Following Nami's lead, Kaito guided the waiter through dim corridors until they reached a shadowed room. Candles flickered faintly, casting long shadows across the walls. A figure sat at the table, cloaked completely in black robes, his face hidden, giving him the eerie presence of a phantom.

"You've come for information?" The man's voice was hoarse, clearly a falsetto meant to conceal his identity.

"That's right," Kaito replied bluntly, his tone sharp. "I want to know who ordered Arlong to block Turner Village."

"Turner Village…" The figure muttered softly. His gaze sharpened as he studied Kaito, and for a fleeting second, surprise flickered across his eyes—he clearly recognized who Kaito was.

"This information… I don't know," he finally said after a pause.

Kaito's eyes narrowed, their sharpness like a blade unsheathed, his presence suffocating the room. "Is it that you don't know… or that you don't dare to say it?"

The man's body stiffened. Locke—one of the intelligence brokers—felt his scalp go numb as cold sweat slid down his neck. It was as if a monstrous beast had locked onto him, suffocating him with unseen fangs.

"I—I really don't know!" Locke stammered, his forced hoarse voice trembling uncontrollably.

"You recognized me the moment I walked in. That means you know a lot more about me than you're admitting," Kaito said calmly, his tone flat yet heavy with menace. "If I kill you here, can you stop me? Or do you think your men outside could protect you?"

Locke's breath hitched. His instinct screamed danger. But he forced out, "You'll regret this! By threatening an intelligence dealer, you'll make enemies of every organization across the seas!"

Kaito's eyes glinted with cold amusement. "Do you really think I care?"

Before Locke could react, Kaito's figure blurred, vanishing like a ghost. A heartbeat later, he stood before him, one hand gripping Locke's throat effortlessly. The man's legs dangled helplessly, his face flushing red as he gasped for air.

"Speak."

Locke choked, barely managing to squeeze out his words. "M-More than a month ago… Gladius… one of the Seven Warlords' men, from the Donquixote family… he appeared here. He has the… fruit-exploding ability. He didn't stay long, but… but it was him!"

Kaito dropped him unceremoniously, his expression unreadable. "You could've said that from the start." He turned and strode out without a backward glance.

Locke collapsed, coughing violently, his face twisted with resentment as he glared at Kaito's departing back.

"It's not my fault… You're the one who broke the rules!" he rasped. "Inform the leader—Kaito has violated the laws of the intelligence network! Put his bounty on the underground list!"

A disembodied voice echoed from the shadows, "Understood."

As Kaito walked back toward the hotel lobby, his eyes gleamed coldly. Donquixote Doflamingo… so it really comes back to you.

The underground king, the Joker, the Clown—slave trading, arms dealing, smuggling—there was no filth Doflamingo wasn't involved in. If he wanted Turner Village as a base, then it was no coincidence.

"So a small village ties back to a monster like him," Kaito murmured. "Interesting."

Crack! Plates shattered as he stepped into the lobby. The once-lively tavern was in chaos. Marines clashed with pirates, and the smell of spilled liquor and food mixed into a nauseating stench.

"Straw Hat Luffy! East Blue's rising pirate star!" Smoker barked, his two cigars trailing smoke as he stood firm. "This time, you and your crew won't escape!"

Smoke billowed around him as his Logia powers activated, his body shifting into vapor. Luffy charged recklessly, his strikes useless as they passed harmlessly through Smoker's smoke-formed body.

Meanwhile, Tashigi fought Nami and the others, blades clashing amid overturned tables.

Kaito frowned slightly. Smoker already? That was faster than expected.

As he entered, heads turned instinctively toward him.

"Eh? Kaito! We meet again!" Luffy called cheerfully, waving as if they weren't in the middle of a battle.

Smoker froze mid-attack, his eyes narrowing. Kaito… the one who killed East Blue's base chief, Kata Kongpo?

The moment he saw him, Smoker's expression hardened. Vice Admiral Momousagi herself had shown him Kaito's photo. There was no mistaking it.

Instantly, Smoker abandoned his fight with Luffy, his gaze fixed sharply on Kaito. The air around him grew tense. Kata Kongpo had been stronger than him, a Rear Admiral, and yet this young man had killed him. Even with his Logia powers, Smoker knew recklessness could mean death.

"All Marines! Withdraw!" Smoker barked suddenly.

"Colonel Smoker?" Tashigi blinked, startled. "What's going on?"

"Follow my orders! Get outside now! Then send word to headquarters—Kaito is here in Logue Town! Vice Admiral Momousagi must be informed immediately!" Smoker commanded.

At the sound of Kaito's name, Tashigi froze for a moment, then her face hardened with grim understanding. "Yes, Colonel!"

Within moments, the Marines withdrew, leaving only Luffy, his crew, Smoker, and Kaito in the tavern. The room fell into a heavy silence.

Kaito walked past without sparing Smoker a glance, his calm indifference cutting deeper than any blade.

"Damn you!" Smoker roared, lunging forward.

"White Fist!" His arm morphed into thick smoke, striking forward like a coiled whip.

Kaito didn't even look. His hand shot out, catching the smoke-forged fist midair. With a crushing grip, the smoke dissipated under his will.

"Elementalization, huh?" Kaito muttered, unfazed. "Looks like it's time I sharpen my mastery of Haki."

Smoker's jaw clenched, frustration burning in his eyes as Kaito continued walking away, his figure soon fading beyond the tavern doors.

____

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