Ron's lips curled into a smile. "Not bad eyesight." He reached out and grabbed a piece of golden armor on Krieg's chest. "Too late, unfortunately."
"Crack!"
The sturdy golden armor was easily crushed like a thin pancake under his five fingers, reinforced with Armament Haki. Krieg let out an inhuman shriek, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
"No… don't!" Krieg shook his head frantically, his single eye filled with terror. "I surrender! I give up!"
Ron paid him no mind, continuing to crush Krieg's proud golden armor piece by piece. The sound of each metal fragment hitting the ground was like a death knell in Krieg's heart.
"Crack! Crack!"
The restaurant was silent. Everyone held their breath, watching the astonishing scene. Sanji's cigarette fell to the ground again. He stared intently at Ron's dark arm. "What… what is that Armament Haki?"
Zoro's eyes burned with fighting spirit. "One day, I will also master this power!"
Luffy, on the other hand, danced with excitement. "Ron's hand turned black! Is he poisoned? So cool!"
When the last piece of chest armor was crushed, Krieg had already collapsed to the ground, his pants visibly wet. This once arrogant overlord of the East Blue was now like a terrified mouse, cowering in a corner, trembling.
Ron retracted his Armament Haki and looked down at Krieg. "Get lost. If I see you in the East Blue again…" He didn't finish, but the threat in his words was self-evident.
Krieg acted as if he had been granted a great pardon, scrambling and crawling towards the door, not even bothering with his unconscious subordinates. He tripped as he crossed the threshold, disappearing from everyone's sight in a sorry state.
The restaurant immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers, and guests raised their glasses, toasting Ron's incredible performance.
Usopp, while picking up golden fragments, looked at Ron with admiration. "Vice-Captain! That move just now was too cool! Can you teach me too?"
Ron smiled and shook his head. "Teach you what? Tall tales bring golden houses, tall tales bring beautiful women. As long as you know how to spin a yarn, let alone Armament Haki, even the one-in-a-million Conqueror's Haki, you might even possess it."
Usopp was bewildered. Could it really be that powerful?
Tall tales!
That's right, he must try even harder to tell tall tales!
Sanji took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Hey, you guys…" His gaze swept back and forth between Ron, Luffy, and Zoro. "What exactly are your backgrounds?"
Luffy grinned and put his arm around Sanji's shoulder. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King." He leaned close to Sanji's ear and whispered mysteriously, "And we have a super awesome System User on our ship~"
Ron shook his head helplessly, but his gaze involuntarily drifted into the distance. He knew that as Sabo continued to spend money and grow stronger, the power he gained through the tenfold return would also become increasingly powerful.
As long as the sub-system host continued to complete tasks, he would receive a tenfold reward!
Outside the Baratie sea restaurant,
Krieg's shrill screams pierced the tranquility of the sea. Luffy and the others' expressions changed drastically, and they rushed out of the restaurant. Ron was the last to stroll out, his sea-blue cloak fluttering in the salty sea breeze.
When everyone's gaze turned to the sea, a shocking scene came into view—
A pitifully small dinghy was cutting through the waves, and a tall man in a black trench coat stood at the bow. He held a long, pitch-black sword, and each stroke of the water brought a suffocating sense of oppression. Most chillingly, the legendary black sword "Yoru" was being used as an oar!
"Dracule… Mihawk?!" Krieg slumped onto the deck, golden armor fragments clinking as they fell. "Why… why did you chase me from the Grand Line to the East Blue to kill me?!"
Mihawk slowly raised his head, his hawk-like sharp golden eyes sweeping over Krieg's pirate ship. "Just passing by." His voice was deep and cold. "And clearing away some unsightly trash."
Zoro's breathing instantly became rapid, and his three swords trembled uneasily in their sheaths. His pupils contracted violently as he stared intently at the man standing on the dinghy—the World's Greatest Swordsman, the goal he had pursued his entire life, now standing on the sea less than a hundred meters away!
"Finally… finally I've seen you…" Zoro's voice trembled with excitement, and his right hand unconsciously pressed against the hilt of his Wado Ichimonji. He could feel every cell in his body screaming for battle.
Ron keenly noticed Zoro's state and said softly, "According to your dream system, as long as you witness his swordsmanship firsthand…"
"I can perfectly replicate it in my dreams!" Zoro's eyes burned with intense fighting spirit. "This is the fastest way to get stronger!"
Mihawk seemed to sense something and suddenly turned to look at the shore. His gaze passed over Krieg's panicked pirate crew and directly locked onto Zoro, who was standing at the restaurant entrance.
"Interesting eyes." Mihawk raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are there such swordsmen in the East Blue too?"
Seeing this, Krieg screamed hysterically, "Fire the cannons! Fire with all your might! Don't let him get close!"
Dozens of cannons roared simultaneously, and cannonballs rained down on the fragile dinghy!
The sea was eerily silent. The remnants of Krieg's pirate crew watched in horror as the man stood on the dinghy. Mihawk slowly stood up, his black trench coat fluttering in the sea breeze. His hand rested on the hilt of the legendary black sword "Yoru" on his back.
"Noisy." Mihawk's voice was as cold as ice. "It's time to end this."
"Zheng——"
The moment the black sword was unsheathed, the world seemed to darken. Mihawk's movement was utterly simple—just a basic downward slash, but with that seemingly casual swing, a green sword aura capable of tearing the heavens and earth apart suddenly erupted!
"Boom—!!!"
Wherever the sword aura passed, all of Krieg's pirate ships were neatly sliced in half as if made of paper. Huge waves soared into the sky, the severed hulls slowly sank, and the sea was covered with countless wood chips and terrified pirates who had fallen into the water.
The entire dock was silent!
Luffy's straw hat was blown off by the shockwave, but he forgot to grab it; Usopp's long nose twitched unnaturally; Sanji's cigarette fell to the ground. Even Ron's eyes flashed with a hint of admiration—this was the power of the World's Greatest Swordsman!
Zoro's pupils contracted violently, and his whole body trembled with excitement. His brain, like the most precise instrument, deeply imprinted every detail of that sword strike into his memory: Mihawk's stance, the angle of his grip, the way he exerted force, even the rhythm of his breathing.
"Did you see it…" Zoro murmured to himself, "This is… the path to becoming the strongest…"
He suddenly turned and grabbed Usopp's long nose. "Gain me ten minutes!"
"Huh?" Usopp looked bewildered. "You… what are you going to do? You're not going to sleep now, are you?!"
"That's right, it's a rare opportunity. Let me sleep for ten minutes!"
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