As he finished speaking, Zoro's spine remained perfectly straight, without the slightest bend.
Kuma gave Zoro a deep look, then said no more.
He raised his hand, palm facing Luffy, and as the Paw-Paw Fruit's ability was used, a massive, more condensed red air paw shot out from behind Luffy, containing a concentrated energy mass of extreme pain and trauma!
Kuma separated a portion of the "punishment" that was meant for Luffy, turning it into a dark red, constantly twisting and roaring energy sphere, and forcefully pushed it towards Zoro!
The pain energy sphere instantly entered Zoro's body!
"Ugh ah ah ah ah ah—!!!"
Zoro's body suddenly tensed like a bow, and he let out an extremely painful shriek, a sound that no human could possibly make!
It was as if every inch of his muscle, every bone, was being crushed and torn apart!
Blood spurted like a fountain from countless pores and wounds all over his body, instantly turning him into a blood-soaked figure!
But his feet, as if welded to the ground, were firmly planted in place, not retreating a single step!
With his own body, he built a blood-stained human wall for his companions behind him!
Just as Zoro was spewing blood all over, letting out an agonizing roar, yet still standing firm and refusing to fall, another voice, trembling with anger, suddenly exploded!
"Enough!!!"
Sanji, who had collapsed on the ground from exhaustion, somehow squeezed out the last bit of his strength, propping himself up with trembling arms.
His face, smeared with blood, dust, and extreme fury, roared at Zoro:
"You Mosshead... getting beaten up is a second-place job... you idiot who only sleeps or gets lost all day... just stick to being third place, stop trying to act cool and make your own decisions!!!"
Hearing this, Zoro's bloodshot eyes filled with shock and resistance, and he struggled to speak, trying to stop him: "Curly brows... you... don't come over... ugh ah!"
Before he could finish, another wave of intense pain swept through his body, making him almost bite through his teeth.
But Sanji ignored him completely!
Sanji used his last bit of strength, stumbling towards Kuma and Zoro, and as he neared Zoro, he suddenly raised his foot, which, though trembling, was exceptionally firm!
"Get... out of my way! This... isn't for you to shoulder alone!"
Bang!
Sanji kicked Zoro, who was unable to resist due to the pain, causing him to stagger a few steps to the side, moving him out of Kuma's direct front!
And Sanji himself, replacing Zoro, stumbled and stood before Kuma, panting heavily, his golden hair matted to his forehead with blood, his suit already in tatters, his body swaying as if it might fall apart any second.
But he straightened his back with effort, even pulling out a wild and exhilarated smile, and yelled at Kuma with all his might:
"Come on! Big guy! Isn't there more pain?!"
"Send it all my way! Let the storm... rage even fiercer!!! Hahaha!!!"
His laughter echoed in the silent battlefield, full of fearless madness and a moving, resolute willingness to bear everything for his companions!
Zoro lay to the side, watching Sanji's posture, as if he were embracing death, his eyes bulging with fury, but due to the extreme pain and exhaustion, he couldn't even utter a single word.
"You bastard!" His heart felt as if it was tightly clutched by an invisible hand!
Even though he knew Sanji possessed a 'locked health' cheat system and an abnormal physique, making it highly unlikely he would truly die, the extreme pain he was about to endure, originating from Luffy and everyone else, was one hundred percent real!
This feeling made him very powerless, hating his own weakness, groaning in his throat, yet without even a shred of strength to stop it.
In Kuma's eyes, there was again a noticeable stagnation and fluctuation, as he silently watched the bloodied and bruised chef who dared to actively request to bear all the pain, then scanned the struggling Zoro on the ground, the unconscious Luffy, and the distant Straw Hat Pirates members who were terrified but had not fled.
'Luffy... you truly... found an incredible group of companions.' In Kuma's heart, the shock gradually transformed into an indescribable complex emotion.
He no longer hesitated, his massive palm raised again, and this time, the dark red energy mass, condensed with all the pain and trauma, became unprecedentedly vast and violent!
It not only contained the "punishment" Luffy was supposed to endure but also included the portion Zoro had just suffered, and even the pain imprints of all the injured individuals present!
"As you wish."
Kuma's deep voice resonated, and that destructive energy, like a meteor, shot towards Sanji with a roar!
The energy mass instantly entered Sanji's chest!
"Ugh—!!!"
Sanji's body suddenly arched backward, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer!
His face instantly turned ashen white, then flushed with an unnatural crimson!
All the blood vessels in his body seemed about to burst, and every cell shrieked in agony!
Pain ten, even a hundred times more intense than what he had previously suffered from Kuma's blows and the rebound attacks from his crewmates, instantly swept through every nerve!
It was a dual, ultimate torment of both body and mind!
However,
Facing this terrifying pain that could make anyone instantly collapse, Sanji gritted his teeth, even biting his lips until they bled profusely!
His body trembled violently, his nails dug deep into his palms, but he stubbornly refused to let out even the slightest cry or groan!
Only the extremely suppressed groans from deep within his throat, and his eyes, almost bulging from their sockets, proved the terrible torment he was enduring!
Just as this endless pain seemed on the verge of consuming his consciousness, that cold, angelic system notification finally sounded in his mind:
"Ding! Effective physical attacks sustained have reached 1000 times!"
"Hidden Advanced Quest: Trial of the Iron Body has been completed!"
"Reward Issued: Armament Haki Awakening! (Elementary)"
A completely new, resilient feeling of power, like black armor, seemed to surge from the depths of his torn flesh and bones, beginning to flow slowly, intertwining with the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit within him!
But the cost of this awakening was unimaginable.
When all the pain energy released by Kuma finally dissipated, Sanji fell forward like a puppet with cut strings, crashing heavily onto the ground.
His entire body was already thoroughly soaked in his own blood, turning him into a true "blood person," his golden hair matted with dark red clots, his black suit reduced to tattered rags, his breath so faint it was almost imperceptible.
"Sanji!!!"
"!!!"
....
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