"What do you mean you're quitting the marines?!" Tashigi demanded, her whole body jerking in shock. "Forgive me speaking out of turn, Sir, but-"

"Enough!" Smoker cut her off. "I've made my decision. I've already sent my resignation ahead to Headquarters. There's nothing you can do to stop it." He told her sternly.

Tashigi flushed in embarrassment, well aware that she would have intervened had the resignation papers still been on Loguetown. "But Sir," she asked, her voice small and just a hair lost, "why would you leave the marines?" She lifted her head to look her superior in the eye, "Without you, who will prevent the world's criminals from entering the Grand Line?! The Marines need you!" She exclaimed, her voice growing with her conviction.

Smoker held back his initial reaction to snap at her for questioning him. Out of everyone in the world, Tashigi was the one who most deserved a proper answer.

"I assume you heard that Captain Nezumi was arrested a few days ago on charges of corruption." Smoker started slowly, not used to considering other's emotions, and unsure of how to do so now. He was far to used to saying whatever he thought without care to how he said it.

Tashigi practically quivered in indignation. "Captain Nezumi was a disgrace to everything the Marines stand for!" She said fervently.

Smoker nodded. "And just two months ago Captain Morgan was arrested on the same charges." He said gruffly, giving her a pointed look.

Tashigi's jaw dropped in disbelief when she saw where the Captain was heading. "Sir you can't really think that anyone would suspect you of corruption! You would never-!" Tashigi's speech faltered under Smoker's scowl.

"I know damn well that I'm not suspected of being a dirty marine." He snapped "It's everyone else that's the problem." He muttered, taking an irritated drag from his cigars.

"Sir? I'm not sure I follow." Tashigi said with slight trepidation.

Smoker grunted, not exactly jumping at the opportunity to air his insecurities, even as founded as they were. He let out a slow puff of smoke, not noticing Tashigi's slight recoil to avoid a face full of it. "Nezumi and Morgan ran unchecked for ages, and no one ever once pegged them as dirty. Who's to say they're the only ones? The Admirals themselves aren't even without suspicion." He leaned forward. "Corruption is a poison. It infects everything around it. And if there are two bad seeds, who's to say the whole batch isn't rotten?" Smoker made sure to look his subordinate in the eye to impress on her just how serious this was. "I can't work for people I can't trust." He told her gravely.

He could tell Tashigi understood his point, but she still wanted to argue. "All the more reason to stay!" She burst out. "The marines need more trustworthy officers. Besides," she added, sounding slightly hurt, "you can trust me, right? And your men." She said.

"Of course I know I can trust you. I'm not an idiot." Smoker dismissed her concern. No, Tashigi had never been anything but completely loyal to him. That had gotten her killed, the first time around.

But Tashigi wasn't finished.

"And if you're so worried about corruption in the ranks, then you owe it to your men to be an officer they know they can trust!" She told him.

Smoker sighed. She made good points, he knew, but this was one choice he hadn't made rashly. Smoker had spent all of the previous day debating his decision, trying to find other options, any other options, but everything he came up with always ended with him quitting the marines. And that was for one unavoidable reason. "That may be," he conceded, "but I can't disobey orders without getting branded as a criminal- no matter if those orders are from dirty officers or not." And if he would end up a criminal to the Marines either way, then it should be for something more significant than defiance. He would throw away his career for nothing less than his own actions. "I joined the marines to protect people from every criminal threat, and I intend to do that. But I don't trust that those aren't Marine Officers right now." He told her firmly.

Tashigi stared at him in awe. Smoker shifted uneasily under her visible ardor. He realized that he was being perhaps a bit more open than he usually was, but Tashigi- whether it was this version of Tashigi or no- had long ago proven herself to him, and he was willing to admit to himself that she was a friend as well as a subordinate.

Besides, he owed her at least this much after everything.

The silence in Smoker's soon-to-be-ex-office stretched.

Tashigi's shoulders slumped, defeated. "Yes, Sir. I understand." She said quietly. She looked aside, as if the air around her held the secret to keeping her boss with her. She must have found something of what she was looking for, because a scant few seconds later she straightened her back, reclaiming her composure. "But I think you're wrong." She said, unwavering in her conviction. "I think the Marines can still be a force for good in this world, and even though you don't seem to believe that anymore, I won't stop trying to show you that."

Smoker met her gaze, as sure in his own beliefs as she was in hers. "Fine." He said, granting her permission to try and change his mind. "But when I go, don't stop me." He warned her.

