Another street.
Sanji darted through the alleyways, knocking down every Royal Army soldier and rebel fighter who appeared on this street.
"These are all citizens of Vivi-chan's kingdom. Stop fighting here."
He lifted his foot, glanced at the fallen men, and spoke before his body twisted like noodles, hearts in his eyes. "Vivi-chan, your knight has arrived! I'll definitely help you stop this rebellion!"
With that, he sprinted toward the Royal Palace.
He wasn't far from the elevated palace now. Crossing this street would lead him to the grand staircase leading up to it. But just then, several figures emerged from a nearby mansion.
One of them was carrying a treasure chest, piled high with Belly and gold coins—clearly a successful haul.
"We've grabbed quite a bit," the man chuckled. "Sage-sama will be pleased with this."
"Better loot more to be safe. The Captain didn't get anything from the palace. Paru's really something, even stealing a girl's savings. Even if it's just 500,000 Belly, we're Pirates, but we still have principles," another remarked.
"True enough—"
"Put that down!"
Just as they were about to move, a dark figure suddenly shot through the air, planting a foot squarely on the face of the man holding the chest. The kick sent him spinning midair before he crashed to the ground, sliding several meters.
"Who the hell are you?!"
The other Pirates quickly drew their weapons, shouting.
"A girl's savings..." Sanji's eyes burned with fury. "You're not talking about Vivi-chan's 500,000 Belly, are you?! Not only are you looting during a civil war, but you even stole from Vivi?!"
During their voyage, he'd heard Nami demanding payment from Vivi—mentioning something about the princess having only 500,000 Belly to her name. The fact that a kingdom's princess had so little was pitiful enough.
And these bastards had taken even that?!
Though, that wasn't the main issue! "What's wrong with Pirates stealing? More importantly, who the hell are you?!"
"Shut up! I don't care about that!" Sanji yelled. "You must've broken into her private chambers, right?! Damn it, I wanted to go there too!"
"That's what you're mad about?!" The Pirates collectively turned white-eyed, roaring in frustration as they brandished their weapons and charged.
Sanji clicked his tongue, bending his leg to kick back, but then his gaze sharpened as he looked past them.
"Stand down."
A voice rang out, halting the Pirates in their tracks.
"Chief Akin?!"
At the street's exit stood a man holding twin tonfas, walking toward them.
"You're no match for him. Keep looting. I'll handle this one." Akin stepped in front of the Pirates, facing Sanji directly. His sinister, ruthless face curled into a smile. "Sanji-san, we meet again."
Sanji's eyes narrowed. "Akin... of the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew? So you really are working with Crocodile. What's your goal?"
"We don't know the Captain's plans. Our orders were just to loot. Sanji-san, logically, you should've been stopped by the agents outside. Why are you here?" Akin asked.
"Agents? If you mean those oddly-shaped fellows, the Navy had already taken care of them by the time we arrived. Akin, step aside. I don't want to fight you—just let me go to the Royal Palace," Sanji shouted.
"I see."
Akin nodded, forcing a strained smile as he tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Mr. Sanji, you're my benefactor. Your Pirate Crew saved our subordinates, and I don't want to fight you either. Captain Sarg even mentioned inviting you to a banquet. But if you're heading to the Royal Palace... that's not acceptable. Captain Sarg's plan cannot fail."
"As his subordinate, it's my duty to eliminate any unforeseen variables. Could you please leave this city? Once Captain Sarg's plan is complete, you can do whatever you want."
Sanji paused in surprise, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. He took a deep drag, exhaling smoke slowly before speaking in a low voice. "Seems like we can't reach an agreement."
Akin sighed, lowering his twin canes, the iron ball ends dangling below. His gaze darkened, his expression turning fiendish.
"Mr. Sanji, let me warn you—I'm not the same as before. If you fight me, try not to die."
"Is that so? I've gotten stronger too. Back at Baratie, we never had a proper fight. Might as well settle it now!" Sanji grinned.
"Then—"
Akin bent his knees slightly, exhaling sharply. "Here I go—Soru!"
Whoosh! In an instant, Akin appeared right in front of Sanji. Before he could react, the cane's iron ball smashed into Sanji's ribs, bending him sideways and forcing blood from his mouth.
But the strike didn't send Sanji flying. He gripped the cane tightly with both hands, then launched a fierce kick, his leg blurring into multiple afterimages as it struck toward Akin's torso.
"Paper Drawing."
Akin's body softened, twisting fluidly with the wind pressure from the kicks to evade the relentless barrage. When one kick shot straight forward, he sidestepped completely, swinging his other iron-ball cane hard at Sanji's body.
Whoosh! The iron ball missed. Seizing the opening, Sanji pushed off the cane he was holding, leaping upward. Midair, he spun sharply, driving his leg down like a battle-axe toward Akin's skull.
This strike was hard to dodge.
A direct hit to the head wouldn't feel pleasant.
But—"Iron Block."
Boom! Sanji's heel slammed onto Akin's head, the sheer force sending a shockwave rippling outward. Yet Akin's body didn't budge—it was as if the attack had no effect.
"Damn, you're—" Sanji gasped in shock.
"I told you, I'm different now, Mr. Sanji."
Thud! Akin swung his left cane in a wide arc, the iron ball smashing into Sanji's stomach and forcing him to hunch over, coughing up more blood.
"You bastard!"
Gritting his teeth, Sanji grabbed the cane with one hand. While Akin was still in his attacking stance, he whipped his leg like a lash, slamming it into Akin's neck.
"Neck Shot!"
