One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates

"Lord Duval, we’re back!"

"Hmm?"

Glancing at the three underlings who had returned, Duval frowned. "Why are there only two Flying Fish Motorcycles left?"

"Not just that... you didn’t bring the mermaid Camie back either..."

Macro’s expression also darkened. He had given them all the intel, yet they still failed to capture her? Had that idiot Camie actually gotten smarter?

"Boss, forget that—we have more important news for you!" Loll exclaimed excitedly.

Seeing Loll’s exhilarated expression, a trace of confusion flashed in Duval’s eyes. They failed their mission yet were this happy?

"What is it?"

"We found the Straw Hat Pirates."

"What did you say?!"

Duval shot up from his seat, bloodshot eyes locked onto Loll. "Say that again!"

"We... we found the Straw Hat Pirates," Loll repeated. "They’re with that mermaid and heading straight for us right now."

"Perfect..."

"Perfect!"

"My sworn enemy, Black Leg Sanji... you’ve finally come!!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

Duval was practically insane at this point, laughing maniacally as Macro instinctively took a few steps back. "Has he lost it?" the fish-man named Dansui muttered in confusion.

"Shut up, you idiot!"

Macro glared at his companion in horror. Couldn’t they read the room?

"I think so too."

"Shut your damn mouth, you moron!"

Unfortunately, Macro’s two fish-man companions lacked the brains to understand the situation. Right now, they just thought Duval was acting like a lunatic.

"Forgive them, Lord Duval! They’re just fools—please don’t mind them."

"It’s fine... it’s fine!"

"I don’t care about such trivial things." Duval stopped laughing and lowered his head to look at Macro. "On the contrary..."

"To me, you’re all angels of good fortune~"

"An... angels?"

A question mark popped up over Macro’s head as he failed to follow Duval’s train of thought.

"You brought me the Straw Hat Pirates—of course you’re angels to me!" Duval smashed a nearby wall with his fist. "My nightmare... is finally ending!!"

"You... have a grudge against the Straw Hat Pirates?" Macro asked cautiously.

Now Macro understood—Duval had been staying here, seemingly just to hunt down the Straw Hat Pirates. That was why they had been inspecting every pirate ship passing through. But... why did they have a feud with the Straw Hats?

"A grudge?!"

"Of course I do!"

Duval gnashed his teeth. "If it weren’t for him, would I even be like this?!"

"Just thinking about that man makes my old wounds ache..."

As he spoke, Duval subconsciously placed a hand on his back, his gaze turning even colder. That scar had been dealt by a bounty hunter—all because he resembled that bastard! If not for his sheer luck, he would have died long ago!!

The thought only fueled his rage further.

"Who are the Straw Hat Pirates?" Dansui asked in confusion.

"Shut your damn mouth, idiot!"

Macro was furious—how could this fool not read the situation?

Even if they didn’t know anything about the Straw Hat Pirates, this wasn’t the time to babble nonsense!

Seeing Dansui about to speak again, Macro quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, terrified he might say something else.

Then, Macro flashed an ingratiating smile at Duval.

But Duval barely spared him a glance before looking away.

"Boss, what’s your plan?" Loll said. "You know how terrifying the Straw Hat Pirates’ total bounty is, right?"

"Of course I know!" Duval replied coldly. "But we’re at sea. What does it matter if their combined bounty exceeds a billion Berries?"

"As long as we drag them all underwater, we win."

Duval kept up with the newspapers daily, so he knew exactly how absurd the Straw Hat Pirates’ bounties were.

But that wasn’t enough to make him back down!

His hatred for Sanji outweighed everything else.

"But they have a ninja—"

"So what if they have a ninja?" Duval snapped. "He probably ate a Devil Fruit. Just knock him into the sea!"

"Understood!"

Loll and the others stood at attention, not daring to say another word.

They could see now—their boss didn’t care that the Straw Hat Pirates’ total bounty surpassed a billion Berries.

But... that was fine. If they could take them down, not only would they avenge their boss, but they’d also pocket over a billion Berries in bounties!

At that thought, their eyes burned with greed.

