"Bastard, courting death!" The members of the Krieg Pirates, after seeing their comrade collapse in a pool of blood, were momentarily stunned. But shortly after, they were consumed by fury. One of the pirates quickly raised his gun and aimed at Black Eyes, pulling the trigger with a bang.
However, in the next instant, he saw a chilling flash of a blade before his eyes. The bullet he had just fired was split in half, as was the gun in his right hand. The next moment, he felt a sharp pain in his forehead and lost consciousness entirely.
"Damn it." If the death of the first pirate was considered an accident, a careless mistake, the death of the second made it clear to the Krieg Pirates that Black Eyes was an extremely dangerous individual. Immediately, all the surrounding pirates aimed their guns at Black Eyes.
"Stop!" Just as they were about to fire, a figure who had been standing silently behind Krieg—the man saved by Sanji with a plate of fried rice—stepped forward. In his hands were no longer guns, but two clubs with solid iron balls at the ends, spinning rapidly in his grasp.
"Captain Gin!" Upon seeing him, the pirates quickly lowered their weapons, some even showing cruel smiles.
Gin, known as the "Man-Demon," was the battle commander and the captain of the first division of the Krieg Pirates. He was the second most powerful figure in the crew, second only to Krieg himself. His ruthlessness in combat had earned him his moniker. He was also the second pirate in the crew to have a bounty exceeding ten million. Krieg had a bounty of seventeen million, while Gin's was twelve million.
As Gin approached to within three meters of Black Eyes, his spinning clubs whirred like fans, while Black Eyes watched coldly.
Bang!
With a single step, Gin closed the three-meter gap in an instant, his right-hand club whistling as it swung towards Black Eyes' head. With a loud crash, Gin's club embedded itself into the deck of the Baratie, the iron ball sinking deep into the wood.
Clang!
In the next instant, Gin's left-hand club swung backward, clashing directly with Black Eyes' blade, which was aimed at him from behind. Sparks flew from the collision, but Gin's pupils shrank in shock.
To his surprise, Black Eyes' katana had stopped his club mid-air. Gin's weapon, though unremarkable in appearance, was incredibly heavy. In previous battles, it had crushed countless weapons head-on. Other than Krieg, no one in the crew had ever been able to withstand a strike from his club.
Even the second division captain, known as the Iron Wall Barlo, couldn't block a direct hit from Gin. Yet now, his club was being held off by a single-handed katana.
"How is this possible? The captain's attack was blocked!" The surrounding Krieg Pirates were taken aback by this sight.
Bang!
Gin's right-hand club swung again, hitting Black Eyes' katana, but it still failed to budge the blade.
"This is just bullying." Gin's strength was certainly formidable, but Black Eyes had already mastered the power of Haki, specifically the Armament Haki. His katana was now covered with a transparent layer of this Haki.
Bang, bang, bang.
Just as Black Eyes, having single-handedly blocked Gin's dual clubs, was about to end the fight, he suddenly appeared on Gin's left side. In the next moment, with the sound of continuous gunfire, Gin's body erupted with multiple sprays of blood.
Krieg, seeing that the situation was dire, had activated hidden machine guns from his shoulder. Without caring that Gin was his own man, he launched a sneak attack in an attempt to eliminate Black Eyes.
Krieg knew his subordinate's strength well. Seeing Black Eyes block Gin so effortlessly triggered a sense of danger in him.
Unfortunately for him, his sneak attack didn't go unnoticed by Black Eyes, who used Gin as a human shield.
Bang, bang.
Gin, having been hit by over a dozen bullets, dropped his clubs, which left two large dents in the deck.
"Captain Gin, Commander!" The sight left the surrounding pirates unsure of what to do.
"Useless." Seeing that Black Eyes was unscathed, Krieg cursed under his breath. His shoulder-mounted machine gun fired again, and more bullet holes appeared in Gin's body. The barrage didn't stop there, as Krieg intensified his assault.
Bang!
Just as Krieg was about to fire again, a long, stretching fist suddenly slammed into his face, sending his large frame staggering back several steps.
The one who had attacked was none other than Luffy, who had the powers of the Rubber Fruit. After punching Krieg, Luffy angrily yelled, "Isn't he your comrade?"
"Comrade? How ridiculous. I have countless worthless subordinates like him. What right does he have to be considered one of my men?" Krieg sneered coldly, indifferent to Luffy's intervention.
To Krieg, no one mattered but himself. Everyone else was expendable, even Gin, who had always been loyal to him.
As Luffy and Krieg exchanged words, Sanji anxiously ran over to check on Gin. Black Eyes made no move to stop him.
"He's beyond saving. He's as good as dead." Shen Fei, using his finger to trace the air, activated his Room ability, scanning Gin's body. He could clearly see thirty-six bullets lodged inside Gin, many of them in vital areas. The injuries were fatal, and unless Shen Fei intervened immediately, Gin was doomed.
If it weren't for Gin's extraordinary physical resilience, he would have died long ago from such severe wounds. An ordinary person would have been torn apart by the bullets already.
"I will defeat you." Krieg's words had completely enraged Luffy. To Luffy, nothing was more unforgivable than harming one's own comrades. This was the reason he had intervened in the first place.
Bang.
Fueled by anger, Luffy charged at Krieg. But as he passed by Black Eyes, Black Eyes swiftly kicked him back.
"Ouch, that hurts!" Luffy shouted, clutching his stomach in pain.
"What are you whining about? You're made of rubber, you shouldn't feel pain," Nami yelled, clearly annoyed.
"Yeah, I'm made of rubber. I shouldn't be feeling pain, but it really hurts! Just like when Grandpa used to hit me." The fact that Luffy felt pain was because Black Eyes' kick had been infused with Armament Haki.
