One piece: Dark Smoker

Zean gestured toward the distant mountaintop.

"Hey, Doflamingo! Dare to fight me over there?" she shouted. "You wouldn't want your subordinates to get caught in the crossfire, would you?"

Doflamingo adjusted his sunglasses and let out a cold laugh. "Fuffuffuffu! How considerate of you for once!"

With a flick of his finger, he rose into the air, his body lifted by thin strings, and flew toward the designated spot.

"Leave the rest to you," Zean called to Smoker and the others before leaping into the air, using Moonwalk to follow.

Unlike Doflamingo, Zean kept her flight low, knowing she wasn't adept at aerial combat and staying cautious against surprise attacks.

A few seconds later, they landed on the mountaintop, and the clash began instantly.

The battle's echoes reverberated across the island, the intensity clear even to Smoker, who was far away.

From the distance, sharp spikes erupted from the mountain, only to be shredded moments later by invisible blades.

Smoker clicked his tongue.

*No wonder Zean wanted a separate location to fight. If she wasn't careful, Diamante would've been accidentally killed.*

*And he's a valuable hostage. We can't lose him yet.*

Smoker glanced over at Pica and Trebol.

"So, Squeaky Voice and Snot Guy, where do you want to fight? I'll let you pick the spot."

"Squeaky Voice?!" Pica's face contorted in rage, veins bulging on his forehead. Half of his body began to sink into the ground, preparing to launch an attack.

"Hold it, Pica!" Trebol grabbed his arm and snarled at Smoker. "Marine, if you've got guts, follow us!"

Dragging an infuriated Pica, Trebol led the way to another area, far enough to avoid interfering with Doflamingo or endangering Diamante.

"Be careful!" Smoker called to Hina before following the two.

Hina calmly picked up a marine saber and walked over to stand beside Diamante. She regarded the remaining four executives with an icy gaze.

"My job is to guard this prisoner. I have no interest in fighting any of you," she said. "So I suggest you stay put and wait quietly for your comrades to finish. Otherwise..."

Hina unsheathed her blade, her tone turning sharper. "You'll bear the consequences."

Jora, quick-tempered as ever, shouted, "You think a little girl like you can stop us?!"

She charged forward without hesitation.

Hina's expression darkened, and with a swift motion, she slashed her blade behind her.

The saber's edge barely missed Diamante's throat but cut a sliver of flesh from his chin. Blood spurted out, staining his clothes as he writhed in pain, unable to scream due to the gag in his mouth.

Jora froze in her tracks, glaring in disbelief.

"You cowardly marine!"

Hina remained unfazed, her expression unchanging.

"I've made myself clear. His life is in your hands now," she said, her voice cold and steady. "Oh, and one more thing..."

"I'm not very skilled with a sword. That last cut was pure luck. Who knows where my blade might land next time?"

Gladius, Machvise, Lao G, and Jora fell silent, their expressions grim.

Meanwhile, Smoker followed Pica and Trebol to a rocky outcrop.

Surrounded by towering boulders, Smoker smirked. "Not a bad spot you picked for your advantage."

As he glanced toward the distant coastline, Smoker caught sight of Doflamingo's ship anchored nearby.

*Lucky break. Found a little bonus.*

"Die, marine!" Pica screeched, vanishing into the rocky terrain.

Trebol laughed menacingly. "Sticky Chain!"

He flung a string of mucus, binding several large rocks and hurling them like a flail toward Smoker.

"Cheap tricks," Smoker muttered, vanishing with a swift Soru to dodge the attack.

Behind him, a massive stone hand emerged from the ground, aiming to crush him. Smoker sidestepped effortlessly again.

"Your Devil Fruit powers are interesting, but such clunky moves won't hit me," he said, leaping into the air with Moonwalk.

"Rankyaku!"

Blades of compressed air sliced through the stone hand, shattering it into rubble.

However, Pica had already retreated into hiding.

"You're quick to run, Squeaky Voice," Smoker taunted. "Your whiny voice matches your cowardly powers perfectly!"

Pica, enraged, erupted from the ground as a towering 60-meter stone giant, roaring in fury.

"You'll pay for that!"

Trebol, meanwhile, sprayed a thick layer of mucus over the ground, immobilizing Smoker's feet.

"Peh-eh-eh-eh! Let's see you wiggle out of this, marine!" he sneered. "You're just a rat caught on a sticky trap now!"

Smoker tugged at his legs, but the adhesive held firm.

As Pica's massive fist descended toward him like a meteor, Smoker crossed his arms in front of him.

"Iron Body: Steel!"

The impact sent shockwaves through the area, toppling trees and scattering debris.

Trebol grinned maliciously, raising his cane. He opened its hidden lid to reveal a lighter.

