Lin Mo looked at him calmly.
Sanji was still far too scrawny.
He was no match for the sturdy, muscular Zoro.
If Sanji started strength training right away, his slight frame might not be able to take it.
Lin Mo said, "Starting now, strap two kilograms of weights to your ankles. Whether you're eating, working, or sleeping, don't take them off. Once you've adjusted, add more weight."
"Huh?" Sanji asked in surprise. "Is that to build strength in my legs?"
Lin Mo nodded.
"And then?" Sanji asked eagerly. "What else should I do? Practice kicking accurately, maybe?"
"Don't rush. Build strength in your ankles first. You can train other things later," Lin Mo said. "If you really need something else to do, study anatomy."
Sanji paused, then muttered, "What's there to study about that...?"
"Strength without technique is useless," Lin Mo said flatly.
With that, Lin Mo said no more. He walked around Sanji and returned to his room to rest.
Sanji stood on the deck, turning Lin Mo's words over in his mind.
The more he thought about them, the more confused he became.
Lin Mo wanted him to learn how to use his strength with technique. But what technique?
Did it have something to do with the anatomy Lin Mo had told him to study?
Sanji scratched his head. He thought about it all night but still couldn't figure it out.
The next day.
Lin Mo ordered breakfast in the dining room.
Garp, dressed in casual clothes, sat at the next table just as he had the day before and ordered the exact same breakfast.
"Drinking first thing in the morning? You're young, but you're already a little drunkard," Garp said with a grin as he watched Lin Mo eat and drink.
Lin Mo couldn't be bothered to respond. He kept eating.
He couldn't understand it.
Garp had accepted yesterday that Lin Mo wouldn't join the Marines.
So why was he still here?
Garp grinned. "When you were in Foosha Village, did you meet a kid named Luffy? He's my grandson."
"No," Lin Mo said.
He had spent only ten-odd days in Foosha Village. Luffy hadn't come to the tavern during that time, so they had never met.
"Ah, that's a shame." Garp propped his cheek on one hand. "I thought you and Luffy might be friends. What about Ace? Do you know him?"
Lin Mo gave him a speechless look.
What is this old fox trying to do with all these random questions?
"No," Lin Mo said.
Garp burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Doesn't matter. You'll meet them someday. You can become friends then. Hahaha!"
Just then.
Someone violently kicked open the dining room doors.
A burly-faced man with a vicious expression stormed in with a gang of underlings.
"Hand over that blond brat!" the man in front roared.
"Hey, aren't those Krieg's men?"
"Krieg? The Pirate who's been causing the most trouble in the East Blue lately? What are his men doing at Baratie?"
"No idea. Is the blond brat he means the kid who served us earlier?"
"Oh, that kid's done for..."
The diners began talking among themselves.
Some were too frightened to say anything.
Lin Mo continued eating his breakfast.
Garp took another look at Krieg's lackeys, but no matter how hard he thought, he couldn't remember who Krieg was. "Krieg? Is he a Pirate? Why don't I remember him?"
A diner at the next table quietly filled him in. "Krieg's the Pirate who's been making a name for himself in the East Blue. He'll do any rotten thing, and he already has fifteen Pirate ships under his command."
"Fifteen Pirate ships, huh." Garp rubbed his chin, then turned to Lin Mo with a sudden grin. "What a coincidence. I had my men sail the Marine Battleship away just this morning. Lin Mo, what do you think I should do now?"
Lin Mo glanced at him. "Whatever you want."
Patty came downstairs carrying food.
When he saw the crowd at the entrance, he promptly delivered the food to its table. Then he rubbed his hands together and greeted the newcomers with a smile. "Welcome! Are you gentlemen here to eat?"
The man in front glared at Patty, grabbed him by the collar, and snarled, "Hand over the blond brat!"
"The blond brat?" Patty asked with a smile. "So you gentlemen are here to find someone, not to eat?"
"Huh? Can't you understand what I'm saying?" The man's eyes widened, and he swung his free fist at Patty's face.
Patty's expression changed. He caught the man's fist, and his whole demeanor shifted. "If you're not here to eat, get out!"
As he spoke, Patty kicked at the man.
The man pulled a gun from his belt and pressed it against Patty's forehead.
Patty stopped mid-kick. Sweat began to bead on his brow.
At that moment.
Sanji came slowly down the stairs carrying food.
