Zeaured toward the distant mountaintop.

  “Hey, Dofmingo! Dare to fight me over there?” she shouted. “You wouldn’t want your subordio get caught in the crossfire, would you?”

  Dofmingo adjusted his sungsses a out a cold ugh. “Fuffuffuffu! How siderate of you for once!”

  With a flick of his finger, he rose into the air, his body lifted by thin strings, and flew toward the designated spot.

  “Leave the rest to you,” Zean called to Smoker and the others before leaping into the air, using Moonwalk to follow.

  Unlike Dofmingo, Zea her flight low, knowing she wasn’t adept at aerial bat and staying cautious against surprise attacks.

  A few seds ter, they nded on the mountaintop, and the csh began instantly.

  The battle's echoes reverberated across the isnd, the iy clear even to Smoker, who was far away.

  From the distance, sharp spikes erupted from the mountain, only to be shredded moments ter by invisible bdes.

  Smoker clicked his tongue.

  *No wonder Zean wanted a separate location to fight. If she wasn’t careful, Diamante would’ve been actally killed.*

  *And he’s a valuable hostage. We ’t lose him yet.*

  Smnced over at Pid Trebol.

  “So, Squeaky Void Snot Guy, where do you want to fight? I’ll let you pick the spot.”

  “Squeaky Voice?!” Pica’s face torted in rage, veins bulging on his forehead. Half of his body began to sink into the ground, preparing to un attack.

  “Hold it, Pica!” Trebol grabbed his arm and s Smoker. “Marine, if you’ve got guts, follow us!”

  Dragging an infuriated Pica, Trebol led the way to another area, far enough to avoid interfering with Dofmingo or endangering Diamante.

  “Be careful!” Smoker called to Hina before following the two.

  Hina calmly picked up a marine saber and walked over to stand beside Diamante. She regarded the remaining four executives with an icy gaze.

  “My job is to guard this prisoner. I have no i in fighting any of you,” she said. “So I suggest you stay put and wait quietly for your rades to finish. Otherwise...”

  Hina uhed her bde, her tourning sharper. “You’ll bear the sequences.”

  Jora, quick-tempered as ever, shouted, “You think a little girl like you stop us?!”

  She charged forward without hesitation.

  Hina’s expression darkened, and with a swift motion, she sshed her bde behind her.

  The saber’s edge barely missed Diamahroat but cut a sliver of flesh from his . Blood spurted out, staining his clothes as he writhed in pain, uo scream due to the gag in his mouth.

  Jora froze iracks, gring in disbelief.

  “You cowardly marine!”

  Hina remained unfazed, her expression unging.

  “I’ve made myself clear. His life is in your hands now,” she said, her voice cold and steady. “Oh, and one more thing...”

  “I’m not very skilled with a sword. That st cut ure luck. Who knows where my bde might ime?”

  Gdius, Machvise, Lao G, and Jora fell silent, their expressions grim.

  Meanwhile, Smoker followed Pid Trebol to a rocky outcrop.

  Surrounded by t boulders, Smoker smirked. “Not a bad spot you picked for your advantage.”

  As he goward the distant coastline, Smoker caught sight of Dofmingo’s ship anchored nearby.

  *Lucky break. Found a little bonus.*

  “Die, marine!” Pica screeched, vanishing into the rocky terrain.

  Trebol ughed menagly. “Sticky !”

  He flung a string of mucus, binding several rge rocks and hurling them like a fil toward Smoker.

  “Cheap tricks,” Smoker muttered, vanishing with a swift Soru to dodge the attack.

  Behind him, a massive stone hand emerged from the ground, aiming to crush him. Smoker sidestepped effortlessly again.

  “Your Devil Fruit powers are iing, but such ky moves won’t hit me,” he said, leaping into the air with Moonwalk.

  “Rankyaku!”

  Bdes of pressed air sliced through the stone hand, shattering it into rubble.

  However, Pica had already retreated into hiding.

  “You’re quick to run, Squeaky Voice,” Smoker taunted. “Your whiny voice matches your cowardly powers perfectly!”

  Pica, enraged, erupted from the ground as a t 60-meter stone giant, r in fury.

  “You’ll pay for that!”

  Trebol, meanwhile, sprayed a thick yer of mucus over the ground, immobilizing Smoker’s feet.

  “Peh-eh-eh-eh! Let’s see you wiggle out of this, marine!” he sneered. “You’re just a rat caught on a sticky trap now!”

  Smged at his legs, but the adhesive held firm.

  As Pica’s massive fist desded toward him like a meteor, Smoker crossed his arms in front of him.

  “Iron Body: Steel!”

  The impact sent shockwaves through the area, toppling trees and scattering debris.

  Trebol grinned maliciously, raising his e. He opes hidden lid to reveal a lighter.

  “Peh-eh-eh-eh! It’s not over yet! My mucus is highly explosive!”

