Smoker

Personality
Smoker is a seasoned Marine soldier, infamous among his organization for his loose cannon tendencies and obstinate, rebellious attitude towards even his superiors. Many times in the series, Smoker comes in conflict with his higher ups, usually due to disagreeing with their methods of upholding peace and justice by covering up the truth or not crediting those who deserve it. Even something beneficial to his reputation, such as an award or promotion, will cause Smoker to lash out against the top brass, especially if he feels like he not earned it at all. However, Smoker does show interest in climbing up the ranks, if only to widen his authority to act freely.

Unlike many other marines in One Piece, Smoker does not follow the rule of Absolute Justice, following his own personal code of justice instead, which he later preaches to his subordinate Tashigi. This perception of justice allows Smoker to be flexible regarding who he can view as an ally or not, depending on the circumstances and what he witnesses during them. The Straw Hat Pirates are perhaps the biggest example of this, as whenever they meet, the Marine and the pirates often have a greater enemy in common, so Smoker lets them run free or even outright join forces with them for the sake of saving innocents. However, as a Marine, Smoker frequently warns the Straw Hats that he will arrest them at any other time, in accordance to his duty.



Smoker is an extremely serious and gruff man, and has very rarely been shown to smile, if at all. He is often sharp and caustic towards people who come off as nuisances to him, and gets irritated at silly or stupid antics that disturb his peace. However, he is profoundly dedicated and driven to protecting innocent people and his subordinates from harm. Smoker treats his underlings with the same respect as his peers and never abuses his position for selfish purposes, unlike several high-ranked marines. Despite his somber manners, Smoker does seem to have a benevolent personality, particularly regarding children and civilians.

As long as humanity divides itself into factions, no organisation in this world can be perfect...! Make assumptions and the enemy will slip up through your grasp! Don't be taken in by appearances!

Smoker is merciless against pirates, usually taking a straightforward, but efficient approach in capturing them. He is dedicated to the pursuit of global justice against criminals, and never forgets those who forsake the law and manage to escape his grasp, though he recognizes that not all Marines are as noble as their image suggests, nor should all allies be trusted blindly. Smoker holds a rather cynical worldview that makes him question even the Marines, considering the existence of traitors within their ranks a likely possibility. He also does not trust the Seven Warlords of the Sea despite their status as employees of the World Government, as he believes them to be nothing more than pirates (according to him, "once a pirate, always a pirate"), meaning that Smoker rarely leaves them to their own devices. This is exacerbated by the fact that Smoker has confronted no less than four different warlords for various reasons, often for knowing too much about their machinations.

Smoker tends to hold grudges toward pirates who have escaped him, to the point of ignoring other notable pirates in his way. For example, he recognized Portgas D. Ace, a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, and was ready to confront him in battle, but after Monkey D. Luffy unexpectedly interrupted them, Smoker, as soon as he saw Luffy, barely acknowledged Ace's presence and started chasing the Straw Hat captain, who he considers his primary target ever since their scuffle at Loguetown. It is worth noting that Smoker's interest in Luffy goes deeper than just that; Smoker has witnessed parallels between Gold Roger and the young pirate, such as a defiant smile in the face of death as well as seemingly miraculous luck.



As can be deduced from his name, Smoker is an avid smoker, almost never being seen without at least one cigar on his mouth. He also instinctively prefers to walk around with his chest bare, doing so even after having his mind transferred to the body of a woman. Smoker seems to have a hobby in rock balancing. As such, he does not seem to like when people make too much noise around him, as he claims that it breaks his focus.

Marines
Smoker's reputation among the Marines is rather notorious, although not entirely in a positive manner. This generally stems from his disrespectful attitude, problematic history and intimidating looks. For those reasons, civilians and even some lower-ranked Marines can become nervous at his presence, especially when he starts berating them.

Smoker is not afraid to openly challenge the higher-ranking echelons within the Marines or the World Government, going as far as to use a brutal insult in an attempt to reject a promotion that he did not want, showing no fear for any potential backlash.

