Speaking of which.
As soon as Hawkeye and Moya's crew left, Krieg immediately attacked Baratie to seize its ships and food.
After watching Zoro and the others board Moya's ship, Luffy returned to the Baratie restaurant and tried to bargain with Zeff.
"I'll knock that big guy flying for you. In return, you let me leave, and I'd also like to invite Sanji aboard my ship. How about it, Chef?"
Luffy said casually.
"Get lost, you snot-nosed brat."
Zeff couldn't be bothered to deal with the idiot anymore.
"What a nasty-tempered old man."
"What did you say?!"
"Nothing, nothing. You must've misheard me. Look, the blond guy's been beaten!" Luffy shouted, pointing at Sanji.
Sanji had been defeated by Krieg, but Gin was stopping Krieg from killing him. Under Krieg's threat, Gin had no choice but to kill Sanji himself.
Luffy couldn't stand watching any longer and attacked Krieg. Krieg's spiked armor gave Luffy plenty of trouble, but after a difficult fight, Luffy managed to defeat him.
Krieg frantically hurled his poison gas bombs, and toxic smoke filled Baratie.
Krieg then realized his gas mask was broken, so he snatched Gin's mask. Gin collapsed in the poison gas.
Krieg was about to escape under cover of the gas.
'Air Great Slide'
With a whoosh, the wind howled.
The air aboard the ship suddenly began rushing around, forming powerful currents and kicking up a gale. The wind swept away the poison gas, revealing Krieg's position.
The clothes of countless people whipped in the wind.
"What a lively scene! Why hasn't Luffy finished the fight yet?"
Moya lit a cigarette and strolled inside, speaking with unruffled calm.
"Moya, you're back! Zoro, are you okay?" Luffy said happily.
Seeing how many people Moya had with him, Krieg couldn't help but shudder. Still, he firmly believed he was the strongest man in the East Blue and had nothing to fear from these brats.
"Brat, submit to me, and I'll make you my vice-captain! I'm Admiral Krieg, commander of a pirate fleet of five thousand!"
Krieg actually had the nerve to arrogantly invite Moya to join him.
Moya gave Krieg a scornful glance, exhaled a puff of smoke, and asked Zeff,
"I'll take care of him. Give me your kicking techniques. Deal?"
Zeff looked at Moya, who seemed far more reliable than Straw Hat Luffy, and gave a slight nod.
"Great!!! Men, get to work! Wipe out the remnants of the Krieg Pirates!"
Moya finished speaking, swept his coat around, and turned. In high spirits, he sat down in the tallest chair. A powerful aura burst forth, making everyone's hearts tremble as they stared at him in shock.
"Is that the aura of Conqueror's Haki?"
Moya was a little puzzled, too. He hadn't awakened it, but ever since facing Hawkeye just now, he felt as though something about him had changed. Was it his mindset?
Seeing their captain radiate such power, the Moya Adventure Group's morale soared. El Drago charged ahead.
"I'll take on Krieg and earn the captain my first victory!"
Buggy, meanwhile, cackled. "Then I'll take care of that guy covered in shields!"
Under Moya's guidance, their Devil Fruit abilities had both improved considerably.
Beast Tamer Mohji, Acrobat Cabaji, and the other squad leaders went to clear out the hundreds of remaining Krieg Pirates...
'Sonic Cannon'
El Drago fired one blast after another at Krieg. After taking a direct hit, Krieg's armor was already damaged, and he began running around in every direction. It was clear he was no match for El Drago.
The bizarre Buggy split his body apart, sending his dagger-wielding hand flying around. He kept exploiting gaps in Pearl the Invincible's defense and inflicting wounds, until Pearl was bleeding profusely...
The defeated Krieg Pirates had no fight left in them. Led by the Moya Adventure Group's squad leaders, they were routed and scattered, fleeing in every direction or dropping their weapons and begging for mercy.
Watching the one-sided battle, Zeff was stunned. The Moya Adventure Group had several Devil Fruit users, and they were giving Krieg, who was known as the strongest in the East Blue, no chance to fight back.
And their captain, Moya, hadn't even joined the fight. The younger generation was truly impressive.
Standing silently behind Moya, Nami also saw how powerful the Moya Adventure Group was. She felt that there was hope for her home village after all, and the thought stirred her deeply.
Kaya and Maddie both found themselves smitten with Moya, who was handsome, dashing, and unfathomably strong.
Rika had already climbed onto Moya's lap and sat there like a little princess.
"Surrender, and you'll be spared!"
Moya spoke slowly, drawing on his breath. His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried clearly to the many pirates present.
'Clang~'
One after another, the sounds rang out as hundreds of pirates dropped their weapons and surrendered. Pearl the Invincible could hold out no longer, either, and fell to his knees, begging for mercy.
Krieg was still too proud to surrender, clinging to the glory he had once enjoyed. El Drago continued blasting him.
"Stop resisting!" Moya said, growing a little impatient.
'Silent Instant Slide'
Moya appeared in front of Krieg in an instant.
'Slide Dislocation'
Moya struck Krieg's limbs at the joints, dislocating them all. Krieg collapsed limply to the ground.
When Moya returned to his seat, he caught Rika just in time. The girls stared in shock at his speed, while Rika gazed at him with a look that said, Who am I? What just happened?
She'd been sitting on Moya's lap a moment ago, so how had she suddenly ended up in Moya's arms?
"Captain, why'd you step in? I wasn't done blasting him yet!" El Drago shouted.
"Enough. Don't waste time. You'll have plenty of chances to show what you can do. This is just a taste!"
"Really, Captain? I'm going to become the greatest bombardier ever! Hahaha!"
The rugged El Drago spoke with an earnest grin.
"Squad leaders, start recruiting the Krieg Pirates!" Moya ordered.
····
Zeff's captain's quarters
"Senior Zeff, I've taken care of everything for you. I wonder if..."
"I keep my promises. It's just that my kicking techniques are all in my head. I never wrote them down. Captain Moya, are you going to stay here and learn from me bit by bit?"
Zeff watched Moya like a sly old fox.
"If it were anyone else, Senior Zeff might have gotten the better of him. Fortunately, I'm not just anyone."
"Senior Zeff, all you need to do is recall your kicking techniques. I can take a look at some of your memories."
Moya looked utterly confident.
So this was his Devil Fruit ability?
Zeff wondered silently, but didn't say it aloud. Some things, some secrets, were better left unasked about.
"If Captain Moya has such a method, then this old man won't go back on his word. Go ahead."
"Not now. Take tonight to recall those techniques. I'll look tomorrow."
"All right."
Zeff gave Moya a meaningful look.
The next day.
Moya lightly pressed his index finger against Zeff's forehead. As Zeff relaxed his guard, a cluster of memories appeared in Moya's consciousness.
Moya quickly selected the memory cluster from the past day that contained Zeff's kicking techniques and slid it out. There were even some clusters of Zeff's memories as a chef.
"That's all, Senior Zeff. Thank you!"
Moya spoke, pleased with what he'd gained.
"That's it? What a convenient ability."
Zeff looked at Moya thoughtfully. Just now, he'd only felt as though he'd forgotten something. What a strange ability.
"I hope you won't tell anyone about what happened today, Senior Zeff. Thank you."
Moya didn't want to reveal his ability too soon. Although Zeff couldn't guess what it truly was, he suspected Moya had a Devil Fruit ability related to memories.
"I only gave Captain Moya a manual of kicking techniques."
Zeff said with a smile, his eyes fixed on Moya.
"Clever old fox," Moya thought.
"Then I'm grateful, Senior Zeff!"
The two exchanged smiles, understanding each other without another word.
Before you continue