Krieg felt like he was being played by some invisible force, as if everyone around him was acting against him.
Equally confused was Gin, who had just been betrayed by his boss and punched, now lying on the ground questioning his life.
No one in the restaurant seemed to take his threats seriously.
Luffy even began trying to recruit Sanji, who was watching the show nearby, despite his exhausted body.
"Hey, hey, cook."
"Want to go on an adventure with us?"
Sanji glanced at him while smoking, not answering immediately.
Actually, he had been thinking about leaving Baratie temporarily when the time was right—to adventure on the sea and search for the legendary "All Blue."
It was said to be a mythical place that gathered the essence of all oceanic ingredients from the four seas, the ultimate dream of every chef.
But could this silly kid in front of him actually make it happen?
Honestly, he didn't dislike Luffy's personality. On the contrary, seeing how much he enjoyed the food Sanji cooked, he had developed some fondness for the rubber boy.
If he really joined them, it might not be impossible.
Just then, sounds came from the kitchen.
Thud, thud.
Zeff's wooden prosthetic leg hitting the ground attracted Krieg's attention and interrupted Sanji's wandering thoughts.
When Krieg saw the man's face, he immediately showed surprise.
"Zeff!? Red-Leg Zeff?"
Krieg instinctively felt intimidated, having heard how formidable Zeff used to be.
Unlike him, who had charged into the Grand Line only to be kicked out, Red-Leg Zeff had actually made a real name for himself there.
But soon, Krieg thought of something else, his eyes immediately becoming mocking as he looked at Zeff's wooden prosthetic leg.
"Hmph, looks like you're their trump card. But what fighting power could an old guy who lost a leg in a shipwreck still have?"
Saying this, he threw off the cloak covering his body, revealing the golden armor and dense gun barrels underneath.
Zeff looked at him without any emotion, then said somewhat helplessly, "Krieg, finish eating and get out. Baratie doesn't welcome people like you."
"Stop talking nonsense! Quickly prepare food for a hundred people! And your navigation logs! With them, I'll definitely make a comeback and re-enter the Grand Line."
Krieg's finger was on the trigger, ready to shoot at the slightest disagreement.
To this, Zeff just shook his head lightly.
Your timing couldn't be more perfect.
Normally, for the safety of everyone on the ship, he might have been forced to compromise. But today—looking at Naruto, who was still naturally enjoying his meal—Zeff felt everything was so coincidental.
"Naruto, could I ask you to handle this?"
"No problem, consider it an apology for that incident earlier."
Naruto wiped his mouth and stood up with a grin, about to walk toward Krieg.
He was different from Shanks. For scum like Krieg, who didn't respect food and chefs and didn't even have basic credibility, Naruto never minded taking action personally.
"Hm? You brat, don't want to live anymore!?"
Krieg naturally couldn't see through Naruto's depth, but just looking with his eyes, the only weapon on him was that thin sword. How could it compare to Admiral Krieg's gun array?
Just as Krieg was about to shoot to make an example, Naruto suddenly stopped as if sensing something.
Then he smiled.
"Boss Zeff, looks like I don't need to act after all."
Before others could understand what he meant, a pirate who was skin and bones stumbled through the door and collapsed.
"D-Don K-Krieg, it's that man with the hawk-like eye, that devil who sank our ships, is still chasing us!"
Even after falling, the pirate managed to get his words out.
"What!?"
Along with Krieg's shocked cry, Zoro, sitting beside Luffy, also exclaimed.
He had heard that the world's greatest swordsman was a man with hawk-like eyes. And Zoro's dream was to defeat him and become the new greatest swordsman.
"Luffy, wait here for me."
He said to Luffy, then pushed him entirely onto Usopp.
Ignoring Usopp's cry as he nearly fell over, Zoro headed straight for the door.
Meanwhile, Krieg, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, now stood frozen, his entire face turning green, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
Ding!
A crisp sound of a blade rang out, reaching everyone's ears.
Even without seeing it directly, everyone could tell it was an extremely sharp sword.
Then, a strong wind burst in from outside, making the door creak.
Those nearby could clearly see the scene outside through the door.
Those warships, even larger than Baratie, had been cut into several pieces.
Like precisely cut steaks, they fell onto the sea surface.
This gust was created by the ships falling.
Zoro's pupils contracted, his hand instinctively moving to his sword hilt, only to find he couldn't control his trembling.
Yet his face couldn't help but show an excited smile.
Is this the world's greatest swordsman?
The surrounding people felt this scene was somewhat familiar.
Ah, right, someone had just achieved a similar effect with his fist.
At this moment, Hawk-Eye's "coffin boat" also docked at Baratie's entrance, and he elegantly stepped down.
This man, who had "handsome" written on his face, displayed the demeanor of a master in every movement.
Completely ignoring everyone around him, his gaze looked straight at Naruto, who had stood up.
"Ha, you're quite a bit slower than me."
Naruto looked at Hawk-Eye and greeted him with a smile.
The usually stern Hawk-Eye also showed a rare smile and nodded at Naruto.
"No choice, I encountered some blind pirates on the way. Hunting them took some time."
Saying this, he prepared to walk toward Naruto's table as if nothing had happened.
As if the person who had just resolved this sea restaurant's crisis wasn't him at all.
"Hey! Hawk-Eye!"
At this moment, Zoro, who had been ignored throughout, drew his sword and pointed the Wado Ichimonji at him.
"I went to sea to meet you."
He untied the headband from his left hand and retied it around his head, while slowly drawing his other two swords.
"Are you free? Let's have a match."
Even after witnessing the terrifyingly inhuman strength, Zoro still decided to challenge him.
Meanwhile, Krieg, who had been relieved to be ignored and was preparing to sneak away, looked at him like he was looking at an idiot.
Dude, are you really that brave?
But Hawk-Eye had seen many such challengers.
He first looked at Naruto with questioning eyes, and after Naruto gestured for him to do as he pleased, he spoke to this hothead.
"Boy, what is your goal?"
"To become the world's greatest swordsman."
After firmly stating this, Zoro silently bit the third sword's hilt in his mouth, assuming his strongest fighting stance.
"Hmph... foolish."
Hawk-Eye turned around to look at the young man before him, mercilessly mocking him, but his eyes began to seriously examine his opponent.
"Pitiful weakling—if you were truly a first-rate swordsman, you should be able to sense the gap between us without even fighting. Should I say you're brave? Or ignorant?"
Despite this attitude, Zoro still wasn't provoked.
"Because of my ambition and my promise to a dear friend."
"I see..."
Seeing the determination of the man before him, Hawk-Eye just nodded lightly, then removed the cross pendant hanging from his neck.
It was actually a knife only as long as a finger.
"What do you mean by this!"
Zoro's eyes immediately became dangerous.
Unlike words, this kind of real, physical contempt could truly make him angry.
"I'm not like a beast that would use full strength to hunt a rabbit. Although you might already be a somewhat famous swordsman, this is still the weakest of the seas, East Blue."
Saying this, he actually showed a very punchable expression.
"Unfortunately, I don't have a smaller knife than this."
The famous scene appears!
[Chapter Complete]
***
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