Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

East China Sea, unknown waters.

The sun hung high in the sky, and the sea breeze was no longer gentle, but carried a scorching heat.

Three full days have passed since we left Cocoyasi Village.

The Merry sailed alone on the vast ocean, with nothing around except for the occasional flying fish leaping out of the water.

However, the atmosphere on the deck was even hotter than the blazing sun.

"Bang--!!"

A dull, resounding crash shattered the tranquility of the sea.

A figure in a white shirt glided along the deck for several meters like a kite with a broken string, only stopping when it crashed into the main mast.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Sanji curled up in pain, his once crisp and clean shirt now covered in dust, and his handsome face was bruised in several places.

He was panting heavily, sweat dripping from the ends of his golden hair, leaving a small, dark stain on the deck.

"Stand up, Sanji."

Ronan held his eighteen-foot-long iron spear, his posture as straight as a pine tree, his breathing as steady as if he were just taking a stroll.

He looked at Sanji not far away, his eyes showing no pity, only the coldness of a strict teacher:

"Observation Haki isn't something you can think of with your brain; it's something you can 'hear' with your body."

When your five senses are shut down by pain, your sixth sense is forced to awaken.

"If you fall down at this level, then you'll never even begin to grasp the basics of Observation Haki."

"Stop...stop nagging!"

Sanji gritted his teeth and shakily stood up, leaning on the mast.

Sanji, his hands trembling, braced himself against the deck and struggled to sit up.

He was panting heavily, his lungs felt like they were on fire, but his exposed eyes burned with an indomitable spirit.

Ever since witnessing Ronan, Luffy, and Zoro's inhuman "Thirteen Bodyguards' Body Training" three days ago, this proud chef has also had his competitive spirit ignited.

He didn't want to be the weak link on the ship, and he certainly didn't want to lose to that green-haired guy he hated.

So he joined this hellish special training.

"Again!"

Sanji roared, stomped his leather shoes on the ground, and sprang up, delivering a fierce "Head-on-Head" kick to Ronan.

Ronan stood still, motionless.

Only when the leather shoe was only three inches from his cheek did he suddenly tremble with his eighteen-foot iron spear.

"Explosive!"

The gun barrel bent instantly, then snapped straight like a spring, and the side of the gun slammed hard into Sanji's shinbone.

*Smack!*

Ronan used a clever technique in this strike; although it was excruciatingly painful, it wouldn't actually break the bone, thus maximizing the stimulation of the periosteum and muscles.

"Aaaaaah—!!"

Sanji let out a pig-like scream. The excruciating pain twisted his face, and his attack instantly crumbled.

Immediately afterwards, Ronan swept the back of his spear across Sanji's waist and abdomen, slamming him mercilessly onto the floor once again.

"Too slow."

Ronan sheathed his gun and stood still, calmly commenting, "While your kicking technique is flashy, the killing intent was too obvious the moment you made your move."

"In the face of Observation Haki, it's like telling your opponent in advance where you're going to kick."

Not far away, Nami and Usopp, hiding under the shade of an orange tree, felt a chill run down their spines.

"Too...too brutal."

Usopp swallowed hard, feeling a dull ache in his bones.

"Is Ronan a devil? Sanji's a chef, what if he breaks his hand?"

"Don't worry, Ronan knows what he's doing. He avoided vital areas and his hands."

Although Nami said that, she couldn't help but shrink back and sigh helplessly:

"The men on this ship... are a bunch of hopeless masochists."

In the center of the battlefield.

Ronan looked at Sanji, who had collapsed to the ground again, his chest heaving violently, and nodded: "Let's stop here for now."

"Observation Haki isn't something you can learn in just a couple of days. Luffy and Zoro took a week to learn it. Your body has already reached its limit; if you continue training, you'll damage your foundation."

Ronan pointed towards the kitchen, his tone softening as he spoke:

"Now, take a good rest and focus on practicing the Thirteen Bodyguards' external martial arts breathing technique. In half an hour... go and cook for us; everyone is hungry."

"..."

Sanji, who was lying on the ground, stiffened for a moment.

Usopp's lips twitched wildly as he stood to the side, unable to resist commenting:

"Hey! That's so pathetic! Beaten up like this, half-dead, and still has to get up and cook?!"

However, to everyone's surprise, Sanji actually managed to struggle to his feet.

"Tch... You don't need to tell me."

Sanji dusted himself off, his steps a little unsteady, but his eyes held a stubbornness: "Letting the crew go hungry is the cook's dereliction of duty."

After saying that, he dragged his battered body and limped towards the kitchen.

Luffy and Zoro, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately rushed over.

Luffy cracked his neck, making a snapping sound, and looked excited.

"Ronan! Our turn! Our turn! Sparring with Zoro always feels a bit lacking; your gun hits harder, you improve faster!"

Zoro, while unbuttoning his shirt to reveal his well-defined muscles, taunted Sanji's retreating figure:

"Hey, you perverted cook, how's it going? If you can't take it, just cry. Nobody'll laugh at you."

Sanji, who had just reached the door, instantly bristled, jumping up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and pointing at Zoro as he roared:

"You damn green-haired idiot!! Don't be so smug! Just because you started training a few days earlier doesn't mean you're better than me!"

"Just you wait, I'll master Observation Haki tomorrow... no, tonight! Then I'll kick you away!"

"Huh? Want to fight? Curl your eyebrows!"

"Come on! Who's afraid of who!"

Seeing the two about to start fighting again, Ronan shook his head helplessly.

This is the Straw Hat crew's daily life: chaotic, noisy, yet full of vitality.

Just as a fierce battle was about to unfold on the deck.

"Everyone—!! Come and see!!!"

A sharp, shocked shout rang out.

Nami waved a brand-new newspaper and a wanted poster in her hand, then jumped down from the railing.

"Something terrible has happened!"

Ronan, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, who was just about to enter the kitchen, quickly surrounded them.

"What's wrong, Nami?" Luffy asked curiously.

Nami slammed a wanted poster with Luffy's picture on it onto Luffy's chest. "Look at this!!"

Everyone took a closer look.

That was a standard bounty poster.

In the photo, Luffy still has that carefree grin, with the battlefield ruins of Arlong Park in the background.

Below the photo, a dizzying string of numbers was prominently displayed.

"Fifty...fifty million?!"

Usopp counted the zeros at the end, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets:

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands... It really is fifty million Berries!! Luffy! You've become a super wanted criminal!"