Schiller's Insult

Hardner and Hadman didn't speak. They understood Mostima's intentions perfectly, but where would they find such monsters? They had waited for three years and hadn't gotten anything. The top pirate crews in the New World were nearing their peak. Their joining wouldn't result in anything good; their status wouldn't be high. Younger ones like Kaido and Big Mom, they didn't look down on them, or rather, their compatibility wasn't high. However, they harbored a faint sense of anticipation.

"Captain, something seems to be happening at a bar. Should we go take a look?" At this moment, a pirate scurried in and said to Mostima.

"Ebby, what happened?" Hardner asked, crossing his arms.

If Teach were here, he would recognize this young pirate named Ebby as the one who had charged him at the port.

"Here's what happened. A new pirate arrived on the island this morning... I felt a pressure from him. Remembering what they said on the ship, I followed him for a while. He entered a tavern, and now the Mad Saber Pirates are trying to book the entire place. I feel a major conflict is about to erupt, so I came right away," Ebby said quickly.

Ebby was an important trainee on the ship, possessing naturally keen intuition. Under Mostima's tutelage, he had awakened Observation Haki and had high talent. Mostima had assigned him the job of guarding the port, so he could detect problems early and relay messages.

"Is that so? Sailing the seas alone in a small boat," Mostima couldn't help but stroke his chin. "You felt pressure from him. How does it compare to me?" Mostima asked, looking at Ebby.

"This—" Ebby froze, unable to speak.

"Tell me honestly, I won't blame you," Mostima said gently. Ebby breathed a sigh of relief, stopped breathing, and seemed to be thinking, recalling Teach's appearance.

After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at Hadman, who stood beside Mostima. Compared to the gentle Mostima, the violent Hadman frightened him much more.

"What are you looking at? What's there to be afraid of? Speak honestly," Hadman glared at Ebby and barked.

"Okay," Ebby nodded. "I feel, I feel... he's much stronger than the captain." This was true. Ebby was telling the truth. He could naturally sense the threat someone posed to him, which was why he had good talent in Observation Haki. "If the captain is an eagle, then that person is a flood dragon. He looks ordinary on the surface, but when I use Observation Haki to sense him, I can't feel anything at all. That's the most terrifying thing, like an abyss. The more I think about it now, the more his figure lingers in my mind."

As Ebby spoke, his face turned somewhat fearful. "I remember yesterday morning there was a rare, large-scale storm. How big was the area?" Hadnar seemed to recall something and said it.

Hadnar asked, his gaze shifting to Shuke, the navigator with glasses standing by the dueling arena.

"Hmm?" Shuke was startled but quickly reacted, taking out a notebook from his pocket. "Because it was quite rare and lasted for a long time, I recorded it. The storm's range... I calculated it. Including our White Sand Island, it covered seven or eight islands. Basically, our sea area was within the storm's range," Shuke said, flipping through his notebook and pushing up his glasses with two fingers, speaking seriously.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was stunned. It was unimaginable how difficult it would be to survive such a massive storm in a single ship. Coupled with Ebby's earlier assessment of him being more terrifying than the captain, how could such a person be unknown?

Mostima and the others felt a surge of curiosity. He sheathed his silver sword, turned, and looked in the direction of the door. A slight smile curved Mostima's lips. "Let's go. Let's go see that guy."

Hearing Mostima's order, the few men followed him toward the tavern.

"Haha, let's go! To the tavern! I, 'Mad Saber' Schiller, have booked the tavern today!" On the street, dozens of pirates walked down the middle of the road. The pirate at the front held a large, serrated saber. His three-meter-tall body and thick beard shouted to those behind him.

"Haha, thank you, boss!" The pirates behind them cheered. Residents and pirates on both sides of the road stopped and cleared the way for the members of the Mad Saber Pirates to avoid conflict. The residents' eyes held both fear and disgust. The pirates' eyes held some apprehension, not only because the Mad Saber Pirates were notorious for their evil deeds and love of slaughter but also because of their captain, Schiller's, formidable strength. As a pirate with a bounty of 130 million, he was very famous in this sea area.

