"Brother Reno, are we really going to snatch that beautiful chef and bring her onto the ship?!"
Facing Kaya's question, Reno answered frankly, "That's right. She's one of my targets."
The girls were speechless.
"You big playboy," Nami pouted, a little jealous.
He already had four of them, yet he was going to snatch another beautiful woman.
But this was Reno.
Anyone else would have neither the heart nor the strength to do so.
Reno keenly sensed the change in the girls' emotions and asked, "Nami, have I ever treated you poorly?"
Nami paused. He had indeed been very good to her.
But she turned her head away in a huff. "No."
Reno continued to press, "Then after Makino and Kaya joined, did I treat you any less well?!"
"No, you didn't."
The girls looked at each other and shook their heads one after another.
"So..." Reno paused, his gaze sweeping over the women. "You don't have to worry that someone else coming aboard will steal my affection."
"As long as you are my women, I will treat you all equally."
Reno knew that Kaya, Makino, and Nojiko shared the same concerns as Nami.
It was just that their personalities were more reserved, so they wouldn't show it.
But Reno had to make his attitude clear at the right time.
After all, this was just the beginning. More and more beautiful women would be joining the ship in the future.
The reason he was going to such lengths to snatch so many beautiful women was, one, because subduing them would earn him system rewards.
And two, because he was indeed lecherous.
He had never denied this point.
But he was definitely not the type to get his hands on someone and then favor only a few while ignoring the others.
He would not do such a thing.
Reno's words were like a reassurance pill, and Nami and the other three women finally felt at ease.
Most importantly, in their time with Reno, he had indeed done as he said.
It wasn't just a verbal promise.
"Brother Reno, Kaya believes you." Kaya rubbed her cute little face against Reno's body.
"Hmph, I'm always defeated by your sweet talk."
With Reno's words, Nami's anger instantly vanished.
"Let's continue eating. Captain, this dish is good, have a taste." Makino forked a piece of foie gras and brought it to Reno's mouth.
Reno savored it and nodded in appreciation.
The Baratie restaurant lived up to its reputation.
Soon, the dining table was once again filled with laughter and joy.
...
...
Meanwhile, outside the restaurant.
"Captain, are you alright?!"
The moment "Demon Man" Gin touched Krieg's body, he felt an electric current surge into his own.
Startled, he instantly pulled his hand back.
"Damn it, who the hell did this?!"
"Could Hawkeye have chased us here?!"
As soon as the thought appeared, Gin immediately shook his head in denial.
It was absolutely impossible for it to be Hawkeye.
Would Hawkeye really use his Black Blade Yoru to paddle that broken coffin all the way from the Grand Line to the East Blue just to chase them?!
Would the world's greatest swordsman do something so boring?!
Most importantly, Hawkeye was a swordsman.
"Cough, cough, cough~" At that moment, Krieg violently spat out two mouthfuls of seawater, and his blurred consciousness gradually cleared.
"Gin, get out of here, quickly," Krieg said with difficulty.
It was too terrifying.
That woman was too terrifying.
He didn't know who he had offended. He had just managed to escape Hawkeye's pursuit, only to be defeated by a nameless woman.
An instant defeat.
It had completely shattered Krieg's confidence.
Gin said angrily, "Captain, who did this?! I'll avenge you!"
Krieg wanted to curse. He shook Gin's arm continuously, his voice urgent, "Get out of here, quickly."
Avenge him? What a joke!
He, with his 16 million bounty, was defeated in seconds. How could Gin, with his 12 million bounty, withstand even one more move?!
At this moment, Krieg's thoughts were extremely simple.
Get out of this dangerous place immediately.
However, what they didn't notice...
On the sea a mile away, a small coffin-like boat, lit with ghostly flames, was slowly approaching.
The man on the boat had his fingers interlaced, his eyes as sharp as a falcon's, and a long black blade was slung across his back.
Hawkeye had finally arrived.
Aboard the coffin boat, Hawkeye looked at the wrecked ship blocking his path and stood up, his face expressionless.
The Black Blade Yoru was suddenly unsheathed!
Voom—
The air shrieked as a massive, several-dozen-meter-long, turquoise slash cut through the air. It crossed the kilometer distance with lightning speed and, in an instant, sliced through the Dreadnought Sabre.
In the face of this slash, the huge warship was as fragile as tofu, directly split in two.
The wreckage of the bisected ship capsized to either side.
The slash tore across the sea, and the waves surged, sweeping wildly outwards.
The sea-restaurant Baratie began to shake violently with the spreading waves.
Inside the restaurant.
Carmen, who had just finished serving the last dessert to table three, was about to leave when the ship suddenly shook.
Amidst gasps of surprise, she lost her balance and fell to one side.
Reno's eyes were sharp and his hands were fast. He stood up and supported Carmen, preventing an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction.
"Th... thank you," Carmen subconsciously expressed her gratitude.
Reno smiled and nodded in response.
"What's happening outside?!" Makino quickly caught the juice that had almost tipped over.
It had been calm just a moment ago, how could there be such a huge commotion?
Was it a storm?!
"Hawkeye is here," Reno said, having sensed his aura.
An aura like that of a wild beast.
"Hawkeye?! I've never heard of him. Is he famous?!" Nami looked outside but didn't see anyone.
"A current Warlord of the Sea, and also the world's greatest swordsman."
Reno patiently explained to the girls, while waiting for Hawkeye's arrival.
"The world's greatest?! He's that amazing?!" Nojiko's mouth fell open in surprise.
Reno nodded, not denying it.
Hawkeye was officially recognized by Oda as the world's number one in swordsmanship, with no equal.
"Doesn't that make him much stronger than Arlong?!"
At Nami's question, Reno laughed out loud.
Arlong?!
What was he?
"There's no comparison between the two. If he didn't have the status of a Warlord, Hawkeye's bounty would be around 3.5 billion Berries."
3.5 billion?!!
A ten-digit bounty with eight zeros?!
The girls were deeply shocked, encountering a pirate with a bounty in the billions for the first time.
Nami subconsciously swallowed and asked tentatively, "Reno, the person you're looking for here... it couldn't be him, could it?!"
"It is."