The brutal exchange between Franky and Senor Pink finally reached a breaking point. After an unknown amount of time, the two warriors took a brief, ragged breath. Senor Pink lay on the dusty ground, his face a mask of blood and his chest heaving like a bellows as exhaustion took hold. Franky fared no better; deep cracks spiderwebbed across his alloy skin, a testament to the danger of absorbing Senor's heavy blows head-on.
Yet, despite the damage, both men remained conscious.
"If you're wondering why a man doesn't dodge his opponent's strikes, the reason is simple ," Franky grunted, his voice filled with pride. "It's like being in a tavern when someone offers you a toast. As a man, how can you possibly refuse? You are a real man, you pervert, and I would never disrespect your spirit by avoiding your fist!"
His words struck a chord with the surrounding subordinates and the women in the crowd. They had viewed Franky as nothing more than a strange cyborg, but they couldn't help but be moved by his unwavering resolve.
Senor Pink slowly pushed himself up, a genuine smile breaking through his injuries. "I'll ignore the tavern analogy for now, but I have to praise your spirit. In that case, prepare yourself. Take my final, strongest blow. If you can withstand it, you win—and then I will stand still and take yours."
Franky gave a firm thumbs-up. "It's a deal! Once a man gives his word, he never goes back on it!"
Senor Pink created distance before lunging forward, "swimming" through the solid pavement at high speed using his Swim-Swim Fruit. He slammed into Franky, the force of his momentum pushing the cyborg backward and parting the ground like water.
"This ability is truly bizarre ," Franky complained, yet he kept his arms at his sides, allowing Senor to execute his technique without resistance.
The onlookers rushed to keep up, desperate to see the conclusion of this duel. Senor Pink dragged Franky up the side of a tall building, sprinting toward the sky. As the clouds drew closer, Senor's gaze turned glassy with memory.
"If I keep going up... maybe I'll see Lucian again ," he whispered. Tears overflowed from his eyes, momentarily stunning Franky. It was clear that this man in baby clothes carried a heavy burden from his past.
They cleared the roof of the building, reaching the peak of their arc before gravity took hold. This was Senor's ultimate move: a high-altitude vertical drop designed to crush his opponent against the earth.
Boom!
Franky slammed into the ground back-first, the impact cratering the street and causing nearby structures to tremble. Senor Pink stood up shakily and bit down hard on his pacifier, convinced he had secured the victory.
However, before he could walk away, Franky began to stir. Bleeding from his face but driven by his promise, the cyborg forced himself to his feet.
"We had an agreement," Franky said, his voice steady. "Now it's my turn. Don't you dare move."
"Strong Right!"
Franky launched his reinforced fist with every remaining ounce of power. The punch connected squarely with Senor's face, shattering his glasses and sending him spiraling backward. Senor Pink hit the ground and did not get back up; the duel was over.
Franky walked over and silently wiped the tears from the fallen man's face. "If we ever meet again, let's have a drink. I'd like to hear the story of that woman, Lucian."
"I'll... I'll tell you ," Senor sobbed, weeping openly toward the sky.
Meanwhile, the battle deep within the Smile Factory continued. Chopper had been utilizing his various transformations to dismantle the factory guards. The resistance was so weak that he defeated them before he even needed to use his specialized combat forms.
Elsewhere in the facility, Nami faced off against Jora. Jora's Art-Art Fruit allowed her to launch "artistic" clouds that transformed whatever they touched. Nami found the attacks easy to dodge, using the opportunity to gather moisture and create her own thunderclouds.
To Nami's surprise, Jora simply opened her mouth and swallowed the thunderclouds whole. Nami retreated quickly, realizing she had underestimated her opponent. Jora then produced a specialized cloud from her head—one that looked like a stylized painting—and pulled a jagged bolt of lightning from it.
Nami narrowly avoided the bolt using Soru. The lightning struck the ground where she had been standing, leaving the floor scorched and black.
"She can do that too? Maybe I was too overconfident staying here alone ," Nami thought, feeling a hint of unease. But she refused to back down; she wouldn't let her friends down.
Jora suddenly released a massive wave of "Art Mist". As it spread, it transformed the factory soldiers and equipment into distorted cartoon versions of themselves. Nami gritted her teeth and activated a Wind Dial, creating a powerful gust that blew the mist back toward Jora.
Nami then began producing small bubbles to saturate the air with water vapor. Within moments, she seemed to vanish entirely from sight.
"Where did that little cat burglar go ?" Jora shrieked, frustratedly throwing clouds in every direction.
Nami's figure suddenly flickered into view, appearing to stumble as she dodged an incoming cloud. Sensing an opening, Jora unleashed a barrage of artistic clusters at her. Nami stood her ground as the clouds hit her, but in the next second, the image popped like a bubble and vanished.
Nami reappeared directly behind Jora, her Clima-Tact pressed against the woman's back.
"You've clearly never seen a mirage before ," Nami laughed. "I've had control over the localized weather in this room from the start. Since you don't seem to have Observation Haki, you were finished the moment you lost track of me."
Jora tried to turn, but it was too late. Nami triggered an Impact Dial she had previously prepared.
Boom!
The concentrated force of the impact rippled through Jora's internal organs, knocking her unconscious instantly.
"I'm glad that worked ," Nami said, sticking her tongue out mischievously. "I had Luffy store a full-power punch in this dial earlier. If you could have survived a hit from one of the Five Emperors, then Luffy would really have something to be ashamed of!"
Nami went to find Chopper, who had finished securing the rest of the factory.
"Nami, you're amazing! You took down an officer so fast !" Chopper cheered.
"Hehe, you did a great job too, Chopper !" she replied.
"Stop it! Even if you praise me, it won't make me happy, you jerk !" Chopper squealed, his happy dance betraying his words as they moved deeper into the factory together.
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