Tashigi saluted and left, willing to follow this last order from her Captain. They were both aware that an order to not stop someone wasn't the same as an order to let them go. Smoker also knew that despite their differences, Tashigi had inherited his relentlessness, and that she considered this loss a temporary one.

It was only after she left that it occurred to Smoker he could tell her of the future he witnessed. Perhaps then she would understand why he had to leave the Marines.

Smoker internally shrugged. Oh well, it was no matter. She would find out eventually, he was sure. These things happened at their own pace, no need to rush it.

In the meantime, Straw Hat was scheduled to arrive in four days, and Smoker was not ready to meet him. Not yet.

Smoker rose from his chair. Two days had passed since he arrived back in Loguetown, and slowly but steadily his strength was returning to him.

Now he needed to test his fruit.

A more foolish Devil Fruit user would have attempted to try their powers when they first realized the journey left them weakened, but Smoker had practiced with his fruit long enough to know that trying such things would only weaken him further. Devil Fruits tended to do more harm than good until the user was strong enough to handle them.

Ideally, he'd wait a few more days before using his powers, but Smoker knew he was running out of time. He would need to be in much better shape if he wanted any hope of surviving the Grand Line. He cursed Straw Hat and his devil's luck. Who knows how that ragtag gang of greenhorns made it as far as they did on the Grand Line the first time around, but Smoker was not willing to place his bets on that same luck.

Smoker had the suspicion that logias, while arguably the most powerful type of Devil Fruit, were also the hardest to master. He snorted. Not that most logias even tried to master their fruits, content in letting its inherent powers carry them. He had made that mistake only once after he first ate his fruit. All it took was one sound defeat at the hands of a true master to drive home the fact that he needed to train his body, mind, and fruit.

Smoker shed his Marine coat, possibly for the last time. He moved to the center of the room, making use of the space while he still had it.

He stood in the center of the room, centering his balance. Slowly, but with great care, he made his way through the beginning of his martial arts routine. This specific form was designed to center your body and spirit- vital on the Grand Line.

Practicing this way would allow him to exercise both his body- that incessant tremor still hadn't disappeared- and was easily adaptable to use his Devil Fruit powers with.

He gave a half-turn, extending his right arm and pulling his left behind him. As he did, he concentrated on turning his right arm to smoke- only his right arm.

His fingers disappeared first, blowing away in the breeze like the smoke he was. The energy traveled up past his elbow, and in moments, smoke was all that remained of his right arm.

Smoker held it that way or a minute, then two. That was all he managed before he lost control and his whole body started to become consumed by the smoke. He lost his shoulder and most of his torso before he could overcome his (mild, dammit!) panic.

If smoke was capable of snapping, then his did, the recoil from the sudden return of half his body sending Smoker tumbling back. He caught himself on the edge of his desk, just barely able to stay upright and panting in exhaustion.

Smoker shook. This was no time for weakness. He went through the motions again. Breathe in, feel the power flow in his body. Breathe out, concentrate the energy in his fingers. Breathe in, and carry it up the arm.

He did this for several hours, holding the smoke in his arm until he felt it about to give. He was proud to see he was able to hold it just a little bit longer each time.

Smoker continued this routine over the next few days, relocating to a cheap inn once his resignation was formally, though reluctantly, accepted, no longer granting him access to the military dorms or his old office space.

While the physical therapy did its part helping Smoker regain his strength and stamina, he also continued to pursue criminal threats in Loguetown, refining his combat skills without worry of injury from such low-powered opponents. That afterwards he could collect on bounties was an unaccounted for, though appreciated, bonus.

The money he made from doing what would have simply been his job had he remained in the Marines went towards supplies on the Grand Line. Quality Log Poses weren't cheap, and Straw Hat's destructive tendencies hadn't been forgotten, prompting Smoker to buy a spare without hesitation.

Everyday he patrolled the rougher areas of Loguetown, waiting for a sign of Straw Hat's arrival. If only he could remember how he ran into Straw Hat the first time around, then he would have a better idea of where to watch.

So far he had already been past the docks, as well as some of the alcoves smugglers used that they didn't think the Marines knew about. His next stop would be the bar walk. Straw Hat himself wasn't much of a drinker, but the First Mate was, if memory served. So the bar would be a good place to find him; Straw Hat and the Pirate Hunter were never far apart.

Smoker walked along the edge of the boardwalk. A strong wind blew past, and reflexively he focused on maintaining his solidity. He couldn't afford to blow apart now.

Distantly he remembered that Straw Hat had arrived on an unusually windy day. He had almost thought it fitting, back then, for someone like Straw Hat to have come and gone with the wind. It fit his nature.

Perhaps today was the day after all.

