Chapter 51: The Little Thief Cat and the Worlds Greatest Swordsman
"Boom!!!"
With that heaven-splitting slash, Don Krieg's massive pirate ship collapsed with a roar, kicking up a monstrous wave that slammed into the base of the sea restaurant like a tsunami.
Baratie shook violently, as if an 8.0 magnitude earthquake had struck.
"Waaaah!"
Almost everyone inside the restaurant couldn't keep their footing, and the sound of shattering cups and plates echoed one after another.
"What happened?!"
"A... a tsunami? Or was it an earthquake?!"
A customer fell to the floor, looking at the churning waves outside the window and screaming in terror.
At this moment, Luffy and his group had already rushed out of the restaurant at the first opportunity, arriving on the swaying deck.
When they saw the scene before them, everyone involuntarily held their breath.
"Whoa!! What is that?!"
Luffy's mouth hung wide open, his jaw nearly hitting the floor, as his hands gripped the railing tightly.
The three-story pirate ship, which had been incredibly massive, was now neatly severed into three pieces, slowly sinking into the sea.
The cuts were as smooth as a mirror, as if they had been sliced by a god's scalpel.
"The ship... was split open..."
Usopp's legs trembled as he said in terror, "That kind of behemoth... was actually sliced open?!"
"You've... you've got to be kidding..."
Zoro frowned, his expression more solemn than ever before.
His hand gripped his sword hilt tightly, his eyes searching the turbulent sea like a hawk, as if looking for that terrifying figure.
Suddenly, his gaze stopped.
Among the floating wooden wreckage, two familiar figures were struggling and calling for help in the water.
"Help... Big Brother Zoro!!"
Zoro was stunned: "What the heck, is that Johnny and Yosaku? Why did they fall into the water? Luffy! Quickly pull the two of them up!"
Luffy followed Zoro's gaze and saw the two men waving their arms frantically.
"Oh! Leave it to me!"
"Gomu Gomu no Catch!!"
Luffy's arms extended, grabbing the two of them by the back of their collars like he was scooping up fish, and with a forceful swing, he threw them onto the deck of the Baratie.
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
The rescued Johnny and Yosaku slumped on the deck, gasping for breath, soaked to the bone and in a wretched state.
Tatsuya looked at the two of them, then glanced at the empty sea in the distance. The smile that had been on his face vanished, and he fell into a rare silence.
It seems our Miss Navigator has made her choice after all... Truly a Little Thief Cat.
Slap.
Tatsuya expressionlessly lifted one leg of the still-unconscious Crow Clay and began to shake him frantically.
"Wake up, stop sleeping."
"Coo... Caw?"
Clay was shaken dizzy and slowly woke up, looking at Tatsuya in a daze, "What's wrong... Boss... is it time to eat?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to shake you."
"Caw??!"
At this time, Usopp curiously leaned over and looked at the two on the ground, asking:
"Hey, what's the situation with you two? Instead of watching the going merry, are you having a swimming competition here?"
Hearing the words "going merry," Johnny and Yosaku shook their heads frantically as if their tails had been stepped on.
Then, they hugged Zoro's legs while crying bitterly.
"Waaaaah!! Sorry!! Big Brother Zoro!!"
Johnny cried with snot and tears running down his face, "Even though you entrusted us to look after the ship... we failed your trust! Waaaaah!"
"Huh? What happened to the ship?" An ominous feeling rose in Zoro's heart.
Yosaku took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth:
"Just now, Big Sister Nami suddenly pushed us into the sea... She said we were going our separate ways...
"And then... Big Sister Nami sailed the ship away!! I'm sorry!!"
"Huh?!!"
Zoro was instantly enraged, veins popping on his forehead, as he turned and threw a hard punch at the restaurant wall.
Bang!
"That woman! To take advantage of the situation at a time like this! I knew she was a money-grubbing thief!"
"What?!"
Usopp was also struck as if by lightning, and he shouted through gritted teeth, "That's the ship Kaya gave us!! How could she steal it!"
Luffy didn't say a word.
He jumped onto the railing, shaded his eyes with his hand, and began to look into the distance.
On the vast sea, a small black dot was rapidly receding.
"Ah! I can still see it!"
Luffy turned around and looked at Johnny, "Hey, what about your own ship?"
"Ah... our ship is still there, tied up in that corner." Johnny pointed to a corner.
"Alright!"
