章 24: Encounter with Luffy
Turning back, Sanji and the others saw Ryu holding Krieg like a dead dog.
"What just happened?" Sanji asked Luffy, who stood there in disbelief.
In just a moment, how could Krieg have ended up like this? Sanji found it hard to believe.
"Let go of our captain, you bastard!" the demon Akain and the second division captain, Iron Wall Ba, charged at Ryu, trying to rescue Krieg.
"Iron Block!"
Bang!
Ryu didn't dodge as Akain's dual hammers struck him, the sound echoing like metal clashing.
"Is this what a monster looks like?" Sanji watched in shock as Ryu took Akain's full force hit, unfazed.
"Ha, are you just tickling me? Three-Piercing Finger!"
With a cold chuckle, Ryu held Krieg with one hand and struck with his other, taking down both Akain and Iron Wall Ba effortlessly.
"Filthy pirates, accept the judgment of justice!"
Using Moonwalk, Ryu lifted off the ground with Krieg in tow.
"Raging Gale Dragon Slash!"
A powerful kick slashed through the already damaged Krieg flagship, sending it to the ocean floor.
"Is this the power of the Grand Line? No wonder the Krieg Pirates couldn't withstand a single blow and retreated!" The chefs at Baratie stared in awe at the wreckage now sinking.
Meanwhile, a Navy warship was rapidly approaching from the distance.
"Luffy, didn't you set out to be a pirate? Why are you dressed like a restaurant waiter?" Ryu descended from the sky, still holding Krieg.
"Ah? That? I accidentally damaged this restaurant and am working here to repay! I was hoping to defeat those pirates as compensation, but that's impossible now!" Luffy replied, looking dejected.
Ryu facepalmed, realizing this guy wasn't a real pirate. In all his time as a Marine, he had never heard of pirates causing trouble and then staying to pay it off. At least Ace, Luffy's brother, never paid for food!
"Ah~ I'm really sorry about that. I have to catch this guy myself, but I can help you pay your compensation. Just don't say you're a pirate later, or it'll be hard for me!" Ryu pointed to the approaching warship.
"Really? Really? You'll help me pay? That's so cool!" Luffy only caught the first part, excitedly shedding his work clothes.
"Who's the owner here? I'll cover my brother's debt!" Ryu asked the Baratie chefs with a smile.
"No need, Marine sir! You've already helped us a lot; please, come in and eat first!" Zeff stepped out with a grin.
He had gone inside to cook personally.
"The boss looks a bit familiar!" Ryu thought aloud, scrutinizing Zeff.
This made the Baratie chefs tense up. They had learned from Krieg that their boss was once a Grand Line pirate, and if this terrifying Marine recognized him, they wouldn't stand a chance.
"Eh, never mind. Maybe I've seen him somewhere? What matters is thanking the boss for taking care of my brother!" Ryu patted Luffy on the head and bowed to Zeff.
Ryu's words eased the chefs' tension, while Zeff remained calm.
Once Ryu and Luffy entered the restaurant, the chefs and waitstaff began to clean up the chaos.
"By the way, Luffy, where are your friends?" Ryu noticed Zoro and Usopp were missing.
"Ah~? They went to find my other friend!" Luffy replied casually.
Ryu smiled and nodded. "I see. So where are you headed next?"
"Me? I'm obviously going to find my friends too!" Luffy said cheerfully as he sat at the table, ready to eat.
Ryu nodded, about to say something when Sanji appeared with food and red wine for both him and Luffy.
After Sanji left, Ryu continued eating while speaking to Luffy. "By the way, Luffy, your grandpa has returned to Foosha Village looking for you. But seeing you here, I guess he hasn't found you yet?"
The food at Baratie truly lived up to its reputation, tasting fantastic, and the paired red wine was delightful.
"Grandpa?" Luffy looked shocked, mouth full of food. He quickly swallowed and nervously looked around. "My grandpa is here? Where?"
Sanji, standing not far away, perked up to listen in on their conversation. He remembered Ryu had said he was Garp's disciple. If the disciple was this strong, how powerful must the master be?
Seeing Luffy, who resembled Ace, Ryu couldn't help but wonder how terrified they were of the old man. Glancing at Sanji, he hadn't paused their conversation out of fear of being overheard but out of respect for Sanji's work.
