The Pirate Who Refused Red-Hair's Invitation

Lin Mo looked at him calmly.

Sanji was far too scrawny right now.

Compared with the sturdy Zoro, there was no contest.

If he started strength training right away, Sanji's slight frame probably couldn't take it.

"Starting now, strap two-kilogram weights to your ankles," Lin Mo said. "Don't take them off to eat, work, or sleep. Once you've adjusted, add more weight."

"Huh?" Sanji asked in surprise. "Is this to strengthen my legs?"

Lin Mo gave a slight nod.

"And then?" Sanji asked eagerly. "What else do I need to do? Practice kicking accurately, maybe?"

"Don't rush. Build up your ankle strength first, then work on other things," Lin Mo said. "If you really need something to do, study anatomy."

Sanji paused, then muttered, "What's there to study about that...?"

"Strength without technique is just scattered force," Lin Mo said.

With that, Lin Mo said no more. He walked past 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 less he understood.

Lin Mo wanted him to learn how to use strength with technique, but what technique?

Could 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 and still couldn't figure it out.

The next day.

Lin Mo ordered breakfast at the restaurant.

Garp, dressed in casual clothes, sat at a nearby 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 boozehound." Garp grinned at Lin Mo, who was eating and drinking beside him.

Lin Mo ignored him and kept eating.

He couldn't understand it.

Garp had accepted his refusal to join the Marines yesterday.

So why hadn't he left?

"Did you meet a kid called Luffy in Foosha Village?" Garp asked with a toothy grin. "He's my grandson."

"No," Lin Mo replied evenly.

He had spent only around ten days in Foosha Village. Luffy hadn't visited 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 Ace?"

Lin Mo gave him a speechless look.

What was this old fox after with these random questions?

"No," Lin Mo said flatly.

Garp burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Never mind. You'll meet them someday. It won't be too late to make friends then. Hahaha!"

Just then.

The restaurant doors were kicked open.

A fierce-looking man with a thick, fleshy face stormed in with a gang of underlings.

"Hand over the blond brat!" the leader 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 the Baratie?"

"No idea. Is the blond brat he mentioned the kid who just served us?"

"Man, that kid's done for..."

The diners began talking among themselves.

Some were too frightened to speak.

Lin Mo continued eating his breakfast.

Garp took another look at Krieg's men, but couldn't place the name. "Krieg? Is he a Pirate? Why don't I remember him?"

A diner at the next table quietly filled him in. "Krieg's a Pirate who's been making a name for himself in the East Blue. There's nothing he won't do, and he already commands fifteen Pirate ships."

"Fifteen Pirate ships, huh." Garp rubbed his chin, then turned toward Lin Mo with a sudden grin. "What a coincidence. I only just sent my men away with the Marine Battleship this morning. What do you think I should do now, Lin Mo?"

"Whatever you want," Lin Mo said, giving him an exasperated glance.

Patty came downstairs carrying a plate of food.

He spotted the group at the entrance.

He promptly delivered the food to the right table, then rubbed his hands together and greeted them with a smile. "Welcome! Are you gentlemen here for a meal?"

The leader glared at Patty, grabbed his 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? You didn't understand me?" 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, his whole demeanor turning fierce. "If you're not here to eat, get out!"

With that, Patty kicked at him.

The man pulled a gun from his waist and pressed it to Patty's forehead.

Patty froze mid-kick, sweat beading on his brow.

At that moment.

Sanji came down the stairs carrying food, moving slowly.

He had weights strapped to his ankles.

When he saw Patty held at gunpoint, he stopped in fear.

"Brother Qiang, there's 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. "Blame yourself for messing with our boss's woman, brat. Die!"

He pulled the trigger.

A bullet shot across the dining room toward Sanji, who was too terrified to move.

Only one thought ran through Sanji's mind: Ah, I'm done for!

Thanks From Zeff at the Floating Restaurant ### Just as the bullet was about to hit Sanji.

A chopstick flew in and struck it squarely on the side, knocking it off course. It grazed Sanji's hair and buried itself in the wooden wall behind him.

"Well, look at you. I didn't know you were so kindhearted." Garp grinned at Lin Mo, who now had only one chopstick left.

Lin Mo speared the last fried dumpling with his remaining chopstick, popped it into his mouth, and chewed and swallowed at his leisure.

Seeing someone interfere, the leader shouted furiously, "Who was that? Whose chopstick was it? Show yourself!"

Lin Mo finished his breakfast with one last drink.

He hung the Wine Gourd back at his waist.

Then he rose and walked toward the Pirates by the main entrance, one step at a time.

"What's that child doing?"

"Don't go over there! Those Pirates are vicious. They'll kill you."

"Kid, get back to your seat!"

Concerned voices rose from the diners around him.

Lin Mo walked on as if he hadn't heard them.

Garp watched him with a grin.

He wasn't worried about Lin Mo at all.

Those Pirates, on the other hand, were in trouble.

"Brother Qiang, I'll take care of this brat!" A Pirate in a blue headscarf swung a cleaver at Lin Mo with a nasty grin.

Lin Mo turned sideways and easily avoided the clumsy strike.

"Damn it! You're finished, brat!" The headscarf-wearing Pirate put all his strength into another rapid attack.

Lin Mo dodged twice with ease, then brought the edge of his hand down hard on the man's back, knocking him to the floor.

The leader they called Brother Qiang narrowed his eyes. Noticing the Wooden Sword at Lin Mo's waist, he sneered. "You little brat, you think you're something special? I'll send you to the grave!"

With that, Brother Qiang aimed his gun at Lin Mo and fired several shots in a row.

"Lin Mo, watch out! Dodge!" Sanji shouted anxiously.

Lin Mo used Flash Step to evade every shot. In a flash, he appeared before Brother Qiang and kicked both his knees.

Brother Qiang lost his balance and fell to the floor.

"You little bastard! Do you know who I am?" Brother Qiang sprang up, furious. "Men, get him together! I want this brat dead!"

"Yes, Brother Qiang!"

The restaurant erupted into commotion.

A whole crowd of Pirates charged at a ten-year-old boy.

Lin Mo watched them calmly.

He shifted his feet.

Then, with ordinary kicks, he struck their waists, chests, ribs, and other vulnerable spots—fast, precise, and ruthless.

Before long, they were all on the floor, writhing in pain.

Lin Mo swept an indifferent gaze over his fallen opponents.

He stepped around them and headed for the entrance. Before leaving, he said, "Hit the right spot, and you can bring down an enemy even if you lack strength."

For a moment, there was silence.

Then the whole restaurant erupted in 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 some moves."

"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 technique he had shown against Zeff yesterday. Instead, he had gone to the trouble of taking the Pirates down with ordinary kicks.

Then he noticed Sanji trembling slightly on the stairs.

Thinking back to Lin Mo's parting words, Garp understood at once. "That kid really is interesting."

Sanji wasn't trembling from fear.

He knew Lin Mo's final words had been meant for him.

He trembled because he understood what they meant, and the realization thrilled him.

As soon as Lin Mo boarded the ship, the system's notification sounded in his mind.

Beep! Guided Sanji in kicking techniques. Check-in progress +20%. Current total progress: 70%.

No reward, just as he expected.

That was fine. Only thirty percent remained. It looked like the mission at the Baratie was going smoothly.