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  Coby didn’t waste any time. The moment the Sea Monster recoiled from Luffy’s punch, he drew Shusui, the bck bde gleaming as he swung it in a wide arc. “Ittoryu Iai: Shishi Sonson!” The bde sliced ly through the creature’s thick hide, severing its head from its body in one swift motion. Blood sprayed into the air, and the creature’s lifeless body slumped into the water with a loud spsh.

  Coby grabbed onto the remaining bulk of the Sea Monster, using his enharength t it toward the ship. “Sanji!” he called, looking over at the cook, expeg him to start preparing the meat.

  But Sanji wasn’t paying attention to the kill at all. He was twirling around the figure that had fallen onto the ship, his eyes wide and sparkling with excitement. “A mermaid!” he excimed, practically vibrating with joy. “It’s my first time seeing one!”

  Coby snickered, shaking his head as he leaned against the railing. “Sed,” he reminded Sanji, knowing this wasn’t their first enter with a mermaid. His smirk grew wider as he watched the cook’s mood plummet almost immediately.

  Sanji froze in mid-spin, his face paling as the realization hit him. He slowly kneeled on the ground, coughing up a small stream of blood as he mumbled weakly, “F-first…”

  The mermaid, Camie, sat up groggily, rubbing her head. “Ugh… What just happened?” she mumbled, gng around at the crew. Her eyes widened when she saw Luffy. "Aghh! Humans!"

  After realizing she wasn’t caught, Camie rexed, her initial panic subsiding as she looked around at the crew with a grateful smile. Pappug, however, outing, his small body trembling with frustration. "Oi! No oiced me! I'm a superstar, you know!" he shouted, his little arms filing dramatically.

  Camie ughed, patting him on the head. “This is my pet Pappug. He is also my Master. He’s a famous star in the fashion world. I wanna bee a desigoo.” When Usopp expined how he could both bee a master and a pet, Pappug sung about how Camie would give him cms and how he taught her designing. Something like that, Coby didn't listen.

  Luffy, however, had his eyes locked on Pappug with a fused expression. “Wait a minute… How you talk anyway?” he asked, scratg his head.

  Pappug delivered one of the heaviest lines iire One Piece series, and it happeo be one of Coby’s favorite moments of foreshadowing, even if it didn’t get as much attention as it deserved. "Never uimate the power of 'Will Power,' kid. The world runs on it."

  Coby couldn’t help but smile to himself. He loved that quote, especially knowing what was to e. Not long after, Haki would be introduced, being the driving force behind much of the world's power dynamics. To Coby, it erfect salute to the underlying theme of One Piece, a quiet nod to the strength that defined not just the characters but the entire world they inhabited. This was such a perfect foreshadowing, so subtle yet profound.

  Following that, Camie was called by Hat, but it wasn’t Hat—it turned out to be a few other Fishmen who had captured him. When the crew found out, they agreed to help rescue Hat in exge for Camie leading them to Sabaody Archipego. Camie, grateful, promised to take them there.

  The Straw Hats set off, eventually finding themselves face-to-face with a strange group of thugs led by a masked man called Iron Mask Duval. Duval had been holding Hat captive, and when they fronted him, the man revealed the source of his grudge: Sanji’s wanted poster. Apparently, the awful drawing on Sanji’s bounty poster looked just like Duval’s face, and because of it, he had been hunted down by bounty hunters all over the world.

  Sanji, clearly irritated, took one look at Duval’s ridiculous fad lost it.

  Duval roared in response, his frustration boiling over. “It’s ruined my life! People have been after me because they think I’m you!”

  The fight that followed was inte ical. Duval, desperate to exact his reveried everything to take down Sanji, but Sanji had enough. Fueled by both anger and ridiculousness of the situation, Sanji unleashed a flurry of kicks, his leg surgical as he unched Duval across the battlefield. With one final kick, Sanji rearranged Duval’s face, reshaping it with such force that Duval’s appearance was pletely ged.

  When the dust settled, Duval, dazed and fused, touched his new fa disbelief. Instead of the ugly mug he had been cursed with, he now had a handsome, chiseled look. His grudge against Sanji evaporated instantly, repced by a ridiculous amount of gratitude. Duval, once a bitter enemy, became a loyal ally, thanking Sanji profusely for the “gift” of his new face.

  Sanji, oher hand, was more than ready tet the whole ordeal. “I didn’t do it for you, idiot,” he grumbled, lighting a cigarette as he turned away. “I just couldn’t stand looking at that ugly mug.”

  The small arc ed up quickly, with the crew resg Hat and Camie keeping her promise to lead them to Sabaody Archipego.

  But for Coby, one particur moment from that little arc stood out more than the rest. During the frontation, when Duval’s massive pet bison, Motobaro, charged toward Luffy, something ued happened, well Coby expected it. Luffy, without even realizing it, unleashed a wave of pressure that caused Motobaro to colpse instantly. It wasn’t an atta the traditional se was the unmistakable sign of queror’s Haki.

  [Skill S initiated on 'queror's Haki'. Analysis in progress… queror's Haki (Haoshoku Haki) is a rare and overwhelming form of Haki that allows the user to exert their willpower over others, often causing those with weaker spirits to lose sciousness or bee paralyzed by fear. Uher forms of Haki, queror's Haki ot be acquired through training; it is an innate ability possessed by only a few individuals born with the potential to quer. At its most basic level, it creates a powerful pressure around the user, incapacitating oppos with weak wills. As mastery increases, users csh with other queror’s Haki users and even imbue it into their attacks, amplifying their pnifitly. The full extent of queror's Haki is not fully uood and may unlock greater abilities or untapped potential beyond current knowledge, making it open to future possibilities. Estimated cost for acquisition: 600,000 SP. Please firm if you wish to proceed with the Skill S and acquisition.]

  Nami’s eyes were locked onto Hat when they sat at Hat's pce, who was standing sheepishly preparing food. The Fishman, part ’s old crew, scratched the back of his head, clearly unfortable. Hat wasn’t like the rest ’s gang—he didn’t have the same cruel streak—but the history was still there. For ten years, Arlong and his crew had tormented Nami, ensved her vilge, and caused her immense pain. Hat had been part of that, even if he wasn’t as cruel.

  Coby, leaning against the ship’s railing, gnced between them. He killed Arlong, Kuroobi, and Chew back when he liberated Cocoyasi Vilge, but he let Hat escape. And though Hat held a bit of rese for that, he was also thankful. The tensioween them wasn’t something that could be ignored.

  "Takoyaki!" Hat suddenly blurted out, trying to cut through the awkward atmosphere. He smiled nervously, holding up a tray of his freshly made dish. "I make the best takoyaki, you know! I whipped up some for everyone as thanks for saving me!"

  Nami’s lips pressed into a thin line. She wasn’t furious—she knew Hat wasn’t like the others—but the memories still stung. She gave him a curt nod, and after tasting it, she smiled, "It is really delicious."

  Hat was nervous, visibly tense, but the relief on his face was clear when Nami smiled after tasting his takoyaki. He took a deep breath, feeling a small spark of hope that maybe, just maybe, she could five him for his past involvement with Arlong’s crew.

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