Chapter 371: Sanji's Insight!

In the gap of the opening stone door,

the intricate internal structure of a castle was suddenly revealed before Sanji's eyes.

Accompanied by the steady sound of leather shoes,

Capone Bege, one of the Supernovas and Captain of the Fire Tank Pirates, stepped silently out of the miniature castle's shadows, wearing his signature black-and-white striped coat and chomping on a thick cigar.

Almost at the exact moment Bege appeared, the "castle" ports on his chest and arms opened one after another.

Dozens of miniature gun barrels, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, poked out in unison from the various firing ports inside his body, instantly locking down all of Sanji's escape routes from all directions.

With just a single thought from Bege, a dense barrage of bullets would turn the man before him into a sieve.

However, faced with this sudden ambush, no panic showed on Sanji's face.

He merely furrowed his signature Curly-brow slightly, quietly smoking his cigarette as he looked at the uninvited guest with a calm expression.

Seeing Sanji's calm and composed demeanor, Bege let out a disdainful sneer.

He reached out with his leather-gloved right hand, pulled an exquisitely crafted letter from his coat, and casually tossed it at Sanji's feet.

By the faint moonlight, Sanji caught sight of the seal on the letter.

—One side was printed with the Vinsmoke Family crest.

The other side bore the hair-raising wax seal of the Big Mom Pirates.

It was a "Tea Party Invitation."

"You certainly made me search for you... I lurked for a long time just to avoid your crewmates."

"And now, I've finally found an opportunity where you're alone..."

Bege exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, a trace of cruelty and smugness flashing in his eyes.

"The young master of the Vinsmoke Family, Vinsmoke Sanji."

Bege had no intention of wasting words; he knew that to deal with a tough nut like this, he had to strike where it hurt.

"I know about your past in the East Sea."

"Listen up. First, that Baratie in the East Sea called 'Baratie'."

"The life of that old man named 'Zeff' has already been targeted by the Vinsmoke Family's top assassins."

"If you dare to refuse this marriage, that old geezer will lose his head instantly."

Bege flicked the ash from his cigar, looked into Sanji's eyes, and continued to drop the second bomb:

"Second, Mama has already obtained the exact coordinates of this moving island called Zou.

"Right now, she is personally leading the Big Mom Pirates' most elite and massive main fleet, charging here at full speed. You have nowhere left to run."

Having said this, Bege paused, seemingly enjoying the look of despair he expected to see on Sanji's face.

He blew out a thick cloud of smoke and, looking down on him, offered the "way out" he had carefully prepared:

"Black Leg, come with me quietly. Don't make any useless resistance.

"As long as you obediently return with me to attend the Tea Party and complete the marriage alliance between the Vinsmoke and Charlotte Families,"

"I might show some mercy and put in a few good words for you in front of Mama."

Bege spread his arms, painting a hypocritical, grand picture:

"Once you become a member of Totto Land,"

"perhaps she will be pleased and, for your sake, temporarily spare your troublemaking crewmates."

"This is your only chance to survive right now."

The moment those words fell, the air lapsed into a brief silence.

A gentle breeze blew through the ruins, swirling a few fallen leaves.

The subordinates hidden inside Bege's body all held their breath, their fingers tightly on the triggers, waiting for Sanji's capitulation.

A moment later, Sanji slowly raised his head.

Under the angry gazes of Bege's subordinates,

he blew the thick smoke from his mouth directly into Bege's face, causing the mob boss to frown slightly from the cough-inducing smoke.

There was no fear or hesitation in Sanji's eyes as Bege had anticipated.

On the contrary, those deep blue eyes were filled with unconcealed coldness and mockery.

"Hey, mafia guy..."

Sanji's voice was low and calm, yet it carried a sharp edge.

"Do you think I'm the kind of idiot who will just obediently submit after being threatened with a few words?"

Sanji extended his slender fingers and gently flicked the ash: "Forgiveness? Sparing my crewmates? Don't make me laugh!"

He looked at Bege's gradually stiffening expression, his lips curling into a mocking sneer:

"If it were just a normal conflict, maybe there would be room for negotiation.

"Don't you know?"

"That sweet commander, Katakuri, was just ruthlessly slaughtered by our Vice Captain."

"And those two idiots, Oven and Daifuku, also met their ends at the bottom of the sea while chasing us."

"The three sons that crazy old hag was most proud of have all died at our hands...

"This is already an absolutely irreconcilable blood feud!"

"Right now, her mind must be filled with nothing but the insane desire to skin us alive and tear us into a thousand pieces."

