Chapter 46: The Mysterious HawkeyeAt this moment, Luffy seemed to have thought of something, and he hurriedly asked Gin: "Right, Gin, didn't you say you knew nothing about the Grand Line? But haven't you been there?"Hearing Luffy's words, Gin fell silent, holding his head for a long time without being able to speak. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk, but that he didn't want to remember.After a long silence, Gin seemed to have mentally prepared himself, and after a long sigh, he finally recounted the experience from that time."...I really didn't know anything, it's truly unbelievable... On the seventh day of entering the Grand Line...""The events of that day were too unreal... It was like a dream! Even now, my mind is still in a mess.""Suddenly... there appeared...""A man who actually wiped out a fleet of fifty ships!"Gin stopped there because he also felt it was incredible, but it was the truth.Hearing Gin's words, everyone felt shocked, though Luffy and Zoro were a bit better off because they knew Alex's strength.But for one person to wipe out fifty ships, even Alexcouldn't achieve such a feat.The chefs were saying it was impossible: "What! That's impossible! One person defeated a pirate fleet?"Gin didn't pay attention to them and continued to narrate what happened next."Before we even understood what was happening, the ships of the fleet sank one by one...""If there hadn't been a storm at that time, our flagship would definitely have been sunk as well.""I don't know how many ships survived. It was so terrifying that it was hard to believe it was reality!""That man had a pair of eyes that could kill. A gaze as sharp as a hawk's; I don't want to recall it again!"Sitting quietly on the side, Zoro's body began to tremble when he heard about the gaze as sharp as a hawk's."That... that man defeated Don Krieg's grand fleet with his own power!"Saying this, Gin buried his head on the table; after all, this was a nightmare he dared not imagine for the rest of his life.Upon hearing the description, Zeff knew that the one who destroyed them must have been that person."In that case, it must be Hawkeye..."Hearing "Hawkeye," Gin raised his head, and the chefs were also somewhat confused."Indeed, you say that man's eyes... give people the feeling of an eagle, that cannot be taken as evidence.""However, to have the ability to do such a thing, that is the best evidence!"Usopp had some questions about who Hawkeyewas, and Luffy was also quite confused, as both of them were 100% novices regarding things on the great sea.It was Zoro who told the two: "That is the man I have been searching for... I heard from Johnny that he had also been to this shop..."Hearing this, Luffy and Usopp remembered.But the chefs in the restaurant heard Zoro's words and refuted, saying he hadn't been there."Hawkeye... If it's the red-eyed man, he has been to our shop!""That's right, that guy drank too much red wine, and his eyes turned red."Hearing their companions discussing, some people also appropriately added some details."Is that the idiot who set himself on fire? That was a big deal..."Hearing the chefs' words, Zoro knew that the intelligence Johnny gave about seeing Hawkeye at the sea restaurant was fake."That guy gave false information..."Luffy asked Zoro in confusion what happened to Johnny. Zoro could only say it was nothing; he couldn't exactly say that the guy gave false information and came running over without verifying it properly.Sanji and Zeff were curious about what they had actually done to make the other party have such great malice toward them."...To actually deal with the entire fleet, did he have some deep hatred with you?""No such thing! It happened very suddenly."Hearing Gin say no, Zeff also thought of a possibility: "Did you disturb his afternoon nap..."But before Zeff could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Gin."Don't joke around! How could our fleet be defeated for such a reason!""Don't be angry, I was just assuming; rather, the Grand Line is just that kind of place."It seems Zeff really thought the other party might have been disturbed."It wouldn't be strange no matter what happens, right. Heh—I'm starting to get excited—it should be like this!"Usopp immediately stopped Luffy's excited mood: "At least think about the danger!"Zoro leaned back on his chair and said with a relaxed expression: "Looking at it this way, my goal is completely locked on the Grand Line.""Because that man is there too."Sanji, who was on the side, exhaled a puff of smoke after hearing Luffy and the others' words and said: "What a bunch of idiots, you are the kind of people who easily throw your lives away.""That's true, but take back the word 'idiot'... Ever since I made the world's greatest swordsman my goal, I have long since disregarded life and death.""The only one who can call me an idiot is the 'me' who made this decision."Luffy raised his hand on the side to indicate that he was the same.Usopp also said that as a man, he was the same, but he was immediately exposed by Zoro on the spot.Even Alex indicated that he was the same.Seeing Zoro's serious face and those people's remarks about not taking their lives seriously, Sanjijust calmly said "What a stupid way to die" and didn't say anything more.Zeff was smiling as he looked at them, clearly with the perspective of a senior looking at juniors.Patty suddenly ran over from the side, acting as the character who disrupts the atmosphere of the scene."Hey, hey! You bunch of idiots, do you even understand the current situation?""Right now, anchored at the entrance of the shop is the great galleon of the pirate fleet admiral, Don Krieg.""That is the ship of the most brutal pirate legion in this East Blue!""Do you understand? You have to wait until you survive this disaster before daydreaming!"At this moment, on the Don Krieg pirate ship, with the distribution of food, a large number of pirates had eaten, drank, and come back to life."Wahahaha!", "Saved!", "Great, we are still alive!", "It's like a dream!", "Finally freed from that nightmare!", "Returned alive from the pirate graveyard!"Seeing his subordinates so energetic, Don Krieg sat in the seat of honor and looked at them with a gloomy face."That's right, this way we can once again... head to the Grand Line!..."Hearing the Captain's words, the expressions of some subordinates changed greatly, and Don Kriegalso saw everyone's expressions.He specially chose one person to make an example of."What? What is that expression..."The other party didn't know if he was truly stupid or pretending to be, and actually asked if they still had to go to that kind of place again.Hearing this, Don Krieg, who was already dissatisfied with everyone's attitude, how could he tolerate it?He raised his gun and shot the person dead. The other party fell to the ground in response; the food he had just finished eating hadn't even had time to digest before he died under Don Krieg's gun.But looking at the bright side, at least he died a well-fed ghost.Seeing everyone's expressions return to normal, Don Krieg asked everyone again: "Anyone else? Any guys with objections to my decision?"Seeing this scene, how could the others have the option to refuse? They raised their arms and shouted one after another."Ah! Wahahahaha!"After seeing that everyone no longer opposed, Don Krieg stood up: "First, we will abandon this broken ship that could sink at any time, and seize the sea restaurant.""The opponents are a bunch of easy-to-deal-with chefs, don't take them seriously."In the restaurant, the chefs were holding various weapons, staring fixedly at the door in front of them.Just here, Alex opened his eyes; he felt a powerful aura.And Don Krieg's pirate ship also approached the restaurant.Climbing ropes were lowered, and the pirates jumped down from the ship."Get out, get out, chef boys!""They're here!" Alex's words left Luffy and the others confused because the pirates had already come over; besides them, who else could be coming?Just at this moment, everyone heard a huge sound, and then the big ship outside was split in two.Whether it was Luffy and the others in the restaurant or Don Krieg's group on the ship, they were all shocked by this sudden change.Don Krieg hurriedly asked what had happened."Admiral Don Krieg, our flagship... Woo wah wah wah!", "It was cut in half!"A crew member who was still clutching the rope told Don Krieg what had happened."Cut in half! Cut in half? You said cut in half? Cut such a huge ship in half? How is it possible...How could such a thing happen?!"At this moment, Luffy seemed to have remembered something: "Oh no, Nami, Yosaku, and Johnny are all on the ship outside."Luffy ran outside at full speed. Usopp wanted to follow behind, but unfortunately, his skills weren't up to it: "Damn it! It might be too late!"At this time, Zoro saw the calm Alex and asked what had happened."Nami has already left, Yosaku and Johnny were thrown into the sea, and she also drove our ship away, but these are not the most important things. The most important thing is that someone with very, very strong power has come..."Zeff also realized the problem and told everyone to weigh anchor quickly, otherwise this ship would also be destroyed.Zoro didn't believe it and followed outside to check. Sure enough, just as Alex said, Yosaku and Johnnywere already soaking in the sea, swimming in his direction."Yosaku, Johnny, are you okay? Where is the ship? Did Nami drive it away!" Zoro asked them as if he were yelling.Luffy and Usopp looked at Zoro, wanting to know why he did that.But Yosaku and Johnny's words perfectly fulfilled Zoro's words."Big Brother, you were right, Big Sister Nami took all the treasure and ran away."Confirming that what Alex said was right, Zoro was furious: "What! That's outrageous!"Zeff also came outside and saw a small boat drifting slowly on the sea."That... that man..."At this time, the chefs began to discuss what had happened to that ship."What exactly happened... I don't know! Maybe the ammunition depot on the ship exploded!"Watching the entire ship slowly sinking into the water, and the pirates on the ship swaying on the sinking ship.At this time, Yosaku and Johnny were also rescued. After being rescued, they knelt on the deck and apologized to Zoro."Sorry, Big Brother!"Then they began to recount how Nami tricked them and then ran away.
