Nami's voice sliced through the dawn mist like a whip. "What the heck are you blabbering about, you helmeted lunatic?!" Her clima-tact crackled in her hand, stirring a gust of sea spray at his feet.
Motobaro—a massive bison-headed man perched on the Sunny's rail—straightened his scarred shoulders. Horns gleaming bronze, he bellowed, "Today is the day my darkest dream comes true! The man who ruined my life… the one I see in my nightmares… stands before me now!" His voice trembled with decades of fury.
On deck, Sanji's cigarette smoke curled into question marks. Franky's metal jaw hung open. Usopp's eyes flicked nervously from the boss to Sanji. Robin leaned forward, curiosity dancing in her eyes. Chopper's hooves clicked as he edged closer, concern etched on his face.
Usopp whispered under his breath, "Just who is he talking about?"
Motobaro slammed his spiked club onto the deck, sending a shiver through the wood. "Right here, right now—I'll kill you, Black Leg Sanji!" His roar carried enough hatred to crack bones.
Sanji's calm mask cracked. He folded his arms, eyebrow arched. "Me? You? You've got a grudge against me?" His tone was casual, but every muscle in his leg tensed.
Franky's voice boomed in sympathy. "Sanji, pal—someone from your past?"
Nami's brow furrowed. "Could it be from your chef days? That resort restaurant…"
Sanji shook his head, flicking a lock of blond hair free from his cheek. "That was ages ago. I tangled with plenty back then…" He trailed off, scanning Motobaro's twisted grin.
Chopper's voice wavered. "He looks really scary…"
Motobaro leaned in, nostrils flaring. "Don't just stand there daydreaming, Black Leg! Let me prove it!" With a sharp crack, hidden ports along the rail spat out a swarm of poison-tipped harpoons that whistled skyward.
In an instant, the deck erupted in action. Sanji rolled beneath incoming shafts, sparks flying as metal missiles whined past his temple. Nami leaped forward, her clima-tact unleashing a burst of wind that sent harpoons veering into the sea with violent splashes.
Zoro appeared in a green flash, two swords drawing arcs that sliced through three harpoons mid-flight. "Nice trick," he grunted, sheathing a blade with a SNIKT.
Robin's petals unfurled at her feet, blooming into steel-hard shields that deflected another volley with a series of CLUNK–THUD echoes. "He's using Scorpion venom—just a scratch and you're dead in minutes."
Franky rocketed up in a steam vent of his own design, Iron Rib slamming a poisoned spear into the deck with a BANG! "My poison-proof moves—SUPER!"
Chopper's hooves stamped as he formed an ice barrier at the rail, shards snapping the harpoons like twigs. "Stay sharp, everyone!"
Brook darted across splintered boards, violin in hand. "My turn to play a lullaby of doom!" Three notes crackled like lightning, shattering harpoon shafts and sending slumber spells through the Riders and their fish. One by one, they plummeted into the ocean, outcold.
Above, Jetray-Purple Storm—Lucas's newest form—swooped in, wings pulsing violet. He unleashed a Storm Scatter: five pinpoint purple lasers that carved arcs through the mist, vaporizing the remaining Riders' mounts. Each beam sizzled, leaving the sea slick with steam.
In the clearing smoke and shattered wood, Sanji finally met Motobaro's gaze. Beneath the boss's helmet, one familiar eyebrow raised. A gasp rippled through the crew.
"Duval?" Sanji's voice was barely a whisper—shock, disbelief, anger all tangled together.
Motobaro's helmet clanged to the deck. His scarred face, framed by matted hair, twisted with anguish. "That's right! I'm Duval! That cursed poster with your face—my face—made me hunted, despised! I lost everything!" He spat blood as tears glinted on his cheek.
Franky wiped a tear. "I can't believe it…"
Usopp shook his head in wonder. "Mistaken identity, dude…"
Nami's arms crossed, sympathy softening her glare. "The world really is a crazy place."
Robin smiled wryly. "A tragic mix-up."
Chopper sniffled. "Poor guy…"
Brook tapped his cane against the deck. "Two roosters crowing over one shadow—how poetic!"
Luffy punched his palm, excitement shining through the tension. "Sanji's gonna smack him good!"
Sanji stepped forward, fists clenched. "You could've changed your hair, grown a beard! Done anything!"
Duval's laugh was hollow. "I never had the chance—I was a small-time mafia boss in the backwaters! They'd see my wanted poster and chase me instead of you!"
Sanji's eyes blazed. "And you repay me by poisoning people?"
With a roar, Duval triggered another hail of harpoons. Sanji backflipped, the poison tips grazing his coat, sending him teetering on the rail's edge.
"Sanji!" Usopp's cry cut the roar of waves.
A steel net erupted from above, delivered by shadowed Riders. It snared Sanji like a living trap, snapping him off the rail and dragging him overboard.
"Suffer… and drown!" Duval spat as Sanji's body arced through the air.
The ocean swallowed him in a froth of white foam. Camie, at the bowsprit, sprang forward without hesitation, launching herself into the sea.