  With a flick, he ighe fme, setting off a massive explosion.

  The fiery bst lit up the sky, and the resulting plume of smoke drew even Hina’s attention from her watch.

  Jo had been waiting for an opening and seized the moment to strike. A transparent, cloud-like mist appeared in her palm as she luoward Hina.

  Jo was an Art-Art Fruit user, capable of turning anything she touched with her mist into a bizarre art piece. With a twisted grin, she shouted, “You’re finished!”

  But what happened caught her pletely off guard.

  Hina, as if she had eyes on the back of her head, bent forward to dodge the attad retaliated with a swift punch to Jo's abdomen.

  The bloowerful, its force tearing through Jo’s body and shredding the fabri her back.

  “Aaagh!” Jo screamed before her eyes rolled back, and she colpsed unscious.

  Hina used her foot to flip Jo over and pulled out a stack of bounty posters, quickly identifying her.

  “Jo... Smoker said your ability isn’t worth much.”

  Without hesitation, Hina raised her boot and brought it down with a siing ch, snapping Jo's neck.

  “Jo!”

  The other three Donquixote officers froze in shock, their faces torted with fury as they instinctively prepared to charge.

  Hina, however, calmly raised her sword and pressed it against Diamahroat.

  “This one is aive officer. I assume his value takes prece over yours?”

  Her cold logic was like a bucket of ice water, queng their anger instantly. The officers exged flicted gnces but relutly held back.

  Hina’s gaze swept across the battlefield, her sharp eyes log onto a distant figure.

  “You too,” she said firmly. “Your little tricks won’t work on Hina.”

  Senor Pink, who had been lying in wait nearby, broke into a cold sweat.

  **Observation Haki... What a terrifying woman.**

  Realizing he’d been exposed, Senor Pireated, not daring to test his luck further.

  ---

  Meanwhile, at the site of the explosion, the fmes tie.

  Through the inferno, Smoker slowly rose to his feet. His **Iron Body** teique had mitigated much of the damage from Pica’s stoacks, but Trebol’s explosion was another matter entirely.

  Trebol’s sticky mucus acted like fuel, ging to Smoker and burnilessly. The high temperatures left his body scorched and battered, with deep burns and charred skin.

  “Peh-hee-hee! This is what happens when you cross the Donquixote Pirates!” Trebol sneered. “Look at you, all cooked up! Serves yht!”

  Smoker, panting heavily and trembling from the pain, forced himself thten up. His bloodied face twisted into a grin, making him look even more intimidating.

  “Hurts like hell, you bastards,” Smrowled, his voice ragged. “But... I think I’m getting used to it.”

  The searing pain from Trebol’s attack exceeded anything he’d experienced before, even the worst injuries from Zeran’s bombardments. Yet, strangely, he felt himself adapting.

  “Thanks for this... After today, I’m sure my tolerance will improve even more.”

  Trebol frowned, fused. “What are you rambling about, you half-dead fool?!”

  Pica emerged from the nearby rocks, his massive frame t over Smoker. “No matter how tough you act, you ’t win. We’re Donquixote’s elite. His family. We’ll never let him down.”

  At that, Smoker burst out ughing, his voice ringing out across the battlefield.

  “What’s so funny?!” Trebol snapped.

  “Family? You called yourselves family?!” Smoker wiped tears from his eyes as he chuckled. “I know people who treat their pets like family. Is that what you are? Loyal dogs wagging your tails for Dofmingo?”

  “Shut up!” Pica roared, his veins bulging as fury ed him. “We’ve stood by Dofmingh everything. You wouldn’t uand!”

  Drawing upon his Stoone Fruit powers, Pica gathered rocks onto his arms, f a massive stone fist. He leaped high into the air and swung it down at Smoker.

  “Iron Body!” Smoker raised his left arm to block the attack, the impact sending a shockwave through the area. Then, with his free hand, he delivered a crushing punch that shattered the stone arm into pieces.

  'It hurts like hell', Smoker thought, gritting his teeth through the pain. *But I take it. I’m getting tougher.*

  Above, Trebol prepared atack, his grotesque ughter eg.

  “Sticky Gatling Gun!” he cried, firing a barrage of high-speed mucus bullets that tore through the air.

  “Paper Art!” Smoker rexed his body and moved with fluid precision, evading every shot before leaping out e.

  “Your powers are iing,” Smoker admitted, eyeing his two oppos. “This fight has been fun... but I’m short on time.”

  Dark smoke began to seep from Smoker’s body, enveloping him pletely. Trebol and Pica stared in shock as the bck mist swirled around him.

  Moments ter, the smoke cleared, revealing Smoker, fully healed, his burns and injuries gone.

  “What... What just happened?!” Trebol stammered.

  “This is impossible!” Pica excimed.

  Smrinned. “Round two.”