"Wait—hold on—"

Snapping out of it, Macro stared at Loll in disbelief. "Did you say their total bounty was how much?"

"Over a billion."

Macro: "..."

Macro instinctively took a step back, looking at these people like they were insane.

Where did they get the courage to fight such a terrifying pirate crew?

These weren’t just some nobodies!

A crew with a total bounty that monstrous—how could they be weak?

Damn it, why would a crew of that caliber even be here?!

Terrified by the Straw Hat Pirates’ bounty, Macro began reconsidering.

Making money was great, but you had to be alive to spend it.

"Relax," Duval said, gradually calming down. "You won’t have to fight the Straw Hat Pirates."

"That’s a relief..."

Macro sighed. Not having to face them was even better.

That way, they just had to kidnap Camie and Hachi for sale.

Low risk, high reward.

As for Duval’s payment?

Heh, if they get wiped out by the Straw Hat Pirates... does that mean we don’t have to pay them? Macro thought with a smirk.

Of course, if Duval’s crew actually stood a chance, they wouldn’t mind helping out.

After all... underwater, taking out Devil Fruit users was easy.

That way, they might even get a cut of the bounty.

The thought made Macro grin even wider.

This is a surefire deal!

"Hey, wait a minute!" Hachi spoke up. "The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates you mentioned... is it Straw Hat Luffy?"

"Ah, that’s right."

Hachi: .

Hearing this accurate answer, Hachi’s expression darkened.

"Why does it have to be them..."

Back when he and Arlong were in the East Blue, they had done something terrible to Nami. She must still hold a grudge against him. "What, do you know them?" Macro’s expression changed.

Hachi ignored Macro and lowered his head to think of a countermeasure.

If he could escape from here, he could avoid meeting Nami.

The only headache was that Camie was currently with them. He hoped she hadn’t been captured by them.

For now, he needed to find a way to get out of here first...

"Hey, Macro, just let me go," Hachi said. "In exchange, I’ll make you some takoyaki. How about it?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think I’m some glutton?!"

But as soon as Macro finished speaking, Dansui leaned in from the side, drooling. "Takoyaki?!"

Macro: ...

"Idiot!"

Slapping Dansui on the head, Macro scolded, "Once we sell them off, we can buy as much takoyaki as we want!"

"Oh..."

Looking at the pitiful Dansui, Macro felt utterly exhausted. How did he end up with such a partner?

After sighing silently, Macro glanced at Hachi and said, "Give it up. There’s no way."

Macro had figured it out—this guy probably didn’t know the Straw Hat Pirates. Otherwise, he would have threatened him by now.

Just then, Hachi suddenly raised his head and spewed a large amount of ink, dyeing his entire body black.

Macro: ???

What does this mean?

"Alright, everyone, get ready." Duval spared Hachi only a glance before looking away. "Remember, we must keep the Straw Hat Pirates here!"

"Yes!"

Gazing at the distant sea, Duval’s eyes grew colder.

This time, he would personally execute that bastard!

That damned... Black Leg Sanji!

Click

Hoisting a massive harpoon onto his shoulder, Duval smirked coldly.

"This must be the place." Standing at the ship’s bow, Franky examined the structure ahead. "Quite a unique building."

"Everyone, I’ve come down with a disease that prevents me from going ashore..."

"This isn’t an island," Franky said, glancing at Usopp. "It’s just a residence forcibly built on the sea."

A place like this would sink if hit by a large enough tsunami.

But if the climate here remained stable, there usually wouldn’t be any issues.

"Not an island... Then I’ve come down with a disease that prevents me from going to residences..."

"Is that so? Should we have Meiser treat you then?"

Hearing Franky’s words, Meiser cooperatively gave Usopp a ’kind’ smile. "That could be arranged, Usopp~"

"Cough... My disease suddenly got better."

"Huh?!"

Pappag stared at Usopp in shock. Just like that?

What kind of medical miracle was this?

"Don’t mind him," Nami said. "He’s always like this."

Usopp’s old habit was all too familiar to them.

Even Merry wouldn’t be fooled by Usopp’s nonsense anymore.

