"Kill them!"
"Take them down!"
In the middle of the street, the King's army and rebel forces surged from behind Sanji and Akin, raising their guns to fire at the enemy.
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke, not even glancing at the rebels behind him as he bent his legs. "Don't..."
Akin gripped his handle, spinning one of his Canes open. "Interrupt..."
Sanji kicked backward sharply, his foot striking the rebels behind him, while Akin swung his Cane forcefully, hitting the King's soldiers at his back.
"Our fight!"
Boom!!
The impact from their kicks and hammering blows sent both approaching squads flying.
The two exchanged glances, smirking at each other.
"Soru!"
After the initial strike, Akin dashed forward, leaving an afterimage as he appeared before Sanji. His spinning Cane carried tremendous momentum as it swung toward Sanji, who countered by thrusting his leg like a blade straight at Akin's elbow.
The kick missed—Akin had abruptly retreated mid-attack, evading Sanji's range. With a vicious grin, he brought his Cane down hard.
"Not so fast!"
Sanji arched his back, bracing himself with one hand on the ground, extending his leg just enough to kick Akin's wrist.
The heavy impact forced Akin's arm back, disrupting his swing and robbing it of power.
As Akin tried to strike with his other hand, Sanji planted his other palm on the ground, spinning his legs in a wide arc to kick Akin's other arm, freezing both his hands momentarily.
Whoosh— The wind howled as Sanji, hands planted, spun rapidly, driving a kick toward Akin's neck.
"Neck Shot!"
The combo was seamless! "Iron Block!"
Thud! The powerful kick landed squarely on Akin's neck—yet he absorbed it effortlessly.
"Mr. Sanji, I'm immune to such moves now," Akin muttered, looking down at the upside-down Sanji.
"Is that so?"
Sanji grinned fiercely. "But your 'Iron Block' locks you in place, doesn't it?"
Akin's eyes widened as the leg at his neck withdrew, only for the other to swiftly replace it, slamming into his shoulder.
"Shoulder Shot!"
Thud! The same dull impact echoed from Akin's shoulder. Before he could react, Sanji spun again, his legs becoming a whirlwind as he struck Akin's ribs. His leg straightened, foot bending at a right angle to hook behind Akin's back.
"Back Shot!"
With the kick landed, Sanji shifted instantly, pushing off the ground with his hands to drive another kick just below the ribs.
"Saddle Shot!"
Then, his legs blurred into afterimages, spinning relentlessly before striking Akin's chest.
"Breast Shot!"
Thud! The blow sent Akin staggering, a trickle of blood escaping his lips.
The relentless assault was cracking his Iron Block's defenses.
Sanji's momentum didn't stop—after the chest strike, he pivoted his palms, spinning once more to deliver a brutal side kick to Akin's thigh.
"Leg Shot!"
Boom!!
This strike completely shattered Akin's stance, unable to maintain Iron Block as he spat out several droplets of blood.
Seeing this, Sanji grinned widely, raising both hands upward as he gathered all his strength into his right leg and fiercely kicked toward Akin.
Continuous attacks would inevitably wear Akin down—Sanji had sensed this the moment his previous kick landed. Moreover, this body-hardening technique immobilized its user during execution.
Immobility meant an easy target! Just keep kicking relentlessly, and now—it was time to reap the rewards!
"Lamb Shot!"
His swift leg shot forward with a sharp whistling sound, about to strike Akin, who seemed to have given up resistance.
"Paper Drawing."
Just as the kick was about to connect, Akin, who had been hanging his head, suddenly spoke. His body became as light as wind, swiftly leaning backward and smoothly evading Sanji's attack.
"You—" Sanji's eyes widened in utter astonishment.
"Meteor Hammer!"
Whoosh! The cane didn't spin, but Akin swayed abruptly while leaning back. Though his body was as supple as a willow branch, his arms remained firm and powerful. In that rapid sway, they resembled chains linked to his weapon, abruptly swinging the iron ball at the cane's tip sideways with a gust of fierce wind.
Bam!!
Sanji was sent flying by the blow, crashing into a nearby building with a thunderous impact that reduced it to rubble, burying him beneath.
"Mr. Sanji..."
