Chapter 235: The Whirling Turn of Fate, a God Descends
The battle between Ace and Zoro raged on. With his superior hand-to-hand combat skills and budding Haki, Ace had the upper hand. But the moss-headed swordsman had a terrifying will to fight. Every time he was knocked down, he just got back up again.
"Hey, Moss-head!" Ace said, a serious look on his face. "My Spade Pirates already have seven members... but we're still missing a swordsman like you! Let's call it a draw! You've earned my respect! You're worthy of being my nakama!"
Zoro just laughed, a pained, mocking sound. "Don't get ahead of yourself! The fight's not over! I'm the captain of the Two Swords Adventurers! The only man I'll ever follow... is on a completely different level than you!"
Just as I thought, Ace sighed. "You're all so stubborn." He saw an opening and shot forward, his leg a blur as it connected with Zoro's swords, sending them flying into a nearby tree. "Now what? A swordsman without his swords is like a beast without its fangs. You're no longer worthy of fighting me. Think about my offer."
To his surprise, Zoro just looked at him with a strange expression. "Who told you... I was just a swordsman?"
Eh?
Before Ace could react, Zoro's right leg burst into flames. "Diable Jambe: Poêle à Frire... SPECTRE!" he roared, a savage grin on his face as he brought his burning leg down on the stunned Ace.
Meanwhile, in the shopping district of Grove 40.
Sanji sat on a bench, carefully polishing his two beloved swords, one named Shusui and the other Sandai Kitetsu. "Hey, Chopper, you got everything on your list?"
"Yup!" the little reindeer said, patting his full backpack. "I even got some extra ingredients for my Rumble Balls, just in case."
"I'm all stocked up on food, too," Sanji said, sheathing his swords with a smile. "The ship is with the coater. It looks like we've got a whole day to ourselves. We can finally relax."
"Yay! I want to ride the roller coaster!" Chopper cheered.
"But first," Sanji said, his eyes narrowing as he looked down the street, "there's something very important I have to do." He saw Smoker's subordinate walking toward them.
"Uh oh," Chopper thought.
In the next instant, Sanji's eyes had turned to hearts. He shot forward, sliding on one knee to a stop in front of the bewildered swordswoman.
"Ah~ Mademoiselle Tashigi—!!!" he cooed, a rose magically appearing between his teeth. "To meet a black-haired beauty of your elegance twice in one day! It must be a gift from the heavens, a reward for my recent misfortune!"
"Eh?" The girl stumbled back, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of her sword. "Mr. Sanji... please... we're not familiar with each other... and as I told you at the docks, I'm not the swordswoman you know. I just... look a little like her..."
"But of course! If you were that she-devil, I wouldn't be so forward, Mademoiselle Tashigi~!" he swooned. "It is your own unique charm that has captivated me! Would you do me the honor of joining me for lunch?" If a gentle, lovely woman like this would go out with him... all the trauma from his childhood would vanish in an instant!
"Well... uh..." the girl stammered, looking for a way to let him down easy. "I set out to sea to follow a senior I have admired for many years. I'm not interested in any other man. I'm sorry." She bowed and hurried away.
CRACK!
Sanji froze, as if he had been struck by lightning. The rose fell from his mouth, and his body crumbled into a pile of stone.
"Sanji?" Chopper poked him with a hoof. "Are you... okay?"
"I'm... fine..." Sanji said, his eyes empty. "It's just... my heart... has been... shattered..." He collapsed to the ground, his voice a miserable wail. "Why is fate so cruel?! A beautiful woman who looks exactly like Big Sis Kuina, but is a thousand times nicer... and she's already in love with someone else?! And a 'senior she's admired for years'?! Aaaaaah!!! Who is this bastard?! I'll challenge him to a duel! I'll show him what a real man is!"
"I think I know who it is," Chopper said, holding up a photo that had fallen from the girl's pocket.
"Give me that!" Sanji snatched it from him. He looked at the photo, and his face went blank. "Never mind." He stood up and brushed himself off. "Come on, Chopper, let's go to the amusement park."
"You're giving up that fast?!" Chopper shrieked. "What about the duel?!"
