Chapter 370 - 209

Chapter 209: Battle Scars and Cooking Smoke: The Two Sides of a Pirate's Day and Night!A flicker of complex helplessness crossed Sanji's face.At the beginning, he had clearly been able to easily suppress Luffy, who was shackled by Sea Stone, with his own strength alone. But as the battle progressed, this guy's endurance had climbed at an inhuman speed.Now, these Sea Stone shackles were almost useless, aside from barely managing to suppress his Devil Fruit abilities."ROOM!"Law's low shout cut through the heavy air. With a lift of his left hand, a cerulean hemispherical domain suddenly expanded.His figure vanished instantly within the domain, leaving only a lingering tremor of space.Luffy's crimson pupils constricted slightly, the red light of Observation Haki flowing in his eyes like ripples in a deep pool."—Clang!"Law's cursed blade, "kikoku," descended wrapped in a chilling blade light, but it only struck the Sea Stone chains hard, splashing a cluster of blinding sparks.Almost at the same instant, Luffy's right leg tore through the air like dark red thunder, the black and red lightning coiled around it crackling as it swept toward Law's head at an eardrum-shattering speed!However— "—Whoosh!"At the critical moment, Law teleported away again.Where he had originally stood, the spatial ripples had not yet dissipated, and Yamato, who had been gathering momentum for a long time, had already burst through the air!She gripped her Spiked Club "takeru" tightly with both hands, the club wreathed in thick, tangible black and purple Haoshoku lightning, and with the force to split mountains and seas, she smashed it down toward Luffy's head!"Boom—!!!"The intense collision of Haoshoku unleashed a terrifying shockwave that crushed the atmosphere.Luffy was sent flipping backward by this heavy blow. Amidst the swirling dust, a scorching and joyous smile rose on his face."You've learned to use tactical coordination, huh? Very good! But—""But what?"The cold, oppressive voice sounded as if it were right next to his ear.Indigo electric arcs bloomed like flowers, and Sanji's figure coalesced within the lightning.The anger long suppressed in his eyes finally erupted completely. Without any pause, his right foot transformed into a blazing afterimage and kicked violently toward Luffy!"Did you forget?" Luffy's crimson pupils turned toward him, a flash of nearly playful sharpness in them. "I, after all, can see the future!"The moment the words fell, alarm bells rang wildly in Sanji's heart.His surefire kick had actually struck empty air!And in almost the same millisecond, the air behind him was torn open by a savage and domineering force.Luffy's foot, wreathed in black and red lightning, seemed to have been waiting there for a long time, landing a solid, heavy blow on his back."Boom—!!!!"The power contained in that kick was like a mountain torrent and a tsunami.Sanji didn't even have time to groan before his entire body turned into a cannonball fired from its chamber, tearing through layers of air barriers and crashing straight into the distant ruins, leaving only a blurred, painful trail in the air."Hiss... that hurts like hell..." The next second, Sanjigritted his teeth and limped out from the rubble.He glared fiercely at Luffy, the veins on his forehead throbbing: "Why do I always feel like you're targeting me?!""And—" He pointed at Luffy's almost bizarre movement technique from just now, his voice full of frustration and skepticism. "Is that kind of ridiculous spatial displacement really something'Shave' can do?!"Sanji had been holding this question in for a long time. Using "Shave" like a teleportation without any warning, ignoring inertia—that's basically cheating, right?!"Don't worry about those details~" Luffy narrowed his eyes, the grin spreading across his lips pure and scorching, as if he were just discussing the weather today."Let's have a good fight—!!!"Before the words fell, dark red Haoshoku lightning surged out from his body like a furious dragon, and was forcibly compressed and fitted onto the surface of his body by his astonishing control, forming a flowing armor of destruction.Bang—!!! The ground beneath his feet shattered in response, and the shockwave pushed outward like a solid force.His figure had already become like an out-of-control dark red train, carrying the momentum to crush everything as he charged thunderously toward the three people opposite him!"This guy... has absolutely no concept of 'holding back'!" Sanji felt his liver aching, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even more fiercely.Violent blue electric currents surged into his