A gentle sea breeze blew across the water, coming from afar and heading into the distance.
A dark cloud drifted in from the horizon, blocking the scorching sun. Instead of cooling down, the air grew increasingly heavy and muggy.
Outside the Baratie, two massive floating platforms rose from either side, resembling fins.
On one of the platforms, Sanji and Kalen stood in the center, facing each other.
Behind them stood the chefs of the Baratie and the pirates of the Blood Demon Pirates, respectively.
"Sanji! You better not lose to that fat slob!"
"Hey, Sanji! If you win, I'll finally recognize you as the sous-chef!"
Patty and the other chefs shouted at the top of their lungs.
Without looking back, Sanji simply gave a thumbs-up. "Don't worry. When have I ever lost to anyone?"
"Hmph! Big talk. I was just caught off guard earlier. Now, I'll show you what I'm truly capable of!" Kalen sneered.
"Hey, Goku, who do you think will win?" In the dining room next to them, Nami leaned against the window, watching the duel with curiosity.
"Hmm... I think it'll be Sanji." Beside her, Goku was also peering out the window.
Under their watchful eyes, the duel began.
Whoosh!!
Kalen swung his massive hammer with immense force, sweeping it toward Sanji.
With his hands in his pockets and a cigarette in his mouth, Sanji remained unfazed. As the gust from the hammer neared his face, he leaned back effortlessly, his body bending like a drawn bowstring.
The hammer roared past him, the wind ruffling a few strands of his bangs.
Seeing the attack miss, Kalen didn't hesitate. He swung the hammer in a wide arc, bringing it crashing down from above, aiming to flatten Sanji into a meat patty.
But Sanji had already predicted the move. With a quick slide backward, he avoided the heavy blow.
Immediately after, he leaped into the air as light as a feather, his right leg gathering power as he kicked hard toward Kalen's neck.
"Collier Shoot!"
Thud!!
With a dull impact, Kalen's bloated body was sent flying, crashing into the group of pirates behind him.
Several pirates who couldn't dodge in time felt the weight of a human mountain. They were knocked unconscious instantly.
Kalen, pinned on top of them, trembled as he tried to get up, but his eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness. He collapsed once more with a heavy thud.
After a few seconds of silence, Patty and the chefs burst into cheers. "Hahaha! Well done, Sanji! That's how you handle them!"
"Sanji! I acknowledge you as our sous-chef now!!"
Sanji kept one hand in his pocket while using the other to remove the cigarette from his mouth, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke.
"Phew... Anyone else want to go next?"
His cold, emotionless eyes swept over the pirates before finally landing on Kennard.
Kennard didn't look displeased by his subordinate's defeat. On the contrary, he looked intrigued.
Hearing Sanji's words, his lips curled into a grin as he laughed. "Hahahaha! I didn't expect a cook to have such skills. You're Sanji, right? I'll give you an offer I don't give to just anyone."
"Join my Blood Demon Pirates. I'll make you my second-in-command. You'll have endless fun from now on. What do you say?"
His interest in Sanji now far outweighed anything else.
There were plenty of cooks, but Sanji was the only one he'd seen who could both cook exquisite food and fight this well.
He believed the offer was too good to refuse, but to his surprise, Sanji didn't hesitate for a second.
"The Blood Demon Pirates? Not interested. I have only one identity: a chef of the Baratie."
Seeing Sanji dismiss him so bluntly, Kennard's expression finally darkened.
"Countless people beg to join the Blood Demon Pirates and never get the chance. You're really throwing my kindness back in my face."
He took two pitch-black metallic gauntlets from a subordinate and slid them onto his hands.
"It looks like I'll have to show you the massive gap between us first."
He cracked his wrists and twisted his neck, a cruel and vicious smile spreading across his face.
Sanji said nothing, silently smoking until only a small stub remained. He flicked the butt into the sea and stood his ground, watching Kennard with cold eyes.
The battle was about to erupt.
Suddenly, Patty, Carne, and the other chefs rushed in front of Sanji, weapons in hand and brave smiles on their faces.
"We'll take it from here, Sanji! We can't just let you stand at the front while we watch from the back!"
Without giving Sanji a chance to respond, they charged at Kennard with a roar.
"Hmph, a bunch of fools who don't know their place." Kennard grinned savagely. Facing the onslaught of weapons, he neither dodged nor blocked, simply opening his arms.
Clang!! Clatter!! Crash!!
High-pitched metallic clangs echoed across the platform.
Patty, Carne, and the others stared in shock, their pupils shrinking.
"How is this possible?!"
None of their attacks had managed to harm Kennard. Whether it was blades, spears, or maces, everything was deflected by the armor he wore.
Despite taking so many hits at once, Kennard didn't even budge. It was as if their strength was nothing more than an ant trying to topple a giant tree.
"Don't panic! He's not wearing armor on his lower body! Aim for his legs!"
Quick-witted Carne realized the weakness and immediately pointed it out, swinging his large blade toward Kennard's lower half.
"Hmph! You think I'll give you that chance?"
Kennard snorted, grabbing Carne's blade and crushing it into pieces of scrap metal.
Stepping forward, he swung his right arm—covered in a metallic gauntlet and armor—sending Carne and several other chefs flying.
Then, his fists shot out like dragons, striking down Patty and the remaining chefs one by one.
In the blink of an eye, the chefs who had charged in so bravely were all lying on the ground, bruised and battered.
Seeing this, anger flashed in Sanji's eyes. In an instant, he launched a flying kick toward Kennard's head.
However, Kennard had already anticipated the move. He raised his armored forearm and steadily blocked the strike.
"Decent power, but compared to me, you're like a three-year-old child." Kennard smiled contemptuously.
"Then how about this? Poitrine Shoot!"
Sanji quickly shifted his stance, driving his heel straight into Kennard's chest with a heavy thud.
"What?"
Kennard stumbled back two steps, his breath hitching as a dull pain radiated from his chest.
He looked down but saw no damage to his armor.
Clearly, the pain came from the sheer force of Sanji's kick, which had resonated through the metal and into his body.
Had he not been wearing the armor, he would have sustained a serious injury.
"Interesting." Regaining his composure, he patted his chest, his eyes narrowing as his grin widened.
"I'm getting more and more interested in you."
With that, he lunged toward Sanji, throwing a punch the size of a dinner plate.
Sanji countered with an upward kick, knocking the punch off course from below.
Then, Sanji used a Cuissot kick to break his balance before leaping high. A powerful Collier Shoot landed heavily on Kennard's neck.
Boom!!
"Captain!"
"Captain, are you okay?!"
Kennard, sent flying by the kick, shook his head as he stood up. He glared coldly at the subordinates who tried to help him.
"What are you doing? You think I'd lose to him?"
The subordinates shrank back, offering fawning smiles. "No way! The Captain is invincible! There's no way you'd lose to a punk like this."
Ignoring them, Kennard walked back to Sanji without a word and suddenly threw a punch.
Strangely, the distance was clearly too great for the punch to land.
Unsure of the intent, Sanji stood his ground and watched.
In the next second, Kennard grinned deviously. From his gauntlet, a cloud of red smoke suddenly sprayed out, hitting Sanji right in the face.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Instantly, the smoke had Sanji's eyes watering and nose running.
Kennard didn't stop. Taking advantage of the distraction, he stepped forward and drove his left fist, whistling through the air, straight into Sanji's abdomen!
Boom!!!
With a loud crash, Sanji was sent hurtling into the wall like a kite with its string cut.
A streak of crimson blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
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