At that time, Nami was looking through the wanted posters that had fallen from Johnny, completely engrossed in them."Big Sister Nami, what's wrong? Why do you keep staring at the wanted list?"Johnny saw Nami looking through the wanted posters and asked her what she was looking at."Heh heh! It's nothing!"Nami quickly flipped through the wanted posters and then stopped on one, clearly not wanting the others to see what she was looking at.The wanted poster stopped on an acquaintance—it was that Black Cat Kuro. It was unclear if the Marineknew he wasn't dead or if he had become a pirate again.In any case, he had been put on the bounty list again."Oh! As expected of Big Sister Nami, you've got your eye on a pirate with a super high bounty!""But, you'd better not mess with him.""I heard this guy has been missing for a while.""But I heard he's recently resurfaced!"Seeing that she had successfully fooled them, Namileft the place, leaving the two of them to continue their discussion."Sigh, but a 20 million Berries bounty—it's really hard to let go of that!""Indeed, with this guy's strength... it's even slightly possible that he could kill us!"Then, the two heard a sound. They turned around and realized it was the noise Nami was making while dragging a bag of treasure.Seeing Nami's actions, the two obviously didn't understand what she meant."Wait... wait a second, Big Sister Nami, that is... that is the treasure from our ship, right..."Hearing Yosaku's words, Nami said while dragging the treasure, "Yeah, I brought it over."Johnny hurriedly said that they didn't intend to stay on this ship forever.But Nami didn't pay much attention, instead telling the two to turn around.Yosaku and Johnny were a bit confused about why they had to turn around."I want to change clothes! I'll be shy, so hurry up and turn around."Hearing Nami's words, the two were clearly a bit flustered."Take... take... take off your clothes? Why...""Ye... yes! We'll turn around immediately..."The two turned around and started whispering."Big Sister Nami... is more daring than she looks!""Ju... just peeking for a second shouldn't matter, right... just one look."After saying this, the two looked at each other and smiled, both agreeing to take just one look.However, the two didn't hear any footsteps behind them; they didn't even notice any footsteps.Then, Nami placed one hand on the back of each of their heads and pushed them down with force.The two screamed as they fell into the sea. After hitting the water, they started swimming up quickly so they wouldn't run out of oxygen.Swimming to the surface, the two questioned Nami: "Big Sister Nami, what are you doing?"Nami leaned on the ship's railing, looking at the two and smiling."I am... working! Because I'm a thief who specializes in stealing from pirates!""This ship is no exception. Besides, I never said I would become their partner; I only said we were cooperating temporarily.""As for your treasure, that was just an exception."Speaking to this point, Nami adjusted her hair, which had been messed up by the wind."Although I haven't spent much time with Luffy, I was really happy."Johnny and Yosaku heard the emotion in those words, but hearing it was one thing; pushing them down and stealing their property was just wrong."Goodbye! Help me pass on a message to them! Hope we meet again if fate allows!"After saying this, Nami turned around, went to the helm, and steered the going merry away.The two watched the departing going merry and shouted: "Wait... wait a second, Big Sister Nami, what about us? We were ordered to guard the ship!""And give us back our treasure!"Then, a huge wave swept the two away."That's how it happened; she let her escape."Beside him, Zoro banged his head against the wall: "Damn it! I thought she had become honest lately; I was too careless!"Zoro was blaming himself for his carelessness."And to kick us while we're down during such a critical time!" Usopp said with a resentful face."No, she probably left because she had something going on," Alex said calmly, suggesting she might have had reasons for leaving.However, Luffy noticed that the ship hadn't gone far yet.Zoro didn't hear what Luffy said over there."Look at the ship in the distance, it's our going merry."Luffy put his hand down and asked Yosaku and Johnny: "Yosaku, Johnny, where is your ship?""It's still right there.""Zoro, Usopp, Alex." The three of them.Zoro knew exactly what he was thinking at a glance: "Forget about her, there's no point in chasing back a thief like that.""The important thing is the ship! That ship..." Usopphadn't finished.Luffy's voice interrupted him: "I only want her to be our navigator! It has to be her!"Seeing Luffy's expression, the three knew that he was serious."Got it!...What a Captain who loves to cause trouble for others. Alex, Usopp, let's go!"Hearing that they were going to find her and could also take back the ship, Usopp happily agreed.Similarly, Johnny and Yosaku had parked their ship and were waiting for everyone's arrival."Big Brother Zoro, the ship is ready!""Alex, let's go... Alex?"At this moment, Alex didn't move; instead, he was staring intently at the situation on the sea.Over there, Usopp was still asking Luffy where they were going?Luffy pointed at Sanji: "I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying right here in the restaurant! There's still something that hasn't been resolved!""Then you be careful too, this matter is quite unusual.""Alright, I got it."Zoro asked a question but, seeing Alex unmoved, walked over to his side.Arriving at his side, just as he was about to pat his shoulder, Zoro saw a figure—a figure he didn't know if it was the one he was looking for."That guy, it's that guy, Don Krieg! It's that man! It's the man who crushed our fleet! He actually chased us all the way here! He must be here to kill us!"Zoro muttered to himself on the side: "Could that be... Hawk-Eyes..."The chefs at the restaurant looked at the small boat drifting over and started discussing: "It's him... he sank fifty ships all by himself...""...Does that mean the person who destroyed Don Krieg's pirate ship earlier was also him?""He looks like a very ordinary person...""And he doesn't look like he has any special weapons..."Zeff heard everyone's words and retorted: "Isn't his weapon right there on his back!"Everyone looked again and found only a sword. Could it be!"...How is this possible?""...Could it be that he cut the big galleon in half with just that sword?"Zeff nodded: "That's right... Hawk-Eyes is synonymous with the Sword Saint. He is the world's strongest Great Swordsman, 'Hawkeye' Mihawk!"At this moment, a man wearing a black coat with patterned sleeves arrived before everyone, sitting on a small boat that looked like a coffin.On his back was a magnificent large sword. He wore a hat on his head, a crucifix hanging around his neck, and his chest was exposed.As soon as he looked up, one could see those sharp, hawk-like eyes.The pirates nearby couldn't help but tremble when they saw Hawkeye's figure."Bastard! What deep grudge do you have against us! Chasing us all over the world!"Hawkeye only calmly replied that he was just killing time.It was like ants asking a toddler why they were being roasted with a magnifying glass, and the toddler replying that they were just bored."How dare you say you're killing time!" The pirate was clearly mad; he pulled out two guns and fired at Hawkeye.Hawkeye drew the long sword from his back and deflected the trajectory of the bullets with just the blade.Those pirates were shocked that they missed, but Zoro saw the truth."No matter how many times you shoot, you'll never hit him; he changed the trajectory of the bullets with his blade. Who are you? I've never heard of such soft swordplay..."Facing Zoro, Hawkeye just calmly replied: "Swordplay that isn't soft isn't strong!" Then he sheathed his sword."You used that sword to cut the ship in half, didn't you! Impressive! Looking at it now, you are indeed the strongest!"Zoro praised him, but the pirates on the side seemed to have realized something."Thre... three swords... Hey... could this guy be..."At this moment, Zoro untied the bandana from his right arm: "I set sail just to meet you!"Hearing that the opponent was there for him, Hawkeye felt a bit interested and asked what his purpose was."The strongest!" At this moment, Zoro had tied the bandana and looked at Hawkeye."Aren't you free? Let's have a duel."Seeing this, the pirate realized who the other person was: "This guy... is Zoro! The one who uses three swords... Roronoa Zoro!""No way—"Others also knew of Zoro's fame.Instead, Usopp shouted at Luffy: "Hey, how can you do this, the ship is getting further and further away!"Yosaku and Johnny also looked at Zoro.Unlike the lively crowd, Hawkeye just said calmly: "Pathetic... weakling."Hawkeye didn't leave; instead, he stepped onto the remaining fragments of the ship: "If you count yourself a swordsman, then there's no need to clash; the disparity in power between you and me must be obvious by now!""Is the courage to challenge me born from your ambition... or from ignorance?"Zoro had already set up his Three Sword Stylestance: "This is my dream, and it is also for a promise I made with a dear friend."Zoro and Hawkeye stood there, facing each other directly.At this moment, on the departing going merry, Namiwas lying on the railing alone, drifting."They really are—a bunch of good guys... If we meet again next time... will they still want me to be their partner...Will we be able to meet again...I want to gain my freedom as soon as possible! Aunt Bell-mère!"At this moment, Nami's face was full of tears. Just as Alex had guessed, Nami really had unspeakable reasons for stealing the ship and the treasure.Similarly, Zoro was also sighing here: "To be honest, I really didn't expect... that we would meet so soon..."Hawkeye responded with the same tone: "It won't do you any good."Looking at the two people in front of him, one was the world's strongest Great Swordsman, and the other was Roronoa Zoro.Yosaku and Johnny confidently said that no one could beat Big Brother.Don Krieg looked at Zoro, puzzled: "What did that man come here for... exactly?"At this moment, Zoro saw Hawkeye take off the necklace hanging around his neck, open it, and see that it was a small dagger.At the same time, Hawkeye held the small dagger in his hand, pointing it at Zoro.
