Chapter 48: I've Never Seen Ralph Like This...
[Ding! You have lived up to Lufia's trust and moved her with your 'heartfelt' oden. Affection +5%]
[Current Affection: 100%!]
[Congratulations, Host! Your relationship with Lufia has evolved from 'Friend' to 'Close Friend'! The affection accumulation for the new stage has been reset to zero and will be recalculated.]
[Keep up the good work!]
From stranger to friend, from friend to close friend...
Ralph inwardly grumbled, wondering if the next stages would be intimate friend, confidant, bosom friend, life-and-death... before finally reaching 'lover'?
Though he didn't know how long this conquest road would take, at least the rewards for each stage transition were tangible.
This made all his efforts worthwhile.
[Ding! Lufia's Affection Stage Transition Reward issued. Please choose one of the following rewards—]
[Six Powers: Tekkai (Beginner): Hardens body muscles to enhance defense.]
[Six Powers: Shigan (Beginner): Concentrates full body strength into the index finger to deliver a powerful attack with bullet-like force.]
[Six Powers: Geppo (Beginner): Steps on air to generate reactive force, enabling mid-air suspension and aerial movement.]
No Devil Fruit, no Haki advancement, nor any particularly rare items or techniques...
But it was acceptable.
First, for navigating the East Blue, the Six Powers were already formidable enough in practicality.
Second, through recent training and battles, he felt he'd vaguely grasped the key to upgrading these abilities.
For instance, 'Soru' progressed from beginner to advanced—from only usable on solid ground to barely executable on tumbling wooden planks mid-air...
Ralph sensed that as long as he continued exploring 'aerial force application' techniques, he might even comprehend the rudiments of 'Geppo' without system rewards.
Thus, Geppo was unnecessary.
By the same logic, 'Shigan' and 'Tekkai' likely shared an advancement relationship.
Shigan required condensing full body strength into a single point to achieve bullet-like power.
For the fingertip to possess such extraordinary force, it would also need extraordinary hardness—clearly applying the principle of Tekkai's localized hardening.
Mastering the more refined 'Shigan' first would make reverse-engineering and practicing basic 'Tekkai' considerably easier!
Combined with the potential connection between Six Powers and Haki.
[Confirmed! Choose reward—Six Powers: Shigan (Beginner)!]
Instantly, a hot, swelling power rapidly spread through his muscles and bones, ultimately converging at the tips of both index fingers.
Ralph subconsciously rubbed his fingers slightly, sensing an unprecedented strength and tactile sensation at their tips—as if a light poke could pierce through steel plates.
His reward selection took mere moments, while everyone else in the restaurant remained immersed in the shock sparked by his earlier speech about trust.
Upon reflection, what Sanji and Zeff did was based on the creed and duty of sea chefs—not personal trust in Gin.
The other restaurant patrons never trusted Gin or the Krieg Pirates to begin with, merely yielding to Sanji and Zeff's insistence.
Only Lufia, from start to finish, maintained a nearly naive purity in believing Gin would not repay kindness with betrayal.
"You can call her foolish, call her gullible, but should this trust born from genuine sincerity be so easily betrayed and taken for granted just because it was freely given?"
"Gin," Ralph's voice pulled everyone back to reality, "I remember when you left on that small boat, I specifically asked if you'd bring the Krieg Pirates back to trample this place!"
Gin's body trembled.
"How did you answer?" Ralph pressed forward relentlessly, "You said you could never do such a thing! And what happened? You broke your word. Men of the sea value promises above all else!"
Gin was drenched in sweat but couldn't form a proper defense.
Ralph didn't stop, determined to dig out every last bit of Gin's inner conflict and self-deception:
"Did you not consider these consequences? No, you must have thought about them."
"Did you not know what a despicable, dishonorable scum your Captain Krieg is? No, you know better than anyone!"
"Yet you followed your captain's orders, exposed the restaurant's location, and led them here! And what happened?"
