"Karen..." Smoker felt kicked in the ribs, the wind knocked out of him. He turned to hold her with his steely gaze. "Is that what you really want or what you think is for the best? Because I'm not going to lie. I hate that idea." It hurt. He felt a little crushed, his worst fears confirmed. That he was smothering her. That, like his logia, he was choking the life out of her. His hands clenched into fists though there was no change from his expression. "I never asked you to take on my crew as your own even though I'd protect yours as my own. So if it's too much for you, then don't." What had changed? Was it just too stressful now? He'd once worried about making her feel like she had nowhere else to go and now he was desperately worried she'd leave. What a mess.

The suggestion from Rinali rang in his ears that maybe she was jealous of Tashigi or that people thought he was dating Tashigi instead of her. "Is this about Tashigi?" he asked feeling stupid. He expected an explosion but there wasn't much worse she could say to him at this point. Maybe now that she was on her feet she just wanted to be free, and he wasn't about to stop her from flying. The gruff marine swallowed hard, focusing on breathing and not losing control.