"I really miss this. It's been a long time since a bounty came walking right to my doorstep."
Caelan sighed, his eyes filled with nostalgia.
Back when he first started making a name for himself in the East Blue, many pirates would come straight to him, hoping to use him as a stepping stone to fame.
It was thanks to these reckless challengers that Caelan was able to quickly get through his early days.
But after just three months at sea, this kind of pirate "takeout delivery" disappeared completely.
Now, most pirates in the East Blue ran faster than rabbits whenever they heard his name. Many even changed their hideouts frequently, which greatly increased the difficulty of hunting them down.
"Don't get cocky! I'm the Pirate Fleet Admiral Krieg!"
Seeing Caelan's expression, Krieg felt like he was being treated like a joke.
Furious, Krieg's armor twisted as two gun barrels extended from it.
"Die, brat!"
Two cannon shells blasted toward Caelan.
Krieg was full of confidence. With his equipment, he was undefeated in the East Blue.
Countless enemies had fallen under the firepower of these cannons.
The shells slammed into Caelan, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
"Tch, boring."
Caelan waved his hand, dispersing the dust. His body remained completely unscathed.
This was the effect of the Noble Phantasm, God Hand: The Twelve Labors. Any attack below B rank could not harm him.
Caelan had not even considered dodging such a weak attack.
"Haha, you fell for it, brat. This is a poison gas shell!"
Krieg sneered viciously. Although he looked down on Caelan, he still used his signature dirty tricks.
That was the kind of despicable man Krieg was. No matter who his opponent was, he always struck first with underhanded tactics.
"Damn it, how shameless."
Sanji, watching from the kitchen, was about to rush out to help.
"Stay put. Krieg is no match for him."
Zeff stopped Sanji. He firmly believed that Caelan, the man who had shaken even him, would not lose to Krieg.
"It's useless."
Caelan shook his finger. This poison gas didn't even reach B rank. It was completely ineffective against the Twelve Labors.
Krieg didn't give up. Dirty tricks weren't his only weapon.
He pulled out a golden war hammer and charged toward Caelan.
"Watch out! Krieg is incredibly strong. That weapon weighs a ton!"
The diners hiding nearby couldn't help but call out a warning.
Caelan casually picked up the greatsword resting beside him and swung it at Krieg.
When it came to brute strength, no one could compare to Caelan.
He possessed the synchronization of Heracles, the legendary hero of Greek mythology.
The giant sword and golden hammer clashed in midair. Krieg immediately felt an overwhelming force.
The golden hammer was cut in half instantly. The greatsword continued downward, slicing through Krieg's golden armor.
Finally, the blade drove into Krieg's abdomen, pinning him firmly to the floor.
"How… how can he be so strong?"
Krieg lay on the ground, gasping for air. He could never have imagined such strength existed in the East Blue.
The power behind that sword swing was something he could not hope to withstand.
"Defeated in one strike?"
It took the diners a while to react. Many of them couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Krieg had been the self-proclaimed overlord of the East Blue. Everyone here knew his reputation.
Some had experienced his cruelty firsthand and were well aware of how terrifying he was.
This was a pirate who had destroyed Marine bases and rampaged unchecked across the East Blue.
But now, he had been defeated in a single blow by Caelan, unable to fight back at all.
"Both the strongest in the East Blue… but the gap between them is this big!"
Krieg was known as the strongest pirate in the East Blue. Caelan was known as the strongest bounty hunter.
Even if one lost, no one expected the difference to be so overwhelming.
Yet Caelan had brought Krieg down with just one strike, leaving him barely clinging to life.
Gin, seeing his captain defeated, gritted his teeth and charged at Caelan.
"Too weak."
In Caelan's eyes, Gin's movements were slower than a turtle's. He casually threw a punch, knocking Gin out cold.
Under the stunned gaze of everyone present, Caelan placed a bag of berries on the table, then carried Krieg and Gin out of the restaurant.
Docked nearby was Krieg's flagship, still crewed by over a hundred of his pirates.
"It's too much trouble to haul them all away. Might as well wipe them out right here."
The pirates on the ship were all small fry. Many didn't even have bounties. Caelan had no interest in identifying them one by one.
Besides, the Krieg Pirates were infamous across the East Blue for their brutality and crimes. Their deaths would not be a loss to anyone.
Caelan focused his mind and swung his greatsword toward the massive ship.
The slash roared out like thunder crashing down upon the earth.
With the Heracles synchronization, even though the Berserker form of Heracles had lost the godlike martial arts of his sane state, his instinctual combat ability was still engraved deep in his bones.
After half a year of practice, Caelan had combined the swordsmanship of the pirate world with his template, finally stepping into the realm of a true swordsman.
He could cut through steel and unleash devastating flying slashes.
With just his swordsmanship alone, he could dominate the first half of the Grand Line.
The pressure of the slash, dozens of meters long, blasted out from the greatsword, splitting the pirate ship into pieces.
The entire crew aboard was killed instantly, the sea stained red with blood.
Overhead, a News Coo flew by, capturing this terrifying scene with its camera.
The immense force of the slash shocked everyone in the restaurant.
Even far out at sea, flocks of seabirds were startled into flight.
Dracule Mihawk, standing on his small raft, suddenly stood up and looked toward the direction of the Baratie.
"There's such a powerful swordsman in the East Blue?"
The presence behind that slash was enough to qualify as a worthy opponent.
Mihawk stabbed the Black Blade Yoru into the water, using it as a paddle to steer quickly toward the floating restaurant.
Caelan, unaware that Mihawk was coming for him, carried Krieg and Gin straight to the nearest Marine base.
Back at the Baratie, the stunned diners finally stepped outside to check the situation.
When they saw Krieg's flagship completely destroyed, their shock deepened.
"This level of strength shouldn't exist in the East Blue."
Zeff had not seen such a formidable fighter in many years. Even at his peak, he was certain he couldn't compare to Caelan.
Beside him, Sanji was also speechless. At some point, the cigarette in his mouth had fallen to the floor.
Born into the Vinsmoke family, Sanji clearly understood how terrifying Caelan's power was.
That presence was even more overwhelming than his father, Vinsmoke Judge.
Luffy and Zoro were just as shaken. They were new to the seas, and this was their first time witnessing such strength.
"Suge! I want to be even stronger than him. I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
Luffy's fighting spirit remained high. True to his nature, he would not be discouraged.
"Oh no, Boss Luffy, Boss Zoro!"
At that moment, Zoro's two crewmates rushed over, panic written all over their faces.
"Miss Nami took the ship and all our treasure!"
They had been so distracted by Caelan's overwhelming power that they hadn't noticed Nami quietly sailing away.
"Nani?!"
Both Luffy and Zoro shouted in shock.
Just as Luffy was about to chase after her, a white chef's hat smacked into the back of his head.
"Idiot, you still have to work here to pay off your debt for the damage!"
Zeff knocked Luffy on the head and dragged him back into the kitchen.
Since Caelan had already taken care of the Krieg Pirates, Luffy and the others hadn't yet formed a deep bond with Zeff or Sanji.
It would take some time before they could leave.
(To be continued.)