The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

"I'm going to make another killing, hehe!!"

The last two "hehe"s sounded particularly ironic.

The old man's eyes immediately revealed endless despair.

"You old bastard..."

Bartolomeo's face was also ashen; his expression turned ugly the moment he uttered his first word.

"I've been taking such good care of you all this time, and you're a complete ingrate!!"

Bartolomeo cursed angrily, then raised his hand and punched the old scoundrel to the ground.

His two henchmen naturally followed and gave the guy a good beating.

"Pooh!"

Bartolomeo smashed a piece of the ground before remembering that there was someone next to him.

"Great, bro!"

He looked at Link with astonishment. "I tried several methods, but I couldn't get this old guy to tell the truth. You solved it with just a little pill." He leaned closer and nudged Link with his elbow. "Do you have any more of these pills? Name your price!"

Bartolomeo's ability to become a mafia boss is undoubtedly due to his exceptional insight.

He immediately recognized the value of this little pill; it could be used not only for collecting debts but also for many other purposes.

"Shall we say it here?"

Link looked around and saw the noisy town residents gathering around him.

"of course not!!"

Bartolomeo's eyes darted around. "Brother, we seem to get along so well, so of course we should find a nice place to have a good drink and chat." He casually put his arm around Link's shoulder. "It's on me. You can drink whatever you want."

"How can I feel good about that~"

"Hey, why are you being so polite with me? We just clicked so well. But, I have to say, brother..."

"what happened?"

"Have we met somewhere before? You look familiar."

"Hehe, maybe."

The two of them left the scene arm in arm.

But in some corner outside the crowd.

"Did I read that correctly?"

The navy personnel, who had just been reprimanded and driven away by Bartolomeo, rubbed their eyes in disbelief as they stared in the direction the two had gone.

After confirming that he hadn't misread it, the look of shock on his face deepened:

"That person is the [Item Maker]?! The most dangerous pirate in the East Blue has really come to Loguetown?!"

"I need to report to Colonel Smoker immediately!!"

Rogge is a town with a long history.

Beyond the outward prosperity, in some alleys, there are many small taverns run by elderly people who cherish the past and dislike crowds.

These taverns may not be doing very well, but the stories they have and the quality of their wines are unmatched by any other establishment.

In his spare time, Smoker likes to come to small shops like this and listen to the owners tell stories from the past.

I sat there, sipping a drink and smoking, my legs propped up on the table—it was a feeling of unprecedented relaxation.

"What, did you go out for ice cream before coming here?"

The bar owner, with a wrinkled face, short stature, and wearing a brown-purple beanie and small black sunglasses, looked at Smoker as he walked in with a mocking expression.

The ice cream marks on her thighs were quite noticeable.

"On the way here, I bumped into a little girl who was carrying ice cream."

Smoker spoke casually, then expertly manipulated the smoke from his cigar to retrieve a bottle of liquor from the counter.

But before he could even open the bottle cap, his Den Den Mushi rang.

"Colonel Smoker has discovered traces of a suspected [Props Master] in Loguetown!!"

As soon as the call connected, the Navy's urgent voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

"It's very likely that the Straw Hat Pirates have already landed in Loguetown. They're probably resupplying, and then..."

"So you've set your sights on the Grand Line, huh?"

Smoker's eyes narrowed. "I had expected them to come here, but I didn't expect it to be so soon."

"It seems their objective is very clear... Immediately send people to follow up. Once they discover any trace, do not alert them; report immediately!"

"yes!!"

The navy officer on the other end of the phone responded and immediately hung up.

"【Props Maker】? Is that the Straw Hat Pirates who have recently gained fame in the East Blue?"

The bar owner grinned, his face crinkling with smiles. "Another group of remarkable juniors."

"Even Roger couldn't create this kind of momentum in the East China Sea back then..."

"No matter how remarkable they are, now that they've arrived here, their voyage ends here."

Smoker said calmly, his words brimming with confidence.

The bar owner chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.

boom.

Smoker opened the bottle cap, just about to take a sip...

Hey bro, the tavern I brought you here, don't let its unassuming appearance fool you, the owner's cooking is famously good, I don't just tell people this.

Suddenly, the sound of a cow nose ring came from the tavern entrance.

"Whether it's the wine or the simple snacks he makes, the taste is absolutely superb. And his pirate stories from the past few decades, whether they're just bragging or not, are simply the perfect accompaniment to the wine!!" Bartolomeo boasted as he led Link through the door.