"Everyone, please be careful," Camie said seriously. "This is a powerful enemy who’s captured me thirty times! We absolutely can’t let our guard down!"

"Thirty times... Just how easy are you to kidnap..."

Watching Camie’s airheaded expression, Meiser didn’t know what to say.

Captured thirty times, then eaten by sea beasts twenty times, yet still alive and well... It seems heaven truly favors fools.

"Merry, sail the ship in!" Luffy commanded.

"Aye!"

Soon, the Thousand Sunny smoothly entered the marine fortress, but the surroundings were eerily quiet.

"What’s going on?"

"Why is it so silent?"

"Obviously, the enemy is lying in wait somewhere we wouldn’t expect," Meiser said.

"Eh?!"

Camie stared at Meiser in shock. "How can you tell something like that?!"

"I never would’ve thought—"

"Which is exactly why you’ve been captured so many times!" Meiser retorted.

"I’m sorry..."

Meiser: "..."

Why was she apologizing again?... He almost felt bad for teasing her.

Shaking his head, Meiser activated his Sharingan and scanned the distant sea, soon noticing a cage suspended above the water. Inside it was a shadowy figure.

"A... black fish-man?"

Meiser blinked at the pitch-black fish-man. Do fish-men even come in that color?

"Hey, Camie, is your friend a black fish-man?"

"No, he’s an octopus fish-man."

Meiser: "???"

An octopus fish-man?

Hearing this, Meiser looked more closely. Though the figure had its back turned, the silhouette did seem to have six arms.

Could it really be that guy?

Meanwhile, Nami and the others frowned at Camie’s words.

"Named Hachi, and an octopus fish-man..." Sanji muttered. "Could it really be him?"

"Sure seems like it."

As the Thousand Sunny drew closer, everyone spotted the iron cage.

"Hey, don’t come any closer!" Hachi stood up and shouted. "This is a trap—get out of here!"

"Ah, it really is Hachi..."

"Eh?!"

"Why are you so black now?!"

Camie and Pappag gaped at Hachi, their eyes practically popping out. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Ah, that’s... uh..." Hachi scratched his head awkwardly. "There’s a reason..."

With Nami and the others right beside Camie, he couldn’t explain his situation.

"Just run away, quick!"

"We came to save you—we can’t just leave!"

"Idiots, can’t you see this is a trap?!" Hachi yelled desperately. "They’re waiting to ambush you! Take Pappag and go!"

"I’ll be fine—I’ll catch up soon!"

"No way!"

Watching Hachi argue fervently with Camie, Zoro narrowed his eyes. "That voice... and that silhouette... Very suspicious."

"Nami, what do you think?"

"Pretty much confirmed..."

Nami furrowed her brows. Judging from the current situation, the person was most likely that Hachi.

"Let’s just ask and find out."

Sanji stepped forward, looking into the distance as he called out, "Hey, how’s Arlong and the others doing?"

Hearing Sanji’s voice, Hachi instinctively replied, "He, along with Chew and Kuroobi, were all captured by the Marines."

"I’m the only one from the entire Arlong Pirates who managed to escape."

"Now I’ve opened the takoyaki shop I always dreamed of..."

As he spoke, Hachi suddenly clamped his mouth shut. He’d unknowingly spilled all his information!

"Tch... So it really is this guy..."

"So it’s you!"

Luffy immediately realized—this bastard in front of them was actually a member of the Arlong Pirates!

"Oh no, I’ve been found out..."

"What do you mean?" Merry asked in confusion. "It seems like all of you know that guy."

"Ah, there’s some history," Usopp explained. "Back then, there was a pirate crew that oppressed Nami’s village and put her through hell. This Hachi was one of their top officers."

Hearing this, those who hadn’t known the context were stunned, and their gazes toward Hachi immediately changed.

"So he’s a former enemy..."

"You damn octopus!" Luffy shouted. "If we’d known it was you, we wouldn’t have come to save you!"

"But... but is your takoyaki really that delicious?"

"Hey!"

"Stop wavering between your appetite and common sense, you idiot!!"

"Does everyone know Hachi?" Camie exclaimed excitedly. "Are you friends?"

What an incredible coincidence—they were all friends! This... this was wonderful!

