Chapter 27: A Total Defeat
Yumesaki's expression soured. He felt as if he were being looked down upon.
No, he had to be confident in his assessment—he needed to strike the words "as if" from his mind. He was definitely being looked down upon.
Fine, fine, fine...
Yumesaki really hadn't expected that he would be belittled by someone even while he was just trying to have a meal. A flicker of annoyance flared up within him.
Still, there wasn't much of a choice. He couldn't exactly string the guy up and beat him senseless over such a trivial matter. There was no need for that.
Besides, what Sanji—that pervy kappa—said wasn't entirely wrong. He really couldn't defeat the guy right now. If he tried to force a confrontation, he would most likely be the one suffering a crushing defeat instead.
Because of that, he had to remain calm.
As the old proverb goes: "A gentleman can wait ten years to take his revenge." Just because he couldn't hit Sanji now didn't mean he wouldn't be able to do it in the future. Once he finally ate a Devil Fruit and became strong, it wouldn't be too late to come back and settle the score.
"How dare you."
Just as Yumesaki was pondering exactly when to return and give the cook a little "lesson," Hashirama, who was sitting right next to him, suddenly let out a loud shout and clapped his hands together.
The wooden floor beneath Sanji's feet suddenly regained its vitality. Tree branches sprouted violently from the floorboards, and in a split second, they coiled around Sanji. Before the cook could even react, he had been hoisted into the air and hung upside down by the branches.
Among the tangled wood, one branch transformed into something resembling a whip, lashing out at Sanji like he was a spinning top.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The sharp sound of the whipping echoed through the air without pause.
In just a matter of seconds, Sanji had been lashed until his face was a swollen mess of black and blue.
Naturally, Sanji tried to break free from the bindings, but the problem was that Hashirama's Wood Release was strong enough to suppress Tailed Beasts like the Nine-Tails with ease. Controlling a mere Sanji was child's play by comparison.
If this were the endgame of the story—where Sanji had mastered Haki and reached the level of a Yonko's division commander—Hashirama might have needed to exert a tiny bit of effort. But against the current Sanji? He couldn't offer any meaningful resistance at all.
Yumesaki stared at Hashirama with a shocked expression. It was incredible. Was the God of Shinobi really this temperamental? To strike immediately just because of one disagreeable word?
At that moment, Hashirama turned his gaze toward Yumesaki and spoke with a serious tone:
"Does this satisfy you, Lord Yumesaki?"
Hashirama remembered what his younger brother, Tobirama, had told him before he departed for the world of One Piece.
"Brother, the safety of the ninja world currently rests entirely in Lord Yumesaki's hands. When you serve as his bodyguard this time, you must not act as a mere sentry. You must serve Lord Yumesaki as if you were serving a Daimyo."
"Only if Lord Yumesaki is safe and satisfied can our ninja world and our Konoha continue to prosper."
"Brother, you wouldn't want Lord Yumesaki to leave Konoha for another ninja village because your protection was deemed useless, would you?"
Even though Hashirama was a man of firm convictions, he always listened to Tobirama—especially when it concerned the welfare of Konoha. He would listen even more intently then.
That was why, the moment he saw Yumesaki's irritation, he hadn't hesitated to hang Sanji up for a beating.
One had to remember that in the ninja world, the status of a Daimyo was absolute. Even as the Hokage, he had to carry himself half a step below them. If someone dared to insult a Daimyo, it was a capital offense.
The only reason he hadn't finished Sanji off was purely due to his kind heart; he wasn't willing to kill a young man just like that.
So, when he asked Yumesaki, he was actually feeling a bit anxious deep down. If Yumesaki truly insisted on ending Sanji's life, he wouldn't hold back. For the sake of Konoha, he was willing to strike down his own kin—let alone some random youth.
Yumesaki finally realized that this was all for his sake, to vent his frustration. And for some reason, he suddenly felt quite satisfied.
"Alright, that's enough."
Yumesaki waved his hand, signaling Hashirama to let Sanji down. He wasn't a petty person; he wouldn't take a life over a minor verbal spat. After all, he was born and raised in a civilized modern era. How could he be so ruthless?
Hearing this, Hashirama immediately felt relieved. With a flick of his hand, the branches binding Sanji instantly withered away into a pile of ash. Sanji, who had been hanging mid-air, hit the floor with a dull thud.
"You bastard..."
Sanji crawled up from the floor, glaring at Yumesaki with a bruised and swollen face. Anger smoldered in his eyes. Anyone who had been whipped until they were black and blue would be furious, especially when it happened in front of such a large crowd.
"You idiot!"
But before Sanji could attempt any sort of retaliation, a frying pan made its reappearance.
Zeff appeared silently behind Sanji. The giant pan in his hand slammed into Sanji's head with a heavy, resounding clonk.
Half of Sanji's body was driven into the wooden floor, and a bump the size of a fist swelled up on his head, visible to the naked eye. This time, Sanji really couldn't take any more; he lost consciousness completely.
Zeff sighed and turned to Yumesaki. "Thank you for your generosity, gentlemen. I'll take this fool away now. As for tonight's dinner, I've decided it's on the house for the three of you."
He could see that Hashirama had been holding back earlier. Although Sanji looked like a mess, the injuries were actually just surface-level. He'd be back on his feet after a day of rest.
That was why, when he saw Sanji foolishly trying to counterattack, Zeff hadn't hesitated to knock him out cold. If they truly angered these guests, Sanji's life would be forfeit. Having once traveled the Grand Line, Zeff understood the cruelty of the world all too well.
The strong do as they please, and the weak can only endure.
"No need, no need," Yumesaki said, waving it off. "It was basically just a verbal argument, nothing serious. The meal should be paid for at its full price. I'm not in the habit of eating without paying."
However, Zeff was adamant about making it free and refused any payment. After a long-winded argument between Yumesaki and the old cook, they finally reached a compromise at Robin's suggestion.
The meal would be fifty percent off.
With that, both parties were satisfied, and thus, a world where only Sanji suffered was created.
...
After leaving the Baratie, the Floating Restaurant, Yumesaki looked out at the vast, endless ocean and asked Robin and Hashirama.
"Where do you think we should go next?"
The visit to the floating restaurant was done, and for a moment, Yumesaki wasn't sure of his next destination.
Robin smiled and suggested, "How about Cocoyasi Village?"
"Cocoyasi Village?" Yumesaki paused, then remembered. "Isn't that Nami's village? You mean we should go help Nami take down Arlong, and then invite her to join us too?"
"I don't know..." Yumesaki felt a bit hesitant. "I've already taken you away. If I take Nami too, I'm afraid Luffy will spend the rest of his life wandering the East Blue, never making it to the Grand Line."
Robin looked a bit surprised. "You actually care quite a bit about him."
Yumesaki spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Back when I read the manga, I always placed myself in the shoes of the protagonist, so naturally, I have a bit of a soft spot for Luffy. Besides, in a world full of pillaging and killing, he's a rare exception among pirates."
"Aside from his actions in the Impel Down section, which were a bit questionable, there isn't much of a problem with him overall."
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