[Star-Lord was a little helpless that the broker would be frightened by just a name.]
["Come on! Calm down!"]
[But the broker no longer wanted to listen to Star-Lord.]
["I definitely don't want to mess with someone like him!"]
[Hearing this, Star-Lord glared at the broker with dissatisfaction, "What do you mean? Do you think you can mess with me?!!"]
[The broker waved his hand and opened the shop door. "I'm sorry I can't see you off! Mr. Quill!"]
[Then he pushed him out and immediately closed the door.]
[Star-Lord was extremely annoyed after being kicked out, "Hey! We had an appointment!"]
[He shouted, and then found a green-skinned woman next to the shop, chewing a melon and looking at him.]
[Suddenly seeing a beautiful woman, Star-Lord instinctively suppressed his anger and calmed his expression.]
[Gamora ate the melon and asked, "What's wrong?"]
["Ugh… this guy stood me up! I hate people like this who have no character! Peter Quill! Also known as Star-Lord!"]
[Gamora took a sip of the melon and said with a smile: "It seems that you must be a very good person, right?"]
["Well! You know! I didn't say that! Others often praise me like that!"]
[Although he often brags about himself, Star-Lord always restrains himself in front of strange beauties. Although he still brags about himself, he is not too shameless.]
[He tossed the cosmic spirit ball in his hand.]
["I'm a very low-key person and I never show off myself!"]
A low whistle cut through the viewing room. "Low-key?" Yondu scoffed, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "That boy wouldn't know low-key if it bit him on the ass. This is the same kid who risks his neck for a new set of batteries just so he can have his own entrance music. And now he's tryin' to act all cool for a pretty face." He shook his head, though the fondness in his eyes was unmistakable. "Same old Quill."
Rocket Raccoon practically vibrated with glee, scrambling onto the back of his seat to get a better view. "Oh, this is rich!" he cackled, pointing a claw at the screen. "Hey, Quill! You call that a cool toss? You look like a flightless bird trying to impress a mate! A really desperate, clumsy bird!"
Drax's explosive, booming laughter filled the room, completely genuine and without a hint of malice. "The comparison is apt! His movements are indeed foolish!"
Beside him, the small, potted Groot wiggled his branches and leaves, rustling in what was clearly the sapling equivalent of a hearty laugh.
On the screen, the tense standoff was about to erupt into chaos.
[Gamora walked up to him silently, her eyes fixed on the Orb in his hand. The moment he was distracted, she struck. A swift snatch, a sharp kick to the stomach, and she was gone, leaving him doubled over.]
["Oh!!!" Star-Lord's body bent like a shrimp in pain. As he watched Gamora weave through the crowd, he realized her target was the very prize he'd just secured.]
[Fumbling in his bag, he pulled out a restraint device. He activated it and flung it after her.]
[An electrified cord shot out, wrapping tightly around Gamora's legs and sending her tumbling to the pavement. She recovered instantly, turning to tear the restraints from her ankles.]
[Star-Lord charged, tackling her, but she was faster. A powerful kick from her freed legs sent him flying, and the two crashed to the ground in a heap. The fight was a messy sprawl, but Gamora's deadly grace was obvious. She landed three precise blows for every one of his clumsy swings, her movements honed by a lifetime of combat.]
[He desperately reached for the pulse gun on his thigh, but Gamora's boot slammed down on his arm, pinning it.]
["I didn't mean to do that!" she grunted, pulling out her own blade and raising it high, aiming for his heart.]
[Star-Lord's pupils shrank, raw fear flashing across his face. He hadn't just been robbed; he was about to be executed.]
[Just as Gamora's blade began its descent, a furry projectile slammed into her from the side, sending her sprawling and knocking the dagger from her hand.]
["Put it in the bag! Put it in the bag quickly!" Rocket Raccoon yelled, scrambling to his feet and urging his partner on.]
[Groot, holding a large sack, extended a mass of thick branches from his body, immediately snaring Gamora.]
[Rocket threw his paws up in exasperation. "No! Not the girl, you walking pile of firewood! The man! Can't you tell the difference? We're here for the man!"]
[But Groot was single-minded, tightening his hold on the struggling Gamora, who let out an enraged scream.]
[Clinging to her back, Rocket instinctively tried to cover her mouth, and she immediately bit down hard on his hand.]
["Ouch! She bit me? That's not playing fair!" he yelped, snatching his hand back.]
[While the chaotic three-way struggle ensued, Star-Lord saw his chance. He scrambled up from the ground, snatched the Orb, and made a run for it.]
["Don't get excited!" Rocket warned the still-thrashing Gamora.]
[With a final, furious roar, she snapped the branches holding her, grabbed the raccoon on her back, and hurled him into a nearby glass display case. The reinforced glass held, but Rocket was left dazed.]
[Gamora scooped her fallen dagger from the ground and, with an expert flick of her wrist, sent it flying. It struck the Orb in the fleeing Star-Lord's hand, knocking it from his grasp.]
["Ah!" Star-Lord cried out as the silver sphere bounced and rolled away down a flight of stairs.]
[Ignoring the dazed raccoon, Gamora brandished her other sword, slashing at Groot to keep him at bay. Then, with an athletic leap, she vaulted off a nearby table and landed gracefully on the level below, her eyes immediately locking onto the Orb.]
[She sprinted, scooped it up, and turned to flee again.]
[Above her, Star-Lord knelt, quickly detaching the jet boosters from his boots. Just as she ran beneath him, he dropped from the sky, tackling her to the ground once more.]
[Gamora reacted instantly, flipping them over and locking her legs around his neck in a chokehold.]
["Idiot! You should have learned your lesson!"]
[Star-Lord just grinned, gasping for air. "What can I say? I'm not much of a scholar!"]
[In one smooth motion, he snatched the Orb back from her hand and slapped one of his boot jets onto her hip.]
[Before Gamora could process what was happening, he activated it. The sudden, powerful thrust sent her rocketing sideways, skipping across the plaza fountain like a stone before she crashed hard against the far wall.]
[Tossing the reclaimed Orb triumphantly in his hand, Star-Lord failed to notice the silent, tree-like figure approaching from behind with a large sack.]
[Groot dropped the sack directly over Star-Lord's head.]
["What the— Ugh!!!" came Star-Lord's muffled, confused cry from within the bag.]
[With a happy smile, Groot slung the wriggling sack over his shoulder and ambled back toward Rocket.]
["Wipe that stupid grin off your face, you idiot!" Rocket grumbled, rubbing his head. "You're supposed to be a professional!"]