Chapter 182: As New Friends... This One Will Give You a Quick Death~!
The man was tall and slender, with thick white powder and rouge on his face, wearing exaggerated heavy makeup.
He wore two white pom-pom hair ornaments and a swan-shaped coat with the words "The Way of the Okama" written on the back. His shoulders and ballet shoes were adorned with comical swan decorations.
At that moment, he was leading the singing in a high-pitched voice:
"The sea~ oh~ the vast sea~♪"
Lufia, Usopp, and Chopper followed along:
"The vast sea~♪"
"Friendship~ oh~ precious friendship~♪"
"Precious friendship~"
The four of them sang while dancing strange steps, moving in unison as if they had rehearsed.
Ralph's first reaction upon seeing this scene was not jealousy.
He had long passed the stage of feeling jealous whenever Lufia interacted with other men.
The main reason was…
This kind of comical song-and-dance performance that could make Lufia happy—he simply couldn't do it!
It was too embarrassing!
His gaze fell on the man dressed as an okama.
The slender, tall figure, the heavily made-up face, the swan coat, and the words "The Way of the Okama" on the back…
"Baroque Works senior agent, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei."
The user of the Mane Mane no Mi.
As Ralph uttered the code name Mr. 2, Vivi emerged from the cabin. Seeing the scene on the deck, she froze for a moment, then carefully examined the okama man.
A few seconds later, her expression changed.
"A tall okama, speaking with an okama tone, fond of wearing a swan coat with 'The Way of the Okama' written on the back…"
Vivi murmured, her voice gradually rising,
"You are... Mr. 2 Bon Kurei?!"
Bon Kurei, who had accidentally boarded the wrong ship due to the sea fog, used a small trick of his Mane Mane no Mi ability to perform a face-changing act for the Straw Hat crew, successfully bonding with Lufia and the others and earning a small friendship.
Bon Kurei, who was dancing while holding Lufia, naturally turned his head upon hearing his name,
"That's right~ I am Mr. 2 Bon Kurei~ an okama who believes in the honorable way of the okama~!"
He blinked his heavily mascaraed eyes and looked at Ralph and Vivi:
"Who are you? How do you know my code name? Our Baroque Works is known for its secrecy~!"
For a moment, Ralph didn't even know where to begin complaining.
Princess Vivi, you clearly know so much, why didn't you recognize Bon Kurei when he boarded the ship?!
And Mr. 2, if you believe in secrecy, why are you introducing yourself like that?!
Did you eat Baroque Works' confidentiality regulations?!
At that moment, the rest of the Straw Hat crew finally reacted.
"Huh?!"
Lufia let go of Bon Kurei's hand and tilted her head, "You are...an enemy?"
Usopp and Chopper also quickly took two steps back, becoming alert.
Bon Kurei's expression grew conflicted.
He pinched his chin, appearing thoughtful:
"Hmm~ Although I just spent a pleasant time with everyone and formed a small friendship~ it's a pity, but the company's rules cannot be violated~"
His face darkened, and his voice lost its affected tone, becoming colder:
"As newly made friends...I will make it quick for you~!"
Before his words finished—
"Mr. Bon Kurei! We're here!"
A strangely shaped speedboat with a swan ornament on its bow emerged from the sea mist and approached the Going Merry.
On board were dozens of people wearing identical uniforms, all equally flamboyantly dressed.
They were all subordinates of Mr. 2 Bon Clay, the grunts of Baroque Works.
Seeing this, Mr. 2 Bon Clay became even more excited, leaping onto the ship's railing and declaring in a voice loud enough to be heard on both vessels:
"Open your eyes wide and watch~! Next, I shall use the splendid Okama Kenpo to commemorate this brief friendship~!"
With that, he soared into the air, delivering a kick toward Lufia!
The attack came suddenly.
Lufia, Usopp, and Chopper were still reeling from the shock of "a friend suddenly turning into an enemy" and couldn't react in time.
But it didn't matter.
Others reacted.
However, Ralph was busy securing the shark carcass and couldn't free his hands for the moment.
Zoro held his swords, his eyes fixed on the shark, seemingly pondering how to carve it.
Vivi and Nami were ladies, so the one who had to step in could only be—
A golden figure arrived later but struck first, precisely positioning himself in front of Lufia and blocking Mr. 2 Bon Clay's kick with his shin.
Sanji.
He held a cigarette in his mouth, his gaze calm:
"Attacking a lady... is not something a gentleman should do."
Mr. 2 Bon Clay landed, sizing up Sanji, his eyes lighting up:
"Oh~ a handsome blond~ your legwork is quite impressive~! But I'm no gentleman!"
What a coincidence.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay's "Okama Kenpo" also primarily relied on kicking techniques.
Seeing that there was actually a legwork expert on this ship, and a handsome blond man at that, he immediately grew intrigued.
"Then I'll take you down first~ and deal with the others later~!"
"Okama Kenpo: Hakucho Arabesque~!"
Mr. 2 Bon Clay leaped into the air again, spinning mid-flight, his legs spreading like a swan's wings as he unleashed a flurry of kicking shadows.
Sanji remained unfazed, executing the kicking techniques inherited from Red-Leg Zeff.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sounds of leg collisions rang out continuously.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay's attacks were flashy and flamboyant, but Sanji's kicks were concise and efficient, each one precisely disrupting his opponent's rhythm.
After more than a dozen exchanges, Mr. 2 Bon Clay's expression changed.
"How is this possible... my Okama Kenpo has been completely seen through?"
Sanji blew out a smoke ring and smiled:
"Not seen through. It's just that your moves.... are all style and no substance."
He got serious.
A burst of sound erupted from his feet as Sanji instantly appeared beside Mr. 2 Bon Clay.
With a kick, he sent him soaring into the air.
"Kick Course: Grand Full Course—"
His legs turned into blurs, launching a storm of continuous kicks at Mr. 2 Bon Clay from different angles, with varying force and techniques.
Chest, abdomen, shoulders, back, legs…
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
A series of dull thuds.
Mr. 2 Bon Clay was kicked around in the air like a ragdoll, until finally—
"—Dessert: Swan Dive!"
A heavy downward axe kick struck the back of Mr. 2 Bon Clay's neck.
Splash!
Mr. 2 Bon Clay fell face-down on the deck of the Going Merry, motionless.
His subordinates on the speedboat watched in stunned silence.
Sanji landed lightly, straightened his suit collar, and said to the unconscious Mr. 2 Bon Clay:
"Sorry. But attacking my captain... is unforgivable."
Only then did Lufia scratch her head and ask in confusion:
"So... why is our new friend fighting with Sanji?"
Ralph looked at the scene, thought for a moment, and cleverly explained:
"The new friend was just about to 'end' the friendship you just established.
And Sanji's actions... allowed your friendship to be 'preserved'."
Lufia blinked, not fully understanding:
"Oh... so Sanji is helping us keep our friend?"
"...You could put it that way."
"That's great!"
Lufia grinned, ran over to Sanji, and patted his shoulder.
"Thank you, Sanji! But next time, maybe be a little gentler—our new friend has already passed out!"
Sanji: "...Yes, Miss Lufia."
Ralph looked at the tied-up Bon Kurei, then glanced at the bewildered Baroque Works grunts on the nearby speedboat, and began to strategize.
The Mane Mane no Mi user has been captured directly!
Crocodile, your game of stealing a country is over!
In Ralph's view, meeting his brother-in-law would be more challenging than dealing with Crocodile!