Chapter 366: Battle on the Broken Deck

“Not a bad team. Maybe we’ll cross paths again someday.”

Hawk Eyes finished speaking and turned to head toward his little boat.

Clang!

“Hey, Hawk Eyes! Weren’t you here to take my head?”

Krieg made his entrance, clearly looking to steal the spotlight.

With his arms crossed and that smug look on his face, Krieg sized up Hawk Eyes, convinced the swordsman went through all this trouble just for him.

“Yeah, you came for the head of the East Blue overlord, Krieg—the captain of the Krieg Pirates!”

“That was the plan. But I’m done having fun, so I’m off for a nap.”

Hawk Eyes didn’t even slow down, making his way straight to his little boat.

“You might be finished, but I’ve been the one getting beaten up here! At least let me finish you off before you go.”

Krieg wasn’t having it. Dozens of gun barrels popped out all over his body as a hail of bullets shot straight at Hawk Eyes.

“Uh, Captain, why can’t we just let this guy leave?”

“Yeah, just let him go, Captain!”

The pirates behind him wept in terror. Why was their captain still asking for trouble from a monster like that?

“Unbelievable. Some guys really have no sense of self-preservation.”

Hawk Eyes turned his head slightly, drawing the Black Sword—Yoru. A wave of sword aura swept out, slicing up the already-ruined deck even further.

Countless pirates were blasted into the sea by that sword aura. Luffy took the chaos as his chance, stretching his arms and springing back onto the Baratie.

When the smoke cleared, Hawk Eyes was steering his boat away from the scene.

“What? He’s getting away? You let him escape!”

Krieg clearly hadn’t taken enough of a beating yet—he still dared to provoke Hawk Eyes.

“No point lingering. Luffy, let’s set sail for the Grand Line!”

Even Usopp, usually a bundle of nerves, managed to say it with real courage. That put a huge grin on Luffy’s face.

“Yeah! The Grand Line—Pirate King, here I come!”

“Alright, boys, back to business! Go and seize that ship for me!”

Krieg stood on the deck with his arms crossed, eyeing the Baratie in the distance. With their ship trashed, the only way to keep sailing free on these seas was to steal a good ship—and the Baratie was just perfect for that.

“Yeah!”

“Hey, old man, if I drive them off, will you let Sanji join my crew?”

“Do as you like.”

“Hey! I didn’t agree to that!” Sanji’s forehead pulsed with anger. Did he really look like someone you could recruit so casually?

But with Zeff’s approval echoing in his mind, Luffy didn’t hesitate—he vaulted into the open, shouting, “Rubber—Rocket!”

Pirates who’d been charging this way were sent flying backwards in a wild scatter.

“Special Attack—Exploding Star!”

Seeing Luffy charge in, Usopp, from the little boat nearby, unleashed his own attack.

“Nami, time to put your special training to the test.”

“Oh, and here’s your new weapon!”

Ye Fan nudged Nami forward. All that training had really paid off—she’d made huge strides.

With this group of thugs, Nami could finally gain some real battle experience. At the same time, Ye Fan handed her a new weapon he’d had Usopp craft with only the best materials.

“Alright!”

Nami took the weapon—her new Clima-Tact—and figured out how to use it in seconds.

With a twist of the staff’s end, two black clouds puffed out, letting Nami control tiny bursts of electricity and zap the pirates with ease.

Ye Fan, meanwhile, pulled out a pair of golden gloves from who-knows-where, slipped them on, and started practicing his punches on the crowd of cannon fodder.

Johnny and Yosaku stuck close, tending to the severely injured Zoro.

“Hey, kid, Devil Fruits aren’t always that handy, you know.”

Krieg suddenly fired a bullet from behind, trying to ambush Luffy.

But to his shock, the bullet actually bounced right off Luffy’s body.

“Huh? Uncle, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Luffy didn’t even feel a thing.

But that little stunt put Luffy’s focus squarely on Krieg. He wasn’t clueless—if you want to topple the enemy, you take out the boss first.

“Rubber—Battle Axe!”

His right leg shot up, soaring dozens of meters before coming down hard on Krieg.

Bang!

Krieg had never imagined Luffy’s attack would hit this hard. Even with his shield of solid gold, he got smashed right into the deck.

And with no food in his belly—not like in the original story—his stamina was way down. He didn’t crawl out of that dent for ages.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

On the other side, Gin and Sanji had started fighting.

“Sorry, Sanji, I never thought things would turn out like this.”

“Doesn’t matter what you say. I won’t let anyone go hungry on my watch.”

Sanji knew hunger all too well. If not for Zeff back then, he probably wouldn’t be alive today.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sanji’s kicks were just as fierce as Zeff’s. Gin swung his steel pipe, trading blows with Sanji in a real back-and-forth.

Gin really was a tough mid-boss. Even for Sanji, it wasn’t going to be a quick victory.

The fight looked even, but in reality, victory was always in Luffy’s hands.

After all, aside from Gin, none of the Krieg Pirates—not even Krieg himself—had eaten in a long time. Losing was only a matter of time.

“Ugh!”

“Are Luffy and the others still fighting?”

Feeling his strength fully recovered, Zoro sat up.

“Bro, you’re okay now?”

“Brother, you just took a pretty bad hit. Better take it easy for a bit.”

Johnny and Yosaku had seen Zoro’s deep, bone-revealing wound with their own eyes.

“Don’t worry. The wound’s already healed—I can feel it.”

Still, Johnny and Yosaku couldn’t quite believe it. A wound that bad, healed so soon?

But then they saw Zoro peel back the bandages, revealing only a long scar where the terrible gash used to be. Only then did they finally accept it.

“Old friend… You’re all I’ve got left.”

Zoro gazed at the Wado Ichimonji in his hand. Of his original three swords, this was the only one remaining.

“Bring the boat over.”

Seeing Zoro back in action, Johnny and Yosaku didn’t hesitate. They grabbed the oars and rowed toward the remnants of the ruined deck.

When Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku set foot on the shattered deck again, the battle was nearly over. The only fights left were Sanji against Gin and Luffy against Krieg.

The rest of the pirates lay scattered and beaten on the ground.

“Zoro, are you really okay now?”

Usopp was amazed. He never would’ve guessed that the pills Ye Fan gave him could be so powerful.

He made up his mind—he’d protect the rest of those pills at all costs.

Ye Fan had given him a tiny bottle with ten pills inside. He’d used one for Zoro, so nine remained. If each pill worked this well, they wouldn’t have to worry about injuries during fights.

Especially perfect for someone as terrified of getting hurt as him.

“Yeah, it’s a miracle, really. I feel like my energy’s back to full.”

“But from the look of things, we probably don’t need to step in.”

Zoro saw how the battlefield was playing out. He crossed his arms and leaned against the side, watching Sanji, Gin, Luffy, and Krieg while chatting quietly with Nami and the others.