"Your so-called marriage alliance and putting in a good word for forgiveness are nothing but a cheap trap to lure me into walking right into your net!"

"Once I actually believe your nonsense and choose to compromise and go with you,"

"at that point, not only will the old man still die, but everyone else will also be dragged into an inescapable dead end because of my foolish compromise!"

Hearing Sanji's precise analysis, Bege's expression changed dramatically.

He had absolutely not expected that this man, who was reported in their intel to be willing to sacrifice everything for his benefactor, could maintain such terrifying clarity under these circumstances.

"You bastard..." Bege gritted his teeth, a trace of panic and murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

Watching Bege's rapidly changing expression, Sanji casually tossed the nearly burnt-out cigarette butt onto the cold stone floor.

"And..."

Sanji raised his head, and beneath his signature Curly-brow, his eyes erupted with unparalleled pride and confidence.

He stared at Bege, emphasizing every single word:

"Just who do you think you're looking down on?"

"Do you think my crewmates are the kind of weaklings who, when faced with the threat of an Emperor, need someone else to sacrifice themselves and beg for mercy just so they can scrape by?"

Before Bege could even react—

Boom!

Sanji's right leg instantaneously generated intense friction with the air, suddenly bursting into a blazing, dazzling flame.

"Don't underestimate the bonds of the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"You bastard!"

With a deafening roar, Sanji transformed into a streak of burning black lightning.

"Diable Jambe: Concassé!"

A heavy, powerful spin kick, accompanied by the screech of tearing air, slammed brutally into Bege.

The sturdy castle defense Bege was so proud of was as fragile as paper before this high-temperature kick filled with destructive power.

With a loud, sickening crack of breaking bone,

this Supernova, infamous in the New World, was blasted directly out of the dark, ruined corner by the terrifying force.

Like a fired cannonball, Bege's body traced a pathetic arc through the air before crashing heavily into the center of the brightly lit banquet plaza outside. The hard ground was smashed into a massive crater, sending debris and dust flying.

This massive commotion instantly shattered the festive atmosphere of the banquet on the plaza.

"Enemy attack!"

The members of the Straw Hat Pirates reacted with lightning speed.

Zoro instantly drew his twin swords, Luffy stopped eating his meat, and Usopp drew his slingshot.

Everyone's eyes locked onto the suit-wearing man in the crater, whose fate was unknown.

Accompanied by the crisp clicking sound of leather shoes on the ground,

Sanji stepped out, hands in his pockets, a newly lit cigarette already dangling from his lips.

With a calm expression and steady steps, he walked out from the shadows of the ruins.

Facing his crewmates' questioning looks, Sanji had no intention of hiding anything.

Taking a deep drag, he calmly explained before all his crewmates the Vinsmoke Family's forced marriage, the crisis facing Old Man Zeff in the East Sea,

and the intel that Big Mom already knew their coordinates and was about to personally lead a fleet to Zou, laying everything out without missing a single word.

In this crew of theirs, there was no need for secrets borne alone, nor any need for self-righteous sacrifices.

After listening to this shocking intelligence, which was enough to shake the entire New World,

the members of the Straw Hat Pirates looked at one another. But surprisingly, not a single person showed any sign of blaming Sanji for bringing such massive trouble upon them.

After a brief silence,

Zoro slowly sheathed his famous swords.

He looked at Sanji, his lips curling into a smirk:

"Not bad, Curly-brow."

"If you had dared to leave with this guy without saying a word, I would have sliced you up myself."

Franky slammed his forearms together, creating a metallic clang:

"SUPER—!"

"Since the enemy is coming, this great me will go load the Thousand Sunny with our most powerful artillery right now and get ready for a super war!"

Nami and Robin smiled at each other.

The two ladies felt deeply relieved looking at their reliable cook, who had chosen to trust the crew at this critical moment instead of taking risks alone.

Luffy firmly pressed down his Straw Hat and burst into a hearty laugh.

"What do you know! Well done, Sanji!"

"That's awesome, you didn't get tricked away by that bastard in the suit!"

"Since that Big Mom wants to fight, then we'll just blow her away!"

Amidst the battle-ready atmosphere, Tatsuya took a slow step forward.

Stopping at the edge of the massive crater, he looked down with a smile at Capone Bege, who lay at the bottom, coughing up blood in agony.

That oppressive gaze sent a shiver down Bege's spine.

"Since that crazy old hag is coming herself, it saves us the trouble of searching all over the sea for her."

"But... before that, to seize the initiative, let's extract all the intelligence regarding Big Mom's fleet from your head first."

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