The pirates carried the unconscious Gin before Rody.
"Wake him up," Rody ordered.
When Gin's eyes opened, he saw the nightmare before him—Rody sitting in Krieg's grand chair, Nami nestled comfortably in his lap, and Krieg's severed head crushed beneath Rody's boot.
"C-Captain…" Gin's voice broke as grief tore through him. His captain's once-proud face was lifeless, pressed into the blood-soaked deck.
"Rody, let him go," Nami murmured softly. The sight of Gin's trembling despair stirred pity even in her.
"Don't worry," Rody said lightly. "I'm not going to kill him."
He looked at Gin with a faint smirk. "Oh? You want this, don't you?"
"Give… give me the captain's head!" Gin roared, his voice raw with desperation.
"I'll spare your life," Rody said calmly. "I'll even let you take Krieg's body. But the head… if you want it, you'll have to earn it. Grow stronger, come find me, and take it back yourself. Show me your resolve, Gin. Don't make me wait too long… hahahaha!"
Rody's laughter filled the air, low and mocking.
He waved for Mike. "Pack Krieg's head in a chest. Give Gin a small boat and let the ship's doctor send him off."
As Gin was carried away, the system in Rody's mind chimed—
[You have slain Iron Wall Pearl. +2 Slaughter Value]
[You have slain Don Krieg. +5 Slaughter Value]
Slaughter Value: 17
Mike approached respectfully. "Lord Rody, the Krieg Pirates' treasure has been tallied."
Windfire Wheel nearly bounced with excitement. "Yes, Captain! The treasure's insane! A full two hundred million Berries—can you Believe it? No wonder they were called the biggest crew in East Blue!"
Rody closed the glowing system panel in his mind and waved lazily. "Good. Have the survivors move it all onto our ship."
"Yes, Captain!"
When the treasure was transferred from the Dreadnought Sabre, Rody gave his final order. He motioned to the remaining pirates, and before they could beg, his blade flashed. Their tendons were severed cleanly—no escape, no rebellion.
Then, using a stolen Den Den Mushi, he calmly called the nearest Marine base and reported their position. By the time the Marines arrived, they were already sailing toward the floating restaurant—Baratie.
…
Two days later, at the sea restaurant Baratie.
"Did you hear?"
"You mean… that thing?"
"Yeah, that thing."
"Ugh, stop being mysterious! What thing?" Bik snapped, slamming his fork on the table.
"The Krieg Pirates! They're gone!"
"What?!"
"Completely wiped out! Fifty ships, nearly five thousand men—gone."
"Was it the Marines?"
"If the Marines could handle them, would Krieg have ruled the East Blue this long?"
"Then who did it?"
"The man with the highest bounty in East Blue—Rody the Slayer. He met Krieg at sea. They say he destroyed the entire armada in moments. Less than a thousand survived, and he took all their treasure. The ones who escaped said the sea turned red with blood. Krieg's head was cut clean off."
"Rody the Slayer… too strong. Too cruel," one man whispered.
"Yeah. Thank the gods we've never crossed his path."
"If we ever did, we'd be dead."
"Let's pray we never see him."
Just then, the doors to Baratie swung open with a quiet creak.
Rody walked in, sunlight following behind him like a shadow of death. Nami was at his side, Windfire Wheel clanking cheerfully behind, Mike's polished cane clicking against the floor.
"Why aren't you eating?" Bik asked, confused as his two companions froze mid-bite, eyes wide.
The restaurant fell utterly silent.
Bik frowned and turned to see what they were staring at—then his blood ran cold. That unmistakable red hair, the scars like cracks of lightning across his face—Rody the Slayer stood in the doorway.
The same man they had just been whispering about.
"Th-that's him…"
"It's Rody the Slayer!"
"Run! Run or he'll kill us!"
Panic tore through the restaurant. Tables crashed, chairs overturned. The sound of shouts and feet filled the room as diners fled toward the exit.
"Hey! Wait, you haven't paid your bills yet!" one of the chefs yelled helplessly as the customers vanished into chaos.
Rody ignored the commotion. He strolled forward casually and found an empty table. Pulling Nami onto his lap, he let her settle comfortably. She giggled quietly, leaning into him, unconcerned by the fearful stares.
Soon the restaurant was nearly empty. Only the staff remained.
From the kitchen emerged two men. One was older, with a tall chef's hat, long mustache braided into two neat cords, and a wooden peg where his right leg had once been. The other was younger, blond-haired with an elegant curl to his eyebrow, cigarette dangling from his lips, wearing a black suit.
The old man was Red-Leg Zeff, the legendary pirate-turned-chef of the Grand Line. The younger man was his apprentice, Sanji.
Zeff's calm gaze landed on Rody. "A man of your strength—why have you come?" he asked. "If it's for a meal, Baratie welcomes all guests. But if it's for plunder, I must ask you to leave. This place will not kneel to thieves."
Sanji said nothing, only took a long drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling lazily upward.
But before Rody could answer, Carmen's eyes shone like stars. She looked as if she'd been waiting for this very moment.
"Click your tongue all you like," Rody said, amused. "Red-Leg Zeff, once proud pirate of the Grand Line. Now you've lost your leg and run a restaurant in the East Blue. Fascinating turn of fate."
"Old man," Sanji muttered quietly, a warning in his voice.
The other chefs murmured among themselves.
"Our head chef… used to be a pirate?"
"Not just any pirate—he actually entered the Grand Line and came back alive!"
"Doesn't matter what he was. He's our boss now," said one burly cook with forearms like hammers.
"Yeah, our boss and our chef!" added Carne, the loudest of them all, his sunglasses flashing.
Zeff's voice cut through their chatter. "Those days are long gone. I assume you didn't come here because I was once a pirate?"
"Of course not," Rody replied. "Your past doesn't interest me. We came for something else."
He turned slightly toward Carmen. "Your turn."
Carmen stepped forward, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Sanji. "Sanji! Long time no see!"
Sanji blinked, confused. "Have… we met before, miss?"
"I'm here to challenge you—to a cooking duel!" she declared proudly. Her two odd-looking apprentices, Leo and Jose, spun dramatically behind her, shouting introductions that drew a few raised eyebrows.
The tension in the room finally broke.
"Oh. Just a cooking challenge," one of the chefs sighed.
"Thank goodness," said another. "For a moment, I thought blood would spill."
Even Sanji looked relieved. "A cook-off, huh? Fine by me."
Rody, however, only smiled faintly. He gestured for Leo and Jose to help the dizzy Carmen stand. Then, in that same easy tone, he said to Sanji:
"If the food you make doesn't please me… I'll cut off your master's remaining leg."
The restaurant fell dead silent once more.