Under the crude wooden shed, Zoro handed a long sword gleaming with a cold, deadly light to Sanji.
Seeing his own face reflected in the bright blade, Sanji shuddered all over.
He slowly turned around and saw Pudding shrinking into her blue coat, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at him.
"No... Pudding, she... she..."
Sanji stammered, his heart in turmoil under Zoro's sharp gaze.
Zoro roared angrily, "You damn cook! What are you hesitating for? This woman's father is the one responsible for Brook and Usopp's deaths! Has your lust really blinded you? Think about our crewmates! That man destroyed everything!"
Zoro's words struck like a thunderbolt, making Sanji stagger backward several steps, his body swaying.
He breathed heavily, his eyes bloodshot.
After a long moment, Sanji lifted his head again, his voice hoarse.
"Pudding is an outsider! I can't hurt her! Even though she's Caesar's daughter, she's also my wife!"
"I'll join you in the fight! To avenge our crewmates!"
As he spoke, Sanji cast a deep, apologetic look at Pudding.
"Pudding... take care of yourself. I'm leaving!"
With that, Sanji took a deep breath and resolutely strode off to catch up with the distant figures of Luffy and Zoro.
"No, don't leave me, Sanji! Sanji..."
Pudding hurriedly got up, stumbling out of the shed, only to see Sanji's retreating back disappearing into the green forest amidst the mountain breeze.
In the vast, lush wilderness, she was left completely alone.
Pudding's mind spun, her entire body losing all strength as she collapsed to the ground.
"Waa... Sanji..."
Large teardrops rolled down from her eyes.
Pudding tightened the blue coat around her.
It still carried Sanji's scent...
...
In the forest, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji moved swiftly in silence, no one speaking.
Sanji trailed at the rear, occasionally turning back to glance toward the long-vanished wooden cabin.
'Am I really leaving Pudding alone here like this?'
'No, not alone.'
'She's carrying my child in her womb...'
'No, I can't do this.'
'Pudding has little combat ability. In this primitive forest, there are still some ferocious beasts.'
'What if...'
'No, I should go back, take Pudding to the settlement and get her settled properly.'
'Sanji! You bastard! Pudding is your wife! She's such a gentle, kind girl - how could you betray her like this?'
'Do you want to become a scumbag father like Judge?'
'No, you're even worse than Judge!'
'Your child will have no childhood, no father, no paternal love!'
'Your wife will have no husband - she'll have to raise the child alone, living in hardship and pain!'
Thump...
Thump...
Sanji's footsteps grew increasingly heavy, as if carrying a mountain on his back, his feet feeling like they were filled with lead.
After walking just a short distance, he was completely drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled from water.
Ahead, two sets of footsteps stopped.
Sanji looked up and forced out, "What's wrong? Why did you stop?"
He saw Luffy and Zoro both looking at him.
"Cook, if you want to go back, then go back." Zoro suddenly said.
"What are you talking about? I'm not going back! I've already decided to go with you to kill Caesar, to avenge Brook and Usopp!"
Sanji was stunned, then as if insulted, strode forward, grabbed Zoro's collar and shouted.
"Go back, Sanji!"
A voice spoke up, making Sanji freeze.
"Luffy?"
He saw Luffy giving him a gentle smile, appearing unusually mature.
"Pudding is your wife, right? And she's pregnant. Sanji, congratulations, you're going to be a father."
Luffy smiled as he walked up to Sanji and patted his shoulder.
"None of us here have had proper fathers."
"My old man abandoned me with my grandfather right after I was born."
"Zoro grew up with his master since childhood, doesn't even know who his parents were."
"Your father Judge was a scumbag who treated you terribly, never fulfilling his responsibilities as a father."
"Usopp's father Yasopp, though he's a cheerful old man. But as a father and husband, he's completely unqualified! To sail freely, he abandoned Usopp and his mother, let his wife die of illness, left Usopp to suffer ridicule throughout his childhood until his personality became insecure."
"None of us have experienced complete paternal or maternal love. Such a life is imperfect, unhappy!"
"Sanji! You have this chance to let your child experience parental love. Go, go back, forget the hatred, forget the grudges on this vast sea, and live happily with your wife!"
Luffy's words left Sanji stunned.
He had never imagined that Luffy—the same reckless, impulsive, and carefree Luffy from before—could utter such words.
Yet the suffocating frustration in Sanji's chest still lingered.
He roared, "But what about everyone's vengeance? Brook, Usopp... they were all killed by Caesar..."
"Ah, after all this time and experience, I've come to understand completely." Luffy let out a long sigh.
"What happened in Wano Country is just a tiny reflection of this world. Pirates killing each other is as normal as it gets. We must learn to see victory, defeat, life, and death more clearly—and take them less seriously!"
"Brook died a worthy death. Sacrificing oneself for comrades is something every one of us is willing to do! He will always be our companion, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
"As for Usopp, although I saw the Image Den Den Mushi of Caesar ordering Krieg, my intuition tells me it was fake."
"Fake?" Sanji was taken aback.
Luffy nodded. "Yes, it must be fake. I know Caesar well—he's not that petty or bored. Otherwise, given his current power, eliminating us wouldn't be too difficult for him. There'd be no need for such underhanded, dirty tricks."
"Heh, on the way here, Zoro and I agreed we'd just come to enjoy one of your meals, hahaha—maybe the last one. But I never expected Zoro to provoke you."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zoro.
Zoro offered an apologetic smile, then punched Sanji in the chest, sending him stumbling back.
"Pervert cook, I just wanted to see if you'd changed. Truth is, both Luffy and I have changed a lot. Seems you're still the same, hahaha. That puts me at ease. Sorry about earlier—apologize to your wife for me."
Sanji gritted his teeth. "Damn moss-head! You..."
Suddenly, Luffy's expression shifted, and he frowned. "Not good—a wild beast is heading toward the cabin!"
"What?" Sanji's face instantly paled as he looked back in the direction they came from, frantic with worry.
When he turned around again, the space behind him was empty—Luffy and Zoro had vanished.
"Luffy! Moss-head!"
Sanji sprinted a distance but found no trace of the two, leaving him deeply shaken.
He hadn't even noticed how Luffy and Zoro had disappeared.
Their strength had far surpassed his own, reaching an unimaginable level.
Suddenly, Sanji felt a tremor in his chest, accompanied by a faint drumming sound.
Then, Luffy's voice echoed by his ear.
"Sanji! Be a good father! Farewell! My friend!"
"Luffy!!"
Tears instantly streamed down Sanji's face.
…
…
At the small cabin, Pudding sat alone by the door, staring blankly at the narrow path ahead.
As if feeling cold, she pulled her coat tightly around herself.
"Sanji..." Pudding murmured, tears once again blurring her vision.
Suddenly, a warm hand reached over, gently wrapping around her shoulder and wiping away the tears at the corner of her eyes.
A familiar, gentle voice spoke.
"Pudding, I... have returned."
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