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Pain drives itself into his back, drives the air out from his lungs.
Sanji remembers at the last moment he can't let a single sound pass his lips. Law said— Law had said that any noise from his throat might set off the explosive bracelets. He staggers, one hand covering his mouth, and the other between his teeth, trying to stop himself from crying out.
"Death to the fucking connies!" his attacker crows, like stabbing an unsuspecting man in the back is brave or something, and a couple of others with him hoot and raise signs. There are a lot of them. People and signs. CON-STRUCTS ARE A CON. PEOPLE BEFORE TOYS. Stupid shit like that. The people in the street scatter, screaming.
Sanji grits his teeth and lowers his hands, tries to stem the bleeding by holding the wound, but it's in his back, it's a place he can't reach well. He makes do and holds his shirt taught, hopefully that will help. Meanwhile, he rounds on his attackers, catching the shouting fucker right in the throat with a kick. The man goes down warbling and comically wide-eyed, still clutching his knife. Sanji brings his weight down as he slams his shoe on the asshole's ugly face, before the loser's buddies realise Sanji isn't sobbing on the ground as expected.
They pile on, but not before Sanji takes a couple of them out. He can't afford to be nice, there are ten? twenty? of them and only one of him, and he's bleeding out, he has maybe a few minutes to finish this. He goes for face, ears, throat, balls, and he's pretty sure a couple of them won't ever breathe without the help of a device after this.
A wooden sign clocks him round the head and in the moment he pauses, stunned, he gets pulled to the ground and they're kicking him and even jumping on his already injured torso. He grits his teeth and puts his hands to his mouth again. These assholes might deserve being blown to bits, but there were random passers-by, families, children.
His eyes meet those of a woman in the crowd. She has dark hair and in that moment— he doesn't know why— he thinks, Law .
The woman startles, as if Sanji had shouted the word instead of thought it, and just as another blow hits him, he sees her shout before he registers the word.
" LAW! "