"Sanji! Are you alright?!"
Patty and the other chefs, who were barely standing while enduring intense pain, saw this and their faces twisted in worry.
"What a dirty trick!"
Goku, who had been leisurely watching the duel, now gritted his teeth in anger.
He leaned out the window and called out to Sanji, who was sitting on the ground coughing. "Hey, Sanji! Do you need help? I can help you beat this nasty guy!"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Sanji took a long moment before he finally stopped coughing up a storm.
He wiped the grime from his face and the blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes, reddened by the smoke, looked toward Goku.
"I appreciate the offer, but it's not needed. This is a fight between him and me."
He gave Goku a deep, searching look.
Anyone brave enough to try their luck in the Grand Line was no simple character. A duo like Nami and Goku—a woman and a child—was especially eye-catching.
From his observation, although Goku seemed like just a kid, he wasn't the one being protected; he was the protector.
This was evident from Nami and Goku's demeanor when they heard the Blood Demon Pirates were attacking.
Originally, Nami was on the outside and Goku was on the inside, but when the news arrived, they swapped places so Goku was on the outside.
When Kennard stepped into the restaurant, Goku's expression hadn't wavered in the slightest. Nami, on the other hand, showed a faint, hard-to-detect tension and subconsciously looked at Goku.
Furthermore, he had noticed earlier that Goku had a tail, which was something he had never seen before.
All these signs led him to the conclusion that Goku was far from ordinary.
Now, hearing Goku speak these words to him, that belief was further confirmed.
"Are you sure you don't need help?" Goku scratched his head.
Nami also leaned out, clenching her fist. "Sanji, Goku is actually really strong. Don't underestimate him."
Although they hadn't intended to provoke the Blood Demon Pirates, in a situation like this, they had to step up.
After Nami finished speaking, she gave a cute little pump of her fist.
Sanji's eyes instantly turned into hearts. "Ah! Miss Nami is so cute! But don't worry, I will definitely take this guy down."
With that, he stood up and faced Kennard again. He pulled out a lighter, lit a cigarette, and took a drag.
"Hey, you... that was a pretty low blow," he said, staring at Kennard with a blank expression.
"Low blow?" Kennard smirked.
"Isn't this how a fight works? Did you think we were playing house? Like three-year-olds taking turns hitting and kicking each other? Hahaha!"
"Hahaha! The Captain is right! If you're scared, go home and drink milk for a few more years. Go play house with the little brats! Hahaha!"
The pirates behind him burst into boisterous laughter.
Sanji ignored their mockery. He took a few puffs of his cigarette and looked at Kennard. "I'll show you how a real man is supposed to fight."
With that, he dropped the cigarette and crushed it under his heel. He vaulted into a handstand, his long legs whistling through the air like a black whirlwind as he kicked toward Kennard.
"Cote!"
A heavy blow landed on Kennard's ribs.
"Selle!"
Immediately after, his lower back was also struck.
"Epaule!"
Hit hard in the shoulder, Kennard stumbled.
"Poitrine!"
Kennard's breath hitched.
Sanji had transformed into a black tornado. After landing the previous strikes, he channeled all his strength into a single leg.
Aiming directly for Kennard's chin, he unleashed his finishing move: "Mutton SHOT!!"
Boom!!!
After a dull thud, Kennard was sent flying high. He traced a sharp arc through the air before crashing heavily into the sea and quickly vanishing from sight.
"Captain!!"
Seeing their captain fall into the ocean, the pirates of the Blood Demon Pirates didn't shrink back. Instead, their faces twisted into expressions of ferocity.
"Get him! Kill him and avenge the Captain!"
The pirates brandished their weapons and charged at Sanji in a murderous frenzy.
Seeing this, Zeff, who had been watching from the second-floor balcony, leaped nimbly into the air. With a thunderous crash, he landed right in the middle of the pirates.
Then, his prosthetic leg swept across the area, sending several pirates flying backward.
"Did you really think I was useless just because I'm old?"
