As Luffy's fist slammed down, the entire stretch of sea instantly boiled.
Centered on the massive battleship, wave after wave erupted outward in all directions, surging like an enraged sea god unleashing calamity upon the world.
"Quick! Raise the anchor!!!"
Inside the violently rocking Baratie, the seasoned Zeff immediately barked orders at the chefs who could barely keep their footing.
On the Going Merry, Nami was already issuing commands to Johnny and Yosaku, steering the ship and stabilizing its course amid the rolling waves.
The howling sea raged on for several full minutes before gradually settling down.
By then, the already dilapidated flagship of the Don Krieg Pirates had been completely finished off by that single punch, slowly sinking into the depths of the ocean.
"Damn it!!! What the hell just happened!?"
"Why did the flagship suddenly crack apart!?"
Dragged along by Gin, the weakened Don Krieg desperately clung to a mast, his body dangling in midair.
Staring at the raging sea below, an unprecedented fury twisted across his face.
Meanwhile, Gin was staring upward in disbelief.
Because during the chaos, he had been standing on deck—and had seen everything clearly!
Gritting his teeth, Gin hesitated before saying, "Captain Krieg… it was a fist. A gigantic fist that fell from the sky and smashed our warship apart!"
"Don't spout nonsense!" Even having witnessed the horrors of the Grand Line, Krieg still couldn't believe such words.
At that moment, after days of barely eating, Krieg's already weakened body finally gave out under his emotional turmoil. His arms suddenly lost all strength.
Under the crushing weight of his heavy golden armor, he immediately dropped toward the sea.
"Captain Krieg!!!"
Gin cried out in panic.
Just as he was about to leap after him to pull Krieg back—
A strange surge of seawater suddenly rose up from the surface, the rushing current miraculously catching Krieg mid-fall.
"Whew—close one."
Dragging Luffy along, Red flew in from the horizon. Looking at the golden armor covering Krieg's body, he grinned with clear amusement.
"If a chunk of gold that big sank into the sea, Nami would definitely chew me out when we got back."
Recalling the pitiful look on Nami's face back when he'd swapped out her Pay Day for the much stronger Thunderbolt, Red couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.
If he hadn't immediately explained that the move could be switched back at any time, Nami probably would've burst into tears on the spot.
"Y-you… who are you…?"
Watching Red and Luffy appear in such an absurd way, Gin widened his eyes in disbelief.
But the moment his gaze landed on the straw hat atop Luffy's head, his pupils shrank—and terror flooded his face.
If his memory wasn't failing him, the owner of that monstrous fist from the sky had been a boy wearing a straw hat.
"Y-you…!"
"Was it you who destroyed our warship?!"
Hanging from the railing, Gin suddenly shouted.
His voice finally drew Red's attention.
"Hm?"
Red froze for a moment in midair, then pressed his lips together in a grin.
"Oh~ I was wondering who it was."
"Isn't this Demon Man Gin, an executive of the Don Krieg Pirates?"
"Wow, it's only been a few days—how did you fall this hard?"
He casually extended a hand.
Instantly, another surging wave rose up and slammed Gin straight off the slanted deck.
When you ran into a pirate worth twelve million Beli, how could you just let that go?
As for the rest of the Don Krieg Pirates… well, they'd have to fend for themselves.
Electromagnetic waves shimmered again.
Manipulating the sea, Red carried the three of them toward the Going Merry.
Honestly, the convenience brought by Magnet Rise was nothing short of absurd.
A few minutes later—
With a final splash, Krieg and Gin—who had been restrained by seawater the entire time—were deposited directly onto the deck of the Going Merry.
"Cough—! Cough cough!!!"
The moment they hit the deck, both men collapsed, hacking violently as they vomited up seawater.
"Y-you… who are you people?"
Krieg weakly raised his head, shadows flickering in his eyes as he questioned everyone aboard.
Even after suffering such crushing defeat, in his heart he still believed himself to be a pirate admiral destined to rule the East Blue and conquer the Grand Line.
Unfortunately…
Not a single person present bothered to answer him.
After landing, Red gently set down Luffy—who was completely incapacitated after soaking in seawater—then immediately turned serious and addressed Nami and Usopp.
"Nami, you and Usopp take a look at Krieg's gear. Strip it all off."
"Gold goes to you, weapons go to Usopp for reuse."
"And one more thing…"
"Be quick about it. Don't miss today's main event."
With that, Red sharply shifted his gaze to Sanji and Zoro.
"Sanji, get a fire going. Dry Luffy off properly—there's a tough fight coming."
"Zoro, get ready."
"The man you're looking for… is almost here."
"Remember—no matter how it ends, your future is only just beginning!"
"Go all out. Hold nothing back, and fight with everything you've got!"
"Yes!!!"
Red's solemn presence roused the entire Straw Hat crew.
And when they heard what Red said to Zoro, everyone who knew instantly realized—
The world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk, was nearby!
At that moment, even Johnny and Yosaku—outsiders—couldn't help but tense up.
Though Red hadn't given them direct orders, they instinctively moved to help Sanji tend to the weakened Luffy.
In the blink of an eye, the entire crew sprang into action.
"Damn it!"
Seeing himself completely ignored, Krieg twisted his face in rage and struggled to his feet.
As the famed pirate admiral of the East Blue, commanding dozens of warships and five thousand men, when had he ever been treated with such contempt?!
The Straw Hats' behavior had clearly crossed his bottom line!
With a mechanical whir, his golden armor began to shift, barrels and gun muzzles popping out from every angle.
"If you don't want to talk—then never speak again for the rest of your lives!!!"
Pouring every last ounce of strength into his roar, Krieg prepared to fire.
But just as the mechanisms were about to activate—
"Buzzy Buzz!!!"
Crack—!
A streak of golden lightning tore through the air, darting like a living serpent straight onto Krieg's body.
Already exhausted, he was instantly pierced by thunder, his hair standing on end.
Under the effect of absolute paralysis, Pirate Admiral Don Krieg rolled his eyes back and collapsed unconscious.
"Captain Krieg?!"
Gin shouted in panic.
But before he could even lift his head, another bolt of lightning engulfed him, sending him straight after his captain.
Nami retracted her Clima-Tact, lightly clapped her hands, and dispersed the faint smoke left by the electricity before flashing an "OK" sign at Red.
"Leave things here to us."
"You've got something more important to handle, right?"
"Yeah." Red nodded calmly, then smiled to himself.
"Reliable companions, as always…"
Amid Sanji and the others' hurried efforts, the seawater soaking Luffy soon evaporated completely.
Freed from the sea's restraint, he instantly sprang back to life.
"Whoa~! That was scary!"
"I thought I was gonna die!"
Luffy shook himself with a bright grin, showing not the slightest trace of having just faced death.
"Hahaha." Red chuckled teasingly."If you died that easily, I'd really have to reconsider…"
"…whether something's wrong with my head—for leaving perfectly good Makino behind and coming out here to be your vice-captain."
(End of Chapter)