Boom!
The waves of sea water swept in all directions.
The once stable sea restaurant, Baratie, also experienced violent fluctuations with the waves.
Inside the restaurant.
Sanji served the delicacies on the table.
Just as Zoro and the others were about to enjoy their meal, the ship beneath their feet tilted.
"What's going on?"
Usopp quickly caught the wine glass that almost toppled over.
"It's Hawkeye."
Luffy raised an eyebrow and looked towards the outside of the restaurant.
The enormous warship belonging to Krieg was now in three pieces and sinking little by little.
"Hawkeye...!?"
Zoro's drinking motion paused, and with a loud bang, he crushed the wine glass in his hand and stood up abruptly, his expression changing.
"Hawkeye?" Sanji couldn't help but ask, "Who is that?"
"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea recognized by the World Government," Luffy casually explained, "The world's strongest swordsman. If he wasn't a Shichibukai, his bounty would probably be... 3.5 billion."
3.5 billion!?
Not only Sanji, but everyone was shocked by this number.
In the East Blue, where the average bounty was 3 million, pirates with over a billion bounty had never appeared, let alone a bounty in the tens of billions!
"Luffy!"
Zoro's body trembled, a mix of excitement and fear.
But he was smiling.
"I told you, we would meet him sooner or later. If you want to go, Just go."
Luffy smiled as well.
In the next moment, Zoro rushed out.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Sanji was stunned.
"I set sail to challenge this man!"
Zoro walked out of the restaurant without hesitation.
Sanji was dumbfounded for a moment, put down the plate in his hand, and followed suit.
"Let's go and watch too."
Luffy smiled faintly.
When everyone arrived outside the restaurant, they happened to see Hawkeye sitting in a small boat in the distance, leisurely entering their field of vision as if taking a stroll in the afternoon.
"It's really him!"
Zoro took off the bandana on his arm and tied it around his head.
Then, he jumped onto the wreckage of the warship, drew the sword at his waist, and pointed the blade at Hawkeye, who was approaching from afar.
"Is this guy crazy? Does he want to challenge that monster?"
Sanji's emotions fluctuated, and he looked at Luffy abruptly, "Aren't you going to stop him? You're the captain, right?"
Although they had only known each other for less than ten minutes, this group of people did help the restaurant out of a difficult situation and defeated Krieg.
No, even without all this, he would not sit still and watch others die.
"Why should I stop him?" Luffy shook his head.
"Can that moss head win?"
"He might lose, or even die."
"Then why don't you stop him? Are you going to watch your subordinates go to their deaths?" Sanji's emotions gradually became more agitated.
Luffy laughed, "There's no reason to stop a man from pursuing his dream!"
Sanji fell silent.
His hand trembled slightly, and he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one for himself.
"Big Brother Zoro..."
Johnny and Yosaku watched this scene nervously.
As the ship approached slowly, Hawkeye on the ship finally noticed Zoro's presence.
Finding someone drawing a sword against him, he found it interesting.
In an instant, he appeared in front of Zoro.
"You seem free. Care to have a few rounds with me?" Zoro grinned and extended an invitation.
"I am free indeed. You seem to be a skilled swordsman."
Faced with the challenge, Hawkeye didn't draw his supreme sword, the Black Blade Yoru, from behind. Instead, he took off a small knife hanging in front of his chest.
His attitude was extremely contemptuous.
Of course, he also had the qualifications for it.
Zoro couldn't stand this insult, his eyes darkened.
"You look down on me?"
"Hmm! A frog in a well, its time you experiences the real world beyond your little well."
Hawkeye held the toy-like small knife, raising an eyebrow as he said provocative words.
Zoro didn't say much, immediately launching an attack with his Three-Sword Style.
"I don't care if you die!!"
The two engaged in a fierce battle.
No, calling it a battle would clearly be subjective.
It was just one-sided mockery.
Facing the famous swordsman of the East Blue, the monstrous pirate hunter Zoro, Hawkeye easily blocked many of his opponent's moves with just a toy knife.
Everything seemed like a leisurely stroll, just as he had said, frog fighting a sea king.
The onlookers in front of the restaurant were completely shocked.
Sanji's smoking motion froze in the scene, completely dumbfounded.
However, the next scene made their pupils contract even more.
When Zoro launched a series of fierce attacks, but failed to touch any part of Hawkeye's clothes.
Zoro understood, just as Captain Luffy had said, the difference between the two sides was as vast as the difference between the moon and a firefly.
He used his proudest move, the Three-Sword Style's technique, Three Thousand Worlds!
Faced with such a serious strike, Hawkeye seemed satisfied as well. He responded to Zoro's expectations with the world's strongest blade, the Black Blade Yoru.
In the end.
The two passed each other.
Hawkeye maintained his swinging motion, unscathed.
The two swords held by Zoro were instantly shattered and cracked.
A stream of blood sprayed from his chest.
"He lost..." Sanji muttered absentmindedly, "It's like an adult and a child... even someone like me who knows nothing can understand!"
How could Zoro not understand?
The difference between people, between swordsmen, is so great that the outcome is already decided in the moment they start fighting.
But the next scene once again moved him, even making him feel the burning will of the other person.
"The scars on the back are a swordsman's shame!"
Admitting defeat, Zoro opened his arms, welcoming Hawkeye's judgment.
"Amazing!"
Faced with this determination, Hawkeye smiled for the first time, and with an approving tone, he swung down his sword.
A flower of blood bloomed on Zoro's chest, and he smiled, even enduring a near-fatal blow with a sense of satisfaction.
Splash!
He fell into the water.
"Big brother, Zoro!!"
Johnny and Yosaku shouted in shock, about to rush out and kill that bastard Hawkeye.
Luffy grabbed both of them by the shoulders.
"Luffy, big brother! Just hold me like this! Otherwise, I'll definitely kill that bastard!" Johnny declared like the "Sword God."
"Haha, the captain comes first, you guys just wait," Luffy laughed, took off his straw hat, and put it on Nami's head. "Take care of this for me."
"Lu..." Nami opened her mouth, nervously wanting to stop him.
Luffy jumped to the spot where Zoro had been before.
"Hmm? Who are you?" Hawkeye raised an eyebrow.
"The captain of the moss head."
"You're also free?" Hawkeye smiled.
"No, I'm not that free."
Luffy squeezed his right palm, and his bones made a cracking sound. He calmly said, "You've injured my crewmate, I can't just ignore it. I'll beat you up a bit, do you mind, Dracule Mihawk?"
As soon as he finished speaking.
Thump thump thump, thump thump thump.
The sound of the liberation drum rang out.
A silver-white mysterious figure suddenly appeared in front of Hawkeye.