"Bastard…"
"He got even stronger!!!"
At the edge of the raging storm, Sanji—his hair lightly lifted by the wind—removed the cigarette from his mouth and muttered a feeling so familiar it no longer needed words.
In an instant, a spark called battle intent flared in his eyes, surging through his entire body like an electric current.
He wouldn't…He wouldn't admit defeat like this!!!
But in the very next second, a bleak expression crept across Sanji's face.
He looked at Cammaël Emilagon, severed cleanly at the waist—its life not yet extinguished, yet already a dying candle in the wind as it fell toward the sea below—and let out a long sigh.
Sanji might adore women and forgive their lies, but that didn't mean he would ever forgive Celestial Dragons.
Over the course of this night alone, he had saved countless slaves—yet within the Celestial Dragons' estate, he had also witnessed innumerable atrocities.
Those horrifying scenes, one after another, were more than enough to make even him unable to forgive the Emilagon that guarded them.
Just as Red had said…
This world should never have allowed creatures like Celestial Dragons to exist.
…
…
"You good, Moss-Head?!"
As the battle ended, Sanji flickered and appeared directly beside Zoro.
Clang!
Zoro exited Pokémon-ization, sheathing Narukami and Sandai Kitetsu. A grin curled across his lips as he laughed with unmistakable excitement.
"Of course!"
"Right now… I feel better than ever."
As he spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted toward the Red Line, now split open by a massive fissure.
"Curly-brow…"
"Huh?"
Sanji instinctively responded—then immediately realized what he'd just heard and exploded.
"Bastard! Who are you calling Curly-brow?!"
But Zoro acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, continuing with a grin:
"I think… I've figured out how to awaken my Steel-type."
"What?!"
Sanji, who had been about to demand an apology, froze instantly.
Joy flashed across his face—only to be replaced by deep concern a moment later.
"Ah, congrats~ heh~" Sanji replied perfunctorily, unconsciously stirring the Dragon-type energy within his body.
Unfortunately…
Compared to Zoro—whose comprehension was absurdly high and who had awakened his Dragon-type through sheer presence—Sanji's path was far more experiential.
Long-term high-pressure training. Relentless self-exhaustion. Forcing out miracles from a body with limitless potential.
That was the road meant for him.
So even after witnessing Zoro's sudden breakthrough, Sanji couldn't instantly awaken the Dragon-type he hadn't yet mastered.
Still, different paths didn't stop him from learning.
"So… why couldn't your Steel-type awaken before?" Sanji asked curiously.
After all, even he had awakened two attributes at once.
There was no way someone as sharp as Zoro couldn't manage it.
"Because I had the wrong direction from the very start."
Zoro answered without hesitation.
A glimmer flashed through his eyes.
He shot Sanji a teasing glance, then spoke plainly—holding nothing back.
"Back when Red first brought us into the Pokémon world, I asked him about Pokémon attributes."
"He said the way attributes are determined is extremely mysterious—there's no fixed rule."
"The only certainty is this…"
"Our Pokémon attributes are absolutely the powers that suit us best."
"…Yeah. I talked with Red about that too."
Sanji nodded in agreement and added,
"He said my Fire-type probably comes from the mysterious power in my body, while my Fighting-type comes from my combat habits."
"Luffy's Normal-type ties to his bizarre physique and Devil Fruit, Usopp's Bug and Grass-types come from personality and fate…"
"So… did you figure something out?!"
Sanji suddenly lit up, eyes blazing as he stared at Zoro.
If Zoro had only figured out his own awakening, Sanji could take notes at best.
But if Zoro had grasped the rules behind Pokémon attributes—
Then this could be a secret manual for the entire Straw Hat crew—and everyone blessed with Pokémon attributes by Red.
Zoro smiled faintly, clearly pleased by Sanji's excitement.
"That conversation was months ago, so I'd long since forgotten it."
"But just now… I finally understood."
Clang~
Zoro raised Wado Ichimonji, presenting it to Sanji.
"If Pokémon attributes come from all kinds of sources—even the same attribute can express itself differently…"
"Then why must awakening always affect our bodies?!"
"…!"
Sanji froze, realization flickering in his eyes as he was pulled fully into Zoro's line of thought.
Zoro continued.
"Remember what all our awakenings had in common?"
"Your Fire and Fighting, my Dragon, Luffy's Normal…"
"After awakening, they all acted on our bodies."
"My body even transformed like a Zoan-type user—into a Dragon Form."
"That does make us stronger."
"But does the path that makes us stronger… always have to be the right one?!"
"..."
Sanji grew increasingly pensive.
He lit another cigarette and listened in silence.
"Using my Steel-type, I fused Wado Ichimonji with myself—but that led me into a trap."
