"The East Sea really is the weakest sea zone; the pirates here are just too easy to defeat."
Yamato sat bored on a few crates. After arriving at the East Sea, they had a small skirmish with some local pirates, but the battle was hard to describe. To sum it up, Yamato just stood there doing nothing, and these pirates couldn't even break through her defense.
"Not only that, if I had known earlier, I wouldn't have used those things. This has become quite a loss..."
Page One, counting the spoils, shared his opinion. These pirates were undoubtedly a bunch of paupers with not much money on them, and they were so weak that Page One couldn't even be bothered to lift a finger and ended up using some explosive weapons.
But war supplies are costly in the first place, and after tallying up the spoils, it wasn't even enough to cover the cost of the equipment he used.
As for the weapons those pirates were using...
Old-fashioned muzzle-loading cannons, single-shot pistols, coarse black powder — the explosives they used on the mines were of higher quality than these.
"But this is also a good thing, as it means we don't have to worry about encountering any unexpected situations. Ferren, are we almost there?"
"Almost, this time it's really close."
...
On the other side, the members on Luffy's ship were starting to grow. Zoro and Usopp had appeared on his ship, but the Merry had experienced quite a few hardships in the absence of a Navigator.
At this moment, all three people on the ship were deprived of their sailing rights, leaving it to Heracles to decide where to head.
And Heracles had a rather peculiar way of choosing the direction: using Zoro to point the way, but always going the opposite direction of wherever he pointed. By an ironic twist of fate, they ended up near the Sea Restaurant Baratie.
In the years of Zeff's management, Baratie had become a restaurant with a decent reputation in the East Sea, but today, it was crowded with people. Krieg, who had fled in panic from the Grand Line, also arrived here, with his sights set on Zeff's maritime log and the Baratie's ship.
Overconfident, he had not learned his lesson and planned to return to the Grand Line once he had regrouped.
If encountered by pirates on the Grand Line, they would surely admire his courage, for he had the audacity to challenge Hawkeye.
"Stop! You think you can just leave like that? Weren't you here to take my head? To claim the head of me, the overlord of the East Sea, Krieg the leader?"
"I was, initially because I was bored, but on this journey, I encountered more interesting individuals. I've had my fun, and it's time to go back to sleep. Oh, by the way, your joke is quite amusing, but you probably won't get to tell it again."
Faced with Krieg's provocation, Hawkeye remained indifferent. The title of the world's greatest Sword Master hung around his neck, and this title alone attracted countless weaklings challenging him.
Their lack of strength left him completely uninterested, not bothering to remember their names. He wasn't averse to battle, but at least there should be some strength involved, and if not strength, at least allowing him to foresee the future could suffice.
Krieg?
Having lost interest in playing around, Krieg wasn't even qualified for Hawkeye to unsheathe his sword.
Hawkeye sailed away on his small boat, but his actions only further inflated Krieg's arrogance.
Yet as he laughed wildly, his officers were being knocked down.
...
"Heracles, get ready, use that to take him down. Curly Brows, step aside, clear the space at the doorway for me!"
Luffy pushed Sanji aside, who was gearing up to fight with Balala. He stood at the restaurant's doorway, finding a spot to secure his hands and feet, slightly leaning backward, and Heracross stood directly on his stomach, treating Luffy as a human launcher.
With coordination between the man and the beetle, Luffy's body extended gradually, and white light shone on Heracross's horn, the Megaton Horn Attack was ready.
"Rubber Siege Crossbow!"
After years of companionship, Heracross and Luffy had developed a synergy, launching Heracross using Luffy's body as a bowstring was their combo move.
This greatly increased Heracross's attack power, and the seemingly ridiculous preparatory action could catch the enemy off guard.
At least Balala, covered in shields from head to toe, didn't take the attack seriously. To him, a mere beetle couldn't possibly breach his Iron Defense.
While the idea was grand, reality proved cruel. With the impact provided by Luffy, Heracross shattered the large shield on Balala's chest with just one hit and knocked the unconscious Balala directly into the sea.
Afterward, Luffy engaged in battle with Krieg again, and the chefs of Baratie clashed with other pirates. Even with Zeff losing a leg and being advanced in age, he easily handled these ordinary pirates.
In the situation where Balala was knocked into the sea by Heracross, only Gin remained a nuisance.
Due to Krieg's orders, he still engaged in battle with Sanji, but for some reason, he never saw a sense of worry on these chefs' faces.
...
Sanji didn't fight with Balala, so he wasn't physically strained. His match with Gin was back and forth, and Gin hesitated to strike lethally, momentarily suppressing Sanji but failing to gain a greater advantage.
"Leave this ship, you can always get another one; Krieg's leader has his eyes on this. You're no match for him; if this continues, you'll all die!"
"You're quite strong, but unfortunately, time's up. The little guy should be back soon."
Sanji lit a cigarette with a lighter, his tone full of confidence.
"What did you say?"
Dong~ Dong~ Dong~
Inside the Baratie restaurant, as the hour hand shifted, a clock began to ring loudly, and a hint of joy surfaced on the faces of Baratie's chefs.
Shortly after the chimes, shadows appeared under the sea's surface, a whirlpool formed drawing in the fallen pirates. With a roar, a blue Gyarados surfaced.
"Roar!"
The Magikarp once deemed unfit for the Grand Line by Nereus had grown up, transforming from a weak Magikarp into a mighty Gyarados, living nearby and becoming Baratie's guardian.
Now, it was no longer that weak Magikarp washed ashore by the waves, but the leader among the local Magikarp.
Thanks to this Gyarados and Zeff's experience, Baratie had formed a Magikarp protection organization, with many living in this area. This Gyarados patrols its territory by day and returns to Baratie for meals right on time.
The Baratie chefs weren't the slightest bit afraid, thanks to this presence.
"Hey, you're right on time, little one. But today's meal will be delayed.
Besides that hammer-wielding guy, that Straw Hat, that long-nosed guy, and that green-haired guy, handle the rest for us, will you?"