Chapter 48: Zoro's Defeat"Hey, what do you mean by that?"Seeing Zoro's dissatisfied expression, Hawkeye told him, "I am not some foolish beast that uses its full strength just to catch a rabbit.""You are merely a somewhat famous swordsman, and from the East Blue, the weakest of the four seas divided by the Red Line and the Grand Line."Then, Hawkeye looked at Zoro with a look of disdain."In other words, sorry, this is already my smallest blade."Seeing Hawkeye's expression, Zoro also became somewhat angry."There's a limit to looking down on people!"Zoro then rushed forward, swinging his three swords: "Don't regret it if you die!"Facing Zoro's offensive, Hawkeye remained unmoved."A frog in a well; let me teach you just how vast this world is!"Seeing that the opponent was still like this, Zoropicked up his two swords, crossed them in front of his chest to gather strength: "Oni Giri!"The three swords slashed towards Hawkeye. Just as everyone thought he would be cut down, the scene before them left everyone stunned.Because Hawkeye had firmly blocked Zoro's attack with only the small knife in his hand."Zoro...""Big Brother's Oni Giri didn't work; that's a guaranteed winning move!""He lost..."Luffy was worried about Zoro; Johnny and Yosakuwere shocked that the move was broken; and Alexrealized that the gap between the two was too great, so great that one was high in the sky while the other was like an ant."Ugh..." At this moment, Zoro's heart was wavering. He did not believe his Oni Giri would be easily broken by someone using a toy knife, and even less did he think the gap between him and the world's greatest would be this large.But reality was just like that. When he saw Hawkeye's expression—one of 'as expected' and slightly bored—he could no longer hold it back."Waaaaah!"Zoro swung his three swords at Hawkeye like a madman. Although the speed of these swings was fast, in Hawkeye's eyes, these moves were just like a beast's wild attacks.Then, Zoro saw all his attacks being blocked; he still could not believe the world was so far away.The people on the side could not believe it at all when they saw Zoro being suppressed."You're kidding, right, Big Brother! Use your real skills!" Johnny couldn't believe everything before his eyes and felt it was all fake.Similarly, those pirates also didn't believe it: "Just with that little trinket, he blocked the Three Sword Style, all of Roronoa Zoro's moves!"Zoro watched his attacks being blocked by the opponent's small knife and couldn't help but start recalling everything about his past.Alex, who was on the side, saw it; Zoro was probably lost in his memories now, because his moves had been repeated three times.This meant that Zoro's heart was nearing the point of collapse.Hawkeye also saw that something was wrong with Zoro. Although the moves were violent, there were too many openings. This young man's heart was probably about to collapse.Thinking of this, Hawkeye asked Zoro: "What are you carrying? What do you want after becoming strong? Weakling..."Hearing Hawkeye's words, Zoro finally came out of those memories.But Johnny and Yosaku on the side couldn't listen anymore."To call Big Brother weak, you despicable bastard!""Let us tell you, Big Brother is..."Before they could finish, Alex and Luffy each held one of them down to prevent them from going up and disturbing Zoro."Stop it, Johnny, Yosaku, don't be like that!""That's right, this is Zoro's dream. Do you want to interfere with a man's dream!""Endure it!"Usopp saw the performance of Alex and Luffy and watched blankly.Hawkeye seized the opportunity and knocked Zoroaway.Zoro flipped and rolled to the side to create distance, then struck another pose.He moved his two swords behind the sword in his mouth."Tiger..."Through Hawkeye's words, he found his dream again. If not strong, then train. But now he wanted to know how far the distance was between him and the strongest, and then become the world's number one."Hunt!"Zoro lunged forward fiercely like a ferocious tiger, but unfortunately, this powerful move was seen through by Hawkeye. With just one move, Hawkeyeclosed in on Zoro through the gaps in the technique.Then, with one strike, he pierced the opponent's chest, breaking the Tiger Hunt.Johnny and Yosaku saw this scene and shouted 'Big Brother' from the side.Luffy and Alex also stared fixedly at everything before them; the railing was crushed into powder under the great strength of the two.Hawkeye felt it; this person before him was actually not afraid of death."Do you really want to be pierced through the heart like this? Why don't you retreat!"Zoro watched as blood flowed from there: "Heh... who knows... I feel that as long as I take one step back... many important vows and things will be destroyed, as if I could never return here again.""Yes, that is defeat." Hawkeye spoke of this feeling."Hehe... then I absolutely cannot retreat. Even if I lose my life... it's better to die!"Looking at the young man before him, Hawkeye was also moved by his willpower.He withdrew the small knife stuck in front of Zoro's heart: "Boy... state your name."Zoro also struck his final pose; he wanted to use this move to decide the outcome with the opponent."Roronoa Zoro!""I will remember it. It's been a long time since I've encountered a strong person. And then."Saying this, Hawkeye drew the long sword from his back and placed it in front of his chest.It looked like he was going to have a formal battle with Zoro; this could be considered the highest recognition for a swordsman."I will end you with the highest etiquette of a swordsman, using this world's strongest Black Blade."The pirates on the side shouted after seeing the sword that had cut the large ship."He drew it... that sword that cut the large ship! Everyone scatter!"Watching Hawkeye come over, Zoro did not dodge but stood there observing the opponent.At this moment, countless stray thoughts surged in his heart: if I fail, it's a dead end... this must be the final blow... world's number one... go to hell!Yosaku and Johnny also saw that Zoro would definitely lose this move, but they didn't want their Big Brother to go to his death: "Big Brother, enough! Don't fight anymore—"But Zoro didn't hear it; Luffy and Alex stared fixedly at the scene before them.Then, Zoro rotated his two swords and used his strongest attack: "Three Sword Style Secret Technique! Three Thousand Worlds!"The three swords clashed with Hawkeye's Black Blade for only a fleeting moment.The two finished their exchange; the two swords in Zoro's hands shattered.Looking at the broken swords, a large amount of blood sprayed from his body, and at the same time, those previous stray thoughts had vanished."...Lost. It doesn't matter... never thought I would lose... is this the power of the world's number one..."Zoro sheathed his sword, stood up, and then spread his arms to face the approaching Hawkeye."What are you doing..." Hawkeye was also confused by the opponent's action."Wounds on the back are a swordsman's shame."Hearing Zoro's words, Hawkeye laughed: "Well said!"Then, with one slash, he cut from the left shoulder to the right abdomen."Zoro!""Zoro—"The blade slashed past, and Zoro was unable to hold the sword in his hand due to his severe injuries.In the moment of slowly falling, Zoro felt he was already dead, but he no longer cared; his skills were simply inferior.Seeing the moment Zoro lost, everyone present realized once again the terror of the Grand Line.Because the Pirate Hunter Zoro, who resounded throughout the East Blue, was not even a match for a single move from the opponent.Sanji looked at Zoro falling into the sea with some confusion; why did he have to do this.He recalled Zoro saying that ever since he set the world's greatest swordsman as his goal, he had long since disregarded his own life.It's easy to say that, but wouldn't it have been better if he wasn't so obsessed with his dream."That's simple, right! Just give up on the dream!" But no one would respond to his words.After he finished speaking, Zoro fell into the seawater."Absurd!""Big Brother!"Luffy exerted force backward, then swung his arm to attack Hawkeye, wanting to attract the opponent's attention, and also to avenge Zoro.Then, Johnny and Yosaku jumped into the sea to rescue Zoro.But there was someone faster than them, and that was Alex. He had already entered the water and carried Zoro onto Johnny and Yosaku's boat.The two saw that Big Brother had been rescued and hurriedly went up to see if any help was needed.Alex saw the wounds on Zoro's body and began to examine them.After the examination, he found multiple fatal wounds. The penetrating wound in front of the heart could be life-threatening. As for the largest wound, it only looked deep, but it hadn't injured any organs."Such precise control..." This was Alex's exclamation regarding Hawkeye. To be able to leave such a wound without injuring the organs, this person's strength was too great.Then, Alex began to treat Zoro. First, he activated the Byakugan to seal the bleeding points on Zoro's body to stop the loss of blood.Next, he fed him a blood-replenishing pill and a soldier ration pill to restore Zoro's blood volume and stamina.Next was the Mystical Palm Technique; one hand was placed on the heart area to let it heal quickly, and the other hand was placed on the wound to slowly heal it.While Alex was treating Zoro, Luffy had already flown out.Seeing Luffy's appearance, many people were very surprised! Because this was the first time they had seen a Devil Fruit; even Don Krieg was seeing it for the first time."Damn it! Waaaaah!"Hawkeye watched one saving a person and one attacking him."Are you the young swordsman's friends... you too... watch closely..."Facing Luffy's attack, Hawkeye dodged by stepping aside.Then, Luffy plunged headfirst into the deck."Rest assured! He is still alive!" Hawkeye calmly stated that Zoro was not dead.At the same time, Alex's voice came over: "Luffy, Zoro is not dead, just severely injured and unconscious. I have already treated him urgently, there is no problem!"Hearing Alex's words, tears flowed from the corners of Luffy's eyes.And Hawkeye stood on the deck and said to Zoro on the boat: "My name is Dracule Mihawk! It is not yet your time to die.Know yourself, know the world! Become stronger, Roronoa!In the years to come, I will wait for you on the throne of the world's greatest swordsman!Try to surpass this sword with the strength you have gained and your tenacious spirit!Try to surpass me, Roronoa!"By the end, Hawkeye was even shouting. It was evident that he had stayed on the throne of the world's greatest swordsman for too long, so long that no challenger dared to challenge him.
