Under the tense gaze of everyone present, the massive ship of the Krieg Pirates drew closer to the Baratie.
The atmosphere grew heavier with every passing second.
Finally, the battered ship came to a halt right outside the restaurant.
Even in its damaged state, it still carried an overwhelming sense of pressure. Reputation alone was enough to make people uneasy.
The Krieg Pirates were the strongest force in the East Blue. That title wasn't just for show.
Yet what followed caught everyone off guard.
No swarm of pirates rushed out. No attack came.
Only two figures descended from the ship.
One was unfamiliar to most, but the other made the entire room stiffen.
Don Krieg.
Supporting him was Gin, the man known as "Demon" Gin, who had previously been fed by Sanji.
With Gin's help, Krieg staggered into the restaurant.
A wave of tension spread.
"I'm sorry… can I get some food and water?" Krieg said weakly. "I haven't eaten in days. I'll pay whatever you want."
The room fell silent.
The so-called overlord looked like a man on the verge of death. His body was frail, his voice unstable. He barely resembled the feared pirate people knew.
Before anyone could react further, he collapsed to the ground.
The fear in the room began to fade, replaced by whispers and even mockery.
"Please, give the captain something to eat," Gin pleaded desperately.
Despite their fear, most people refused.
Krieg's reputation was too infamous.
Sanji, however, didn't care.
Ignoring everyone, he brought out food and placed it in front of Krieg.
Krieg devoured it.
He didn't eat like a man, he tore through the food like a beast. Not a single grain of rice remained. He even licked the grease off the floor.
When he finished, everything changed.
Krieg stood up.
The weakness was gone. His posture straightened. The presence of the East Blue's so-called ruler returned.
Then he struck.
Bang!
Without hesitation, he punched Sanji and sent him flying.
No gratitude. No hesitation.
The mood in the restaurant shifted instantly.
"Boom!"
One of the chefs fired a shoulder cannon at Krieg.
The cannonball struck him directly, triggering a violent explosion that shook the entire Baratie.
For a brief moment, hope appeared.
But when the smoke cleared, that hope vanished.
Krieg stood there, completely unharmed.
"How is that possible?"
"Even a cannon didn't work?"
"Is this what the strongest in the East Blue looks like?"
Fear returned, stronger than before.
Krieg sneered. "You think you can oppose me? I am the strongest."
His torn cloak revealed golden armor beneath, shining brightly.
"My steel body is indestructible. My weapons can crush anything. You're nothing in front of me."
Then his gaze shifted.
It locked onto someone sitting at a table.
His expression darkened.
"So it's you. Saves me the trouble of looking."
All eyes followed his line of sight.
Ryūjin sat there, eating as if nothing mattered.
"Ryūjin-san!"
"Why is he still sitting there?"
"He needs to move!"
People grew anxious.
Krieg's eyes filled with hatred.
This was the same man who had wiped out dozens of his crew earlier. Back then, he had been too weak to respond.
Now he wasn't.
Step by step, Krieg approached, killing intent rising with each movement.
Most people couldn't bear to watch.
To them, Ryūjin looked like a defenseless target.
Ryūjin didn't even stand.
He glanced at Krieg, bored.
"Yeah right," he muttered quietly. "Come try it."
His eyes shifted.
The Sharingan changed, and the Mangekyō pattern emerged.
Amaterasu.
Black flames ignited on Krieg's body instantly.
"Fire? What is this?!" Krieg shouted, panic replacing arrogance.
The flames spread across his golden armor.
They burned through it without resistance.
Gold, steel, it made no difference.
"Ahhh!"
Krieg screamed and fell to the ground, thrashing.
Within moments, the screams stopped.
His body was consumed entirely.
Nothing remained.
Silence took over the restaurant.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
They stared at Ryūjin as if he wasn't human.
The man who ruled the East Blue had been erased in seconds, without even leaving ashes behind.
"So that's what he can do…" someone whispered.
The staff were frozen.
During his stay, Ryūjin had acted like a normal guest. Generous, easygoing.
No one imagined this.
Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp stood stunned.
Their expressions were completely blank.
Those flames could burn anything. Even metal couldn't resist them.
If that power turned toward them…
Neither Luffy nor Zoro wanted to think about it.
"You killed the captain!" Gin roared.
Despite everything he had seen, he charged forward.
Loyal to the end.
Ryūjin looked at him briefly.
"Pointless."
The black flames ignited again.
Gin was consumed just as quickly.
The restaurant fell silent once more.
Even after witnessing it already, no one could accept it easily.
Zoro was the first to recover.
"I saw it," he said quietly. "His eyes changed when he used that attack."
Luffy nodded, thinking seriously. "Maybe he's got some kind of eye problem."
Zoro and Usopp snapped at him immediately.
"That's not an eye problem!"
Despite everything, relief spread.
Krieg and Gin were gone.
The danger had disappeared.
Gradually, the noise returned. Conversations picked up. The tension dissolved into excitement.
People looked at Ryūjin with awe.
Then the sea roared.
A massive wave rose outside, towering high above the restaurant.
"What now?"
Everyone rushed out.
What they saw left them speechless.
Krieg's ship had been split cleanly in half.
The cut was smooth, precise.
Impossible to explain.
Amid the waves, a small boat drifted forward.
A man sat calmly within it.
Sharp eyes. A massive black sword resting in his hand.
As people watched, he slowly sheathed the blade.
It was clear what had happened.
"He cut the ship…"
"With one strike?"
"That's insane…"
Zoro's eyes lit up.
"That's him."
Luffy looked at him. "Who?"
"Dracule Mihawk," Zoro said, voice steady. "The strongest swordsman in the world."
Zeff stepped forward, his expression serious.
"He stands at the top."
The name spread quickly.
Shock followed.
One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A man known across the entire world.
And now he was here, in the East Blue.
Mihawk suddenly paused.
He stood up slightly, his gaze sharpening as he looked toward the Baratie.
He felt it.
Someone there matched him.
Everyone followed his gaze.
Ryūjin stepped forward, walking toward the edge of the deck.
"So he's going out there…"
"What is Ryūjin-san doing?"
Murmurs spread again.
Ryūjin stopped and looked directly at Mihawk.
"I've been waiting for you."
Mihawk's eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
"Uchiha Ryūjin."