Krieg knelt on both knees, bowing his head low, his voice sincere.
"Please, give me food."
As the former second overlord of the East Blue, combined with his cruel, bloody, and treacherous ways,
Krieg was seen by countless East Blue residents as a terrifying demon capable of making children cry at night.
Yet today, he was actually kneeling on the ground and begging for food?
The stark contrast left everyone present deeply confused.
"A pirate fleet with fifty ships and a full five thousand men—what could have happened to leave them like this?"
"That's the terrifying Krieg. He looks like nothing more than a beggar now."
"But the rumors say he would give up anything to achieve his goals. If the Baratie chefs save him now, won't he bite the hand that feeds him later?"
"Probably not. Even the worst people should understand the kindness of being saved."
"You're too naive. Back then, he killed the superior who promoted him just to achieve his goal. There were plenty of things like that."
The chefs also fell into discussion.
"Let him die here. It'll be doing the people a favor."
"Agreed."
But an unexpected turn came quickly. Sanji brought the finished meal over to Krieg.
Krieg immediately wolfed it down.
The chefs all criticized Sanji's inappropriate actions, but their criticism was useless against him.
His convictions as a chef were so strong that they bordered on obsession.
Just as Krieg finished eating and recovered his strength, he made his move.
He sent Sanji flying with one punch, then threatened the chefs, ordering them to immediately prepare food for one hundred people and demanding the Baratie for himself.
Treacherous, vicious, ungrateful—he was exactly as everyone remembered him.
Can Yue, Luffy, Zoro, and the others were still eating nearby. Seeing this, they began discussing it as well.
Usopp spoke first, but his voice was pitifully quiet. "That ungrateful bastard is unbearable. You three, hurry up and take him out."
Luffy remained silent, seeming to want to keep watching.
Seeing Luffy like this, no one said anything else.
But Can Yue's attention had already shifted two kilometers away.
Through Observation Haki, Can Yue sensed an incredibly powerful presence hovering over the sea two kilometers away.
As expected, Hawk Eyes had arrived!
He hasn't moved at all. He doesn't look like he's chasing Krieg. Is Hawk Eyes watching the show?
After being sent flying, Sanji did not retaliate. Instead, he lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and immediately spoke.
"Prepare food for one hundred people."
The moment he said that, Paddy, Carnage, and many other chefs immediately opposed him. Yet Sanji refused to back down and shouted angrily.
"Isn't feeding hungry people what we chefs are supposed to do?"
Paddy and Carnage shouted even louder. "Sanji, you're too naive."
Just as the argument reached an impasse, head chef Zephyr appeared and approved of Sanji's decision.
The chefs had no choice but to comply.
Krieg recognized Zephyr as the great pirate who had entered the Grand Line for a year, "Red Leg" Zephyr. At first, Zephyr's calm and steady aura intimidated him.
But Krieg soon noticed that Red Leg Zephyr had lost a leg, which meant he had no fighting strength.
Krieg's expression immediately turned as savage as a Hungry Wolf's.
"Once the food is set down, everyone gets out of the restaurant. This ship belongs to me now."
"Anyone still inside the restaurant in half an hour will be an enemy of my Krieg Pirate Fleet!"
With that, Krieg turned and headed toward his own ship.
Gin had tried to persuade Krieg earlier, but he had been flatly refused. Now, he could only follow at Krieg's side.
Before ten minutes had passed, all the diners had been helped by the chefs onto either their own ships or Baratie's lifeboats, sailing away into the distance.
But not a single chef left. All of them looked ready to die, each gripping a weapon and preparing to live or die with the restaurant.
At that moment, Sanji and the others saw that Can Yue, Luffy, and the rest were still sitting nearby, calmly eating as though they did not care at all.
"Hey, you dishwashers, why haven't you left? Are you planning to meddle in our business?" Sanji knew Can Yue and the others were likely not afraid of the Krieg Pirates. But this battle had nothing to do with them.
One corner of Zoro's mouth curled upward as he replied disdainfully, "Whether we meddle in your business is up to the captain. I'm just waiting for someone here."
Luffy adjusted his hat and chuckled. "I'm a Baratie waiter right now."
The moment Luffy finished speaking, the Straw Hat Crew understood what he meant.
Can Yue did not voice an opinion. No one knew what expression lay beneath his black-and-white striped mask. After a moment, he spoke.
"You'd better leave the Krieg Pirates to us and get this ship moving as soon as possible. Otherwise, you'll definitely get caught in the aftermath."
The chefs howled in protest one after another, saying that the restaurant was what they had to protect.
Can Yue had said all he needed to say and did not speak further.
Sanji and Zephyr said they did not want Luffy to step in.
In the end, they could not overcome Luffy's determination. They said that if they could not hold the line, Luffy and the others could act, but once this was over, his debt repayment through labor would be finished.
"Hehehe, then leave it to us." Luffy said, adjusting his straw hat.
Time passed bit by bit, and Luffy, Zoro, and Nami all fell into thought.
They suddenly recalled what Can Yue had said.
"Get the ship moving, or you'll definitely get caught in the aftermath? Can Yue, why did you say that?"
Zoro's gaze shifted from the distance to Can Yue as he asked.
Can Yue answered simply, "You'll know when the time comes."
When fighting, if one side absolutely crushed the other in strength, it was basically impossible for the battle to affect the surroundings unless the stronger side deliberately caused destruction.
If a battle affected the surrounding area, there were generally two main reasons.
The first was that both sides were evenly matched and would not care about collateral damage in their pursuit of victory.
The second was that although there was a difference in strength, both sides were far too powerful for the people around them.
But how could the Krieg Pirates possibly be comparable to, or stronger than, the Straw Hat Crew's current fighting strength?
Chouchou alone would be enough to deal with the Krieg Pirates. Not to mention Luffy and Zoro, whose reactions and attack power had both improved greatly after training.
Can Yue's attention remained fixed on Hawk Eyes from beginning to end. Krieg had never been part of Can Yue's considerations.
Although Zoro would be the one fighting Hawk Eyes, Can Yue was one hundred percent certain that once Zoro lost, he would definitely step in.
Since joining the Straw Hat Crew, Can Yue had come to truly acknowledge Luffy and Zoro as his companions.
He would not stop Zoro from taking a life-or-death challenge, but he had to strike back, even if he might not be able to win.
If his own people were bullied and he did not retaliate, then he would not be Can Yue, whose compatibility with Sesshomaru was so high.
And the Sea Restaurant being caught in the aftermath naturally referred to Can Yue's battle against Hawk Eyes.
Half an hour was nearly up.
Zoro had already begun adjusting his combat mindset. He decided to use the Krieg Pirates as a warm-up before Hawk Eyes arrived.
Luffy watched the large ship where Krieg was with an excited expression.
But moments later, Luffy suddenly remembered what Can Yue had said. He looked at the two Pirate Hunters. "Johnny, Joseph, take the Merry far away."
Nami and Usopp said they wanted to go too, but Can Yue refused.
"You've trained for so long. It's time for real combat."
The two best friends could only lower their heads and sit stiffly at the restaurant entrance, waiting for the battle to begin.
Can Yue suddenly stood up and instructed everyone, "Luffy, I'll leave this place to you. I have something to do."
Luffy nodded. "No problem. We can handle it."
With that, Can Yue headed toward the top floor of the Baratie.
The fighting intent around him rose higher and higher with every step.
Before you continue