Chapter 49: AmbitionJohnny and Yosaku watched Zoro being healed, not daring to step forward to shake him, and could only call out to him from the side."Big Brother! Big Brother, answer us!"Zeff sighed, amazed that this kid could actually make Hawkeye say such things.In a good mood, Hawkeye looked at Luffy: "Kid, what is your goal?""Pirate King!""That is an incomparably difficult path, even harder than surpassing me."Hearing Luffy's dream, Hawkeye didn't mock him, but instead stated seriously that it was a very difficult path.Luffy just stuck out his tongue: "I don't care! I will definitely succeed in the future!"Then he looked at Alex on the boat: "Alex, Usopp, is Zoro okay?""He's fine. Alex has stopped the bleeding and is now repairing the wounds. As long as the wound repair is complete, there won't be any problems."Alex didn't answer; after all, the Mystical Palm Technique required precision, so he had to ask Usopp to tell Luffy that he was fine.At this moment, Hawkeye also saw a fair-skinned young man with green light emitting from his hands, which were placed on Zoro's body, and he could feel Zoro's life force slowly recovering.Seeing this, he sighed in his heart that it was quite interesting, but didn't pay much more attention.Zoro, having recovered enough, raised his sword."Hey! Zoro, don't move! The wounds haven't fully recovered yet, put your hand down..."Zoro didn't hear Alex's words and still raised the sword."Lu... Luffy... can... you... hear me?""I hear you!""I've made you uneasy... I... If I can't even become the world's greatest swordsman, it would make things difficult for you... I won't lose again! Until I defeat him and become the world's greatest swordsman, I absolutely... I won't lose again! Do you have any objections, Pirate King!"Luffy said with a grin: "No objections!"Seeing that Zoro had finished speaking, Alex first created a Shadow Clone to continue healing Zoro, then his main body approached Hawkeye.He knew he would die this time, and he knew the other party wouldn't hold back.But if he wanted to become the strongest, he had to go. Just as Zoro and Hawkeye had said, if he was afraid of death and tried to escape it, how could he ever become strong!Hawkeye saw all of this."Not a bad team. I look forward to... meeting you all again..."He said, walking toward his small boat."Wait a moment! Hawkeye!"Alex's voice stopped Hawkeye, who was about to leave.The other party turned back and saw Alex, who had activated his Byakugan and Sharingan.He didn't know if the other party had something to say, nor did he know what was up with those two pairs of eyes, but he recognized that look in his eyes."Alex, are you..."Luffy, seeing his expression, knew Alex was serious, so he didn't say anything else."Having seen my power, you still want to attack?"Hawkeye asked if Alex really wanted to challenge him.The other chefs and pirates began to discuss it."Even that Roronoa Zoro from the East Blue didn't challenge him, what gives that guy the right!""Hey! Handyman, call him back quickly, he's going to die!"Usopp, who was also next to Alex, whispered to him: "Hey, Alex, now is not the time to be headstrong, if you want to take re..."Zoro also looked at him, but before he could say anything, he was knocked unconscious by a clone nearby so he could rest."I know, but this is also my dream—to challenge countless masters and become the strongest!""You are in front of me now. Although I don't know how strong 'the strongest' is, I still want to see how big the gap is between me and the pinnacle of the world!"Luffy, who was nearby, also knew Alex's dream, so he didn't say anything, but instead walked to the broken part of the deck and sat down.Then Alex untied the scroll from his back and handed it to Luffy."My name is Alex, I'm a Ninja. Please treat me well!"Hearing "Ninja," Hawkeye said indifferently: "Are you from Wano Country?"Alex didn't understand and looked at the other party with confusion: "No, I'm not. I've never even heard of Wano Country."Seeing that the other party wasn't, Hawkeye had nothing more to say. He gripped his sword with one hand, slashed twice in succession, then sheathed his sword and sat on his boat."Since that's the case, let's see if you have the strength to take this move. If you dodge it, you won't be able to reach the pinnacle of the mountain, NinjaAlex!"Two pale blue flying slashes flew toward Alex.The speed of those two slashes was inexplicably slow, but they were exceptionally huge; each one was much larger than Don Krieg's ship.Seeing this scene, Alex muttered to himself: "Is this just a casual strike from someone at the pinnacle of power!"The pirates nearby saw this and shouted to dodge quickly, but unfortunately, there was nowhere for them to dodge.At the same time, many people were exclaiming, wondering what on earth this was, how it could be unleashed so casually—was it an unknown weapon, or some kind of special bomb?Zeff, however, was knowledgeable: "This is called a flying slash. I've only heard of it from certain swordsmen. It is said to be an attack released when they perceive a certain realm.""This kind of attack can cut through steel and destroy buildings. I'd only heard of it before, but now I've finally witnessed it.""It seems Don Krieg's pirate ship was cut in half by this kind of attack."The chefs were in no mood to listen to the owner talk about these things; they were struggling to turn the ship around and leave.Because they were directly in the path of these two slashes.Sanji stood by and watched quietly, the cigarette in his mouth having already burned out.Alex felt incredibly excited, and then he performed the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu.Countless Alex clones stood in front of the slashes. Hawkeye watched the scene before him, wondering what kind of Devil Fruit ability this was.Then, these clones began to perform a combined Ninjutsu, Water Release: Water Severing Wave.A massive high-pressure stream of water rushed toward the flying slashes. The two sides stalemated for less than a second before the Water Severing Wave was cut through, and the slashes continued to fly forward.Seeing that this move was useless, he used Big Ball Rasengan. Several massive Rasengans appeared in the hands of the Shadow Clones.They then collided with the incoming slashes; every time one died, another Shadow Clone would take its place.Just like that, after the sixtieth Shadow Cloneshattered, the first slash finally ended.By this time, the fatigue fed back from the Shadow Clones was already evident on Alex."Huff... huff... huff... As expected... the gap in strength is too vast."Watching the first slash being shattered, Luffy stood by, shocked and unable to speak. He knew Alex was strong, but he hadn't expected him to be this strong."That... that fair-skinned guy shattered Hawkeye's first attack!"Seeing that the first one didn't destroy him, Hawkeye became interested. Although they were just two casual slashes, being able to shatter one meant that this person's strength, not to mention in the East Blue, would be top-tier even on the Grand Line.It was a pity, though—what would he do about the second one?"Luffy, help me get a sword."Hearing Alex's words, Luffy stretched his arm, grabbed a sword from a random pirate, and threw it to Alex.Receiving the sword, Alex struck a pose—the exact same pose Hawkeye had just used."Could it be, he also wants to? No... that's impossible. Any ordinary swordsman who could reach this level has gone through long, arduous training; it's definitely not something one can learn just by looking at it twice..."Zeff could see that Alex was trying to imitate Hawkeye's technique.But a flying slash isn't something one can learn just by looking at the movements.It was true; although the Sharingan's enhancement allowed Alex to grasp the essentials, the flying slash he swung out was only ten centimeters wide and only flew a meter away.But next, Alex channeled Wind Release Chakra, focusing it on the weapon.Since he couldn't unleash a slash like the one from the other side, he would just learn someone else's move.Wind Release: Gale BladeAlex swung the long sword in his hand rapidly, and deep blue slashes flew out one after another.Others thought Alex had learned it, but only Hawkeye knew that this was the other party using that unknown ability."Boring trick..."This was Hawkeye's evaluation of the move.However, these slashes carried the cutting power of Wind Release Chakra, and other clones were helping Alex by releasing Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets from the side.This slash was finally dispersed three meters in front of Alex."Interesting boy." Seeing his attack dispersed, Hawkeye didn't say anything, just sailed away on his boat.At this moment, Alex collapsed on the deck, panting heavily, and the sword in his hand had shattered into powder.Fortunately, he had survived it, and he now knew exactly how big the gap was when facing the pinnacle.As the excitement faded, it was followed by exhaustion, fatigue, and a lack of energy; he just wanted to sleep until he died...These were Alex's thoughts at this moment; he was showing the combined effects of having his Chakrabottom out and the feedback from the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu being dispelled.Even more dangerous was that he had performed a nature transformation without systematically learning it, which resulted in most of the Chakrapathways in Alex's body being severed.Luffy, who was nearby, saw Alex lie down and went to his side. Seeing that there was no major danger, he felt relieved, then put the scroll into the restaurant and came back to his side.Hawkeye just sailed away from here like that.Yet, even after witnessing such a massive slash, there were still people who dared to provoke him."Hey! Hawkeye... aren't you here to take my head? Take the head of the overlord of the East Blue!"Hawkeye, who had already drifted some distance away, didn't speak. After all, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could converse with him. Besides, having seen an excellent swordsman and such an interesting thing, he was no longer in the mood to play with the guy.But Don Krieg's next move could only be described as courting death."Heh, not talking, are you? Then I'll teach you a lesson myself!"The pirates nearby heard Don Krieg's words and were all dumbfounded."Cap... Cap... Captain... why... why go out of your way to provoke him!"Then, Don Krieg opened the gun barrels in his armor and fired at Hawkeye.Alex formed hand seals, wanting to stop the firing, but Hawkeye was faster. A slash, even larger and faster than the previous ones, struck toward Don Krieg's direction.The powerful attack split the water and pushed Zoro and the others' small boat away, and Hawkeyerode the wave forward, leaving the scene.Seeing the small boat being pushed away by the giant wave, Luffy shouted to Usopp: "Usopp, go quickly!"Usopp understood Luffy's meaning: "...Understood! Zoro and I will definitely bring Nami back! You do your best, make sure to take good care of Alex, and you have to convince the chef to join us! Once we have six people! Then we'll go to the Grand Linetogether!"Luffy held his straw hat high and shouted: "Right! Let's go together!"Then, the small boat disappeared under the pounding of the giant waves.As for Don Krieg, he used three of his underlings as human shields and jumped to the side in advance, only then managing to dodge this fatal blow.Then he looked at Hawkeye: "Hmph... let him get away."If it weren't for Alex being severely injured and unable to get up and speak, he would definitely have awarded the title of 'Big Bragger' to the other guy, since he was just too good at bragging.
