"Someone actually looks like this..."
"Speaking of which, Sanji was really depressed about that Wanted Poster for a long time, wasn't he?"
"That's right."
Chopper and the others stared at Duval's face in shock, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.
They never dreamed that such a face could actually exist in this world.
Sanji's eyes widened in disbelief, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably as the cigarette fell from his mouth into the sea.
"You..."
"See this, Black Leg Sanji!" Duval cried out bitterly. "Take a good look at this face! Doesn't it look familiar?!"
"Because of you, I've been hunted by so many people!"
"Right then, I made up my mind—I would set sail and kill you!"
As he spoke, Duval pulled out Sanji's Wanted Poster and shouted angrily, "But you bastard were so damn hard to find! Even with this poster, there was no guarantee I'd track you down!"
"I bet you're pretty proud of yourself, aren't you? With a Wanted Poster like this, even if the Marines saw you, they wouldn't think you're the real Black Leg Sanji..."
"Meanwhile, when they see me, they scream—'We found you, Black Leg Sanji!'"
"But damn it, I don't even know who Black Leg Sanji is! I'm not even a pirate!!"
By this point, Duval's expression had twisted into something terrifying, his hatred almost palpable.
"Just because they mistook me for you... Just because they mistook me for you!!"
"Black Leg Sanji, do you have any idea what I've been through?!"
"AHHH!!!"
"Why should I suffer like this?! I'm just an ordinary thug!!"
By the end, Duval was so furious he was nearly in tears.
Being hunted by so many powerful enemies, he had almost been killed!
If not for sheer luck... he wouldn't even have had the chance to meet this bastard!
"You bastard, Black Leg Sanji!!!"
"What kind of joke is this?!"
At this moment, Sanji was so enraged he seemed about to combust, his face contorting with fury.
"How the hell would I be proud of something like this?!"
He hated that Wanted Poster with a passion, and now this bastard was saying he'd be proud of it?
That was the final straw—Sanji's anger exploded!
"You bastard, just you wait!"
"Sanji?"
Watching as Sanji leaped into the sea and began swimming forward, Chopper asked, "What's he doing?"
"Probably settling this cursed fate once and for all..." Meiser said, covering his face with his hand.
For a moment, he didn't even know what to say.
This world was truly bizarre, and he was growing more and more excited for the days ahead.
"Then we..."
"Let's dock first," Nami sighed, then turned to Merry. "Merry, take us to shore."
"But wouldn't that make Sanji's jump into the sea pointless?"
"Do you really think he can wait?"
Following Nami's finger, Merry looked toward the shore and gasped, "Huh... That fast?"
Since when could Sanji swim so quickly?
He wasn't a fish, after all...
"Clearly, Sanji's rage is no less intense than that guy's."
"You're right."
"Daring to swim towards me on your own...?" Duval glanced at Sanji, who had come ashore, and gritted his teeth. "Black Leg Sanji, you bastard!"
"Tell me, why the hell did I have to go through all that terrifying shit?!"
"The bounty hunters were after you, but in the end, I took the fall for it. How is that fair?!"
Yet Sanji remained silent, his face dark as he charged toward Duval.
"You bastard, say something, you—"
"None of this is my damn business!!"
An enraged Sanji delivered a powerful kick straight to Duval's face, nearly knocking his teeth out.
"Crack!"
Veins bulging on his forehead, Duval glared down at Sanji and roared, "What do you mean it's not your damn business?! Take responsibility, you bastard!"
"Bullshit! How is this my fault?!"
"Then who the hell else am I supposed to hold responsible?!"
"How should I know?!" Sanji snapped back, equally furious. "I hate that damn wanted poster just as much as you do!"
The two stood there, faces twisted in rage, glaring at each other.
"Hey, they look really similar," Hachi remarked without thinking.
"Yeah, they're practically identical."
Hearing the voices from the ship, Sanji's face turned green.
He... looked like that guy?
"Pfft—"
"Yohohoho—"
Brook couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, eventually collapsing onto the ship's bow in hysterics.
