This was perhaps the most popular question among all the captain's subordinates.
"I highly doubt it," Smoker answered calmly, as he always did when the question came up. Ignorance scared people much more than any known horror, so the captain planned to answer this question as many times as it was asked. "There are many fruits whose powers, in the eyes of others, might make their user seem immortal, but for an entire crew to have such power? Impossible." Here Smoker was outright lying. In reality, the captain entertained the possibility, however slight, but he believed his subordinates were better off not knowing. "Fruits that grant powers comparable to immortality are rare even on the Grand Line, not to mention the rarity of the fruits themselves. Most likely, among the 'Pirate Slayers' there is only one Devil Fruit user, who is responsible for all the supernatural rumors about this crew. Although it's not impossible that there is a second user, but no more. Crews with multiple Devil Fruit users are a prerogative of the New World. Even in the first half of the Grand Line, such crews are extremely rare, and in the other seas, they are even less common.
By this time, the smoke in Smoker's office had cleared enough to clearly see the captain. The man, justifiably considered the strongest Marine in the East Blue, was tall, with a powerful build, brown eyes, and pale green hair. Despite Smoker's relatively young age — he had recently turned thirty-four — his hair had already mostly turned gray. The captain strutted around the office with his shirt off, allowing anyone to see not only that he was in excellent physical shape but also that Smoker was no 'desk jockey' or someone's puppet. Over the years of his service, the captain had accumulated a considerable 'collection' of scars, which served as excellent proof that Smoker had earned his reputation honestly. There could have been even more scars — Smoker was a very active person, always performing his duties conscientiously rather than for money, power, or fame — but the Devil Fruit power he acquired in time had significantly helped him. On the other hand, this very ability had become a 'double-edged sword,' though the captain didn't realize it. Had he not gained the Devil Fruit power back then — and it was a considerable power — he would likely be even stronger now. Paradoxical, but true.
"So, what are the orders, captain?" the lieutenant asked, regaining his composure after Smoker's response.
"First of all, we need to secure their ship..."
"Already done, sir!" the lieutenant interrupted proudly. "As soon as I realized that the entire known crew had come ashore, I immediately gave the appropriate order. I also want to draw your attention to the fact that they likely have new members. Numerous witnesses of the crew's landing report the presence of two unidentified individuals among the known faces of the 'Pirate Slayers'. Details are still being investigated, but according to initial witness statements, one of them is a young man, about twenty years old, with black hair, wearing a bandana, a brown jumpsuit, and a very, very long nose.
"A long nose?" Smoker raised an eyebrow involuntarily. He had never heard such a description of a criminal throughout his career.
It's worth noting that Smoker immediately categorized the new individual as a criminal. He planned to clarify details only after their capture: those responsible would be punished, and the innocent would be released.
"Yes, sir," the lieutenant nodded seriously. "Witnesses unanimously say that the guy has an extraordinarily long nose that is simply impossible to miss."
"And what about the second newcomer… or was it a woman?"
"The description of the second individual is a bit more complicated; we couldn't get a clear description, but it seems to have been a man.
"Seems to have been?" Smoker raised both eyebrows in surprise. The description of the second criminal turned out to be almost more intriguing than the first. However, the captain had some experience in this area, so he immediately voiced his guess: "An okama?" after all, it was hard to say definitively whether an okama was a man or a woman.
"Uh… no, sir, it's not that. It's just that this person was seen alongside…" At this point, the lieutenant hesitated, then, nervously licking his suddenly dry lips, finished with a slightly trembling voice: "He was seen alongside the 'Queen.' Witnesses said she had become even more beautiful… much, much more beautiful."
Smoker's eyebrows drew together in a frown, making his expression incredibly stern. The 'Queen' Nami. Smoker had seen enough photos of the girl and heard enough accounts from other captains to recognize the unhealthy hype surrounding her. And if she had become even more beautiful over the past month… it seemed the rumors about the 'Empress of Pirates' having a rival would soon become reality. This meant that the only person Smoker could rely on for a direct confrontation with the 'Queen' was Tashigi and himself. Everyone else would simply not be able to fight her at full strength, which was fraught with unpleasant consequences. This would not be a particular problem if the 'Queen' only had her beauty, but she, like the 'Empress of Pirates,' also possessed considerable personal strength, allowing her to single-handedly crush entire pirate crews. Honestly, while Tashigi might be able to fight her at full strength, Smoker wasn't sure his subordinate could handle the 'Queen.' Even if she were defeated, problems with the 'Queen' would not end there but rather begin.
Smoker could already feel the headache the 'Queen' would give him after her capture. And not just her. The other 'Pirate Slayers' promised to be a significant headache as well. Smoker had made some preparations, but, to be honest, there were no prisons in the East Blue capable of holding such strong and dangerous criminals. Ordinary cells couldn't contain people like Roronoa Zoro, Yosaku, or Johnny, and in the case of the 'Queen,' with just a bit of human error, even Impel Down — the most secure prison in the world — might not be able to hold her. Realizing the magnitude of the future problems, Smoker had to forcibly dismiss thoughts of immediately executing all the 'Pirate Slayers' after their capture. Otherwise, he would face the task of guarding them twenty-four seven until he could hand them over to Marine Headquarters. And trusting anyone else with this task was out of the question; they would likely escape within the first day — if not the first hour.
From the outside, Smoker might seem extremely overconfident — after all, the 'Pirate Slayers' were not ordinary novice pirates, and the captain didn't doubt his ability to defeat them — but, in reality, his confidence was based on pure logic. Smoker did not underestimate the strength of the 'Pirate Slayers' as a whole or Roronoa Zoro in particular. He did not consider himself an invincible monster—knowing the strength of real monsters, Smoker clearly understood his place in this world. If this were happening on the Grand Line, especially its second half, Smoker's attitude would be entirely different — there, the number of people stronger than the captain was as numerous as stars in the sky. And no, it wasn't that Smoker was weak; it was that the Grand Line was teeming with a variety of monsters in human form. However, Smoker was currently in the East Blue, and comparing the East Blue to the Grand Line was like comparing a nursery to a university. This was the basis for Smoker's unshakable confidence in his superiority over the "Pirate Slayers'. No matter how 'brilliantly young' they were, they could not match his 'university education.' Smoker wasn't even worried that the rumors of the 'Pirate Slayers' immortality might stem from the fact that one of the crew might have obtained a Logia-type Devil Fruit. Confident in their invulnerability, Logia-type users — and only such could be found in the East Blue — were easy prey for someone with Smoker's experience. And all his subordinates had long received the necessary instructions.