Gin rushed forward, instinctively trying to guard against Luffy and the others.
But he quickly realized that none of them had made a move. Instead, the orange-haired girl struck him on the head with an iron rod.
Reacting on instinct, Gin raised his tonfa to block the attack, while his other tonfa swung toward Nami's stomach. He was ruthless and had no hesitation about attacking a woman.
His plan was to knock Nami out and use her as leverage against the Straw Hat crew.
Sanji, watching from behind, saw that Gin was attacking a beautiful woman while Luffy and the others simply stood by. No one stepped in to help. Instantly, the chivalrous fire in his heart ignited.
"Gin! How dare you lay a hand on a lady—"
Before Sanji could finish, an unbelievable scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Gin's tonfa should have landed squarely on Nami's body, but instead, it suddenly slid to the side!
Even Gin was stunned as his body was thrown off balance by the unexpected force. Seizing the opportunity, Nami swung her iron rod again, landing a powerful blow to Gin's face and sending him flying.
The others were shocked.
No one expected that the Straw Hats' navigator would be so strong that she could send "Demon Man" Gin flying with a single strike.
"Hah! Good thing this rod was specially made by Teacher Carl, or I wouldn't have been able to hit so hard!"
Nami exhaled in relief.
Fighting a powerhouse like Gin for the first time was nerve-wracking, but thankfully, she had taken him down in one move.
Still, she knew her own strength wasn't enough on its own.
This rod had been specially crafted by Carl, incorporating some features of the Clima-Tact, allowing Nami to utilize certain techniques with more power.
Gin slowly got up, his face filled with disbelief.
He had just been knocked down—by a woman!
Nearby, Krieg glanced over and suddenly shouted, "Gin! Have you gone soft?! You can't even handle a little girl?! You've disappointed me!"
Gin trembled all over and prepared to strike again.
But before he could move, Sanji rushed forward and sent him flying with a powerful kick.
"Gin, you bastard! How dare you attack such a beautiful lady! I completely misjudged you!"
Sanji, now fully fired up, continued his assault, kicking Gin repeatedly until he was dazed. After sending him flying, Sanji twirled around in what he thought was a stylish dance, then leaped over to Nami and dramatically dropped to one knee.
"Oh! Ocean! Oh, Goddess! What a beautiful encounter! My dear lady, allow your knight, Chef Sanji, to serve you!"
His words sent shivers down everyone's spine.
But Nami was different now. If even a big, burly woman like Alvida could become a stunning beauty after eating the Slip-Slip Fruit, then it was no surprise that someone already as beautiful as Nami had become even more dazzling after eating her Devil Fruit.
Her charm was now irresistible.
It wasn't just Sanji who was captivated—even the other chefs couldn't help but steal glances at her, their faces turning red.
Nami smiled slightly and said, "Ah, getting hit earlier really hurt… I'll have to treat myself to a big meal later. But I don't have that much money."
Sanji immediately responded, "A beautiful lady like you eats for free, of course! May I know your lovely name?"
"Hee hee, my name is Nami."
"Oh! Nami-san! Your loyal knight, Sanji, will serve you!"
Everyone watched as Sanji put on his dramatic performance.
Zoro scoffed, crossing his arms. "Tch. What an idiot… That damn pervy cook."
Unexpectedly, Sanji's ears twitched, picking up on the insult right away. He spun around and snapped, "Who the hell are you calling a pervy cook, you moss-headed bastard?!"
"Who are you calling moss-head, you curly-browed idiot?! You wanna get cut down?!"
"Oh yeah?! You wanna get kicked into the ocean, dumbass?!"
As always, the two bickered like sworn enemies, no matter where they went.
Meanwhile, the battle between Usopp and Krieg had reached a critical point. The wooden walls of Baratie had been wrecked by their clash.
At first, Usopp had struggled with the fight, but as time passed, he adapted. Gradually, he began to gain the upper hand over Krieg.
Krieg was furious. The thought of losing to a sniper from some no-name pirate crew filled him with rage.
He still had ambitions!
He was supposed to conquer the Grand Line!
He wanted to find the great treasure!
How could he lose here?!
Determined, he suddenly raised a shield with a skull emblem painted on it, a crazed look in his eyes.
Seeing this, Gin's expression changed. He immediately shouted, "Be careful! That's a poison gas bomb! Sanji-san, take this and put it on!"
Without hesitation, Gin tore the gas mask off his own face and tossed it to Sanji.
Sanji was stunned.
For a moment, he didn't know how to react. His emotions were conflicted.
"Gin, you bastard…"
Gin might have been ruthless, but when it came to repaying a debt, he never hesitated.
Even knowing how deadly the gas bomb was, he still chose to give his mask to his benefactor without a second thought.
Not just Sanji—even the others were moved by the sight.
Gin attacked Nami out of loyalty, yet he threw the gas mask to Sanji out of gratitude.
A guy like that really left people speechless.
Zeff quickly ordered everyone to retreat, but Luffy didn't move at all.
"It's just a gas bomb. It won't even reach here," he said casually.
Meanwhile, Krieg had already put on his own gas mask. Without hesitation, he launched the gas bomb, a twisted grin forming on his face. But in less than a second, that grin vanished.
His eyes widened in shock.
Before everyone's eyes, Usopp's face turned red, his nose stretched longer and thicker, and a pair of large wings sprouted from his back.
"Ever since I ate my Devil Fruit, I've been experimenting with my abilities. That's when I realized—I can control the wind. As long as I will it, the wind moves exactly how I want it to."
As Usopp muttered to himself, he flapped his massive wings. A powerful gust of wind surged forward.
In an instant, the poisonous gas was completely blown away.
"This… this is impossible!"
Krieg was in utter disbelief. His strongest weapon had been neutralized like it was nothing.
The chefs watching were equally stunned.
Zeff sighed and said, "So that's it… A Devil Fruit ability. No wonder Krieg isn't a match for them. The Straw Hat Pirates aren't ordinary. Even their sniper has eaten a Devil Fruit. If the crew's sniper is this strong… just how powerful is their captain?"
Krieg quickly realized the situation.
He knew about Devil Fruits, of course—but he never expected to run into a user here. This was bad.
Before he could react, Usopp flapped his wings and shot forward like a meteor.
Startled, Krieg quickly shrank into his armor and activated his spiked cloak.
"Winged Shield!"
Usopp's wings glowed with a dark light, and a spherical barrier formed around his body. It appeared to be one of the abilities of his Tengu-Tengu Fruit.
He crashed directly into Krieg's spiked cloak.
But instead of getting hurt, Usopp remained completely unharmed, while Krieg was sent flying once again. The defensive power of Usopp's Winged Shield was clearly formidable.
Boom!
Usopp followed up, rushing forward and landing a solid punch to Krieg's face.
Krieg's eyes, filled with unwillingness, slowly rolled back.
Finally, he collapsed.
The self-proclaimed overlord of the East Blue had been defeated—by the Straw Hat Pirates' sniper, Usopp!
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