Novel Chapter
The contempt in those words hit Krieg like a slap.
His face twisted.
"Who!?" He spun toward the voice, armor clanking. "Who dares speak to Don Krieg like that!? You got a death wish!?"
His eyes locked onto the source.
A young man—mid-twenties, dark hair, calm expression—sat at a nearby table, knife and fork in hand, cutting into a perfectly cooked steak with the unhurried precision of someone who had all the time in the world.
Kai chewed slowly. Swallowed.
Set down his utensils.
Then looked up at Krieg with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Mm." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "So, Pirate Commodore Krieg—would you prefer Impel Down? Or should I just kill you here and save everyone the paperwork?"
Krieg's face went purple.
"Arrogant little SHIT!"
Every gun on his armor swiveled toward Kai.
"DIE!"
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG—
Muzzle flash lit up the restaurant. The roar of gunfire drowned out everything else. Dozens of barrels fired in perfect synchronization, pouring a wall of lead toward Kai's table.
"He can't dodge that!"
"Idiot shouldn't have provoked Krieg!"
"What a waste—"
The bullets stopped.
All of them.
Frozen in midair, a meter from Kai's face, like someone had hit pause on reality itself.
The restaurant went dead silent.
Krieg's jaw dropped. "That's—that's impossible!" His voice cracked. "You—you're a Devil Fruit user!?"
He stumbled backward, eyes wide with something that looked a lot like fear.
Kai plucked a bullet from the air, rolling it between his fingers like a coin.
"You don't even know what a Devil Fruit is." His tone was almost pitying. "And you thought you could survive the Grand Line? I can't decide if that's tragic or just stupid."
He flicked the bullet aside. It pinged off a support beam.
"You know what? I'll just kill you here." Kai's voice was conversational. Pleasant, even. "Dragging you to Impel Down sounds like work, and I'm on vacation. Can't have that."
"You—" Krieg's fear shattered, replaced by pure rage. "KILL ME!? You think you can kill DON KRIEG!?"
He grabbed his shoulder guards, ripped them off, and slammed them together with a metallic clang. A handle extended from the center.
In seconds, he was holding a spear—massive, crude, brutal. Easily six feet long and thick as a man's thigh.
"This baby weighs a ton!" Krieg hefted it like it was nothing, grinning savagely. "Combined with my strength, it'll pulverize solid rock! Let's see your Devil Fruit save you from—"
He charged.
CRASH. CRASH. CRASH.
Support pillars exploded as the spear tore through them like paper. Wood and plaster rained down. The entire restaurant shook.
Krieg's grin widened as the distance closed.
Five meters.
Three.
One—
"Ahahaha! Devil Fruit users ain't shit! You're still gonna die like—"
His voice cut off.
Because Kai had stopped the spear.
With one finger.
The massive weapon—a literal ton of steel, backed by Krieg's full strength—pressed against Kai's index finger and went nowhere.
Kai looked... bored.
"Is that it?" He sounded genuinely disappointed. "If this is your best..."
His eyes shifted. Cold. Final.
"Then I'm sorry."
The air hummed.
"Die."
Kamui Strike.
A fist of solid chakra—deep blue, crackling with energy, massive—materialized and slammed into Krieg's chest.
The pirate didn't fly backward.
He launched.
Like a cannonball. Through the wall. Across the water.
BOOOOOOM.
The explosion hit a second later.
A column of water erupted from the ocean, fifty meters high, white foam and spray blasting outward in a perfect sphere. The shockwave rolled across the surface in visible ripples.
The Baratie lurched, nearly capsizing. Cooks grabbed tables, chairs, anything bolted down.
And Krieg's warship—the massive vessel that had been docked alongside—
It just... disintegrated.
Torn apart by the sheer force of the blast, reduced to splinters and scrap metal floating on the waves.
When the water finally settled, there was no sign of Krieg.
Just debris.
Kai sighed, looking around at the wrecked restaurant.
Shattered tables. Broken walls. Bullet holes everywhere.
"Sorry about this, old man." He glanced at Zeff apologetically. "I'll cover the damages. Full price."
Zeff stared at him.
Then shook his head quickly. "No. No, it's—" He swallowed. "You saved us from Krieg. That's more than enough."
Are you insane? his brain screamed. Don't make him pay! Don't give him a REASON to remember you!
Besides, the Baratie had been through worse. A little carpentry, some new furniture—they'd be fine.
Kai shrugged. "If you're sure."
Out on the water.
A small boat drifted toward the Baratie.
It was shaped like a coffin—black wood, ornate carvings, four green candles flickering at the corners. The kind of vessel that screamed I am extremely dramatic and also possibly undead.
Sitting in the center, legs crossed, was a man.
Tall. Lean. Sharp-featured, with a wide-brimmed hat and a massive sword strapped to his back.
Dracule Mihawk.
Hawkeye.
The World's Greatest Swordsman.
He'd been drifting peacefully, enjoying the sea breeze, when that fist had appeared.
Blue chakra. Devastating power. Unmistakable presence.
Mihawk's eyes—golden, piercing, predatory—locked onto the Baratie in the distance.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Finally." His voice was quiet. Eager. "Mitarashi Kai."
He stood, one hand resting on the hilt of his blade.
"Let's see if you've gotten stronger."
Back at the Baratie.
"Boss!" One of the cooks pointed toward the water. "There's a weird boat coming! And the guy on it—he's got eyes like a hawk!"
The words hit Zoro like lightning.
He'd been leaning against the wall, half-asleep, trying to ignore the chaos.
But that—
His whole body went rigid.
Hawk eyes.
No. It can't be—
He was moving before he realized it, shoving past cooks and patrons, sprinting for the deck.
"Zoro?" Luffy blinked, confused. He turned to the tall guy standing next to him—Johnny, one of the bounty hunters who'd tagged along. "What's his problem?"
Johnny's eyes were wide. "Hawk eyes... that's gotta be Mihawk. Dracule Mihawk." He swallowed. "The World's Greatest Swordsman."
"Oh!" Luffy's face lit up. "That's the guy Zoro's always talking about! The one he wants to beat!"
"Beat?" Johnny looked like he might pass out. "Luffy, Mihawk's a Warlord. He's—"
But Luffy was already running after Zoro, grinning like a maniac.
Kai watched them go, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Here we go.
This fight—Zoro versus Mihawk—had been one of his favorite scenes. Back when he'd been a reader, watching from another world.
And now?
He had a front-row seat.
No way I'm missing this.
He stood, brushing off his coat, and headed for the deck.
On a massive chunk of wreckage.
Floating debris from Krieg's destroyed warship.
Zoro stood at one end, three swords drawn, breathing hard.
At the other end—
Mihawk stepped off his coffin-boat, boots landing on the wood with barely a sound.
He looked at Zoro.
Smiled.
"So." His voice was smooth. Amused. "You want to challenge me?"
Zoro's grip tightened on his swords.
"I'm going to be the World's Greatest Swordsman." His voice was steady. Determined. "And to do that—"
He raised his blades.
"—I have to beat you."
Mihawk's smile widened.
"Then come."
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