However, who would have thought that chaos would erupt so quickly?
"Marine Captain, Hobo D. Captain, is dead!!"
A panicked scream echoed from inside the restaurant. Outside, on the calm waves, a Marine warship with a seagull flag suddenly exploded into pieces, spewing black smoke into the sky. The remaining Marines there were panicked and furious.
"Damn it! The Captain is dead, who did it?!"
"The warship also exploded, this is clearly aimed at us, the Marines!"
Just as Hobo D. was killed in the restaurant, the Marine warship with the seagull flag, which was not far away, also became the target of an explosion. The few Marines who were still there were panicked and furious.
"Damn it, where did that cannonball come from?!"
In a corner of the restaurant, Sanji, the blond man with a curly eyebrow, was skillfully comforting a frightened woman. Smoke still billowed around them.
"It's alright, my beautiful lady. You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you." The woman replied, her face a mix of emotions. Her boyfriend, a Marine Captain from Headquarters, had just left. Now, his corpse lay on the floor.
"Sanji, what happened?"
A heavy, hoarse voice called from behind. Zeff, the limping man with a tall chef's hat and a yellow mustache, walked toward them. Sanji reluctantly glanced at the pale beauty, then stood up slowly.
"I don't know," he replied, lighting a cigarette. "A cannonball just exploded, hitting this place and the kitchen."
Sanji stared at the corpse of Captain Hobo D., which was only half a body. He exhaled smoke. "The troublesome thing is... that Marine Captain exploded on the ship." Sanji paused, looking at Zeff. "If he were just a Captain from a branch, it wouldn't matter, but his Marine ID says he's from Headquarters. If he dies in this restaurant, Grandpa Zeff will be in a lot of trouble."
Zeff frowned. The situation was clear. He turned toward the collapsing woman, his voice softening. "I'm sorry, I apologize that you were startled. Please rest over there. The Marines will come and escort you home. Also, for the other guests who weren't injured, today's bill is on us. I apologize to everyone for this trouble, on behalf of the Baratie Restaurant."
Zeff tried to calm the guests, showing his expertise in handling emergencies. He had seen everything on the sea.
"Boss, Boss, this is bad—two pirate crews are heading our way!"
A chef ran back from outside, shouting, his voice trembling with panic.
"What?!"
"Two pirate crews?!"
"Run!!"
The guests' faces changed drastically, and they scattered in a panic, running in every direction. The waiters had already disappeared. Zeff asked the chefs from the kitchen to help with the evacuation. Zeff and Sanji walked to the door, took out binoculars, and looked into the distance.
One of the pirate ships was very large, but it was severely damaged, and it seemed about to crash into the restaurant's entrance. The other pirate crew had three ships, all with the Straw Hat symbol on their sails. Strangely, they had stopped moving on the sea. Through the binoculars, the people on the three ships seemed to be in a discussion.
So, who fired that cannonball just now?
"Alright, Nami, don't be mad anymore. We'll make Usopp apologize later." On the main ship, Luffy rested his chin in his hand, trying to appease the angry woman, not forgetting to glance at Usopp, who was sweating profusely.
That idiot, he's more trouble than he's worth. Maybe it's better to just leave him here, Luffy thought, amused.
Nami gritted her teeth. "Just an apology? We have to pay for the damages! My money..."
She pointed at Usopp. "You long-nosed idiot, if you don't pay, I'll make Luffy throw you into the sea to feed the fish!"
Usopp trembled in fear, his face pale. "Captain's Lady, please don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back!"
Usopp immediately bowed, apologizing. He even wrote an IOU for the compensation, which temporarily solved the problem of the bombed restaurant.
Just then, Zoro, who was standing near the ship, suddenly said, "Huh? There seems to be another pirate ship over there."
"Where, where?" Luffy pointed into the distance. "You're right."
Buggy took the binoculars. A ship much larger than the Baratie had stopped near the restaurant. "Is that a shipwreck? Wait, something's strange! That looks like the flag of Don Krieg, the Ruler of the East Blue!"
"Krieg?" Nojiko, who was also there, frowned. She remembered the ruler of the East Blue was always Arlong, where did this Krieg come from?
"Calling him a ruler might be an exaggeration, but he's quite famous," Buggy explained, looking at Luffy. "The strongest Captain in the East Blue, with five thousand men! However, his personal strength is not comparable to Arlong's."
Buggy couldn't help but smile. "With the Captain here, why would I be worried? Arlong was dealt with easily, let alone this extra Krieg?" he thought to himself. "Five executives? The Captain can handle them with just a few shots!"
"But what's strange, how did Krieg's ship become like this, almost completely destroyed?"
"Hawkeye cut it." Luffy laughed, recognizing the pattern of destruction. "That fool, insisting on entering the Grand Line, and was easily dealt with by Hawkeye," he thought. However, from a time perspective, this was a coincidence. I went to Coco Yashi Village first, so I haven't come to the Baratie yet, haven't met Krieg, or even Gin. What a coincidence, arriving almost at the same time as Krieg!
"Come on, let's go to the restaurant first!" As the Captain, Luffy gave a direct order. The three ships slowly moved toward the restaurant.
As they got closer, Zoro walked to Luffy's side and asked, "Luffy, which chef were you talking about?"