"This place has been commandeered by Don Krieg! Everyone except the chefs, get the hell out!"
A brazen voice came from outside.
"Tch. The troublesome bastard is here."
The corner of Zeff's eye twitched.
The moment he heard the name, he knew exactly who it was.
The East Blue wasn't that big.
There were only so many pirates with any real reputation.
And Krieg, the man who claimed to be the ruler of the East Blue, was certainly famous.
That was exactly why pirates were so obsessed with making a name for themselves.
Once you went somewhere and announced your name, everyone instantly knew who you were.
That sense of accomplishment alone was enough to send dopamine flooding through your brain.
Sanji took a deep drag from his cigarette, tossed the butt onto the floor, and crushed it beneath his shoe.
"What a rude customer. Looks like he needs to be taught some manners."
"This has nothing to do with you," Zeff said.
"Hah? Of course it has something to do with me!" Sanji immediately shot back.
The two looked like they were about to start arguing again.
"Come on, come on. I still don't know exactly what's happening, but Sanji's problems are my problems now. We're crewmates, aren't we?"
Luffy grinned and stepped between them.
"Straw Hat brat, this is my restaurant! It's not a chore boy's place to interfere!"
Zeff didn't even turn around.
"Get lost, you damn rubber bastard! My restaurant doesn't need you sticking your nose into its business!"
The two were equally stubborn.
At that moment, Luffy sensed two somewhat powerful presences flash by outside.
Huh?
That almost instinctive awareness, like the senses of a hunter, surprised him slightly.
【It is now time for 【Studying Navigation with Nami】. Proceed immediately.】
【Warning: Execute immediately. Punishment increasing: Five Million Volts!】
Crackle!
Sanji and Zeff were still arguing when a burst of electricity suddenly erupted from Luffy's body and instantly made both of them shut up.
What the hell is that?!
Both men's hearts tightened.
They were suddenly starting to wonder whether Luffy might actually be a spy sent by Krieg.
Why the hell are you shocking us?!
Inside the restaurant, both the chefs and the chore boys had picked up weapons.
Their weapons looked rather shabby.
The best among them were nothing more than clubs.
Luffy's gaze swept across the group of pirates, lingering briefly on Krieg and the rather battered-looking man beside him.
Something stirred faintly in his mind.
The presence coming from these two felt a little different.
It wasn't ordinary like Usopp or Johnny.
There was a vicious edge to them, something forged through countless bloody battles.
It felt more like the instinctive intuition he'd experienced in battle before, allowing him to sense how strong an enemy was.
A hunter's instinct.
Except that instinct seemed to have grown considerably stronger.
The inside of the restaurant was already a complete mess.
The chefs stood ready as though facing a powerful enemy.
Even though only one enemy stood before them, his name alone was enough to make them incredibly tense.
The customers had long since fled in terror, while those who hadn't escaped were hiding in corners and trembling.
"I already told you not to resist me! When I tell you to make food, you shut up and make it!"
Krieg was unbearably arrogant.
"There's enough food here for a hundred people. Take it and bring it back to your ship."
Zeff's sudden appearance made Krieg freeze for a moment.
"Red-Leg Zeff? Never thought I'd run into an old acquaintance in a dump like this."
Krieg's expression shifted slightly.
Before he'd become the ruler of the East Blue, Zeff's reputation had been anything but insignificant.
"Enough nonsense. Hand over your Grand Line logbook! The records containing the Grand Line's weather, currents, and islands! With that, I can return to the Grand Line..."
Return?
"This old man went to the Grand Line too?"
Luffy immediately became interested.
The East Blue was only the starting point.
When Luffy was a child, most of the pirate stories he'd heard from Shanks and the others had taken place in the Grand Line.
"You're a pirate too?"
Krieg finally noticed Luffy.
"Of course. Did you just come back from the Grand Line?"
"Heh. The Grand Line isn't somewhere weak little monkeys like you, or pirates who don't even understand fear, can survive."
Krieg seemed to remember something, and his eyes turned bloodshot.
"If a failure like you could go there, why wouldn't someone who keeps chasing his dream want to go?"
"Failure?"
Zeff tore open Krieg's wound without the slightest mercy, and Krieg's expression instantly collapsed.
Krieg didn't stay any longer.
He intended to feed his crew first, then return to seize this ship and the logbook.
"Y-You should leave."
Gin's expression was filled with pain.
He couldn't even bring himself to look Sanji in the eye.
There were pirates who still possessed a sense of honor!
This man clearly wasn't like his captain.
He'd been saved by someone else's meal, yet now he was repaying that kindness with betrayal.
"Don Krieg won't give up on taking this ship. He intends to return to the Grand Line and take revenge."
"What happened to you guys in the Grand Line?"
"Our entire fleet was destroyed by one man."
One man?
Fifty ships.
Five thousand men.
What kind of scale was that?
By now, even Luffy understood what those numbers meant.
And according to Gin, that man had destroyed Krieg's fleet with a single slash.
"That man called Hawkeye!"
"Hawkeye?!"
The name filled Zoro with wild excitement.
Another lead on that man.
"Shishishi! Zoro, is he your opponent?" Luffy asked.
"Of course. Don't you dare steal this one from me."
A feverish expression appeared on Zoro's face.
Did these two even understand who they were talking about?
Seeing their eager expressions, Gin became both anxious and furious.