Hearing that soft, bell-like voice, Sanji froze for a moment, his body reacting before his mind could catch up.
Then he quickly shook his head, trying to suppress his thoughts.
This entire country was filled with strange, over-the-top people. Even if the ruler was not one of them, there was no way they were normal.
But still…
She was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
His nose immediately started bleeding again.
"My beautiful lady, you must be exhausted from your long journey. Please allow me to welcome you and help you recover."
Sanji dropped to one knee, speaking with utmost sincerity as he faced the stunning woman before him, the form that Emporio Ivankov had taken.
"Oh?" Ivankov looked down at him with visible amusement.
Then, without warning, he raised his hand. His fingernail extended sharply, turning into a thin needle.
He casually poked his own waist.
In an instant, his entire body shifted back to his original appearance.
Sanji slowly looked up.
A massive face, heavy makeup, blue-purple hair, and a crown.
His heart-shaped eyes faded, replaced by a blank stare.
Crack.
It felt like something inside him shattered completely.
"I knew it… I knew it!"
He clutched his chest and slammed his fist against it, his voice filled with despair.
Ivankov leaned closer, studying him with curiosity.
"What's wrong, boy?"
Sanji immediately pushed him away, turning his head sharply.
"Don't come any closer!"
Ivankov ignored his reaction and leaned in again.
"So, what are you doing in my country?"
Only then did Sanji recall something important.
During the war at Marineford, Luffy had been with Ivankov.
That meant this person knew where Luffy was.
Forcing himself to stay focused, Sanji looked up.
"You're Ivankov, right? Luffy was with you during the war. Do you know where he is now?"
He was not worried about Luffy's safety.
After all, the strongest man in the world, Rolan, had been present at Marineford.
Rolan was also the master of both Luffy and Ace.
As long as Rolan existed, it was hard to imagine anyone being able to harm them.
Sanji had even witnessed Ace being rescued.
But after the war, everyone had been separated.
The last place they had all been together was the Sabaody Archipelago.
So naturally, that would be the place to regroup.
When Ivankov heard this, his expression became slightly more cautious.
"Who are you? What's your relationship with Luffy?"
Sanji frowned.
"I'm his crewmate."
Ivankov straightened up and pulled out a stack of wanted posters.
He flipped through them one by one, showing each to Sanji.
But none of them matched.
"All the Straw Hat pirates are here, but there's no poster of you. And you expect me to believe you?"
Sanji's expression darkened.
This was humiliating.
He coughed lightly, then reluctantly pulled out his own wanted poster.
"This… is me."
He coughed again, his face twisted with discomfort.
Ivankov grabbed the poster and stared at it.
Then he pointed at the image.
"This looks nothing like you."
"That is me!" Sanji snapped, coughing again.
He looked like he might collapse from frustration alone.
Admitting that ridiculous sketch was him felt worse than taking a beating.
If this continued, he might actually cough up all his blood.
Ivankov shook his head.
"No, I don't believe it. I can't tell you anything."
He put the posters away and began walking toward the shore.
"Stop!"
Sanji forced himself to stand, turning toward Ivankov's back.
"If you won't tell me, then I'll take it the pirate way!"
Ivankov paused and slowly turned around, a grin forming.
"Oh? So you've got some spirit. The information is with me. Let's see if you're worthy of it."
Moments later.
Bang.
Bang.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Sanji lay sprawled on the ground, his body battered and bloodied. Several bones were clearly fractured.
In contrast, Ivankov stood calmly, not even slightly out of breath, his clothes completely untouched.
Slap.
A stack of newspapers was tossed beside Sanji.
"Anyway, the whole world already knows. You can have it."
Without another word, Ivankov turned and walked away.
Sanji struggled to prop himself up. His hands trembled as he unfolded the newspaper.
He read it carefully.
Then his eyes sharpened.
"I see… Luffy."
At the same time, across the world, the scattered members of the Straw Hat crew received the same message.
Each of them understood what Luffy intended.
Far away, in Wano Country, Kuri.
"I wonder where Luffy ran off to this time."
Ace's voice echoed inside O-Tama's small tree hollow home.
Rolan remained calm, sensing his surroundings.
"He's still in Kuri."
In truth, Rolan had brought Luffy with him to Wano.
He had a purpose.
From his understanding of Devil Fruits, only Paramecia and Zoan types had confirmed awakenings.
Throughout history, there had never been a recorded case of a Logia awakening.
No one had even come close to proving it.
It made sense.
Logia abilities were already abnormal, capable of altering the environment simply by being used.
If they could awaken beyond that, the result would be unimaginable.
It was even possible that Logia fruits were already in a permanent awakened state.
As for Paramecia and Zoan awakenings, there was a clear requirement.
The user had to reach the absolute limit of their body and power.
At that point, something would change.
Luffy was already approaching that threshold.
His current strength was close to the level he had reached just before awakening in the original timeline.
That was why Rolan brought him here.
To use Kaido as the catalyst.
Rolan could force the awakening himself.
But he chose not to.
Luffy was both the central figure of this world and his disciple.
There was no guarantee Rolan could hold back enough.
One mistake could kill him.
In many people's eyes, Rayleigh had only guided Luffy.
The one who truly pushed him to evolve had been Kaido.
So in every way, Kaido was the best option.
Ace let out a small laugh, shaking his head.
"That guy always causes trouble."
He was not worried about Luffy's safety.
Only about the chaos he might bring to Wano and how it could interfere with their plans.
"Burp."
Everyone turned.
O-Tama sat there, her cheeks slightly puffed, her belly round after finishing all the food.
"Hmph. A ninja never wastes food."
Her face turned red under their gaze.
Just then, a voice came from the doorway.
"It smells great. Rolan, what are you eating without me?"
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