Chapter 367: Departure at Baratie: Goodbye to the Old, Onward to the New

It didn’t take long before Gin was defeated, falling at the mercy of Sanji’s Black Leg.

After all, Gin hadn’t eaten in ages. Even a plate of fried rice wasn’t enough to restore his full strength—making it this far was all thanks to sheer willpower.

“Mr. Sanji, please, don’t hurt my captain.”

“You sure are loyal. But how your captain’s handled isn’t up to me.”

After knocking Gin down, Sanji lit a cigarette and headed back to the Baratie.

Meanwhile, Gin, his cheek swollen from the beating, watched Krieg getting pounded nearby. He slammed his right fist onto the wooden plank in frustration.

“You’re Gin, right? What if you joined our crew? Your captain…”

A sudden voice from behind made Gin turn over and find Ye Fan smiling at him.

“R-Really? If that’s the case, I’ll do it.”

Gin wasn’t sure what Ye Fan was thinking, but as long as it could save his captain’s life, that would be enough to repay what he owed.

That’s right. Gin had followed Krieg so loyally all these years because Krieg once saved his life. That’s why he stuck with him through thick and thin.

“Of course. After all, who else could you trust but me?”

Gin would recover as long as he rested, so Ye Fan didn’t waste a healing pill. Instead, he reached out, helped him up and led him over to stand with Zoro and the others.

Clang!

“What a tough shell!”

Luffy kept hammering at Krieg, but that thick gold armor absorbed all of his attacks.

Each punch landed hard but didn’t actually hurt Krieg.

Just as Luffy paused his barrage, Krieg’s lips curled in a nasty grin as he hurled a purple grenade at Luffy.

“Go on, savor it. This is the best thing you’ll ever experience.”

What he threw was a hallucinogenic serum—one that could lure people into their deepest fantasies without them ever realizing.

But Ye Fan had already noticed the grenade. With a flash of elemental power, he opened a hole in the deck and the grenade dropped straight into the fist-sized opening.

“How despicable!”

“Gum-Gum Headbutt!”

Seeing Krieg resort to dirty tricks, Luffy got furious. His whole body flushed red as if he’d accidentally slipped into Second Gear. He snapped his head back and then propelled himself forward, slamming his forehead straight at Krieg.

Krieg hadn’t been worried. He’d tanked this kind of attack countless times—it’d never hurt him before.

But when Luffy’s forehead smashed into his chest, he finally felt just how powerful that strike was.

“No… No way!”

The impact shot Krieg hundreds of meters across the water, crashing into the sea. The remaining pirates, terrified, started lashing planks together as makeshift boats and paddled frantically after him. Clearly, they’d been scared witless and only wanted to escape.

“Alright, old man—the pirates are gone. So, about our deal…”

“No worries, Sanji. Go set sail with them,” Zeff replied.

“No, old geezer! I’m not leaving!”

Sanji started acting stubborn. To him, Zeff was a second father—he’d never leave this ship until he felt he’d repaid his debt.

With that, he stomped off to the cabin in a huff. Luffy rushed after him—after all, this was his future chef.

“Boring!” Zoro crossed his arms and watched as Luffy chased Sanji, then took a small boat back to the Going Merry.

“It’s finally over.” Usopp carefully tucked the pill into his pocket, boarded the Merry and stowed it away.

Nami also returned to the Merry under Ye Fan’s watchful gaze. Gin, still clutching his aching face, stared at the distant sea where Krieg had disappeared. Ye Fan hauled him aboard the Merry too—it was time for Gin to say goodbye to the Krieg Pirates.

“Old man Zeff, thanks for taking care of me all these years.”

“I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.”

Zeff looked at Sanji, who fell to his knees in front of him, sobbing his heart out. But instead, Zeff just smiled, as if watching a child set off on their first journey.

Before he knew it, Zeff found tears rolling down his cheeks too.

“You brat!”

“It’ll be so lonely!”

“Damn you!”

“We’ll miss you, you idiot!”

Sanji’s fellow chefs were all in tears too, clearly unwilling to see him go.

But Sanji’s departure was inevitable. None of them wanted someone as young as him to spend his whole life just cooking on this ship.

“You fools… A man should leave quietly.”

Zeff wiped his tears and said softly.

If anyone wanted Sanji to stay the most, it would definitely be Zeff himself.

This was Sanji’s moment of farewell.

…

With everyone on board, Usopp walked over to Ye Fan and glanced back at the Baratie. “Hey, Ye Fan, are we really just going to leave it?”

“Of course. Trust our captain.”

“By the way, Usopp, our next stop is Cocoyasi Village.”

Nami, sitting in the rocking chair, suddenly went rigid. Cocoyasi Village was her personal nightmare.

“Why do we have to go there?”

“Is our next crewmate waiting there or something?”

“Remember—our goal is the Grand Line, we can’t waste any more time here.”

Usopp had a point.

Right now, the crew was pretty much assembled. Three trainees, a swordsman, a navigator, a sniper, a soon-to-be chef and a martial artist—Ye Fan. Last but not least was Captain Luffy. For a small sailing ship, this was a near-perfect lineup.

“Before we leave, we have to help our navigator sort out some family business.”

The moment Ye Fan said that, Zoro, Johnny, Gin and Usopp all turned to look at Nami.

But Nami just bit her lip and fell silent, clearly uneasy.

“Alright, everyone, gather around! I’ll explain Nami’s situation,” Usopp announced.

…

“Nami, who knew you grew up in such a harsh place?” Usopp said.

“When one of us has a problem, it’s everyone’s problem.” Zoro was reliable as ever. He might not have promised to help out loud, but the way he gripped his sword said it all.

Johnny, Yosaku and Gin also understood they were about to become trainee crew members. They didn’t speak, but their determined faces said they’d be there.

Originally, Johnny and Yosaku had stayed behind as fishermen in Cocoyasi Village, since they’d been too weak before.

But now, with Ye Fan’s guidance and encouragement—and real gains in strength—they wanted to see what the New World was really like.

After the explanation, Nami finally calmed down. Seeing the hopeful eyes around her, she broke into tears and smiled. “Then I’m counting on you all.”

“Let’s go! Set sail!”

Luffy was already at the bow, calling down to Sanji.

“See you next time, you idiots!” Sanji shouted, leaping onto the deck.

He yelled down to everyone gathered below.

“Take care, Sanji!”

“As long as you have the courage to risk your life, you’ll find it. Find All Blue!”