"We are NOT friends!" Zoro roared.

Friends?

Right now, he wanted nothing more than to cut that bastard down. Friends? Ridiculous.

"Ahh!!"

Seeing Zoro’s terrifying expression, Camie fell back onto the deck in fright, nearly bursting into tears.

"If he’s an enemy, then there’s no need to save him," Meiser stated.

"True enough."

"Let’s turn the ship around. We’re leaving!"

"How can this be..."

Watching the Straw Hat Pirates suddenly change their minds, Camie said in disbelief, "Nami, you’re not going to help me save him?"

"Sorry, Camie..." Nami pressed a hand to her forehead. "We never expected your friend to be that person..."

"This can’t be..."

For a moment, Camie was overcome with despair.

"It’s alright, Camie. This is enough," Hachi called out. "Just leave now. Don’t worry about me—"

"No!"

Camie suddenly sprang up, leaning over the ship’s railing as she stared at Hachi. "You saved us so many times before. Without you, we would’ve been sold off long ago."

"This time, it’s our turn to save you."

"That’s right!" Pappag moved beside Camie, looking at Hachi in the distance. "Even without their help, we can still rescue you!"

After saying this, Pappag glanced back at Meiser, opening his mouth as if to say something.

But in the end, he remained silent, jumping into the sea with Camie.

"These idiots..."

"It’s such an obvious trap, he..."

"Dammit, Miss Camie is innocent!" Sanji said urgently.

At this moment, Sanji was extremely anxious, but since Nami hadn’t spoken yet, he couldn’t act recklessly.

Even Luffy needed to wait for Nami’s decision right now.

After all... the opponent was Hachi!

Just then, screams erupted from the sea surface.

"Ahhh!!"

"Hahahaha, stupid Camie!" Macro exclaimed excitedly. "I never thought you’d jump into the sea so easily!"

"That’s right, Camie! You can’t escape now!"

"Hahaha, we’re gonna sell her for a huge price this time!"

The three of them stared at Camie with excitement, as if they could already see the money waving at them.

"Bastards! Let Camie go!" Hachi roared angrily. "If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

In desperation, Hachi—with his hands bound—frantically smashed his forehead against the iron cage, trying to break it open. Even as blood streamed down his face, he didn’t stop.

Nami watched this scene silently.

"Camie..."

Seeing Camie struggling desperately underwater, Nami hesitated for a moment before sighing quietly.

"Go ahead. Let’s save Hachi too."

"Huh?"

"Nami?"

"Hachi... is actually a decent person," Nami said with mixed emotions. "Back then, he..."

"Never mind. There’s no point bringing up the past."

"Anyway... let’s save them both. That way, we won’t be breaking our promise to Camie."

In the end, Hachi wasn’t a bad guy. Plus, they still needed him to get to Fish-Man Island. So...

Saving him along the way wouldn’t be a problem.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"Yeah."

"If that’s what you say, then we’re doing it," Luffy replied without turning his head.

As he spoke, Luffy focused on the fish-men below and, without hesitation, stretched out his arms.

"Rubber: Capture Hand!!"

"Whoosh~"

His arms shot out like springs at incredible speed, easily grabbing Camie and the others before yanking them back forcefully.

"Luffy!"

Camie looked at him tearfully, overwhelmed that they were willing to save her.

"Huh?!"

"What kind of ability is that?!"

Macro stared in shock as Luffy snatched them away just like that.

"Damn it! Give Camie back to us!"

"No way!"

Usopp shouted, "Certain Kill: Gunpowder Star!"

Three explosive gunpowder pellets shot straight into the faces of the three fish-men.

"Boom!!"

The sheer force of the explosions sent them reeling, eyes rolling back as they sank toward the ocean floor.

Luffy barely spared them a glance before turning away.

"Meiser," Luffy pointed ahead. "Your turn. Don’t forget to save the octopus guy."

He knew exactly how powerful Meiser’s Water Release Technique was.

"Got it."

With that, Meiser stepped to the edge of the ship and swiftly performed his Ninjutsu.

"Water Release: Water Surge!"

