Chapter 336 - 175

Chapter 175: Childish Luffy!!"Luffy!!"Sanji's roar tore through the smoke and heat. Where he stood, the scorched ground was radially cracked, and gravel and metal debris floated and trembled within the violent magnetic field surrounding him.His once elegant black suit was now in tatters, the fabric clinging to his lean, toned body.With every ragged breath, he tugged at the congealed blood scabs, causing fresh, hotter crimson to seep out.Yet, despite his broken body, his aura erupted like a volcano and surged like a tsunami.A qualitative shift in power coursed through him, blending completely with his flesh and bone.It was no longer the reluctant driving of his ability when he first acquired it, no longer the sluggish friction between lightning and flesh.Now, the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had become an extension of his will, just like his years of honed kicking techniques, transforming into an instinctive breath."Do you see it?"A near-maniacal arc pulled at the corners of his mouth. His blond hair stood on end due to the static electricity, and tiny electric sparks danced at the tips."This is ten times... no, a hundred times the power I had before!""Zzz—Boom!!!"Before the words even faded, his tattered figure exploded from its spot into a brilliant ball of azure lightning, crossing space in an instant to appear in mid-air.His right leg was raised high above his head, and an unprecedented amount of massive lightning condensed, compressed, and coiled around that long, slender leg!The high-frequency oscillating current emitted a sharp hiss like the simultaneous screeching of billions of wild birds.The visible force field distorted the surrounding light, as if he were raising a blade of divine punishment forged directly from the lightning of the firmament, ready to strike down.That grin was infused with the catharsis of absolute control over power, as well as the sharp edge of transformation after surviving a life-or-death battle and breaking his limits."This 'gift'..."He looked down, his eyes blazing with lightning like the sun."You better catch it properly, Captain!"Before his leg fell, the overwhelming pressure already shrouded the entire battlefield like a tangible pool of lightning. It was ten times the strength of the past, and a brand-new posture—a combination of "Devil" and "Thunder God"—that had completely awakened....Luffy tilted his head, making a clicking sound with his mouth, his expression one of undisguised disdain."Hey, hey, Sanji! Your current state... did that damn lightning fry your brain?"He picked at his ear, as if the noise of the current was giving him a headache."Does this Rumble-Rumble Fruit come with 'mania' included? The last guy who ate it was the same way, eyes fixed on the top of his skull, really thinking he was the 'center of the world'?"But the playfulness in his eyes settled into rock-solid focus the moment the words fell. A circle of air pressure exploded silently beneath his feet, and the ground beneath him suddenly sank and cracked."Don't forget, you have me to thank for this kind of progress!!""Shhh—!!"He clenched his right fist, and Armament Haki, like living iron, surged from his shoulder, coiling violently down his arm in a spiral! Each spiral indentation seemed to devour the light, and the air emitted a sharp wail as it was compressed by that extreme hardness and density.It was no longer a simple "hardening," but the twisting of will, conviction, and all his power into an unbreakable "spear"!"Grilled Steak!!""Serious Punch!!"Boom!! The moment the fist and leg collided, it was like a meteor hitting the earth.A pillar of white-hot light suddenly pierced the sky, so brilliant that it made the sun look dim!This irresistible energy surged out like a collapsed river of heaven, sweeping through the surroundings with overwhelming force!Boom! Luffy's fist forcefully crushed Sanji's lightning and slammed heavily into his leg. The ring-shaped shockwave from the collision arrived late, tearing radial gullies into the ground.Sanji's body left a trailing, dissipating wake of blue sparks as he flew backward, like a shot-down thunderbird."As expected, I still can't beat you... you monster."Sanji struggled to prop himself up from the pile of rubble, every inch of his muscles crying out in agony.Blood mixed with sweat dripped from his temple, soaking his already tattered shirt. He tried to move his fingers, but could only trigger a painful twitch. —That heavy punch wrapped in Armament Hakihad almost shattered his entire skeletal structure.He panted and looked up. The smoke and dust in front of him slowly settled, revealing the figure sitting on a scorched boulder.Luffy was propping his chin with his hand, his rubber arms hanging limply on either side of his knees, with a few stray sparks of electricity still dancing on the brim of his straw hat.Seeing Sanji look over, he immediately grinned, revealing his signature big smile:"Don't be like that! You're super strong!!"The smile was too bright, which only deepened Sanji's suspicions. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and narrowed his bruised eyes:"You hit so hard... it's not just for training me, is it?"The air went quiet for a second. Luffy's smile froze on his face, his eyes drifted uncontrollably to the upper right, and his fingers unconsciously picked at the hole in his knee."Eh?"He made a short, sharp sound."Stop playing dumb."Sanji gritted his teeth and stood up using his remaining mobile leg, his torn pant leg fluttering in the wind,"The last move,'Serious Punch'... you could have held back thirty percent of your power, but you deliberately unleashed it all."He pointed to the terrible bruise on his chest that extended from his collarbone to his abdomen:"The angle of this mark—you adjusted your punch trajectory at the last second, didn't you?""To ensure you hit the gap between my most fragile ribs—this kind of precise malice doesn't look like ordinary combat coaching.""You damn well just treated me like an opponent, didn't you?!"Luffy opened his mouth, and the expression under the shadow of his straw hat began to waver. He scratched the back of his head, rubbing his hair into a tangled mess with his rubber fingers."And,"Sanji staggered forward, but stared fixedly into Luffy's eyes,"when you said 'let's have a serious fight today' before the battle started, the corners of your mouth were turned down.""—That's your sign that you're desperately trying to hold back a laugh. I've been with you for so long, do you think I wouldn't notice?"Luffy's body stiffened visibly."So,"Sanji took a deep breath, the air mixed with the smell of blood stinging his lungs,"you went through all this trouble, using'special training' as an excuse...""Thump."Luffy slid off the rock and sat on the ground. His whole face flushed red, his lips pressed into a wavy line, and his eyes were wide open. His hands gestured helplessly in the air, and finally, he covered his face with a "slap.""...You found out."A muffled voice leaked through his fingers.Sanji stood in place, silent for three seconds. Then he slowly raised his still-functioning left hand and pointed tremblingly at the curled-up rubber idiot."You bastard—"Profanity poured out like a floodgate, mixed with the essence of multi-lingual greetings, echoing over the ruins. Sanji couldn't even care about the excruciating pain in his ribs, wishing he could smash every curse word he had ever learned onto him:"I knew it! I knew it!""What 'Observation Haki prediction training'! 'Armament Haki internal destruction teaching'! 'Devil Fruit awakening guidance'!...""It's all bullsh*t! Your hands were just itching! You wanted to find a punching bag that could take a beating!"Luffy peeked through his fingers and whispered in defense:"B-but Sanji, you really have become so much stronger... That spinning kick just now almost hit my chin...""Is that the point?!""The point is that I don't have a single bone in my body that doesn't hurt right now!""My internal organs might have shifted! And you, you bastard—" Sanji was so angry he almost couldn't catch his breath."You even sat on the rock acting profound after you finished! Acting like a coach!""And that 'Don't be like that'—!!"He imitated Luffy's tone from just a moment ago, his voice distorted by anger.Luffy finally took his hands down, his face full of conflicting emotions of "I'm done for" and "but that felt so good." He tried to change the subject:"That... Sanji, are you hungry? I'll go catch a Sea Kings...""I only want to stew you into rubber soup right now!!"Above the ruins, the blond chef limped toward his Captain, completely forgetting the pain. And the straw hat boy, while dodging with "Eh, eh, eh," couldn't help but laugh again. In that smile, there was a little bit of guilt, and a lot of uncontainable, childish catharsis.