Relationships can be developed over time, and with Luffy's personality, it was only a matter of time before Nami truly became part of the Straw Hat Pirates, just like Robin had before.
"Dear guests, we sincerely apologize for the disruption. Everything is under control now," the burly chef with a fierce expression said as he tried to calm the diners. He was addressing the chaos caused by the earlier commotion with the escaped pirate.
Seeing that the danger had passed, the previously panicked patrons started to settle down. The marine lieutenant, whom Sanji had kicked earlier, had already slipped away during the confusion. Initially, he had planned to use his rank to cause trouble for the Baratie restaurant, but after the pirate he'd captured escaped, his priority shifted to saving his own skin. Letting a wanted criminal escape under his watch was a serious offense, and the last thing he needed now was to pick a fight with the restaurant.
Bang!
Just as the restaurant was returning to normal, the heavy wooden door swung open with a loud crash, and the atmosphere grew tense again. The pirate who had been tossed out by Sanji returned, this time supporting a tall, middle-aged man clad in golden armor, his face pale and haggard.
"Can we get something to eat?" the pirate, now rejuvenated after having eaten Sanji's fried rice, asked in a low voice.
"Got any money?" the burly chef, who was known for his ferocious demeanor, walked up with a sly grin.
"Will this do?" The armored man tossed a fist-sized chunk of gold onto a nearby table.
"Of course! Sanji, can't you see we have guests? Hurry up and serve them!" The chef's grin widened at the sight of the gold, quickly ushering the two men to a table while discreetly pocketing the golden nugget.
"That's Don Krieg. What's he doing here? Wasn't he already in the Grand Line?" Many patrons recognized the man in golden armor immediately.
Anyone who frequented Baratie and could afford its meals would have read the news. Don Krieg and his pirate fleet, the Krieg Pirates, were infamous in the East Blue, striking fear into countless people and frustrating the local marines. With more than 50 pirate ships and over 5,000 men under his command, Krieg was the undisputed overlord of the East Blue, where sheer numbers often dictated strength. The local marine bases, usually only manned by a few hundred soldiers, were no match for Krieg's overwhelming forces.
The patrons, who had initially been discussing Krieg, quickly quieted down and shrank back in their seats. Though Krieg was a mere nuisance to the higher-ups in the Navy, to the common people of the East Blue, he was a terrifying force. While officers like Smoker could easily dispatch Krieg, the Grand Line marine commanders didn't see him as a significant threat. However, Krieg's unchecked rampage through the East Blue had left many islands in ruins.
Krieg wasn't just a marauding pirate; he also had connections to the Goa Kingdom, where nobles used him and his crew for underhanded dealings.
After leaving for the Grand Line, many in the East Blue had celebrated his departure. Now that Krieg was back, the civilians feared they would once again fall under his oppressive shadow.
Boom!
As soon as Krieg finished his meal, he punched the burly chef, sending him flying across the room. He then kicked over the table, scanning the restaurant with a cold gaze. His mere presence sent most of the diners cowering in fear.
Except for two tables. One was where Daniel and his group sat, and the other belonged to Luffy and his crew. Both parties continued eating, seemingly oblivious to the chaos around them.
Krieg's gaze lingered briefly on Daniel's group, especially the four women accompanying him, before moving on. "Bring me food for 100 men, or I'll kill everyone in this restaurant!" he barked, raising his arm, which now sprouted several gun barrels. He fired into the ceiling to emphasize his point.
"Sanji, you idiot! This is all your fault!" The burly chef, now picking himself up from the ground, grumbled at Sanji but made no move toward Krieg. Zeff, the head chef, emerged from the kitchen and stopped him with a glance.
Zeff's eyes first flickered over Daniel's table before settling on Krieg. "We'll prepare the food, but you are not to harm any of our guests," Zeff said calmly.
With that, Zeff motioned for Sanji and the other chefs to head back to the kitchen. Preparing food for 100 men required all hands on deck, even for a seasoned chef like Zeff.
It didn't take long before Zeff returned with a massive sack of provisions. Dropping it in front of Krieg, he said, "Here's the food. Take it and leave. Don't come back."
Zeff's words were sincere advice, knowing that with a Warlord like Daniel present, Krieg would be doomed if he continued causing trouble. Unfortunately, Krieg paid no heed.
"Hmph." Krieg grabbed the sack and, without a word, left the restaurant with his lackey.
"Well, he's not completely hopeless," Daniel mused. Despite his reputation, Krieg had shown restraint. He had handed over gold before demanding food and only caused trouble after he was fed and regained his strength. Now, having gotten what he wanted, he left without further conflict, likely planning to return with his full crew in tow.
"In the original story, Krieg didn't die, did he? He was only defeated and sailed away. If he or someone like Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates had survived the Grand Line, they might have become formidable in their own right," Daniel thought.
Captain Kuro, after all, had developed his own technique, Silent Step, which bore a striking resemblance to the Navy's Shave technique. With proper training, his abilities could easily evolve. As for Krieg, his natural physical strength rivaled that of a Fish-Man. His battlespear alone weighed nearly a ton. Such raw power was rare among humans.
However, Daniel knew that Krieg wouldn't get a second chance. The greedy look in his eyes when he glanced at Esdeath and the others told Daniel everything. Krieg had been cautious today, but if he returned with reinforcements, things would escalate quickly. And Krieg's crew didn't follow any pirate code or lofty ideals—they were nothing more than marauders.
Boom!
As expected, not long after Krieg left, the restaurant doors burst open again. This time, Krieg stormed in with a group of vicious-looking pirates behind him.
"Is it bad luck on Krieg's part, or did Baratie choose a poor location for its business?" Daniel thought, sensing the commotion outside with his Observation Haki. A half-destroyed pirate ship, carrying hundreds of Krieg's men, floated just off the restaurant.
