The sizzling fuse of gas bomb in Deuce's hand had less than two centimeters left to burn.
Zoro's eyes narrowed, his foot already shifting forward to kick the bomb into the sea—
"Deuce! Put that stupid thing out!" Ace's hoarse shout exploded.
The sudden voice made everyone freeze for half a beat.
Deuce's cursed under his breath, frantically pinched out the fuse with both hands, and nearly dropped the still-warm gas bomb onto the deck before clutching it to his chest and collapsing to his knees.
A dead silence fell over the ocean.
"Growlllll~~"
The sea breeze carried the faint scent of grilled meat right into Zaraki's nose—likely a few unlucky fish cooked by the flames and shockwave from the battle.
His stomach picked that exact moment to let out a loud, heavy grumble that echoed across the quiet water.
"So this is what fighting brats like you gets me?" Zaraki ignored the pirates and cooks staring at him with their eyes practically bulging out of their skulls.
He straightened his messy collar beneath the massive black coat, his eyelids drooping low.
The crushing killing intent from just seconds ago vanished completely, replaced by the weary, lazy vibe of a guy ready to clock out for the day.
Zaraki glanced at Ace, who was still half-soaked and half-grinning like an idiot, letting his gaze linger on that swollen, bruised face for half a second.
"Perfect timing, I'm starving." Zaraki raised a hand and pointed at the fin-shaped restaurant billowing black smoke in the distance.
"Since it's a restaurant, they should still be able to cook, right? Or did our little scuffle scare all the chefs away?"
His rough tone left zero room for argument.
Without waiting to see if Ace could keep up with his sudden shift in mood, Zaraki stepped forward.
He walked across the floating debris like it was solid ground, heading straight for the Baratie.
"Huh? Eating?" Ace blinked before his own stomach let out a loud, cooperative rumble.
For a member of the Will of D, nothing mattered more than a good meal—even if they had been locked in a death match just seconds ago!
"Alright! I'm starving too, my stomach's touching my back!" Ace's carefree grin returned in full force.
Completely ignoring the horrified look on his first mate Deuce's face, he happily dragged himself after Zaraki's back, one hand still pressed against his aching ribs.
The whole scene looked even more surreal than the split fire attack.
Two monsters who had just tried to beat each other half to death were now heading off to eat as if none of it mattered.
The logic of these seas seemed completely broken.
Amid this bizarre atmosphere, a jarring engine roar shattered the quiet, carrying a frantic, hysterical urgency.
Zaraki paused his steps.
His eyes didn't look back, but he tilted his head just a few degrees over his shoulder.
Within his hearing range, right beneath the sound of crashing waves, he picked up hundreds of frantic, accelerating heartbeats pushing adrenaline to its absolute peak.
In the corner of his vision, beside the wreckage of the Dreadnaught Sabre, several small escape boats were frantically dropping into the water.
"Hurry! Faster! That monster turned his back!"
"Forget the wounded! Row if you want to live!"
The so-called East Blue overlord, Don Krieg, was being supported by his sidekick Gin.
His flashy golden armor was mostly shattered, leaving only a bloodstained shirt underneath.
His rough face, usually full of pure arrogance, now held the pathetic fear of a cornered mouse.
Conquering the Grand Line and becoming the Pirate King felt like a total joke in front of the black-haired youth!
"Yo, looks like someone wants to leave without paying the bill." Ace stopped walking and glanced back at the scrambling figures as a small orange flame flickered to life at his fingertips.
A hot hint of eagerness flashed in his eyes. "Zaraki, want me to burn them up? No need for you to waste your time on small fry."
"Save it. Put away that lighter of yours." Zaraki didn't even bother turning his head, just raising a hand to stop Ace.
His rough voice sounded as casual as if he were deciding what to eat for dinner, not deciding the fate of hundreds of pirates.
"That's my meal money."
Zaraki turned around, the hem of his massive black coat cutting a sharp arc in the sea breeze.
"And..." He paused, his dark gaze piercing through a hundred meters of distance to lock perfectly onto Krieg, who was trying to slip away into the shadows.
"I hate it when people make noise when I'm trying to eat."
The exact second those words left his mouth, Zaraki vanished from his spot.
Relying on zero Devil Fruit powers, he used the explosive force of his leg muscles to kick off the air itself and cross the distance in a blur.
A heavy crash erupted from the wreckage of Krieg's tattered flagship a split second later.
Dropping from the sky like a black eagle, Zaraki landed silently atop the already teetering main mast.
He stood balanced on one foot on the thick crossbeam, looking down at the panicked pirates swarming the deck below.
A heavy shadow fell over the crew, and the pirates frantically turning the winches froze solid.
Gin was still supporting Krieg with one leg lifted mid-step, too terrified to even bring his boot down.
The heavy presence felt exactly like being targeted by an apex predator, their primal instincts screaming at them not to move an inch.
"Damn it... damn it!"
Krieg had once commanded a massive fleet of five thousand men, and his desperate will to survive managed to overpower his fear for just a moment.
He shoved Gin away and yanked a poison gas launcher from his shattered armor, his rough face twisted in pure desperation.
"He's just one man! Listen up! If he catches us, we're dead anyway!" Krieg's voice cracked into a hoarse, frenzied shout as spittle flew from his mouth.
"Charge! Kill him! We only survive if we kill him! Whoever takes him down gets to be my Vice Captain!"
Desperate thugs were always the easiest to incite.
The previously frozen pirates slowly replaced their fear with the rabid ferocity of cornered beasts.
"Kill him!"
"We're dead anyway! Let's fight!"
Hundreds of vicious pirates raised their swords, guns, and cannons, unleashing a deafening roar as they surged toward the mast like a murky, chaotic tide.
Gunfire and cannon blasts ripped through the air, their battle cries shaking the sea as the scene descended into pure chaos.
Standing atop the mast, Zaraki looked down at the twisted, desperate faces below.
The weak always swung their blades out of fear and roared to hide their despair.
"Too loud."
Zaraki let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples with clear annoyance.
Slashing down this many small fry one by one wouldn't just waste his time, it would dirty up his clothes and ruin his mood for dinner.
Since they insisted on rushing him together, he might as well clean house all at once.
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