Chapter 50: The Invasion BeginsAlex was sent back to the restaurant ship by Luffy, and the chefs moved him to the back to recuperate.Sanji lit a cigarette again and looked ahead: "... You've finally arrived, you jinx."After dropping off Alex, Luffy leaned against the railing and asked Zeff: "Old man, if I chase those guys away, can you stop making me do chores?""... Suit yourself." Zeff hadn't expected the kid to be bargaining with him at a time like this.Don Krieg stood on the floating deck and said calmly."Alright, brothers... Although there was a small hiccup, it's nothing we can't handle!""It was just a broken ship we intended to discard anyway, and now it's a mess... That's all.""Take a good look, everyone, at the ridiculous shape of that ship.""With that ship, we won't have to fear the Grand Line anymore.""It's easier to approach enemy ships this way than by disguising ourselves as a Marine ship or a surrender ship.""We can launch surprise attacks and strike from the shadows."The pirates nearby nodded repeatedly after hearing Don Krieg's words: "So that's it... No one would expect pirates to be hiding on such a ridiculous ship.""Not to mention that in this era, there are plenty of pirates; reorganizing a fleet is too easy!"After Don Krieg finished speaking, another underling was scared out of his wits."But... but, Captain... if we go to the Grand Lineagain, what should we do if guys like Hawk-Eyesappear..."Before he could finish, Don Krieg raised his hand and shot him dead.Then he saw that some of the crew were also wavering."You useless bunch, are you still afraid of him?"The pirates nearby shook their heads quickly, saying no, and seeing everyone say that, Don Krieg's expression slowly improved.Then he prepared to tell them the truth."Do you really think someone can cut a large galleon in two alive, or unleash those incomprehensible attacks?"Hearing their captain ask this, many people were stunned; if it wasn't real, what could it be?"Nonsense! They must be Devil Fruit users!""Devil Fruit users, who are treated like legends by people... There should be plenty of them in the Grand Line!""That so-called Hawk-Eyes must have used some magical technique when cutting the ship, and that pretty boy was the same; didn't you see him use the same move as Hawk-Eyes later on!""And that kid with the straw hat; once these people enter the Grand Line, they'll be no different from ordinary pirates...""But Zeff... he sailed there continuously for a year... I'm sure this guy knows how to deal with those monsters!""And those methods must be recorded in the 'Logbook'!""Maybe it even has information on the great treasure 'ONE PIECE'!"If Zeff were here to hear Don Krieg's words, he might really kick him in the rear; he didn't even know he was that capable himself.But that group of pirates believed it, and they exclaimed one after another."... As expected of Captain Don Krieg!", "So that's it!", "As long as we have that ship and the 'Logbook', we have a chance to get the great treasure again!"Seeing his subordinates getting excited, Don Kriegdidn't delay any longer and waved his hand towards the ship opposite."Very good! Boys, go and seize the restaurant! Charge!"Seeing the enemy fired up, Luffy also sighed."Wow! They're full of fighting spirit and pumped up!""Oh right, old man, don't forget our agreement."Hearing Luffy's words, Zeff snorted: "I'm looking forward to it; if you stay in the shop for a year, our shop will be doomed."At this moment, Sanji remembered where those two boisterous guys had gone, and then he looked at a chef nearby and asked."By the way, where are Patty and Carne? Why don't I see them?"That chef also looked high-spirited: "They have already entered combat mode, full of fighting spirit!""With them here at a time like this, I'm relieved!"It seemed those two had taken their battle stations, so there was no need to worry."That's only useful at times like this.""By the way, go to the control room and open the fins."Hearing that the fins were to be opened, the chef didn't quite understand."Ah... is that okay? This will give the enemy a foothold on the sea!"Sanji's next words left him unable to refute."If we fight in the shop, the old geezer will nag non-stop."Zeff looked at Sanji's disgusted expression: "What did you just say, brat."Sanji didn't hold back and retorted directly: "I said you're very long-winded."Seeing the two about to start bickering again, the chef hurriedly said he would go, then ran towards the control room as if flying.The pirates shouted for the chefs to surrender the ship while jumping over from high altitude.Seeing this, Luffy said "I'm going," grabbed the railing, then pulled himself hard, "Gum-Gum... Rocket!"When he reached a certain distance, he released his arms and launched himself rapidly.The pirates saw Luffy flying over and shouted "Monster!"But Luffy didn't intend to let them go; he stretched his arms out to both sides: "Take this! Big Sickle!"The pirates coming from the air were all hit by Luffy's Big Sickle, and then they fell into the sea like dumplings.As for Luffy, he landed safely on a broken mast, so he didn't fall into the water."That was close!" Luffy, holding onto the mast, exclaimed.The chefs cheered "Well done, chore boy," while Sanji sighed: "Is the Grand Line full of guys like this?"Luffy held onto the mast tightly, then looked at Don Krieg standing to the side: "I'll take care of a guy like you who bites the hand that feeds!"Hearing Luffy's words, Don Krieg laughed: "Hahahaha! You specifically ran to the sea where there's no footing to fight?""Everyone knows that people with Devil Fruitpowers are most afraid of seawater.""Right, kid.""But, I can stretch at will!"Before Luffy and Don Krieg could say a few more words, they heard a sound from the side."Deploy! Baratie Naval Weapon! Mackerel Head One!""Get out of the way if you don't want to die!"It turned out the voice came from Patty and Carne.The two were pedaling hard on the fish head, and then the fish head began to separate from the ship's body.Seeing this, Luffy exclaimed it was cool—after all, this was transformation, a man's romance. If Alexwere here, he would definitely cheer, but he was currently lying in the cabin, and only Gin was by his side.Only, Gin seemed to have seen something surprising.On the other side, Don Krieg looked puzzled, wondering what this thing was.Those pirates shot down by Luffy were holding onto debris floating on the sea.They first saw that this was the bow of the restaurant, and the next scene shocked them.As the two paddled hard, causing the fish head to completely separate from the hull, a change occurred.The mouth opened completely, revealing three cannons inside.Patty and Carne were rowing while sitting diagonally above the cannon muzzle, providing power to this small boat through the wheels below.Then, under the combined efforts of the two, the entire body began to advance towards the pirates.The process of moving forward was a bit difficult, and the two had quite a few arguments over it."Hey, row harder!""You row harder too!""I'm already rowing!""You're controlling the outer wheel; if you don't row faster, we can't turn left!""I know, it's noisy, shut up! Bald idiot!""Waaaah! Full speed ahead!""Accelerate! Accelerate! Hurry up and accelerate!"After the two turned in the right direction, they began to accelerate, and the pirates standing on the floating board just watched quietly.They were only shocked when the fishing boat approached."Fire! Fire! Fire..."The three cannon muzzles began to fire shells, and a large number of cannonballs blew the pirates in front away.Screams resounded throughout the sea area.The chefs standing on the ship saw the two showing off their power and cheered one after another."Well done! Patty, Carne! Take them out!"At this time, a voice came from the control room: "The fins are deployed!"As the lever was pulled, a sound rang out.Don Krieg looked at the ship in the distance, not knowing what was going to happen this time.Two semicircular wooden platforms slowly rose from under the floating restaurant.Hearing that the fins were deployed, Sanji took a deep breath; it was finally time to start, so let's have a great battle, pirates!The pirates soaking in the water heard a sound from under the water and didn't know what was going on. As the sound ended, they saw the two semicircular platforms rise up.Sure enough, these two semicircular platforms were like the two fins of this fish-shaped floating restaurant.Luffy opened his mouth wide and exclaimed that it was interesting.Don Krieg thought: "So that's it... A battlefield opened up to avoid damaging the restaurant, right?""For us who want to seize the ship, this is also a good thing...""I want it more and more."The restaurant chefs quickly arrived on the platform and took their stances to face the pirates.When the first batch of pirates boarded the platform, they smiled at the chefs in front of them."What use can a chef have when facing pirates—"The chefs also held their respective weapons and looked at the pirates who had boarded: "Don't underestimate—the chefs of the sea!"Seeing the enthusiasm over there, Patty became even more excited."Wuhahahaha! Charge! Charge! Let the pirates taste the power of combat chefs!"Carne reminded his partner: "Hey, Patty! Stop looking around! Aim at the target quickly!"Hearing his partner's voice, Patty saw their target this time: Don Krieg."Alright, Don Krieg, prepare to die!""Let you witness the power of the Baratie's pride, the naval weapon!"Next came a large number of cannonballs fired towards Don Krieg.Smoke spread all around instantly. Seeing this scene, the two thought the opponent was definitely finished, so they sped up the rowing to collide with him."Become the soup base for the sea!"But soon they found they couldn't row anymore.It turned out that Don Krieg had stopped the ship with just one arm, and the previous cannonballs hadn't hurt him in the slightest. This scene was exactly the same as inside the restaurant.Don Krieg looked at the two surprised men and became somewhat dissatisfied."I am Captain Don Krieg.""The man who will conquer all the seas in the world!"Luffy, who was on the side, interjected that that should be him.But Don Krieg didn't pay much attention and continued to exert force with one arm. "I don't have time to play games with you here!"Then he threw this small combat boat back into the sky above the restaurant.