Tashigi
Smoker has a close relationship with his subordinate Tashigi, who is always dutifully at his side. However, he appears to act very harshly to her mistakes (usually caused by her clumsiness or poor vision) and sometimes thinks of her as an sorry excuse for a soldier. Despite this, Smoker has shown that he trusts her judgment, encouraging her to just follow her own sense of justice in times of doubt. When Smoker needs to absent himself during a mission, he puts Tashigi in charge of his other subordinates, also putting trust in her strength.



After the events of the Arabasta Arc, Tashigi could not contain her frustration for needing the aid of the Straw Hat Pirates in order to apprehend Crocodile, especially after Smoker praised her efforts through the whole ordeal. Smoker thought Tashigi was brave for being able to acknowledge her own weakness like that, urging his other subordinates to follow her example. It is worth noting that Tashigi's powerlessness regarding her encounter with Crocodile was one of the reasons Smoker declined the promotions and awards meant for them for the Warlord's capture (something they had little involvement in), as Smoker felt this was an insult to her honor.

Tashigi usually refers to her superior as "Smoker-san" (a simple Japanese honorific) as opposed to by his rank that other soldiers call him (i.e. "Vice Admiral Smoker"). Tashigi always follows Smoker's directives, rarely questioning them. However, during the events of the Punk Hazard Arc, Tashigi demonstrated some defiance towards her superior when she begged for her life in spite of Smoker's protests, berating the vice-admiral for being too prideful in a situation where the lives of his subordinates and the innocent children Caesar Clown had captured for his experiments were in massive danger.

Hina


Smoker has close ties with Hina, as she is a personal friend from their days of training. She has stood up for Smoker in situations that could have gotten him fired, which were apparently numerous. This was further established in present time when Smoker talked back to the higher-ups who wanted to promote him, with Hina desperately reminding Smoker of the potential consequences for insubordination.

Because they have known each other for a long time, Hina calls him Smoker-kun (a Japanese honorific used usually for younger peers) while Smoker addresses Hina by her name alone (which, in Japanese, shows either a sign of disrespect or closeness). Hina already seems to be used to Smoker's signature obstinacy, arguing with him in a casual, somewhat vitriolic manner. She is also aware of Smoker's softer side, to which Smoker just told her to "mind her own business".

Kuzan


Smoker seems to be on good terms with Kuzan, as he requested Aokiji to pass a message to Monkey D. Luffy at some point after the Arabasta Arc, and later convinced the then Admiral to negotiate with Sengoku for a transfer to the more dangerous G-5 station in the New World. Although both Sengoku and Aokiji resigned before either could grant Smoker his request, the new Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki, was benign enough to transfer Smoker there.

Even after Kuzan's departure, he would later save Smoker from being killed by Donquixote Doflamingo on the basis that they were still friends, all while comforting Smoker about certain negative rumors that were surrounding the former Admiral and ensuring that he had not changed his ways after leaving the Marines.

Issho


Smoker appears to have become well acquainted with Fujitora, as he, like Kuzan, believes the Seven Warlords of the Sea system should be dissolved. He later expressed both his shock and gratitude to have learned that Fujitora did not let the government cover up the ordeal in Dressrosa as they did in Arabasta to which Smoker was grateful for and even admitted that if he were in Fujitora's position, he would not be able to do what Fujitora did.

G-5


Currently, as the base commander in charge of G-5, Smoker has authority over the personnel stationed there. The soldiers are known to be sadistic and prone to torturing, ignoring regulations, but obey Smoker with no problem. Smoker, in turn, shows contempt for them due to their blatant disregard for laws. Still, Smoker is protective of his troops, ordering Tashigi to make sure they are kept safe when he is not around, and the G-5 soldiers, likewise, care for Smoker's well-being, relying on him for leadership. When Smoker learned that Vergo had attacked their subordinates, he told his former superior he had no right to even lay a finger on his men.

When he was still base commander, Vergo put a friendly front to soldiers and civilians in order to avoid suspicion. He admitted to have been concerned about Smoker's transfer to G-5, mentioning that he had to put up the largest possible guard to prevent the newly-transferred Marine from finding out his true affiliation. Vergo also expressed the desire to murder both Smoker and Tashigi "by accident", since they now knew about his secret identity. After being released from his confinement, Smoker expressed disdain for his colleague's felonies and intended to battle him alone in retribution for his treason against the Marines.

