Krieg went out with the hundred servings of food Zeff had given him.
Inside the restaurant, the atmosphere was tense.
Sanji tried to calm everyone. "What are you afraid of? If they dare to come back, we'll drive them off."
What's the use of regretting now? Even the head chef had made his decision, so as restaurant staff, all they could do was unite and fight to protect the Baratie.
Patty shouted, "Krieg's pirates aren't scary at all! We're the battle-hardened chefs of the Sea Restaurant!"
"Whoa!"
"Let's go all out, guys!"
"Yeah! Let's show those bastards how terrifying Baratie's chefs can be!"
Luffy joined in excitedly. "And me, and me! Hahaha!"
Right… almost forgot, that idiot's still technically a restaurant worker.
Sandy said to Nami beside him, "Nami, stay close to me later. I'll make sure you're safe."
Usopp immediately grabbed Sandy's arm. "Hey, hey, Sandy! What about me? You've gotta protect me too!"
Sandy sighed. "Didn't you say you wanted to become a brave warrior of the sea? Fine… What about you, Zoro? I can protect you too—just call me big bro and let me hear it."
Zoro's eyebrow twitched. "You bastard. I don't need your protection. But I've got a bad feeling… everyone, stay sharp."
Before he could finish, a deafening crash echoed outside.
"What the hell was that?"
"Why's the restaurant shaking? Is it a tsunami?"
"Quit talking and get outside—find out what's going on!"
It turned out that after Krieg had fed his starving crew and was preparing to seize the Baratie, his massive ship was suddenly split clean in half—by a single sword strike.
Everyone froze at the sight. A power like that was beyond anything they'd ever seen. How could a ship that large be cut apart in one blow?
"What happened to Krieg's ship? How did it end up like that?"
"Look at that cut—it's so smooth! Did someone slice it?"
"Don't be ridiculous! No one could cleave a ship like that!"
"Forget arguing—get the boarding planks ready before that wave swamps the restaurant!"
On Sandy's side, Nami turned to him. "Sandy, if it were you, could you do that?"
Sandy smirked. "Of course I could. You should know my strength by now."
Usopp suddenly remembered the cliffs at his hometown and yelled, "Sandy, you bastard! What did you do to my hometown!?"
Sandy rolled his eyes. "Not now. Look—out there! There's someone on the water!"
Usopp squinted. "Ha! What a joke—wait… there is someone there!"
Zoro stepped forward, excitement flashing in his eyes. "It's him… it's him… it's him!"
Luffy looked confused. "Who?"
Sandy teased, "What, he owe you money or something? You look way too happy."
Zoro ignored them, swallowing hard. "I went out to sea just to find him. He's the World's Greatest Swordsman—Dracule Mihawk, the man known as 'Hawkeye'!"
"The World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk?" Nami turned to Sandy. "If you fought him, what would happen?"
Sandy wasn't like that green-haired rookie. Hawkeye stood at the very top of the world's sword path—not just for his blade skills, but for his Observation Haki, Armament Haki, physical strength, speed, experience, and power. In every aspect, he was a monster.
Sandy admitted, "If I fought him to the death right now, he'd kill me instantly."
Nami's eyes widened. "No way! Aren't you always so confident? That doesn't sound like you at all!"
Luffy tilted his head. "Sandy, is the gap really that big?"
Sandy sighed. "He's been adventuring for years, experienced countless battles. How can we—rookie pirates who just set sail—compare?"
Usopp frowned. "You're underestimating yourself!"
Sandy replied, "If you want to climb to the top, you first need to understand where you stand—and how strong the top really is. Only then can you improve. Geez, I'm not your teacher. Move aside."
Luffy pouted. "You're so stingy, Sandy…"
As they spoke, the smoke out at sea cleared. A small, coffin-shaped boat came into view, lit by eerie green candles.
A man sat calmly in the center. He wore a short beard, a black hat with white trim, a dark red patterned shirt, a long black coat, white trousers, and black boots. A golden cross hung on his chest, and an enormous black blade rested across his back.
He sat with legs crossed, hands resting on his lap, his head lowered—his very presence radiating overwhelming pressure.
The silence shattered when a pirate from Krieg's crew shouted, "You bastard! What the hell did we ever do to you?!"
"Yeah! You chased us all the way from the Grand Line!"
Hawkeye glanced at them lazily and replied, "Bored. Just killing time."
That reason alone was enough to make Krieg's face twist in rage.
Bored? You were bored, so you destroyed dozens of their ships, then chased them all the way back from the Grand Line to the East Blue?
Krieg's ambition to dominate the Grand Line had been crushed—for the most absurd reason imaginable.
Everything he'd built was back to zero.
Unable to bear it, Krieg signaled his sniper. The man raised both pistols and fired.
"Bang! Bang!" Gunshots echoed.
Hawkeye drew the black sword from his back, moving almost lazily—yet effortlessly deflected both bullets.
The sniper froze. "H-how?! I aimed right at him!"
Zoro had already untied the bandana from his arm and tied it around his head. "He deflected them—with his sword."
The sniper gawked. "Who the hell are you?"
Zoro didn't answer. He stepped forward toward Hawkeye.
Nami frowned. "Didn't you say that man's unbelievably strong? Why are you letting Zoro challenge him?"
Luffy adjusted his hat. "Because that's Zoro's dream. Who are we to stop him?"
Sandy nodded. "Nami, think about it—if Zoro backed down now, how could he ever become the World's Greatest Swordsman? You should be proud of him."
Nami sighed. "World's Greatest this, World's Greatest that… you guys are all insane. I'm done with this."
Usopp swallowed hard, realizing for the first time what kind of terrifying crew he'd joined.
Then Sandy pulled Nami aside. "Stay here. Don't wander off."
She raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to challenge Hawkeye too, are you?"
Sandy grinned. "Of course not. I'm not that stupid."
He leaned closer and whispered, "I'm just going to look cool."