctively straightened up.

"You… I didn't expect to hear from you, Master Zephyr!"

"What?! You're coming here yourself?"

"No, no, that's not necessary. It's just a few small-time troublemakers—I've already captured them!"

"Really, there's no need for—hello? Hello?!"

---

At Navy Headquarters, Zephyr hung up the phone, a look of confusion on his face.

"First, I hear claims about them working with pirates. Then I hear accusations that they're part of the pirates' crew. What are those three up to?"

The room wasn't empty. Besides the nervous communications officer, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Garp, and Vice Admiral Tsuru were seated off to the side, sipping tea and munching on rice crackers. Admirals Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji sat quietly nearby.

It had started with Garp gathering people for entertainment, and since everyone happened to be free, they'd ended up here, hiding out in the communications room to avoid drawing attention. By chance, they overheard Zean's call—on speakerphone.

Zephyr frowned and asked, "Who's this Doflamingo she mentioned? What's his story?"

Kizaru, hailing from the North Blue, chimed in lazily, giving a brief explanation.

When he finished, Aokiji interjected, "Smoker, working under Doflamingo? That's ridiculous!"

Kizaru scratched his head. "True, Zean and Doflamingo are sworn enemies. It's hard to imagine any connection between them."

At that moment, Akainu stood up abruptly.

"Master Zephyr, it's a long trip. Let me go in your place."

Zephyr's expression darkened. "You? You just want an excuse to eliminate all three of them, don't you?"

Akainu's eyes widened in mock indignation. "Master, how could you think that of me? I'm friends with Zean! At most, I'd only take care of the other two!"

Zephyr's face grew even darker. "Get out of here."

"Oh…" Akainu slumped back into his seat.

Tsuru sipped her tea calmly. "Regardless of their loyalties, two things are clear: one, the enemy is Doflamingo; two, the Science Division is in danger."

"Our priority is sending reinforcements. Sorting out who's on whose side can come later."

Zephyr nodded. "You're right. Let's not overthink this. With everyone here, any one of us could handle the situation easily. Even if Doflamingo himself shows up, he'd be flattened."

Zephyr donned his Justice cloak, ready to leave.

"This involves the Science Division. I can't let a few young troublemakers run wild. The Elite Class isn't too busy right now, so I'll go myself—good chance to stretch my legs."

Sengoku, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Take Akainu with you. If things get serious, he can back you up."

Akainu gave a firm "Yes," rising to follow Zephyr.

Back on the warship, Zean had just finished her call and was returning along the corridor, her mind uneasy.

*I didn't expect Master Zephyr to come himself. This is going to complicate things.*

Suddenly, her Observation Haki detected an attack from behind.

She spun around, blocking a heavy punch with her left hand while driving her right hand, now transformed into a sharp spike, into her attacker's shoulder, pinning them to the wall.

When she got a clear look, her eyes widened in shock.

"Smoker?! It's you?!"

Smoker's forehead bulged with veins as he suppressed the pain, grabbing her wrist with a vice-like grip.

Activating his Dark-Dark Fruit powers, he rendered her spike useless, returning her hand to its normal form. Zean struggled to react, realizing her Devil Fruit abilities weren't responding.

"What's going on…?" she gasped.

Before she could process, a thick cloud of smoke enveloped her.

"Hina! It's you!" she growled, realizing what was happening.

Smoker absorbed the injury with his ability, then dragged the immobilized Zean into an empty room.