"When I was weaker, I used Steel-type to reinforce my blades… to harden my body."
"So I assumed Steel-type had to change my body, like Dragon-type—turning me into a steel monster like Franky."
"But just now… I realized I was wrong!"
Zoro's voice surged.
A tyrannical pressure burst forth—not Conqueror's Haki…
But pure sword intent, born from his original resolve.
Zoro laughed freely.
"My Steel-type is nothing like Franky's!"
"It doesn't come from my body—nor from my swords!"
"It's my soul. My fate. The thing I've lived with my entire life…"
"Swinging my sword—And cutting!!!"
Whoosh—!!!
With a casual flick of his wrist, Wado Ichimonji flashed with metallic light that vanished in an instant.
Then—
BOOM!!!
A thunderous roar echoed from the Red Line.
A straight black line appeared across a protruding mountain.
In the next moment, the mountain slid apart, revealing a perfectly smooth cross-section as it collapsed into the sea.
"This is…?"
Sanji froze—then snapped his gaze to Zoro.
Zoro grinned proudly.
"That's right!"
"I've successfully awakened my Steel-type."
"My body didn't change. I didn't fuse with my blades."
"Because I've embedded Steel-type power into my slashes."
"As long as my energy lasts, every swing will have that level of power."
"Maybe… this is the correct way to awaken attributes!"
Whoosh—
Zoro demonstrated again.
His wrist twisted repeatedly, sword carving afterimages through the air.
In an instant, countless slashes rained down like a storm, bombarding the distant Red Line peaks.
The scale surpassed even Usopp's Endless Turret Mode.
Sanji stood there, utterly stunned.
A thought surged through him:
What kind of monster have I been competing with all this time?!
Yet shock gave way to burning resolve.
He refused—absolutely refused—to fall behind Zoro while holding an advantage of an extra Devil Fruit.
Your comprehension is incredible…
But now—
You're mine to chase.
Flames roared in Sanji's eyes.
If Zoro could grow stronger through Pokémon attribute awakening, there was no way he couldn't.
But first, he had to find his own path.
Charging forward behind Red no longer worked for rivals like him and Zoro.
They needed to dig out their own potential—beyond Red's established training routes.
…
…
Pangaea Castle, Room of Flowers.
Zoro and Sanji's conversation wasn't broadcast publicly, so Red and the others—busy "treasure hunting"—were unaware of Zoro's transformation.
However, information from Usopp gave them a clear picture of the situation outside.
"The slave liberation is complete. All slaves in the castle area have been taken in by Capone and Usopp."
"As long as we escape successfully, this operation will be a complete success!"
"Really?!"
"Didn't expect everyone to be so capable!"
Luffy laughed.
The good news eased the frustration of their long, fruitless search.
Fortunately, their work in the Room of Flowers hadn't been in vain.
Luffy turned toward Brook and Nami, who were copying Poneglyphs, and Robin, who was translating them.
That's right.
Though they hadn't found the Ancient Weapon · Uranus controller, deep within the Room of Flowers they had discovered a vast collection of Poneglyphs.
Each slab was entwined with branches and flowers, completely integrated into the room—proof of their ancient presence.
"I thought the World Government was stupid enough to leave Poneglyphs lying around~"
"So they gathered them all here instead?!"
Red approached, gazing at the wall-like array of Poneglyphs thoughtfully.
From Imu and Cobra's dialogue, Red knew that eight hundred years ago—through Nefertari D. Lily—these Poneglyphs had been scattered across the world.
Over the centuries, the World Government had reclaimed them, storing them in the Room of Flowers—accessible only to Imu.
And now…
All of it benefited the Straw Hat crew.
No global scavenger hunt required—just pure profit.
Red couldn't help but applaud the World Government for their "efforts."
Robin's constant gasps while translating spoke volumes about the importance of these records.
Red even pulled out a Camera Den Den Mushi, photographing every slab just in case.
Luck seemed to favor them.
Until Robin finished translating everything, no one disturbed them.
Red almost wondered what Imu was doing right now—
After hearing Robin's report, of course.
"Luffy! Red!"
Robin suddenly stood, holding two completed translations high.
"All Poneglyphs are translated—but there are two sets I think you'll care about most!"
She handed Red several documents.
Their titles read:
[Ancient Weapon · Uranus Storage Location][Ancient Weapon · Uranus Operation Guidelines][Location of the Ancient Weapon · Uranus Blueprints]
Meanwhile, the documents given to Luffy were titled:
[The God Who Truly Exists — Sun God Nika][The Power of Nika]And—
[Speculation on Awakening the Nika Fruit's Sun God Power]!!!
(End of Chapter)