"Peh-eh-eh-eh! It's not over yet! My mucus is highly explosive!"

With a flick, he ignited the flame, setting off a massive explosion.

The fiery blast lit up the sky, and the resulting plume of smoke drew even Hina's attention from her watch.

Jola had been waiting for an opening and seized the moment to strike. A transparent, cloud-like mist appeared in her palm as she lunged toward Hina.

Jola was an Art-Art Fruit user, capable of turning anything she touched with her mist into a bizarre art piece. With a twisted grin, she shouted, "You're finished!"

But what happened next caught her completely off guard.

Hina, as if she had eyes on the back of her head, bent forward to dodge the attack and retaliated with a swift punch to Jola's abdomen.

The blow was powerful, its force tearing through Jola's body and shredding the fabric on her back.

"Aaagh!" Jola screamed before her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed unconscious.

Hina used her foot to flip Jola over and pulled out a stack of bounty posters, quickly identifying her.

"Jola... Smoker said your ability isn't worth much."

Without hesitation, Hina raised her boot and brought it down with a sickening crunch, snapping Jola's neck.

"Jola!"

The other three Donquixote officers froze in shock, their faces contorted with fury as they instinctively prepared to charge.

Hina, however, calmly raised her sword and pressed it against Diamante's throat.

"This one is an executive officer. I assume his value takes precedence over yours?"

Her cold logic was like a bucket of ice water, quenching their anger instantly. The officers exchanged conflicted glances but reluctantly held back.

Hina's gaze swept across the battlefield, her sharp eyes locking onto a distant figure.

"You too," she said firmly. "Your little tricks won't work on Hina."

Senor Pink, who had been lying in wait nearby, broke into a cold sweat.

**Observation Haki... What a terrifying woman.**

Realizing he'd been exposed, Senor Pink retreated, not daring to test his luck further.

---

Meanwhile, at the site of the explosion, the flames continued to rage.

Through the inferno, Smoker slowly rose to his feet. His **Iron Body** technique had mitigated much of the damage from Pica's stone attacks, but Trebol's explosion was another matter entirely.

Trebol's sticky mucus acted like fuel, clinging to Smoker and burning relentlessly. The high temperatures left his body scorched and battered, with deep burns and charred skin.

"Peh-hee-hee! This is what happens when you cross the Donquixote Pirates!" Trebol sneered. "Look at you, all cooked up! Serves you right!"

Smoker, panting heavily and trembling from the pain, forced himself to straighten up. His bloodied face twisted into a grin, making him look even more intimidating.

"Hurts like hell, you bastards," Smoker growled, his voice ragged. "But... I think I'm getting used to it."

The searing pain from Trebol's attack exceeded anything he'd experienced before, even the worst injuries from Zeran's bombardments. Yet, strangely, he felt himself adapting.

"Thanks for this... After today, I'm sure my tolerance will improve even more."

Trebol frowned, confused. "What are you rambling about, you half-dead fool?!"

Pica emerged from the nearby rocks, his massive frame towering over Smoker. "No matter how tough you act, you can't win. We're Donquixote's elite. His family. We'll never let him down."

At that, Smoker burst out laughing, his voice ringing out across the battlefield.

"What's so funny?!" Trebol snapped.

"Family? You called yourselves family?!" Smoker wiped tears from his eyes as he chuckled. "I know people who treat their pets like family. Is that what you are? Loyal dogs wagging your tails for Doflamingo?"

"Shut up!" Pica roared, his veins bulging as fury consumed him. "We've stood by Doflamingo through everything. You wouldn't understand!"

Drawing upon his Stone-Stone Fruit powers, Pica gathered rocks onto his arms, forming a massive stone fist. He leaped high into the air and swung it down at Smoker.

"Iron Body!" Smoker raised his left arm to block the attack, the impact sending a shockwave through the area. Then, with his free hand, he delivered a crushing punch that shattered the stone arm into pieces.

'It hurts like hell', Smoker thought, gritting his teeth through the pain. *But I can take it. I'm getting tougher.*

Above, Trebol prepared another attack, his grotesque laughter echoing.

"Sticky Gatling Gun!" he cried, firing a barrage of high-speed mucus bullets that tore through the air.

"Paper Art!" Smoker relaxed his body and moved with fluid precision, evading every shot before leaping out of range.

"Your powers are interesting," Smoker admitted, eyeing his two opponents. "This fight has been fun... but I'm short on time."

Dark smoke began to seep from Smoker's body, enveloping him completely. Trebol and Pica stared in shock as the black mist swirled around him.

Moments later, the smoke cleared, revealing Smoker, fully healed, his burns and injuries gone.

"What... What just happened?!" Trebol stammered.

"This is impossible!" Pica exclaimed.

Smoker grinned. "Round two."