Pirates: I Can Repel Anything

Bang...

Burgess planted a foot on Don Krieg's head and snarled, "You thought you could play dirty with me? What a piece of trash."

Lafitte finished off Balu and smiled mildly. "The pirates here in the East Blue haven't seen much of the world. Their combat instincts are weak."

"Mostly because we're too strong," Hawkins said in his lifeless voice.

Doc Q withdrew his miasma and watched the pirate ships scatter. "What a shame. They're too good at running away. We couldn't kill them all."

"I wanted to poison every last one, but as soon as they sensed something was wrong, they sailed off."

Luo rested Kikoku on his shoulder, his expression cold. "The rest are small fry with no fighting strength. No need to bother with them."

Inside the Baratie restaurant.

Everyone was stunned by the shocking scene outside.

"Admiral Don Krieg... Is that really the end of him?"

"Terrifying. There are pirates that powerful in this world?"

"We're done for! They're sailing over here! What do we do?"

"I don't want to die! I've got an eighty-year-old mother at home and a baby son to feed! Waaah..."

Patty had no patience for the panicking customers. "What do we do? Run for it?" he asked nervously.

Cold sweat ran down Carne's forehead. "I don't know. We absolutely can't fight them, though. We'd die."

"Enough talk. Go out and give them a proper welcome."

Without another word, Zeff headed for the door to welcome the Chris Pirates.

"If you're scared of dying, you don't have to come," Sanji said. Hands in his pockets and a cigarette between his lips, he followed Zeff out...

On the Chris.

"Quite a few of them still got away."

Honey Queen looked out across the sea, where small boats fled at astonishing speed.

Belo Betty took a drag on her cigarette. "I did a rough count. We killed about a third of them."

"Never mind the rest. I'm going to search the wreckage for treasure."

Carina's eyes sparkled with excitement. Nothing delighted her more than taking treasure.

Perona floated in the air and giggled. "I'm coming too! They had so many ships. There's bound to be something good. Horo horo horo..."

Reiju shook her head, torn between amusement and exasperation. "Those two can never sit still."

"Let's go," Chris said calmly.

He leaped onto the Baratie ahead of everyone else.

The others followed close behind without a word.

"Welcome to the Baratie, the restaurant at sea!"

As soon as Zeff saw Chris and the others, he hurried forward to greet them warmly.

"Welcome, welcome..."

Patty and the other cooks quickly joined in.

Sanji was about to greet them too, but he froze. His cigarette fell onto the deck.

"Reiju..."

Reiju's eyes lit up when she saw him. Shock filled her beautiful face.

"Sanji..."

Everyone on both sides except Chris looked puzzled.

Did they know each other?

Patty and the other cooks were delighted. If the newcomers knew Sanji, surely they had nothing to fear.

Honey Queen glanced from Sanji to Reiju. Her eyes brightened as she understood.

"Reiju, he's family, isn't he? You have the same unusual eyebrows."

Belo Betty nodded. "They're both curled. They'd have to be related."

Chris paid none of it any attention. He walked straight into the restaurant.

"You go on in. I'll join you shortly."

Reiju spoke to Baccarat and the others, then turned to Sanji with a gentle smile. "Let's talk over there."

She walked gracefully toward a corner off to the side.

"What are you standing around for? Go on, you bastard!" Patty and the other cooks yelled at Sanji.

Zeff gave Sanji a stern look. "Boy, be gentle with women. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah. Quit nagging." Sanji lit a cigarette and headed over...

Inside the restaurant.

The moment Chris walked in, everyone fell silent. Not one person dared speak.

Burgess grinned at the customers' faces. He raised both arms and laughed. "Captain, they're all scared of us! Wahahaha..."

"Can't be helped. We're pirates, after all. Hehehe..." Doc Q swept the room with an eerie smile, as though looking for prey.

"We just killed all those people," Hawkins said flatly. "Of course they're scared."

Honey Queen looked around with a smile. "There are lots of customers. The food must be good."

Belo Betty shrugged. "We'll find out when we try it."

Chris stopped, folded his arms, and spoke as calmly as ever.

"I'm Chris, captain of the Chris Pirates."

"If you want to join us, come forward."

With that, he walked to an empty table on the left.

Lafitte twirled his cane and surveyed the room. "The captain must have spotted someone promising. I wonder who."

Luo nodded. "He wouldn't say that for no reason. He must have."

"Anyone who catches the captain's eye must have real potential," Hawkins said in his low, steady voice.

Burgess scanned the room and laughed. "If you want in, hurry up! Don't dawdle! Wahahaha..."

The customers exchanged bewildered looks.

Who would choose to become a pirate out of the blue?

They kept that thought to themselves, of course. Not one of them dared speak.

Everyone breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed these pirates weren't going to cause trouble for no reason.

"Looks like we're safe. Come on, let's cook and give our guests a proper meal."

Patty and the other cooks rushed into the kitchen and got to work.

When did someone so young and powerful appear on the seas? Frightening, Zeff thought, glancing toward Chris.

Zeff was no ignorant cook. He had once sailed the Grand Line, survived there for a year, and made it back in one piece.

He could sense just how terrifyingly strong the young man was.

Of everyone Zeff had ever met, Chris was the strongest. There was no question.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Captain Chris, I'd like to join you. May I?"

The customers froze, then turned toward the speaker.

Someone actually wanted to join?

It seemed unbelievable.

Chris leaned back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, his head lowered slightly as he studied the menu. He seemed not to have heard.

Lafitte and the others were another matter. They all turned to look...

Gin carried two oddly shaped weapons. Ignoring the stares around him, he walked slowly up to Chris.

"Captain Chris, my name is Gin. I'd like to join the Chris Pirates."

His voice was cool and his expression colder. One look told them he was dangerous.

Burgess sized him up and sneered. "Your name's Gin, right? Why do you look so weak? And so ugly?"

Doc Q chuckled. "He's certainly cold enough. I bet he's ruthless."

"Judging by his face, he'll join us today."

Hawkins toyed with his cards, speaking in a low voice with his usual deathly expression.

Lafitte adjusted his top hat. "The courage to step forward suggests he can handle himself," he said politely.

Honey Queen leaned toward Belo Betty and whispered, "He's so dark. He looks like a villain."

"So what? However vicious he is, can he top Chris?" Belo Betty said with a shrug.

Baccarat rolled her eyes at them. "What are you saying? You make Chris sound like a bandit."

Chris looked at Lafitte. "Explain it to him."

Gin glanced at Lafitte in confusion, unsure what Chris meant.

"First, congratulations on joining the Chris Pirates!"

Lafitte stood. "I'm Lafitte, the crew's First Mate. Let me explain the rules aboard our ship."

Burgess shook his head. "The crew's First Mate. He has to say that every time. Does he love showing off that much?"

"He only has a few more chances to say it. Before long, that position will be mine," Doc Q said with a mysterious smile as he watched Lafitte.

Hawkins looked at him. "Judging by your bone structure, you're not fated to be First Mate."

Luo held Kikoku in his arms and nodded. "You may have a Logia ability, but you're still a long way behind Lafitte."

"First Mate Lafitte, this ship's rules suit me perfectly."

A ruthless gleam entered Gin's eyes, and he smiled cruelly. "We're pirates. Why bother with rules? Fists should settle everything."

The customers nearby heard the frightening rules Lafitte laid out and began whispering in surprise.

"Are these really pirates? They even have fights to decide rank? That's terrifying!"

"I don't know. This crew is so strange. I've never seen anything like it."

"If they're always fighting among themselves, that young captain must be incredibly strong. Otherwise, someone would have taken his place already!"