"The Floating Restaurant—Baratie! How about it, everyone? That is the most famous restaurant in the East Blue!"
Johnny stood at the bow, pointing excitedly at the peculiar structure ahead.
"OHHH!!"
Seeing the spectacular sight, everyone on the Going Merry couldn't help but let out a synchronized cry of wonder.
"Whoa!! It's a huge fish!!" Luffy leaned over the railing, his eyes bulging and drool already starting to flow.
Viktor looked on with curiosity as well. Floating upon the azure sea was a massive, multi-story building shaped like a fish.
Its design was incredibly unique, with rounded ends and a bow fashioned into a giant fish head. Two massive fins extended across the water's surface to act as stabilized decks.
People bustled about on the wide balconies—this was the legendary Baratie.
"Not bad. It looks quite classy," Nami remarked with a smile, standing beside Viktor. "Eating in a place like this is bound to put one in a good mood."
"Caw-caw! Ga-ga! Master! Master! I can smell the aroma already! Let's go, let's go!" Kray circled in the air, squawking impatiently.
Just as the group was sinking into their gourmet fantasies...
HOOOOONK—!!
Suddenly, a dull, massive horn blast from a naval vessel erupted nearby. A gargantuan shadow quickly swept over the Merry's deck.
The crew looked up instinctively to see a massive Marine warship pulling alongside them. The white sails bore the striking seagull emblem, and the rows of cannon ports below looked grim.
"Wh-Why is there a Marine ship here?!" Johnny and Yosaku, the former bounty hunters, turned pale with fright.
"Tch, ran into some trouble," Zoro grunted, his hand resting on his hilt.
"When did they get so close..." Nami's face paled. "Hey, they aren't going to attack us, are they?"
"N-No! I have the 'I'll die if I meet the Marines' disease!" Usopp clutched his head and dove behind the mast, trembling.
Viktor remained leaning against the railing, his expression flat. He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes glancing sideways at the warship towering above them.
His gaze settled on a man standing by the railing, wearing a pinstripe suit and sporting pink hair, swirling a glass of red wine.
"That's a pirate flag I haven't seen before..."
The pink-haired man looked down at the Merry with profound disdain. He shouted arrogantly, "I am Headquarters Lieutenant, 'Iron Fist' Fullbody! Which one of you is the captain of this piece of junk? State your name!"
"I'm Luffy!" Luffy replied calmly, picking his nose without a hint of intimidation.
Seeing this, Usopp found a spark of courage and poked his head out. "I'm Usopp!!"
Kray, not wanting to be left out of the introductions, flapped his wings into the air. "Caw-caw! I am Kray! Ruler of the Skies!"
Fullbody stared at the bizarre combination of crew members. He ignored Luffy and Usopp entirely but looked genuinely startled when he saw Kray. "A... a talking crow?!"
"Hey! Don't ignore me! I'm Luffy! The man who's gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy shook his fist.
Fullbody quickly regained his composure, a flash of disgust crossing his face. "What are you, people? A circus?" He then noticed Johnny and Yosaku hiding behind the cabin door and raised an eyebrow.
"Those two... I recognize them. Bounty hunters who specialize in small-time prey, right? Heh, looks like you got captured by pirates. How pathetic."
The insult stung Johnny and Yosaku's pride. "Who are you calling a small-timer?!" Johnny roared, pulling a stack of wanted posters from his coat and throwing them into the air.
The papers fluttered everywhere. "Are these small-timers too, you bastard?!"
"Hmph. Pointless barking." Fullbody didn't even look at the posters. He turned to the scantily clad woman beside him. "Come on, let's not let this trash ruin our appetite. Let's go eat."
Then, he glanced dismissively at a subordinate. "Hey, sink this—"
SWISH!
Before he could finish the order, a black shadow appeared before him like a ghost.
SLAM!!
Fullbody felt a blur in his vision, followed by an irresistible force slamming into the top of his head. With a heavy thud, the Marine Lieutenant was pinned face-first into the deck, the wooden planks splintering beneath the impact.
"EEEEK!!" The sexy woman shrieked in terror and collapsed to the floor, paralyzed.
