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"Hey, boss, this is the sign you hung outside, right? We're all followers of the Church of Axis, so shouldn't we be able to eat for free?"
Smophis stood still, eyeing the fist in front of him and letting out a jeering, cold laugh.
The moment he entered, he saw the sign hanging in a very conspicuous place and casually took it down.
Zyhark took another careful look at the sign in the other's hand, his blood pressure soaring at the sight of the last, adorably cute expression.
His mouth twitched wildly, and while cursing Aqua in his heart using all the curses he knew, he also debated whether to take down this idiotic captain.
"This sign, indeed, was hung by us."
Zyhark retracted the fist hovering over the other's head and sighed deeply.
"If that's the case, then we, the followers of Axis, will take our leave."
Pirate Captain Smophis casually tossed the sign at Zyhark's feet, waved his hand, and signaled his subordinates to turn around and leave.
Just a few steps away, he turned back with a smug look, "Oh, by the way, I'm very satisfied with the taste of your meat and wine here. I'll definitely come back again."
The pirate subordinates burst into laughter again.
"I only said the sign was ours, I didn't say you could leave, did I?"
After snapping out of the ridiculous scenario set by them, Zyhark called out to the departing pirates with a stern voice.
"Oh? So, what you're saying is, you're going back on your word?"
Smophis stopped in his tracks, slowly turning around, his scarred, fierce eyes staring intently at Zyhark.
"Let's hear about the teachings of the Church of Axis then."
Zyhark bent down to pick up the sign from the ground, expressionless, "Surely, as followers, you wouldn't be ignorant of your own doctrine, would you?"
Hearing this, Smophis and the pirate subordinates were momentarily stunned.
They were just pirates who roamed the seas, looting and pillaging; what did they know of the Church of Axis?
Smophis's eyes darted around, about to speak, but Zyhark cut him off: "If you've forgotten, then I don't mind giving you a primer."
"Axis followers can achieve anything when they put their minds to it. We are people who can do it. Even if we don't succeed, it's not our fault. Who's to blame?"
Smophis was bewildered by this, pondering for a few seconds before coming up with a somewhat reasonable answer: "Blame those who dare to stand in our way."
"It's the world! If things don't go well, of course, it's the world's fault!!"
In a corner, Aqua, oblivious to the impending beatdown, pointed at Smophis and couldn't help but shout, "Someone like you, who dares to face reality, how could you possibly be a follower of this goddess!"
For the followers of the Church of Axis, she had great tolerance, but these guys, who were exploiting the name of Axis for free meals, were absolutely unforgivable!
"Create Sacred Water!"
Enraged, Aqua raised her arm, surrounded by columns of water, and a pale blue magic circle lit up under her feet.
With the faith of the villagers of Windmill Village, her casting speed had also increased significantly.
The pirates, led by Smophis, were completely dumbfounded, not having time to react before the magic circle above them unleashed a torrent of water!
The sudden flood caught the unprepared pirates off guard, thankfully, the restaurant's two large entrance doors on either side prevented it from being completely flooded.
After the water receded, the place was in shambles.
The pirate formation scattered across different corners of the restaurant, with two even being swept out the door into the sea outside.
"To think, to create water of this magnitude! Are you, could you possibly be, a legendary Devil Fruit user?!"
Smophis, as the leader, was familiar with the sea and quickly regained his footing, the first to recover from the dizziness caused by the water.
Remembering the terrifying rumors about Devil Fruit users, Smophis's ferocity vanished in an instant.
He was not one of those strong-willed great pirates; faced with something beyond his understanding, fear was natural.
"I, I'll just return your..."
Cowering, he was about to speak about repaying the money when a fist enveloped in a faint black glow suddenly struck from the side, hitting him squarely on the cheek.
Smophis, a minor pirate who couldn't make a name for himself even in the weakest of seas, had never been hit by a fist covered in Haki.
Moreover, this punch was thrown by Zyhark, enhanced by Aqua's power boost!
Thus, overwhelmed by intense dizziness and pain, Smophis lay on the ground twitching for a moment before tilting his head, passing out on the spot.
After all, the bounty gap was evident. Even in terms of resilience, this guy was perhaps not as durable as the mountain bandit, Higuma.
Zyhark dusted off his hands, shifting his gaze from the unconscious Smophis to the other pirates.
"This pirate dined and dashed, so he'll stay here to work off his debt. What's your relationship with him?" he asked, knowingly.
Only Captain Smophis had a bounty; capturing these subordinates wouldn't yield a dime, so they are a waste of space.
Instead of that, it was better to recover the meal money from them, making a profit on both ends.
"No, no relationship, big brother, please spare us, we don't know this scoundrel at all!"
"Right! Right! This damn guy forcefully dragged us onto the pirate ship; we were coerced!"
"We'll pay the meal money right now, please forgive our earlier offense."
…
Faced with a restaurant owner who could knock out their boss with a single punch, and a suspected legendary Devil Fruit user, these unworldly pirate subordinates dared not resist.
Quickly disassociating from their leader, they hastily searched their persons, handing over all their valuables to settle the debt.
Zyhark, not refusing any of it, collected the treasures and waved his hand: "Alright, this maritime restaurant values rules. Those who've paid can leave."
"Thank you, boss, thank you!" The pirate subordinates were immensely grateful.
As they turned to leave, trembling, they bumped into two companions who had just been washed into the sea.
"Damn it, daring to use water against us, boss, it seems we need to teach these two fools a lesson, let them understand their place!"
"We must show them, my blade isn't for cutting grass!"
The two pirate subordinates, brandishing their gleaming machetes with murderous intent, charged in.
And so...
The two groups stared at each other, the atmosphere instantly awkward.
A minute later.
The two, with bruised noses and swollen faces, finally understood their place and obediently paid up.
Thus, the group left the restaurant, cautious and trembling.
"Wait a moment."
The words from behind made their nerves tense instantly, freezing them in place.
Zyhark's gaze swept over the terrified pirate subordinates, finally resting on one of them.
"I'm curious, if your blade isn't for cutting grass, then what is it for?"
The targeted pirate subordinate shivered, losing all his earlier ferocity.
"To, to pick teeth with, big brother, my blade is for picking teeth..."
"I see, thanks for clearing that up for me."
Hearing this, Zyhark nodded in satisfaction, smiling, "Well then, gentlemen, thank you for coming. Do visit us again."
Visit your ass!
Relieved, the pirate subordinates fled the restaurant, scrambling back to their ship.
The pirate ship, flying the skull and crossbones flag, made a hasty retreat, a stark contrast to their previous arrogance and bluster.
"Zyhark, Zyhark, how much is this guy worth? You can't say the goddess didn't contribute this time, right?"
Aqua, blissfully unaware of what's to come, approached eagerly, rubbing her hands together excitedly.
"How much he's worth will have to wait."
Zyhark glanced at the sign scattered on the ground, his expression and voice calm.
"Aqua, let me ask you a question first."
"Huh? What question?"
"1000 minus 7 equals what?"
(End of Chapter)