Chapter 393 - 232

Chapter 232: A Draw!At the abandoned pier, the sea breeze carried the heavy scent of rust and decaying wood, permeating the desolate docklands."Tsk tsk, Perverted Cook, your body..."Zoro spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva.His exposed upper body was covered in charred burn marks from electric shocks, and an unnatural dark red hue faintly showed beneath his skin."Anyone who didn't know better would think you secretly ate some kind of Mythical Zoan Type Devil Fruit!"His voice carried his usual sarcasm, but if one listened closely, they could detect a hint of undisguisable astonishment hidden beneath the hoarseness."Cut the crap!"Sanji still maintained his posture with his hands in his pockets, even though the action seemed exceptionally forced at the moment.The white shirt on his body had long since been shredded into tattered rags by crisscrossing sword marks, the most horrifying of which were the three slashes that spanned his chest.They were deep enough to see bone, with flesh curled outward; anyone who saw them would gasp in horror.Yet, eerily, the edges of those wounds were writhing at a speed visible to the naked eye, with fresh granulation tissue weaving and knitting together as if it had a life of its own!!"I think you're just jealous!!"Sanji spat, but the corner of his mouth twitched from disturbing his wounds."If you can't handle it, just admit defeat, Mosshead,"He lifted his chin, his blond hair catching a faint glimmer of light under the setting sun,"There's no shame in losing to the right-hand man of the future Pirate King!!""Tch—"Zoro's scoff was short and loud."Number 7 dares to talk to Number 1 like that?!"Then, under Sanji's gaze, he sheathed Shusui and gripped wado ichimonji and sandai kitetsu!The disdain in Zoro's eyes suddenly contracted, coalescing into a pinpoint of nearly insane sharpness.Sanji's pupils dilated in an instant.What he saw wasn't just the jet-black sparks of Armament Haki, but something else even more terrifying.Crimson-gold electric arcs erupted and coiled around Zoro's body as if they possessed a life of their own, then surged en masse toward those two famous swords!"Holy crap... Conquerors Haki Coating?!"Sanji's heart slammed hard inside his chest, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end instantly.Memories of being "specially trained" by Luffy for three whole months flooded back like a tide.Those fists coated in Conquerors Haki pierced through flesh and reached straight into the depths of the soul with every strike; no matter how formidable one's recovery ability was, it seemed pale and powerless in the face of that force.Conquerors Haki Coating, for any warrior relying on recovery abilities, was nothing short of the strictest "father"!However—"No..."Sanji shook his head violently, sending blood droplets from his blond hair flying.The way those two swords devoured the Haki was too greedy, too crude; it didn't look like coating, but rather... devouring.It was as if a bottomless black hole was hidden deep within the blades, frantically draining everything from the wielder."Is it a problem with the swords themselves?!"The wado ichimonji and sandai kitetsu in Zoro's hands began to emit a shrill humming.That wasn't the vibration of ordinary swords, but some kind of shriek bordering on hunger.Black and red flames rose from the tsuba, and within the flames, distorted faces and gaping fangs faintly emerged, while layers of ghostly wails and wolf howls echoed in the void.Sanji's muscles tensed instantly like steel cables.Jet-black Armament Haki covered every inch of his skin like a tide, spreading from his ankles up to his neck, gleaming with a cold metallic luster under the sunset.Three seconds.The color began to drain from Zoro's face, turning it like water-soaked lime.Ten seconds.The knotted muscles on his arms withered at a speed visible to the naked eye, his skin clinging to his bones, revealing wrinkles and veins like the bark of a dead tree.Those arms were shriveled and fragile, as if they would snap with a gentle bend.However, in terrifying contrast, his right eye burned with a light more intense than ghost fire, the depths of his pupil reflecting the black-purple flames soaring from the blades!"Perverted Cook.""Take this slash of mine, and if you can still move... I'll consider it my loss."The moment the words fell, he brought down the two swords he held high.Sanji only had time to squeeze a curse from the bottom of his throat: "You motherf—!!!"The next moment, the world fell into absolute silence.The sound of the wind, the waves, even his own heartbeat, all vanished.Then—"Sssshhhhhh!!!!!"That was the sound of the ocean being torn apart.Two giant walls of water rose up to the left and right along the trajectory of the slash, their height instantly exceeding a hundred meters, like two moving cliffs!The separated seawater surged to the sides, revealing the brown seabed dozens of meters deep below.The groove of the slash began from under Zoro's feet, as if plowed by a giant plow used by a god, extending straight toward the end of the horizon.Wherever it passed, the seawater refused to close, as if that wound had been permanently branded