"Ahaha, it's a beautiful day, isn't it, Chopper? The roller coaster is really popular, we should get in line..."
"Hey! Answer me!"
"I wonder how much the tickets are? Do you have any cash on you, Chopper?"
"HEY!!!"
...
"Of course there's a line," Chopper grumbled, looking at the hundred or so people in front of them.
"I hate waiting in line," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette. "Hey, Chopper, I think they're selling cotton candy over there. You stay here, and I'll go get you some."
"Ooh! Yes, please! Pink, if they have it!"
"The color of cherry blossoms. I remember," Sanji said with a wave and headed off.
...
Neither of them noticed the three men in Hawaiian shirts who had been watching them from the shadows.
"You see him?" the tall, thin one said, pointing at Chopper. "That blue-nosed tanuki... it can talk. It has to be one of them, right?"
"No doubt about it. A mink," the bald one said, a greedy glint in his eye. "The little thing is pretty cute. They're going for a high price at the auction house in Grove 1 these days. Almost as much as a female mermaid."
"But they're supposed to be strong," the leader, a man with a thick beard, said. "A direct approach is too risky. But... he likes cotton candy. We can use that."
...
"Hey, Chopper! I got it!" Sanji called out, holding three pink cotton candies as he pushed his way through the crowd. Just as he was about to reach the line, a man with a thick beard "accidentally" bumped into him, sending the cotton candy flying.
"Hey! You bastard!" Sanji roared, grabbing the man by the collar.
"Sorry, sorry, my friend! I'm in a hurry!" the man said, a panicked look on his face. "I'll buy you ten more! Just show me where you got them!"
"...Fine," Sanji sighed, letting him go. "Just give me the money. I'll buy them myself." He took the cash, and was about to head back to the cotton candy stand when he saw two other men in Hawaiian shirts talking to Chopper. One of them was holding out a pink cotton candy. Chopper was hesitant, but his eyes were glued to the sugary treat, and he was starting to drool.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Sanji yelled, realizing what was happening. But it was too late. Chopper took a bite, his eyes went wide, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Chopper!" Sanji shot forward, his leg a blur as he kicked one of the men into a wall. The other two drew knives, but Sanji dispatched them with ease, the sound of their wrists breaking echoing through the crowd.
"Hang on, Chopper! I'm taking you to a doctor!" he said, kneeling beside his unconscious friend. Just then, the man he had kicked into the wall staggered to his feet and pulled out a gun.
"ROOM."
A calm voice echoed through the air, and a pale blue, hemispherical space enveloped them.
"SHAMBLES."
With a flash of a blade, the three kidnappers were sliced into pieces, which fell to the ground in a heap, still alive and screaming in terror. The bullet that had been fired was also sliced into pieces, falling harmlessly to the ground.
What kind of Devil Fruit is this? Sanji thought, looking up to see a young man in a spotted cap sheathing a long sword.
"I'm a doctor, and a fellow Supernova of the one you call Chopper," Law said, giving him a disdainful look. "I was just passing by. You should be more careful. Don't let your captain get taken down in a place like this."
"Huh?" Sanji was confused. "What are you talking about? You think a bullet could hurt me?" He'd seen the man with the gun. He just hadn't been worried about him.
"A man with a 50 Belly bounty... and still so arrogant," Law said with a shake of his head. He was about to leave when Sanji called out.
"Wait! You're a doctor? Can you help my friend? I don't know what they gave him!"
Law sighed and was about to kneel down to examine Chopper when a commotion started down the street.
"Saint Charlos and Saint Shalria are gracing us with their presence!"
"All commoners, avert your eyes and bow!"
The crowd parted like the sea, and everyone, tourists and locals alike, fell to their knees, their heads bowed to the ground.
"Celestial Dragons!" Law's face went pale. "Hey! Everyone, let's go! We can't afford to get mixed up in this!" The Heart Pirates immediately turned to leave. Bepo even tried to pull Sanji along.
But Sanji just stood there, a confused look on his face. "What's going on? What's a Celestial Dragon? And why is everyone so scared?"
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