Monkey D. Luffy
He has a strong desire to arrest Luffy dating back to when Luffy was about to be executed by Buggy in Loguetown. Smoker saw the smile Luffy gave off to mirror that of Gold Roger's twenty-two years ago, and considered Luffy to be a potential danger to the world. Smoker has always wondered why Dragon would rescue Luffy in Loguetown, until Sengoku made it public that Dragon is Luffy's father, which intensified Smoker's thought about Luffy's dangerous potential.



Ever since witnessing Luffy's smile during his aborted execution, Smoker has been relentless in trying to pursue Luffy and arrest him. Despite Luffy ordering Zoro to save Smoker from drowning after escaping the Rainbase Casino, Smoker still had the ambition to someday capture Luffy, only recouping him by letting him go that one time. Smoker is even willing to go as far as to the New World to capture Luffy, and has waited two years for Luffy to finally arrive. Smoker is Luffy's longest running Marine adversary to date.

Due to Smoker's desire to apprehend Luffy for such an extended period, he seems to have learned of Luffy's habits based on the various encounters with him as well as information from news reports. Smoker was able to correctly predict Luffy's desire to go to Raijin Island due to the Log Pose pointing at the island being the most turbulent, fitting Luffy's reckless nature. Indeed, Luffy was originally planning to go there, were he not diverted by a distress call from Punk Hazard. Smoker was also willing to enter Punk Hazard to pursue Luffy, despite the Government placing the island off-limits. When he finally saw Luffy for the first time in two years, he immediately attacked him despite Smoker being stuck in Tashigi’s body due to Law’s abilities. He was also very embarrassed when Luffy laughed at him because of his peculiar situation, and became infuriated when Luffy refused to battle him in that condition. Due to the situation, when Trafalgar Law and Luffy allied with each other and defeated Caesar Clown, Smoker once again let Luffy go.

Luffy himself does not appear to hate Smoker. In fact, he even admitted that he liked the Marine, much to Smoker's annoyance. During the Arabasta Arc, the Straw Hat captain ordered Roronoa Zoro to save him when they were escaping the flooded Rain Dinners secret chamber, solely because he did not want the Marine to drown (knowing that Devil Fruit users are helpless underwater). Still, Luffy used to be rather afraid of Smoker due to having no reliable way to counter his Logia abilities, leading to several pursuits where Luffy desperately attempted to shake off Smoker and his forces.

After learning Haki, Luffy does not seem to fear Smoker anymore, having proclaimed his desire to have a rematch with the Marine vice-admiral someday, postponing it due to Smoker's "handicap" at the time. He also appears to view Smoker as more of a friend than an enemy now, even showing concern for his well-being after witnessing his unconscious body laying around right after the Marine's fight with Trafalgar Law.

Portgas D. Ace


Smoker made an enemy of Ace during the Arabasta Arc. Smoker simply stated that he could not let a pirate such as Ace go so easily, but when Luffy showed up, the Marine captain started prioritizing the Straw Hat while ignoring the Whitebeard pirate.

Smoker clashed with Ace when the latter stood in his way in order to protect Luffy, with Smoker cursing Luffy's brother for interfering on his chase.

Monkey D. Dragon


Smoker only met the Revolutionary Army leader, Monkey D. Dragon, once, during the Loguetown Arc. However, the revolutionary's sudden appearance left a lasting impression on Smoker's mind since the Marine could not fathom why someone like Dragon would assist Luffy in escaping his clutches, which contributed to Smoker's desire to venture into the Grand Line after the Straw Hat Pirates.

Smoker would eventually learn about the connection between Dragon and Luffy during the Battle of Marineford, finally getting an answer to the events of that day.

Seven Warlords of the Sea
Smoker is known to hate the Seven Warlords of the Sea, viewing them as nothing more than pirates, thus not worth trusting. Smoker has been involved in Warlord-related schemes at least twice, and has confronted several of them either because he meddled into their affairs or attacked someone they cared about.

