"Eh? Look! There's a huge ship next to Baratie! It's massive!" Usopp exclaimed.
"But this ship is in terrible shape… Was it caught in a storm?" Nami wondered.
Only Jango's eyes widened in shock—he had recognized the flag on the battered vessel.
"Captain Luffy! Everyone! That's the ship of the East Blue overlord, the Krieg Pirates! Be careful!" Jango warned.
The Krieg Pirates?!
Usopp and Nami tensed up, instinctively hiding behind Carl.
Even though both of them had gotten stronger, they still couldn't shake off their nervousness.
Meanwhile, Zoro examined the wrecked ship carefully. "It doesn't just look like it was caught in a storm… Something feels off."
Carl, however, only looked at Luffy.
Luffy grinned and said, "Who cares about that? I just want meat! Let's go to Baratie!"
Since the captain had spoken, there was no reason to argue.
And as for the so-called "overlord" of East Blue… their captain could take on a Marine Admiral. What was there to be afraid of?
Perhaps reminded of Luffy's strength, Usopp, Jango, and Nami relaxed a little.
With that, the eight crewmates and one lion boarded Baratie.
However, they were stopped at the entrance.
Two men stood in the way—a man wearing a blue-striped bandana was supporting a tall figure in a tattered coat.
Carl immediately recognized them—Gin and Krieg.
This was the scene where Gin had brought Krieg to Baratie, desperately seeking food. But the atmosphere was tense.
Krieg was kneeling on the ground, pleading with the restaurant's chefs for food and water. He even said he would do anything in return.
But the chefs of Baratie weren't fools.
They knew Krieg was a despicable, scheming pirate, and they refused to give him anything. Instead, they insisted on reporting him to the Marines.
The guests in the restaurant immediately supported the chefs' decision.
Just then, a blond man in a suit, with curly eyebrows, stepped forward.
In his hands, he carried a large bowl of fried rice and a bottle of wine.
He handed them to Gin and said, "Here. Take the food and drinks."
"Sanji-san…" Gin's voice trembled with emotion.
The blond man with curly eyebrows was none other than the chef, Sanji.
However, at this moment, Sanji and Luffy didn't know each other yet, and Carl hadn't expected the story to progress this far. How Sanji ended up here was a bit of a mystery.
Before he could think further, the other chefs rushed forward, trying to stop Sanji.
"Sanji, you idiot! Do you even know what you're doing?!" one of the chefs yelled. "That's Krieg! He's a ruthless, scheming pirate! He started as a criminal, disguised himself as a Marine to steal warships, attacked towns while flying the Marine flag, pretended to surrender just to launch surprise attacks—he'll do anything! If he regains his strength now, he'll take over Baratie and kill us all!"
"I don't care about any of that!" Sanji shot back without hesitation. "I'm a chef. When I see someone starving, I cook for them. That's what a chef is supposed to do, right?"
Everyone fell silent, stunned by Sanji's words.
What he said wasn't exactly wrong… but it all depended on who he was feeding.
Krieg deserved to starve. Saving him could put countless lives at risk—even friends and loved ones. By the time Sanji realized that, it might be too late.
At that moment, Krieg finished his food.
The second he put the bowl down, he lunged at Sanji and slammed him to the ground with a powerful arm strike.
"Hahaha! I'm back at full strength, you weaklings!"
Krieg exhaled sharply, arrogance written all over his face.
Luffy picked his nose and muttered, "Huh? This guy's supposed to be the 'Overlord of East Blue'? He doesn't seem that impressive."
The rest of the Straw Hats sneered at Krieg's actions.
Carl, on the other hand, simply smiled and turned to Luffy. "Luffy, what do you think of this chef?"
Luffy adjusted his straw hat and replied, "It's good to have something you believe in. This guy isn't bad. But… he's too weak. He sticks to his beliefs, but he can't protect the people he wants to protect."
Carl's smile deepened.
To many people, Sanji was wrong—saving a villain like Krieg would only bring harm to others, even those closest to him.
To others, Sanji was right—he had experienced the pain of starvation firsthand, and that's why he refused to let anyone else suffer the same way.
Different people had different perspectives.
But Carl agreed with Luffy. Having strong convictions was important, but if you didn't have the strength to back them up, they meant nothing.
If Hawkeye had been the one to give Krieg food, would Krieg have dared to pull something like this?
This was the power of strength.
Only with true strength could someone protect their beliefs—otherwise, those so-called convictions would only become a joke.
The rest of the Straw Hats were momentarily taken aback. Then, they smiled.
At that moment, they realized their captain wasn't an idiot—he understood the reality of the world.
Because they were standing a bit farther from the entrance, Krieg and his men hadn't heard their conversation.
Krieg, still brimming with arrogance, barked out his demands. "This ship looks good—I'll take it! Also, prepare food and water for a hundred people! My men need it!"
The chefs immediately gritted their teeth, tensing up, while the guests shrieked and bolted for the back exit.
Sanji, trembling slightly from the attack, got up and turned toward the kitchen. But the other chefs, knowing exactly what he was about to do, immediately blocked his path.
Then, Chef Patty didn't even bother arguing—he slammed Sanji to the ground and declared outright that he was wrong. Without hesitation, he dragged a cannon from a corner of the restaurant and fired a blast straight at Krieg.
The explosion was powerful—but it barely seemed to faze him.
As the smoke cleared, Krieg's tattered coat fell away, revealing a set of gleaming golden armor underneath. The chefs barely had time to react before Krieg's chest armor split open, revealing hidden gun muzzles—then, he fired directly at them!
Even Luffy and the others were taken aback by this.
Zoro narrowed his eyes at the sight. "So, his whole body is covered in cannons, and he's wrapped in thick armor... Is this guy a walking turtle?" he muttered.
Still, he couldn't deny that Krieg's defense was tough—at least for him right now, dealing with it would be tricky. But despite that, Zoro only scoffed in his heart.
Only cowards needed this much armor.
A real warrior didn't need to hide behind such excessive defenses!
At that moment, an old man with braided facial hair, a towering chef's hat, and prosthetic legs stepped forward. Without a word, he threw a massive sack onto the ground in front of Krieg.
"The food and water for a hundred men. Take it and get lost," said the head chef, Zeff.
"Boss, you can't do this! If the Krieg Pirates recover, they'll turn on us!" the chefs protested anxiously.
"Heh… that all depends on whether they even have the guts." Zeff sneered, then looked Krieg in the eye. "Right, losers of the Grand Line?"
His words left everyone stunned.
The mighty Krieg Pirates—the so-called overlords of the East Blue—were actually defeated in the Grand Line?
It was almost impossible to believe!
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