Just as the bullet was about to hit Sanji, a single chopstick suddenly appeared, striking the side of the bullet with precision. The impact caused the bullet to veer off course, barely grazing Sanji's hair before embedding itself in the wooden wall behind him.
"Well, well, you've got a kind heart, don't you?" Garp said with a grin, looking at Takumi, who now had only one chopstick left.
Takumi used that last chopstick to spear the final gyoza on his plate, eating it slowly and deliberately.
The leader of the pirates, seeing someone interfere, shouted angrily, "Who did that? Who threw the chopstick? Show yourself!"
Takumi finished his breakfast with a sip of sake, hung his sake gourd back at his waist, and then stood up. Without a word, he began walking toward the group of pirates at the entrance.
"Hey, what's that kid doing?"
"Don't go near them! Those guys are dangerous pirates; they'll kill you!"
"Kid, sit back down!"
The voices of concerned patrons filled the air, but Takumi ignored them, continuing his steady pace forward.
Garp, still grinning, watched Takumi intently. He wasn't worried about Takumi at all. In fact, he felt a bit sorry for those pirates.
One of the pirates, wearing a blue bandana and wielding a cutlass, sneered as he approached Takumi. "Boss, let me handle this brat!" he said before swinging his sword.
With a quick sidestep, Takumi easily avoided the clumsy attack.
"Damn it! You're dead, kid!" The bandana-wearing pirate gritted his teeth and charged again, slashing at Takumi with all his might.
Takumi casually dodged the strike and then countered with a swift hand chop to the pirate's back, sending him crashing to the ground.
The leader, known as "Brother Strong," narrowed his eyes as he noticed the wooden sword hanging from Takumi's waist. He sneered, "You're trying to act tough, huh? Today, I'm sending you straight to hell!"
With that, Strong aimed his gun at Takumi and fired several shots.
"Takumi, look out! Get out of the way!" Sanji yelled in a panic.
Takumi used Soru to evade all the shots in a blur of speed, appearing right in front of Strong in an instant. With a swift kick, he struck Strong's knees, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the floor.
"You little punk! Do you have any idea who I am?" Strong snarled as he struggled to his feet. "Boys, get him! I want this kid dead!"
"Yes, Boss!" the pirates shouted in unison as they rushed toward the ten-year-old boy.
Takumi watched them calmly, flexing his legs slightly. Then, with precise, powerful kicks, he targeted their waists, chests, and ribs, taking them down one by one.
In no time, the pirates were writhing in pain on the ground, completely subdued.
Takumi looked coldly at the defeated pirates before turning to leave. As he walked toward the door, he left them with one final piece of advice: "If you know where to hit, even without much strength, you can still bring down your enemy."
For a moment, the restaurant was silent. Then, the patrons erupted in cheers.
"Wow, that kid is amazing! He just took down all those pirates by himself!"
"Maybe those pirates were just weak, but still, that kid's got skills!"
"What did he mean by what he said before he left, though?"
"I don't know, but that was incredible, hahaha…"
Garp, who had been watching the whole scene, initially wondered why Takumi didn't just use his sword or the powerful kicks he'd used against Zeff to defeat the pirates quickly. But when he noticed Sanji trembling on the stairs, he quickly realized the reason behind Takumi's actions. "This kid is something else," Garp thought with amusement.
Sanji wasn't shaking out of fear. He understood that Takumi's last words were meant for him. The realization of what those words meant filled him with excitement, causing him to tremble.
Just as Takumi boarded his boat, the system's notification echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Guidance on kick techniques provided to Sanji. Progress: +20%. Current total progress: 70%.]
As expected, there was no immediate reward. But that was fine. With only 30% left to complete, it seemed the tasks at Baratie were progressing smoothly.
Takumi untied the rope securing his boat and set sail once more toward the Calm Belt.
By evening, when he returned, the naval boat that had been docked earlier was gone.
That meant Garp had finally left.
With one less annoyance around, Takumi was pleased.
After securing his boat, Takumi tossed a large octopus he had caught to the kitchen staff.
Just as he was about to leave the kitchen, Patty and a group of cooks blocked his way.
Patty grinned and said, "Takumi, I heard from the boss that you're only staying at Baratie temporarily. But with skills like yours, why not stick around and work here long-term?"
"No," Takumi declined flatly. "I don't cook."
"That's no problem; we can teach you."
"Yeah, exactly! We didn't see it ourselves, but Patty here was raving about your skills, so you must be really good."
"Why don't you stay? It's not like you have anywhere else to go."
What's with these guys? Why are they so insistent all of a sudden?
"I'm a traveler," Takumi replied, unamused. "I've got plenty of places to go. There's no way I'm settling down anywhere for long, and I have zero interest in being a cook. Instead of trying to keep me here, why don't you focus on improving your own cooking skills?"
"Ah? Are you really turning us down that easily?"
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think? At least let us down gently."
"Hey! What are you all doing? Have you finished the dishes the customers ordered?" Zeff's voice suddenly boomed from outside.
The cooks scattered like mice, quickly getting back to work.
Zeff, his expression unreadable, looked at Takumi and said, "Come with me."
Takumi followed him out to the deck.
After a moment of silence, Zeff spoke, "Thanks for what you did this morning."
"Don't mention it," Takumi replied coolly.
"And about Sanji… You were the one who gave him that advice, weren't you?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know why you're helping that brat, but… Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Zeff chuckled softly, "I heard what the others were asking you earlier. Are you really not considering staying?"
"Not at all," Takumi answered bluntly.
"Garp's gone now, so when are you planning to leave?"
Takumi thought for a moment and replied, "Soon."
Just as Takumi finished speaking, a cook who had just gone downstairs to deliver food came rushing up.
Seeing Zeff there, he exclaimed, "Boss, we've got trouble! Don Krieg, the pirate with fifteen ships, is here!"
"What?" Zeff frowned.
"He's here to settle a score with Sanji and Takumi."
"Hmph! How bold!" Zeff's expression darkened with displeasure. "Come on, let's see what this Krieg thinks he can do, causing trouble at Baratie!"
In Takumi's memory, Don Krieg and Zeff didn't cross paths until ten years later when Luffy arrived at Baratie. So why were they meeting now?
As he prepared to head downstairs to see what was going on, Takumi's gaze suddenly caught sight of a pirate ship approaching Baratie in the distance.
Wait a minute…
Takumi's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the pirate flag on the ship.
A skull with crossbones forming a cross behind it, with a crescent-shaped mustache…
Isn't that the emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates?
*****
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