"A man with powerful equipment versus a man with a powerful heart?" Sanji was stunned. Zeff's words shook him to his core.
"Those who appear strong on the outside may intimidate others, but it's those with a strong heart who are truly powerful and can go the farthest," Zeff continued, his gaze fixed on Luffy.
In that moment, Sanji found his answer. His eyes turned to Luffy. This was a real warrior.
Sure enough, a crackling sound soon echoed across the battlefield. It was the sound of something breaking. All eyes turned toward Krieg, whose mighty battle spear had finally shattered under Luffy's relentless onslaught. The once-impenetrable golden armor broke apart, unable to withstand the continuous strikes.
Without his golden armor, Krieg was left vulnerable. He panicked but had no time to react as Luffy's punch connected, smashing into his face.
"Bang!"
Krieg was sent flying, crashing into the ship's already dilapidated structure, leaving it in an even more ruined state.
"Captain Krieg got knocked down? How is that possible?!"
"That kid actually defeated Captain Krieg!"
"Captain Krieg!"
The remaining pirates on the ship stared in disbelief. As Krieg was sent flying, a piece of their belief seemed to shatter with him.
"Our captain was defeated?" Gin mumbled, lost in despair as he watched Krieg, the man he idolized, get knocked down by a single punch. Gin had always aspired to be a man like Krieg, and now his hero lay defeated. The foundation of his beliefs felt crushed.
"No! Captain Krieg can't lose! We haven't lost yet!" Gin's eyes suddenly hardened with determination as he gripped his twin tonfas tightly, shouting toward Krieg.
"Captain! Get up! You're the strongest man in the East Blue! You can't be defeated! Anyone who dares to doubt you, I'll kill them right here!"
With that, Gin charged at Luffy, swinging his tonfas with deadly intent.
"So dirty, jumping in the middle of the fight!"
"Krieg was beaten, but this rubber kid is pretty strong. Still, that guy is so despicable, interfering now of all times!"
"Watch out, Straw Hat kid!"
The Baratie cooks, who had been celebrating moments ago, yelled out warnings as Gin rushed at Luffy.
"How low can you go? I thought you were different!" Sanji's eyes turned cold. He had fed Gin out of kindness, thinking the man had some sense of gratitude, but he was wrong. Gin was just another underhanded lackey of Krieg.
"I won't let you interfere!" Sanji leaped into action.
"Get lost!" Gin roared, swinging his tonfa.
"Bang!"
Sanji was struck and sent flying. He couldn't even withstand one hit from Gin.
"Sanji!"
"Even Sanji couldn't take him… this guy's really strong?"
The cooks were stunned. They had no idea Gin, who had seemed so unassuming, was this powerful.
"Captain Gin is incredible!"
"Finally, Captain Gin is taking action!"
"Go, Captain Gin! Kill them all!"
The pirates cheered, rallying behind Gin.
"This guy… he's the commander of Krieg's fleet?" Usopp was in shock. He never expected that Gin, who looked so ordinary, would have such a prominent position.
The cooks were equally stunned, especially Patty, who had dismissed Gin earlier. They couldn't believe this man was such a big shot.
"I warned you, no one interferes in our captain's fight—or they die!" Moonlight suddenly stepped forward.
A crescent-shaped sword slash shot toward Gin.
Gin was taken aback and quickly raised his tonfas to block. But only when faced with Moonlight's strike did he truly realize how terrifying it was—swordsmanship that could rival the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk, had already transcended human limits.
"Crack!"
Gin's tonfas and his entire body were sliced through, sending him crashing into the sea.
"Captain Gin!"
"Gin was taken down in one strike by this swordsman!"
"Impossible! This guy is this strong?"
The pirates, who had been cheering moments ago, now cried out in shock.
"Moonlight, you're too strong!" Usopp sighed in relief, looking at Moonlight in awe.
"This swordsman…" Sanji, clutching his injuries, stared at Moonlight in disbelief.
"Anyone who can face Mihawk on equal footing is, of course, incredibly strong. He's on a completely different level from everyone here," Zeff said, smiling as if none of this surprised him.
The cooks were speechless, unable to process the sheer power of Moonlight.
"Damn it… to think I'd be pushed this far. You're the first one to ever do this."
Krieg emerged from the wreckage of the ship's cabin, looking worse for wear. His battle spear was gone, and his golden armor had shattered in multiple places. His expression darkened as he glanced at Luffy and saw Gin floating in the water.
Suddenly, his arm made a mechanical whirring sound. The golden armor shifted, revealing a large, round nozzle.
"Oh no, it's…!"
"Put on your masks! Captain Krieg is going to use that move!"
"Quick, put on your masks!"
The pirates scrambled, their faces turning pale as they grabbed gas masks.
"What's going on? What's he going to do?"
"This looks bad."
The cooks watched in confusion as the pirates frantically donned their masks.
"Is he really going to use that…?"
Sanji and Zeff realized what was about to happen and their faces turned grave.
"Run, Usopp, Moonlight, everyone! He's going to release poison gas!" Luffy shouted urgently, sprinting back toward his crew.
For Luffy to act like this, even with his usual fearless nature, meant this move was truly dangerous.
"Hehehe, that's right! This is my ultimate move: MH5! A poison gas bomb I specially created to conquer the Grand Line! One shot, and it'll turn the entire area into a toxic hell! Anyone without a gas mask will die instantly!"
Krieg laughed maniacally, aiming his weapon. "Regret pushing me this far? Too late! Now, all of you—die!"