"Don't worry; he won't catch up to you for now, but that could change later!" Ryu said, wiping his mouth with a nearby towel.
Luffy relaxed at this.
"Rear Admiral!" A group of Marines entered, saluting Ryu.
"Take Krieg aboard and secure him!" Ryu instructed the Marines.
Watching the large number of Marines, Luffy continued to eat as if nothing was happening. Ryu felt relieved; if Luffy caused trouble, it would be embarrassing.
"By the way, Luffy, do you still have a ship? Wasn't your ship stolen? Do you need me to give you a ride?" Ryu invited Luffy with a smile.
"Ah? But I'm a pirate! Isn't it bad to ride on a Marine ship?" Luffy said without hesitation.
"Idiot! You're talking to a Marine! You dare say you're a pirate so openly?!" Sanji internally screamed as he listened from the side.
It seemed Luffy had either not heard or didn't care about what Ryu had said before.
Ryu facepalmed, thinking, Are you afraid others don't know you're pirates?
"Forget it, I can't be bothered with you. Luffy, I have some matters to attend to, so I won't chat with you any longer. Here's my vivre card; keep it on you!" Ryu glanced at the surprised Marines behind him, tore off a small piece of his vivre card, and handed it to Luffy, explaining its purpose.
After Luffy solemnly tucked the vivre card into his straw hat, Ryu smiled, paid for their meal and the damages Luffy caused at Baratie, then left with the Marines. Though Baratie didn't ask for it, as a righteous Marine, Ryu insisted on covering all costs.
"Rear Admiral, where to now?" the sergeant asked upon seeing Ryu.
"Let's head to Cocoyasi Village; there's a pest I need to deal with!" Ryu replied with a smile.
Seeing Luffy, the former fan of the series, made Ryu very happy, but he didn't capture him or change his mind. Many of Ryu's plans still relied on Luffy's chaotic nature.
After Ryu departed, Luffy invited Sanji to join him on the ship. After Sanji said his goodbyes to Zeff, he followed Luffy out to sea, both sailing in the small boat Zeff had given them towards Cocoyasi Village.
When Ryu arrived at Cocoyasi Village, he instructed the warship to stay a bit farther back while he used Moonwalk to ascend directly to the island. He remembered that at this time, Captain Nezumi had probably gone to steal the 100 million berries that Nami had worked hard to save, possibly injuring her sister Nojiko in the process.
Thus, Ryu planned to deal with Captain Nezumi first. As for the 20 million bounty on Arlong, he decided to assess that later since he had just acquired Krieg's 1,700 diamonds, and his diamond count had already surpassed 10,000.
Looking around at the overturned houses, Ryu sighed. If it weren't for the fact that Arlong was a target Luffy was interested in, he would have confronted him directly. Ryu despised those who bullied civilians.
As for Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords, Ryu didn't believe the so-called "sea knight" would protect Arlong after learning about his actions. If that were the case, Ryu wouldn't hesitate to fight him.
After landing in Cocoyasi Village, Ryu glanced around and proceeded towards Back Sand Town, recalling that the orange grove lay between Cocoyasii Village and Back Sand Town. He walked along the coastline, fearing he would miss the spot where Nami had taken Luffy's ship, which was likely parked near the orange grove.
Upon arriving, Ryu suddenly looked to another area—the territory of Arlong, which served as the headquarters for the Fish-men. Usually, they lived there, but at that moment, he noticed activity on the sea. To confirm, he used Moonwalk to ascend, just in time to see a Navy warship sinking.
"That's the flag of the 77th Division! Did they send someone over? Are they planning to trade with Arlong like Captain Nezumi, or did the deal fall through due to unreasonable demands?" Ryu pondered.
He didn't think the Navy was coming to take down Arlong. As the highest bounty pirate in East Blue, with the backing of Warlord Jinbe, as long as Arlong didn't go too far, the ordinary Navy wouldn't trouble him.
..............
Started editing the chapters now ^^
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CuteSelfieCat Helloo Selfiecat here, just to let you know im setting up a (patreon. com/DaoistSelfieCat),
it's supposed to have 15 chapters ahead but I only have +3 chapters up currently so I'll try to add more today or tomorrow and then resume updating here with 1 or two chapters a day.
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