Krieg stared at the old man for a long time before finally recognizing him.
"So... you're that Red-Leg Zeff from back in the day!"
Realizing this, Krieg immediately demanded that Zeff hand over his voyage log. However, Zeff flatly refused.
Krieg's face twisted in fury as he roared, "I may have failed this time, but I am still the overlord of the East Blue! The only thing I'm missing is information!
As long as you give me that logbook, I'll regroup, re-enter the Grand Line—and this time, I will conquer it!
I'll take control of the entire Grand Line—I'll find the legendary One Piece!"
At this point, Luffy had heard enough.
"Oi, hold it right there!"
Luffy stepped forward slowly, and the rest of the Straw Hats followed behind him. As they moved, an overwhelming pressure filled the air.
There were only six of them—and one lion—but their presence was suffocating.
Luffy and Carl were terrifyingly strong. Zoro, Usopp, and Nami had grown far more powerful. Jango was a former ship captain. And Richie… well, he was a beast.
Each of them wore serious expressions as they advanced, their sheer presence sending a wave of intimidation through the room.
Even Johnny and Joseph, not wanting to be left out, struck their best battle-ready poses.
The entire restaurant fell silent, the tension so thick it was almost visible.
The guests swallowed nervously.
Even Krieg and Gin, despite themselves, instinctively took half a step back.
Luffy stopped a short distance from Krieg, then pointed directly at him.
"You? You think you can conquer the Grand Line?" Luffy chuckled. "With that walking turtle shell of yours? Let me make something clear—the one who'll conquer the Grand Line and find the One Piece… is me!"
At this moment, Luffy's presence was overwhelming.
Carl, standing beside him, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
'Yeah… now that Luffy's stronger, his aura is completely different. When he gets serious… his Haki is almost as terrifying as Red-Haired Shanks!'
Krieg, however, sneered.
"You? You scrawny little monkey? And those weakling crewmates of yours?"
Luffy tilted his head. "Weaklings, huh? Well… Usopp, you're the weakest one here. Go take care of him."
Usopp pouted. "Oi, Luffy, how am I the weakest…"
Even as he complained, he casually stepped forward.
At first, Usopp had been intimidated by Krieg's reputation. But after eating the Mythical Zoan Fruit, he had changed.
He knew how much stronger he had become.
Krieg? Please. He was nothing but another enemy to knock down.
Seeing this, Krieg's face darkened.
"You seriously think you can defeat me, the overlord of the East Blue—with that scrawny long nose of yours?!"
Usopp stepped forward confidently. "I'm enough for this. I am Usopp, the sniper and lookout of the Straw Hat Pirates. Pleased to meet you!"
Krieg's face twisted in fury.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Without another word, he swung a heavy punch straight at Usopp.
But Usopp didn't even try to block it. Instead, he sidestepped effortlessly, then lashed out with a sharp kick—striking Krieg square in the stomach.
BANG!
The impact echoed loudly, Krieg's armor clanging as he was sent flying.
With a loud crash, he slammed into the wooden wall.
Krieg wasn't injured, but when he looked down at his stomach, his eyes widened in disbelief.
A clear footprint was imprinted on his armor.
"W-What?! How is this possible?!" Krieg stammered, his voice laced with shock. "I've only ever heard of Red-Leg Zeff being able to kick hard enough to leave footprints on steel! How can you do it too?! Who the hell are you?!"
Zeff, Sanji, and the other chefs stood frozen, their eyes wide with astonishment.
Usopp smirked.
"As long as you're strong enough, a turtle shell like yours is nothing to worry about."
Then, crossing his arms smugly, he repeated himself. "I already told you—I am Usopp! Sniper and lookout of the Straw Hat Pirates!"
Krieg gritted his teeth in frustration.
Zoro and Nami exchanged exasperated looks. Usopp's ego really was hopeless.
Meanwhile, Johnny and Joseph were practically trembling with excitement.
"We never knew Brother Usopp was this powerful!"
Just then, Carl suddenly shouted, "Oi, Usopp! Krieg's armor is gold-plated, and the back of his gloves is diamond. Be sure to take them off for Nami!"
Nami's eyes sparkled. "Usopp, please!"
Usopp sighed dramatically. He came out here to fight—and his crewmates were already making demands.
But… oddly enough, he didn't mind.
Because this meant something important.
They're relying on me.
They trust me!
Fueled by that thought, Usopp's determination grew even stronger.
Krieg, now completely enraged, activated his armor's hidden guns and unleashed a barrage of bullets straight at Usopp.
But Usopp remained unfazed.
Calmly, he pulled out his small slingshot.
With rapid precision, he fired multiple Gunpowder Stars, each one intercepting Krieg's bullets and shells midair.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As the smoke cleared, everyone stood in stunned silence.
Only now did they realize—Usopp wasn't just talking big.
He really was a sniper.
Krieg's face went pale. His body trembled.
"H-How… how is this possible?!"
For the first time, Krieg—the so-called overlord of the East Blue—began to doubt himself.
Usopp's ability to fight on this level was, of course, thanks to his Devil Fruit.
First, his enhanced vision allowed him to instantly lock onto every single shell in midair.
At the same time, his speed and strength had grown significantly, making it effortless to fire off multiple Gunpowder Stars in an instant.
Of course, the real key was his exceptional sniper skills.
This guy had completely inherited his father, Yasopp's, legendary marksmanship.
However, Carl couldn't help but note something else—one major reason Usopp could handle Krieg's attacks so easily was because, in this world, cannonballs were way too slow.
Usopp and Krieg had been fighting for a while now, and the battle remained at a stalemate. But rather than trying to end it quickly, Usopp kept showing off, dragging out the fight just for the fun of it.
Naturally, this only made Krieg furious.
The pirate warlord's face was practically turning purple from rage, smoke almost coming out of his ears.
And now, with most of his shells depleted, Krieg finally lost patience.
He charged straight at Usopp, deciding to settle the fight with brute force.
It was true that Usopp was still a beginner when it came to hand-to-hand combat. But his raw strength and speed were overwhelming, and thanks to the training he had received from Carl over the past few days, he was more than prepared to deal with Krieg.
At first, Usopp struggled a little due to inexperience.
But as the fight dragged on, he gradually began to adapt.
Krieg's armor was certainly tough—but Usopp's sheer power was greater.
Before long, his relentless blows had left Krieg's once-impenetrable tortoise shell covered in deep fist imprints and boot marks.
And Krieg himself?
Bruised.
Battered.
Utterly beaten.
From the sidelines, Gin watched in disbelief.
He had always thought Krieg was an unbeatable force. Yet now, a random upstart pirate crew had appeared, and even their sniper was thrashing him.
"Just… what kind of crew is this?!"
As Krieg teetered on the edge of defeat, something stirred inside Gin—a deep, instinctive loyalty that refused to die.
His eyes darted toward the only woman among the Straw Hats.
In a flash, he gripped his tonfa tightly and lunged forward—aiming straight for Nami.
Luffy, Zoro, and Zango all moved at the same time, ready to intercept.
But before they could act—
Nami stepped forward.
"Luffy, everyone—I want to test out my new ability."
Her words made them pause.
They exchanged glances, then nodded.
They trusted Nami's abilities. Her Devil Fruit powers had been growing stronger, and this was the perfect opportunity to put them to the test.
Besides—
With Luffy and Carl standing right there, there was no way they'd let anything happen to her.
Now was the perfect moment for Nami to experience a real battle.
Only through actual combat could she truly master her powers.
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