Chapter 42 Smoker's Discovery

Tashigi was curious upon hearing this, but seeing that Smoker had no intention of explaining further, she didn’t press him.

“Captain Smoker…

His Majesty the King is still waiting for you to pay him a visit…”

The beads of sweat on the Captain of the Guard’s forehead grew denser, and his voice became increasingly nervous.

Smoker stopped in his tracks, the smoke from his cigar slowly rising into the air.

Recalling the true state of this country, Smoker now only wanted to hurry to the crime scene to find clues and then leave this place.

He didn’t want to stay in this filthy kingdom for a single moment longer.

“If you want to recover those treasures, take us to the crime scene immediately.

If it’s too late and that group of thieves enters the Grand Line with the treasure, then it really won’t be recoverable,” Smoker’s voice carried an unquestionable authority.

“Yes, yes, yes!”

Intimidated by Smoker’s presence, the Captain of the Guard hurriedly bowed and changed their route.

The group passed through the palace’s magnificent corridors and finally arrived at the treasury door.

The heavy iron door of the treasury showed no outward signs of damage.

After careful observation, Smoker discovered a slight abnormality.

There was a tiny incision at the lock cylinder of the treasury door.

The cut marks were very small, yet just enough to disable the door lock.

Tashigi crouched down to examine the incision closely.

“This cutting technique seems like…”

“Like it was sliced open with a sword.”

Smoker took over the conversation, his gaze becoming sharp.

“And the control is very precise.

This is a master.”

“Didn’t you hear any sound last night?”

Smoker turned to question the Captain of the Guard, whose face turned pale with fright.

If it was cut open by a sword, there would obviously be a sound.

If they didn’t notice, it meant they were derelict in their duties.

If the treasure couldn’t be recovered, these guards might all be killed.

“No, no.

We didn’t hear any sound.

Captain Smoker, are you sure it was cut open with a sword?”

The Captain of the Guard stammered his defense, his legs already starting to tremble.

Smoker ignored him and pushed the door open to walk inside.

The treasury was empty; even the artworks originally hanging on the walls had been taken back to the bedchamber by the King.

“There are no drag or hauling marks on the floor.

How strange.

With so much treasure, can those thieves fly?”

Smoker led Tashigi in a careful search around the room.

“Find anything?”

Tashigi shook her head.

“Nothing.”

“Take us to see the two dead guards.”

Smoker also hadn’t found any clues; now he only knew there was a sword master among the thieves.

But it was impossible to pin someone down based on that alone.

“Alright, alright, please follow me!”

The Captain of the Guard was now desperate for Smoker’s help to recover the treasure so that he and his subordinates wouldn’t have to die.

The group arrived before the guards’ corpses.

The state of the two guards’ deaths was very eerie.

There wasn’t a single wound on their bodies, but their facial expressions were extremely distorted.

Smoker crouched down to carefully examine the bodies.

“Bones shattered throughout the body, but no signs of being struck.

Either they were shattered by a powerful force, or they were subjected to crushing pressure.”

Speaking of shattering, Smoker thought of that powerful man.

But as soon as the thought surfaced, Smoker shook his head.

That man couldn’t possibly appear in a place like this, let alone do something so beneath him.

If that man truly wanted these treasures, he could simply plunder them openly.

“It seems it was caused by some external pressure.”

Smoker turned to look at Tashigi.

“Tashigi, have any new Devil Fruit Users appeared in the East Blue recently?”

Tashigi recalled the known intelligence.

“None.”

She hadn’t found any new Devil Fruit Users in the known intelligence of the East Blue Marines.

Smoker nodded understandingly.

Tashigi was chosen as his adjutant not only because of her decent strength, but more so because he needed someone to help him handle administrative affairs.

Tashigi was responsible for intelligence collection and organization.

Since she said there were none, then there truly were none.

“It seems a remarkable person is hidden in the East Blue.

Or perhaps they came from the Grand Line.”

“Captain Smoker, do you have a target?”

The Captain of the Guard asked eagerly, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

Smoker didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he pulled out a new cigar from his coat, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his gaze became profound.

From the traces at the scene, it was impossible to determine how many people there were, but it was certain that there was a master among these thieves.

“Here’s the plan: when we return, we’ll have the Marine bases in the East Blue send people to search the entire region.

We will take up position at the entrance to the Red Line.

To prevent those thieves from escaping the East Blue.”

The Captain of the Guard nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, but a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.

“But…

what if those thieves have already left the East Blue?”

“Then there’s nothing to be done.

The Grand Line plus the three other seas is just too vast; even if the entire Marine force were deployed, it would be difficult to recover it.”

Smoker exhaled a smoke ring, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

Hearing this, the Captain of the Guard felt his heart turn to ashes.

He could only pray now that those thieves hadn’t escaped the East Blue.

“No time to lose, we depart now.

Marine warships are faster than ordinary vessels; it should still be in time.”

Smoker acted decisively, leading his subordinates toward the harbor.

Meanwhile, the King of Goa, who was waiting for Smoker’s visit, was still sitting on his throne, thinking about how he would give Smoker a piece of his mind later to vent his anger.

When the King of Goa learned that Smoker and his men had left the harbor in their warship, he was so furious that he slammed his scepter hard onto the floor.

“Damn Marines!

How dare they show such contempt for royal authority!”

He roared hysterically, his already ugly face twisting and deforming with rage.

“Captain Smoker, can we really recover those treasures?”

Tashigi stood on the deck, the sea breeze brushing through her short hair.

She gazed at the receding coastline of the Goa Kingdom, her brow slightly furrowed.

“We won’t recover them.

That group is powerful; even entering the Grand Line won’t pose any danger to them.

They have very likely already entered the Grand Line by now.”

“Then why did you still…”

“Just for show.

We can’t do nothing, or it would be hard to explain to Headquarters.

By putting on a show now, it at least proves the Marines made an effort to search.

Even if we don’t find them in the end, it’s because the news arrived too late and it was already too late to act.”

Tashigi looked at Smoker with some surprise; she hadn’t expected the usually serious and righteous Captain Smoker to have such a pragmatic side.

“Alright, don’t think about it.

Relay my orders to those bases in the East Blue.

If we’re lucky and the other party hasn’t left the East Blue, we might actually recover those treasures.”

Smoker stubbed out his cigar on the ship’s railing and turned to walk toward the command room.