From beneath Krieg's gleaming golden armor, two massive, jagged saw-blades extended along his thick arms.
Traces of dried blood clung stubbornly to their edges. Under the sunlight, the serrated metal glimmered with a menacing crimson light, like the fangs of a shark thirsting for more.
"Ahhhh!!!"
"Die Don Krieg!!!"
The reckless Patty charged forward, dragging his long, spiked steel fork behind him.
With the same violence he used to handle raw meat, he leapt high into the air, thrusting the weapon straight toward Krieg's skull.
CLANG!
Sparks burst out as the fork struck the spinning saws on Krieg's arms. Fire trailed along the serrated edge.
The fork was caught fast, its tip grinding against the metal teeth with a deafening screech.
"What—!"
Patty gritted his teeth and strained his arms with all his might.
But the steel fork couldn't move an inch closer.
"Tch."
Krieg sneered in contempt and swung his arm with brutal force. The spinning saws sliced downward,
SHRRK!
The fork was split cleanly in two.
Half remained in Patty's hands, while the other half flew off, embedding itself into the deck with a sharp thunk.
The powerful swing sent Patty flying backward through the air.
Krieg's eyes gleamed cruelly as he raised his other saw-arm high, the sunlight glinting off its deadly edge like a reaper's scythe.
He roared down at the fallen cook:
"Useless trash! Die for me!!!"
The saw-arm sliced through the air, creating a shrill, howling wind that rushed toward the helpless Patty.
His eyes widened in terror as the blade descended, his arms instinctively raised to shield himself, though he knew it was useless.
THUD!
A heavy sound struck his ears.
No pain followed.
Slowly, Patty opened his eyes, and saw someone standing before him. His trembling lips whispered the name in disbelief.
"San…ji…"
"Don't just stand there! Go help the others!!!"
Sanji's teeth clenched tight, his face twisted in pain as he shouted.
His black-clad leg pressed desperately against Krieg's spinning saw, trembling violently from the strain.
"Damn it…"
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Sanji's golden hair.
The moment Patty retreated, Sanji twisted his body and leapt backward, putting distance between himself and Krieg.
"Ahhhh!!!"
A chef surrounded by pirates could no longer fend off the storm of spears and clubs.
A blade flashed,
The long knife pierced clean through his chest, bursting out from his back.
Blood splattered across his once-white chef's coat, staining it deep red.
His face, twisted in pain, slowly relaxed as life drained away.
Thud…
The first casualty had fallen.
His tall chef's hat rolled across the floor, landing in a pool of blood, instantly dyed a dark, vivid crimson.
"Sam!!!"
Another chef nearby saw it happen and screamed in anguish.
BANG!
A gunshot silenced him.
The bullet streaked through the air and buried itself in his forehead.
The sorrow on his face froze where it was. His body crumpled to the ground, eyes wide open, lifeless.
"Ahhh!!!"
More screams followed, as though death itself had flipped a switch.
One by one, the chefs fell.
The Krieg Pirates were all hardened veterans of the East Blue, and those who had survived the Grand Line were the strongest among them.
The cooks fought bravely, but the sheer number of enemies soon overwhelmed them.
Of the original twenty chefs, fewer than ten still stood.
Each one was bleeding, barely holding their weapons upright.
Their white uniforms, once pristine, once guarded even against a drop of grease, were now drenched in red.
"Damn it!!!"
Patty slammed his fist into a pirate's face, shattering his nose and sending him crashing backward into another.
"Gather around me!!!"
Watching his comrades die one after another, Patty's rough face twisted with grief. He raised his arm and shouted to the surviving cooks.
"Ahhh!!"
One chef tried to move toward him but was cut down midway by a sneak attack.
Patty's eyes went wide. He lunged forward, grabbed the attacker by the head, and smashed it down onto the deck.
CRACK!
The pirate's upper body was driven halfway into the wooden planks, splinters flying.
A wounded chef finally stumbled to Patty's side. His body was covered in gashes; every breath was agony.
BANG!
Another gunshot cracked through the chaos.
A bullet whistled toward the wounded chef's head.
In his desperate eyes, it grew larger and larger,
He had no strength left to dodge.
SPLAT!
Blood sprayed like an arrow into the air before raining down onto the broken deck.
"Pa…Patty!"
The chef stared at the man who had thrown himself in front of him, tears streaming down his face. His lips trembled uncontrollably.
Patty's expression twisted, as if he were already accustomed to the pain of bullets lodging into his flesh.
It took several breaths before he could stand straight again, the hot lead still burning within his muscle.
"Damn it!!"
Fueled by fury, Patty spun around.
The pain became rage, warping his scarred face into something monstrous.
The pirate who had fired the shot froze in terror, nearly dropping his gun.
Patty grabbed a sword from a fallen foe and hurled it like a spear.
WHOOSH!
The blade cut through the air in a flash of silver light and struck the pirate's arm, slicing it clean off.
Before the scream could even escape his throat, Patty was already upon him, hands clasped together,
CRACK!
The blow crushed the man's skull into his chest. The body collapsed like a headless corpse.
For the first time, the pirates hesitated.
Patty's raw violence made them falter, giving the wounded chefs a chance to regroup.
Now, dozens of pirates surrounded Patty's position.
The others were barely holding out under Zeff's furious attacks.
Meanwhile, Krieg laughed coldly as he toyed with Sanji, who could not even scratch his golden armor.
"Give it up!"
"Hand over this restaurant, and maybe I'll let you live!"
"Not… a chance!"
"How could I… ever let you take away the old man's… most precious treasure?!"
Sanji's voice cracked, blood dripping from his lip. Yet the fire in his eyes blazed brighter, his body trembling with defiance.
At that moment, as life and blood spilled across the deck, a small, eerie boat silently docked beside the Baratie.
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