Having cleared the surrounding pirates in the blink of an eye, he stroked his long mustache.
"Hmph, you old geezer. You should have just stayed up there and watched. Why'd you come down?" Sanji said as he cleared away even more pirates with a similar sweep before stopping beside Zeff.
"What for? Don't you forget who taught you everything you know," Zeff replied, kicking away several more charging pirates.
"I haven't forgotten, but I surpassed you a long time ago," Sanji countered, likewise sending several enemies flying.
"How about a little contest then?"
"I'd like nothing more."
The two of them plunged back into the crowd of pirates, beginning their competition as they systematically took them down.
Meanwhile, Patty and the other chefs stood on the periphery of the battle. Armed with weapons, they knocked out any pirates who were sent flying or tried to get back up.
Soon, the floating platform was covered with pirates lying in heaps, while others floated on the surface of the sea, foaming at the mouth.
"Hey, old man, I took down fifty-eight. What about you?"
Having finished off his enemies, Sanji unhurriedly lit a cigarette.
"Fifty-eight? Then it looks like—"
Whoosh—!!
Whoosh—!!
Before Zeff could finish his sentence, disaster struck.
Two throwing knives suddenly shot out from somewhere, piercing through the air with lightning speed and sinking into Zeff and Sanji's thighs.
"What?!"
Their expressions shifted as they looked toward the source. Kennard was crawling up from the edge of the platform, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Heh heh heh... you didn't actually think I'd lose to you, did you?"
"You're still alive?" Sanji gave him a cold look, then pulled the knife from his leg while enduring the sharp pain.
Zeff did the same. He glanced at the knife in his hand before tossing it into the sea.
"Relying on such petty tricks won't get you far. A so-called 'Overlord of the East Blue'? You're not worthy of the title."
Kennard's facial muscles twitched at the mockery. He gave a cold laugh. "Whether I'm worthy or not isn't something you need to worry about, because you won't live to see tomorrow's sun."
"I've changed my mind about wanting you as my chefs. You can all just die!"
With that, he cracked his knuckles and walked toward them with a sinister grin.
"What arrogant words."
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke. He was about to put strength into his legs to finish the enemy off once and for all.
But at that moment, his footsteps faltered, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
"Hahaha! It seems it's starting to take effect!" Kennard roared with laughter.
"You bastard... did you poison the blades?!" Zeff felt his body growing weak and limp. His expression darkened as he realized what was on the throwing knives.
"Nope!" Kennard's lips curled.
"What I put on those knives wasn't poison, but a paralytic. It's enough to leave you completely powerless for half an hour."
"Now, you can spend the last thirty minutes of your lives experiencing a fate worse than death."
"Be sure to hang in there."
His eyes were filled with cruelty and coldness.
The reason he used a paralytic instead of a lethal poison was that he loved to torture and humiliate his enemies.
Remember the origin of his 'Blood Demon' name?
He had a penchant for licking his enemies' blood, specifically the blood that flowed while he was brutalizing them.
Clatter!
Patty and the others rushed to Sanji and Zeff's side. Some supported their trembling bodies, while others gripped their weapons tightly, aiming them at Kennard.
"If you want to lay a hand on our Boss or our Sous Chef, you'll have to go through us first!"
The group looked ready to die for their cause.
"Hmph, then I'll clear out you small fry first."
Kennard had picked up Kalen's massive hammer at some point. Standing three meters tall and wielding the giant mallet, he radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Though the chefs were prepared to die, they couldn't help but tremble, a hint of terror creeping into their eyes.
Just as Kennard swung the massive hammer down toward them, a figure burst through the window. With a flying kick, the figure sent the hammer flying out of Kennard's hands.
Simultaneously, the sheer force of the blow sent Kennard stumbling several steps to the left, nearly causing him to fall.
"I can't take it anymore! I'm going to give you the thrashing you deserve, you jerk!"
The one who had burst through the window was none other than Goku!
——
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]