Chapter 55: The Young Lady Has Arrived!
One breath.
"Stop, Mr. Sanji! I really don't want to kill him!"
A voice came from the restaurant entrance.
Though it was a threat, the tone carried a hint of pleading.
Its contents instantly plunged the entire deck into dead silence.
Whether it was the chefs of the Sea Restaurant, the remnants of the Krieg Pirates, or the Straw Hat crew, everyone turned their heads.
The scene before them shocked everyone.
Gin stood at the restaurant entrance.
The same man who, not long ago, had been guilt-ridden and confused, scolded into kneeling despondently by Ralph, almost ready to give up the fight.
Now, he had one foot planted on Zeff's back, pinning this former legendary pirate, now owner of the Sea Restaurant, firmly to the ground.
The barrel of the gun in his hand was pressed against Zeff's head.
Zeff's wooden prosthetic leg had been brutally snapped by Gin.
"Gin... you..." Sanji's voice trembled.
Everyone had witnessed Gin's earlier behavior.
Compared to Krieg's cruelty and despicability, everyone felt Gin at least had some conscience left.
At the very least, his guilt after eating Sanji's food and then turning against the restaurant seemed genuine.
Seeing him like that, many had even thought Gin wouldn't intervene in this fight anymore, even if he didn't switch sides.
No one expected this outcome.
"Ha... hahahahaha!"
Krieg's loud laughter shattered the silence.
The overlord of the East Sea laughed uproariously, his golden armor creaking with each chuckle.
"Truly worthy of being the Combat Commander of my Krieg Fleet! Man Demon Gin!"
Krieg's voice was full of approval,
"This is exactly why I value you—your merciless, ruthless ferocity in battle, showing no regard for anyone!"
He scanned the room, his voice booming:
"See? This is the greatest power on the seas! Gratitude, morality, conscience—they're all worthless in the face of victory!"
Ralph, lying on the ground, pondered these words silently.
In a way, Krieg wasn't entirely wrong.
In this survival-of-the-fittest pirate world, being despicable was indeed a form of power—a pragmatic one.
Following the usual script, here's what would happen next:
Krieg would continuously threaten Lufia using the wounded.
Gin would hold Zeff hostage to threaten Sanji.
Under the dual threat of hostages, Sanji and Lufia would be forced into a passive position in the fight, relentlessly beaten by the Krieg Pirates until they were battered, bruised, and on the verge of death.
This was the unique, supreme power of hostages in the world of One Piece.
Those holding hostages were almost invincible.
This principle applied not just across the Four Seas, but even in the Grand Line and the New World.
From commoners to kings of nations, no one was immune to falling for this tactic.
Such was its strength.
The foundation of using this tactic was exactly what Krieg described: despicable, shamelessness, and heartlessness.
Yet, despite its power, this tactic wasn't invincible.
Its greatest counter was that short-haired girl wearing a straw hat.
As for the reason...
Well, aside from doing sit-ups while critically injured, she always managed to break deadlocks in the most direct and unexpected ways.
Like right now.
Gin's voice rang out again, "Mr. Sanji... Please give up resistance and hand over the restaurant. I promise, once we obtain the logbook, we'll leave immediately and won't harm Boss Zeff's life."
Sanji didn't respond.
He just stood there, watching Zeff being pinned to the ground.
The old man who had traded one of his legs for Sanji's life.
The hot-tempered old man who had raised him like a son.
The old man who had kicked him awake when he was lost.
"My life..." Sanji finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "was bought with the old man's leg."
He raised his head, something burning in his eyes.
"So even if it costs me my life, I won't hand over the restaurant, nor will I watch Zeff die."
After speaking, Sanji made a move that shocked everyone.
"Come on." Sanji closed his eyes, "Aim your guns at me! Shoot if you want, kill if you want, but you'll never take this restaurant!"
The deck fell silent for a moment, then a Krieg Pirate stepped forward and kicked Sanji down.
Seeing Sanji truly not fighting back, a second, then a third pirate surrounded him, kicking and beating him!
"Kid! Weren't your legs supposed to be powerful?"
"Try kicking me now!"
"Break this guy's legs!"
Gin's hand trembled, the gun barrel wavering slightly.
Zeff remained silent, but his eyes were fixed intently on Sanji.
Suddenly!
"Cook, are you an idiot!!!"
A clear, angry shout exploded through the air.
Lufia's figure shot over like a cannonball!
Ignoring all the pirates in her path, her rubber arms whipped through the air, sending pirates flying like bowling pins.
"Thud thud thud thud!"
