"Bang!!"
A sudden sound of breaking glass echoed through the restaurant, instantly silencing it.
Zoro, Usopp, Nami, and the others all turned to look.
A customer sitting by the window had a broken cup at his feet and stood up in panic, looking outside the restaurant.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah!! It's... it's the Krieg Pirate Ship!!"
A startled scream ignited an uproar, and countless faces showed panic, filled with terror.
In the East Blue, many people didn't even know about the existence of the Four Emperors or the Shichibukai.
In their eyes, Krieg, the strongest leader in the East Blue, was the most terrifying pirate!
With a fleet of five thousand men and fifty sailboats, this was absolutely the strongest force in the East Blue, unimaginable to ordinary people!
"It's fake, right..."
Usopp was also startled, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He couldn't help but say to Luffy, "We're done for! Luffy, Zoro, let's run away quickly!"
"Wow, what a big ship!"
Luffy, however, looked out the window with excitement, not at all frightened.
Zoro also calmly drank his sake, while Nami's big eyes darted around, and her feet instinctively retreated towards a corner.
"Krieg?"
Red-Leg Zeff also walked over, looking at the colossal object approaching, and couldn't help but frown slightly.
"What... what exactly happened?"
As the Krieg Pirate Ship drew closer, many people were astonished.
The huge ship was in a state of disrepair, as if it had been hit by a storm. Most of its masts and other structures were broken, leaving it severely damaged.
"Such a large ship, damaged to this extent, must have encountered some natural disaster..."
"What?!"
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, pondered while looking at the approaching ship.
However, the next moment, before Sanji could finish speaking, his cigarette involuntarily dropped to the ground, his pupils constricting, as if he had seen something incredible, filled with shock.
"Swoosh!"
A huge, blazing slash attack was seen in the distance, forcefully tearing through the air, whistling from afar.
The massive slash, tens of meters long, displayed terrifying power, directly cutting open the sea ahead, and then streaked across the Krieg Pirate Ship like lightning.
"Boom!"
The massive pirate ship was instantly torn in half like paper. The terrifying aftershock swept it away, and in an instant, hundreds of pirates were ripped apart!
Krieg, at the center of the ship, was killed instantly before he could even react!
"Ahhh..."
Screams echoed over the wreckage on the sea. The azure sea instantly turned crimson, and the seawater, like a fierce beast, bared its fangs, ferociously devouring the pirates.
"Hiss..."
What shocked everyone at the Baratie the most was that from a hundred meters away to the Krieg Pirate Ship, and then another hundred meters beyond, the entire sea surface was split by a gash hundreds of meters long... The sharp sword qi still lingered above it, making one's scalp tingle just by looking from afar.
The entire Baratie stared in a daze.
"Is it an illusion?! What did I just see?!"
"That big ship, it was... it was cut open..."
A group of chefs and customers, watching this scene, felt their whole bodies trembling, some even collapsing to the ground.
"There's no mistake! It was a slash! To think there's such a terrifying slash..."
Zoro also couldn't remain calm. The existence of such a powerful slash in the world was simply too... exciting!
Hearing Zoro's words, Nami and Usopp, who were beside him, snapped out of their daze. Both looked at Zoro in disbelief.
All of Usopp's thoughts were blank. That terrifying attack just now... was it man-made?
"Is the world... that big?"
Nami was equally lost in thought. This level of power was something she had never witnessed before!
She originally thought Arlong was invincible, given his strength was at least ten times that of an ordinary person, but the scene just now constantly screamed... Arlong was just a little brother!
"Quick! Look, a ship is coming over there!"
Suddenly, a shout rang out, and everyone's expressions changed, immediately looking over.
The moment they saw the small boat, Red-Leg Zeff's face suddenly changed, followed by Zoro, whose expression also abruptly shifted.
"That's... there's no mistake!"
A small boat was seen in the distance, passing over the wreckage and drifting towards them.
On that small boat sat a man, carrying a black long sword on his back, dressed in a black trench coat, wearing a black top hat, and exuding an utterly cold demeanor!
"Gulp..."
Many people swallowed their saliva, their faces filled with terror!
From beginning to end, Hawkeye made no other movements; he simply drifted over in his small boat. But everyone who looked at him inexplicably felt a sense of dread.
"It's him..."
Red-Leg Zeff's expression was incredibly solemn. He spoke in a deep voice, "I never thought I'd meet someone standing at the pinnacle of the sea here in the East Blue today. That slash just now was his..."
"He is the world's strongest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk!"
The world's strongest swordsman!
Even if they weren't familiar with the name or the title 'Hawkeye,' simply hearing the phrase 'world's strongest' was enough to make people feel awe!
"Hawkeye... Mihawk!"
Zoro's hand rested on the sword at his waist. He stared intently at the man in the distance, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable excitement.
It's him! If I defeat him, my name will surely echo through heaven!
"He is... Hmm?"
Hawkeye's small boat approached. He coldly looked at the Baratie, his gaze briefly lingering on Luffy's straw hat, and then he looked up at the sky.
A black dot was rapidly descending from high in the sky... "Swoosh!!"
A sound of tearing air echoed across the sea, quickly piercing through the void and growing larger.
Everyone looked closely, and couldn't help but be amazed... It was an incredibly magnificent, black and gold gate!
"Boom!!"
The majestic gate, about a hundred meters high and tens of meters wide, landed on the sea, stirring up a massive wave.
The intense wind and waves blew the entire Baratie back by a hundred meters.
Only Hawkeye Mihawk's small boat remained firmly in place.
Everyone watched in horror as the giant gate fell from the sky, impaling the sea like a sharp knife. Even Hawkeye's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
"Crack!"
When the wind and waves subsided, everyone watched in astonishment as the gate suddenly shattered.
It shattered like a mirror and disappeared, leaving behind only a huge black and gold door frame!
The next moment, before anyone could react, an extremely arrogant and undeniable voice echoed from within the door...
"Dracule Mihawk!"
"By My Lord's command, you are invited as a guest!"