Even Match

The chapter cover page for Chapter 187, titled "Even Match". The cover story is "HACHI'S OCEAN FLOOR STROLL VOL. 5 'HACHI COMES ACROSS A STARVING MAN'". The illustration shows Hatchan underwater, holding out a large piece of meat on a bone to a starving, ragged-looking man sitting on a rock. The man has a star-shaped head or hair and a sun tattoo on his arm, and he is drooling at the sight of the food.

The story opens in the chaotic streets of Alubarna. Koza, the leader of the rebel army, is engaged in fierce combat. He swings his sword, yelling "UGHH!", as he clashes with a royal guard. The battle is intense, with dust and debris flying. Koza is struck and sent tumbling backward, hitting the ground hard with a "THUD!!". He slides across the sandy ground, coming to a halt.

Koza is on his knees, panting heavily, "HUFF... HUFF... NGH!". A fellow rebel runs up to him, asking, "KOUZA! Is the bullet wound from Nanohana still hurting y-". Koza cuts him off, gripping his sword tightly, "This is a battlefield! Stop worrying about such trivialities!" He stands up, declaring, "In any case, I need to get myself a horse! If I can just make it out of the town center, I can then head to the Northern Block where the palace is!" The rebel is shocked, "That's crazy! The Northern Block is guarded by the bulk of the Royal Army, not to mention Pell and Chaka!" Koza ignores the warning, stating, "I'm going to demand a surrender from the king." He leaps forward, shouting, "LEND ME A HAND!" The rebel tries to stop him, "There's no need for you to risk going in deep alone! Most of us rebels haven't even arrived yet! We still have reinforcements coming in from the other towns!" Koza simply replies, "...It's already too late."

Koza sprints desperately through the city streets, his footsteps echoing "DASH DASH DASH". He rounds a corner near some large domed buildings. A group of royal guards spots him. One of them points his spear and shouts, "HALT! ARE YOU ONE OF THE REBELS!?" Koza skids to a stop, confronted by the armed guards blocking his path.

The royal guards confront Koza. One warns him, "If you're not involved in the fighting, then you better leave this city as soon as possible!" Another adds, "Do you realize the situation you're in!? Past here is the royal palace!" Koza pants, listening. A guard yells, "THIS IS NO PLACE FOR YOU TO B-" but is interrupted. "DID YOU HEAR WHAT I SAID!?" Suddenly, a voice calls out. The guards turn in surprise, "PRINCESS VIVI!?" Princess Vivi appears, looking battered, dirty, and exhausted, panting heavily. She pleads urgently, "PLEASE TAKE ME TO CHAKA! THERE'S SOMETHING I NEED HIM TO DO!"

A map of Alubarna is shown, pinpointing the location of the fight between Mr. 2 Bon Clay and Sanji in the Southern Block, Polka St. A lit cigarette falls to the ground, smoking. Suddenly, Sanji is struck by a devastating kick to the face. The impact is brutal, distorting his features as he is sent flying backward.

Sanji is launched through the air with tremendous force, crashing violently into a stone building. The impact creates a massive explosion of rubble and dust, "KABOOM!". Sanji groans, "Ughh! Gahh!". As the dust settles, Mr. 2 Bon Clay stands amidst the debris, panting, "Huff huff". He remarks, "What a kick... to think he could stand up to my Okama Kenpou..." Sanji, buried under a pile of rubble, struggles to move, muttering, "Son of a..."

Sanji stands up, his face bruised and bleeding, glaring menacingly. Mr. 2 Bon Clay strikes a flamboyant pose on one leg and shouts, "MOOOVVEEE OUTTA MY WAY ALREADY, JEEZ LOUISE!" Sanji retorts darkly, "Over my dead body, freak..." Mr. 2 gets angry, "If that's how you wanna play it, then fine! Not a day goes by when I'm not busy honing my Okama Kenpou skills! And I'll be damned if some punk thinks he can make my training all for naught!" He lunges forward with a powerful punch, yelling, "DOZO OKAMAI KNUCKLE! (Don't mind my okama knuckle)". Sanji swiftly dodges the blow.

Mr. 2 Bon Clay continues his assault, shouting, "IT'S USELESS TRYING TO DODGE MY FISTS!" He unleashes a flurry of rapid punches and kicks, calling out his techniques: "TIPSY SWAN DANCE!" and "OKAMA KENPOU!". Sanji expertly weaves and dodges through the barrage of attacks. Sanji thinks to himself, "THIS FIGHT'S DRAGGING ON... I'VE GOTTA FINISH IT QUICKLY IN ONE BLOW!" Finding an opening, Sanji leaps into the air and delivers a sharp kick aimed at Mr. 2's neck, yelling, "COLLIER! (Neck)".

Sanji follows up with a relentless combo of kicks. He strikes Mr. 2's shoulder, shouting "UN! DEUX! ÉPAULE! (Shoulder)". He then delivers a powerful kick to the ribs, "ORAAA! CÔTELETTE! (Rib Chop)". He continues the assault with "UN! SELLE! (Saddle)" and "DEUX! POITRINE! (Breast)", landing solid hits. Finally, he finishes the sequence with a sweeping kick to the leg, "GIGOT! (Leg)", yelling "KURAAA!". Mr. 2 is battered by the rapid succession of strikes.