Akin swayed slightly as he straightened up, gazing at the ruins. "What I excel at isn't Iron Block..."
The first technique he mastered was 'Paper Drawing,' used to evade all kinds of attacks.
And now, he could even develop derivative techniques from it.
To unleash the full power of his combat cane, he needed to rotate the handle, utilizing centrifugal force against enemies. While effective in the East Sea, such attacks were far too slow for the Grand Line.
Only by merging his body with the weapon, relying on his physique's rhythm to swing it, could he achieve both speed and ferocity.
He himself was the chain—the weapon would follow his body's rhythm to unleash maximum momentum and deliver the strongest attacks.
Crack! Several stones were sent flying as Sanji struggled to climb atop the rubble, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Clutching his ribs, he gritted his teeth and glared at Akin. "Yeah, I figured that out!"
"Shall we continue?" Akin asked.
"If I don't defeat you, I can't move forward!" Sanji chuckled darkly.
Akin shook his head and smiled. "True. Otherwise, you wouldn't be the Mr. Sanji I know."
Raising his cane, he declared solemnly, "From here on, I'll fight with the intent to kill you!"
Staggering to his feet, Sanji shoved his hands into his pockets, standing tall atop the ruins as he fixed Akin with a steely gaze. "I don't plan on losing!"
"Soru!"
Whoosh! Akin closed the distance instantly, both feet leaving the ground like a pouncing leopard. His fierce eyes, slightly obscured by his headband, darkened as his body swayed mid-air. With a rapid twist of his cane, he brought the iron ball crashing down.
Boom!!
"No!!"
On another street, three figures sprinted forward, kicking up a trail of dust behind them. Behind them, the battle between the King's army and the rebel forces had escalated to the use of cannons, with one shell landing right behind them, exploding into a cloud of smoke.
"Why is the fighting so intense?!" Nami cried as she ran, tears in her eyes. "Stray bullets like this can kill people!"
"Then run faster! Once we reach the Royal Palace, we'll be safe!" Usopp shouted, sprinting alongside her.
"Ah! Really? Then let's hurry to the Royal Palace!"
The short figure in the middle, Chopper, trotted quickly on his little hooves, keeping pace effortlessly with the other two.
"Exactly! Chopper, look ahead! Once we cross this street, we'll reach the Royal Palace!" Usopp said rapidly.
"No, you can't."
Suddenly, a voice spoke up beside them.
Usopp nodded seriously. "We can't? You're right... there might be more enemies. Nami, we should find a way to sneak in quietly."
Nami's eyes spun in panic as she turned to Usopp. "I didn't say anything!"
BOOM!!
The ground in front of them exploded, the Impact sending the two humans and the reindeer flying backward, crashing onto the ground.
"It was me talking, idiots!"
The voice came from above. Nami looked up to see a pink-haired little girl sitting on the edge of a rooftop, a Small Hammer in one hand, its surface smoking from a freshly fired hole.
They had seen this girl before—one of the three women who had been with Sage of the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew back in Naruhara. Her childlike appearance made her stand out.
"You're from the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew..." Usopp scrambled to his feet, pointing at Renetia. "Hey! What do you want? Are you picking a fight with us?!"
"I don't give a damn about you," Renetia rolled her eyes. "But you're not allowed to go to the Royal Palace. Sage just came out of there, and he's fighting right now. If you idiots barge in now, you'll ruin his plans."
These three were clearly small fry. Even those two guys who could produce smoke and fire hadn't gone in. If these nobodies got in... Sage would definitely be pissed.
"You think a little brat like you can stop us?" Usopp rubbed his long nose smugly, thumbing backward confidently.
"Go home before I get angry. Just so you know, I'm a great pirate with 8,000 subordinates, and my crew is closing in. If you're scared, you'd better scram now."
"First," Renetia raised a finger. "There's a battle with a million people here. 8,000 is nothing."
"Second—"
BANG!
A blast of compressed air shot from the hammer's hole, slamming into Usopp's stomach and sending him flying. He crashed hard onto the ground.
"You're obviously a liar!"
"Usopp!" Nami and Chopper cried in horror as Usopp clutched his stomach, rolling around in pain, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Ow ow ow ow!!"