Chapter 51: Turtle Shell, PearlSeeing themselves thrown away along with a large ship, Patty and Carne were amazed by the man's immense strength.Only Sanji took a deep breath and said helplessly, "These guys are just all talk and no action!"Patty, flying through the air, worried if he might crash into the restaurant, but Sanji wouldn't allow that.He jumped into the air and gave a powerful kick with his left foot, sending that fish flying away.Even Don Krieg was surprised by this scene; after all, he was standing on driftwood, which gave him a place to leverage. But Sanji was kicking mid-air—what powerful leg technique.After doing all this, Sanji smiled at Don Krieg.The battle machine was kicked back into the water, and the splashing water soaked the battle platform."Such... such astonishing leg strength...""He kicked that monster ship back with a single kick!"The pirates were terrified when they saw this.However, seeing that excellent leg technique, Don Krieg thought of someone, so he looked at Zeff, his intention clear—he was wondering if Zeff had trained Sanji's leg technique.Luffy, on the other hand, felt that Sanji had good skills.Patty and Carne climbed out of the sea onto the battle platform and started cursing as soon as they saw Sanji."You damn bastard Sanji! Are you trying to kill your own people?!"Sanji calmly nodded, indicating that was correct.Hearing him say that, the two couldn't hold back: "Correct my foot! I'm burning with rage!""You almost lost two powerful comrades, you idiot!"Quite a few pirates on the side remarked: "Powerful combat strength? Even with weapons, a chef is just a chef. You guys should just obediently go back to land and find a kitchen to cook in!"It turned out they had knocked the other chefs in the restaurant to the ground; all the chefs were down, while not a single pirate had been injured."Don't think we're just ordinary pirates! We are the East Blue overlords, the Don Krieg Pirate Fleet!"Many of those who were lightly injured climbed up and lamented."Damn it... they're too strong... they're really different from the enemies we drove away before!"Hearing their colleagues say this, Patty and Carnewere displeased.The two pointed at everyone and said angrily: "How can you guys admit defeat so quickly! Are you still battle chefs like this?!"Hearing Patty and the other's words, the pirates over there laughed, then picked up their weapons and charged at the two."So what if you're battle chefs! Our main job is fighting!""Hand over the restaurant obediently!"Watching the enemies charging over, Patty casually picked up a weapon from beside a companion.Patty picked up a fork and began to recount his past."The two of us have been chefs for over a dozen years... we've worked in over three hundred restaurants! We were always fired for causing trouble, leading miserable lives!""We'll never find a restaurant as good as this one again!"Carne added from the side, holding a naginata."We searched and searched, and through many twists and turns, we finally came to this restaurant! Here, we can fight and cook as we please!""So, how could we hand over the restaurant to stinking pirates!"Facing the approaching pirates, the two used their leg strength to dash forward quickly. With powerful force combined with the impact, they defeated these pirates in just one move.The pirates behind, seeing the two's combat strength, couldn't help but wonder: "Mommy! Who are these guys?!"Hearing the question, the two answered while defeating other pirates: "This is the power of the sea chefs!"Just as Patty and the other were getting into the fight, a person climbed up from the sea water. He looked at the pirates who hadn't attacked yet and asked what they were doing.Seeing someone behind them, Patty and the other turned around and saw a strange existence.His fists were wrapped in round shields, as were his arms, and there was a huge round shield in front of his chest; even his knees had them. The whole person looked like a turtle.But the man was fast and strong, defeating Pattyand the other with just one collision.After defeating them, the man introduced himself: "Ha—hahahaha! I am Pearl, the Iron Wall! Invincible under the heavens."The minions still standing on the side shouted: "Mr. Pearl!"This person was the captain of the Second Division of the Don Krieg Pirate Fleet, known as Pearl, the Iron Wall.The chefs who could still stand looked at the fallen Patty and the other and asked if they were alright."Ha—haha! How could you be fine after being hit by my murderous fists? Because my fists contain pearl gifts!"Meanwhile, a minion on the side quietly approached Patty because he had his eye on the kitchen knife on Patty."Look, this guy actually has such a great kitchen knife! Hehehe, it's mine. This one looks much sharper than mine."It seemed this person was a chef from the Don KriegPirate Fleet.Just as this person was taking the kitchen knife from Patty's arms, Patty seemed to sense something. He suddenly grabbed the blade of the kitchen knife and gripped it tightly.The man panicked, pulling desperately on the handle, saying as he pulled: "Hmm? Ah... ah... ah, hey, let go! Take your hand off! Why don't you just die already!"As both sides pulled, blood began to seep from Patty's hand. Sanji stood on the side, watching.Then he kicked toward that minion. At this moment, the minion snatching the kitchen knife heard a sound and looked to the left.What he saw was a huge sole. It was Sanji's, and the minion was kicked flying by this kick, and the knife he was snatching also slipped from his hand.The minion knocked into two other people before finally stopping when he hit the shield in front of Pearl.Pearl felt the impact and didn't expect this kid's leg strength to be so strong.Afterward, Sanji elegantly caught the falling kitchen knife."A kitchen knife is a chef's soul. You damn amateurs shouldn't touch a chef's kitchen knife so casually."Unfortunately, that person could no longer hear him, because those three people had already been burned unconscious by touching Pearl's shield.Patty looked at Sanji, and Sanji casually handed the kitchen knife to him."Take it... hurry up and hold onto it while you die, I'll deal with those guys."Hearing Sanji's words, the remaining pirates were enraged."He actually said he'd deal with us!""He's just a chef, what makes him think he can take us out!"When their weapons attacked Sanji, they suddenly discovered that what remained in place was just an afterimage, and the real Sanji was no longer there.It turned out he had crouched down; at this moment, Sanji started a handstand and spun using his hands, then kicked those pirates away while spinning.After kicking the last pirate, Sanji stood on one leg and struck a pose."Just a chef? Careful, or I'll kick you all into the sea..."Seeing Sanji's performance, Pearl on the side actually praised him."Ha—hahaha! To think you defeated them all using only leg kicks. You really are a lazy guy... or is that just your habit?"Sanji retracted his raised leg and looked at the other calmly."Hands are a chef's lifeline; it wouldn't be good to injure my hands in a fight. So I will use these two feet to deal with you."Hearing Sanji's words, Pearl acted as if he had heard something hilarious."Deal with? How do you plan to deal with me? That's impossible! I am the Iron Wall man who has fought sixty-one battles in the past, remaining unscathed and undefeated. You only protected your hands, while I protect my whole body during battle. And in battle, I haven't even shed a single drop of blood... oh. Not a single drop."After finishing, Pearl looked at Sanji extremely smugly, the implication being that he was too strong, strong enough that no one could cause him any harm."Being unscathed is the proof of the strong! Mr. Pearl, the Iron Wall shield man of the Don KriegPirate Fleet, that's me!"Then he added extremely narcissistically: "I am a shield man, and also a handsome man."On the other side, Luffy had already started fighting Don Krieg, and Don Krieg was attacking Luffy with a meteor hammer.Luffy could only jump left and right on the wreckage to dodge the attacks. Afterward, he saw Pearl on the platform; that weird outfit attracted Luffy's attention."What's up with that guy?"Don Krieg took this opportunity to swing the meteor hammer at Luffy."Hey, straw hat kid. Looking around will get you hurt!"Then he suddenly broke the railing Luffy was holding onto; seeing nowhere to land, Luffy had to climb upward.But Don Krieg wouldn't show mercy; he continued to swing the meteor hammer, aiming at Luffy in the air."Go to hell!"The meteor hammer flew out, and with that powerful force, it shattered the mast, and along with it, sent Luffy flying away.On Sanji's side, he didn't really want to listen to him, so he raised his leg and delivered a blow."Stop blabbering over there. If you have the ability, defeat me without a scratch!"Unfortunately, this blow from Sanji was blocked by the shield at the other's elbow joint."I can even stand and face the cannons of a warship head-on! No attack can hurt me!"Before he finished speaking, Luffy, who had been knocked flying by Don Krieg, hit the back of his head squarely, landing a solid blow on him.Afterward, Luffy got up and brushed the dust off his body."Ah, that scared me. Good thing I didn't fall into the sea."Just as Luffy was lamenting that he hadn't fallen into the sea, a childish, immature voice came out."Hahaha, is this the Iron Wall? You're killing me, hahahaha!"Just when everyone was wondering where a child could be, they saw a white-haired, white-skinned little boy standing at the restaurant's entrance, with a scroll about his size beside him.Seeing this, many chefs thought it was a child that some guest hadn't taken with them.But Luffy stared fixedly at the other, and suddenly said, "Alex! Is that you?!""It's me, Luffy, can't you tell?!"Luffy came to Alex, looked at the child in front of him, and couldn't help but exclaim."Hmm, if it weren't for the scroll, I really wouldn't have been able to tell. But why are you like this? No! How did you become like this? Is there still a chance to recover in the future?"Hearing Luffy's words, Alex was a bit moved, and immediately indicated."It's okay, this is a natural change, there's no problem. Later, I just need to eat some high-nutrition food and I'll be able to recover."After speaking, Alex even made a ┗ ( ^ o ^ ) ┛ gesture to show that his body was perfectly fine.Unfortunately, this appearance was about the same as a child acting spoiled in Luffy's eyes.However, he believed that since Alex said it was fine, then it was fine.
