A powerful Sword Intent erupted from Hawk Eyes's body, shedding all the force bearing down on him.
Sword Slashes ran rampant, taking tangible form as they carved countless marks into the ground.
He was truly enraged.
Even when facing Yonko Shanks, he had never felt the slightest fear.
To be reduced to such a sorry state by some unknown brat—if word got out, he would lose all face.
It was even more humiliating than Krieg seeing him use Black Blade Night to row a boat.
He had to reclaim his dignity.
"Getting angry out of embarrassment?! Just what I wanted!"
Reno's Fighting Spirit surged even higher. He had not had his fill of fighting yet.
Having gained so many powerful abilities in such a short time, he could only truly integrate them through constant battle.
"Hahahaha, Hawk Eyes, taste the power of Infinite Slashes!!"
Reno laughed loudly as he unleashed another killing move.
Continuously using Teleportation while wielding swordsmanship consumed a great deal of stamina.
But paired with the Healing Fruit—
All side effects were effortlessly resolved.
What followed was—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The ceaseless ringing of clashing metal resounded throughout the night sky.
Hawk Eyes's expression grew increasingly grim as he endured Reno's dense barrage of slashes, like a violent storm.
They came without pause, one after another.
The moment he caught Reno's position, his Observation Haki warned him of danger somewhere else in the next instant.
How the hell was he supposed to fight this?!!
Hawk Eyes went all out. Sword Slashes ravaged the surrounding area, while Black Blade Night left afterimages as it swung, destroying most of the incoming attacks.
Yet a small portion still struck his Haki Armor.
Sparks flew all over his body.
Anyone unaware of the situation would have thought they were forging iron.
A sharp-eyed guest recognized Hawk Eyes and froze on the spot. "Th-that person is Hawk Eyes?!"
Wasn't Hawk Eyes the World's Greatest Swordsman?!
How could Reno beat him so badly that he had no ability to fight back?!
Was this the true worth of a pirate with a 30 million Belly bounty?!
The guests hiding at the restaurant entrance to watch the spectacle were all dumbfounded.
Inside the restaurant, Kaya rested her cheeks in her hands, her eyes sparkling with little stars.
"Brother Reno is incredible. No matter where he goes, he always becomes the center of attention."
"Exactly. Even the World's Greatest Swordsman can't overshadow our captain's brilliance." Makino proudly chimed in, her gaze gradually turning dreamy.
She felt increasingly fortunate that she had followed Reno out of Foosha Village, allowing her to witness such a vast world and the bearing of the World's Greatest Swordsman.
Nami was equally astonished by Reno's strength, but she was not especially interested in the battle between the two men.
Suddenly struck by an idea, the bored Nami gave the other women a sly smile. "Do you think we should give Reno a hand?"
The women were confused and looked at Nami questioningly.
Nami tilted her chin toward the entrance. "Didn't Reno want that beautiful chef to join the crew? While he's still fighting, we'll help him bring her in."
Nojiko froze and instinctively asked, "Nami, is that really okay?!"
"What's not okay about it? Any woman Reno sets his eyes on ends up the same anyway." As Nami spoke, she thought of herself.
Kaya, Nojiko, and Makino all blushed for no apparent reason.
"But how are we supposed to do that?!" Kaya changed the subject.
As a proper young lady, she knew absolutely nothing about this sort of thing.
Nami rubbed her chin, carefully recalling all the methods Reno had used to win the women over.
She had been tempted by benefits.
Makino had been intimidated.
Kaya had joined out of gratitude.
Her sister Nojiko had come around because of her encouragement.
Nami immediately ruled out tempting her with benefits.
All the money on the ship belonged to her. No one was getting their hands on it.
The latter two methods would not work either, so that only left—
Smack! Nami slammed her fist into her palm. "Intimidation. We'll intimidate her!"
"Huh?!" Makino looked troubled. "Nami, isn't that a little inappropriate?"
Why make things difficult for another woman?
Nami shook her head and said righteously, "It's just a way to get her onto the ship. It's not like we're actually going to do anything to her."
The women exchanged looks before finally nodding in agreement.
"Come on, let's go intimidate her." For some reason, Nami was a little excited. She picked up the Bounty Poster on the table and headed for the entrance.
Like most of the guests, Carmen had been deeply absorbed in the battle between Reno and Hawk Eyes.
At first, she had come for Hawk Eyes.
Even though she was not a pirate, who would not want to witness the World's Greatest Swordsman's magnificence?!
He was a powerhouse standing at the pinnacle of the sea.
But as she watched, she realized something was wrong.
How was Reno stronger than Hawk Eyes?!
He was beating Hawk Eyes so hard that sparks flew throughout the entire fight.
"It's him." Carmen murmured, recognizing Reno at a glance.
Just now, Reno had stepped in and caught her in time, preventing an embarrassing exposure.
Thinking that she had been held by a man even stronger than Hawk Eyes, Carmen's face immediately flushed red.
Though she had chosen the path of cooking, admiring strength was a woman's nature.
In the Pirate World, where strength was respected above all else, she was no exception.
Lost in wandering thoughts, Carmen felt someone tap her shoulder.
She turned around in confusion and saw four women standing before her.
"Guests from table three?! Is there something you need?!"
Carmen knew that the four women were Reno's companions.
After all, a group made up of one man and four women was quite rare.
Especially when all four women were beauties.
A shadow fell over Nami's face as she said fiercely, "Beautiful chef, our captain has taken a liking to you and wants you to join our pirate crew. What do you say?!!"
"You'd better agree, or else..."
Carmen blinked. They were coming in with a zero-frame start?!
She almost laughed out loud.
She was clearly such a sweet little girl, yet she was pretending to be vicious.
More importantly, she was not convincing at all.
But was what she said true?!
Reno actually wanted to invite her aboard?!
Remembering her earlier thoughts, the blush that had faded from Carmen's face surged back again.
Her ample chest swayed slightly.
"What's wrong with her?!" Nami was baffled.
"Nami, did you scare her?!" Nojiko panicked.
After all, Carmen was only a young female chef.
"I-I didn't even say anything, did I?!"
Nami was equally at a loss and tucked the Bounty Poster she had been about to take out back away.
"Miss, don't be afraid. We mean no harm." Kaya stepped forward at once to comfort her.
"Brother Reno is recruiting crew members and hopes you can join our pirate crew."
Having come back to her senses, Carmen asked suspiciously, "Did he really say that?!"
The four women nodded in unison.
It was the truth.
"Alright, I'll join."
Kaya: ???
Nojiko: ???
Makino: ???
Nami: She agreed just like that?!
She had spent so long building up to it, yet she had not even said a single intimidating word.
"Can you tell us why?!!" Makino, who saw herself as the big sister, gently asked the question on everyone's mind with a smile.
They had clearly just met by chance.
Carmen glanced at Reno, a bold smile appearing on her face as she said freely, "Because he is strong."
"Only the strong are worthy of my loyalty."
To defeat Sanji and become the best chef in the East Blue—
Carmen had traveled throughout the East Blue without a fixed home, searching for Sanji for a full ten years.
It was precisely this conviction to grow stronger that drove her.
And the person she followed had to be strong as well!
Reno's battle with Hawk Eyes had already proven everything.
If she could cook for a man like Reno, it would be her honor.
Besides, the four girls were truly pleasing to the eye.
The four women were dumbfounded on the spot.
Was this a case of flowers refusing to bloom when deliberately planted, yet willows growing in the shade when casually stuck into the ground?!
A battle between Reno and Hawk Eyes had indirectly brought about Carmen's joining?!
Fine.