He had not even blinked, yet Smoker could not see Norton move.
The punch he had expected never came. Smoker froze, then discovered to his horror that the Jitte in his hand had somehow ended up in Norton's!
"Give me back my Jitte!" Smoker shouted angrily.
Holding Smoker's Jitte, Norton gently ran his broad palm over its tip without looking at the furious Smoker.
"It looks like a fine weapon, but unfortunately, it no longer belongs to you," Norton said with a smile.
Smoker's face flushed red. "Let go of my Jitte!"
"Rage all you like, you pathetic weakling..." Norton raised the Jitte. "It doesn't really suit me, but defeating you with your own weapon should be entertaining, don't you think?"
"Give it back!" Smoker practically forced the words through clenched teeth, his face turning a dark, livid red.
The shame and fury of losing his Jitte burned away the last of his composure. He lunged forward, his right hand transforming into a giant white claw of smoke that snatched viciously at the Jitte in Norton's hand.
Norton did not retreat. With a twist of his wrist, the Jitte spun lightly through half a turn in his palm, slipping out of the smoke claw's path.
Then, gripping the butt of the Jitte, he thrust his arm forward-
The movement was clean, crisp, and almost casual.
The butt of the Jitte struck Smoker precisely on the side of his jaw, exposed by his forward lunge.
Smoker's charge stopped dead. The fury in his eyes instantly gave way to confusion, then a vacant stare.
He swayed, went limp, and fell straight backward, plunging into the cold seawater below with a splash. Water sprayed up, then he sank, leaving only a few bubbles rising to the surface.
On the two warships nearby, every Marine stared wide-eyed.
"Captain Smoker... lost too!"
Captain Smoker, the man they had considered practically invincible, a Logia user, had just... fallen?
Who else could stop this man named Norton?
Norton stood on the floating wreckage, toying with Smoker's Jitte without sparing the sinking man a glance.
Defeating Smoker had not been difficult for him. Smoker had only lasted this long because he was a Logia user.
Without that Logia ability, Smoker would not have lasted a second longer than those three branch captains.
As for enjoying himself, the fight had not even stirred Norton's interest. Smoker was nowhere near that CP0 agent from before.
Sunlight shone down, yet the Marines felt no warmth. At that moment, the silver-haired man standing beneath the sun looked to them like some inhuman monster that had crawled out of the depths.
Norton glanced indifferently at the silent warships around him and the Marines floating in the water, crying for help. Nothing stirred in his eyes.
Neither triumph nor pity.
As though he had merely finished some trivial chore, Norton tucked the Jitte behind him, bent his knees, and leaped.
His figure cut through the sea breeze before landing steadily on Baratie's deck.
The White Pearl drew closer at just the right moment.
Nami waved vigorously from the bow, a brilliant smile on her face. "Norton! Over here!"
Funing also breathed a sigh of relief and waved to him.
On the Black Cat Pirates' ship nearby, deafening cheers erupted. Jango even led the celebration by banging a battered gong.
They had never dreamed that their new captain, the man who had defeated Kuro, would be this powerful! In an instant, they felt as though they had found someone mighty to cling to.
Watching Norton board his own ship from afar, the Marines exchanged bewildered glances.
"He... didn't finish us off?"
"We... survived?"
"Quick! Get everyone out of the water! Request reinforcements from headquarters!"
Norton stepped onto Baratie and walked straight toward Zeff, who had been watching in silence.
"I won't be staying here any longer," Norton said bluntly, his voice calm. "I'm leaving tomorrow. Make your decision soon."
The Marines had already discovered his whereabouts. Once their higher-ups learned that he was responsible for killing the Celestial Dragons, they would inevitably send enough forces to hunt him down.
Those who offended the Celestial Dragons never met a good end, let alone those who killed them.
If the incident had not been kept from the public, with only a handful of people knowing the truth, even a Marine Admiral might have been dispatched.
Norton was certainly not afraid of the Marine Admirals. He even looked forward to one arriving. But his destination was the New World, and he would not remain in any stretch of sea for too long.
Only after reaching the New World could he begin establishing his own nation. He would not let the Marines derail his plans.
After a pause, Norton looked into Zeff's conflicted eyes and spoke with absolute certainty. "Even if you refuse now, I'll come back sooner or later!"
"I won't give up on you, Zeff! Your cooking and your dream are already mine!"