Nami looked at the small hammer in Renetia's hand. Just like before, that attack that had blown them away had been fired from the hammer!
"Nami, Chopper, split up and run!"
Usopp groaned in pain but quickly scrambled to his feet, about to dart into a nearby alleyway.
Nami and Chopper reacted immediately, splitting off in opposite directions.
There was only one little girl, and they had three people. If they ran separately, they could definitely escape.
"Power Air Cannon!"
Just as they were about to enter the alley, Renetia's voice rang out again, accompanied by a tremendous gust of wind roaring past their ears.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
The buildings on either side of the alley were struck by some immense force, collapsing right in front of them, nearly burying them alive.
The alley ahead was now blocked by rubble, forming a massive barrier.
The sheer power of the attack made Chopper's fur stand on end, his mouth hanging open with tears welling in his eyes.
Renetia huffed in annoyance, "Don't use such stupid tricks against me! I'm an officer of the Natural Disaster Pirate Crew!"
The deafening explosions also caught the attention of others. From a third-floor window below her, a foolish-looking face with an idiotic expression and an extremely ugly hairstyle popped out. "Lady Renetia, what's happening?"
"Paru?"
Chopper froze at the sight of that face.
"Doctor Chopper?"
Paru blinked, then leaned out of the window and jumped down, landing heavily with two iron shields protecting his body.
As he wobbled, the crescent-shaped bangs on his forehead bounced up and down.
Utterly ridiculous.
"It really is Doctor Chopper!"
Paru grinned, revealing his teeth. "What are you guys doing here?"
Back in Naruhara, Captain Akin had led their team to help these guys fend off the Navy's pursuit, so they had crossed paths before. Naturally, Paru recognized them.
"Doctor? Oh... so this tanuki saved our subordinates?"
Renetia raised an eyebrow as she looked at Chopper. "A tanuki can heal people? But why doesn't it have leaves on its head?"
"I'm a reindeer, you jerk!"
Chopper instinctively roared at Renetia.
"Ahahaha, Doctor Chopper is still as funny as ever."
Paru's teeth gleamed in the sunlight. "Perfect timing—we didn't get to properly thank you last time. We've plundered quite a bit of treasure. How about we share some with you?"
Nami, who had been on guard, suddenly sparkled at the mention of treasure. "Treasure?! How much?!"
"Nami!"
Usopp shouted, "This isn't the time to be worrying about treasure!"
"Oh, right."
Nami snapped back to reality and said to Paru, "Paru, we need to get to the Royal Palace. Can you tell that little girl of yours to step aside? Oh, and the treasure—just give it to me alone!"
"To the Royal Palace?"
Paru stiffened, his previously relaxed posture instantly turning rigid. "No! Anything but that! No conditions will make us agree!"
"Can't you just pretend you didn't see us? Chopper saved your people!" Nami pressed.
Paru shook his head firmly. "No. In fact, now that I know, I won't let you pass at all! Doctor Chopper, just stay here safely. As long as you don't try to go, we won't lay a hand on you."
"Mmm."
Renetia rested her small chin on her hand, glanced at Chopper, shook her head, and called out to Usopp:
"Hey, you lying long-nose, give up on running around. I've got my eyes on you all. Just abandon the idea of going to the Royal Palace now. When this city explodes, I'll take you somewhere safe."
Originally, they had all been somewhat tempted by Paru's suggestion.
Getting treasure while safely hiding here sounded perfect for the three cowards.
But the mention of the city exploding made all three freeze.
"My treasure!"
Nami wiped a tear from the corner of her eye regretfully and gritted her teeth. "No! Even if we have to give up the treasure, we're going!"
"Luffy is counting on me!"
Usopp clenched his fist. "We have to go! We promised Vivi we'd enter the Royal Palace and stop this rebellion!"
"That's right!"
Chopper shouted, "We have to help Vivi!"
"So you're determined to ruin Sage's plans then?"
Renetia's small face darkened as electricity sparked from her fingertips, but after a moment's thought, she relented.
"Fine. Considering you treated my subordinates, I won't act now. Paru, you can handle this, right?"
"Leave it to the invincible Paru!"
Paru banged his iron shield loudly. "If you want to reach the Royal Palace, you'll have to get past this Iron Wall first!"