Chapter 249

"The power of the New World? Is that all?" Sanji's words dripped with disdain as smoke curled from the cigarette between his lips.

He had expected more. He had always heard how terrifying the New World was, how it was filled with unimaginably powerful warriors. Yet, here was Pekoms, a so-called veteran of this harsh sea, and he barely made Sanji break a sweat.

Pekoms, on the other hand, stood frozen in disbelief. He had given Sanji his best punch, yet the blonde cook blocked it with ease, as if it were nothing more than a light breeze.

"Pekoms, what are you doing?" Tamago frowned, his confusion palpable. He had fought alongside Pekoms for years, and never had he seen the lion mink falter against someone so young.

Pekoms' face twisted in annoyance. "Don't yell at me! This kid seems to have some abilities... but it's nothing special." His voice carried more frustration than confidence now.

But before he could regain his footing, Sanji's leg shot out again, faster than before. The speed and precision of his kick left Pekoms no time to react.

The impact was immediate.

Pekoms' eyes widened in shock as he felt his body lift off the ground, hurtling backward with such force that he crashed into the side of the Big Mom Pirates' ship, embedding himself in the wood.

Tamago, still standing on the deck, blinked in disbelief. Nani??

Pekoms—his partner, a seasoned warrior of the New World—was embedded in the wall like a fly stuck to a windshield.

"This can't be happening," Tamago muttered to himself, rubbing his eyes as if to clear away a trick of the light. But no matter how much he stared, it was still the same.

Pekoms was down. And Sanji… Sanji stood there, completely unscathed, flicking his cigarette and exhaling a puff of smoke as if nothing had happened.

"Why? You want to try my kick too?" Sanji asked calmly, nodding at Tamago. His tone was so casual it bordered on mockery.

Tamago's pride flared. "Kick, huh? What a coincidence. I'm pretty good with kicks myself," he sneered.

Without warning, Tamago spun on his heel and launched a powerful spinning kick aimed directly at Sanji.

Bang!!

In an instant, Tamago was airborne, crashing into the same spot in the ship where Pekoms was already embedded. Now, there were two of Big Mom's elites stuck side by side in the woodwork, looking as though they were part of the ship itself.

"Ahem… so, it looks like you joined me up here, huh?" Pekoms said bitterly, glancing at his partner.

Tamago coughed, pulling himself out of the bulkhead. "You bunch of fools! You don't understand who you're messing with! You've made an enemy of Big Mom herself!" He straightened his collar, glaring at Sanji as if daring him to keep resisting. "Last chance, Vinsmoke! Are you really going to defy her wishes?"

Sanji clenched his jaw, his anger simmering just beneath the surface. "Don't call her my mom," he growled. "She's not my mother. It's not up to her or my so-called family to decide my life!"

Tamago's eyes flashed with frustration. "You'll regret this!" he snapped, signaling to his crew. "Return to the ship!"

Before they could make their retreat, Logan landed beside Tamago with a thud, his arms crossed. "Not so fast."

Tamago glared at Logan. "What now? Are you insane? Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

Logan smirked, completely unfazed. "Since you're with the Big Mom Pirates, I bet you've got a lot of good stuff on board, right?"

Tamago's jaw dropped in disbelief. Is this guy seriously thinking of robbing us? "Are you out of your mind?! You're going to rob the Big Mom Pirates?!"

Logan shrugged, his tone casual. "We're pirates, aren't we? It's kind of what we do."

Pekoms, still pulling himself out of the bulkhead, shouted in shock. "You're insane! You're actually going to steal from Big Mom?!"

With a swift motion, Logan slapped Pekoms back against the wall, silencing him once more. "We're pirates. What did you expect?"

Logan turned back to Tamago, who was now sweating nervously. "Start loading up the treasure. Let's see what you've got."

Realizing they had no choice, Tamago gestured to the rest of his crew. They quickly began hauling out treasure chests, piling them on the deck of the Going Merry. Among the treasure was a peculiar box that immediately caught Logan's eye.

Logan pointed to it. "What's in that one?"

Tamago swallowed, his pride already wounded. "It's a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit," he admitted.

Logan's eyes lit up. "Oh? A Devil Fruit, huh?"

At that moment, Little Merry appeared on deck, her engines whirring softly as she floated over to Logan's side. Her tiny, cute form buzzed with excitement.

"Wow! That fruit smells so good!" she said, her adorable little nose twitching as she sniffed the air.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Smells good? Devil Fruits aren't supposed to smell like anything."

Little Merry's eyes sparkled. "Daddy, can I eat it? Please?"

Logan hesitated. Could Merry even eat a Devil Fruit? She wasn't a person in the traditional sense, but she had never eaten one before. After a moment's thought, he shrugged. "Sure, go ahead."

But instead of taking it herself, Merry pouted playfully. "Daddy, feed me!"

Logan chuckled and held the Devil Fruit up to her mouth. With a delighted squeal, Merry bit into the fruit, slurping its juices with gusto.

The sight left the rest of the crew—except for Luffy—completely bewildered. Everyone knew how awful Devil Fruits tasted. But here was Merry, enjoying it like a delicious snack.

As she finished, Logan checked her stats through the system.

[Merry]

Durability: 86.65 million

Armor: 48.98 million

Firepower: 730,000

Dodge: 7%

Expansion points: 410,000

Renovation points: 8.2 million

Growth points: 60,000

At the bottom of her interface, a new addition caught his attention.

[Special transformation in progress...]

[7%...]

[16%...]

[29%...]

[35%...]

[52%...]

[92%...]

[100%...]

As Logan watched in anticipation, Merry began to glow, her transformation into something entirely new underway.

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