"Sanji, who showed you kindness with that meal, was injured! And this sea restaurant that Sanji considers his home, that Chef Zeff poured his heart into, is about to be plundered!"
"That's enough, Ralph."
Lufia's voice cut through, carrying a rare seriousness.
This was her speaking as captain, issuing a command.
Ralph looked at her.
Lufia's expression was earnest: "Even if trust is betrayed, that was my decision to make. Since I chose to believe, even if I end up betrayed, I shouldn't keep holding on to it, endlessly calculating losses... That's not how a free spirit should act!"
Ralph thought about it—she was right!
Even as a girl, Lufia remained one of the most chivalrous presences among pirates!
Sanji also approached, lighting a cigarette, the smoke obscuring his expression, "Hey, Miss Lufia is right, you should stop now. Ultimately, the consequences of giving Gin food resulted from my insistence on following the chef's code. Therefore, I should bear the consequences. Besides, Gin was just following his captain's orders. Holding onto others' mistakes isn't the way of men at sea."
Listening to their "magnanimous" words, Ralph felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Was this the maritime code they followed?
Having hearts as vast as the ocean, bearing hardships and responsibilities themselves?
This admirable boldness instantly infected many present, but Ralph, with his values from another world, couldn't be so "carefree."
While his words to Gin contained some taunting, more importantly, he needed sufficient justification for his upcoming actions.
After all, no one can kill without burden!
"I have a few final questions for Gin."
Ralph looked at Gin, who was nearly crushed by guilt, "You're so loyal to Krieg—has he shown you kindness? Saved your life? Or given you something you can never repay?"
Speaking of loyalty, Gin declared proudly: "Of course! The captain and I have been through life and death together! He recognized my talent! We've experienced countless battles together..."
"Oh?" Ralph interrupted him, "Then why... when you were eating Sanji's fried rice... did you cry while saying 'no one has ever treated me so well before'?"
Gin froze abruptly, his pupils contracting.
That sentence had slipped out during a moment of extreme weakness and emotional breakdown, almost an unconscious revelation of his true feelings.
But... how could it be the same? The camaraderie forged through battles at sea versus the life-saving grace of a single meal...
Ralph didn't give him time to think.
"A conflict is inevitable soon. When your Captain Krieg orders you to shoot Sanji, who once saved your life with a meal... what choice will you make?"
This question struck Gin's heart like a heavy hammer.
The muscles on his face twitched violently, his eyes wrestling with inner turmoil. His lips trembled for a long moment, yet no words emerged.
"Can't answer, can you?"
Ralph answered for him, "Let me tell you—ultimately, you will still obey Krieg's command."
"Because in your heart, or rather within this twisted logic of yours, Krieg is the villain, the strong one."
"Villains can resort to any means, the strong can plunder the weak."
"While the people in this restaurant, including Sanji, are the good, the weak."
His voice gradually rose, carrying a suppressed fury:
"Do you think it's a fine outcome if these weak, good people just obediently hand over the food, ships, and logbooks Krieg wants, and manage to keep their lives?"
"What kind of bullshit logic is this?!"
"Do the good deserve to be bullied? Deserve to be robbed? And still have to smile and say 'Please take it'?!!"
"Should the good fucking have guns pointed at them?!!"
Ralph's original intention was truly just to apply verbal pressure, to find a reason for his upcoming actions.
But by the end, that deeply buried emotion—stemming from his profound understanding and dissatisfaction with certain twisted rules of this world—had genuinely been ignited!
He knew all too well how much filth and injustice lay hidden beneath the glamorous, passionate surface of this One Piece world.
The privileges of the World Nobles, the darkness of the World Government, countless civilian homes like Cocoyashi Village being trampled upon at will... Even if he hadn't experienced it all firsthand, his foreknowledge as a transmigrator and his empathy as a former reader fueled a blazing, nameless fire in his chest!
That final question was almost roared, his voice echoing through the restaurant with a palpable pressure he himself hadn't even noticed!
Deep within his subconscious, unnoticed by him, the [Skills] section on his system panel suddenly experienced a violent burst of garbled code for an instant.
