Chapter 122: Sanji: Just Kill Me!
Honey Queen is a Toro Toro no Mi user, able to liquefy into pink slime at any time, rendering physical attacks almost ineffective.
The Seastone that could counter her had been sent flying who-knows-where by the explosion of the golden short staff—maybe embedded in a wall, maybe fallen downstairs.
And Sanji?
He held a cigarette in his mouth, his expression as conflicted as if he were solving a world-class puzzle.
Do not hit women.
This was his code of chivalry, a principle carved into his very bones.
But the "woman" before him was an enemy, the scoundrel who had kidnapped Miss Nami, a target that must be defeated.
But... she was still a woman!
There was a time when Nami thought Sanji was the most useful man in the Straw Hat crew—obedient, gentlemanly, always at her beck and call.
But now she really wanted to go back in time and slap her past self.
A man who obeys every woman's word is utterly useless in critical moments!
Sanji's inner turmoil raged on: Is it wrong to uphold the code of chivalry, to never harm any woman?
But last time, it was precisely because of this stubborn adherence that Miss Nami ended up kidnapped and brought here.
Could it be that this time, for the same reason, he would fail to protect Miss Nami again?
Why do I always run into these kinds of dilemmas?
He instinctively glanced at Zoro.
Their eyes met.
Zoro grinned, "Pervert cook, don't even think about it!"
With that, he returned to the whirlwind of blades!
Sanji: "..."
He then looked toward Lufia.
Over there, she was fighting Bear King with earth-shaking intensity.
Amidst the chaos, Lufia managed to shout:
"Sanji! If you're struggling, wait until I defeat Bear King, then I'll come help you deal with that woman!"
Sanji's heart shattered.
To lose face simultaneously in front of the moss-head, Miss Lufia, and Miss Nami.
I'd rather die!
A torrent of emotions surged within him.
Sanji suddenly strode toward Honey Queen, stopping three meters away under her wary gaze.
"Just kill me."
Sanji wore a tragic, resolute expression,
"I will uphold the spirit of chivalry—never harming a lady—to the very end! Even if I have to delay with my life, I won't let you harm Miss Nami!"
He paused, an image flashing involuntarily through his mind:
Last time, Honey Queen had smothered his face with her slime—that suffocating feeling, that sticky, gooey sensation, that...
"Like last time, wrap your body around my head," Sanji's expression suddenly turned lecherous, a strange curve lifting the corner of his mouth, "And let me sink into sweet suffocation... hehe..."
Dying surrounded by beauties doesn't seem so bad!
Honey Queen: "..."
Nami: "..."
Even Zoro, mid-fight, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Honey Queen froze for two seconds, then exploded with curses:
"You pervert! I don't have time to mess around with you lunatics who don't value your lives!"
The battle between Bear King and Lufia grew increasingly fierce. Every collision shook the entire tower violently, widening cracks in the walls. The glass floor beneath their feet was already on the verge of collapse, ready to give way completely at any moment.
Just moments ago, she had been agonizing over whether to escape, but now there was no need to hesitate.
If she stayed any longer, she'd lose her life!
Without a second thought, Honey Queen liquefied her body into pink slime and "plopped" into the exclusive metal pipe she usually used to travel up and down the tower.
The slime flowed "whooshing" down the pipe, disappearing within seconds.
Sanji stood frozen in place.
She... ran away?
Just... like that... they ran away?
Nami let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the ground.
"Finally..."
Zoro finished off the fight with a flash of his blade and walked over, giving him a sidelong glance.
"Useless cook."
"Who are you calling useless?!"
"Whoever responds."
"Want to fight, you moss-head?!"
"Bring it on, I wasn't done fighting anyway."
Just as the two were about to start arguing, a loud explosion suddenly erupted from the center of the tower.
"BOOM—!!!"
Another clash between Lufia and Bear King sent shockwaves that shook the entire floor.
A large chunk of the ceiling fell, nearly hitting Nami.
"Stop fighting!"
Nami screamed.
"This place is going to collapse!"
Zoro and Sanji both turned their attention to the center of the battle.
Bear King had completely lost his mind, relentlessly throwing his steel fists at Lufia, completely ignoring the glass floor beneath his feet.
Lufia was also getting into the fight, her rubber fists coated in Armament Haki, clashing head-on with the steel body again and again.
With each collision, the cracks in the floor widened.
"We have to get out of here."
Zoro made a quick decision.
"Let them fight it out here, we're going down. Lufia will be fine!"
Sanji nodded and looked at Nami.
"Miss Nami, we—"
"I know!"
Nami had already run to the elevator, frantically pressing the button.
"The elevator still works! Hurry!"
The three of them rushed into the elevator.
Just before the doors closed, Nami took one last look—
Lufia was grinning, throwing a punch right into Bear King's face.
...
Meanwhile, down below the tower, inside Clockwork City.
The battle was nearing its end.
Ralph stood in the center of a spiral street, surrounded by dozens of fallen underlings from the Trump Pirates.
Usopp was directing the workers to round up the prisoners, while Akisu's parents helped organize the residents' counterattack.
Led by Ralph and Usopp, the residents of Clockwork Island were unstoppable, achieving victory with almost zero casualties.
Ralph nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the tower.
The tremors from the top of the tower grew increasingly violent, and the faint sound of fighting could even be heard.
The entire spiral mountain was shaking, with rubble tumbling down the streets.
Falling.
"Mr. Ralph!"
Akisu's parents ran over, their faces grave.
"This is..."
"I know."
Ralph said calmly.
"Have all the residents prepare."
He turned to Akisu's father.
"Doctor, what will happen to the island if the core clockwork is destroyed?"
Akisu's father paled.
"The foundation of Clockwork Island relies on the mechanical force of the core clockwork to maintain stability. Once the clockwork stops... the entire spiral mountain will collapse from within, and the island will break apart."
"Where will it fall?"
"Below is the sea, but..."
Akisu's mother continued.
"From this height, even if it falls into the sea, the impact would be fatal. Unless..."
"Unless there are parachutes."
Ralph finished.
"Everyone, the battle at the top of the tower might destroy the core clockwork. While this isn't what we want, we must prepare for the worst."
"What we need to prepare is simple: everyone, get parachutes ready."
"When the clockwork of Clockwork Island stops and the island falls from the spiral mountain, at least everyone will be able to survive in the air."
The workers exchanged glances but quickly sprang into action.
The news spread rapidly.
Men, women, and children of Clockwork City stepped out of their homes and began preparing as well.
Just then—
Ralph's Observation Haki was fully activated, detecting a familiar presence that had fled from the tower to the nearby area.
His eyes turned cold.
"Usopp, I leave this to you."
With those words, his figure vanished instantly.
Activating Soru, Ralph shot through the streets like a black lightning bolt.
In a certain metal pipe of the city, a mass of pink slime sprayed out.
The slime coalesced and reshaped in midair, reforming into the human figure of Honey Queen.
Her eyes still held the lingering relief of having narrowly escaped.
Then, a large hand covered in pitch-black Armament Haki reached out from the shadows.
Precisely.
And gripped her neck.