"You damn brat, you made me waste a poison gas bomb."
Don Krieg, wearing a gas mask, walked to the edge of the deck and looked down on everyone below.
He looked at the grim-faced Zeff and said coldly:
"Have you made up your mind? Hand over the Baratie's ship and submit to us as our chef."
"You little brat, I was sailing the Grand Line when you were still drinking milk somewhere!" Zeff retorted angrily.
"Old fool," Krieg snorted. "Fire the cannons!"
As his voice fell, the cannons of the giant pirate ship began to move, aiming toward the Baratie.
With a tremendous roar, a cannonball was fired.
Carina and Usopp screamed in terror.
Zoro gripped his longsword, gritted his teeth, and prepared to jump up and try to slice the cannonball. But he wasn't sure if he could do it.
The faces of Sanji, Zeff, and the other chefs turned grim. It was too late to either defend or sail away.
Nami nervously pressed close to Luo Chen's side. Even though she knew nothing would happen, it was hard not to be afraid when facing a cannonball.
Luo Chen lifted a hand and pointed. A large tree, over ten meters high with a crown like an umbrella, grew out of thin air in front of them. Countless branches extended forward as if they were alive, wrapping around the black cannonball flying through the air.
BANG—!
The cage formed by the tree branches was rapidly expanded, then shrank. The cannonball was annihilated within it, yet it failed to damage the branches in the slightest.
On the deck of the Baratie, everyone's expression was stunned as they all looked at Luo Chen.
They clearly hadn't expected another Devil Fruit user to be hiding among them.
A cannonball fired from Don Krieg's massive pirate ship had been blocked so easily.
On the top deck, Krieg's eyes were also wide with astonishment.
His gaze fell upon Luo Chen, and he shouted, "Who are you?"
Luo Chen said nothing. He pointed a finger forward.
The large tree that stood before them suddenly rose into the sky. As it ascended, it extended and took shape, transforming into a ferocious Wood Dragon.
The Wood Dragon was green all over, its head lifelike. It soared through the sky, casting a large shadow below.
The people were dumbfounded.
A ten-meter-long Wood Dragon was a level of power that people who had lived in the East Blue their whole lives had never seen before.
The Wood Dragon dived down, crashing toward the giant pirate ship with the force to shatter an army.
Don Krieg was aghast. He opened his golden armor, revealing revolving gun barrels. The barrels spun rapidly, and muzzles flashed.
A barrage of bullets and cannonballs bombarded the Wood Dragon but failed to even knock off a single splinter of wood.
"Stop!"
At the critical moment, Krieg shouted in terror.
Luo Chen, of course, did not listen to him. The Wood Dragon, like a meteorite, crashed into the pirate ship.
RUMBLE—
The thirty-meter-high giant pirate ship instantly fell apart. The deck shattered, and the sails and masts toppled. The entire vessel rapidly collapsed, turning into a cloud of scattered wood as it slowly sank into the sea.
The screams of the pirates and Don Krieg echoed across the sky. Finally, with a series of splashes, they fell into the sea and went silent.
On the deck of the Baratie, it was as silent as a graveyard.
The group of East Blue chefs, Usopp, and Carina stared with eyes as wide as saucers, looking at Luo Chen as if they were petrified.
Zoro, Sanji, and Zeff were also utterly astonished.
They truly hadn't expected Luo Chen to destroy Don Krieg's pirate ship so easily.
Zeff said in amazement, "Who are you? It's rare to see this level of power in the East Blue!"
Luo Chen smiled. "A pirate."
Zeff asked, "A pirate from the Grand Line?"
Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy, who was enduring the severe pain of the poison, all looked over with focused attention. They already knew about the Grand Line, known as the "Pirates' Graveyard." The reason the ruler of the East Blue, the Don Krieg Pirates, was left with only one flagship was because they had encountered a powerful enemy in the Grand Line.
If Luo Chen was really from the Grand Line, then it was understandable that he would have such strength.
Even though Luffy was in pain, he couldn't help but ask, "The Grand Line... what's it really like? Can you become the King of the Pirates once you enter it?"
Luo Chen shook his head. "I haven't been there yet. I'm preparing to go."
Everyone was taken aback.
So, Luo Chen was a local from the East Blue? Why had they never heard of such a great pirate before?
Seeing Nami's smug smile, Carina turned her head away in a huff. She knew what Nami was so pleased about.
There was a huge gap in the combat power displayed by their respective companions. Luffy had been defeated by Don Krieg using poison gas, while Luo Chen had destroyed the entire pirate ship with a wave of his hand, sending Krieg and his many subordinate pirates plunging into the sea.
Usopp looked worriedly at Luo Chen and whispered in Carina's ear, "Maybe you should apologize to her. That guy in the trench coat is really strong."
Carina pouted.
Even if she were to apologize, it wouldn't be now. Don Krieg hadn't been defeated yet.
In the sea, on the wreckage of the broken ship, Don Krieg climbed out of the water, gasping for breath. Beside him, a dozen or so pirates also climbed up. The others had not appeared; they had clearly perished in the destruction just now.
Krieg's eyes were crimson as he stared at Luo Chen with a murderous expression.
Gin was beside him, in great pain over the deaths of his comrades.
"You brat, I'm going to kill you!"
Krieg roared, pulling a giant battle spear from his golden armor.
Seeing this, his surviving pirates roared with excitement. "It's the Great Battle Spear! The boss's strongest weapon!"
"As long as he lands one hit on that kid, he'll be smashed into meat paste!"
"..."
Krieg leaped up in a fury, crossing several meters and swinging his battle spear down from mid-air.
Luo Chen activated Shave, his figure instantly vanishing from the spot.
Luffy, Zoro, and the others, as well as the pirates on Krieg's side, all stared with wide eyes, looking for him everywhere.
No one had been able to track Luo Chen's movements.
Only Zeff looked up into the air and said in a low voice, "He's there!"
Everyone immediately looked up.
In mid-air, Luo Chen's figure had appeared bizarrely, as if he had teleported.
He reached out a hand and grabbed the wooden shaft of Krieg's spear.
Seeing this, Krieg roared, his face flushing red as he tried to wrench it free with all his might. But Luo Chen seemed to be standing still in mid-air, and the great battle spear didn't move an inch.
"This golden armor of yours isn't bad."
Luo Chen chuckled lightly. He stepped on the empty air, and he and the falling Krieg rose into the sky again.
Watching the scene of him stepping on air to gain altitude, Luffy's crew and the chefs of the Baratie were once again stunned.
"What... what kind of leg technique is that?" Sanji, who specialized in kicking techniques, asked in surprise.
Zeff said with a puzzled look in his eyes, "It should be the Six Powers' Moonwalk. For a pirate to be able to learn it is strange."
In mid-air, Luo Chen suppressed Krieg with one hand while his other hand moved with lightning speed, stripping off his entire suit of golden armor.
"Let's not damage this gold."
With that, Luo Chen slammed a fist into Krieg's chest.
Krieg's eyes suddenly bulged in pain. He spat out a large mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward.
His burly figure crashed onto the ship's wreckage. He continued to cough up blood, unable to stand up.
Gin and the dozen or so pirates cried out and rushed over. But they were immediately bound by growing trees and their branches. No amount of struggling was of any use.
Luo Chen, holding the golden armor, landed back on the deck of the Baratie.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....patre0on.c0m/talecrafter]