Smoker indirectly contributed to the dissolution of the Warlord system when he told admiral Fujitora about the Arabasta incident, inspiring the admiral to elaborate a plan of his own to let the world witness the chaos the Warlords were creating.

Crocodile


Crocodile imprisoned Smoker along with the Straw Hat Pirates in a Seastone Cage at Rain Dinners. The Baroque Works leader planned to silence the marine captain by killing him alongside the Straw Hats while covering up his death. Later on, Crocodile stumbled into a badly wounded Tashigi and mocked the fact Smoker was not around to help her, thinking he had fled Arabasta.

During the Battle of Marineford, Smoker was very surprised to see Luffy cooperating with Crocodile.

Boa Hancock


Hancock considers Smoker a personal enemy after he pinned down and attempted to kill Luffy. Hancock swore to "rip him to shreds and feed him to beasts". Hancock intercepted Smoker when he tried to attack once more Luffy, breaking his jitte in the process. Smoker warned Hancock that her actions might lead to her Warlord of the Sea status being revoked, something that Hancock was convinced would not happen due to her beauty.

Donquixote Doflamingo


When Donquixote Doflamingo arrived at Punk Hazard looking for Law and the Straw Hats after the events that had transpired there, he began attacking the G-5 Marines that were still doing rescue work in the island. Doflamingo demanded Smoker to reveal the whereabouts of the newly formed Pirate Alliance, to which Smoker refused while derisively bringing up Vergo's involvement in the whole episode. Figuring that Smoker had learned a lot about his underworld operations, Doflamingo was left with no choice but to try silencing the vice-admiral.

After the intervention of Aokiji, Doflamingo spared Smoker's life as he did not want to risk fighting a former Admiral.

Trafalgar D. Water Law


When Smoker encountered Trafalgar Law at Punk Hazard, he demanded answers from the then Warlord of the Sea about the mysteries surrounding the island, some regarding on who Law was working for, indicating a hidden agenda. They battled each other, and Law managed to gain the upper hand by stealing Smoker's heart with his Mes attack. While Smoker yielded in defeat, Law commented that he did not have to tell him anything, switching Smoker and Tashigi's personalities in their bodies so they would be unable to get in his way again.

However, once Law, Luffy, Smoker and Tashigi all got captured by Caesar Clown, they formed a temporary alliance in order to defeat the evil scientist and his ally Vergo. Smoker was reluctant about joining forces with Law due to the conditions he had set for him to change back his and Tashigi's bodies (which was to not mention his or Luffy's involvement in subsequent reports), but was convinced by a desperate Tashigi to accept his terms for the sake of his men. Law also reaffirmed that Smoker was under his debt since he could have just killed him instead.

Later on, in the SAD Production Room, Smoker inadvertently saved Law by taking over his fight with Vergo, managing to swipe back Law's heart from Vergo's possession and thus getting even with the Warlord. With Vergo having been dealt with, Law and Smoker worked together to find a means of escaping the island for the others to use. Afterwards, while everybody else partied over Caesar's defeat, Smoker had a small chat with Law and showed curiosity about what kind of plan he had in mind while allying with the Straw Hats. Law left Smoker with only a small cryptic clue about his next steps, which Smoker seemingly noted in his mission report to New Marineford.

Caesar Clown
Caesar viewed Smoker as a threat to his operations at Punk Hazard. Describing the vice-admiral as a "pain-in-the-neck", Caesar was seemingly aware of Smoker's reputation as a stubborn and meddlesome marine. When Law stole Smoker's heart and handed it to Caesar as a gift, Caesar became pleased.

After being defeated by Luffy, Caesar attempted to take Smoker down with him as revenge, unaware that the heart Law had given to him was in fact of Monet's.

Daddy Masterson
Daddy is apparently very close to Smoker, with the latter being familiar enough with Daddy's daughter Carol (Daddy refers to Smoker as "Uncle Smoker" to Carol). Daddy often hands over the pirates he catches for Smoker to imprison. Smoker claims that it is unfortunate that the Marines' best sniper was reduced to a common bounty hunter, demonstrating his respect for Daddy's skills.