Zean trapped the three ierrogation room.

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

  "If you dare to py tricks, don't bme me for being rude!!"

  With that, she turned a without another word, fident in her abilities.

  Years of perfeg her Devil Fruit powers had made her thorns as strong as steel. Ohey formed walls, they were even tougher than iron ptes. Even a yer as thin as her palm was strong enough to withstand on fire.

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

  Smoker and Hina were posed, 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 dle.

  Siurning his body into a ste space, Smoker had developed a habit of carrying all kinds of supplies. His colle was vast and surprisingly well-stocked.

  Seeing the light, Diamante froze momentarily before lunging at it like a wild animal. Snatg the dle, he retreated to a er, clutg it as if it were his lifeline.

  Smoker’s eye twitched at the sight. *Looks like the st enter 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 "fi" even blocks life cards... Imagiossing 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 g Diamahink you use your ability to break through this?”

  Diamante, slightly calmer but still trembling, clutched the dle tightly. “No… My Flutter-Flutter Fruit only make things pliable, ge their shape, but not destroy them. This room doesn’t have a, no matter how much I twist it around.”

  Hina sighed, her body dissolving into smoke as she searched every er 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 S-S Fruit. her had the offerength o break through.

  “Maybe brute force could work…” Hina muttered. She approached the door, ched 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 ies 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 pced his hand on the wall, and dark smoke oozed from his fingers, stig to the surface like tar. After a moment, the smoke dissipated, leaving behind a ly cut hole.

  “Done. We’ve got a,” he said.

  Turning to Diamante, Smave him a sharp look. Diamante froze.

  “What… What are you pnning?” Diamaammered.

  “Sorry, but…” Smrinned. “fi.”

  “Wait! No! Please—” Diamante’s protests were cut short as Smoker shoved him bato 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 uands,” she replied.

  Both of them turo smoke, silently infiltrating the ship’s lower levels.

  Meanwhile, Zean hurried to her office.

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

  With Diamante captured, it ossible that Dofmingo himself might appear. That was a risk she couldn’t ignore.

  Zean wasn’t skilled in aerial bat. On nd, she was fident, but on the sea? Things were far less certain.

  And then there was Smoker.

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

  Despite her personal cshes with the researchers, Zeaheir value. If anything happeo them, the sequences would be devastating.

  She ched her fists, determio prepare for whatever was ing.

  Zean initially po hahings herself, but the involvement of the Sce 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 unications room, she began walking briskly, her thoughts drifting to Smoker and Hina’s mastery of the Six Powers.

  *Where did they learn those teiques? Has the Navy really been infiltrated this deeply? It’s uling.*

  *Hina doesn’t seem toone… Maybe she 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 unications room, she dismissed the soldiers, opting to make the call alone.

  “Yes, that’s right—three of them,” she reported. “They’re from Dofmingo’s pirate crew.”

  “One of them is a top officer, Diamahe other two… seem to be newers. 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 oher end.

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

  “You… I didn’t expect to hear from you, Master Zephyr!”

  “What?! You’re ing 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 fusion on his face.

  “First, I hear cims about them w with pirates. Then I hear accusations that they’re part of the pirates’ crew. What are those three up to?”

  The room wasy. Besides the nervous unications officer, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Garp, and Vice Admiral Tsuru were seated off to the side, sipping tea and mung on rice crackers. Admirals Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji sat quietly nearby.

  It had started with Garp gathering people for eai, and since everyone happeo be free, they’d ended up here, hiding out in the unications room to avoid drawing attention. By ce, they overheard Zean’s call—on speakerphone.

  Zephyr frowned and asked, “Who’s this Dofmingo she mentioned? What’s his story?”

  Kizaru, hailing from the North Blue, chimed in zily, giving a brief expnation.

  When he finished, Aokiji interjected, “Smoker, w under Dofmingo? That’s ridiculous!”

  Kizaru scratched his head. “True, Zean and Dofmingo are sworn enemies. It’s hard to imagine any e between them.”

  At that moment, Akainu stood up abruptly.

  “Master Zephyr, it’s a long trip. Let me go in your pce.”

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

  Akainu’s eyes widened in modignation. “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 bato his seat.

  Tsuru sipped her tea calmly. “Regardless of their loyalties, two things are clear: ohe enemy is Dofmingo; two, the Sce Division is in danger.”

  “Our priority is sending reinforts. S out who’s on whose side e ter.”

  Zephyr nodded. “You’re right. Let’s not overthink this. With everyone here, any one of us could hahe situation easily. Even if Dofmingo himself shows up, he’d be fttened.”

  Zephyr donned his Justice cloak, ready to leave.

  “This involves the Sce Division. I ’t let a few young troublemakers run wild. The Elite Css isn’t too busy right now, so I’ll go myself—good ce to stretch my legs.”

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

  Akainu gave a firm “Yes,” rising to follow Zephyr.

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

  *I didn’t expect Master Zephyr to e himself. This is going to plicate things.*

  Suddenly, her Observation Haki detected an attack from behind.

  She spun around, blog 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.

  Whe 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 ay room.