Judging by the ship's direction, it had come from the Calm Belt. Krieg and his crew had barely escaped from there.
"Did Mihawk kill the Sea Kings that were threatening them?" Daniel wondered. For Krieg's crew to survive the Calm Belt, where deadly Sea Kings roamed, only Mihawk's intervention made sense. He must have cleared a path for them.
"That man really has too much time on his hands."
"I warned you not to come back." Zeff sighed as he watched Krieg barge in once again.
"Shut up, Red-Leg Zeff! Hand over your logbook!" Krieg demanded, pointing his weapon at Zeff.
"So you failed in the Grand Line after all," Zeff remarked softly. Krieg wasn't the only one who had failed in the Grand Line—Zeff himself was also a failure. Not because of a powerful enemy, but due to an unforeseen storm. Most pirates didn't die at the hands of foes; they perished in the treacherous waters of the Grand Line. Even Golden Lion Shiki had been brought low by a storm.
"What? Even Don Krieg failed? He commanded a fleet of 50 ships!" The remaining chefs and waitstaff, who had gathered in the dining hall, looked shocked at Zeff's words. To the pirates of the East Blue, Krieg had been a legend—a man brave enough to challenge the Grand Line.
"The Grand Line isn't a place that can be conquered with numbers alone," Zeff muttered, casting another glance at Daniel's table.
"The Grand Line? You have a map of it?" Luffy, who had been lazily sprawled out after eating too much, suddenly perked up. His stomach contracted, and within seconds, the swelling was gone.
"Kid, you want to go to the Grand Line? I'd advise against it. That place is filled with monsters," one pirate warned.
"Shut up! I didn't fail—I was just caught off guard by a monster!" Krieg yelled, trembling as he recalled the destruction of his fleet. His mighty armada had been wiped out as if they were mere toys in the hands of a giant. That kind of overwhelming power didn't belong to any human—it was the power of a monster.
Not only Krieg but the remaining members of his crew who had survived also shook with fear. They had witnessed that monstrous power firsthand.
"Mihawk really did a number on them."
"Who cares? It's just a Devil Fruit power. Strong, yes, but it must have weaknesses. Red-Leg Zeff, I know you survived a year in the Grand Line. You must know how to defeat those monsters. Hand over your logbook, or I'll kill everyone here!" Krieg bellowed.
Krieg, having never encountered a force like Mihawk before, refused to believe that such a man could exist without some exploitable flaw.
"What a beautiful woman..." One of the pirates from Krieg's crew, who had entered alongside their captain, couldn't keep his eyes off Esdeath and the others. With a lecherous grin, he swaggered over, reaching a hand out toward Esdeath.
Ahhh!
Before he could even lay a finger on her, a sudden scream filled the room. In the blink of an eye, the pirate's left arm fell to the floor, severed cleanly. Blood poured from the stump as he clutched his throat, his eyes wide in shock and terror. Before he could scream again, his life was snuffed out.
All eyes turned to the source of the attack: a black-haired girl wielding a long sword, her expression calm and cold. Black Zetsu, who had delivered the fatal blow, was none other than the skilled assassin, Kurome.
Kurome's swift and decisive strike sent a clear message. As a trained assassin from a young age, she never hesitated when it came to taking lives. She would strike to kill without mercy, and this pirate had underestimated her.
The rest of Krieg's crew, who had been emboldened by their captain's presence, froze in place. They hadn't expected one of their comrades to be cut down so effortlessly. The atmosphere in the restaurant grew tense, and it was clear that any further reckless moves would end in the same fate.
"Who... Who do you think you are?!" Krieg growled, anger boiling up inside him as he saw one of his men dead on the ground. His eyes flicked between Kurome and Daniel's group, but the menace of Esdeath, the assassin sisters, and Daniel himself made him hesitate.
"You don't have the right to speak here," Esdeath said icily, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "I suggest you leave before more of your men lose their lives."
Krieg's face contorted with fury, but even he could sense that this was no ordinary group of people. His bravado faltered, unsure of how to proceed. The other pirates around him looked to their leader for guidance, but even Krieg, the feared captain, knew he was outmatched.
Before the situation could escalate further, a chilling presence swept through the room, one that even silenced the bravest among them. The doors to the restaurant creaked open, and in stepped a tall figure cloaked in black, wearing a wide-brimmed hat. A massive sword hung across his back, and his piercing yellow eyes scanned the room with an indifference that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.
Dracule Mihawk, the strongest swordsman in the world, had arrived.
Krieg's bravado evaporated the moment he laid eyes on Mihawk. The terror that had seized him and his crew on the Grand Line returned full force. "It's him… It's the monster!" Krieg stammered, his voice shaking as he took a step back.
Mihawk's cold gaze locked onto Krieg for a moment, before turning toward Zoro, who sat at Luffy's table. He seemed uninterested in the pirate captain or his men, as though they were beneath his notice.
"You... you're Mihawk!" Zoro exclaimed, standing up from his seat, his eyes filled with determination. The moment he'd been waiting for was finally here—the chance to challenge the world's greatest swordsman.
But Mihawk's gaze briefly flicked to Daniel's table, lingering on Kurome's sword for just a second. Then, with his usual calm demeanor, he nodded to Zoro, acknowledging the challenge ahead.
"The strong survive, and the weak perish. Let's get this over with," Mihawk said, his voice cold and detached as he moved outside, expecting Zoro to follow.
Everyone in the restaurant held their breath, knowing a duel of unimaginable skill was about to take place. Even Krieg and his men, who had intended to take control of the restaurant, were too afraid to make a move.
For Krieg and his crew, survival now depended on getting out of the restaurant without drawing attention.
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