onto the surface of the ocean.The ocean... had been cleaved!!..."Huff... huff... huff..."Heavy gasps echoed across the silent pier.Both lay splayed out on the cracked ground, beneath them the mud soaked with sweat, blood, and seawater."Haah... Mosshead..."Sanji grinned, disturbing the wound at the corner of his mouth, yet still laughed wantonly,"Dueling you... is truly... exhilarating!"As he spoke, crimson-gold arcs of Conquerors Hakistill weakly darted through his body.Like countless tiny chains, they bound the almost instinctive urge of his bloodline factor to repair itself.Every time his cells tried to divide and heal, they were forcibly suppressed by that overbearing power, bringing waves of piercing pain that reached deep into his marrow."Cut... the crap..." Zoro's voice was squeezed out from deep within his throat.He had been completely hollowed out by those two cursed swords.Not just his Haki, but even the strength of his muscles had been greedily sucked dry.At this moment, he couldn't even bend a single finger; only his chest still rose and fell weakly with his labored breathing."So..."Sanji tried his best to turn his head to look at the eye a few meters away that was also looking at him,"This duel... how does it count?"Silence for a few seconds.The corner of Zoro's mouth tugged into a barely visible arc."Let's just call it...""A draw."As the words fell, both burst into laughter simultaneously."Hahahaha—!""Cough... hahaha...!"The laughter was hoarse and broken, mixed with painful gasps, yet it was incredibly sincere and uninhibited.It pierced through the lingering smoke and stench of blood, echoing over the empty, abandoned pier, louder than any declaration of victory.That was the purest joy of a warrior, after casting everything else aside.——————Night fell!Inside the palace hall.The long dining table was laden with various delicacies."Awoo—! So delicious!!"Luffy's voice unsurprisingly became the focus of the banquet.He was practically lying on the table, using both hands to stuff food into his mouth at an astonishing speed.Sauce dripped down the corner of his mouth onto the magnificent tablecloth, and bones and scraps piled up into a small mountain around him."I haven't had such authentic Alabasta cuisine in a long time!""Even though Sanji is great, the spices here are really something else!"He shouted incoherently, his eyes happily curving into crescent moons."Id—iot—!"Nami couldn't take it anymore and punched him on the head, making a crisp "thud" sound,"Can you act a little bit like a human being! This is a palace, you know!"She covered her face, feeling her cheeks burning.Although the court ladies standing by maintained elegant smiles, Nami always felt that there was amusement hidden in their eyes.She couldn't help but sigh in her heart:How did she, a Navigator who used to value money above all else and be shrewd and calm, end up...Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward that Idiot Captain who was still wrestling with a whole roast chicken.Fragments of memory flashed by:The back of him stepping forward in Orange Town, the straw hat he handed over in Arlong Park, his radiant smile when he rang the golden bell on Sky Island...Every time, it was so reckless, so desperate, yet like sunshine, it shone into her tightly closed heart without asking."Really... I give up on you."She muttered under her breath, a tenderness only she understood hidden beneath the annoyance in her tone.At the other end of the long table, Princess Vivi sat quietly.She wasn't eating, just resting her chin on her slender white palm, her sky-blue eyes like two clear lakes, watching Luffy without blinking.That gaze was filled with undisguised admiration, nostalgia, and a kind of deep attachment, as if she were looking at a long-lost dream regained.Candlelight danced on her smooth, long blue hair, plating her beautiful profile with a soft halo.That expression, anyone who saw it would be reminded of the most beautiful image of the word "first love."However, the happy atmosphere of the banquet did not infect everyone.King Cobra, seated at the head of the table, had an impenetrable cloud of gloom gathered between his brows.His posture seemed upright, but his slightly tense shoulders and the way he frequently looked out the window betrayed his inner anxiety.This monarch, known for his benevolence, seemed to be carrying an invisible boulder at this moment.Finally, when Luffy wiped out the fifth plate of roast meat and let out a loud belch.Cobra took a deep breath and stood up."Members of the Straw Hat Pirates."His voice was not loud, but it carried the steadiness of a king, instantly attracting everyone's attention.The noise subsided, and even Luffy stopped chewing temporarily, blinking as he looked at him.Cobra's gaze slowly swept over every familiar face.His throat bobbed, and he quietly clenched his hands at his sides, his knuckles turning slightly white."I... have an unreasonable request."He bowed deeply, his graying hair appearing particularly glaring under the lights,"Although I am deeply ashamed, and even though I know this might be dragging my benefactors into danger once again...""Could I ask you... to save this country once more?"