Chapter 60 / Chapter 61

"Maybe it was fate. This former ruler of the seas was destined to meet his end at Chris's hands."

(Everyone, that's a picture of the Golden Lion above. He's from one of the movies, so if you don't know him, go watch it. I won't go into detail here—I don't want to pad the word count ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Chapter 60

Three days later.

East Blue, the Baratie.

The restaurant was bustling with customers coming and going.

"No wonder this is the most famous restaurant in East Blue. The food's incredible!"

"Of course! The place is lovely, and the owner's so welcoming. It's practically paradise."

"Wow... This is delicious! Another helping! I'm eating my fill today, hahaha!"

"This place is great. Good food, plenty of beautiful women—I love it!"

Just then, someone screamed.

"Something's wrong! A whole fleet of pirate ships is coming!"

The customers froze for a moment, then hurried to look outside.

A large ship was leading dozens of smaller vessels straight toward them.

It was an intimidating sight!

"We're done for! That's Don Krieg's pirate crew..."

"Don Krieg? Who's that? Would he dare cause trouble here?"

"You haven't heard of him? He commands the biggest pirate crew in East Blue, and there's a seventeen-million-Beli bounty on his head."

"Seventeen million? My god!"

"They say he has thousands of crew members. We're really done for..."

A series of heavy footsteps approached.

Zeff looked at the customers and said calmly, "Eat your fill. As long as I'm here, those bastards won't dare try anything."

Patty hefted a huge fork onto his shoulder, looking fierce. "Our restaurant isn't just a place to eat. If anyone messes with us, heh..."

Carne gripped a kitchen knife and nodded with a cold smile. "The Baratie is a fighting restaurant. We're not afraid of anyone."

"Please enjoy your meals, everyone. I'll make sure you're safe."

Cigarette in his mouth, Sanji spoke politely to the customers.

Suddenly, a customer shouted.

"Hey! Look, everyone! That ship is enormous!"

At the shout, both the customers and the cooks turned to look.

The sight stunned them all.

Shock showed on every face.

"That ship is huge! It's terrifying!"

"I've never seen a ship that big in my life. It's unbelievable!"

"Which pirate crew does it belong to? It's even bigger than Krieg's ship."

"Aren't the Krieg Pirates the East Blue Overlords? That ship can't be from East Blue."

"Forget that! What are we supposed to do now?"

Patty stared at the enormous ship in astonishment. "Damn, that thing's huge. I don't think we can take them!"

Carne's knife trembled slightly in his hand, fear written across his face.

"A ship that big must have serious firepower. We won't be able to hold them off."

Sanji exhaled a cloud of smoke and looked at Zeff, his expression grave. "Old man, these people look like a big deal. What do we do?"

Zeff glared at them. "What are you afraid of? One look tells you that ship isn't from East Blue. They're probably just passing through."

"They've heard of the Baratie and stopped by for a meal. Do I really have to spell it out?"

Inside the restaurant, a beautiful girl with short orange hair stood by a window, silently watching the great ship ahead.

She was Nami, the beauty from Cocoyasi Village!

If I sneak aboard a ship that big, I'm sure I can steal plenty of treasure.

Nami's eyes sparkled. Her face was full of anticipation, and she could barely contain her excitement.

She knew she had finally found a big score.

If I take that ship's treasure, I'll have the hundred million Beli I need. Then I can save everyone in the village...

Aboard the Dreadnaught Sabre.

"Captain Krieg, that ship's too big! What do we do?"

"We're the East Blue Overlords! What's there to fear? Let's fight!"

"Our captain's unbeatable! Anyone who challenges us gets wiped out!"

"But can we beat a ship that big?"

"Of course we can! Look how many men and ships we have. Come on, Captain, let's fight!"

Don Krieg was arrogant beyond measure. "What are you fools afraid of? What nonsense are you spouting?"

"I'm the World's Strongest pirate! No one stands above me!"

"So what if their ship is big? We'll take it! Hahaha!"

He swept out his arm and snarled, "Attack! Take every last bit of their treasure! Gahaha!"

"Yes, Captain Krieg!"

His men answered and hurried to prepare their attack...

On the deck of the Chris.

