"Is there anything to eat? I'm starving!"
Gin, the combatant of the Krieg Pirates, stumbled in, his face pale and lips cracked, clearly having gone without food for days. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, this once fearsome "Man-Demon" Gin actually collapsed to the ground, breathing weakly.
Krieg saw this and roared, "Gin! What are you doing! Get up!"
But Gin no longer had the strength to speak; his eyes were already glazing over.
Sanji's eyes instantly sharpened. He extinguished his cigarette and turned to the kitchen without hesitation.
"Hey! Curly-brow!" Patty shouted from behind him. "That's an enemy!"
Sanji didn't look back. "In front of a hungry person, there's no distinction between enemy and guest."
A few minutes later, he emerged with a steaming plate of egg fried rice. The golden rice grains were distinct, the eggs soft and tender, and it was garnished with vibrant green onions. The aroma instantly filled the entire restaurant.
"Eat," Sanji placed the fried rice in front of Gin. "This is on the house."
Gin trembled as he looked up, unable to believe his eyes.
Luffy's nose suddenly twitched twice. He spun his head around like a shark smelling blood. "Smells so good! I want some too!"
Before Sanji could respond, Luffy's rubber arm stretched out and pulled Sanji directly to his table. "Make me a portion too! No, ten portions!"
Sanji was startled by this sudden action but quickly regained his composure. He tidied his disheveled tie and sighed helplessly. "Wait."
Soon, plates of delicious-looking dishes were placed on Luffy's table. Luffy devoured the food, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. "This is so good! This is the best fried rice I've ever eaten!" He suddenly slapped the table and stood up. "It's decided! You'll be our crew's cook!"
Usopp protested from the side, "Hey! Luffy! What do you mean by that? Is my cooking really that bad?"
Luffy nodded seriously. "Super bad! That stew last time almost poisoned Zoro!"
Zoro stirred in his sleep, muttering, "...Bad..."
Sanji was caught between laughter and tears by this sudden invitation. "Hey, hey, I haven't agreed to..."
Before he could finish, Krieg, filled with rage, cursed, "Enough! This farce ends now!"
Ron finally stood up from his seat. His movements were slow, but they caused the air in the entire restaurant to still. Sanji keenly noticed that when this man stood up, Zoro's snoring subtly paused for a moment, and Luffy also temporarily stopped chewing.
"Farce?" Ron's voice was soft, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears. "Indeed, it's time for it to end."
He slowly walked towards Krieg, his sea-blue cloak gently swaying behind him. Sanji's pupils slightly contracted—with each step this man took, his aura grew stronger, as if a sleeping giant was awakening.
Cold sweat beaded on Krieg's forehead, and his hand, gripping the heavy machine gun, trembled slightly. He feigned composure and roared, "Playing tricks! Watch me blast you into a sieve!" With that, he slammed his finger on the trigger.
"Da da da da—!"
A dense hail of bullets poured out like a storm, shattering the restaurant's wooden floor and sending splinters flying. However, Ron's figure flickered like a ghost, every bullet grazing his clothes without a single one hitting him.
"This... How is this possible?!" Krieg's single eye widened, and the muscles in his face twitched unnaturally. He suddenly pulled a special bomb from behind his back. "Taste this!"
The bomb flew towards Ron with a piercing whistle!
Just at this critical moment, Ron's right hand suddenly lifted in a claw shape, his five fingers curled like a dragon's claw. He actually firmly pinched the about-to-explode bomb in mid-air!
The entire restaurant instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone held their breath, even Luffy temporarily stopped chewing.
"Dragon Claw Fist," Ron murmured softly, applying slight pressure with his fingertips. Five deep indentations were actually pressed into the bomb's casing. He looked up at Krieg's terrified expression, a cold smirk playing on his lips. "Here, have it back."
"Whoosh—"
The bomb flew back even faster than it came!
"Boom!!!"
Amidst the deafening explosion, Krieg and his subordinates were blown off their feet. After the thick smoke cleared, Krieg's once proud golden armor was covered in dust, and his subordinates lay scattered all over the floor.
Ron looked at his right hand with satisfaction; a faint residual aura lingered at his knuckles. "Sabo certainly has talent. The Dragon Claw Fist he just learned already has such power." He felt the power flowing within him. "After a tenfold return, I directly mastered the complete Dragon Claw martial art."
Zeff's cigarette fell to the ground for the third time. He stared intently at Ron's hand; those five claw marks left on the steel reminded him of a legendary technique. "This... Could this be...?"
Zoro had woken up at some point. He held his three swords, lost in thought. "Dragon Claw Fist? I can practice it in my dreams. I wonder if I can incorporate it into my sword style..."
Luffy finally swallowed the food in his mouth and shouted excitedly, "Wow! Big Brother Ron is amazing! Teach me!"
Usopp, meanwhile, hid under the table, only half his head showing. "I, I think I'm more suited for long-range attacks..." Little did he know he had missed an opportunity to tell a tall tale.
Krieg struggled to get up, his golden armor groaning under the strain. Fear finally appeared in his eyes. "You... Who exactly are you?!"
Just as Ron slowly approached Krieg, a crisp system notification sound suddenly rang in his mind:
[Ding! Sub-system notification!]
[Sabo's top-up successful: Spent 500 million Berries to purchase Beginner Armament Haki!]
[Tenfold Return triggered: Host has obtained Intermediate Armament Haki!]
A warm current instantly surged through Ron's entire body. He could clearly feel a brand new power within him. He looked down at his right hand and saw a layer of jet-black substance spreading like a living thing from his fingertips, quickly covering his entire palm and forearm.
"Just in time," Ron murmured softly, clenching his fist, which was covered in Armament Haki, feeling the immense power contained within it.
Krieg had retreated to the corner by now. He stared in horror at the strange black substance on Ron's hand. "This... This is...!" As a pirate who had once entered the Grand Line, he knew all too well what this meant.
"Armament Haki..." Krieg's voice trembled uncontrollably. "A power only mastered by the monsters of the New World..."
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