"Hahaha, what a joke, kid!" Don Krieg laughed, looking at Luffy with utter disdain. "I've killed countless brats like you over the years. You think you can challenge me?"
The remnants of his crew, who had recovered after receiving their food, chimed in with their own taunts. "To challenge our captain is pure foolishness!"
"We may have been defeated in the Grand Line, but we're not so weak that a kid like you can take us on!"
"Come on, Captain, show this kid the power of the Krieg Pirates!"
"You want to challenge me?" Krieg sneered. "You're not even qualified. Lads, come on! Let them see the true strength of the Krieg Pirates!"
His men roared in approval and were about to charge, but a hulking, turtle-like man stepped forward. "No need," he said, blocking their path. "To deal with a small fry like this, I, Pearl, am more than enough."
"It's Captain Pearl! Go on, kill them!" the pirates cheered, their confidence soaring.
"Heh," Pearl said with a smug smile, cracking his knuckles as he faced Luffy.
Luffy frowned. It seemed if he wanted to get to Krieg, he would have to go through this guy first. But just as he was about to move, a crescent-shaped wave of sword energy shot out from his side, slicing Pearl cleanly in two. He collapsed into the sea, dead before he hit the water.
"To deal with this kind of trash, why would our captain need to act?" Moonlight said, stepping forward, his gaze sweeping over the now-stunned pirates. "Go on, Captain. I'll take care of these little ones."
The pirates, who had been cheering moments before, were now frozen in shock.
"Impossible! Captain Pearl was killed just like that?"
"Is this swordsman that strong? He killed our captain with a single slash!"
Their shock quickly turned to anger. "Hmph, you dare to kill my subordinate in front of me?" Krieg growled, his face turning cold. "Everyone, get him! Kill him!"
The pirates, numbering in the thousands, surged forward, a tidal wave of bodies and steel.
"No, there are too many of them!" Usopp cried out in alarm.
"Two fists can't beat four hands! Moonlight, I'll help you!" Luffy shouted.
The chefs of the Baratie, seeing the overwhelming odds, were filled with a righteous fury. "Let's help too! These pirates are a menace!"
"Yeah! Their goal is our restaurant, and we can't let them have it!"
They grabbed their own weapons—cleavers, pans, and anything else they could find—and prepared to join the fray.
"Heh," Moonlight said with a faint smile, completely unfazed by the charging horde. "Conqueror's Haki!"
A wave of invisible energy burst out from him, radiating in all directions. The charging pirates froze in their tracks, their eyes glazing over as they collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The chefs who had rushed forward were also caught in the blast, and they too crumpled to the deck, some of them foaming at the mouth.
In the blink of an eye, the entire pirate army, along with a good portion of the Baratie's staff, was incapacitated.
"What... what happened?" Krieg's pupils shrank, his mind struggling to comprehend what he had just witnessed.
"Is this that 'Haki' thing Moonlight was talking about?" Usopp whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and awe.
"Damn it, what was that? Why did they all fall at once?" the remaining chefs who hadn't been caught in the blast stared in stunned silence, their faces a mask of confusion.
"Old man, what's going on?" Sanji asked, turning to Zeff.
"I don't know," Zeff replied, his eyes fixed on Moonlight. "But one thing is clear: that swordsman is the strongest among them. No wonder he could stand up to Hawkeye. I thought it was just Hawkeye holding back, but it seems this man is no small fry." He didn't know about Conqueror's Haki, but he could feel the immense power radiating from Moonlight, a power that was beyond the scope of ordinary men.
"There are such powerful people in the world," Sanji murmured, looking at Moonlight with a newfound respect. He felt like a frog in a well, suddenly realizing how vast the world truly was.
"Until our captain and the enemy have been decided, no one is to interfere," Moonlight said calmly, as if he hadn't just single-handedly defeated an army. He then sat down to the side, his tone leaving no room for argument.
At that moment, Luffy finally made his move. "Gum-Gum... Pistol!" His arm stretched out, his fist rocketing towards Krieg.
"Hehe, kid, you're looking for death!" Krieg sneered. "Spike-Spike... Armor!" Suddenly, his golden armor sprouted a dense layer of sharp steel spikes, like a hedgehog. Luffy's punch, caught off guard, slammed into the spikes.
"Aaargh!" he screamed, his hand pierced and bleeding.
"It's not over yet!" Krieg taunted. "Great... War... Spear!" A massive, three-meter-long spear materialized in his hand, and he thrust it forward. The tip of the spear exploded, sending Luffy flying backwards, his body covered in wounds.
"What is that?" Luffy gasped, struggling to his feet.
"It's the captain's unique weapon, the War Spear!" one of Krieg's few remaining conscious men shouted. "It's filled with explosives! With that, our captain is invincible in the East Blue!"
"Luffy!" Usopp cried out in worry, then turned to Moonlight. "Moonlight, that guy is too powerful! I'm afraid Luffy is no match for him! You have to..."