"Hummm~"

As Meiser’s voice faded, the sea below suddenly began to tremble, as if something terrifying was stirring.

The next moment...

"!!"

An unimaginably terrifying wall of water appeared on the sea surface before the Thousand Sunny, rapidly expanding outward before ultimately transforming into a colossal tsunami with earth-shaking momentum!

"Tsu...tsunami?!"

Hachi stared in utter disbelief, unable to comprehend how the Straw Hat Pirates could summon such a natural disaster-level tsunami.

The height...it’s even blocking out the sun ahead!

Wait...I’m right in front of the tsunami too!

"!!!"

The terrifying waves began churning, sweeping up enemies hidden in the waters before the Thousand Sunny and carrying them all toward the buildings ahead.

"Ahhh!"

"Gurgle gurgle..."

The bubbles around the enemies caught in the waves instantly burst, causing them to involuntarily inhale large amounts of seawater, their faces contorting from choking.

"What the hell is this?!"

Duval, safely seated inside his house, was utterly dumbfounded.

This was his first time seeing someone who could control the sea itself. Could this be the power of a Ninja?

"Damn it, I need to escape—"

But before he could react, the terrifying waves smashed into his house.

"!!!"

"!!!"

"!!!"

The monstrous waves began their rampage, destroying building after building, completely leveling the entire architectural complex in a single strike—reducing everything ahead to rubble!

"Phew~"

As if having done something trivial, Meiser calmly stated: "Done."

"Eh?!!"

Camie and Pappag stared at Meiser in shock—how could someone be this terrifying?

He could...actually summon a tsunami?

This was an incredibly destructive natural disaster, yet he could manifest it through his own power?

This...this is a Ninja!!

"So...so cool!!"

Pappag gazed at Meiser excitedly—the power of Ninjutsu was simply too strong, too awesome!!

"Though it’s not my first time seeing large-scale Water Release, it’s still astonishing," Franky remarked.

No wonder the World Government was so interested in Meiser. A single person equivalent to a natural disaster—that was terrifying.

The real question was whether Meiser’s power could submerge an entire island.

If so, he’d truly be a walking catastrophe.

"Yohohoho, was this the method Meiser used to crush the Buster Call?" Brook laughed.

"No...that Ninjutsu was even more outrageous than this."

"Even...more outrageous?"

A question mark appeared above Brook’s head.

The Water Release Technique they’d just witnessed was already absurd—leveling this massive sea fortress in one strike.

And that wasn’t his strongest?

Just how terrifying would his strongest technique be?

"You’ll understand when you see it," Usopp said solemnly. "That was the real natural disaster."

At this moment, Usopp recalled the enormous water sphere that had swallowed ten warships—its sheer scale still haunted him.

"Yohohoho, I look forward to it~"

"Oh no, Hachi’s in the attack range too!"

Camie suddenly realized, her tongue shooting out in shock, waving like a flag in the wind.

"Hachi!!"

"Don’t worry, that guy isn’t dead," Meiser said. "Would I ever go back on my word?"

As he spoke, a water dragon surged from the sea, dragging a massive iron cage beneath it.

CLANG!

The enormous iron cage landed squarely on the deck of the Thousand Sunny.

"We’re... saved..." Hachi muttered.

Facing that terrifying tsunami earlier, he’d thought he was done for—yet here he was, rescued by a water dragon?

"HACHI!!"

Camie and Pappag rushed forward excitedly, but the cage’s bars kept them from reaching him.

"Why’s this guy all bruised up?"

"No idea..."

"Maybe the enemies did it?"

"Hard to say."

The crew examined Hachi’s condition, then glanced at Meiser.

For a moment, they wondered if Meiser had deliberately roughed Hachi up to vent Nami’s anger—though... the likelihood seemed pretty high.

Meiser simply watched calmly, offering no explanation.

Nami, silently observing everything, felt warmth in her heart.

"Zoro."

"Got it."

At Luffy’s words, Zoro stepped up to the cage, drew Wado Ichimonji from his waist, and slashed!

SWISH!

The razor-sharp cut effortlessly split the cage open, also severing the ropes binding Hachi.

"Huh?!"

