"This... uh, this."
Tashigi looked troubled.
She weighed her words carefully, trying to make them sound less hurtful, "I went to sea to follow a senior I've admired for years. Other than him, I'm not interested in any other men."
"Thanks for your admiration, but... sorry."
She gave a slight bow to Sanji and quickly turned away, afraid of being entangled again.
Crack!
Sanji's body froze instantly, as if struck by lightning.
The rose he was holding fell to the ground with a "snap," and he seemed to crack like a weathered statue, breaking into countless pieces with a final boom.
"Sanji?"
Chopper cautiously approached, poking his shoulder with a hoof, "A-are you okay?"
"I'm... fine..." Sanji turned his head blankly, his eyes empty, "It's just, just my heart... has been... pierced..."
"Pierced!!!"
He slowly knelt to the ground, supporting himself with his hands, his forehead touching the ground, enshrouded in shadow.
"Why must fate be so cruel, a beauty with the exact appearance of Kuina Big Sis, yet so much gentler than her..."
"Chopper, do you know how attractive this is to me?"
"And in the end, she actually... already has someone she likes?!"
"And it's some 'senior she's admired for years'?!"
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Sanji suddenly roared at the sky, tears streaming down his face, pounding the ground forcefully and gritting his teeth:
"Damn, damn it! Who exactly is that bastard senior who stole Tashigi-san's heart first?! I want to duel him, duel! Let him know how strong I am!!!"
"Actually, I think I do know."
Chopper raised a photo weakly, "That lady Tashigi was scared by you earlier, this fell from her pocket. I think this should be the one she admires..."
"Let me see!"
Sanji took it eagerly, looking down.
"Then it's fine."
He stood up at lightning speed, casually twisting his neck, "Hey, Chopper, let's go and have some fun at the Shampodi Amusement Park."
"You backed down way too fast!" Chopper roared angrily with sharp teeth, "You said you wanted to duel!"
"Ah haha, the weather is really nice today, come on, Chopper, the roller coaster is a popular attraction, we might have to queue later."
"Hey! Properly answer my question!"
"Huh, how much are the tickets again? Not sure if the cash I brought is enough, Chopper, do you have any change left?"
"Hey!!!"
...
At the Shampodi Amusement Park, in front of the roller coaster, a crowd bustled.
"As expected, we have to queue."
Chopper had a bitter face, "There must be at least over a hundred people in front, how long is this going to take? So boring."
"I hate queuing too."
Sanji lit a cigarette, exhaled sadly through his nose, and glanced toward the distance, "There seems to be a cotton candy stall by the side door over there, Chopper, why don't you keep queuing, and I'll go buy some for you?"
"Oh oh oh!!!"
Chopper perked up instantly, his eyes sparkling, "Sure, sure, preferably pink ones. I love pink the most!"
"Same color as cherry blossoms, don't worry, I remember."
Sanji waved his hand gracefully, taking big strides to leave.
...
The crowd surged nearby, neither of them noticing three men in floral shirts who had been watching them.
"Hey, did you see it?"
A tall, thin man lowered his voice, pointing at Chopper, "That blue-nosed raccoon can actually talk. If I'm not mistaken, it should be that rare race, right?"
"No mistake, it's the Fur Race you find only in the New World."
Another bald, brawny man had a glint of greed in his eyes, "That little thing is quite cute. Tsk, these Fur Race, their price at Auction No.1 Gr has been quite high lately, almost second to female merfolk."
"But I heard the Fur Race's combat prowess is not to be underestimated."
The last man with a mutton chop beard, evidently the leader type, said calmly, "Hard tactics are impractical. Judging from the conversation, doesn't the little raccoon like cotton candy? We can use this to trick it."
"I'll go buy cotton candy."
"I'll prepare the sedatives."
"I'll stall that curly-browed suited guy."
The three exchanged glances, silently scattering.
————
"Hey, Chopper!"
Ten minutes later, Sanji's excited voice rang out as he held up three pink cotton candies, walking through the crowd towards Chopper.
"Got them, got them! The vendor said these are strawberry flavored and even added..."
Before he could finish, a man with a mutton chop beard in a floral shirt suddenly lowered his head and bumped into him from the side.
Bam!
The cotton candy in Sanji's hand was all knocked loose, sticking messily onto the man's clothes.
"Hey! You jerk!"
Sanji was instantly furious, grabbing the man's shirt collar with the mutton chops, "Not seeing where you're going, huh? Do you know how hard it was to buy this cotton candy?"
"Sorry, so sorry, man!"
The man with the mutton chops looked flustered, "I was in a hurry, it wasn't intentional, really sorry... How about this, where did you buy them, take me there, and I'll buy ten for you!"
"..."
Sanji frowned, finally let go of his hand and shook his head helplessly:
"Forget it, you called me brother... With that attitude, just give me the money for three and I'll buy them myself without wasting your time."
"Thank you, thank you for your understanding!"