Those Urging for Updates Deserve to Be Knocked Out

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"San~ji!"

Three minutes later, an angry roar suddenly erupted from the second floor, instantly echoing throughout the pirate ship.

For a moment, even the pirates on the first floor instinctively looked up at the ceiling, their faces filled with confusion.

"Who's yelling up there?"

"Seems like… it's Red-Leg's voice."

"Eh? Sanji is that curly-browed kid he brought on board first, right? What's going on?"

…

Amid the chatter, Tado, who had been silently peeling potatoes by the kitchen's back door, also glanced upward in confusion before slowly standing up.

"What's that old geezer Zeff up to now…"

Grumbling in mild annoyance, Tado casually tossed the small knife in his hand onto the table, exited the kitchen door, and walked toward the staircase.

"You little brat, still pretending to be asleep? Get up already!"

Just as he stepped onto the stairs, another furious shout rang out, followed closely by a heavy thud.

Bang!

It sounded like something had slammed to the ground, causing the entire second floor to shake. Tado scratched the back of his head, perplexed, just as another scream came from the hallway's far end:

"Uwaaah, that hurts! Hey, you stinky old man, why are you kicking my butt?!"

The voice sounded rather young, clearly that of a child.

"Why? Hmph, I came to check out a noise in the storage room, only to find you lying against the wall snoring! You little brat, stealing food is bad enough, but you even dared to fall asleep here!"

"Asleep? What nonsense are you spouting, you old fart? When did I fall asleep? I was clearly just…"

"Stop changing the subject!"

Thud!

Another loud thump echoed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, this isn't good… Are they already throwing punches?"

Hearing the commotion, Tado felt a chill run down his spine. With a twitching mouth, he quickened his pace and headed upstairs.

Peering down the hallway, Tado's eyes fell upon the storage room at the far end. Through the half-open door, he saw the tall figure of Zeff standing with his back to him, angrily reprimanding someone.

"You blond-haired brat! Don't forget what I've told you before: wasting food on the sea is absolutely unforgivable!"

Tado furrowed his brows and continued toward the storage room. As he drew closer, the sight of Sanji, mostly obscured by Zeff's figure, came into view. From his perspective, the kid was clutching his butt, sprawled awkwardly on the ground but wearing a defiant expression.

"Come on, old man! All I did was steal some food; how does that count as wasting it?" Sanji grumbled angrily.

"Hm?"

Zeff let out a cold snort, pointing behind Sanji. "Then tell me, what's the meaning of all the breadcrumbs and uneaten rice crackers on the ground?"

"Rice crackers?"

Sanji turned his head in confusion to where Zeff was pointing and froze in place.

Scattered across the wooden floor were numerous rice cracker and bread crumbs, clearly remnants of half-eaten food carelessly thrown aside.

"This…"

After a moment of stunned silence, Sanji snapped back to reality, puffing up in anger. "That wasn't me! I didn't eat those things, nor did I waste any food!"

"Oh?"

Zeff narrowed his eyes, glaring at Sanji. "You're the only one here. If it wasn't you, then who was it?"

"Who did it?"

Sanji was momentarily dumbfounded, but the next instant, an irritating face flashed in his mind, and he suddenly realized.

"I get it now! No wonder I was lying here—it must've been that bastard's doing!"

Turning quickly, Sanji scanned the room while muttering through gritted teeth, "That jerk was here just a moment ago… Where'd he run off to?"

Zeff raised a brow, smirking coldly. "Brat, the 'jerk' you're talking about wouldn't happen to be Shanuo, would it?"

"That's right! It's Shanuo!" Sanji instinctively nodded, clenching his fists. "That guy got here before me, ate a ton of food, and then knocked me out from behind…"

"Oh, I see…" Zeff murmured softly, nodding slightly.

"Hey, old man, so you believe me now, right?" Sanji's eyes lit up with relief as he rubbed his sore butt, muttering, "You should be kicking his butt instead. I'm innocent, you know…"

"Innocent?"

Before Sanji could finish, Zeff cut him off and sneered. "Brat, I thought you'd come up with a better excuse, but you're exactly what I expected."

Before Sanji could react, a gust of wind whooshed past him. Looking up, his eyes widened in shock as Zeff's wooden leg swung straight toward his backside.

Bang!

Sanji was knocked flat on the ground before he could dodge. As he groaned in pain, Zeff's furious voice echoed once more:

"You ignorant brat! Lying in front of me? Before I came upstairs, I saw Shanuo practicing swordsmanship on the deck. How could he have snuck into the storage room to steal food?!"

"Ouch! You old fart! It's definitely him…" Sanji tried to protest but was cut off by another raised leg.

Just as the wooden leg was about to come down again, it was suddenly enveloped by a thick, dark-green liquid, slowing its momentum before coming to a stop.

"Hm, you managed to block my kick…"

Zeff paused in surprise before shaking his head indifferently and retracting his leg. "Tado, your Devil Fruit powers are finally showing some use."

"Tch, old geezer, don't underestimate me."

With relaxed footsteps, the short and stocky Tado strolled into the room. Half of his body had turned into a viscous green liquid, giving him an eerie appearance.

"I just don't like using my powers often. Doesn't mean I'm weak…"

…

As the commotion upstairs grew louder, most of the pirates below had abandoned their tasks, gathering near the staircase to peer curiously down the hallway, whispering among themselves.

Meanwhile, on the deck, Keral and Biggie were sparring with their swords, paying no mind to the ruckus.

After exchanging blows for a while, the two sheathed their swords and reached for cups resting against the railing, drinking leisurely.

After gulping his drink, Keral lit a cigarette and glanced at Biggie. "You've gotten much faster, and your style's changed a lot in just half a day. What's with the sudden improvement?"

"Haha, well, I kept losing to you. Of course, I had to make some changes."

Biggie chuckled, his gaze shifting over Keral's shoulder to the other side of the deck. "As for my swordsmanship, I've been learning from young master Shanuo."

Not far away, a black-haired boy stood wielding a wooden sword, focused on slashing at the air in precise movements. Sweat dripped from his brow, soaking through his shirt.

"Hmph, so it's that kid."

Keral smiled faintly, flicking his cigarette ash. "Seems like you've learned a lot from sparring with him."