"The ropes are gone..." Hachi stared at his freed hands, then exclaimed, "Thank you, Roronoa!"

"Just following the captain’s orders."

Zoro’s expression remained indifferent as he sheathed his sword, barely sparing Hachi a glance.

Hachi awkwardly scratched his head. After all... they’d once been enemies. That they’d even saved him was more than he could ask for.

Noticing Nami’s gaze, Hachi opened his mouth. "Nami, I—"

"Save it for later," Nami said flatly. "We’ve got things to do."

With that, she turned away, leaving Hachi’s head drooping in dejection.

"Meiser, you didn’t kill them all, right?" Franky asked.

"Yeah, we still wanna know why they were waiting for us."

Ever since learning their ambushers had specifically targeted the Straw Hat Pirates, the crew had been burning with curiosity. What reason could possibly justify lying in wait for them?

"Don’t know who’s waiting for us, but..." Meiser mused, "if they dared target us, they can’t be too weak."

"At the very least... their leader shouldn’t be."

If they couldn’t even withstand one of his Ninjutsu techniques, what gave them the guts to ambush the crew?

Then again, they might just be another bounty hunter group like the Accino Family—not particularly strong, but as long as they were still breathing, he could make them talk.

Hearing this, the crew studied the enemies lying unconscious in the wreckage, their eyes rolling back. A thoughtful silence fell.

That terrifying Water Release... Could anyone really survive it?

At that moment, the sea behind the Thousand Sunny suddenly erupted as several figures burst out from the water, their faces clearly marked with terror.

"Th-that was close... I almost died..." Loll stammered in fear.

If he hadn’t been positioned far behind the ship where he’d lain in ambush... he likely would’ve been swept away like his comrades by that terrifying whirlpool. The horrifying scene was still seared into his mind. Right now, Loll felt nothing but gratitude for his luck.

"Oh?"

"So they were hiding back there."

Meiser turned his head curiously to glance at these guys. Had they planned to surround them underwater? But with their capabilities, what difference would encircling the Thousand Sunny even make?

"This works out nicely," Franky grinned. "We can get intel straight from their mouths now." With living captives, extracting information wouldn’t be an issue.

"True enough," Meiser nodded.

Originally, he’d limited his Ninjutsu’s attack range to the front to avoid damaging the Thousand Sunny, inadvertently allowing these rats to survive. But this outcome was acceptable—it simplified intelligence gathering.

Just then, an enraged howl pierced the air from the distance, dripping with resentment.

"BASTARDS!!!"

Duval, spitting blood, wore a mask of pure fury. His brilliant plan to ambush that damned Black Leg Sanji in an unexpected way had been ruined—before he could even strike, the tsunami hit. Only his sheer toughness had saved him from being crushed to death.

Blinded by hatred, Duval ignored his injuries and forced himself upright. Removing his helmet, he began pushing through the wreckage piece by piece.

"It’s the boss! The boss is alive!" Loll exclaimed excitedly before rallying his comrades to charge forward and rescue their leader from the rubble.

Yet before they arrived, Duval emerged from the debris on his own—though his condition was far from pretty.

"He’s actually alive..." Usopp gulped. The buildings got pulverized, yet this guy survived? Just how durable was he?

"Must be their leader," Meiser mused, stroking his chin.

"Correct, that’s Duval!" Pappag declared from the ship’s edge. "That guy’s seriously strong!"

"Makes sense. Only someone powerful could specialize in kidnapping pirates," someone agreed.

The others nodded at Pappag’s assessment. They weren’t ones to underestimate opponents—the seas were vast, and any enemy could possess unexpected abilities. Like that Ghost Woman from the Devil’s Triangle Ship Graveyard whose Devil Fruit powers had given them so much trouble.

"Boss! Are you okay?" Loll asked urgently as he landed on the water’s surface.

"Yeah... I’m fine."

Duval swept his gaze across the scene, immediately noticing some of his comrades lying in the ruins, which made the veins on his face bulge even more.

"Sorry, boss... I failed to defend the fortress..."

"Doesn’t matter. The only purpose of this fortress was to find them anyway." Duval said before turning toward the Thousand Sunny. "You bastard... I’ve been looking everywhere for you!!"