But Moonlight simply waved his hand. "This is a battle between captains. I will not intervene. If Luffy is killed, it is because he was not strong enough. If he wants to become the King of the Pirates, this is a path he must walk."
Usopp was stunned but couldn't argue. As Moonlight had said, the path to becoming the Pirate King was not an easy one. If Luffy couldn't overcome this, what hope did he have of achieving his dream?
"Are these guys just going to stand there and watch?" one of the Baratie chefs muttered. "The straw hat kid is going to die!"
"If you're just going to watch your partner be killed, then I'll do it!" Sanji said, his voice cold. Though he had only just met Luffy, he respected his spirit. He couldn't just stand by and watch him be killed. He was about to step forward, but a crescent-shaped wave of sword energy shot out, carving a deep line in the floor of the Baratie in front of him.
Sanji froze, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Moonlight. The other chefs took a sharp breath, staring at the deep gash in the floor.
"This is our captain's battle," Moonlight said, his voice as cold as ice, his murderous aura washing over them. "Anyone who dares to interfere, I will kill." No one doubted his words. They had all seen his power. They were all frozen in place, their gazes fixed on the battle unfolding before them.
Krieg continued to brandish his War Spear, each explosion sending Luffy flying. But each time, Luffy bounced back, getting up again and again, like an indestructible God of War. Even Krieg's men were speechless. Luffy's vitality was truly incredible.
"Gum-Gum... Gatling!" Frustration and determination fueled Luffy's next attack. He rushed forward, his fists a blur of motion, a storm of punches enveloping Krieg.
Krieg just smiled disdainfully. "Still not giving up? How many times do you have to be knocked down before you learn?" He fired the spear again, but after the continuous battle, his own strength was beginning to wane.
BOOM!
The explosion was more violent than any before, engulfing Luffy in a ball of fire and smoke and blowing away half of the ship's railing.
"Luffy!" Usopp screamed.
But when the smoke cleared, a figure slowly walked out of the flames. It was Luffy, his eyes sharp, his aura stronger than ever. And in his hands, he held the broken tip of Krieg's War Spear. "Hey," he said with a cold smile. "Without this, what else do you have?"
At that moment, everyone—friend and foe alike—was stunned by Luffy's incredible resilience.
"On this sea, there are two kinds of people," Zeff said, a look of admiration on his face. "One is like Krieg, who relies on external weapons to make himself seem powerful. The other is like the straw hat kid, who relies on nothing but his own two hands and his unwavering spirit. No matter the enemy, he will fight bravely and never give up. I wonder which of these two will win in the end?"
"One relies on powerful equipment, and the other on a strong heart," Sanji murmured, Zeff's words striking a chord within him. He looked at Luffy with a new understanding. "Though a person with a strong appearance can be intimidating, it is the one with a strong heart who is truly powerful."
With a final, desperate roar, Luffy unleashed a barrage of punches that shattered Krieg's War Spear. Before Krieg could react, a single, powerful punch sent him flying into the ship's cabin, the impact leaving the already dilapidated vessel in even worse shape.
"Captain Krieg was defeated? How is this possible?" his men cried out in disbelief.
"No, Captain Krieg won't be defeated! And we haven't been defeated either!" Gin suddenly roared. He grabbed two iron tonfas and rushed towards Luffy. "Captain, stand up! You are the strongest man in the East Blue! You can't be defeated!"
"How despicable! Intervening in the middle of a fight!" the Baratie chefs shouted.
"I knew you were no good!" Sanji's eyes turned cold. He had given Gin a meal out of compassion, but it seemed he was a villain after all. He was about to intercept him, but Gin was too fast. With a single, powerful blow, he sent Sanji flying.
"Sanji!" the chefs cried out in shock. They had never imagined that the quiet Gin possessed such strength.
"As I said," Moonlight's voice cut through the chaos, "outsiders are not allowed to interfere in our captain's battle. Otherwise, they will die." A crescent-shaped wave of sword energy shot out, slicing through the air towards Gin. The tonfas in his hands were shattered, and he was sent flying into the sea.
"Damn it... you've beaten me to this state... you're the first," Krieg rasped, stumbling out of the ruined cabin. His golden armor was cracked and broken. He looked at Luffy, then at the spot where Gin had disappeared, and his face became a mask of pure fury. His arm clicked and whirred, and the armor on his chest opened to reveal a round, menacing muzzle. "So be it! Then you will all die!" A purple cannonball shot out, heading straight for the Baratie. "This is my ultimate weapon, the MH5! A poison gas bomb that can turn a thousand-meter radius into a toxic wasteland!"
The chefs scrambled in terror, rushing to find gas masks. But before the bomb could reach its target, Moonlight moved.
"Raptor's Air Rend!" he shouted, becoming one with his sword. He moved across the sea, a phantom of steel and wind, creating a powerful gale that dispersed the poison gas. He then appeared in front of Krieg, his blade a blur of motion. The golden armor that had seemed so invincible was torn to shreds, and Krieg himself was sliced in two, his eyes wide with disbelief as he collapsed to the deck, dead.
The battle was over.