"Hahaha! That's more like it!" Lucky Roux laughed heartily, his laughter boisterous and bold. He casually tossed away the chicken bone he had finished gnawing. It traced an arc and landed precisely in a magma fissure with a faint hiss, instantly melting in the scorching magma without leaving a trace. "I like guys like you who get straight to the point!"
He slowly rose, his plump palms brushing the grease off his hands. The instant his fat body stood up, the ground actually trembled slightly. The basalt beneath him, over ten meters tall, swayed as well, sending loose stones clattering down to strike the ground with crisp cracks.
"Lucky Roux, Red Hair Pirates." He patted his tight Hawaiian shirt, its buttons stretched almost to bursting by his round belly, and spoke casually. "Bounty: one billion five hundred and thirty million Beli. I've never cared about that stuff, but since we're going to spar, I ought to introduce myself. It's a matter of respecting my opponent."
A bounty of one billion five hundred and thirty million Beli sounded like nothing more than an ordinary number coming from his mouth. There was not a trace of boasting, only the composure and steadiness that came after weathering countless storms-the confidence that could only settle in after decades roaming the New World and countless life-and-death battles.
"Sanji, Straw Hat Pirates." Sanji bowed slightly, elegant and respectful. Even facing a formidable enemy, even at such a tense moment, he never abandoned his manners. "I'm this ship's cook, and more than that, a knight who protects his companions."
"A knight?" Lucky Roux studied Sanji with interest, a flicker of curiosity passing through his tiny eyes. Then, though the smile remained on his face, his gaze quietly changed. "Then you'd better do a good job of 'protecting'