16: Chapter 16 A Jin's Encounter

Inside the Baratie restaurant, soft saxophone music flowed low, exuding a reassuring elegance.

Although they had just experienced a thrilling confrontation, for these battle-hardened chefs accustomed to making a living amidst the wind and waves, the customers' dining experience still came first.

Before long, exquisite roasted sea beast meat, cheese chowder exuding a rich cheesy aroma, and several delicate appetizers were laid out on Rice's table.

When Sanji served the dishes, he appeared unusually silent.

His eyes, which were usually somewhat lazy, stole glances from time to time at Rice, who was leisurely enjoying the food.

The newly awakened Observation Haki made his senses extremely keen, but the more he tried to perceive, the more he felt a terror like an abyss that could not be looked directly at from this black-haired man in front of him.

"Rice... this is so delicious."

Makino used a small knife to cut a small piece of tender roast meat and gently placed it into Rice's mouth.

"Hmm, it is indeed the top-tier culinary skill in the East Blue."

"In a few days, after you learn his skills, we can eat it on the ship every day."

Rice swallowed the meat and winked at Makino, causing the gentle woman's pretty face to flush slightly, and she gave him a shy, coquettish glare.

On the other side of the table, Nami held her fork, mechanically poking at the seafood on her plate, appearing completely distracted.

Her gaze fell on the white dove, whose mast was faintly visible outside the cabin.

The heavy 105 million Berries in her heart seemed to turn into a giant rock, pressing down on her until she could barely breathe.

"Enough... really enough."

Nami muttered in her heart, almost in despair.

As long as she took the box of money and escaped now, returning to Cocoyasi Village, Arlong would have to return the village to her according to their agreement.

But looking at Rice, who was completely defenseless against her and even specially brought her here for a big meal, Nami only felt a wave of guilt churning in her stomach.

She was using him, deceiving him.

Rice was clearly so powerful and so gentle to the people around him, yet she was going to betray him like a despicable thief after getting the money...

"Nami, is it not to your taste?"

Makino's gentle voice interrupted Nami's struggle.

Makino held Nami's cold hand with some concern, "Why is your complexion so poor? Are you not feeling well?"

"No... nothing! Maybe I'm just not used to the taste of sea beast meat."

Nami forced an ugly smile, lowered her head, and desperately stuffed food into her mouth to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

Rice took all of this in, but did not speak to comfort her.

Some knots in the heart can only be completely shattered when faced with the truth.

Just then, the heavy wooden door of the restaurant was suddenly kicked open.

"Bang!!"

A thin man, covered in dirt, with even his clothes tattered, stumbled into the hall.

His face was as pale as paper, his eyes deeply sunken, and he was so weak that standing was barely possible, falling to his knees on the cold floor with a thud.

"Water... give me water... and food... please..."

He begged in a voice as hoarse as sand rubbing together, even desperately digging his fingernails into the wooden floor.

"Hey pauper, don't pretend to be dead in the shop! If you don't have money, get out!"

Patty strode over, his face full of flesh as he chattered, making a move to throw him into the sea.

"Stop, Patty."

Sanji coldly interrupted Patty.

Although he had never seen this disheveled man before, his pride and principles as a chef would never allow anyone to starve to death in front of him.

Sanji silently turned and walked to the kitchen. A moment later.

A plate of specially made seafood fried Rice, exuding a rich aroma and piled up like a small mountain, was brought out by him and placed heavily in front of the nearly weak man.

"Eat."

Sanji pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and said faintly.

"Thank you... thank you..."

The moment the man saw the food, his eyes erupted with a beast-like green light.

He gulped it down, not even bothering to use utensils, directly grabbing the piping hot fried Rice with his dirty hands and stuffing it into his mouth.

This scene made Nami, who was sitting not far away, slightly stunned.

But before the warm atmosphere in the hall could last long, a deafening explosion suddenly came from the berth outside the restaurant!

"Boom!!"

The entire huge Baratie restaurant shook violently in an instant, and the glass on the windows shattered one after another under this terrifying impact.

"What's going on?!"

"Is there an enemy attack?!"

The diners and Marine officers in the hall ran to the windows in a panic and looked down.

They saw a huge black flagship that almost blotted out the sky, forcing its way through the surrounding berths in an extremely violent yet scarred posture, and stopped beside the Baratie.

The main mast of the ship had snapped, the hull was covered in terrifying slash marks, and the remaining black pirate flag fluttered desolately in the wind.

The hegemon of the East Blue, the flagship of the Krieg Pirates — [Dreadnaught Sabre]!

Immediately after, heavy footsteps accompanied by the roar of metal armor colliding approached the restaurant door step by step.

The door was violently pushed open.

A very burly middle-aged man with purple hair, wearing heavy gold-plated full-body armor, strode in, surrounded by a group of equally hungry and exhausted pirates.

