Noise. Chaos. Crowds. Pirates everywhere.
That was Weiss's first impression of the "best restaurant" on Flying Bird Island.
Far from the elegant, classy place he had imagined—with refined music and delicate lighting—this was more like a pirate bazaar.
"This restaurant didn't used to be like this. But I heard their clan leader died half a month ago, and no one dared seek revenge. The family got too busy fighting over power and wealth to manage this place properly, so it all went downhill."
"It was still decent just two weeks ago…"
Weiss waved a hand, signaling he didn't want to hear more.
Karina, clearly reluctant, handed over 100,000 Berry to Burt as payment.
She only made 200,000 Berry a month—yet this guy earned half that just for showing them the way?
Her heart was burning with injustice.
Her already bad mood had just worsened.
Kadun and Jack silently stepped further away, widening the distance, worried they'd get caught in the fallout.
Now that Karina was also the team's chef, she was not someone they could afford to offend.
Just then, a waiter spotted them from the doorway and rushed over.
"W-W-W-Welcome, esteemed guests… T-T-Thank you for v-v-visiting—"
He froze mid-greeting, stuttering as if he'd seen a ghost.
"S-S-S-Sword D-D-D-Demon...!"
...
...
The waiter's shriek practically tore his throat, drawing the attention of every pirate in the restaurant.
Upon hearing the name, a few quickly pulled out newspapers, glanced between them and Weiss, then shoveled the last bites of their meal in and fled.
Where the strong gather, conflict is never far behind.
And there are always a few fools who want to make a name for themselves.
And what better target than Weiss?
The waiter shakily approached them again, looking like he was about to cry.
"L-Lord Sword Demon... Please, this way."
All the waitstaff here had professional training.
On the sea, remembering the faces of the infamous wasn't just good service—it was survival.
If you offended the wrong person, you might not even understand how you died.
And Weiss—the so-called "Sword Demon"—was the rising star everyone was talking about.
No one really knew his past record, but rumor had it he went toe-to-toe with one of the Three All Stars and one of the Admirals and came out unscathed.
Just that was terrifying enough.
Not to mention that insane, bone-chilling killing aura of his.
He had to be a cold-blooded maniac.
The waiter was terrified.
Training or not, faced with this kind of monster, all you could do was fold.
What if he got mad? What if...?
As the poor waiter trembled, a man who looked like a manager walked over with a warm smile.
"Mr. Sword Demon, apologies. My staff are a little timid. They've never met someone of your stature before. Please, allow me to personally escort you to a private room."
He quickly led Weiss and the others away from the main hall.
Weiss followed silently.
Timid staff, huh?
If he hadn't seen the sweat on your palms, he might've believed you.
Also—my aura isn't from killing people, it's from slaughtering Sea Kings, okay?!
Sea Kings! Not humans!
I'm not some bloodthirsty psycho!
Am I really that scary?
Weiss sighed inwardly and stayed quiet.
If he spoke now, the trembling manager might drop dead on the spot.
At least the guy was professional.
The restaurant fell dead silent as the four of them walked by.
Every pirate inside turned to stare, like they were witnessing royalty pass by.
Not a word. Not a breath.
The group moved toward the private room, cold and composed.
When the door finally closed behind them, a wave of whispers exploded in the main hall.
"That's the aura of a real powerhouse... I couldn't even speak!"
"Yeah... that was terrifying."
"Wait, you guys were swallowing nervously because of Weiss-sama's aura? I thought it was because of—"
Someone quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.
"You idiot! You trying to get us all killed?! You dare look at Weiss-sama's woman?!"
"How do you even know I was talking about her? Don't tell me you—"
"Ahem... drinks are on me tonight!"
Inside the private room, the manager calmly handed them menus and left.
After the earlier interaction, he realized Weiss wasn't as terrifying as the newspapers made him out to be.
As soon as he left, Kadun, Jack, and Karina all let out a collective breath.
That feeling of being stared at by hundreds of pirates? Absolutely awful.
Unless you've experienced it, you wouldn't understand.
It wasn't that they didn't want to talk just now—
They were too scared to.
It felt more intense than fighting 500 people.
That constant pressure made them seem cold, but in truth—
"You're afraid of me, and I'm afraid of you!"
"Weiss," Karina asked as she took a sip of water, "weren't you scared being stared at like that?"
"Scared? Why would I be? I thought it was fine."
He looked at the others. "You're scared because you're not used to it. Also, being surrounded by hundreds of pirates creates a lot of pressure."
"When you reach my level, you'll realize—numbers don't matter.
In the New World, true emperors can knock out a hundred thousand people with a single burst of Conqueror's Haki."
"One hundred thousand?!" Kadun cried. "That's insane! Are these people even human?"
"It's not impossible," Weiss replied calmly.
"At that level, only those of equal strength can pressure you.
And the world itself starts to feel smaller beneath your feet."
He remembered how in the original series, Shanks's Conqueror's Haki could affect the environment itself.
Maybe it really was possible.
"That's scary as hell," Jack muttered.
This world was way bigger than he'd imagined.
Sticking with the captain really was the right choice.
There was no way he'd witness things like this on his own.
Soon, food arrived—quickly and in abundance.
Strong people always got the fastest service.
"If you need anything, just say the word, Lord Sword Demon. I'll do everything I can," the manager said, smiling as he exited.
Once outside, he wiped the sweat from his brow and immediately picked up a Den Den Mushi to make a call.
With the auction drawing near, more and more powerhouses were arriving on the island.
This place was getting out of his control.
They had to send reinforcements.
One death, and now the family kept arguing but didn't dare take revenge.
"Changing things up with land food really is a nice break," Kadun said, delighted.
He began his 'mouth-no-jutsu' routine as he ate.
Weiss and Jack quietly moved their chairs farther away—getting splattered in blood later would be unpleasant.
"Why are you two so far away?" Kadun asked, confused.
Then he noticed the dark aura forming behind Karina, who had stopped eating and was glaring at him with eyes full of murder.
He could almost see black flames rising behind her.
"Karina-sis! I'm sorry! I wasn't saying your cooking was bad!"
"I just meant it's nice to have a change once in a while! I was wrong! I swear I was wrong!"
"Wait—no, not there!"
"Not the face!"
As the two fought, the other two watched with detached amusement.
"Quick, Karina, aim for the eyes—no, the nose!"
"Ah, missed it. Go for the kidneys! No, missed again."
BANG!
Suddenly, the door to the private room was kicked open with a loud crash.
A young man stood in the doorway, one foot raised in the air.
He was wearing sandals, shorts so short you could see his leg hair, and nothing on top.
Everyone inside froze like statues.
Karina's fist was mid-punch at Kadun's face, Weiss and Jack had spoons halfway to their mouths, staring dumbfounded at the hideous fashion disaster standing before them.
"I'm here for the Sword Demon, Chris Weiss!" the youth shouted.
"I challenge you!"
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