Everyone on the vast deck looked toward Ace.
With a bounty of fifty million Beli, he had undoubtedly become their pillar of support.
Ace lifted the brim of his hat and gave a dry chuckle.
"I'm curious too. What exactly happened to the Krieg Pirates? Let's watch for now!"
"Boss Krieg, there's a floating restaurant ahead. They should have food there. That guy seems to have disappeared. Let's fill our bellies first!"
Pearl hurriedly spoke up.
Over the past three days, they had been worn out from fleeing, unable even to eat proper meals.
Now, they had finally managed to shake off that madman.
Every last one's belly began growling despite themselves.
"Head over! Hurry over and seize all their food! If they dare refuse, show them the terror of the Krieg Pirates!"
Clinging to the railing, Krieg roared hysterically.
There was only one way for him to suppress the fear in his heart now!
A frenzy of slaughter.
Only that could dispel the terrifying figure haunting his mind like a grim reaper demanding his life.
At the mere thought of everything that had happened over the past three days, Krieg's legs still couldn't help trembling.
But now, all of that was clearly diluted by the hunger in his belly.
Whether Krieg or the other pirates.
Their only thought was to fill their bellies as quickly as possible, slaughter to their hearts' content, and escape this damned place.
The dozen or so pirate ships surged toward the floating restaurant the instant the order fell.
As the finest pirate ships in the East Blue, they closed the dozen or so nautical miles in just over ten minutes.
Looking at the dark mass of the fleet, every ship was indeed riddled with damage.
Even so, quite a few people present began losing their composure, and the atmosphere gradually grew tense.
"Captain Ace, it looks like we'll need your help to enjoy a meal in peace."
Zeff spoke with a smile.
"If you don't mind, you can take my rebellious employee along too."
"Shut up, old man! Stop trying to send me away!"
Sanji shot him a glare. Though his words were at odds with Zeff's, he still stood beside him, on guard.
The dozen or so large ships before them did look utterly battered.
But both Krieg's fearsome reputation and the thousand-plus red-eyed crewmen exerted enormous pressure.
"Hehe, don't worry. Ace has made quite a name for himself in the East Blue lately. Once we announce his fifty-million bounty, they'll surely show us some respect and withdraw on their own."
Ace laughed loudly and was the first to step out through the crowd.
"Krieg, do you see that pirate ship over there? We're the Spade Pirates, whose might has shaken the East Blue lately! This is our captain, Fire Fist Ace, with a bounty of fifty million Beli!"
"We just want to have a good meal today, then head for the Grand Line. We don't want any extra trouble, so we hope you'll show us some respect and withdraw peacefully!"
Everyone looked toward Krieg.
They, too, wanted to know whether the title of the East Blue's strongest rookie could intimidate this overlord of the East Blue.
"Shut up! Fire Fist Ace? I, the admiral, don't think anything of him! Bring all your food up here right now, or I won't mind killing every last one of you!"
Krieg roared furiously.
"Forget it! Men, go take it!"
"Kill!"
The thousand-plus pirates eyeing them like tigers instantly let out earth-shaking battle cries.
They swiftly raised their weapons, preparing to charge into the floating restaurant.
The sight left everyone dumbfounded.
Ace's cheeks still burned, and his facial muscles couldn't stop twitching.
One moment, he had been bragging; now, he had been publicly ignored.
That slap in the face had come far too quickly.
"Hehe, sorry about that. My crewmate made a fool of himself in front of everyone. I suppose it's up to me, the captain, to clean up the mess now."
Ace gave an awkward, dry chuckle and lifted his hat brim with his index finger. Flames suddenly blazed to life on his fingertip.
Before obtaining the Flame-Flame Fruit, he might not have been able to handle a situation like this.
But now, he had been reborn.
With the power of a Logia Devil Fruit and his strength soaring, Ace really wanted to tell someone.
For now, though, he had to clean up this mess first!
"Captain Ace, look! Out on the sea! It looks like someone's walking on the water!"
Mihal, who had remained silent while keeping watch with his sniper rifle raised, suddenly cried out urgently.
What?
Ace and the others froze.
The pirates charging forward with battle cries, along with Krieg, had their savage, vicious, bloodthirsty, frenzied expressions freeze on their faces.
The next instant, amid terrified screams that cried out to heaven and earth, they all turned and rushed back onto their ships.
"He's here! That demon's here again! He haunts us like a lingering ghost! Why can't he just leave us alone?"
"Run! Otherwise, we'll end up buried at sea like those dozens of pirate ships!"
"Heavens! Who exactly did our Krieg Pirates offend for heaven to send a grim reaper to hunt us down?"
"Lord Krieg, what do we do now?"
Their hysterical roars were laced with endless fear.
The thousand-plus pirates who had been about to plunder and slaughter in a frenzy had been scared out of their wits in an instant.
The enormous contrast left everyone unable to react.
Could the person hunting them be even scarier than the East Blue's strongest rookie with his fifty-million bounty?
"No, no! I'm afraid we can't escape this time! We have to fight him! Three days! He's chased us for three whole days! However powerful he is, he's bound to be tired!"
Krieg roared with a crazed expression.
Holding his shattered battle spear, he rushed toward the stern like a madman, seeking a final confrontation with the grim reaper approaching across the sea.
Humm!
A golden blade aura over ten meters long shot toward them from the distance.
The sea along its path was instantly torn apart.
A deafening explosion rang out.
A pirate ship not far from Krieg was instantly cleaved in two.
As the explosion sounded, the enormous hull was swallowed directly by the sea.
Thud!
Still holding his battle spear, Krieg dropped to his knees on the deck.
The frenzy that had gone to his head was wiped clean in an instant.
Against that slash, never mind his own scrawny limbs-even the battle spear in his hands probably couldn't have withstood it.
"L-look! Krieg's wet himself..."
Someone cried out.
Everyone soon saw a large amount of yellow liquid spreading across the deck where Krieg knelt.
Seeing the mighty overlord of the East Blue reduced to such a state.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
"Captain Ace, who is that guy? That attack just now was insane! He cut a pirate ship dozens of meters long in half with one slash..."
Mihal lost his composure and couldn't help speaking.
"Should we retreat for now?"
"Retreat?"
Ace glared at him.
"Mihal, that joke isn't funny."
"Our Spade Pirates finally made a name for ourselves, and we even shook off that troublesome Marine. Asking us to run now is simply out of the question."
"Besides, Ace has the power of the Logia Flame-Flame Fruit. That alone makes him unbeatable in the East Blue!"