legs without reservation, and his muscles tightened and hummed within the electric light.His eyes were half serious, half filled with the fanaticism of facing a strong enemy.Law's expression was grave to the extreme; his Observation Haki spread out like a great net, frantically trying to catch a glimmer of a flaw within that rampaging mass of red energy.The kikoku in his hand hummed slightly, as if it too were longing to strike a decisive blow.Yamato had already transformed into her Hybrid Form, breathing out frost-like cold air from her mouth, gripping the Spiked Club tightly with both hands, the club wreathed in leaping black and purple electric light.She had no fear at all, her face full of excitement that said "Bring it on."In an instant—four figures, four kinds of ultimate power, collided without any frills!Boom! Bang! Clang—!!!The loud noises were no longer intermittent syllables, but a destructive roar that merged into one, drowning out everything.Every collision of Haki was like detonating explosives in the air, with shockwaves exploding in circles, crushing rocks and tearing apart trees.The entire island seemed to be groaning in pain amidst the four people's slaughter. With the battlefield as the center, the area within a one-kilometer radius had turned into a true hell on earth.The earth cracked open with bottomless wounds, the air twisted and burned due to the violent friction of energy, and even the clouds in the sky were torn and scattered, revealing the trembling firmament behind them.Night fell quietly, gently covering the scars left by the day's slaughter.In the center of the island, a bright bonfire danced, dispelling the night chill and reflecting the relaxed faces of everyone sitting around it.Noise and warmth permeated the air, as if the fierce battle of the day were just a distant dream.Hancock was dressed in a gorgeous deep purple qipao, the texture of the silk flowing with a Moonlight-like luster on her body.The bonfire illuminated her already flawless face, making it even more soft and moving, glowing with a rosy light like a newly bloomed rose.Those clear, beautiful eyes were rippling with water-like tenderness at this moment, and when her eyelashes drooped slightly, charm flowed out in wisps.Her snow-white neck had elegant lines, and below that was the slender waist, delicately outlined by the qipao, that one could grasp in a palm, as well as the long, snow-white legs faintly revealed while sitting sideways. In the flickering firelight, every contour was breathtakingly beautiful, not seemingly of this mortal world.Her jade arms habitually, and with an unquestionable possessive posture, wrapped around Luffy's arm, her body almost snuggling against him.Her cheeks were flushed, and as her gaze shifted, her eyes were like silk. It was a radiance thoroughly soaked in love, emanating from the inside out, making her entire being like a lit pearl, shining brilliantly, almost stealing all the luster from the bonfire.On the other side, Uta turned her face slightly and curled her lips almost imperceptibly.This scene had long since not been the first time it had played out. This "conspiratorially successful" Pirate Empress was now simply sprinkling "dog food" in front of everyone day after day, getting worse with each passing day.That posture of acting as the "main wife" made Utafeel both angry and stifled inside.Clearly, she was the childhood sweetheart who had shared the music of childhood with Luffy and had been with him the longest!But with Hancock stirring things up like this, she felt as if she were being scrutinized by invisible eyes; even wanting to naturally get close to Luffylike in the past made her feel like her hands and feet had nowhere to rest.As for Yamato, her mind was as clear and simple as Moonlight, and she had not touched upon this subtle undercurrent of emotion at all.She still maintained her carefree nature, naturally putting her arm around Luffy's shoulder and laughing loudly whenever the mood struck, completely disregarding the occasion.But at this moment, her attention had long been firmly captured by another "temptation"... the ever-changing, fragrant, and exquisite dishes in Sanji's hands were being served one after another.Yamato's eyes were wide round, her mouth stuffed full, and she let out satisfied sighs from time to time, already intoxicated in the kingdom of food, throwing all other disturbances to the back of her mind.Meanwhile, the jumping light of the bonfire shone on Sanji's face, but it could not dispel the desolate shadow in his heart.The kitchen knife in his hand mechanically cut the ingredients, but his eyes