Zyhark stood among the crowd, watching the swaggering bandits leave, disappearing into the end of the street.
Hearing the super annoyed ranting of Luffy from inside Makino's tavern, he ultimately decided not to go in to check the situation and instead silently turned back to his own restaurant.
As expected, during the commotion just now, the gluttonous Luffy must have swallowed that fateful fruit, thinking it was a dessert.
At this moment, the wheels of destiny quietly began to turn. It remained to be seen whether Zyhark's transmigration could bring even a slight change to this twisted world trajectory.
Most likely, it could.
"Those pirates didn't seem as terrifying as you said. They didn't even make a sound when someone smashed a bottle on their head. Too weak."
Back at the restaurant, Aqua couldn't help but start complaining.
She had seen everything that happened in the tavern quite clearly, beginning to doubt Zyhark's assertions about the strength of pirates, wondering if he was just trying to scare her.
"Aqua, if an ant happened to offend you as it passed by, what would you do?"
Zyhark settled back into his usual spot behind the counter, this time choosing to brew a fragrant cup of tea for himself rather than trusting Aqua with the task.
The naive Aqua, holding her chin in one hand, pondered seriously before raising a fist and answering, "I'd squash that disrespectful thing into a pancake with a slap."
Zyhark: "..."
Is this really the Goddess of Water?
More like a petty goddess!
"In any case, the strength of that group of pirates definitely surpasses your imagination. If you don't want to end up squashed, it's best not to provoke them lightly."
Aqua had been sound asleep in her room dreaming sweet dreams when Shanks and his crew came for breakfast that morning, so they hadn't encountered each other.
"Stop trying to scare me, Zyhark. I've completely seen through it now. This world isn't as frightening as you say!" Aqua seemed to have convinced herself of this fact.
Watching her so confidently doubting her own intelligence, Zyhark's worries dissipated into thin air.
Even if Aqua accidentally provoked the Red Hair Pirates, Shanks and his crew would most likely laugh it off, without even bothering to pay attention to her.
"Believe me, it won't be long before you witness their true power."
Zyhark poured the brewed tea, swirled the cup, then took a careful sip.
The flavor was rich and aromatic, far better than the "handwashing water" the goddess had made!
After briefly indulging Aqua with a few words, he fell silent, his gaze flickering as he began to analyze the current situation.
After this conflict between the bandits and the pirates, the Red Hair Pirates would set sail again.
As a crew capable of standing on their own in the New World, they seemed to be looking for something in the East Blue, regarded as the weakest sea.
Although the original story did not provide a clear reason, there were two possibilities.
First, it was to find the most suitable person to eat the Gomu Gomu no Mi (Rubber Fruit), which Luffy accidentally ended up doing; Second, to find and protect Gol D. Roger's son and convey the captain's will.
There might be other possibilities, or these two could essentially be considered one.
Regardless, once the Red Hair Pirates return to Windmill Village for the last time to kill Higuma, they will leave the East Blue for good, heading to the Grand Line to contend with other powers.
Eventually, they will succeed in rising to the top, becoming the "youngest of the Four Emperors" alongside Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom, four years later!
Of course, this was the development in the original story. In the era Zyhark transmigrated to, the future was uncertain!
Now, Zyhark faced a choice: to take Higuma's head for the bounty before the Red Hair Pirates sailed again, or to quietly observe from the shadows without drawing attention.
After much deliberation, Zyhark chose the latter.
Besides Higuma not posing a significant threat to him, he wanted to see for himself whether Shanks, a future Four Emperor with tremendous strength, would "carelessly" lose an arm in the East Blue!
What were his true intentions, carrying on Roger's will?
In comparison, Higuma's eight million bounty seemed less important.
Of course, if the opportunity arose, Zyhark would not let go of the tempting bounty!
Bang!
Lost in thought, the restaurant's door was kicked open once again.
The visitor was none other than the small-framed Luffy.
"Zyhark, I'm so mad! Shanks and his crew didn't fight back just because they were outnumbered. They're not real pirates!"
Upon entering, Luffy immediately started venting his frustrations about Shanks's inaction.
With his simple childlike mindset, he believed that a true pirate, a real man, should fight back when attacked.
Shanks and his crew's inaction greatly annoyed and frustrated him, prompting him to storm out of the tavern and come here to vent.
Seeing the bandage under Luffy's left eye, Zyhark's pupils narrowed slightly before he stood up with a smile.
"Being able to laugh heartily even after getting beaten, I think that's quite remarkable."
He casually poured a glass of juice and handed it to Luffy.
"Thanks."
Grumpy Luffy didn't think twice, gulped down the juice, and then responded to Zyhark:
"Why are you saying the same thing as them? A man should stand up and fight back when bullied!"
Hearing this, Aqua, who had been daydreaming in the corner, nodded in agreement, jumping in to share her opinion.
"I think Luffy is right. Only those who lack confidence in their own strength would use a smile to cover their weakness."
Zyhark glanced at her and murmured, "I wonder who got beaten by bandits and didn't dare to fight back, crying and hugging her knees inside the restaurant."
Eh?
The righteous goddess blinked her wise eyes, showcasing her skill at changing expressions on the fly.
"Luffy, what I actually meant was that I understand your desire to fight back, but a true powerhouse shouldn't sweat for small stuff!"
The epitome of shamelessness.
Seeing Luffy with a sullen face, Aqua smiled and leaned over to pat his small shoulder in comfort.
And just like that, a casual, natural gesture caused Aqua to back away in horror, her face filled with fear.
"Lu-Lu-Lu-L-Luffy, your shoulder, your shoulder has fallen to the ground!"
(End of Chapter)