The leader, Mad Saber Schiller, especially enjoyed bloody slaughter. Seeing his pleading opponents, he would disembowel them alive with his serrated saber. His cruel nature was not to be defied. Once discovered, he wouldn't even spare his own crew members. The members on the ship feared him more than anything, and he liked it that way, using space to dominate others.

Teach ate quickly, with a laugh. His eating style was not elegant but not unsightly either. The remaining two bowls of fried rice and a plate of braised meat were brought over. The second bottle of rum had been opened. His nose twitched, and he inhaled the aroma of the wine, seeming to be lost in it. His face flushed slightly, and his eyes grew hazy, as if he were drunk.

Teach had a natural tolerance for alcohol, which was further honed during his time in the Whitebeard Pirates. Although he appeared drunk, this was merely a way for Teach to relax, an enjoyment of wine, a respect for good liquor. If one didn't get drunk while drinking, how could it be called drinking? Gradually, Teach developed this habit; it was a natural reaction of his body.

"Yahaha, little Loya, want to go out to sea with me?" Just as the food was served, the window connecting to the kitchen in the back was still open. Teach said with a smile, "It would be even better if you could make cherry pie. Then, as the little cook of our pirate crew, we'd cherish you like a treasure, yahaha."

As soon as he finished speaking, a steel fork shot out, gleaming with a sharp cold light. "Clang!" It grazed Teach's ear and embedded itself straight into the wooden wall panel behind him. The head of the fork sank deep into the wood, the handle trembling outside.

"Go to hell, old drunkard! I'm not going out to sea with you!" Loya's hair stood on end as if on fire. Even without a deep "well" character etched on her forehead, Teach didn't seem to mind. He exchanged a look with Doyle in front of him and couldn't help but smile, taking a small sip of rum.

"Hey, hey, am I that old in young ladies' eyes now?" Teach rubbed his clean chin. "Don't talk nonsense, little Loya. Control your temper, or you'll never get married."

"I'm still a young man, haha," Teach laughed.

Doyle smiled. He hadn't been this happy in a long time. He took out a wine glass and poured himself a drink.

"Crash!" One of the doors burst open, shattering into two halves. Everyone else looked towards the back entrance simultaneously, their actions stopping, their faces turning to horror. "It's Mad Saber Schiller! What's he doing here?"

As if to announce his arrival, Schiller strode in, holding his great saber. He didn't speak but first surveyed the tavern. There were few people, but seeing their fearful expressions, he felt a sense of great pleasure.

Schiller gripped the hilt of his saber, letting it drag on the floor, leaving a deep groove in the wooden planks. He smiled cruelly. "I've booked this place today. You trash, get outside."

"Haha, did you hear that? Our boss has spoken. Do you want to die?" Schiller's arrogance surprised them, and they paused. Seeing they hadn't moved, the pirates behind Schiller grew impatient, laughing wildly.

As pirates, this was undoubtedly an insult to them. However, the situation was beyond their control. This world was one where the strong reigned supreme. They couldn't resist. One by one, they put down their bowls and chopsticks, leaving with fear, but more so with anger. They walked outside, "Hahahahaha!" The members of the Mad Saber Pirates laughed heartily. They enjoyed seeing people helpless and frustrated like this.

The arrival of the Mad Saber Pirates attracted considerable attention. Coupled with the fact that people were being driven out of the tavern one by one, their awareness of the Mad Saber Pirates' vile actions deepened.

People were naturally curious and enjoyed spectacles. Gradually, a crowd of onlookers gathered.

"Is this it?" Several people arrived outside the tavern, standing amidst the crowd and looking inside. "Captain, the Mad Saber Pirates are too arrogant. If this continues, it will affect the island's business," Hadnar said. "Our comrades are gathering. Should we annihilate them together?"