The surrounding Marines were struck with horror. No one had seen him move. "L-Lieutenant?!"
Fullbody struggled to lift his head, staring in terror at the black-haired youth half-kneeling over him. Specifically, he stared at those eyes...
In the crimson pupils, two black tomoe were spinning slowly, radiating a suffocating chill. Instinct screamed at him: This person... is incredibly strong. I've kicked a landmine!
"You pink-haired mutt, you seem a bit too arrogant," Viktor said with a gentle smile, though his grip on the man's head tightened. "Actually, I haven't encountered a decent opponent lately, and I happen to have some pent-up frustration to vent."
Creak...
Fullbody felt his jawbone groaning under the pressure. He couldn't even speak; only a muffled, pained whimper escaped his throat. "Mmph... mmmph..."
"Hey! Pirate! Let go of the Lieutenant!!" The Marines finally reacted, leveling their flintlocks at Viktor. "Insolence! We are the elite of Marine Headquarters!"
"Cannoneer! Prepare to fire!!" Some Marines scrambled toward the deck-mounted cannons.
"Caw-caw! Take this from Kray-sama!!" Seeing his Master looking so cool, how could Kray stay behind? This was his stage! He opened his beak wide and unleashed a high-frequency sonic blast at the Marines.
"CAW—!!!"
"AHHH! MY EARS!!" "Dammit! What is that sound?!"
The Marines on deck collapsed, clutching their ears in agony. Two of the weaker soldiers even rolled their eyes back and fainted on the spot.
BOOM!!
However, in the chaos, one Marine managed to yank a firing cord. A massive explosion followed as a black cannonball whistled through the air, heading straight for the Merry below.
"Shishishi!" Luffy didn't dodge. Instead, he held his hat and laughed. "Let me! Gum-Gum... BALLOON!!"
Luffy inhaled deeply, his stomach inflating into a giant sphere.
BOING!
The cannonball hit his soft belly and was instantly deflected. However... the direction was a bit off.
"AH!!" Luffy's eyes went wide as he watched the cannonball arc over the warship and crash squarely into the roof of the floating restaurant, Baratie.
KABOOM!!
An explosion rocked the building, and black smoke began to rise.
"Uh oh..." Luffy exhaled, shrinking back to normal with a "I'm in trouble" look on his face.
On the warship, Viktor saw that the Merry was safe and relaxed. At that moment, Fullbody, pinned under him, saw an opening and tried to draw his right hand for a sneak attack.
"You still want to move?" Viktor's gaze turned cold. He lifted his foot and slammed it down without mercy onto Fullbody's "Iron Fist" wrist.
CRUNCH!
The sound of shattering bone was sickeningly clear. The so-called "Iron Fist" was as fragile as a dry twig under Viktor's boot.
"MMMMMMMM—!!!!!" Fullbody's eyes bulged, filling with blood vessels. Since his jaw was still being held shut, his scream was trapped in his throat, coming out as a terrified, muffled grunt as his body convulsed.
Viktor leaned down, his crimson Sharingan staring directly into Fullbody's fear-stricken pupils. He whispered softly, "In the future, keep your eyes open. Don't provoke us again. Do you understand?"
Fullbody nodded frantically, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Good." Viktor let go.
[Ding! Defeated Target: Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Fullbody.]
[Battle Evaluation: S.]
[Reward: 200 Shinobi Points.]
Viktor stood up, glanced at the shivering woman nearby, and then blurred. A second later, he was back on the deck of the Merry.
"Whew... Ah, I feel much better now." Viktor patted his hands together, the red light in his eyes fading back to his usual harmless, smiling self.
"You're way too reckless!" Nami rushed over to complain. "That was a Headquarters Lieutenant! Attacking a Marine is a major crime! We're going to be wanted!"
"Ma, don't be so nervous," Viktor shrugged. "I didn't kill a single one of them. I just gave them a little lesson."
"S-So strong..." Johnny and Yosaku fell to their knees in awe. To them, someone who could stomp a Marine Lieutenant was a god.
"Caw-caw!" Kray flapped back down, looking smug. "Kray-sama is the Ruler of the Skies!"
"Get down here, you idiot bird," Viktor beckoned.
"Coming, Master!!"
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