Chapter 52: A Brand New BodyThen, Alex began to explain, though he couldn't guarantee that these people would understand.Because this was a bit too shocking to talk about, and as for why he had become like this, it all started from when he was sent back to the restaurant after dispersing Hawkeye's two slashes.It turned out that when he shattered the second slash, Alex's body was already failing; forcing the Wind Release Chakra nature transformation had long since severed all the meridians inside his body.If he couldn't be treated systematically, Alex would lose the ability to extract Chakra.So, Alex decided to treat a dead horse as if it were a living one; he first severed all the Chakra meridians in his body, regardless of their condition, and expelled them from his body.These Chakra meridians turned into blue mist and dissipated from his body, and then Alex began to reshape his own body.First, he extracted a large amount of body tissue and remodeled these tissues to form new Chakrameridians.This was the reason why Gin was so shocked when he saw it.After all, a teenager suddenly turning into a child—anyone would be surprised to see that.Perhaps the re-compression caused Alex's physical strength to increase once again.And the new Chakra meridians were tougher than before, so the amount of Chakra that could be refined at once was also greater.This was Alex's current situation."Oh, so that means you're stronger now, Alex!"This was Luffy's understanding. Alex nodded in agreement, then he walked up to Sanji."Do you need my help?""Hmph~ Kids should just stay put and not move around."Sanji rejected Alex's help; after all, he wanted to use his own strength to defeat these invaders.Although the other pirates were curious about why Alex had shrunk, they were more concerned about Pearl right now.At this moment, Pearl looked down at the blood on his hands. "Blood... I... I actually bled!... My iron arm has been broken; those guys are too dangerous!"Captain Don Krieg on the side suddenly felt that things were going south."Mr. Pearl! Are you okay!""It's just a nosebleed! I wasn't injured because of the battle!""Mr. Pearl, please calm down!"The pirates hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him, but unfortunately, Pearl couldn't hear a thing at this moment.Meanwhile, Luffy, having confirmed that Alex was fine and had safely revived, looked over at Pearl, picking his nose in confusion."What's wrong with that guy? He looks a bit weird... Is it because of the nosebleed..."Seeing that Pearl had really entered that state, Don Krieg hurriedly shouted from behind."Stop it, Pearl! It's just a nosebleed, don't panic! This isn't the jungle!"The chefs felt a wave of unease, as if something bad was about to happen.At this moment, Pearl couldn't hear anyone; he was like one of those cymbal-banging monkey toys.The two shields on his hands were like two cymbals, banging together as he shouted there."Life in danger! Life in danger!"Even though the pirates kept shouting for him to calm down, unfortunately, Pearl still didn't listen. On the third strike, flames began to burn from the shields on his body.Seeing this scene, the pirates who wanted to stop him also scattered away from him."Oh no! He's on fire! This is a bad habit he developed from growing up in the jungle!""Mr. Pearl, who grew up in the wild jungle, habitually catches fire whenever he feels his life is in danger!"A chef nearby, hearing the pirates' explanation, couldn't help but remark, "Is he trying to drive away wild beasts?"Pearl was still banging his shields, then he stopped and spread his arms and palms, revealing four round objects embedded inside."Don't come near me—Fire Pearl... Grand Finale!"Several streams of fire erupted from the pearls in his hands, burning towards Luffy.Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!A huge water dragon appeared from the sea surface and then lunged at Pearl.Pearl was drenched by this mass of water, and the impact also caused him significant damage.Seeing that he was injured again, Pearl became even more frantic, banging on his shields while shouting, "Don't come near me!" The flames ignited once again.The chefs nearby saw that if this continued, the restaurant would be burned down. Actually, this was exactly what Don Krieg was worried about; if the ship burned down, he wouldn't be able to take it over.But Pearl didn't care about that; right now, he just wanted to burn everything in front of him."Burn! Fire combined with the fire shields—this way, I am the super iron wall!"Sanji saw that the situation was a bit tricky, but since Luffy, being a Gum-Gum human, didn't have much resistance to fire, he was currently scurrying around because of the heat.The flames struck again, and it didn't take long for the current platform to be set ablaze.The pirates saw the burning platform and started cursing."Damn it! Creating a sea of fire in the middle of the ocean...""We have nowhere to retreat!""It's burning hot, I can't take it anymore!""Quick, get into the sea!"Hearing this, many pirates jumped into the water to escape the attack of the flames.Sanji was extremely angry at this moment because, thanks to that bastard, the flames were about to reach the restaurant.So he needed to finish him off quickly.Patty, who had recovered, saw Sanji's movements and knew he was going to fight that fire-man, so he wanted to hold him back to prevent him from doing something stupid."You idiot, you'll be burned to a crisp, you damn Sanji!"The chefs nearby hurriedly pulled Patty back, making him stay away from the flames as well.Facing such a guy who was literally on fire, Sanjiwas completely fearless; he approached quickly, then jumped up and began to teach him a lesson."Don't go starting fires wherever you want!"Then, with an overhead kick, he slammed hard onto Pearl's shield.This kick was powerful, and even Pearl felt a throbbing pain in his arms.Afterward, Sanji landed quickly and hurriedly swung his leg, relying on high-speed movement to extinguish the flames.This whole sequence left Patty stunned in place."That's... that's too reckless—is he trying to become a fire-man!"Pearl hadn't recovered from the shock yet, but feeling the pain in his arms, he finally realized that the opponent had actually attacked him."Wh... what! The Fire Pearl that even wild beasts can't get close to, you actually dare..."Sanji coolly took a puff of his cigarette and pointed at the opponent."Idiot, if you're afraid of fire, how can you be a chef?"This cool scene was too much for Pearl to watch; he swung his right hand and struck at Sanji."Da... damn it, what an infuriating guy! Take this: Fire Pearl Gift!"Unfortunately, his punch was too slow. Someone like Patty might have been hit, but he was facing Sanji, whose strength was far above Patty's.This attack was easily dodged by Sanji, and Sanjitook the opportunity to strike from the opponent's blind spot.A heel kick landed squarely on Pearl's face.The pirates staying in the seawater saw it clearly; Sanji had broken through Pearl's iron arm.Not only that, but he also kicked him quite a distance away, and they all exclaimed about what kind of background this chef had; he looked very dangerous.Pearl, getting up while clutching his face, felt the soreness in his nose and shouted."Ooh! Ooh... you bastard...! Dangerous! Too dangerous! Fire! I just need to make the Fire Pearls burn more fiercely!"Pearl fired five Fire Pearls from the shields on his back.These Fire Pearls shot towards the restaurant, obviously Pearl wanted to set this ship on fire.Sanji saw it."Whoa! You want to burn this place down! If the kitchen catches fire, I'll kick you flying!"Standing at the restaurant entrance was Chef Zeff; he watched the incoming Fire Pearls, quickly lifted his leg, and swept across.The sharp and rapid leg wind extinguished the flames on the pearls.Those pearls, as if they had no power, fell to the ground after touching the wall.Seeing this scene, Pearl exclaimed that it was impossible, but Zeff told him to calm down."Even missing a leg, I am more than capable of handling this kind of situation."Alex came over to pick one up to examine it, finding that these pearls were real and of decent quality, so he secretly took two and left the rest to Zeff."Old man, the pearls here are nice; keeping them can be considered compensation for the battle losses this time."Zeff looked at the pearls in Alex's hand and said nothing, just quickly stuffed these pearls into his clothes.The chefs praised the boss's prowess, being able to extinguish flames with just the wind from his leg.On the contrary, the pirates were amazed that Red-Leg Zeff, even after losing a leg, still retained that level of strength.Luffy shouted from the side that the old man was really amazing.Only Don Krieg, after seeing Pearl's unnecessary actions, finally made up his mind to eliminate this guy."That bastard Pearl is always doing unnecessary things. While the restaurant hasn't caught fire yet... I'll sink you guys and the restaurant into the sea!"Don Krieg swung his spiked ball, rotating to build up power, then smashed it violently onto the platform where Sanji and Pearl were.Pearl and Sanji looked up and saw the huge spiked ball in the air, thinking, "Oh no."Because the environment they were currently in was already surrounded by flames.Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique.Alex deliberately reduced the Chakra output, and a small water bomb exploded above Sanji's head.The water flowed out in all directions, extinguishing the flames completely.At this moment, Luffy also ran over from the side."Gum-Gum... Rocket!"This time, he bounced the opponent's spiked ball back, and the spiked ball smashed heavily onto the mast beside Don Krieg.This powerful force smashed the mast off at the root.The broken mast fell, smashing towards Luffy and the others. Seeing this, Luffy and Sanji hurriedly dove to the side.Unfortunately, Pearl didn't see what was happening behind him, and the mast smashed directly onto his head.This blow smashed his head into his chest, and he really looked like a turtle now.The pirates saw Pearl's appearance and shouted, "Mr. Pearl!" Unfortunately, he couldn't hear them anymore, and he collapsed to the side."What's the deal with this guy? He's just an idiot..."Sanji and Luffy looked at the collapsed Pearl and complained.On the side, Don Krieg looked at Pearl's appearance and snorted coldly."... All of you are useless! It seems I have to rely on myself...!"Don Krieg began to spin the spiked ball in his hand, looking like he wanted to use some sinister move