Amid a series of screams, Lufia rushed to Sanji, grabbed his collar, and lifted him off the ground!
"Don't you want to live?!"
Lufia's eyes seemed to spit fire, dried blood still on her face, "Just letting them beat you without fighting back? Huh?!"
Sanji felt dizzy from her shaking but insisted: "I said, even if I die, I must protect Zeff and the restaurant..."
"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!"
Lufia cursed three times in succession.
"If you die like this, can you still protect the restaurant and Zeff?! Whether it's repaying kindness or protecting the restaurant, you have to stay alive to do it! Dying like this means you've given up, doesn't it?!"
Sanji froze.
He stared blankly at Lufia, at this girl covered in wounds.
Her words struck like thunder in his mind.
If he died now, wouldn't that be the same as admitting defeat?
Dead, he could do nothing.
Dead, he truly couldn't protect Zeff or the restaurant.
The confusion in Sanji's eyes gradually cleared.
Anyone who could be called an idiot by Lufia must really be an idiot.
Who would have thought someone as sharp as Sanji could suddenly become so stubborn.
Perhaps the "supreme hostage" tactic really had an intelligence-reducing effect.
"Thank you, Miss Lufia."
Sanji straightened up, "I almost... became a fool."
Lufia grinned, showing her white teeth: "Good that you understand! Next..."
Before she could finish, Krieg's voice interrupted her.
"Straw Hat girl! Are you an idiot too?!"
Krieg pointed at Lufia, "By doing this, are you completely abandoning your companions? Since you're determined to wade into this mess..."
A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
"Then I'll send you all to your graves!"
With that, Krieg ignored Lufia and Sanji, turning to walk toward the corner where Ralph and the others were.
Johnny and Yosaku struggled to their feet. Despite the short spears still embedded in their legs and shoulders, blood continuously flowing, they still tightly gripped their swords.
"Stop!" Johnny shouted.
"Don't come near Big Brother Ralph and Big Brother Zoro!" Yosaku roared.
Krieg didn't even pause his steps.
He merely waved his hand casually.
"Thud! Thud!"
Two dull sounds.
Johnny and Yosaku flew out like broken kites, crashing heavily against the ship's railing, unable to get up again.
"Johnny! Yosaku!" Nami cried out in alarm.
She gripped her long staff tightly, standing in front of Zoro and Ralph.
Though her hands trembled and her legs felt weak, she didn't retreat.
Krieg walked up to her, looking down at her from his height, and waved his hand again.
This time, Nami tried to block with her staff, but the difference in strength was too great.
"Clang!"
The staff flew from her hands.
Nami was sent flying backward, her back slamming against the mast, the pain nearly making her faint.
Zoro had somehow stood up.
He was covered in blood, the bandages wrapped around his chest long soaked through with blood. Wado Ichimonji was held tightly in his hand.
"Oh?" Krieg raised an eyebrow. "With such severe injuries, you can still stand? You're more tenacious than I imagined."
Zoro didn't respond.
He simply adjusted his breathing and raised his sword before him.
Krieg laughed.
"Using weapons against you, wounded soldiers and small fries would be a waste."
"But you two with the strongest combat power need to be eliminated first, just in case."
His gaze shifted from Zoro to the unconscious Ralph on the ground.
"Let's start with you, genius swordsman."
Krieg reached out with his large hand, grabbing for Ralph's neck.
Suddenly, his hand closed on empty air.
Krieg froze.
Immediately after, he felt a whirlwind circling around him.
The wind was fast, so fast that it was almost impossible to see the figure clearly, only hearing "clang clang clang" sounds of metal striking against various parts of his Golden Armor.
Krieg smirked.
"Got you!"
He spun around sharply, his large hand snatching through the air!
Ralph's figure materialized in the air, caught firmly by Krieg's large hand gripping his neck, his whole body lifted up.
"Your speed is indeed impressive."
Krieg sneered, "But your stamina has dropped too severely. Your movements are much slower than before, too easy to catch!"
He looked down at what Ralph held in his hand.
It was a broken sword fragment, the remaining part of the sword that had shattered during his earlier exchange with Hawk Eye.
"And as a swordsman skilled in sword techniques, your prized sword is broken."
Krieg's smile was full of mockery. "Were you just scratching my armor with a broken sword?"
Ralph, being choked, his face flushed red from lack of oxygen.
But he was actually smiling.
The corners of his mouth curled up, his eyes holding no fear, only a kind of... cunning satisfaction of a successful scheme.
