บท 13: Chapter thirteen- blowing smoke

It didn't take Gabriel long at all to find the execution platform that was set up in the middle of town. 'Honestly I don't know how Luffy never found this on his own' Gabriel thought to himself as the platform came into his view and he began to walk towards it.

As he approached it he couldn't keep the grin off his face as he saw Luffy half way up it already with the nearby towns folk watching him climb.

"Oi, Luffy?" Gabriel called up to him.

Luffy almost fell when he was called but managed to hold on and looked down to Gabriel, "oh, Gabriel you came here to see the platform too?"

Gabriel nodded, "of course, if only to pay my respects to a great man. What are you doing up there?"

"I wanna see from the top, to see what he saw before he died" Luffy explained.

Gabriel laughed, "then why not just stretch your arms up one at a time from the ground and pull yourself up?"

Hearing that Luffy face palmed, he had just been too excited to think properly at the time after finally finding the place.

With only a few second Luffy managed to stand up on the platform and jump back to the ground.

"My bad, I was just so excited ya know, shishishi" Luffy chuckled.

Gabriel laughed as well, "I know what you mean" he said before looking back to the platform, "it's intimidating and surreal you know, to think that this is where he died, the king of the pirates"

Looking up at the platform Gabriel felt a shiver run down his spine. He wasn't joking, the platform stood a good thirty feet in the air, it was a rather ominous sight when one considered just what it's purpose was and just who had died on it.

"Yeah," Luffy agreed as he looked up at the platform as well as they both just stood there taking the sight in properly for a few seconds more.

"So this is where you both turned up aye" a gruff voice spoke up pulling the pair from their thoughts.

Both of them looked over to see a large heavily built man coming through the crowd dressed in a marine jacket with cigars on its front. He had short white hair and harsh features and a pair of goggles around his neck. And in his back was his sea stone tipped Jitte, he needed no introduction.

"Captain Smoker I presume," Gabriel said as he turned to face him. He really was an intimidating sight in real life, tall and muscular with hard features, not someone you'd want to get into a fist fight with, in a dark alley.

Hearing Gabriel identify the man in front of them Luffy's eyes widened by a fraction and his body tensed up as he remembered Gabriel's warning on the Merry about this guy and just what he could do, he wasn't going to take him lightly.

"So you've heard of me, I suppose I should be flattered," Smoker sneered, "considering the pair of you have the two highest bounties in the east blue."

"It's only natural, knowledge is power as the saying goes" Gabriel mused, "I take it you plan to try and bring us in?"

"Obviously, as a marine I can't let filthy pirates like you two just come and go from my town" Smoker said as he reached back and took his jitte from his back, he wasn't going to take them likely either, if it had just been one of them then he wouldn't have bothered with his weapon but two on one, he might need it.

Gabriel snorted, "you hear that Luffy, he wants to arrest us"

Luffy grinned, "not going to happen" he said before drawing his fist back and throwing a punch, "Gomu-gomu pistol" he yelled as his arm stretched.

Seeing the fist coming at him Smoker immediately avoided the attack, "I see so you ate a devil fruit" he said before rushing at Luffy and thrust his jitte forward towards Luffy.

But before it could make contact Gabriel moved pushing Luffy out of the way of the attack as he raised his foot up catching the underside of the weapon and kicking it up.

"Like I'd let you," Gabriel said before he brought his foot down and used the momentum to throw a punch at Smokers face.

Smoker saw the attack coming and just barely avoided it, 'fast' he thought before stepping forward again, "like I'd give you a choice" he said before swinging his jitte again.

Frowning Gabriel raised his arm to block the attack pushing some of his devil fruit powers into his arm to make it shake to counteract the attack, 'if I remember right it's only the tip that's sea stone' he thought to himself.

But his eyes widened as the jitte hit his arm and he felt his energy get zapped and pain shot down his arm from the impact.

Gabriel immediately back peddled to make room using the impact to force him further away

"Careful Luffy, his jitte has Sea stone in it, if he gets you with it your strength will be zapped, and your powers nullified" Gabriel called out in warning.

Luffy gritted his teeth and nodded while Smoker looked pissed off.

"I see, so both of you are devil fruit users, then I can't take this likely" Smoker said as plumes of smoke began to form around his arms.

"Moku moku no mi, so the rumours were true then" Gabriel grinned, egging Smoker on more.

'This guy knows too much' Smoker thought to himself before launching an attack, "White blow!" His arms shot out in large pillars of smoke to try and inspire both Gabriel and Luffy.

Luffy saw the attack and quickly kept out of the way grabbing onto the platform stand to pull himself out of range.

Gabriel smirked and rushed forward the smoke coming right at him.

'Is he mad' Smoker thought as he saw Gabriel take his attack head on.

But to his surprise instead of getting hit by the smoke like his enemies usually do, Gabriel passed right through it

"What?!" Smoker said in shock not believing what he was seeing before Gabriel emerged from the smoke and drove his fist right into Smokers jaw hard sending him back several paces.

Smoker stumbled from the pain, he had been so shocked from his earlier action he hadn't had time to react and turn himself into smoke before the punch hit, his ears were ringing from the blow it had been a while since he had last been punched.

Righting himself he set his sights on Gabriel again, "how did you do that"

Gabriel smirked, "wouldn't you like to know" he teased, he wasn't going to fall for the cliché of explaining his abilities to his opponents just because he was asked.

That seemed to piss Smoker off even more. But before he could attack again Luffy's yell caught his attention.

Seeing Gabriel land a hit on Smoker made Luffy more confident and wanted to match him but still keep at range cause he couldn't avoid attacks like Gabriel did so planned for attack from a distance.

"Gomu gomu…" Luffy yelled as he extended his leg from the frame of the platform planning to lash out at Smoker with a leg whip but fate intervened as his leg was caught up in the platform and Luffy was jerked from his place on the frame with force, "ahhhhh!" He yelled before he was launched out into the sky.

Gabriel and Smoker could only watch as Luffy was hurtles away into the sky and out of sight.

Gabriel could only sweat drop at the sight, 'guess some things never change and are destined to happen one way or another' he thought before he had to move to the side to quickly avoid a thrust of Smoker's jitte.

"Where did he go?" Smoker growled as he pressed on with the attack.

"How should I know, I'm not his keeper" Gabriel retorted as he kept dodging Smokers thrusts again and again.

"Then I guess I'll just have to take you in first and go after him then" Smoker said as he drew back his jitte and thrust forward again harder and faster.

It was as he spoke that Gabriel got an idea, 'let's see if this works,' and smirked before mentally calling out, 'Inventory' as his inventory screen that only he could see appeared between him and Smoker.

Smokers jitte launches forward towards Gabriel, but unseen to Smoker, it passed through the inventory screen and the next second it vanished.

"What!" Smoker yelled, unable to comprehend what just happened, one second his jitte was in his hand and the next second it was just gone.

Looking at his hand where his Jitte had been seconds ago he clenched them into fists before looking to Gabriel with anger in his eyes, "what did you do!"

Gabriel grinned, 'I cant believe that actually worked, oh the system is so broken' he thought to himself before speaking, "not telling, Meep Meep" before turning on his heels and sprinting away as fast as his feet could carry him.

Smoker gawked before his face contorted with rage, "get back here!!!" And took off after him.