Chapter 119: Sanji
The sea breeze, carrying the scent of smoke, swept across the bloodstained deck.
The battle was over. The sea was a wreck, and the silence after the explosions was suffocating.
Gin knelt on the cold wood, drenched in sweat and blood.
His fingers dug into the planks, his knuckles white.
He knew he had no way out.
Ace stood before him, flames dancing on his fingertips, casting a red glow on his face. He looked like a judge from hell.
"You," Ace said, his voice flat, like pronouncing a death sentence. "How do you want to die?"
Gin didn't answer immediately. The wind carried the smoke past him. He knelt there, trembling, blood seeping from his palm, but slowly, he straightened his back.
He looked up. The face of the "Man-Demon," feared across the East Blue, now held an unprecedented calm and clarity, born of struggle.
"I don't want to die."
His voice was raspy, but each word was heavy. "I surrender."
A ripple went through the onlookers. Even Zeff and Sanji, who had been watching warily, stared at him in shock.
Ace raised an eyebrow, the flames pausing.
Gin looked him in the eye, his voice steady. "Kid... I want to join the Marines!"
The words fell like a thunderclap in the silence.
Ace turned to look at Roy.
Roy walked slowly from the broken railing, hands in his pockets, his coat snapping in the wind. He looked at Gin calmly. "Why?"
Gin slowly stood up, a stubborn clarity in his eyes.
"Krieg is dead. I thought I should die with him."
His voice was low, filled with a sense of dislocation. "But then I saw you..."
"I watched Krieg's fleet get destroyed by your fists."
"The leader we thought was invincible... he died like a dog, burned alive."
He paused, a look of undisguised pain and brokenness crossing his face. "In that moment, I realized... we weren't strong."
"We were just thugs, swept up in his arrogance, ruled by lies."
He took a deep breath, his gaze on Roy shifting from confusion to resolve. "I want to live by my own will for once."
"I want to be strong."
"Strong enough that I don't have to follow blindly. Strong enough that I won't be controlled."
In that instant, he looked like a beast that had finally broken its chains, emerging from the shadows.
Roy watched him quietly, his expression unreadable, his mind flashing back to a memory—
"At this point in the timeline, the Krieg Pirates haven't grown to 5,000 men yet..."
"In the original story, Krieg led a fleet of fifty ships into the Grand Line. In just seven days, they were chased back to the East Blue after witnessing Hawk-Eye Mihawk cut a ship in half with his Black Blade."
"Only a few remnants survived, and even after fleeing back to the East Blue, they chose to continue being villains. Gin was a man who valued loyalty, but he ultimately sank into depravity due to his misplaced faith."
"But the Gin here... maybe he still has a chance."
The wind howled over the sea, silence pressing down on everyone's heart.
After a moment, a slow, unreadable smile curved Roy's lips.
"...Interesting."
He seemed amused, yet seriously weighing the option.
Finally, he turned, his back to Gin, his voice carrying on the wind. "Go to the Marine base in Loguetown and turn yourself in."
"You were a pirate. You must face judgment. You won't escape punishment for your crimes."
"After you've served your time, if you still remember what you said today—"
Roy walked away, his footsteps heavy on the wood.
"Come find me then."
As he finished, the wind caught his coat, carrying away his low voice.
Gin stood frozen.
He didn't cry, he didn't shout. He simply bowed his head to the deck.
THUD! His forehead hit the wood with a dull sound.
And again.
"I will!" His voice trembled, but it was firmer than ever before.
"I swear I'll turn over a new leaf!"
Sunlight broke through the clouds, illuminating Gin's thin but straight back.
In this moment, he was no longer the "Man-Demon" under Krieg.
He was a man truly beginning to atone.
The Baratie
Roy, Ace, and Luffy stepped back onto the restaurant deck. Zeff and Sanji were still standing there, seemingly unable to recover from the shock of the battle.
Thirty pirate ships, annihilated in less than ten minutes by three people.
Zeff stared at Roy's back, muttering, "Are those kids... even human?"
Sanji swallowed, about to speak, when a familiar face popped up in front of him.
"Hey! Curly-brows!" Luffy grinned, his eyes shining. "Join the Marines! Your food is amazing!"
Ace stood beside him, his usual joking demeanor gone, his tone sincere. "When you stood in front of everyone to protect them... that was cool."
Sanji froze, his gaze wavering. He instinctively looked at Zeff, hesitation and reluctance in his eyes.
"Join the Marines... but what about the old geezer? The Baratie is my home, my kitchen. It's the place where I survived."
Zeff didn't respond immediately. He walked over slowly, silenced for a moment, then put a hand on Sanji's shoulder.
"Brat," he said quietly. "Do you know why I never yelled at you for wasting food all these years?"
Sanji blinked, surprised.
Zeff looked out at the churning sea, his voice low but emotional. "Because the look in your eyes when you see starving people... is the same look we had when we looked at each other on that rock."
"It's the desperation of hunger, the feeling that you'd give your own life to feed someone else."
"You can't forget it... and neither can I."
Sanji's throat tightened, his nose stinging.
He remembered sharing the meager food on that desolate rock. He remembered the old man who had lost his leg but gave all the food to him.
Just then, Roy's voice cut in. "Sanji, what is your dream?"
Sanji paused, then answered instinctively. "I want to find—the ALL BLUE!"
Fire lit up his eyes. "I want to find the legendary sea where all the fish of the four seas meet! So no one ever has to suffer from hunger again!!!"
Roy smiled calmly. "Then who do you think has the widest reach on the seas?"
Sanji answered without thinking. "The Marines, obviously."
"Correct," Roy nodded. "Joining the Marines won't just help you improve your skills faster. You'll have access to Marine intelligence to search for clues about the All Blue."
"You can travel the four seas, access any island, and have the most comprehensive charts and exploration resources. You can get any ingredient you want."
Sanji was moved, his fists clenching, his gaze burning.
But he looked back at Zeff. That straight but slightly stooped back was his anchor.
"Old man... if I leave, what will you do?"
Zeff was silent for a moment, then gently patted his back. "Idiot. You should take that step."
"You don't belong in this small kitchen."
He smiled, his eyes full of relief. "You're destined to go to farther places, to do greater things."
Roy added, "You can stay here and hone your cooking skills. When you've made up your mind, go to the Loguetown Marine Base and find Captain Smoker."
"We'll save a seat for you at the mess table on our ship."
Sanji stood there for a few seconds, then finally gritted his teeth and nodded. "I... I'll think about it!"
The wind snapped the Marine flag. Roy, Ace, and Luffy turned and walked toward their ship, docked nearby.
Just before they boarded—
A voice whispered in Zeff's ear, audible only to him. "Sanji... his background isn't simple, you know~"
Zeff spun around, staring in shock at Roy's retreating figure, but saw only his back, walking into the sunlight, shining brilliantly.
He stood there, his expression complex, ripples forming in his eyes.
"Background... could it be..."
He looked at Sanji, murmuring, "Brat... your future... is going to be even bigger than I imagined."
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