"Huh?!"

"Who’s he talking to?" Merry asked in confusion.

"Who knows with that helmet on," Sanji remarked sarcastically.

Muttering to himself and saying incomprehensible things—what’s wrong with this guy?

"I’m talking to you, Black Leg Sanji!!" Duval roared. "If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have gone through that hell... You ruined my life!"

Duval clenched his fists, his entire body trembling.

At that moment, the memories of being hunted by the Marines and bounty hunters resurfaced in his mind.

For him, it was a nightmare—an unforgettable nightmare!

Thinking of this, Duval bellowed furiously, "Even if it means mutual destruction, I’ll kill you today!"

"Sa... Sanji?"

"So he was waiting for you...?"

The crew stared at Sanji in shock, clearly not expecting him to be the target.

"That overwhelming hatred..." Meiser’s lips twitched. "Sanji, what the hell did you do?"

Even with only his eyes visible through the helmet, Meiser could tell just how much Duval despised Sanji.

That resentment... it felt almost tangible.

"I have no idea."

Sanji looked completely baffled. He genuinely couldn’t recall ever crossing paths with someone like this.

"Was it something at the restaurant?"

"Good point. You were pretty cocky back then," Zoro remarked.

Sanji frowned but, for once, didn’t snap back at Zoro. Instead, he furrowed his brow in deep thought.

"I did plenty of things that pissed people off back then, but... I definitely don’t remember this guy."

"Did I forget?"

Sanji racked his brain but still couldn’t recall ever provoking him.

After a moment, Sanji gave up and looked up at Duval. "Hey, who the hell are you? Do we know each other?"

"I seriously don’t remember ever wronging you."

Duval: !!!

"You bastard, it was recent!!" Duval fumed. "How dare you play dumb...!"

"Fine then, you can all just die!"

"Rat-tat-tat—"

In his fury, Duval raised his Repeating Fish Harpoon and unloaded it at the Thousand Sunny without hesitation.

A barrage of iron Fish Guns shot straight toward Sanji and the others!

"Fish Guns?!"

Merry froze in terror as the harpoons hurtled toward her.

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

Meiser drew his Grass Sword and effortlessly deflected every harpoon.

"Thud!"

"Sizzle..."

The harpoons that landed on the deck began sizzling, emitting a thick purple mist.

"Poison?!"

Usopp’s face paled as he instinctively backed away, afraid of inhaling the toxic fumes.

"Hey!"

Sanji glared furiously at Duval and said, "Isn’t it me you resent? Why attack the others?"

He had seen it clearly—the Fish Gun wasn’t just aimed at him, but at his crewmates as well! This infuriated Sanji beyond measure.

"You’re part of the Straw Hat Pirates, so naturally, the others are on my grudge list too!!" Duval snarled. "So what’s wrong with me attacking them?!"

As he spoke, Duval reloaded the Fish Gun and aimed it at the Thousand Sunny. "If you want to blame someone, blame yourselves for being on the same ship as him."

Click, click, click!

"720 Pound Cannon!"

BOOM!!

A Flying Slash shot out, intercepting all the Fish Gun projectiles midair.

"Damn it, nosy bastard!" Duval roared. "Why won’t you let me kill him?!"

Zoro merely snorted in response, offering no explanation. Though he and Sanji bickered constantly, it was precisely because they were close. If someone tried to kill his crewmate for no reason, he wouldn’t stand for it.

"Tch." Sanji clicked his tongue, finding the man utterly unreasonable.

"You say I wronged you... but at least tell me why," Sanji pressed, frowning. "And that mask of yours—how is anyone supposed to recognize you with it on?"

At Sanji’s words, Duval suddenly fell silent. Then, trembling, he reached for his helmet. "If you’re so desperate to know who I am... then take a good look!"

"Black Leg Sanji, feast your eyes on this scarred face of mine!"

With that, Duval removed his helmet, revealing a face identical to the one on Sanji’s Wanted Poster.

The Straw Hat Pirates: ...

The Straw Hat Pirates: !!!

"WHAAAT?!!"

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