Zeff's mouth parted slightly. He remained silent for a long time.
In the kitchen, Patty, Sanji, and the other cooks held their breath as they listened.
At last, Zeff shook his head and said hoarsely, "I'm not leaving this restaurant! I'm the owner, you idiot! At least until there's someone to take my place, I'm not going anywhere!"
Norton watched him for a few seconds, then nodded. His face showed little surprise, only a faint trace of regret.
"I see. That's a shame."
He said nothing more and turned toward the waiting White Pearl.
Before jumping onto its rail, Norton paused and turned his head to address Zeff on the deck. "Still... I'll come back sooner or later!"
If Norton wanted something, he would never give up on it!
Night lay heavy over the sea. Most of the floating restaurant's lights had gone out, leaving only a faint glow for the night watch.
A tall, slightly stooped figure carrying a bulging pack crept carefully across the deck, his wooden prosthetic leg making soft sounds against the planks.
Zeff glanced back at the outline of the restaurant sleeping in the darkness. His gaze held deep attachment, along with a trace of resolve.
In the end, however, Zeff untied the rope securing a spare boat to the restaurant's side, slipped nimbly aboard, and picked up the oars.
The little boat silently cut across the calm sea in the direction the White Pearl had departed that afternoon, disappearing into the deep night.
On the table in his room, he had left a letter written in a somewhat untidy hand.
Almost immediately after Zeff's boat vanished into the darkness, the kitchen door gently opened.
Sanji walked in with an unlit cigarette between his lips, followed by Patty and several of the main cooks.
No one spoke, and none of them looked sleepy.
Sanji went straight to the table in Zeff's room and picked up the letter.
By the moonlight streaming through the window, he quickly scanned its contents, pressed his lips together, and cursed. "That damned old man!"
The letter was simple. Zeff had essentially written that he was leaving the owner's position and Baratie in Sanji and Patty's hands, while he would be going away for a while.
Patty leaned over to read it and sighed. "Just as I thought... I knew the owner would pull something like this."
"You think you were the only one who noticed?" one cook said quietly. "None of us went back to our rooms after dinner. We were all waiting in the kitchen."
"The old man wants to sneak off and chase his dream alone..." Another cook rubbed his reddened eyes. "Leaving all of us behind... like we'd let him get away with that!"
"What are we waiting for?" Sanji crumpled the letter in his fist, turned, and headed outside, his voice firm. "Get the restaurant moving! Full speed! We're catching that stubborn old man!"
"Yeah!!!"
A low chorus of agreement rang through the restaurant in the night.
Soon, Baratie's massive bulk began turning slowly to change course, its exterior "fins" and auxiliary sails shifting to their optimal angles.
The seemingly cumbersome floating fortress began accelerating through the darkness, cutting through the waves in pursuit of Zeff's vanished boat.
It picked up more and more speed.
Ahead, a lone light swayed on the dark sea-the faint glow from Zeff's little boat.
Zeff was rowing hard when he suddenly felt unusual currents and vibrations in the water behind him. He turned in surprise.
The enormous, brightly lit Baratie was rapidly closing in, like a great beast emerging from the night!
The waves breaking from its bow were almost upon his little boat.
Its deck was crowded with familiar figures.
Sanji, Patty, and every last cook.
They all looked at Zeff without speaking, but the restaurant's lights and a certain determination shone in every pair of eyes.
Sanji stepped forward to the rail and shouted down at the dumbfounded Zeff, giving voice to what every cook felt.
"Hey, old man! Don't think you can sneak off alone!!"
Patty shouted at the top of his lungs too. "Leaving us behind to chase All Blue on your own? That's pretty sneaky, you rotten old man!"
"Take us with you, old man!"
"Let's go together! Take us to the Grand Line! To the New World! Let's find that legendary All Blue!"
Shouts rose one after another, echoing across the quiet sea.
Zeff tilted his head up, looking at the faces on the deck-excited, smiling, or glistening with tears beneath the lights. His hands trembled slightly around the oars. The sea breeze swept across his wrinkled face. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.
In the end, Zeff said nothing. He simply nodded hard, then raised a hand and vigorously wiped his face.
The floating restaurant slowly adjusted its course to draw alongside Zeff's boat. Sanji threw down a rope ladder.
"Get up here, you rotten old man! Or are you waiting for us to come down and carry you?"
"You little brat!!"