At that moment, Akin froze, his voice calm and detached. "Iron Block."
Boom! A hollow sound, like striking solid iron, rang out. Akin remained unmoved, his fierce eyes locking onto Sanji as a sinister grin curled at the corners of his mouth. With a sudden burst of strength, he pressed the iron ball against Sanji's abdomen and slammed him hard into the ground.
The sheer force of the impact left cracks spiderwebbing across the floor. Akin swung his cane with his other hand, aiming a vicious strike at Sanji's head the moment he hit the ground.
"Tch!"
Sanji spat out his cigarette, flicking it toward Akin's eyes, forcing him to blink reflexively. In that instant, Sanji twisted his body to the side, bracing himself with his hands before delivering a powerful backward kick straight into Akin's gut.
When attacking, Iron Block naturally couldn't be maintained. The sheer force of the kick sent Akin stumbling back several steps, his iron ball strike losing its intended trajectory.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted from the ground as the iron ball smashed into it, leaving a deep crater in its wake. Debris scattered in all directions.
"Now's my chance!"
Sanji pushed off the ground, his entire body spinning violently like a black whirlwind. His legs, fueled by the momentum, lashed out with crushing force toward Akin's ribs.
"Collier Shoot!"
"Iron Block!!"
Akin's eyes widened as he planted his feet firmly, bellowing the technique's name.
BAM!!
The kick landed squarely against his ribs, the sheer impact causing Akin's eyes to roll back slightly as his body was shoved sideways.
With a vicious glare, Akin thrust his cane forward, the iron ball smashing into Sanji's face and sending him airborne before slamming him back into the ground, skidding across the floor.
"Storm Leg!"
The moment Sanji hit the ground, Akin launched a swift kick, unleashing a vertical, pale-blue slash that shot straight toward him.
Sanji's instincts screamed as every hair on his body stood on end. Rolling to the side just in time, he narrowly avoided the slash, which carved a clean, blade-like gash into the ground with a sharp hiss.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Sanji clutched his stomach and forced himself back to his feet.
Those last two hits had definitely hurt.
"As expected of you, Mr. Sanji."
Akin's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth bared in a grin. "That was one hell of a kick. You nearly shattered my Iron Block."
"And what the hell was that just now?" Sanji glanced at the slash mark on the ground, his expression turning serious.
A body harder than normal, and now this slash... What kind of bizarre technique was this?
"Six Styles," Akin stated firmly. "A technique honed by Captain Sage. He taught it to us."
"Damn impressive moves. That Sage guy must be something else. Akin, seems like you've finally found the right crew this time. You must be one of their top officers now, huh?" Sanji smiled faintly, relieved.
Compared to his time under Klick, Akin was in much better shape now.
"No..."
Akin shook his head. "Even though the Captain gives me a share of the spoils befitting that rank, I don't think I'm worthy of it."
Even with the Six Styles, his mastery was still rough.
Aside from his most proficient technique, Paper Drawing, he had only learned four of the Six Styles—Moonwalk still eluded him.
But even those four were only barely grasped, far from polished.
Captain Sage said his physical condition was excellent, allowing him to master all Six Styles comprehensively. Not wanting to disappoint the captain's expectations, while onboard, aside from overseeing the subordinates' training, he himself engaged in double the practice.
In terms of aptitude, he didn't quite feel it was as 'excellent' as Captain Sage had claimed. Compared to the senior officers he acknowledged, he still fell far short.
"Still not up to the task? Since when did you become so modest," Sanji chuckled.
"Mr. Sanji, you must have seen them in Naruhara—the three women by Captain Sage's side. They're no ordinary individuals; they're the true three senior officers of our pirate crew."
Akin continued, "Lady Lily is an exceptional swordsman. I know you have Roronoa Zoro on your crew, but I don't believe he could defeat Lady Lily. She possesses the power to cut through steel and has mastered the Six Styles far more proficiently than I have."
Lady Lily's 'Soru' and 'Moonwalk' are already highly refined. The other techniques aren't beyond her grasp—she simply finds them unnecessary and has thus abandoned their practice.
"Lady Marika is unfathomably strong, possessing 'Life Return' just like Captain Sage. Her raw strength is astonishing, capable of effortlessly lifting entire buildings. The shells she throws barehanded are more powerful than those fired from cannons."
"Though still young, Lady Renetia is the soul of the Death Star Ship. Like Straw Hat Luffy, she is an Ability User and equally extraordinary."
Moreover, Lady Lily is also a navigator, commanding profound theoretical knowledge and exceptional leadership skills.
Lady Marika is an outstanding chef, an indispensable presence on the ship.
Lady Renetia excels in mechanics and shipbuilding.
"Compared to them, I'm good for nothing but combat. That's all I can do. Yet even so, I refuse to let Captain Sage down. For that, I will train twice as hard to keep up with his pace. I believe Captain Sage will undoubtedly become the Pirate King!"
Akin said gravely, "Mr. Sanji, if you can't even defeat me, I advise you not to approach the Royal Palace. You will truly die."
Sanji shook his head with a faint smile, lighting another cigarette. He exhaled a plume of smoke, watching it dissipate as he murmured, "Pirate King, huh..."
"Akin."
He turned solemnly to Akin. "I also believe in our captain. Luffy will definitely become the Pirate King!"
"And it's not just you who has a mission. Our captain has entrusted me with stopping this rebellion for Vivi's sake. I will go to the Royal Palace, even if it costs me my life!"
"Is that so..."
Akin tightened his grip on his cane. "Then I'll have to defeat you, Mr. Sanji."