Chapter 53: Gin's GratitudeAt this moment, Gin's voice came from behind."Stop, Mr. Sanji. I don't want to kill you!"Looking closely, it was unclear when Gin had emerged; he was currently stepping on Zeff, with a pistol pointed at his head.Luffy and Sanji watched."Gin!" "Gin, you guy..."Then, Gin snapped Zeff's prosthetic leg in two."No matter how majestic or powerful he was in the past, now he's just a cook. It's too easy to kill him."Seeing Gin holding the broken piece of wood, Pattyshouted from the side."You bastard! How dare you break the boss's prosthetic leg!"Zeff lay on the ground, unmoving.Seeing this, Luffy rolled up his sleeves, ready to go over and punch Gin away."Let me teach that bastard a lesson!"But he was stopped by Sanji."Wait, let's hear what else he has to say first."Gin looked at Sanji calmly."You want to save him, right? Please, Sanji. Just leave this ship quietly!"The pirates, who were in the seawater, cheered upon seeing Gin appear."Great... After Mr. Pearl went crazy, I was worried about what to do. Now it seems the situation is in our control."However, facing this request, Sanji responded to Gin indifferently."Leave this ship? No way."Hearing Sanji's words, the chefs on the side shouted, "You... you idiot Sanji! Stop provoking him!"But Sanji seemed not to hear, looking at Zeff, who was being stepped on by Gin."Old geezer, how did you end up in such a sorry state? How are you going to answer to the combat chefs looking like this!"At this moment, the disheveled Zeff looked at Sanji, and even with a gun pointed at his head, he still bantered with Sanji."Hmph... A brat has no right to lecture me.""Who's a brat, you old geezer! Stop treating me like a kid!"Seeing Sanji still arguing with the boss, the chefs could only fret on the side."That bastard Sanji, even at a time like this...""He isn't planning on just watching him die, is he!"But no one expected that Sanji, who was bickering with Zeff just a moment ago, would now say:"Gin, point the... pistol at me."Luffy quickly warned, "Are you an idiot! You'll die!"Sanji didn't hide anything; after all, Luffy was right.Zeff looked up at Sanji, and even those chefs were saying this plan was too crazy.Gin was equally shocked as to why Sanji would do this."Since you want to die so badly... I'll grant your wish and let you die in a mist of silver."It turned out that Pearl had stood up. To be able to stand up after taking such heavy damage, it seemed this guy named Pearl might really be as tough as a turtle.Pearl stood up, not understanding what had happened, and just went on bragging to himself."I never dreamed that I, Iron Pearl, would have a nosebleed twice on the same battlefield. These people are too dangerous. And you, if you don't want the boss's head to be blown off, don't move."But the farce ended here."Alright, I've heard enough touching stories. I don't want to watch the tragedy that follows; this farce should end here. Also, you can't move anymore, right, Gin!"It turned out to be Alex's voice coming from behind Gin.Gin just wanted to turn his head, only to find that his head couldn't move. It wasn't just his head; no part of his body could move.The current scene showed Pearl looking at Sanji, while Luffy and Sanji looked at Gin. Gin was stepping on Zeff's body with a pistol pointed at his head, and finally, Alex was standing behind Gin, their shadows intertwined."Ninjutsu: Shadow Possession Jutsu!""Alex! Did you control Gin?""Yeah, so Sanji, fight to your heart's content!"Sanji couldn't believe that someone could really control an opponent.But after seeing that large foot stepping on Zeffslowly move away, Sanji believed him."Don't think you can defeat me just like that, I am Iron Pearl!"Pearl continued to wave his shield-gauntlets, but unfortunately, this time, Sanji's angry kick was something no one could withstand."Thanks!"After Sanji said thanks, he delivered a powerful kick to Pearl's shield, and that heavy, forceful kick shattered the shield directly."Pfft~ Ah!" Pearl spat out blood and collapsed to the ground. It looked like he wouldn't be waking up this time.On Luffy's side, seeing Uncle Zeff rescued, he punched Gin and sent him flying.Fortunately, Alex released the Shadow Possession Jutsu quickly; otherwise, he would have been knocked away too.Gin flew to Don Krieg's side, turned, and landed easily. It looked like that punch hadn't caused him any damage."Sorry, Captain..."Don Krieg looked at Gin without saying anything. Then, Gin took out his weapon from behind his back; it was a pair of tonfas, but at the tip of the tonfas was an iron ball.Then, Gin came to stand before Luffy and Sanjicalmly."Captain, he is our savior... Please let me kill him myself!"Luffy also saw that the opponent was an expert. Alex came to Sanji's side, wanting to play with this guy, but was stopped by Sanji."This is my fight. I just thanked you for saving the old geezer, but this time, let me handle him."Don Krieg heard that Gin wanted to deal with the opponent personally and thought he had gone crazy."Are you crazy, Gin... You are the Combat Commander of the pirate fleet."Gin nodded, acknowledging Don Krieg's words, and then he looked at Sanji."Sanji, I had hoped you could get off the ship safely, but it seems that won't work.""Yeah, it won't!"Hearing Sanji's words, Gin also changed his expression."Since that's the case, let me kill you with my own hands... This is my creed."Sanji leisurely lit a cigarette, took a puff, and exhaled smoke."Thanks, you bastard."Gin didn't pay much attention to Sanji, instead turning to look at Luffy."And you, straw-hat guy, although your companion is very strong, he is obviously no match for our Captain. It would have been better if you had left with your friends."Hearing Gin's words, Luffy was confused."Huh? It's fine, I won't lose to you losers anyway."Hearing Luffy's words, those pirates in the seawater became angry."Th-th-those guys actually called our Commander a loser! We are the strongest Don Krieg pirate fleet in the East Blue!"Luffy, without giving them any face, said, "Just because you have more people?"It broke them directly!Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke and said to Luffy."Hey, hey, you've angered them."Seeing the pirates' reaction, Luffy said, "As expected," once again striking at their hearts.The chefs watched the broken pirates and started screaming."You idiot chore boy, why go out of your way to provoke them!""The opponent is Captain Don Krieg... Their strength is no joke!"Even Patty was shouting "Idiot!" at Luffy.The pirates climbed out of the sea, and holding their weapons, they charged at Luffy and Sanji one by one."These guys, let us... handle them!""You guys should just quietly exit the stage! Water Release: Water Prison Jutsu!"It was that same youthful voice, and a sphere of water, far larger than the previous one, appeared above the pirates.Then, this large water sphere bound all these pirate minions.Fortunately, Alex was kind-hearted; the water sphere inside was hollow, allowing them to breathe air.But to ensure they wouldn't escape, Alex still released a Lightning Release technique, paralyzing them with electricity.Seeing the sudden strange technique, Don Kriegswallowed back what he wanted to say."Hmph... That brat was right. You are indeed weak, because as soon as you hear someone call you weak, you panic... That's equivalent to admitting you're weak! Whether one is strong or weak is only determined by the results. I'm here, so stop making a fuss. But don't get cocky, kid; your Devil Fruit ability has its limits, right! I'll save you guys in a moment."Alex wouldn't tell the opponent that he wasn't a Devil Fruit user; after all, he wasn't one of them, so why tell him?Of course, the pirates trapped in the water heard their boss's words.Although they were trapped in the water sphere and their words couldn't come out, one could tell from their eyes that they really respected Don Krieg.Even the chefs began to admire Don Krieg."Wh-what amazing leadership. A fleet Captain with fifty ships, he really lives up to his reputation."After watching Alex, Don Krieg turned his head to look at Luffy."Hey, straw-hat kid. Who do you think will become the Pirate King, you or me..."Luffy didn't even think and answered directly that it was him."You should hold back a little.""Why?"Luffy didn't understand why Sanji told him to hold back. Sanji understood that although the Don Kriegopposite them sounded reasonable, this question was enough to make him fly into a rage.As expected by Sanji, Don Krieg was already so angry that veins appeared on his forehead.But then, as if he had thought of something, he let out a long sigh."Alright, brothers, are you ready?" Saying this, Don Krieg took off the shoulder shield from his left shoulder."I'm going to show that dreaming kid... what true strength is!"Seeing this scene, the pirates trapped in the water prison panicked.They shouted "MH5".The sound was so loud that this name was heard by those outside.Gin, seeing Don Krieg's action, also immediately shouted."How could this be... Please wait! Captain Don Krieg!"On the other hand, Luffy and the chefs were confused by this."What is it?""I heard it's called something like MH5, probably some kind of bomb.""If it's a bomb, I can bounce it back."Hearing Alex say it was some kind of bomb, Luffybluntly said he could reflect it back directly.Gin was still trying to persuade him there."Please, let me be the one to deal with this man..."Unfortunately, Don Krieg had made up his mind."Who kills him, isn't it all the same? And Gin, I hate your naive loyalty and righteousness the most. Haven't I told you many times? Listen, a battle is a battle! It's a battle with the goal of winning. As long as you win, it's fine, even if it's like this... So using a poison gas bomb is also fine!"As he said this, the front of the shoulder armor, the skull representing Don Krieg's emblem, opened its mouth.