Chapter 30 The Red Feet's Awakening"I…I understand." Nami nodded vigorously, her eyes hardening.
She wanted to become stronger, to earn lots and lots of money, and to be able to protect her money and her life!
Nojiko took a deep breath: "I will train hard and won't be a burden to you."
Kaya clenched her small fists, a blush rising on her pale face: "I will learn medicine well, so that in the future…in the future, if you get injured, I will definitely be able to heal you!"
Luffy looked at them, ruffled Nami's hair, patted Nojiko's shoulder, and finally gently tapped Kaya's forehead.
"Remember what you said. The show is about to begin. As for us…"
Luffy's tone returned to calm:
"We'll just watch the show. If those mad dogs dare to cross the line, I don't mind cleaning up the unruly fodder before the show starts."
An hour later.
A dozen or so warships of varying sizes slowly approached Baratie.
The flagship's iconic figurehead was mostly broken off, and a horrific slash nearly tore the ship apart on its port side, held together only by internal iron chains.
Figures thronged the deck, but the atmosphere was deathly still, broken only by occasional heavy breathing and suppressed sobs.
On the Baratie's lookout tower, Zeff, draped in a worn captain's coat, stood with his wooden prosthetic leg on the railing, his remaining left leg firmly planted.
Zeff held no pipe, but a thick-backed cleaver with serrated, blood-grooved edges.
A gentle breeze ruffled his gray hair and mustache. His usually half-closed eyes were now cold as iron, the bloodthirsty aura of Red-Leg Zeff unleashed once more after many years.
Behind Zeff, all of Baratie's combat cooks were present.
Sanji, now dressed in a sharp black combat suit, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes unusually calm, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.
Paddy and Carne, shirtless, revealing muscular physiques and scarred faces, one wielding a massive warhammer converted from a ship's anchor, the other two gleaming boning knives.
The other cooks were also armed: cleavers, rolling pins, iron hooks, harpoons…
The scene appeared chaotic, but each one's eyes burned with a fierce, all-or-nothing glint.
There were no slogans, no pre-battle mobilization.
As Crick's flagship slowly approached the Baratie, its heavy ram almost touching the wooden platform surrounding the dining hall, Zeff simply raised his boning knife.
"Fire."
The two calm words were like sparks thrown into an oil depot.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three false decorative panels on the Baratie's hull suddenly ripped open, revealing dark, menacing cannon muzzles!
Spitting fire, solid iron balls roared as they hurtled towards the nearby Crick fleet!
These weren't standard naval guns; they were the short-barreled mortars commonly used by pirates!
The accuracy was slightly worse, but the propellant charge was more powerful, resulting in greater destructive force!
The attack was sudden and the distance was short. The two lead ships of Krieg's fleet were caught off guard. Large holes were blasted through their hulls, splinters flew everywhere, and screams of agony erupted instantly!
"Enemy attack! It's Baratie! They dared to strike first!" Krieg's fleet was thrown into chaos.
"Charge! Kill them! Seize this ship! We can live!"
A hysterical roar exploded from the flagship.
A tall man in tattered golden armor rushed to the bow of the ship. His face was covered in blood, and his eyes were filled with madness—it was Admiral Krieg!
He wielded a bizarrely shaped, enormous weapon—a massive war lance!
"Blast them to smithereens!" Krieg frantically pulled the trigger, the war lance spitting out dense tongues of fire, bullets raining down on the Baratie deck!
"Scatter! Take cover!" Sanji roared, accurately kicking away several bullets aimed at key positions.
Paddy and Carne roared, swinging their weapons to deflect stray bullets.
The other cooks also skillfully dodged and returned fire.
The battle instantly intensified.
Although the remnants of the Krieg Pirates were battered and bruised, those who had survived being hunted by Mihawk were the most reckless of the desperate.
The will to survive overwhelmed their fear. Like wounded beasts, their eyes bloodshot, they leaped from the wrecked ships onto the Baratie's platform, brandishing swords and muskets in a frenzied attack.
"Kill them all! Food! Water! Ships! They're all ours!"
"We'll take them down with us!"
A bloody boarding action erupted.
The clanging of metal, roars, screams, gunfire, and explosions mingled together.
The Baratie's meticulously tended flowerbeds and deck were instantly stained crimson with blood.
On the Going Merry.
Luffy sat cross-legged on the ram's head statue at the bow, one hand supporting his chin, like a spectator watching a play.
Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya stood nervously behind him, their faces pale as they watched the brutal carnage unfold in the distance.
Following Luffy's instructions, they tried to feel the various emotions evoked by the chaotic battlefield—an unprecedented shock for them.
Nojiko forced herself to analyze the situation calmly, her fingers trembling slightly.
"Krieg's men fight without any strategy, but they're ruthless, a life-or-death style of fighting."
"The Baratie chefs are better coordinated, but... they're not ruthless enough. Sometimes they could have killed, but they held back."
"Was it...was it Zeff's order?" Kaya asked, her voice trembling.
Kaya saw a Baratie chef cut down an enemy, hesitated, and tried to help, but was stabbed by the dying enemy. Luckily, her companions saved her.
Luffy spoke calmly, his gaze falling on Zeff:
"It's a habit. They've been cooks for too long, used to cutting meat and slaughtering fish, but they've become soft-hearted when it comes to living people.
That idiot Paddy, he could have smashed his opponent's head with a hammer, but he insisted on hitting the shoulder, and ended up getting slashed in the stomach. It wasn't deep, but it'll hurt him for a while."
Sure enough, Paddy's painful roar and Karne's angry curses came from afar.
"Then...where's Zeff?" Nami was more concerned about this.
Nami saw Zeff standing motionless on the watchtower, while Krieg, wielding his great lance and leading several elite men, charged in like a tank, the cooks along the way barely able to stop him.
Luffy smiled: "Zeff is waiting for that mad dog Krieg to reach him, so these cooks, who've forgotten the smell of blood, can really smell what blood tastes like and hear the sound of bones breaking."
Just then, Krieg broke through the last obstacle, laughing wildly as he rushed down to the watchtower, raising his great lance and aiming it at Zeff on the high platform:
"You old bastard! Get down here! Hand over this ship, and I'll spare your life!"
Zeff didn't jump down, but looked down at the crazed Krieg:
"Krieg, the disgrace of the East Blue pirates, chased like a duck by Hawkeye for half a month, all your men dead, only this ragtag bunch left, and you dare bark at me?"
Krieg roared in fury: "You old bastard! You're asking for it!"
Krieg slammed on the trigger, his battle gun spitting out scorching flames, dozens of specially made armor-piercing rounds engulfing Zeff like a metal storm