The next morning.
The sea was a brilliant blue, and for once, they encountered no foul weather.
On the White Pearl's spacious grassy deck, an elegant chessboard sat on a small wooden table. Sunlight streamed through gaps in the mainsail, scattering patches of light and shadow.
Norton held a black king between his fingers and gently set it down in a corner of the board. Beside it lay Smoker's... no, Norton's Jitte.
"Checkmate."
Across from him, Nami stared at the board for three seconds, then swept the pieces into disarray. "Doesn't count! Doesn't count! You definitely cheated this time!"
Losing to Norton at Chinese chess was one thing, but he had not invented Western chess! Why was she still losing?
Nami was practically going mad. She had already lost thirty thousand to Norton! It might not have been much, but money was money!
"That was the third game." Norton leaned back in his deck chair, his hands behind his head. "Throwing a tantrum after three straight losses-is that what passes for professionalism in a navigator?"
"I'm not throwing a tantrum! You're..." Nami was about to argue when Funing's startled cry interrupted her.
"King! Look behind us!"
Funing stood by the stern rail, pointing toward the horizon.
Norton and Nami turned at the same time.
Where the blue sea met the sky, a familiar shape was rapidly growing larger!
The enormous fish-shaped floating restaurant was heading toward the White Pearl at full speed!
Norton sat up straight, a flicker of confusion crossing his eyes.
"...Didn't he turn me down?"
Baratie approached at astonishing speed, rapidly closing the distance until the figures on its deck became visible.
Everyone aboard the White Pearl gathered at the stern.
Zoro folded his arms, Sanosuke remained on guard, and Kuro adjusted his glasses.
The Black Cat Pirates' ship also slowed, with Jango and the others crowding along its rail to look.
A row of familiar figures stood on Baratie's forward deck.
At their head stood Zeff, his braided blond mustache fluttering in the sea breeze. Beside him were Sanji, Patty, and all the main cooks.
When the gap between the ships narrowed to less than a hundred meters, Zeff drew a deep breath and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Norton!!"
"I've changed my mind!!"
For a second, even the sea breeze seemed to fall still.
Zeff's voice rang out again, louder than before and carrying a burning fervor.
"Let us go to the New World with you! That legendary sea-All Blue-we'll find it for every cook in the world and everyone who longs for good food!!!"
When his final word faded, only the sound of waves striking the hulls remained.
On Baratie's deck, every cook stood tall, their burning gazes fixed on the White Pearl and the silver-haired man at its stern.
After a brief silence.
The corners of Norton's mouth slowly lifted. He stepped forward and planted a foot on the stern rail.
"Welcome aboard!!!"
As his words rang out, cheers erupted aboard the White Pearl.
"Wonderful!" Funing was the first to jump up, clapping her hands. "Now we'll get to eat food that delicious every day!"
Nami's eyes turned into Beli symbols. "The floating restaurant's head chef becoming our personal cook... how much will that save us on food!"
Zoro gave a rare smile. "The booze should be pretty good too."
Sanosuke nodded silently.
Kuro adjusted his glasses. "Additional fighting strength, and... a significant boost to morale."
The cheers aboard the Black Cat Pirates' ship were even louder. Jango even broke into his ridiculous dance. "We were right to follow this boss! He even brought the floating restaurant into the fold!"
The Grand Line, Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside the highest-level conference room, the atmosphere was heavy as iron.
Figures wearing coats emblazoned with "Justice" filled the seats around the long oval table.
At its head sat Fleet Admiral Sengoku, wearing round-framed glasses, his clasped hands resting beneath his chin and his expression grave.
The seats on either side belonged to the Three Admirals-Akainu Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Kizaru Borsalino.
Akainu's expression was cold and grim. Kuzan leaned back in his chair, seemingly half asleep, while Kizaru tilted his head and lightly tapped the table with his fingers.
Farther down sat Vice Admiral Tsuru, Onigumo, Doberman, and the other Vice Admirals, along with the officers in charge of intelligence.
At the front of the conference room, a giant projection Den Den Mushi cast several reports and photographs onto a screen-the ruins of the Sage Kingdom, images of three wrecked warships, a photograph of Smoker lying in a hospital bed, and, at the very center, the silver-haired young man's wanted poster.
"Norton"
"DEAD OR ALIVE"
"100,000,000 Beli"
"Let's begin," Sengoku said gravely.