Weights were strapped to his ankles.
When he saw the gun pointed at Patty's head, he stopped, frightened.
"Brother Qiang, I see the blond brat!" one of the man's underlings shouted, pointing at Sanji on the Spiral Staircase.
"Hmph!" The man swung his gun toward the stairs and aimed at Sanji. "Brat, blame yourself for messing with our boss's woman. Die!"
He pulled the trigger.
A bullet tore across the dining room toward Sanji, who was too frightened to move.
Only four words filled Sanji's mind: I'm done for!
Floating Restaurant: Zeff's Thanks
Just as the bullet was about to hit Sanji.
A chopstick came flying out of nowhere. It struck the bullet squarely on its side, knocking it off course. The bullet grazed Sanji's hair and lodged in the wooden wall behind him.
"Well, look at you. You do have a kind heart," Garp said with a grin, looking at Lin Mo, who had only one chopstick left.
Lin Mo speared the last fried dumpling with his remaining chopstick and popped it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed at his leisure.
Seeing someone interfere, the man in front shouted furiously, "Who was that? Who threw that chopstick? Show yourself!"
Lin Mo finished his breakfast with one last drink.
He hung his Wine Gourd back on his belt.
Then he stood and walked, step by step, toward the Pirates at the main entrance.
"What's that child doing?"
"Don't go over there! Those are vicious Pirates. They'll kill you!"
"Kid, go back to your seat!"
Worried cries rose from the diners around him.
Lin Mo kept walking as though he hadn't heard them.
Garp watched him with a grin.
He wasn't worried about Lin Mo.
Those Pirates, on the other hand, were in trouble.
"Brother Qiang, I'll take care of this brat!" A Pirate in a blue bandanna raised a machete and swung at Lin Mo with a nasty grin.
Lin Mo stepped aside, easily avoiding the sloppy strike.
"Damn it! You're finished, brat!" The bandanna-wearing Pirate put all his strength into another swift attack.
Lin Mo dodged twice, then struck the man hard in the back with the edge of his hand, knocking him to the floor.
The leader, whom the others called Brother Qiang, narrowed his eyes. His gaze fell on the Wooden Sword at Lin Mo's waist, and he sneered. "You pretentious little brat. I'll send you straight to hell!"
With that, Brother Qiang aimed his gun at Lin Mo and fired several shots in a row.
"Lin Mo, watch out! Dodge!" Sanji shouted.
Lin Mo evaded every shot with Flash Step, then lunged in front of Brother Qiang and kicked both his knees.
Brother Qiang lost his balance and fell to the floor.
"Bastard! Do you know who I am, you little brat?" Brother Qiang sprang up in a rage. "Men, get him! I want this brat dead!"
"Yes, Brother Qiang!"
The dining room erupted in noise.
A whole crowd of Pirates charged at a ten-year-old child.
Lin Mo watched them calmly.
He shifted his feet.
Then, using nothing but basic kicks, he struck swiftly and precisely at their waists, chests, ribs, and other vulnerable spots.
Soon, every Pirate lay on the floor, writhing in pain.
Lin Mo swept a cool gaze over his fallen opponents.
He walked past them toward the doors. Before stepping outside, he said, "Find the right spot, and you can bring down an enemy even if you lack strength."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then the entire dining room burst into cheers.
"Wow, that kid's incredible! He beat all those Pirates by himself!"
"Maybe those Pirates were just weak. Haha! Still, the kid's got skills."
"What did he mean by what he said before he left?"
"No idea, but that was amazing. Hahaha..."
At first, Garp had wondered why Lin Mo hadn't simply used his sword or the kicking techniques he had used against Zeff yesterday. Why go to the trouble of beating those Pirates with basic kicks?
Then he noticed Sanji trembling slightly on the stairs.
Thinking back to Lin Mo's parting words, Garp understood. "That kid really is something."
Sanji wasn't trembling from fear.
He knew Lin Mo's final words had been meant for him.
He was trembling because he had understood them and could barely contain his excitement.
As soon as Lin Mo boarded the ship, the system's notification sounded in his mind.
Beep! Guided Sanji's kicking technique. Sign-in progress +20%. Current total progress: 70%.
No reward, just as he'd expected.
That was fine. Only thirty percent remained. Things at Baratie seemed to be going smoothly.
Before you continue