uncontrollably drifted toward that heartbreaking scene opposite him.Pirate Empress Boa Hancock, hailed as the "World's Most Beautiful Woman," who had once made countless men retreat and was even rumored to suffer from "androphobia," was now snuggling beside Luffy like a tame kitten, the thick, inseparable tenderness in her eyes enough to melt steel... yet it was only for that rubber idiot alone.And the "World Diva" Uta, who sat with elegance and was revered as a goddess by millions of fans, although pretending to be indifferent on the surface, how could those occasional gazes cast toward Luffy, filled with complex resentment and concern, escape the keen observation of the "Gentleman of Love"?Her feelings were already written in those slightly pursed lips and the gaze that subconsciously followed Luffy's figure.Yamato was quite enthusiastic toward him, but Sanji knew clearly that she was just eyeing his food.Sanji felt his heart cracking, shattered all over the floor.Why? On what grounds? Surrounded by so many peerless beauties of such different styles, yet their gazes were all focused on that blockheaded Captain who knew nothing about romance and had only meat and adventure in his brain?And he, Sanji, a gentleman well-versed in etiquette, who loved women and had superb culinary skills, could only wander alone on the other side of love?Is there any justice in this world?! His hand holding the tomato trembled slightly, and a silent cry erupted from the depths of his soul.On the other side, Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King, quietly sipping his liquor, took it all in. His smiling eyes narrowed slightly, and within his deep wrinkles hid the wisdom of the years and a trace of helpless emotion.As for the romantic luck of this little brother, his friend across generations, even someone as experienced in the storms of life as he was, could not help but marvel.He couldn't help but recall what Shakky had said once, half-teasingly and half-seriously: "Rayleigh, if I were a few decades younger and met little Monkey first at some port on the sea... then I'm afraid there would be nothing left for you old guy!"Although it was a joke, it was like a small thorn, gently pricking the heart of the former "Right Hand of the Pirate King."Rayleigh had seen clearly the flash of appreciation in Shakky's eyes for that pure quality in Luffy.But Rayleigh also had to admit that there was indeed an indescribable, unique charm about Luffy.He was like a rising sun, unreservedly showing his light and heat, domineeringly dispelling all the gloom and cold around him.His very existence was an attraction that struck straight at the soul.He did not pursue love, yet love naturally gathered toward him; he did not understand romance, yet he could always inadvertently touch the softest parts of people's hearts.It was a yearning for and pursuit of "vitality" itself, one that transcended appearance, status, and even gender.By his side, you would involuntarily be infected by that "truth" without any shadow, just like a moth instinctively rushing toward the most dazzling light source.The warm light of the bonfire also brushed across Law's profile, but it failed to soften the habitual coldness between his brows.He had no expression, only silently wrapping new bandages around his body, circle after circle.The movements were skilled and precise, as if he were completing a silent surgery.Faintly showing through under the bandages were the marks left by the fierce battle of the day.Compared to the "inhuman" companions beside him, his recovery process seemed so... reasonable, even a bit wretched.That guy Sanji, relying on the bloodline factormodified by Germa technology, had probably already quietly healed most of his broken bones under the nourishment of food;Yamato, as a Mythical Zoan Type user, had a vitality as vigorous as the monsters in legends, and minor flesh wounds had probably long been self-repaired by that special constitution;As for their Captain... he was simply a rubber monster that could not be measured by common sense; his resistance to blows and recovery ability had long broken through the boundaries of human cognition.Only he, Trafalgar Law. The man who held the name "Surgeon of Death," possessed the top-tier Ope-Ope no Mi ability in the world, and could theoretically perform the "Perennial Youth Operation" to touch the taboos of life.In this whole day of "teammate sparring," he had solidly served as the punching bag that best fit the definition of "human."Law tied a knot with a blank expression, and only one calm retort remained in his heart: 'Only I am actually, truly getting hurt.'