"Shoulder!"
"Nape!"
"Crack!"
"Skewers!"
After exchanging a series of kicks, it was clear that Lake could somewhat keep up with Sanji's speed. His kicking skills weren't bad, at least good enough to hold his ground.
However, Lake's legs were trembling.
The steel plates strapped to his feet were covered in Sanji's shoe prints.
"Oh? Not bad, your kicks aren't completely useless. But you're just wasting my time," Sanji muttered, clearly annoyed.
Being held up by some nobody was irritating. Lake didn't seem all that strong, yet he was proving to be quite the nuisance. Taking him down was turning out to be more trouble than expected.
Sanji wasn't in the mood to drag this out any longer.
"Shave!"
In a flash, he vanished and reappeared behind Lake, launching a whip kick toward his lower back.
But just as Sanji struck, Lake grinned wickedly. He reached for his clothes and suddenly—sharp steel spikes shot out from his back.
The trap was so sudden that Sanji had no time to react.
Though his kick sent Lake flying, Sanji's leg was now riddled with bloody puncture wounds. He winced slightly at the pain.
Lake stood back up, smirking, and tore off his shirt.
Underneath, his chest, abdomen, back, and arms were all covered in steel plates. The plates were rigged with hidden mechanisms—at a single trigger, they could transform into spikes, turning him into a walking death trap.
This sneaky trick was the very reason Lake dared to challenge Sanji in the first place!
"Tch. So, you're just a cowardly rat," Sanji scoffed. "Wearing armor full of spikes, yet you still had to keep it hidden?"
With a frown, he flicked away his cigarette and lit a fresh one. His mood was sour—no one would be happy after falling for such a dirty trick.
"But if you really think this cheap gimmick will save you from getting your ass kicked, then you're seriously underestimating me."
With that, Sanji used Shave again.
This time, he appeared right beside Lake and drove the sole of his shoe straight into his face.
Lake reacted quickly, immediately raising both arms to shield his head. Sharp steel spikes extended from the plates on his forearms, trying to force Sanji to pull back his attack.
However, Sanji's black shoe did not stop.
Boom!
Lake was sent flying and crashed hard into a wall.
Sanji frowned again. He could feel that the sole of his shoe had been damaged, and even his foot was aching. The material of those steel spikes wasn't ordinary—it wasn't something he could break easily.
"Interesting," Sanji muttered. "Looks like I need to teach you a proper lesson, or else this injury will have been for nothing!"
Now, Sanji was truly pissed. Step by step, he approached Lake, his frustration growing with every move. Memories of Carl's relentless training surfaced in his mind.
Yeah… he could be even stronger than this.
"Mutton Shoot!"
Sanji's kick shot straight toward Lake's chest.
Lake barely had time to react—he had no choice but to take the full force of the attack. But this time, something was different.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed as Lake was sent flying again. He coughed up blood midair before slamming into the ground. Looking down at his chest, he realized that the steel spikes had been completely broken off, and his armor had caved in.
Meanwhile, Sanji stood there like nothing had happened.
"You… you put steel plates on your legs, didn't you?!" Lake gasped.
"Steel plates?" Sanji scoffed. "Tch, you really don't get it. A real man doesn't need something like that. Steel is weaker than the human body!"
With that, he launched another attack.
"Iron Body! Level 3 Ground Meat!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sanji's foot struck Lake's chest three times in rapid succession. The steel plates bent inward under the sheer force of the blows.
Blood trickled from the corner of Lake's mouth. His body trembled, frozen in place. A moment later, he collapsed, unconscious.
Sanji vs. "Ironfoot" Lake—complete victory!
"Damn it," Sanji muttered, annoyed. "All I've got is Iron Body. If only I had awakened Armament Haki already… I can't let that moss-headed bastard get too far ahead of me!"
Grumbling to himself, he turned and started walking in Nami's direction.
Meanwhile, Law emerged from a nearby alley. He and Sanji exchanged a brief nod before heading off to find the others.
Things were much easier on Nami's side.
Miss Doublefinger had the Spike-Spike Fruit, allowing her to turn her body into deadly thorns. But at this moment, Nami possessed the Slip-Slip Fruit, making her immune to physical attacks by effortlessly sliding away.
This made fighting Miss Doublefinger almost too easy.
As long as Nami got close, she could completely avoid the thorns and counterattack with her Clima-Tact.
However, Miss Doublefinger wasn't inexperienced. Her combat instincts kicked in, and she transformed her hair into sharp spikes, blocking Nami's iron staff again and again. For the moment, neither of them could land a decisive hit.
But Nami's weapon wasn't just an ordinary iron staff.
Unnoticed by Miss Doublefinger, Nami had quietly released water vapor into the air.
She patiently waited, allowing the moisture to spread until it was just right. Then, with precise timing, she summoned a bolt of lightning to strike her opponent.
Miss Doublefinger could block physical attacks with her thorns—but there was no defense against electricity.
Nami vs. Miss Doublefinger—complete victory!
"Hee hee~ I'm pretty amazing now, aren't I?" Nami grinned proudly.
The Slip-Slip Fruit was perfect for her. Not only did it make her skin softer and enhance her beauty, but it also let her slip away from danger, ensuring she could hold her own in battle.
Just like Carl said—Devil Fruits change fate!
"037 Nami is cool! Your dearest Sanji is spinning!"
Sanji's body wobbled dramatically like a drunken dancer.
Law, watching from the side, looked visibly disgusted.
He turned his gaze to Miss Doublefinger's unconscious body, silently acknowledging Nami's strength. He had assumed the Straw Hat crew's navigator would be weak, but to his surprise, she was quite capable.
The Straw Hats were seriously overpowered.
But then, thinking about Luffy and Carl—whose abilities were on a completely different level—Law realized that Sanji and Nami actually seemed… normal in comparison.
Elsewhere, Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas had lured Chopper and Jango outside the city.
Miss Merry Christmas moved quickly, digging multiple holes into the ground, leaving Chopper and Jango confused.
Then, both Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas suddenly jumped into one of the holes.
"What are they doing? Digging their own graves?" Chopper asked, puzzled.
"Stay sharp, Chopper," Jango warned. "This is probably their attack strategy. Don't underestimate them just because they look dumb!"
In the Grand Line, strong fighters had all kinds of bizarre abilities. Some seemed strange at first, but those unusual techniques were often the deadliest, catching enemies off guard.
Just then, a dachshund sneezed—
And a white baseball shot out of its mouth…
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