Without any hesitation, Luffy immediately issued a Captain's order:
"Zoro! Usopp! Set off immediately! Take Johnny and the others' ship to chase Nami back!"
Zoro was stunned for a moment, then spread his hands and said with an annoyed look:
"Forget it, just let that woman go. As for the ship... though it's a pity, we still have money. At worst, we'll just buy another one.
"Right, Tatsuya? We should still have enough money, right?"
Tatsuya didn't speak.
He silently pointed to the going merry, which was now just a small dot in the distance.
Then he pointed to his empty pockets and finally spread his hands, giving a helpless, bitter smile.
The meaning was clear: the money is all on the ship, which means it's in Nami's hands.
We are now penniless.
Zoro: "..."
"No way!!"
Luffy refused loudly, his eyes incredibly determined, "I must have her as my Navigator! It has to be her! And Tatsuya thinks so too, right!"
Tatsuya, who was called out, sighed and nodded.
"Go, Zoro, Usopp. To prevent you from getting lost or not being able to find her..."
Tatsuya handed over the dizzy Clay.
"I'll have Clay go with you. He can fly, scout, and lead the way."
Zoro sighed helplessly and retied his bandana.
"Fine, fine... since both the Captain and Vice Captain have given the order, there's no choice. What a pain."
He looked at Usopp, "Let's go, Usopp! Let's go catch that witch!"
"Yeah!! We must take back the going merry!"
The two quickly boarded Johnny and Yosaku's small hunting ship, the "Yosaku."
On the ship, Usopp was poking at the still-dazed Clay, trying to get him to perk up.
While untying the ropes, Zoro looked up at Luffy, who was still standing on the railing, and asked:
"Luffy, what about you guys? Aren't you coming along?"
Luffy shook his head, his gaze turning toward the restaurant, then glancing at the severed giant ship on the sea in the distance.
"I still have unfinished business at this restaurant; that chef hasn't agreed to join me yet. So I can't go right now."
"Fine, suit yourself."
Zoro said no more, but he couldn't help but give a warning:
"Be careful. The situation here is also extraordinary; the guy who destroyed Don Krieg's fleet might be nearby. And... we don't have any money to bail you out this time."
After saying that, he took a deep look at the silent Tatsuya.
"Tatsuya, keep an eye on this idiot."
Tatsuya nodded with a smile and waved goodbye.
...
On the other side, out at sea.
The massive wreckage of Don Krieg's pirate ship was slowly sinking, and countless pirates who hadn't fallen into the sea yet and were clinging to the remains were wailing in despair.
"W-what on earth happened..."
"In an instant... the whole ship was sliced open?!"
A pirate lying on a broken plank tremblingly raised his head to look into the distance.
The next second, his eyes widened to their limit, his pupils reflecting ultimate terror.
His fingers couldn't stop trembling as he pointed toward the sea where the mist was clearing.
"You guys... look at that!!"
"Ah... it's that man!! It's the demon who crushed our fleet of fifty ships!!"
This shrill scream caused Zoro and Luffy, who were just about to set off, to snap their heads toward that direction.
The mist cleared completely.
A small boat shaped like a black coffin was floating quietly on the turbulent sea, looking completely out of place.
On the small boat sat a man.
He had short black hair, a short beard, and wore a black hat decorated with white down, a wine-red patterned shirt, and a black trench coat.
Most striking were his golden eyes, as sharp as an eagle's.
And... the massive black sword on his back that radiated an endless chill.
Looking at the elegantly seated man on the small boat, Zoro's pupils constricted violently.
The blood in his entire body seemed to boil at this moment, only to freeze in the next.
"Th-that man is..."
Zoro swallowed hard, his hands trembling involuntarily—it was excitement, but also fear.
"It's that man!!"
"Hmm? Zoro, who is he?" Luffy scratched his head, looking bewildered.
Zoro stared fixedly at that figure, his voice raspy:
"The man I've been searching for... the entire reason I went to sea..."
"Hawkeye... Mihawk!!"
"The Worlds Greatest Swordsman!!"
"Ah! World's greatest?!"
Luffy's mouth fell open in surprise, "Eh? Then where's his weapon? How come I don't see it?"
Tatsuya stood by the railing, looking deeply at the man standing at the peak of the world.
He smiled and answered for Zoro:
"The weapon is on his back."
"One of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, the Midareba Juka Choji—Black Blade Yoru."
Hearing this name, everyone's eyes widened, silenced by the invisible pressure.
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