The characters for "Conqueror's Haki" flickered madly a few times before finally fading away quietly, as if exhausted, leaving no prompt behind.
Even Lufia was startled by Ralph's unprecedented agitation.
Originally, she had been somewhat annoyed by his rapid-fire lecturing, feeling he was particularly long-winded today.
But now, seeing Ralph's eyes sharpened by anger...
Her heart felt as if something had gently bumped into it.
This version of Ralph... she had never seen before...
[Ding! Lufia is moved by your 'leaking Haki' demeanor. Favorability increased by 5%. Current level: Close Friend—5%.]
Ralph only glanced briefly at the system prompt.
After his favorability had reset to zero, this mere 5% increase no longer stirred his heart as it once did.
He had more important matters to attend to now.
He gave Gin—who was still in a daze—a firm slap on the shoulder, with no small amount of force: "Step aside and think it over."
With that, his gaze shifted to the battered yet menacing Krieg flagship anchored outside the floating restaurant, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit:
"Whether they want to rob the restaurant is their business. But now I have more than enough reason to beat them up—so why wait for them to come provoke us?"
"Oh? Are we making a move?"
Zoro, who had long grown impatient, grinned excitedly at these words and rested his hand on his sword hilt. After days of chopping vegetables, he was itching for action, eager to sharpen his blades against real enemies.
"Of course we're making a move!"
Lufia sprang up, clenching her fists, her rubber arms coiled and ready. "When it comes to dealing with scum like this, it's only right for the captain herself to send them flying!"
Though their journey through the Grand Line had reduced the once-mighty Krieg Pirates from fifty warships to just one, and from over five thousand crew members to fewer than a hundred...
These three were still about to take on the Krieg Pirates' main force—nearly a hundred vicious, well-equipped fighters.
And they were launching a preemptive strike!
The chefs and remaining customers in the restaurant erupted in murmurs, stunned by the trio's audacity.
Sanji stared blankly at their retreating figures, not even noticing his cigarette burning down to his fingers.
He never expected these "temporary workers"—who had bickered and clashed with him these past few days—to possess such daring.
Just then, Head Chef Zeff approached Sanji, his wooden leg tapping softly against the deck.
Without looking at Sanji, his gaze followed the retreating backs of Ralph and the others.
"Hmph... You can stay if you want, brat. But now, this old man's starting to think... You might not be worthy of joining their crew anymore."
Sanji jolted, turning to stare at Zeff in shock.
Zeff continued, "To have such vision and courage at such a young age... Their future is boundless. Sooner or later, this bunch will turn the seas upside down."
He paused, turning his head to fix his eyes on Sanji.
"And yet here you are, still torn between staying with an old man like me, guarding this restaurant, living a life where you can see the end from the very beginning..."
A complex, indescribable emotion tinged the old chef's voice:
"Is this... truly the future I fought so desperately to pull you from the sea for?"
He recalled that stormy night, the desperate struggle for survival on that barren island, the resolve with which he gave his last scraps of food to this blond kid.
"I saved you because you were just a child."
Zeff's words struck Sanji's heart, one by one.
"A child's future should hold infinite possibilities. They should go on adventures, chase dreams... Pursue that ideal of 'All Blue' we once shared but never realized!"
"..."
Sanji gritted his teeth hard, his fists clenching until his knuckles cracked, the cigarette between his fingers crushed to pieces.
Memories of the past, Zeff's kindness, his responsibility to the restaurant, the yearning in his heart for the vast ocean and his dreams, and the sight of those three figures charging fearlessly toward a powerful enemy... All these emotions collided and exploded violently in his chest!
Finally, he stomped his foot fiercely, crushing the cigarette butt, and without looking back, he dashed in the direction Ralph and the others had gone!
"Hey! You bastards! Wait for me!"
His roar echoed across the deck, carrying a resolve as if breaking free from shackles, "Don't even think about stealing the spotlight! This restaurant—I'll be the one to protect it!"
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