Mr. 2 Bon Clay recovers and prepares a counterattack, his mouth wide open as he yells, "OKAMA KENPOU-". Sanji grits his teeth, "NGH-", readying his own strike. They clash simultaneously with immense power. Mr. 2 shouts "SWAN ARABESQUE!" while Sanji yells "MUTTON SHOT!". Their kicks collide with a massive impact, creating a shockwave.

The force of their clash sends both fighters flying in opposite directions. They crash through the city streets, tearing up the pavement and smashing into buildings with a deafening "CRASH!!". Dust and debris fill the air. Mr. 2 sits up amidst the rubble, panting heavily, "Can't believe... My Swan Arabesque... huff huff... Failed to work on this novice cook... THIS IS NOOOOOO JOOOOKE!". Nearby, Sanji is also on the ground, equally exhausted, "Can't believe... That my Mutton Shot... huff huff... Failed to work on this okama... huff huff...".

Sanji stands up, wiping blood from his mouth, and challenges, "Bring it..." Mr. 2 Bon Clay, looking frustrated, replies, "Fine, fine! I'll get serious! I'm gonna fight seriously now!" He points a finger at Sanji and says, "You still aren't aware of my Mane-mane fruit's capabilities, are you? What's most impressive is its vast memory! Using it... I can create such a facial montage! See it and laugh until you're full of openings!" Mr. 2 begins to rapidly change his facial features using his Devil Fruit powers. "First! The world's weirdest head!" "Second! The world's weirdest eyes!" "Third! The world's weirdest nose!" "Last! The world's weirdest mouth!"

Mr. 2 Bon Clay reveals his completed "facial montage," a bizarre amalgamation of different features, including a long nose and strange eyes. He strikes a dramatic pose and announces, "TODAY'S SPECIAL PERFORMANCE! MANE MANE MONTAGE!" He bursts into laughter, "GAHAHAHA!". Sanji stands completely still, staring blankly at the ridiculous face. After a moment of silence, Sanji deadpans, "90% of that was, like... Your own face, dude." Mr. 2's confident expression shatters into one of utter shock and embarrassment, sweat pouring down his face as the realization hits him.

Taking advantage of Mr. 2's shock, Sanji delivers a swift, brutal kick directly to his face, yelling, "OPENING SPOTTED! STOP FOOLING AROUND, YOU PIECE OF CRAP!" Mr. 2 is knocked backward, crying out, "UGH!". Mr. 2 recovers, tears streaming down his face, and dramatically asks, "HAVE YOU NO HEART!? A MERE ACT IT IS NOT!" Sanji, unamused, replies, "I ain't got time for your pitiful one-man act." Mr. 2 then says, "AN ACT!? NAAAAYYY! I've once come across a certain man... who was unable to harm me because of his friendship...!"

Mr. 2 Bon Clay transforms his face into Usopp's and taunts, "GAHAHA! I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY TO HURT ME N-". Before he can finish, Sanji ruthlessly kicks him in the face again, "GAHHH!". Sanji exhales smoke and says, "Oh, pfft... I think I have a good idea what you're planning... No matter how much you try to change your face, you're still you. Pathetic... I'm not gonna fall for something as stupid as that." Mr. 2, back to his normal face, holds his bruised cheek and cries indignantly, "H-HOW COULD YOU!? Isn't this your friend's face!? Just what do you think of your friends as, you monster!" Sanji points firmly to his own chest and declares, "BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE DEFINED NOT BY THEIR FACES, BUT BY THEIR HEARTS!"

Mr. 2 Bon Clay is taken aback by Sanji's declaration. "THEIR HEARTS!? SUCH PURITY!" he exclaims, his jaw dropping. He then smirks, "I understand... So it doesn't matter if I transform into her, Or any of your other friends... None of it would work on you. TOO EASY!" With a series of clicks, Mr. 2 transforms his entire appearance into Nami. Sanji looks over, "Hm?". Nami (Mr. 2) winks and says seductively, "Silly boy...". Instantly, Sanji's demeanor completely changes; his eyes turn into giant hearts, and his tongue rolls out as he swoons helplessly over the transformed Mr. 2.

The scene shifts to the Alubarna Palace. Chaka, the commander of the royal guards, is visibly shocked, yelling, "ARE YOU SERIOUS, PRINCESS!? IF WE DID THAT, THEN...". Outside the palace, royal guards are murmuring in surprise, "Princess Vivi!" "You're right! The princess really is back!" "But why now of all times...!?". Vivi stands resolute, sweat on her face, and tells Chaka, "This palace is not Alabasta. You're mistaken." Chaka questions her, "Yes? Then what? Then Alabasta will come to an end?"

Chaka argues passionately, "The Kingdom of Alabasta is its people, fighting each other as we speak! It is their very existence which allows Alabasta to be a kingdom, not the other way around! If we could just stop the fighting for even a few seconds...!" Vivi interrupts him, her expression determined, "Just a few seconds to draw everyone's attention... That's all I need! Just leave what comes after to me!" She looks out over the palace and shouts with all her might, "PLEASE DESTROY THE PALACE! SO PLEASE!"

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