Hadnar had long been displeased with the Mad Saber Pirates, calling them a tumor. For the island's stability, they needed to eliminate or drive out the Mad Saber Pirates in one fell swoop. Due to the island's stability, many pirates resided here, bringing them significant benefits. Moreover, to prevent other forces from targeting the island, they needed to display their strength. The Mad Saber Pirates were undoubtedly a good target to establish their authority.

"Don't rush. Let's watch first," Mostima said, looking towards the tavern's counter. Since Teach was sitting at the counter table, right in the center, he could see Teach's back at a glance.

"Hey, didn't you hear me? Are your ears deaf? Get out quickly, I'm booking this tavern." Schiller's attention turned to Teach in front of him. He was surprised that his reputation had no effect and felt a surge of anger.

"Haha, can you wait a moment? The fried rice here is really delicious. I'll be done soon. The rum is good too. Want to try some?" Teach smiled, picked up a bottle of rum, and offered it to Schiller, who had walked behind him.

Schiller felt insulted. With a "bang," the bottle slipped from Teach's hand and smashed on the ground, shattering into pieces. The wine splashed onto Teach and spilled across the floor.

"Oh! That person is finished. Mad Saber Schiller is going to get angry," people outside exclaimed.

"Hmm, the floor is all wet. Doyle, do you have a rag? I'll help you clean it up," Teach said to Doyle.

"No need to trouble yourself. Leave it to me," Doyle shook his head, giving Teach a deep look. "Haha, thanks. It got dirty because of me, after all." Teach said with a smile.

"If you don't eat the fried rice soon, it'll get cold, and then it won't taste good." Teach picked up his spoon, about to eat, when a palm slapped over from the side, sending the fried rice and plate crashing to the floor.

The fried rice was all spilled on the ground. The space seemed eerily quiet. "Who do you think you are? If the fried rice is so delicious, then eat it while it's hot." Schiller angrily lashed out. Immediately, a playful glint appeared in his eyes as he walked to the spilled fried rice on the ground and stomped on it twice, leaving footprints on the food.

Loya covered her mouth. She was undoubtedly passionate about food, or she wouldn't have put so much effort into learning to cook.

"Haha, the fried rice is right here now. Eat it, eat it while it's hot," Schiller said. "Eat it, did you hear me? Our captain told you to eat it!" The pirates behind Schiller shouted excitedly. Such malicious behavior only made them more thrilled.

Teach said nothing. Under everyone's gaze, he stood up from the ground, took two steps to the side, bent down, and picked up the plate from the floor.

"Hey, hey, you can put up with this? Are you even a man? If it were me, there's no way I could stand such an insult. I'd fight back to the bitter end, even if it meant death," Hadman said angrily, clenching his fist. "Ebby, you must have made a mistake. How could a man like that be stronger than the boss?"

"Aman, don't speak. Just watch quietly," Hadno said in a deep voice. Hadman was stunned and looked around. The surroundings were silent. He turned his head and noticed the captain, Mostima, looking serious and focused towards the tavern.

"No need for that, I'll make you a new one!" Loya said to Teach, her impression of him changing significantly.

"Shut up, you little wench!" Schiller yelled, swinging his large saber. It struck the table in front of him, splitting it in two. Several bottles of wine stored beneath the table shattered, spilling their contents and wetting the floor.

"Haha, don't scare the little lady," Teach said with a smile, using a spoon to scoop the fried rice that had fallen onto the floor back into his bowl, bit by bit. "This is what the little lady worked so hard to make. Besides, wasting good food is a disgrace."

Teach laughed heartily, scooping all the fried rice from the floor onto his plate. He then shoveled large mouthfuls into his mouth with the spoon. "He actually... he actually..." "He actually ate it!" Everyone present, everyone outside, all stared at the scene in stunned silence.

"How could he possibly eat that?"

Teach's face was wreathed in a smile as he chewed with gusto, seemingly savoring it. "It's still the same taste, truly delicious. This is the best fried rice I've ever eaten."