The hegemon with the highest bounty in the East Blue, commanding five thousand subordinates — "Captain" Don Krieg!

However, at this moment, this former hegemon had no majesty on his face.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he was so weak that even standing was trembling slightly.

"Thud."

Under the shocked gaze of all the chefs and diners, this East Blue hegemon actually knelt straight on the ground, supporting the ground with both hands without any dignity, and kowtowed wildly:

"Food... give me food! As long as you can give me and my subordinates food..."

"I am willing to pay any price! Please!"

Sanji bit his cigarette, looking at Don Krieg on the ground with a complex expression.

He didn't say a word, silently turning to the kitchen.

A moment later, a huge bowl of thick soup and roast meat sufficient to support a dozen people was brought out by him and placed in front of Don Krieg.

Don Krieg let out a beast-like low roar, frantically snatching the food, not even having time to take off his armor.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Don Krieg slowly stood up.

He wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth, and the face that had been full of despair and embarrassment was instantly replaced by a look of extreme cruelty, greed, and tyranny.

"Die, stinky chef! I want this ship!"

Without any warning, a fierce light flashed in Don Krieg's eyes, and a heavy punch, accompanied by the heavy sound of metal armor breaking through the wind, smashed towards Sanji's face without warning!

"Sanji! Watch out!"

Patty and Carne shouted in horror.

However, at this moment, Sanji was no longer the failure struggling in the fog of destiny.

Under the almost brutal truth revealed by Rice, the Observation Haki in his body had already quietly awakened.

At this instant, the heavy fist of Don Krieg, known as the "strongest in the East Blue," was as slow as a snail struggling in water in the vision of Observation Haki that lit up in Sanji's mind.

"Whoosh..."

Sanji didn't even move his feet.

His figure presented a strange agility in an instant. As the fist grazed his hair, his body leaned back elegantly. That heavy punch passed almost by the tip of his nose, not even shaking off a bit of the ash from his cigarette!

"Nani?!"

Don Krieg's pupils shrank.

"Ungrateful trash."

A bone-chilling coldness flashed in Sanji's eyes.

Taking advantage of the sideways momentum, his right leg swept out horizontally like a poisonous snake coming out of its hole, bringing up a sharp sound of breaking wind!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Only dense afterimages of Sanji's legs remained in the air!

Sanji, who had just awakened Observation Haki, showed a devastating crushing effect on the Krieg Pirates in terms of speed.

Those Krieg Pirates who tried to rush up to help couldn't even touch the corner of Sanji's clothes before they had their chins shattered by his lightning-fast kicking techniques, screaming and flying backward, rolling into a ball in the restaurant hall.

In the face of absolute speed, Don Krieg and his men were as clumsy as circus bears.

Sanji shuttled back and forth in the afterimages, every kick precise, elegant, and extremely fast!

However, when Sanji swept a heavy kick hard against the chest of Don Krieg's gold-plated full-body armor—

"Clang!!"

A dull, loud sound like metal colliding.

Don Krieg's body only swayed slightly, while Sanji used the reaction force to elegantly roll in the air and land on the ground, frowning slightly and rubbing his somewhat numb ankle.

"Hahahaha! Useless! Brat!"

Don Krieg patted the gold-plated armor on his chest wildly, his face full of arrogance and ferocity:

"This armor of mine is invincible! With your soft legs, you can't even hurt a hair on my body!"

Indeed, although Sanji had completely surpassed the Krieg Pirates in speed by relying on Observation Haki, his current physical fitness and attack power were far from enough to break through this hundreds-of-pounds steel armor.

"Captain Don Krieg! Please stop! You promised me you wouldn't hurt them!"

Gin, who had just finished eating, crawled over in horror, hugging Don Krieg's armor tightly and begging loudly.

"Click."

Just then, the crisp sound of a wooden chair being dragged suddenly rang out in the quiet air.

Rice slowly stood up straight.

He was shirtless, his slender and powerful body exuding a bone-chilling murderous intent.

He walked towards Don Krieg and Gin, his deep black pupils devoid of any temperature.

"Rice..."

Nami nervously tugged at her wooden staff.

Rice passed Sanji, who was in a defensive posture, and stopped a few meters away from Gin and Don Krieg.

He looked down at Don Krieg, a bone-chilling mockery curling at the corner of his mouth:

"What a cheapskate, an ungrateful dog. A meal saved your miserable life, yet you brought wolves to bite your benefactor?"

Rice turned his head and patted Sanji on the shoulder:

"Well done, Curly Brow. However, although your speed is enough, you lack absolute strength when dealing with this kind of tin can."

"Brat! You're courting death!!"

As the hegemon of the East Blue, when had Don Krieg ever suffered such an insult?

He let out a wild roar, his heavy gold-plated armor opened in an instant, and countless hidden mechanisms ejected, revealing dense gun barrels.

"Go to hell!!"

