A Single Strike, Everyone Stunned!

"It really brings back memories. It's been a long time since a bounty came knocking on my door."

Luo Wen sighed, his eyes full of nostalgia.

When he had first made a name for himself in the East Blue, quite a few pirates had come to him, hoping to make themselves famous by defeating him.

Those people had helped Luo Wen quickly get through his rookie days.

But after he had been at sea for three months, there were no more pirate deliveries like this.

Most pirates in the East Blue ran faster than rabbits whenever they saw him. They even kept changing their hideouts, greatly increasing the difficulty of Luo Wen's pirate hunting.

"Stop acting so high and mighty! I'm Krieg!"

Seeing Luo Wen's expression, Krieg felt like a clown.

Krieg flew into a rage. His armor shifted, and two cannon barrels extended from it.

"Die, brat!"

Two cannonballs blasted toward Luo Wen.

Krieg was extremely confident. Relying on his equipment, he had remained undefeated throughout the East Blue.

Hundreds of enemies had died beneath his cannon fire.

The cannonballs struck Luo Wen, kicking up clouds of smoke and dust.

"Tch. Boring."

Luo Wen waved a hand and dispersed the smoke. He had not suffered the slightest injury.

This was also the effect of Noble Phantasm: Twelve Labors. Any attack ranked B or below could not harm Luo Wen.

Against such feeble attacks from Krieg, Luo Wen did not even feel the need to dodge.

"Haha, you fell for it, brat! Those were poison gas shells."

Krieg revealed a sinister grin. Though he looked down on Luo Wen, he still resorted to underhanded tricks.

That was simply the kind of despicable man he was. No matter who his opponent was, he always started with dirty tricks.

"Damn it, that's so low."

Sanji was about to rush out from the kitchen to give Luo Wen a hand.

"Don't go. Krieg is no match for him."

Zeff stopped Sanji. He did not believe that a man who made him feel fear could be defeated by Krieg.

"Still useless."

Luo Wen shook a finger. This poison gas was clearly not even B-rank, so Twelve Labors rendered him immune to it as well.

Krieg was not discouraged. Sneak attacks were not his only skill.

He pulled out a golden warhammer and charged at Luo Wen.

"Watch out! Krieg is immensely strong. That weapon weighs a full ton!"

A diner hiding nearby could not help calling out a warning.

Luo Wen picked up the greatsword standing beside him and slashed downward at Krieg.

If anyone was immensely strong, it should have been Luo Wen.

After all, he possessed Heracles's template—the strength of the hero of Greek mythology.

The greatsword and golden warhammer collided in midair, and Krieg felt an overwhelming force crash into him.

The golden warhammer was cut in half in an instant. The greatsword continued downward, shattering Krieg's golden armor along with it.

Finally, the greatsword plunged diagonally into Krieg's abdomen, pinning him to the ground.

"How could you be this strong?!"

Lying on the ground, Krieg was barely breathing. He could never have imagined that such a powerful fighter existed in the East Blue.

The power behind that greatsword surpassed his own by far too much. He had not possessed the slightest ability to resist.

"He got one-shot?"

Only after a long while did the diners in the restaurant come back to their senses, still unable to believe their eyes.

Krieg was the overlord of the East Blue. Everyone present had heard of his fearsome reputation.

Some had even experienced it firsthand and knew just how terrifying Krieg was.

He was a vicious pirate who had destroyed Marine Bases, running rampant through the East Blue with no one able to stop him.

Yet Luo Wen had defeated him in one strike, leaving him unable to even fight back.

"They're both the strongest in the East Blue, yet the gap is this huge?"

At that moment, everyone was stunned.

Krieg was the strongest pirate in the East Blue, while Luo Wen was the strongest Bounty Hunter in the East Blue.

Even if one were weaker, the difference should not have been so great.

Yet with just one strike, Luo Wen had left Krieg with only a single breath remaining.

Seeing his captain defeated, Gin gritted his teeth and charged at Luo Wen.

"Too weak."

Gin's speed was slower than a turtle in Luo Wen's eyes. A casual punch knocked Gin unconscious.

Under everyone's shocked gazes, Luo Wen placed a bag of Beli on the table, then carried Krieg and Gin out of the Baratie.

A massive ship was docked beside the Baratie. It was Krieg's flagship, and over a hundred weakened pirates remained aboard.

"It'd be too troublesome to take them away. Better destroy them here."

The pirates aboard were all mere lackeys, and many did not even have bounties. Luo Wen had no interest in identifying them one by one.

Moreover, the Krieg Pirates were infamous. No one knew how many crimes they had committed in the East Blue. Every last one of them deserved to die.

Luo Wen focused his mind and swung his sword at the ship.

With one slash, thunder rose from the still ground!

Luo Wen possessed Heracles's template. Although Heracles of the Berserker Class had lost the martial skill that allowed him to step into the realm of the gods, he still retained battle instincts etched into his bones.

Combining the swordsmanship of this pirate world with six months of training, Luo Wen had finally entered the realm of a Swordmaster.

He could cut through steel and unleash powerful flying slashes.

With swordsmanship alone, he could run rampant throughout the first half of the Grand Line.

A sword pressure dozens of meters long poured from the greatsword, cutting the enormous pirate ship into fragments.

All the pirates aboard died, turning a stretch of sea red for a brief time.

A News Bird flew overhead, recording that terrifying slash.

The powerful sword intent thoroughly intimidated everyone inside the restaurant.

It even spread across the distant sea, startling flocks of seabirds into flight.

Dracule Mihawk, riding a small raft, suddenly stood up and looked toward the Baratie.

"To think the East Blue has such a powerful swordsman!"

The owner of that presence was already qualified to exchange blows with him.

Mihawk plunged Yoru into the sea and used it as an oar, rowing swiftly toward the Baratie.

Luo Wen did not know that Hawkeye was coming for him. He took Gin and Krieg toward the nearest Marine Base.

After a while, the people inside the Baratie came out to inspect the situation.

Looking at the ship reduced to rubble, everyone was utterly shocked.

"This is strength that should not exist in the East Blue!"

Zeff could not remember how many years it had been since he had seen such a powerful fighter. Even at his peak, he would never have been able to withstand a single move from Luo Wen.

Sanji beside him was equally stunned. The cigarette in his mouth had fallen to the ground at some point.

Born into the Vinsmoke Family, he deeply understood just how terrifying Luo Wen was.

That kind of presence was even stronger and more invincible than that of his father, Vinsmoke Judge.

Luffy and Zoro were equally shocked. They had only just begun their journey, and this was their first time witnessing such a powerful fighter.

"I see! I'm going to become even stronger than him! I'm the man who'll become the King of the Pirates!"

Luffy was brimming with fighting spirit. Ever the optimist, he would not be discouraged.

"Something's wrong, Boss Luffy! Boss Zoro!"

Zoro's two underlings hurried over in a panic to report the news.

"Miss Nami took a small boat and sailed off with our treasure!"

They had been so shocked by Luo Wen's strength that they only now realized Nami had taken their ship.

"What?!" *2

Luffy and Zoro shouted in alarm.

Just as Luffy was about to take a ship to search for Nami, a white chef's hat struck the top of his head.

"Idiot, you still have to work here and compensate me for my losses!"

Zeff knocked Luffy on the head and dragged him into the Baratie's back kitchen.

Because Luo Wen had dealt with the Krieg Pirates, Luffy and the others had not yet formed deep bonds with Zeff and Sanji.

At the very least, they would have to stay for a while longer before they could leave.