Although it hurt, Luffy wasn't actually injured, thanks to the unique nature of his rubber body.
Just as Black Eyes kicked Luffy away and was preparing to deal with Krieg, who was now on high alert, a panicked cry came from outside.
"Captain, it's terrible! That monster is here again!" The pirate who delivered the news froze as soon as he entered the restaurant, sensing the tension inside.
"What? Damn it!" Krieg cursed, turning his attention away from Black Eyes and glaring at Zeff. "Hand over the logbook! I need to find that guy's weakness."
"Who have you angered?" Zeff asked, clearly puzzled. Normally, even if someone were chasing the Krieg Pirates, they wouldn't pursue them all the way to the East Blue.
"It's a really strange guy," one of Krieg's men began to babble, speaking incoherently. But amidst the chaos, one detail stood out: the person chasing them had eyes as sharp as a hawk's.
"Hawkeye Mihawk." Despite the disjointed explanations, Zeff immediately recognized who it was. Having spent a year on the Grand Line, he was no stranger to the Seven Warlords of the Sea, especially someone as notorious as Mihawk, whose distinctive eyes made him easily recognizable.
"Hawkeye." The moment Zeff uttered that name, Zoro's eyes lit up with excitement. The title of "World's Greatest Swordsman" was something no true swordsman could ignore. Even Zoro, despite his terrible sense of direction, knew who Mihawk was.
Zoro had set out to sea to find Mihawk, in order to fulfill a promise he had made in his youth. However, Zoro had no idea that the gap between his abilities and Mihawk's was like heaven and earth.
"Kuina..." Zoro's determination made Shen Fei think of the girl who had always pushed Zoro to his limits. In a world like this, where physical prowess often defied logic, it was indeed tragic how Kuina had died so young. Many notable figures in this world died in strange ways, even though firearms were rarely lethal here. But paradoxically, some of the most famous characters had been taken out by guns.
Shen Fei could only regret that he hadn't arrived earlier to change Kuina's fate.
"Pirate Hunter Zoro." Zoro's sudden stand caught the attention of the restaurant staff, who immediately recognized him.
In terms of reputation, Zoro was far more famous than Luffy at this point. The name "Pirate Hunter" instilled fear in pirates across the seas, with even some bounty hunters on the Grand Line having heard of him.
Zoro's fame was largely due to his terrible sense of direction, often leading him straight into pirate strongholds by accident.
In fact, not only pirates but also bandits had suffered at his hands.
Because of Zoro's notoriety, neither Krieg nor his crew attempted to stop him from leaving the restaurant.
"The world's greatest swordsman, huh..." Esdeath seemed intrigued by the mention of Mihawk. She had a penchant for challenging the strongest, and titles like "World's Greatest Swordsman" or "World's Strongest Man" always piqued her interest. While she wouldn't
mind taking on Mihawk or Whitebeard, those were challenges for the future. For now, she was clearly not at a level to face either of them. Unlike Zoro, who was unaware of Mihawk's true strength, Esdeath understood full well just how powerful these individuals were.
Luffy and Zoro were a perfect match in that sense. Both were fearless, caring little about the strength of their opponents. Zoro was unafraid to challenge Mihawk, and Luffy had the audacity to face three Admirals during the War of the Best. However, the Krieg Pirates, despite hearing Mihawk's name, showed no reaction, seemingly unaware of its significance.
"You know who he is, but why is he chasing us?" one of Krieg's pirates asked Zeff.
"He's probably just bored," Zeff answered.
"That's impossible!" the pirates cried. As pirates, they couldn't accept such a reason. The idea that someone would wipe out a crew of 5,000 just because they were bored was unthinkable.
"There's another possibility: you're just unlucky." Zeff glanced in Shen Fei's direction before continuing, "You're truly unfortunate. You've managed to provoke not one, but two of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea." The mere mention of those words sent chills down the spines of the surrounding pirates.
Compared to the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman," the Seven Warlords of the Sea were much more feared by pirates. But even then, there were exceptions.
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea? What's that? Can you eat it?" Luffy asked casually, clearly unfazed by the title.
"Shut up! Don't say such things! Are you trying to get us killed?" Nami shouted as she punched Luffy in the head. She then glanced in Shen Fei's direction, piecing together who the other Warlord Zeff was referring to.
Usopp, shaking with fear, had also realized who Shen Fei and his group were.
"Don't be so nervous. The Seven Warlords of the Sea don't eat people," Shen Fei said, unbothered by Zeff revealing his identity.
"Black Eyes, finish him off. We can collect the bounty." One was worth 17 million, and the other 12 million. Combined, they were worth almost 30 million—a substantial sum.
"Stay back! Or we'll die together!" Upon hearing Shen Fei's order, Krieg quickly raised his golden shield, revealing a hidden gun barrel.
"No, Captain, don't!" The surrounding pirates trembled in fear. They knew exactly what Krieg was planning to do. Without hesitation, they began fleeing the restaurant, but with Krieg blocking the main entrance, they had no choice but to jump out of the windows and into the sea.
"Run! The captain's going to use the poison gas bomb!" With that cry, the pirates outside also leaped into the water.
"So what if you're a Warlord? We'll all die together!" Krieg, emboldened by his poison gas bomb, seemed more ferocious than ever, likely due to the immense pressure of facing two Warlords.
But in the next moment, Krieg suddenly felt a cold chill envelop him. He realized he couldn't move. Looking down, he saw a thin layer of blue ice forming around his body, and within seconds, he was completely frozen.
This, of course, was Esdeath's doing.
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]