"Who dares to cause trouble in my territory?"
From the corridor at the end of the hall, a large group of burly pirates came rushing out.
Each of them brandished swords and guns, their faces twisted with savage killing intent as they surrounded Luffy.
The leader, a three-meter-tall man built like an ox, wielded a massive spiked club.
He glanced at the madam lying on the floor, then fixed a vicious glare on Luffy.
"You punk! Who are you? Daring to cause trouble in Saruba's territory—are you tired of living? State your name!"
Saruba stared intently at Luffy, his spiked club ready to deliver a fierce blow at any moment.
He was the newly risen top pirate in the East Blue, with a bounty as high as 33,000,000 Berries, making him one of the elite among East Blue pirates.
Saruba had seen clearly that Luffy hadn't even touched the madam.
Yet she had collapsed inexplicably, foaming at the mouth and motionless, appearing to be on the brink of death.
This bizarre phenomenon made Saruba think of a peculiar power—the Devil Fruit.
If this kid possessed a Devil Fruit ability, he would be a tough opponent.
But there were only a few notable pirates in the East Blue.
If there were a Devil Fruit user, they would have been famous by now.
Saruba only asked for Luffy's name because he didn't recognize him.
Under normal circumstances, Saruba wouldn't care who someone was—he'd just swing his club and knock them out.
"I am Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy touched the bloody scratches on his cheek left by Kaya and calmly addressed the pirates before him.
Saruba froze.
The pirates behind him, armed with swords and guns, burst into hysterical laughter, gasping for breath.
"Hahahaha, Monkey D. Luffy! Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter!"
"Kid, you think you can impersonate Lord Luffy?"
"Hahaha, another fool trying to impersonate Lord Luffy! Look, he can't even afford a straw hat and has to make do with a leather cap! I'm dying of laughter!"
"Shut up."
Luffy's eyes snapped open, and a sharp wave of Conqueror's Haki swept out, crashing down on the dozens of laughing pirates.
The laughter ceased abruptly.
A violent gust of wind instantly swept through the hall, and without so much as a grunt, the pirates' heads exploded one after another, like fireworks bursting.
In an instant, the walls and floor of the hall were splattered with red and white gore.
Headless corpses collapsed into pools of blood.
"Ahhhh!"
The dozen or so girls in front of Luffy screamed in terror, their eyes rolling back as they fainted on the spot.
Luffy's mastery of Conqueror's Haki had reached perfection, allowing him to target his attacks precisely, so the girls remained unharmed.
Saruba was still alive, but sweat poured down his face as he stood trembling violently, his tall frame shaking like a leaf.
He had never seen Conqueror's Haki before and had no idea what power Luffy had used.
But the terrifying pressure had completely broken him.
Clang.
His spiked club fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
Saruba dropped to his knees, kowtowing frantically to Luffy, his head hitting the floor with loud thumps.
"Spare me, my lord! Spare me! I was blind not to recognize your greatness! I deserve to die for offending you! Please, have mercy and spare my wretched life!"
Luffy ignored him, instead slowly crouching down to help Kaya to her feet.
"Kaya, tell me, what happened in Syrup Village? What happened to Usopp?"
Kaya's gaze was dazed, but when she looked toward Saruba, deep hatred flashed in her eyes.
At Luffy's question, Kaya's eyes reddened again.
But then, she gritted her teeth, forcing back the urge to cry, and began to recount a horrifying massacre.
About ten days ago, Syrup Village's great hero, Usopp, had suddenly returned home.
This had thrilled Kaya, who had been eagerly awaiting him, as well as Onion and the others.
Even the other villagers looked at Usopp with awe and respect.
Usopp had finally achieved his dream, living a sweet, loving life with Kaya.
One night, a pirate ship sneaked into Syrup Village, intent on plundering.
But in the East Blue, what pirate could possibly stand against Usopp, who had a bounty of 500 million berries?
Though Usopp hadn't mastered Armament Haki, his extreme sniping skills and formidable physical strength were enough to drive the invading pirates fleeing in defeat.
This allowed Usopp to show off spectacularly in front of the Syrup Village residents.
They thought the trouble was over, but to their shock, Usopp's repelling of the pirate ship had stirred up a hornet's nest!
Over the next ten days, Syrup Village became like a marketplace, with pirate ships arriving one after another, attacking and harassing them day and night.
At first, Usopp hadn't used lethal force.
But when villagers started dying from pirate cannon fire, Usopp finally snapped.
He began employing powerful plant seeds and explosive ammunition, obliterating pirates—and even their ships—from hundreds of meters away.
Usopp's slaughter did not instill fear in the pirates; instead, it provoked even fiercer attacks!
The pirates came in waves—one ship in the morning, another at noon, and yet another in the afternoon.
Even at night, they kept coming without pause!
Usopp held them off for five or six days without a moment's rest.
But he was no monster—he needed to rest eventually.
While he was resting, the pirates quietly infiltrated the village, captured Onion and the others, and then used them to threaten him.
The pirates declared that if Usopp laid down his weapons and surrendered, they would spare Syrup Village.
Usopp believed them—or rather, for the sake of Onion Head and the others, he had no choice but to believe.
But the moment he was shackled and bound, the pirates immediately broke their promise and carried out a brutal massacre of the villagers.
Usopp watched helplessly as the villagers died one by one before his eyes—even Onion and the other two kids were no exception!
What plunged him into utter despair was that Kaya had been captured too!
Then, a tall man appeared, introducing himself as Krieg.
Right in front of Usopp, Krieg then... Grape Kaya...
Afterward, he sold Kaya to Saruba, who toyed with her for days before abandoning her here to work as a prostitute...
Kaya would never forget what Krieg had said at the time.
"God Usopp, what an astonishing figure! The sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates, a great pirate with a bounty of 500 million berries—truly a being beyond our reach."
"Hahahaha, you might have forgotten me, Don Krieg. No matter! In a way, I owe a debt of gratitude to your Straw Hat Pirates!"
"Ever since you started thriving in the New World, your fame has soared. Here in the East Blue, the weakest of all seas, more and more people dream of making a name for themselves, of setting sail as pirates."
"See? I can easily gather thousands, even tens of thousands of pirates. When one batch dies, I can quickly recruit another!"
"Normally, who would dare lay a hand on the Straw Hat Pirates? You're the idols of every pirate in the East Blue!"
"Unfortunately, you failed. Stronger monsters have knocked you off your pedestal."
"In that case, I, Krieg, will settle an old score. I may not be able to kill the strong ones, but someone like you—I can handle. You're human. Humans have weaknesses, and weaknesses can be exploited to kill."