"You damn skeleton!" Sanji bellowed, his mouth morphing into a shark-like grimace. "I'll deal with you later!!"
"Sorry—"
"Pfft!"
"Crack—"
As Brook's laughter grew louder, Sanji's veins throbbed even more violently, his anger boiling over.
Taking a deep breath, Sanji tried to calm himself down... Damn it!
There was no way he could calm down now!!
Turning back to Duval, Sanji roared, "You idiot! If you've been hunted this whole time because of that wanted poster, why didn't you just change your appearance with a wig or a fake beard?!"
"Then you wouldn't have been chased at all!"
Duval: "..."
Duval froze, his face turning red as if constipated, sweat pouring down his forehead.
"W-Wait... that was an option...?"
"You absolute moron!"
Watching the two argue furiously on the shore, Nami sighed quietly.
"Talk about a twisted fate..."
The others exchanged awkward glances. Who could've guessed they'd get ambushed over something like this?
Just then, Duval raised his Fish Gun and aimed it at Sanji. "If you're gonna be this unreasonable, then just die already!"
"Rat-tat-tat—"
"Whoosh—"
Sanji flipped backward, dodging the attack, then snarled, "You bastard, who's the unreasonable one here?!"
He was a victim too, damn it!
If he ever got the chance, he'd make the bastard who took that photo pay dearly!
"I don't care! You're taking responsibility for this!"
"Fine then—"
Before Sanji could finish, several figures burst from the water nearby—Loll and his crew, responding to Duval's earlier signal.
"Black Leg Sanji, die already!"
"You're the ones who should die!"
Sanji leaped up and delivered a powerful kick to a man's face, sending him flying into nearby ruins.
But what surprised Sanji was that the man's companions didn't show fear—instead, they wore expressions of smug triumph.
"We've got you, Black Leg Sanji!" Loll shouted.
As he spoke, he and his companions grabbed an iron net and swiftly charged toward Sanji, who was still midair.
If they could trap him in the net, they could drag him into the seawater and drown him.
"Damn it..."
Sanji's expression changed. With no foothold in midair, he couldn't dodge!
At that critical moment, a green Flying Slash shot through the air, effortlessly slicing the iron net apart.
"Thud!"
"Snap!"
"Wha...?!"
Loll's face twisted in disbelief. Their specially designed anti-pirate net had been cut down?
Glancing back at Meiser standing on the Thousand Sunny, his expression darkened instantly.
"Damn pirates..."
"Don't think you're the only ones with allies," Meiser said calmly.
If they had really dragged Sanji into the seawater, there was a real chance he could have drowned. Better to deal with this early.
"Tch."
Loll spat in frustration and signaled his companions to dive underwater, searching for another chance to ambush.
"Saved..."
Sanji exhaled in relief. Being dragged underwater would have been disastrous—who knew if those three fish-men had been taken care of yet?
"Damn ninja!" Duval roared. "Why did you have to interfere?!"
"Why won't you let me settle this grudge with him?!"
"I have no interest in meddling in your personal grudges," Meiser replied. "But that doesn't mean I'll stand by while your allies attack Sanji."
"Bastard..."
Meiser's calm demeanor only further enraged Duval. Was he being looked down on?
Watching the Thousand Sunny gradually approach the shore, Duval made up his mind—he'd make them pay soon enough.
"Fine. Let me settle this grudge between us."
"Huh?"
Glancing at Sanji, who had landed back on the ground, Duval sneered. "So you finally admit this has something to do with you."
"Like hell it does!"
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Sanji said, "I'll resolve this my own way."
Duval: "???"
"As long as you're a pirate, this can never be resolved!"
"Enough talk—take this!" Sanji shouted.
With that, he charged at Duval and delivered a brutal kick straight to his flat, round face.
"Eyes!"
"Chin!"
"Nose!"
"Ow! That hurts!"
"Damn it, stop!" Duval howled in pain.
But Sanji ignored him, continuing his relentless assault without mercy.
"Mouth!"
"Teeth!"
"Super Makeover Shoot!"
