Zoro slashed through Pearl's armor, and then fainted amidst Nami's worry. Without his shield, Pearl was nothing but a bunch of fat, and Nami easily knocked him down with a few blows.
This guy always manages to move people without even realizing it!
"Yeah! That's one of Zoro's traits! You're not jealous, are you?"
"Hehe!"
"..."
Sanji was furious at Zoro's heroic rescue of the damsel in distress, wishing he could take Zoro's place. Little did he know that it was just Zoro's subconscious act for his friend, without any real thought.
Then Sanji seemed to be ignited by anger, his fighting power increased several times, as if some kind of switch had been turned on. In just a few moves, he kicked the iron hammer out of Gin's hand, and then with a few beautiful kicks, he knocked Gin to the ground!
Still seething with anger, Sanji charged into the group of henchmen, using his kicking skills without restraint to knock all the henchmen to the ground. Then he stood there and lit a cigarette.
Usopp stepped forward and patted Sanji on the shoulder vigorously, laughing and thanking him. This rekindled the fire in Sanji's heart. Who did Sanji think he was? Did he need a man like Usopp to thank him?
Seeing his men defeated one by one, his own Mighty Battle Spear destroyed, and his physical skills inferior to the boy before him, Don Krieg realized he might soon follow in his footsteps. He was truly enraged and, with the determination to perish together with his men, unleashed his ultimate weapon: a poison gas bomb!
Of course, mutual destruction was impossible; Don Krieg and his gang were all equipped with gas masks, and only the enemy would be caught off guard and die from the poison!
Seeing their captain's pose, all the Krieg Pirates who hadn't yet fainted pulled out their gas masks. If they were even a step slower, they'd be poisoned and there would be no recourse. As for those who had already fainted, well, they could only say sorry, they were just unlucky.
But before the sinister grin on Don Krieg's face could spread, a strong gust of wind blew out from inside the restaurant, carrying away all the poisonous gas that was about to spread.
Nami and Usopp, who had been worried and terrified, finally breathed a sigh of relief. If it weren't for that gust of wind, their Straw Hat Pirates would have been wiped out right here! Those Krieg Pirates were too cunning. They pushed all their unconscious companions into the sea and ran into the sea themselves, just to prevent them from stealing the gas masks. It was really dangerous just now!
"So he only stayed because of her safety! Humph!"
"They are our future allies; I didn't act solely for her sake."
"An explanation is just a cover-up!"
"You don't understand now, but you will understand when the time comes!"
"Snort!"
"..."
That gust of wind just now was definitely created by Vic. It was for Nami, it was for Luffy, and it was for the entire Straw Hat Pirates!
Kuina could never have imagined the future of the Straw Hat Pirates, but Vic did. That's why he acted for the sake of the future, not for any particular person!
Of course, he would also help if an ordinary person got involved. If it was happening right in front of him, he would lend a hand if he could, just like the times he helped Kuina on the way back to the East Blue.
Having fired the poison gas bomb, Don Krieg had run out of tricks. He thought his golden armor was invincible, but Luffy shattered it with his bare fists. Don Krieg was sent flying like a cannonball and landed in the sea.
Luffy was also caught in the iron net that Don Krieg shot out before he lost consciousness, and sank directly into the sea. In the end, it was only after Zeff reminded him that Sanji dove into the sea and rescued Luffy.
In the end, Luffy's Crew achieved a complete victory in this battle, but both Luffy and Zoro fainted.
"Let's go! He shouldn't have gone far, and things here are settled."
"Did we come here just to wait for him?"
"Certainly!"
"Not necessarily, you just want to come see someone, don't you!"
"Of course not."
"Where did you go during those two days you disappeared?"
"This..."
"Can't say it, huh?"
"..."
What's the deal with this knife?
"This is a sword I used when I was in the Navy. I don't need it anymore. Isn't Zoro Three-Sword Style swordsman? He only has one left now, so let him use this sword!"
Vic couldn't very well say that he went to see Luffy; it would be strange to say he went to see a man. Vic was in a difficult position and could only suffer in silence, letting Kuina think whatever she wanted.
Afterwards, Vic silently placed one of his old swords next to the unconscious Zoro, where it lay alongside the snow-white Wado Ichimonji. Then, he took Kuina and boarded his small boat, sailing off in a certain direction!
Vic and Kuina's departure was quite a spectacle, but no one noticed until they were far away. Only then did Zeff see the sudden appearance of waves on the distant sea, the kind left by ships sailing by, but there were no ships sailing in sight.
Shaking his head, Zeff banished the strange idea from his mind. He now needed to figure out a way to get Sanji to join the Straw Hat Pirates.
Zeff's plan was the same as in the original story: after Luffy woke up, Luffy to take Sanji. However, Luffy firmly disagreed. He wouldn't force someone who wasn't willing to do it, completely forgetting how he came to have Zoro as a partner!
As expected, everyone's first crewmate was tricked, just like Roger tricked Rayleigh. But Rayleigh didn't regret it, and Zoro won't either!
Then, after a scene, Sanji bid farewell to the sea restaurant where he had lived for so long. After kneeling before Zeff, he ran towards Nami, only to be kicked away by Nami.
Sanji's face was too close, and he was pouting, which looked a bit disgusting. Nami still couldn't help but feel disgusted. Although Sanji was kicked by Nami, the pink hearts in his eyes didn't disappear. He was still savoring the feeling of Nami's foot on his face!
The Straw Hat Pirates quickly left the Baratie, but did not head towards the Grand Line. At Nami's request, the Going Merry still sailed towards Cocoyasi Village.
Of course, this time she's not going to fight Arlong. Nami has become a pirate and is heading to the Grand Line, so she needs to go home to say goodbye to Bellemere, Nojiko, and Genzo. She also wants to bring with her an orange tree that will remind her of her hometown and her old friends!
" Johnny! Yosaku! Where did this knife come from?"
"Brother! You're finally awake! Isn't this your knife? I saw these two knives lying together and thought it was yours!"
"This knife looks like a Famous Sword. I thought it was one of your spoils of war, so I brought it back to the Going Merry!"
"You don't know how they got here either? They must have appeared beside me while I was unconscious? Who left this here? Hawk-Eye? Or someone else?"
"Brother! Who cares who left it? Something is better than nothing. Three-Sword Style swordsman can't only have one sword, can he?"
"That's right! Let's buy another one when we get to a bigger town to replenish our supplies. Three-Sword Style swordsman should have three swords!"
"Hmm! Whoever left it to me, since it's Famous Sword, I'll find out eventually!"