Because Luffy and Krieg's battle ended too quickly, after Sanji and Gin exchanged a few blows, they saw Krieg fly off the massive ship.
Seeing this, Gin immediately put some distance between himself and Sanji, then jumped into the sea to save his captain.
The pirates' battle to seize Baratie seemed to have ended just like that.
Sanji pressed one hand against the chest Gin had struck earlier and walked step by step toward "Red-Leg" Zephyr.
"Old man, we won?"
Zephyr had intended to answer yes, but something suddenly struck him as strange. He furrowed his brow and began to think.
At present, the Krieg Pirates had only Gin left as a fighting force.
But Gin appeared to have completely lost his will to fight.
Even if Gin still wanted to fight, against such an overwhelmingly superior side, it would be like an egg smashing against a rock, a little buffalo trying to rape an African elephant, or Sanji pursuing Empress—utterly overestimating himself.
Then why had Can Yue upstairs, Luffy, and Zoro in front not relaxed in the slightest?
Something was definitely wrong.
When Nami and Usopp saw that the battle was over, they both let out long sighs of relief. Thankfully, the fight had not involved them.
Usopp put his hands on his hips, raised his head high, and proudly shouted at everyone.
"Luffy, Zoro, Chouchou, well done! The only regret is that you didn't get to see the two of us in action."
"Exactly!"
Nami also wore a confident expression. She slung her staff over her shoulder and chimed in.
The moment Sanji, standing beside Zephyr, heard Nami's voice, he immediately ran over to fawn over her.
"With me here, I would never let a beautiful lady like you dirty her hands on that trash!"
Can Yue and Luffy stood on the rooftop, their expressions focused as they ignored the two below bragging.
Zoro was the same. His entire body was taut, his eyes fixed firmly ahead.
Aside from Sanji, no one paid attention to the cowardly duo, making the atmosphere increasingly awkward.
For some reason, the only sounds left were the sea wind striking the wooden boards and fluttering the flags.
Seeing this, Sanji grew furious that these people dared to ignore his goddess.
He suddenly roared, "You dare ignore Miss Nami? That guy called Zoro, you must pay the price!"
Yet Zoro did not argue. He stood straight, focused and calm, and said to Sanji, "Shut up!"
Veins bulged on Sanji's forehead. "What did you sa—"
Before he could finish, two sharp clangs rang out.
After the crisp sound of swords being swung came the collapse of the Krieg Pirates' enormous flagship.
The huge ship was sliced into several pieces. The fragments crashing into the sea raised towering waves, making the Baratie restaurant sway violently.
Fortunately, Johnny and Joseph had already sailed the Merry far away. Otherwise, it would probably have sunk on the spot.
Amid the surging waves, Zoro's previously calm body began to stir with uncontrollable excitement. His heartbeat accelerated faster and faster.
Suppressing his faintly trembling muscles, Zoro slowly tied on his bandana, gripped his sword hilts with both hands, and revealed intense fighting spirit in his eyes.
Seeing Zoro lose control somewhat, Can Yue softly said, "Zoro, stay calm!"
Though Can Yue's voice was quiet and he was far from Zoro, the words still reached Zoro's ears clearly.
Hearing this, Zoro nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and practiced the breathing method Can Yue had taught him. His heartbeat gradually returned to normal, leaving only his fighting spirit behind.
The sea calmed again, leaving enormous wreckage floating on its surface, inexplicably forming an even larger battlefield.
When the still-conscious pirates of the Krieg Pirates saw this sight, cold sweat immediately broke out across their bodies, and even the parts of them hidden beneath the water began to tremble.
"N-No, no, no way! That guy followed us to the East Blue?"
"With such terrifying sword slashes, I can't think of anyone else but him."
"Look, that little boat, that massive sword—it's him."
"It's over. A hungry wolf in front and a fierce tiger behind us. The Krieg Pirates are completely finished today."
In despair, the pirate fodder watched the little boat draw closer and closer, overwhelmed by the sensation of suffocation and impending death.
Until one pirate could no longer contain his fear. As he swam toward the Baratie platform, he cried out as though weeping.
"It's Hawk Eyes! The man who effortlessly wiped out our pirate crew is here! Help!"
"Red-Leg" Zephyr instantly understood when he saw this.
From the very beginning, Can Yue, Luffy, Zoro, and the others had not been targeting the Krieg Pirates.
In their eyes, there was only the man before them.
One of the Shichibukai, the World's Greatest Swordsman—Hawk Eyes.
But why were they certain they would fight? He had never heard of these people having any connection with each other.
The Straw Hat Crew was a newly formed pirate crew, and its members were all locals of the East Blue. They had absolutely nothing to do with Hawk Eyes.
Zephyr could not understand it, but as Baratie's owner, he had to greet this man known as Hawk Eyes first.
"Why would you, the World's Greatest Swordsman, come to a small place like our East Blue?"
Hawk Eyes glanced at Zephyr for a second before turning his gaze toward Zoro and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates.
A moment later, he stepped off his little boat and stood atop the floating wreckage of the massive ship, answering simply, "Because I was bored."
Krieg, who had just been rescued by Gin and had regained consciousness, heard Hawk Eyes's words and angrily asked, "Then why did you chase us down?"
"Also because I was bored. I was looking for something to do."
Krieg was already severely wounded. Now, upon hearing Hawk Eyes's answer and realizing that his five-thousand-man pirate crew had been nothing more than a toy for Hawk Eyes to pass the time, his blood surged in fury and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Veins burst across the enraged Krieg's forehead. He shoved Gin aside and charged straight at Hawk Eyes.
"I won't lose! I'm the strongest! You have no right to look down on me!"
Hawk Eyes frowned. "Step back. I am no longer interested in you."
But Krieg, having lost his reason from excessive provocation, could not hear Hawk Eyes's final warning at all. He still intended to fight Hawk Eyes to the death.
"Foolish man. You seek death," Hawk Eyes said, drawing the small blade from his chest with one hand, ready to end Krieg's life.
At that moment, a green figure flashed past the dazed Krieg as he neared Hawk Eyes.
With a flash of his two swords, Zoro slashed Krieg's legs, sending him face-first onto the ground. Then he turned his blades and struck the back of Krieg's head with the flats, knocking him unconscious.
Gin immediately ran over as well, carrying Krieg away from the battlefield.
Having seen Zoro's reaction just now, Hawk Eyes commented, "Not bad."
Zoro replied as calmly as he could, "He is unworthy of crossing blades with you. The one who can challenge you is me."
With that, Zoro clenched Wado Ichimonji between his teeth.
"Three Sword Style Swordsman, Roronoa Zoro, reporting!"
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