Countless cold bullets and poisoned steel needles poured towards Rice in the narrow reception hall like a rainstorm!

However, Rice's figure moved in an instant.

[Soru]!

"Bang!!"

The marble floor exploded, and Rice's figure turned into a white streamer, moving at an extremely fast speed in an unnatural zigzag line amidst the dense storm of bullets.

Those lead bullets and steel needles that could have riddled an ordinary person with holes could only shatter the afterimage Rice left behind, not even touching a corner of his clothes.

"Slow."

"Too slow."

In a cold voice, Don Krieg's great war spear swept out, bringing up a circle of tragic air explosions!

Facing this heavy spear that could smash rocks to pieces, Rice didn't dodge or evade, just faintly raised his left arm, his skin instantly flashing with a cold metallic luster like bronze.

"Clang—!!"

That great war spear, known as the number one destructive force in the East Blue, smashed hard against Rice's left arm.

However, Rice's left arm didn't even tremble by half a millimeter; instead, the recoil of the great war spear made Don Krieg's hands numb and his tiger's mouth crack.

"How is it possible... not even breaking the skin?!"

Don Krieg's arrogance completely turned into fear.

"Is this your strongest? Fragile like tofu."

Rice pulled his right fist back fully. Due to extreme high-speed friction, the entire air around his fists collapsed violently, faintly producing a scorching red glow caused by the intense compression of air!

[White Dove · Bone-Crushing Twin Fists]!

Two heavy punches were thrown at the same time in one-thousandth of a second, precisely smashing into the chest of Don Krieg's prized gold-plated full-body armor!

"Crack!! Boom!!"

The sound of bone cracking and metal bursting exploded in the air at the same time.

That gold-plated armor, which claimed to be able to defend against all attacks in the world, cracked inch by inch the moment Rice's fists hit it, shattering into metal fragments flying all over the sky like fragile porcelain.

The violent fist force penetrated the armor directly, completely collapsing Don Krieg's chest cavity.

"Puhah!!"

Don Krieg spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with pieces of internal organs, his whole body turned into a black streamer, directly smashing through the hard wooden outer wall of the Baratie restaurant, and fell straight into the bottomless sea like a cannonball.

The strongest hegemon of the East Blue didn't even last one move from Rice before completely vanishing into thin air on the sea!

Silence.

The entire hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, with only the sound of the sea breeze blowing in through the damaged outer wall.

Gin sat slumped on the ground, watching the direction Don Krieg disappeared, his whole person lost.

However, the battle was not over.

Rice turned his head, his cold gaze passing through the broken wooden wall and landing on the Krieg flagship [Dreadnaught Sabre] docked next to the Baratie.

In the cabin, those hundred-odd small-fry pirates who had luckily survived and were preparing to watch a good show were already scared out of their wits the moment they saw their leader blasted away with one punch.

"Since you're already here, stay in the East Blue."

"Consider it a gift I give to the old man."

Rice said coldly.

He leaped, crossing a distance of tens of meters in the air, and landed steadily in the center of the huge deck of the Dreadnaught Sabre.

"Fire! Fire quickly! Kill him!!"

The remaining pirates roared frantically in despair, and countless sword lights and shadows besieged Rice.

Rice stood in the center of the bones and ruins, expressionless.

He raised his right leg, terrifying power condensed on his calf muscles in an instant, and swept out fiercely towards the huge warship in front of him!

[White Dove · Tempest Kick Slash]!

"Swish—!!"

A white vacuum slashing wave, so huge that it almost split the entire sky in two, wrapped in a shrill sonic boom, swept across the entire warship in an instant!

"Crack... Boom!!"

The Dreadnaught Sabre, weighing thousands of tons, was as fragile as a piece of tofu in front of this terrifying slashing wave.

The entire giant ship was split in two in an instant, the broken section as smooth as a mirror.

Seawater poured madly into the broken hull, and large swaths of pirates let out desperate wails, following this flagship that once dominated the East Blue, and completely sank into the pitch-black seabed in a short time.

Total annihilation.

The Krieg Pirates, who roamed the East Blue and had thousands of subordinates, were completely wiped out by Rice in the blink of an eye.

Rice stepped on the broken wood chips, and under the god-like gaze of the Baratie chefs, walked back to the restaurant unhurriedly.

He pretentiously patted the dust that didn't exist on his clothes, and smiled slightly at Nami who was standing dumbfounded on the side:

"What, scared silly?"

Nami looked at Rice, her pretty face pale, and the wooden staff in her hand slipped powerlessly.

This man...

A single person, within a few short minutes, completely wiped out a hegemon pirate crew that even Marine branches found troublesome.

She looked at the 105 million Berries in her arms, and a sense of unprecedented absurdity suddenly rose in her heart.

Do I really need to hate Arlong?

Arlong... can he really survive in front of such a man?

What exactly did my long-standing concealment and those despicable escape plans amount to?