Summary
One Piece’sEgghead Island arc gave Oda the perfect opportunityto reintroduce many characters that he had left behind. In fact, some characters who were introduced over two decades ago made their way back into the story in this arc, and all that was made possible due to Vegapunk’s message, which was channeled to every single corner of the world.
At the same time, this also gave Oda the chance to reintroduce important characters who he had been saving for future plotlines. One Piece chapter 1117 did just that with Vice Admiral Smoker, and now, he has officially made his way back into the story, which excites all the fans and has them theorize about what role he’s going to play in the future of One Piece.
Smoker’s Return In One Piece
Smoker Last Appeared In Punk Hazard In One Piece
Smoker successfully made his return inOne Piecechapter 1117. As soon as Vegapunk got closer to the end of his message, Oda decided that it was time for Smokers reintroduction. Fans got the reaction of many Pirates across the Pirates Island, and other places in the Grand Line. At the same time, the Marine base GS, which is the main base of the Naval unit SWORD, was also focused on quite a lot. There, Koby was seen recovering, as was Captain Drake. At the same time, fans also saw Tashigi there, which makes sense, given that she was with the Navy unit that wentto the Pirate Island to rescue Captain Koby.There, Tashigi was seen getting a call from none other than Vice Admiral Smoker. He asked her where she was, and was seen carrying a giant box, lugging it around the seas on his billower bike.
Clearly, fans have seen Smoker’s reintroduction inOne Pieceand it will be absolutely incredible to see him play a major role in the future of the story. Smoker is a character that many fans love dearly, and much of that is down to the fact that he is a very rebellious individual who does not bend to the will of the World Government. He also possesses tremendous strength, however, he has been underwhelming in the New World. That said, it is time for him to shine now, and fans absolutely cannot wait to see him get more prominent roles in the Final Saga.
Smoker’s Goals And Motivations
Smoker Intends To Make Life Hell For Pirates
When Smoker was introduced in One Piece, it was clear for the fans to see that he simply wanted to capture all the pirates. However, the fact that Luffy managed to escape from his grasp in Loguetown simply meant that he was going to chase him to the ends of the Earth. In fact, he left his position in Loguetown and went to the Grand Line just to chase after Luffy. He did have plenty of opportunities to take him down, however, every single time he attempted this, he fell short. In Arabasta, Smoker was stopped by Ace, while in the Paramount War Arc, it was Boa Hancock who saved Luffy’s life from him. In the post-timeskip of One Piece, Luffy had gotten much stronger, and even if Smoker did go all out against him, he was not strong enough to take him down.
Why don’t you do something besides crying about it. Try getting stronger!
The Punk Hazard arc of One Piece also saw Smoker gain a major role, however, this arc did not end well for him. Smoker confronted Doflamingo and, in order to save his underlings, he ended up being targeted by the former Shichibukai, and was saved by Former Admiral Aokiji. Ever since then, Smoker has not played any significant control in One Piece. Now, however, he has successfully returned.
One can assume that Luffy’s rise to the level of a Yonko has not been digested by Smoker properly. He always wanted to keep up with Luffy and eventually catch him. In many ways, Smoker is Luffy’s biggest rival from the Navy. Koby is more of an admirer, while Smoker truly wants to capture Luffy, even though he respects him. Their relationship is very similarto that of Garp and Roger, and if he has to live up to that standard, Smoker has to get stronger.
It has been quite a while since fans last saw Smoker in battle, and hopefully, he will have gotten much stronger ever since then. It will be interesting to see what he can do with the power of his Moku Moku no Mi now, and fans will be hoping that he awakened his Devil Fruit successfully. At the same time,his Haki needed quite a lot of workas well, and hopefully, he will have taken it to the next level.
Smoker As A Leader Of The Navy
In the Final Saga of One Piece, Smoker will now start gaining more prominent roles. Clearly, he was on his way to Tashigi and fans know now that Smoker is going to be involved in the story, in one way or another. In the same chapter, fans saw the SWORD people react to Vegapunk’s message. It feels like the SWORD group is starting to see the truth of the World Government. They recognize them for what they are, but are not ready to break free from them or rebel just yet. However, the seed has already been planted by the genius scientist of the Navy. Koby is an individual who absolutely would not aid the Government if they were trying to destroy the world.
Sorry, but I cannot overlook this, as long as you’re a pirate and I’m a Marine!
Similarly, the likes of Drake have already sided with Luffy in Wano, and he was seen in deep thought in the previous chapter. Drake would not hesitate to do that again, if he believed what he was doing was right. Tashigi clearly sees right from wrong, and Smoker is somewhat similar. Although he wants to capture the Pirates, he will not blindly followorders from the World Government. In fact, Smoker has gone against them actively, even if it were to anger them.
Finally, Smoker seeking out Tashigi right now means that he has been affected profoundly by Vegapunk’s message. He might be willing to rebel against the Navy too, and this might be the start of something huge.
At some point in the future of One Piece,the SWORD unit will most likely rebel against the current orderof the Navy. Those believing in Absolute Justice will most likely stick with the Government. The SWORD, which Garp ended up calling the future of the Marines, is going to be different, and hopefully, Smoker will play a prominent role in leading them against those who would seek to harm the world. Smoker’s role is going to be incredibly special, and this will see him get plenty powerful, and at the same time, potentially rise to the rank of an Admiral, or higher.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1118, is set to be Jul 11, 2025.
