Chapter 175: Luffy’s Childish Side!!
"LUFFY—!!"
Sanji's roar tore through the smoke and scorching heat.
Where he stood, the charred ground had cracked outward in a radial pattern. Broken stones and fragments of metal floated and trembled within the violent electromagnetic field surrounding him.
The once-elegant black suit he wore was now in tatters, the shredded cloth clinging tightly to his hardened frame.
With every violent rise and fall of his chest—
each breath pulled at the dried blood crusted across his body, reopening wounds and letting fresh crimson seep through.
And yet—
despite the battered state of his body, the aura erupting from him surged like a volcano and roared like a rising tsunami.
A qualitative transformation of power coursed through him, merging completely with flesh and bone.
No longer the clumsy force he had struggled to control when he first gained the ability.
No longer the friction of lightning colliding with his body.
Now, the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit had become as natural as his years of kick techniques.
An extension of his will.
As effortless as breathing.
"Do you see it?"
A near-manic grin spread across Sanji's face.
His blond hair stood on end from static electricity, tiny sparks dancing at the tips.
"This power—ten times… no, a hundred times stronger than before!"
ZZZT—BOOM!!!
Before the words finished, his shattered figure exploded into a burst of brilliant blue lightning.
In a flash, he appeared high in the sky.
His right leg rose overhead—
as an unprecedented mass of lightning gathered, compressed, and coiled around his long leg.
The high-frequency current screeched like millions of furious birds crying at once.
A visible force field twisted the surrounding light.
It looked as if the leg he raised was a divine blade forged directly from the thunder of the heavens, about to strike down judgment.
His feral grin carried absolute confidence in his power—
and the sharp edge of someone reborn through life-and-death battle.
"This 'gift'…"
He looked down from above, lightning blazing in his eyes like a miniature sun.
"You'd better catch it properly, Captain!"
Even before the kick descended, overwhelming pressure covered the battlefield like a thunderous domain.
This was not merely power ten times greater than before—
but a completely awakened form where demon and thunder god merged into one.
Luffy looked up, clicking his tongue in mild annoyance.
"Hey, Sanji!"
He looked openly disgusted.
"What's with that look… did that stupid lightning fry your brain?"
He dug a finger into his ear as if the crackling electricity was giving him a headache.
"Does the Rumble-Rumble Fruit come with built-in anger issues or something?"
"The last guy who ate it was just like this too. Always acting like he's the center of the world."
But the teasing in his eyes vanished the moment he finished speaking.
It hardened into solid concentration.
A ring of compressed air exploded beneath his feet.
The ground instantly sank and cracked.
"And don't forget—"
"Your improvement is thanks to me!"
SHHHH—!!
Luffy clenched his right fist.
Armament Haki surged like living metal from his shoulder, spiraling violently down his arm.
The spiral grooves looked as though they were devouring light itself.
The air screamed under the extreme density and hardness of the power.
This was no longer simple "hardening."
It was his will, belief, and strength twisted into an unstoppable spear.
"Grilled Steak Kick!!"
"Serious Punch!!"
BOOOOM!!!
The moment fist and leg collided—
it was like a meteor striking the earth.
A blazing pillar of white light shot into the sky, dazzling enough to make the sun seem dim.
The overwhelming energy burst outward like a collapsing celestial river.
The force swept across the battlefield with unstoppable momentum.
CRASH!
Luffy's punch crushed through Sanji's lightning and smashed heavily into his leg.
The delayed shockwave spread outward in a circular blast, carving massive trenches into the ground.
Sanji's body was blasted backward—
leaving behind a fading trail of shattered blue lightning in the air.
Like a thunderbird shot down from the sky.
"As expected…"
Sanji slowly pushed himself up from the rubble.
"Still can't beat you… you monster."
Every muscle in his body screamed in pain.
Blood mixed with sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his already shredded shirt.
He tried to move his fingers—
but only triggered a spasm of agony.
