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The crowd watching nearby froze.
Most of them were residents of Water 7, and while many still didn't know exactly what this young man, Arthur, had done recently, they had heard plenty about the gang standing in front of him—
The Laki Pirates.
They weren't strong or famous by any measure, but they were notorious around the surrounding islands—
raiding villages, bullying merchants, and terrorizing women wherever they went.
Naturally, the ordinary townsfolk were terrified.
One by one, they backed away, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Seeing the fear on their faces, Captain Laki puffed out his chest, smirking with satisfaction.
"Heh, kid. You're terrible at this, you know that? Trying to trick a woman with cheap talk about seeing Sea Kings by yourself?
And you—" he pointed at Carmen, sneering, "—you're dumber than you look, believing garbage like that!"
Carmen hesitated for a moment, but when she turned and met Arthur's calm, steady eyes, she couldn't help but trust him.
"I believe him," she said quietly. "None of your business."
"Let's go," Arthur replied, ignoring the pirates as though they were nothing more than background noise.
He didn't bother arguing.
They weren't worth the effort.
"Hold it!" Laki barked, face twisting in anger.
"That woman's mine! Hand her over, or I'll—"
He never got to finish.
Because Arthur turned back—
—and in that instant, a wave of raw, sovereign willpower burst from his gaze.
"Lie down."
Two words.
Soft, almost casual.
Yet they hit harder than cannon fire.
The air seemed to shudder.
"H-holy crap…"
A bystander clutched his chest, cold sweat running down his face.
"That pressure—what is that?!"
And then—
BAM. BAM. BAM. BAM.
One after another, the pirates collapsed where they stood.
Eyes rolled back, foam spilling from their mouths, bodies twitching uncontrollably as they hit the ground.
Within seconds, the entire crew of more than a dozen was out cold—starting with their proud captain, Laki.
The crowd went silent.
Every pair of eyes stared at the man who'd done it—
without lifting a finger.
"That's… terrifying…" someone whispered.
"His eyes alone… knocked them out?"
A few moments later, a News Coo (reporting seagull) flapped overhead, dropping several freshly printed bounty posters.
A man bent down to pick one up.
The instant he saw the face on it, he froze.
He pointed at Arthur's retreating figure…
then at the poster in his hand…
"H-he's… he's…!"
He couldn't even finish his sentence, his tongue practically tied in a knot.
People crowded around curiously.
And then they saw it—
The handsome face on the paper.
The bold letters underneath.
"Bounty: 510,000,000 Berries."
Gasps spread like wildfire.
Several women even screamed.
"Five—five hundred and ten million?!"
The crowd's collective shout echoed across the docks, but by then, Arthur and Carmen were long gone.
As they walked away, Carmen's heart was pounding—this time, not from fear, but from awe.
Any lingering doubt she'd had about Arthur's strength had completely vanished.
After witnessing that effortless display of dominance, she finally believed—
her dream might actually come true with this man.
To see the Sea Kings… to cook the rarest ingredients in the world… it's really possible.
Seeing her eyes sparkle with excitement, Arthur smiled.
The happier she was, the more certain it was—
she'd become his crew's cook for sure.
Later that afternoon, he borrowed a small ship from Iceburg, who was knee-deep in work at the shipyard.
Of course, Arthur also took the chance to check on his own ship's progress.
And what he saw made him grin from ear to ear.
In just a few days, Iceburg and his team had turned the raw material into something spectacular.
The massive hull gleamed under the sun, its shape elegant yet powerful—like a sleeping dragon waiting to soar into the heavens.
"Magnificent," Arthur murmured, running a hand along the side.
"A true king of the sea."
He even brought Carmen aboard for a quick tour.
The kitchen wasn't finished yet, but Carmen could tell from the layout alone that the design was top-tier—
spacious, efficient, and clearly crafted by someone who understood a chef's needs.
Once the equipment was installed, it would easily rival the kitchens of royal palaces.
Her eyes lit up as she examined every corner.
This wasn't just a ship—it was a dream workspace.
Arthur, watching her, felt quietly satisfied.
"A chef and a ship in one day," he thought. "Not bad at all."
After the tour, they borrowed a small craft and set sail to the Calm Belt.
The result was predictable—
no Sea King dared approach them.
Under Arthur's Conqueror's Haki, the ocean itself seemed to hold its breath.
To Carmen, it was nothing short of miraculous.
He even took her to a Sea King nesting area, letting her witness the colossal creatures up close.
And per her request, he captured one—
a massive, serpent-like beast whose flesh, Carmen explained, was considered among the finest of all Sea King meats.
Even though it looked effortless, Carmen could tell—there was nothing simple about what he'd done.
"He didn't even break a sweat," she thought, staring at him.
"How strong is this man…?"
Her heart pounded again—
this time not from fear or awe, but from something else.
By the time they returned to Water 7, she'd made up her mind.
That night, Carmen met the rest of the crew for the first time.
At first, she was intimidated.
After all, Waldo, Crocodile, and Redfield were terrifying figures—men whose names alone sent shivers down spines.
Being the only woman among such dangerous-looking men made her anxious.
But the moment they tasted her cooking, the atmosphere changed completely.
Waldo slammed his hands on the table, tears of joy in his eyes.
"Holy crap, sister-in-law—this is the best food I've ever had!
I didn't even know stuff could taste this good! You're a genius!"
Arthur almost choked on his drink.
"Pffft—! What did you just call her?!"
"Uh—nothing! I, uh, gotta go deliver some leftovers to Iceburg and the others! Bye!"
Waldo bolted before Arthur could throw anything at him.
Crocodile took another drag from his cigar, pretending not to smile.
Even Redfield, normally the picture of pride and restraint, nodded subtly in approval.
Arthur caught it instantly.
So they like her too, huh?
Satisfied, he turned to Carmen, his expression soft but serious.
"Miss Carmen," he said. "Would you consider joining us—officially?
Be our crew's cook, and sail with us across this beautiful sea."
Carmen hesitated.
Part of her had already agreed—but another part still felt awkward.
A lone woman traveling with a ship full of men…
It wasn't an easy decision.
She fidgeted, unsure how to answer.
Seeing that, even Redfield grew impatient.
The old vampire-like pirate who'd spent decades alone was desperate for more of her food.
It wasn't loneliness that bothered him—
it was the thought of never tasting her cooking again.
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