Chapter 62 / Chapter 63

Thud...

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

After dealing with Balu, Lafitte smiled mildly. "The pirates here in East Blue haven't seen much of the world. Their combat instincts are too weak."

"More importantly, we're too strong," Hawkins said in a lifeless voice.

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

"I wanted to poison every last one, but as soon as they realized something was wrong, they set sail and fled."

Law rested Kikoku on his shoulder, his expression cold. "The rest are just small fry. They can't fight, so there's no need to bother with them."

Inside the Baratie restaurant.

Everyone was stunned by the shocking scene outside.

"Admiral Don Krieg... just like that?"

"Terrifying. I never knew pirates this powerful existed."

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

"I don't want to die! I've got an eighty-year-old mother and a baby boy to feed! Waaaah..."

Seeing how panicked the customers were, Patty could no longer be bothered with them. "What do we do? Should we run?" he asked nervously.

Cold sweat ran down Carne's forehead. "I don't know. But we absolutely can't fight them. People will die."

"Enough talk. Go out there 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." With his hands in his pockets and a cigarette between his lips, Sanji followed him out...

(Everyone, that's a picture of Gin above. Do you still remember him? Also, Reiju and Sanji are about to meet. What will they say to each other? I can't wait (*￣︶￣).)

Chapter 62

Aboard the Chris.

"Quite a few still got away."

Honey Queen looked out over the sea, where small boats raced away as fast as they could.

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

"The rest doesn't matter. I'm going to search the wreckage and see if there's any treasure."

Carina's lovely eyes sparkled, and excitement filled her face. Nothing delighted her more than seizing treasure.

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

Reiju shook her head, amused. "Those two just can't sit still."

Just then, Chris spoke. "Let's go."

He took the lead, jumping straight onto the Baratie.

The others said nothing and followed him one by one.

"Welcome to the Baratie!"

The moment Zeff saw Chris and the others, he greeted them warmly.

"Welcome! Welcome..."

Patty and the other cooks hurried to join in.

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

"Reiju..."

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

"Sanji..."

Everyone on both sides except Chris looked puzzled.

Did those two know each other?

Patty and the other cooks were instantly delighted. They had nothing to fear now. Everything would be fine.

Honey Queen looked from Sanji to Reiju, her eyes shining as she realized what was going on.

"Reiju, he's from your family, isn't he? Those eyebrows look alike. They're both so distinctive."

Belo Betty nodded. "They really do. Both their eyebrows curl. They have to be related."

Chris paid none of this any attention and walked straight into the restaurant.

"You go on in. I'll join you in a moment."

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

With that, she walked gracefully toward a corner off to the side.

"What are you standing around for? Get over there, you bastard Sanji!"

Patty and the other cooks hurried to curse him into action.

Zeff glanced at Sanji and said sternly, "Boy, be gentle with a woman. Got it?"

"All right, enough nagging." Sanji lit a cigarette and headed over...

Inside the restaurant.

Everyone fell silent when Chris entered. Not one person dared to speak.

Burgess grinned at the customers' reaction. He raised both arms and roared with laughter. "Captain, everyone's scared of us! Wehahahaha..."

"Can't be helped. We're pirates, after all. Heh heh heh..." Doc Q wore an eerie smile as his gaze swept the room, as though searching for prey.

"We just killed so many people," Hawkins said flatly. "Of course they're afraid."

Honey Queen looked around and smiled. "There are a lot of customers here. The food must be good."

Belo Betty shrugged. "We'll find out soon enough."

Chris stopped walking and folded his arms, as calm as ever.

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

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

With that, he headed for an empty table on the left.

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

Law nodded. "The captain wouldn't have said that for no reason."

"Anyone who caught the captain's eye must have considerable potential."

Hawkins's voice remained low and steady.

Burgess swept his gaze across the room and laughed. "If you want to join, hurry up! Quit dithering! Wehahahaha..."

The customers exchanged bewildered looks.

Who in their right mind would become a pirate when they didn't have to?

They certainly didn't dare say that aloud. Every one of them stayed silent.

Still, they secretly breathed a little easier. It seemed this crew wouldn't attack at random. They weren't quite as vicious as they had feared.

"Looks like we're safe. Hurry up and make some food. We need to treat our guests well."

Without another word, Patty and the other cooks rushed into the kitchen and got to work.

When did someone so young and powerful appear on the seas? Terrifying.

Zeff glanced toward Chris, struck by the thought.

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

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

Of everyone Zeff had ever met, Chris was unquestionably the strongest.

Suddenly, a voice rang out.

"Captain Chris, I'd like to join you. Would that be possible?"

The customers froze at the sound and hurriedly looked over.

Someone actually wanted to join?

It seemed unbelievable.

Chris leaned back in his chair with one leg crossed over the other, looking down at the menu on the table as though he hadn't heard.

Lafitte and the others, however, all turned to look...

(Another beautiful woman will join at the Baratie! Can you guess who? She's very pretty ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Chapter 63

Gin carried two oddly shaped weapons and ignored the stares around him as he walked slowly up to Chris.

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

His tone was cool and his expression colder. One look told you he was ruthless.

Burgess sized him up and sneered. "So you're Gin? Why do you look so weak? And so ugly?"

Doc Q chuckled. "He's certainly cold-blooded. I bet he's a ruthless one."

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

Hawkins toyed with his cards, looking as lifeless as ever as he spoke in a low voice.

Lafitte adjusted his top hat. "The fact that he had the courage to step forward suggests he's capable," he said politely.

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

"What does that matter? No matter how ruthless he is, can he compare to Chris?"

Belo Betty shrugged as she spoke.

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

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

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

"First of all, congratulations on joining the Chris Pirates!"

Lafitte stood and said politely, "I'm Lafitte, the crew's first mate. Now, let me explain the ship's rules."

Burgess shook his head helplessly. "The crew's first mate. Does he have to say that every time? He loves showing off."

"He only has a few more chances to say it. That position will be mine before long."

Doc Q watched Lafitte with a mysterious smile.

Hawkins looked at him. "Judging by your bone structure, you're not destined to be first mate."

Law held the Demonic Sword Kikoku and nodded. "Even with a Logia ability, you're still a long way behind Lafitte."

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

A vicious glint entered Gin's eyes, and he smiled cruelly. "We're pirates. Why bother with rules? Our fists should settle everything."

The nearby customers were shocked by the terrifying ship's rules Lafitte had described. They began whispering among themselves.

"Are these really pirates? They even fight over positions? That's terrifying!"

"I don't know. This crew is too 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've replaced him by now!"