As they listened to Gern's calm yet oppressive tone,
two figures among the Straw Hat Pirates stepped forward almost simultaneously.
With a clack, Zoro unhesitatingly clenched Wado Ichimonji between his teeth.
Gripping Shusui and his newly acquired Sandai Kitetsu, he assumed his signature Three-Sword Style opening stance.
Though his body was covered in wounds, his eyes remained sharp and resolute, without the slightest hint of retreat.
"Sorry," Zoro said hoarsely. "My idiot captain is still unconscious.
So I can't... let you take anyone here."
"Don't try to shoulder this alone, you bastard!" Almost at the same moment, Sanji took his freshly lit cigarette from his mouth and elegantly flicked off the ash.
Then he placed it back between his lips, exhaled white smoke, and turned slightly sideways. The toes of his right foot tapped the ground as he took a fighting stance.
"Only someone who can protect women and his comrades is a true knight."
One on the left and one on the right, the king's two wings had yet to fully unfurl, but their outlines were already taking shape.
Behind their bodies, neither particularly broad nor even steady anymore, they shielded the unconscious Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Usopp, and every other comrade who needed their protection.
They chose to face the legend who had ended the era of the Pirate King head-on!
Though they knew the gulf between their strengths was insurmountable, they declared their resolve through their actions and shouted in unison,
"So if you want to touch our comrades, you'll have to step over our corpses!!!"
At the sight of this stirring scene, Gern showed no appreciation. Instead, a nearly fanatical excitement spread across his face.
"There it is! There it is! This is exactly the atmosphere I wanted!
The will that erupts in desperation, the bonds you'll