Smoker made his way down the cobbled roads on high alert. The majority of the bars and inns were closer to the main marketplace, making this particular area of Loguetown one of the more dangerous spots, as criminal and civilian life mixed and erupted. It also made it one of the likeliest places to find pirates looking to restock their supplies without attracting marine attention.

Smoker stepped out from a smaller side road at an intersection with one of the main roads, scanning the thick crowd as he tried (futilely) to avoid running into people while he attempted to pass through to the other side.

He swore. It was an unusually busy day, which would make it much harder to spot Straw Hat or his crew if they did arrive today. The flow of people moving down the street pushed him along, and he struggled to maintain his direction without resorting to force, even after he long had lost sight of his destination.

Finally, after some extensive maneuvering and fancy footwork, Smoker managed to break free of the throng of people loitering around various shops and ducked into a back alley. He took a moment to regain his bearings. A pawn shop was across the street and on either side of the alley he was taking refuge in was a dress shop and a book store respectively.

Dammit. He had gotten more turned around than he thought. He was in the exact opposite direction of where he needed to be! He was certain Straw Hat was arriving at Loguetown today, and he couldn't afford to miss him.

The only reason he knew they hadn't docked yet was the lack of utter chaos reigning in the streets. No, the Straw Hat Pirates weren't capable of doing anything quietly, and their Captain even less so. If Straw Hat was here Smoker would know; the boy never managed anything even remotely approaching stealth and he contained all the subtly of a brick to the face.

Smoker would know the moment he-

"Ah, sorry!"

- Smoker stumbled slightly at the unexpected weight of the kid barreling into him. Smoker bit down on his cigars in irritation. He couldn't afford distractions like this!

Smoke filled the air around him as he let out a long exhale to calm himself. He did his best to ignore the kid and focus on finding Straw Hat, blocking out all possible distractions.

By now the boy had picked himself up off the ground from where he had fallen after Smoker failed to be moved by an overenthusiastic teen running at him full tilt. "Heh, oops. I didn't mean to do that." The kid laughed.

Smoker couldn't help himself, and glanced over to make sure the kid really was okay. There was a split second of worry when he saw the teen doubled over, only a mop of black hair meeting his sight rather than a face as he had been expecting, but relaxed again when he realized the kid was just scrubbing at a newly acquired dirt stain on his shorts. Smoker turned back around. "Don't worry about it." He told the kid.

Now, the quickest way to get to the nearest bar and inn would be-

"I won't!" The kid said brightly. "Now I just gotta figure out where I am." He muttered to himself, no longer paying any attention to Smoker.

- to take a right about three blocks down, then-

"I don't see... Hey! That looks like-!" The kid kept talking to himself, oblivious to the fact that Smoker was walking away. "Oi! Zoro!"

Smoker froze in his tracks.

No, it couldn't be-

He spun around, but was greeted only with the fading echoes from where the boy- no, Straw Hat- 's sandals smacked the ground as he dashed off to meet with his first mate.

...

...

...

"Dammit!"

M'kay, so I don't know if you guys have picked up on it yet, but I'm kinda playing fast and loose with the canon timelines.

For example: in canon, Smoker gets news of Luffy's bounty the same day that Luffy ends up arriving at Loguetown. Which doesn't really make sense because that means the Straw Hats got from Cocoyashi to Loguetown in less than a day and still had time to shop around, or it took the Marines AGES to issue a warrant for Luffy's arrest (which isn't impossible, but considering how quickly they react to every other threat, I'm chalking this up to being unlikely) and... well, the canon timeline is a bit unrealistic with travel times and generally a lot of other things too. (Dressrosa took place over the course of a SINGLE DAY)

So basically, the point of all this is that I'm padding the timeline with 1) travel time, cause the ocean is a big place folks and boats aren't really that fast lbr and 2) new islands and people that aren't in the manga/anime. Hopefully I'll manage to keep it entertaining and the new stuff won't come off as a bunch of filler.

Also a word on updates: I'm gonna try and update this at least once every other week, but I'm terrible with deadlines, so don't hold it against me if I go a while without updating. I'll get around to it. Eventually.

Also, also: A lot of people were asking about Tashigi and what my plans are for her. I've actually got the majority of this fic already planned out, and that includes what role Tashigi will play now that Smoker is no longer with the marines- and don't worry, she WILL be a recurring character. I have no intention of abandoning her in favor of the Straw Hats, and I hope that everyone who reads this will be happy with what I've decided to do with her.

Also, also, also: Thanks so much for the awesome response this fic has gotten! I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying this fic so far, and I hope I can keep it up for you!