That Armament-coated punch had nearly shattered every bone in his body.
Panting, he raised his gaze.
The smoke ahead slowly settled.
It revealed Luffy sitting on a charred boulder.
He rested his chin on his palm, rubber arms hanging loosely beside his knees.
Stray sparks of lightning still flickered along the brim of his straw hat.
When he noticed Sanji looking over—
he immediately flashed his signature wide grin.
"Don't look so gloomy!"
"You're super strong now!!"
The smile was so bright that it made Sanji even more suspicious.
He wiped blood from his mouth and narrowed his swollen eyes.
"You hit that hard… it wasn't just training, was it?"
The air went silent for a second.
Luffy's smile froze.
His eyes drifted awkwardly toward the upper-right corner while his finger absentmindedly scratched a hole in his pants.
"…Eh?"
"Cut the act."
Sanji clenched his teeth and slowly stood up using his left leg.
"The last move—Serious Punch…"
"You could've held back thirty percent. But you didn't."
He pointed to the massive bruise stretching from his collarbone to his abdomen.
"The angle of the impact shows you adjusted your punch mid-strike."
"To hit the weakest gap between my ribs."
"That kind of precise malice isn't something you do during normal training."
His voice rose.
"You treated me like an actual opponent, didn't you?!"
Luffy opened his mouth.
Under the shadow of his straw hat, his expression became increasingly awkward.
He scratched the back of his head, his rubber fingers messing up his hair.
"And another thing,"
Sanji staggered forward slightly but kept staring into Luffy's eyes.
"When you said 'let's have a serious fight today' before we started…"
"Your mouth curved downward."
"That's the face you make when you're trying really hard not to laugh."
"I've been sailing with you for years. You think I wouldn't notice?"
Luffy's body stiffened visibly.
"So,"
Sanji took a deep breath, the blood-scented air stabbing his lungs.
"You went through all this trouble… using 'special training' as an excuse…"
Thunk.
Luffy slid off the rock and plopped onto the ground.
His entire face turned bright red.
His lips wobbled like a crooked wave while his eyes bulged wide.
His hands waved helplessly in the air—
before he suddenly covered his face.
"…I got caught."
The muffled voice slipped through his fingers.
Sanji stood there silently for three seconds.
Then slowly raised his still-working left hand—
pointing at the curled-up rubber idiot.
"YOU—"
A flood of profanity erupted like a broken dam.
Every curse word Sanji knew—across multiple languages—echoed across the ruined battlefield.
He ignored the stabbing pain in his ribs and poured out every insult he had ever learned.
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!"
"What 'Observation Haki prediction training'?!"
"What 'Armament Haki internal destruction lesson'?!"
"What 'Devil Fruit awakening guidance'?!!"
"All bullshit!"
"You were just itching for a fight and needed a durable punching bag!"
Luffy peeked through his fingers and muttered weakly:
"B-But Sanji… you really did get way stronger…"
"That spinning kick earlier almost hit my chin…"
"IS THAT THE POINT?!"
"The point is every bone in my body hurts!"
"My organs might have moved places!"
"And you—"
Sanji nearly choked from anger.
"After beating me half to death you sat on a rock pretending to be deep! Acting like a coach!"
"'Don't look so gloomy'—my ass!!"
He even mimicked Luffy's earlier tone, his voice twisting with rage.
Luffy finally lowered his hands.
His face showed two conflicting emotions at once:
"I'm totally busted."
and
"But that fight felt amazing."
He quickly tried to change the subject.
"So… uh… Sanji, are you hungry?"
"I could go catch a Sea King—"
"I WANT TO TURN YOU INTO RUBBER SOUP!!"
The blond cook lunged forward across the ruins, limping but furious.
Luffy jumped away shouting, "Hey! Hey! Hey!"
Yet even as he dodged—
he couldn't stop laughing.
There was a little guilt in that laugh.
But far more than that—
there was the carefree, childish joy of someone who had just enjoyed an incredible fight.
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