"L-let go of Big Brother Ralph!" Johnny struggled to shout from afar.
Yosaku also tried to get up, but failed.
A flicker of doubt crossed Zoro's eyes.
He didn't believe Ralph could be captured so easily.
Knowing Ralph, this guy must have a backup plan.
But Zoro's hand never left his sword hilt, ready to draw at any moment.
Nami should have been able to see through Ralph's scheme too.
Yet for some reason, this time she couldn't remain aloof as usual.
Her heart tightened, her breathing grew rapid, and her eyes were filled with worry.
She was afraid.
Afraid that if Ralph truly had no preparation, if he was genuinely in trouble...
What then?
In contrast, Lufia was calmer than anyone at this moment.
She didn't even spare Ralph a second glance, instead grabbing the railing beside her as her rubber arm rapidly stretched.
"Gomu Gomu—"
She took a deep breath, her entire body pulling back like a slingshot.
Then, without hesitation, she launched herself forward!
Target—Krieg!
No need to worry about the enemy's schemes and tricks, just focus firmly on her goal and charge ahead.
As for the rest...
She trusted her companions could handle it.
This was Lufia's logic, and she would stick to her beliefs, find like-minded partners, form a pirate crew, find the great treasure, and become the Pirate King.
Seeing Lufia's action, Krieg's eyes showed a flicker of surprise.
"Such a naive one... aren't they the easiest to threaten?"
He muttered to himself, "Why is she charging over so decisively this time?"
Just then, Ralph, whose neck he was gripping, spoke up.
"The naive one... is you."
Krieg frowned, looking down at Ralph.
Ralph's smile widened.
"If not for the young lady's sake..." he said word by word, "you'd have died countless times already!"
As his words fell, "Click."
A light sound came from Krieg's golden armor.
Then, "Click, click, click..."
A series of mechanical operation sounds, like a chain reaction, erupted from every joint and connection of the armor!
Krieg's face changed dramatically.
He tried to release Ralph, but it was too late.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of explosive sounds!
His proud golden armor, those precise mechanical connections, all burst open simultaneously!
Shoulder guards, chest plate, arm guards...
Piece by piece, metal components automatically detached from Krieg like a disassembled toy, clattering onto the deck.
In just three seconds.
The once majestic ruler of the East Blue now stood on the deck in nothing but his undergarments, completely defenseless.
Meanwhile, Ralph had taken advantage of his stunned moment to pierce his wrist with Shigan.
"Argh!"
Krieg cried out in pain, instinctively releasing his grip.
Ralph landed lightly, stepping back two paces to create distance from Krieg.
Now for the young lady's arrival!
"Gomu Gomu no Rocket!"
Using the powerful elastic force, Lufia shot toward the armorless Krieg like a cannonball!
"Thud——!!!"
The clear sound of cracking ribs echoed as Krieg was sent flying backward, tracing a parabola through the air before crashing heavily onto the deck twenty meters away.
"Pfft—"
A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.
He struggled to get up, but the sharp pain in his ribs made his vision darken and his movements sluggish.
And at that moment, a blade was pressed against his neck.
"You'd better not move," Zoro's voice was icy cold. "Though I'm severely injured, cutting off your head... won't be a problem."
Krieg instantly froze.
On the other side, Ralph and Lufia exchanged smiles.
Though Lufia was still injured, her face beamed with a brilliant smile.
Ralph gave her a thumbs-up.
It was clear they were both pleased with the well-coordinated strike they had just executed.
Now, it was time for negotiations.
Ralph turned to look at Nami.
"Nami, it's up to you," he said. "They have hostages, and we have hostages too. This is the proper rescue plan."
In the Krieg Pirates, Krieg was like the heavens—no one dared disobey his orders. With him held as a hostage, this battle was already won.
Watching this scene, Ralph felt a strange surge of emotion within him.
The Supreme Hostage strategy...
This move was truly powerful.
How strong would the invincible main characters become after learning to use this technique with his help?
It was almost unimaginable.
Ralph began to admire his own intellect.
And just then...
[Ding!]
[System Notification: The coordinated strike between Lufia and you has increased favorability by 5%. Current progress—Close Friend: 5%]
[System Notification: Host used Observation Haki to probe Krieg's mechanical armor and forcibly dismantled the mechanisms using the "Steal" skill, causing Krieg to shed his armor on the spot. This has broken through the current limits of "Observation Haki" and the "Steal" skill.]
['Observation Haki' has been upgraded from Beginner to: Intermediate]
['Steal' skill has been upgraded from Beginner to: Intermediate]
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