Sanji's legs moved at blinding speed, striking Duval's face like a machine gun, gradually reshaping his features.
In the end, he forcibly remodeled Duval's face into an entirely different appearance.
Finally, the now-transformed Duval was sent flying into the ruins with one last kick.
"Whoosh~"
"BOOM!!"
Watching Duval being sent flying and crashing hard into a pile of rubble, Meiser muttered, "What kind of plastic surgeon is this?"
With his Sharingan activated, Meiser perfectly captured the entire process of the man's face being reshaped.
Honestly, Sanji was truly impressive—using nothing but his kicks, he had forcibly altered someone's appearance. Wouldn't this make plastic surgeons weep with envy?
"What did you see?" Nami asked curiously.
"Ah, Sanji just gave the guy a kick-induced facelift..."
"A facelift?"
Everyone stared at Meiser in confusion before turning in unison to look at Sanji on the shore, instinctively asking, "Sanji... you changed his face?"
"Yeah."
"Wasn't that why he hated me in the first place?" Sanji said. "So, I just gave him a new look. Problem solved."
Hachi stared blankly at Sanji, completely unprepared for such a solution.
If anything, Sanji had actually helped the guy... Was this the Straw Hat Pirates' way of handling things?
"Since it's settled, let's get going," Luffy grinned, his teeth flashing. "I can't wait to eat some takoyaki!"
"Hey, that's fine, right?"
Luffy directed this last question at Hachi, his eyes literally transforming into the shape of takoyaki, leaving Hachi momentarily stunned.
"Ah... sure, everyone, follow me to the shop," Hachi said, scratching his head. "I'll make takoyaki for you there."
"Let's go! Time for takoyaki!"
"Whoo!"
Soon, the Thousand Sunny changed course and gradually left the fortress that had been reduced to ruins.
Loll and his crew watched the departing ship, puzzled. Had they... just been spared?
"Don't know what happened, but surviving is a blessing," Loll sighed in relief.
"True enough."
"Quick, check on the boss! As long as he's okay, we can regroup!"
"Right!"
The group quickly jumped off their Feather Motorbikes and rushed toward Duval in the rubble.
But when they dug him out and pulled their boss free, they were stunned.
"Wha—?!"
Duval, once round-faced, had been transformed into a handsome man. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock. After a fight... their boss had actually gotten better-looking?
"B-Boss... how did you..."
"Splash~"
"Idiot! Why are you throwing seawater on the boss's face?!"
"I wanted him to find out as soon as possible!" the fat guy exclaimed. "This is amazing news!!"
"You can't just—"
Before Loll could finish, Duval groaned.
"Ugh..."
"My face hurts..."
Clutching his face, Duval slowly sat up, still dazed.
But soon, he remembered what had happened.
"That damn Black Leg Sanji!!"
"How dare he kick me like that—"
"Boss, before that... maybe you should look in a mirror first," Loll suggested.
As he spoke, he brought over a mirror, allowing Duval to see his own reflection clearly.
"Eh?"
"Why look in a mirror? I still need to find Black Leg Sanji and get reven—"
"Huh?"
"HUH?!"
"Who... who is this handsome guy?!"
Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Duval excitedly grabbed the mirror and scrutinized his appearance closely. "This is you, boss!"
"Is that really me?!"
Duval instinctively reached out to touch his face, immediately feeling a sharp pain. But instead of getting angry, he burst into laughter, tears even streaming down his face.
"HAHAHAHA..."
"HAHAHAHA!"
"Boss..."
His crewmates also watched their boss with excitement—they understood his feelings all too well.
Because of that face before, they had been hunted countless times by the Marines and bounty hunters, nearly dying on several occasions.
But now, not only had that dangerous face disappeared, he'd even become handsome!
After laughing for a while, Duval gradually calmed down, though his grip on the mirror didn't loosen.
After admiring himself for a bit, Duval muttered, "That Black Leg Sanji... really gave me one hell of a surprise..."
At this moment, he no longer held any hatred.
"Brothers, get the wounded treated, then follow me to find the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"YEAH!"