"Damn it, I think that pirate crew's about to attack us."

Burgess glared ahead and cursed.

Doc Q narrowed his eyes. An eerie smile crossed his weathered face as he coughed. "Quite a crowd this time... We can kill to our hearts' content..."

Lafitte twirled his cane and spoke with his usual gentlemanly air.

"It's not just a feeling. They really are about to attack."

Law rested the Demonic Sword Kikoku on his shoulder. "Fools. They're asking to die, and no one can save them."

Hawkins looked as lifeless as ever. "Their fate was sealed the moment they appeared before us."

(The one above needs no introduction. Are you excited to see Nami appear? Will she ask Chris for help next? Will she join the Chris Pirates? You're looking forward to finding out, aren't you? ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Chapter 61

Footsteps sounded behind them.

"That pirate crew certainly looks imposing. They must have dozens of ships."

Carina looked out over the sea. Her eyes lit up, and a sweet smile spread across her face as she spoke in her lovely voice.

Perona floated in the air, giggling. "They won't be around much longer, though. Every pirate crew that crosses our path meets the same end."

Belo Betty exhaled a puff of smoke. "The Marines will definitely put bounties on us this time. No question about it."

"Right. We dealt with Oliford, the North Blue Overlord, last time, but no one ever found out."

Honey Queen nodded in agreement. "This time is different. With so many witnesses, word will reach the Marines."

"Honestly, I'm looking forward to it. I wonder how much our first bounties will be."

Reiju brushed back her hair and smiled gently, poised and graceful.

"Chris isn't fighting, so the Marines won't know how strong we are. They'll probably assign us some arbitrary bounties. They can't be that high."

When Burgess saw Chris and the others approaching, he burst out laughing and called out,

"Captain! What do you say? Are we fighting?"

Doc Q smiled mysteriously. "Looks like our luck's in again. Someone new will definitely join us this time."

Lafitte watched the pirate ships draw closer and twirled his cane before speaking politely.

"They're loading their cannons. The barrels are lowering. They're about to attack."

Chris stopped with his hands in his pockets. "Three minutes. Kill as many as you can."

Law nodded, as aloof as ever. "We can't kill thousands in that time, but not a single person on the flagship gets away."

A vicious smile spread across Doc Q's weathered face. He coughed. "Even if we can't kill them all, we can still have our fill."

"I'll poison them one by one. Let them experience the charm of miasma."

Lafitte twirled his cane. "In that case, let's begin."

What followed was bound to be a one-sided battle...

Inside the Baratie.

"Oh no! The two pirate crews are fighting!"

"They're too strong! Where did this crew come from? The difference between them is enormous."

"The Krieg Pirates are the East Blue Overlords, but look at them! They're dropping one after another, dead as can be!"

"My god, this isn't a battle. It's a massacre..."

"They can't be from East Blue. They must be from somewhere else. They're too strong..."

Patty stared wide-eyed at the fighting aboard the Dreadnaught Sabre.

"What kind of strength is that? It's terrifying."

Carne shook his head and sighed. "That's it for the Krieg Pirates, the East Blue Overlords. They're history."

Sanji looked at Zeff, worry on his face. "Old man, what do we do if they decide to wreck this place?"

Zeff could no longer keep his composure. He frowned. "We'll have to beg for mercy. There's nothing else we can do."

No. That crew's far too strong.

After seeing what the Chris Pirates could do, Nami changed her mind at once. I'll sneak aboard Krieg's ship instead. There's bound to be plenty of treasure there too.

Yes, that's safer. It's settled.

At one of the windows, a man watched the battle, excitement showing on his dark face.

He had very dark skin and was rather homely.

It was Gin, the man known as the Demon!

They're incredible! This is the crew I've been waiting for. I'm getting aboard that pirate ship. I have to go with them!

Gin silently vowed to join the Chris Pirates, no matter what it took.

Aboard the Dreadnaught Sabre.

The battle was nearly over.

Only two people remained alive on the flagship.

Don Krieg and Pearl.

"Who are you? Who the hell are you?"

Don Krieg lay on the deck. His hand crept toward his stomach, ready to pull out the pistol he had hidden there.