"Hey boss, you look great!"

He greeted the owner casually, "Bring up all your signature wines and specialties, I want to have a good drink with my brother."

The bar owner raised an eyelid at him, then smiled and looked away.

"Ok?"

Bartolomeo looked over and discovered that there were other people in the room.

“Smoker…”

Bartolomeo instantly recognized the highest-ranking official in Rogge and couldn't help but grin.

As a gang leader, he was extremely familiar with this White Hunter who had dominated the East Blue pirates for years.

"Let's go somewhere else, today isn't a good day..."

He muttered to himself, inwardly cursing his bad luck.

But just as he was about to leave with his newly sworn brothers...

"Wait a moment!!"

Smoker suddenly spoke, his voice filled with seriousness.

"Ok?"

Bartolomeo was taken aback. "What does this mean? Do you not want me to leave and are you planning to cause me trouble?!"

"Don't think that just because you're a Marine colonel and a Devil Fruit user, I'll be afraid of you. Who isn't a Devil Fruit user?!" Bartolomeo thought angrily, turning around to challenge Smoker to a duel.

But when he turned around, he realized he had misunderstood.

Because Smoker's gaze wasn't on him at all, but was fixed on what was behind him.

He then focused on his newly recognized brothers.

"Link, the first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates, the [Tool Master]..."

With three cigars dangling from his mouth, Smoker slowly rose to his feet, an aura of power instantly emanating from him.

"I just received the news, and now I'm seeing you here..."

A smile crept across his fierce face. "Even the heavens don't want you to go to the Grand Line!!" (A sarcastic remark!)

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

"is it?"

Link chuckled softly, "I don't think so."

"On the contrary, I think this is a gift from God, allowing us to have a not-so-powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit user to practice on before we head to the Grand Line."

The atmosphere gradually intensified, and outside, things seemed to be in turmoil, with the wind starting to pick up.

"Yeah……"

Smoker chuckled softly. "I'm quite curious where you get the confidence to issue such a statement..."

"Not a very strong Logia type... I don't know how you got my information, but if you think Logia types aren't strong, you're sorely mistaken."

"No, no, I think you've misunderstood."

Link waved his hand, "I'm not saying that Logia-type Devil Fruit users aren't powerful. What I'm specifically referring to as not powerful is you, a Logia-type Devil Fruit user."

Whoosh?

The wind outside seemed to be getting stronger, making the doors and windows on both sides rattle loudly.

"Hmph, you're so arrogant!"

Upon hearing this, Smoker immediately snorted coldly.

I'm too lazy to waste time arguing. As long as the other party is arrested, whatever they say won't make a difference!

Smoker leaned slightly forward, his right arm bent backward, already transformed into a cloud of white mist, ready to charge forward at any moment.

Logia-type Devil Fruit user, the user of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit!!

The Smoke-Smoke Fruit allows the user to turn any part of their body into smoke, rendering purely physical attacks ineffective.

It can release a large amount of smoke, obscuring vision and serving a control function.

However, the smoke's attack power is not strong, which means the fruit's striking power is not very strong either.

Furthermore, if smoke is spread out, it will broaden one's attack range and put one at a disadvantage when facing an opponent who can use Armament Haki.

In fact, the correct way to use this fruit is in terms of control.

Smoke is composed of many particles, which can be made into toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, as well as other smog, carcinogenic cigarette smoke, and toxic substances mixed in with other chemicals.

In conclusion, the power of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit is not weak, but unfortunately it fell into the hands of the rather aggressive Smoker.

It's not that it's bad; judging from the fact that he was able to directly confront Ace's glare, he has developed considerable power.

It's a pity that the development direction was wrong and crude.

Link recalled the description of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit's abilities in his mind, then pulled Bartolomeo, who was already looking dumbfounded, aside.

"This is my battle, you just need to watch from the sidelines."

Link chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"So you're Link, the prop master?!"

Bartolomeo then came to his senses, staring wide-eyed at Link with snot snot wagging.

074 Xmog's Items! Easily resolved, meeting with Dragon!!

"You know me?"

Link asked him with a smile.

"I don't just know, I've practically heard of your name... No wonder I thought you looked familiar, brother, no, senior. Turns out you're the pride of the East Blue, a true great pirate!!"

Bartolomeo's tone became urgent.

Link: "? When did I become the pride of the East Blue?"