Nami pressed her lips together, raised an arm, and gently nudged Sanji beside her.
Keeping her voice low, she whispered, "Hey, what's going on? Why did everyone suddenly stop moving?"
Sanji had a cigarette between his lips. Only after hearing her question did he slowly lift his eyelids, the corners of his mouth curving into a faint smile.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he took a deep drag, the cigarette tip glowing red before he slowly exhaled a perfect smoke ring.
The ring floated between them, gradually dissolving into the air.
"Miss Nami, just eat."
Sanji stubbed out his cigarette, his tone light, "There are some things that won't do you any good if you know them too early."
He chuckled softly and cast a meaningful glance toward Luffy.
Luffy was happily stuffing himself with grilled meat, his face covered in grease.
Following Sanji's gaze, Nami understood immediately.
The confrontation that had been on the verge of breaking out had been stopped.
And whoever could make even Sanji voluntarily back down without daring to resist definitely wasn't an ordinary person.
She instinctively ruled out the supreme figures in the heavens. People at that level wouldn't bother interfering in such trivial matters.
After thinking it over, only one person fit.
The Crown Princess of the World Government, the one Nojiko and Carina often talked about.
Rumor had it that the princess was obsessed with her father. To make sure her supreme father saw exactly what pleased him, she was willing to arrange anything by any means necessary.
Nami quietly looked around.
At the corner table by the window, Kuina still sat leisurely, holding her wine glass and drinking at an unhurried pace.
At another table, Carina and Nojiko were chatting quietly, the atmosphere relaxed.
Looking closer, Zoro had already returned to his seat.
The frustration on his face hadn't completely faded, but the sharp aura surrounding him had vanished entirely, as if all of its edge had been stripped away.
Silently, he laid his sword across his knees, grabbed a roasted chicken leg, and bit into it hard, his movements full of frustration.
The momentum was gone. Continuing to stand there would only make things more awkward.
Nami glanced at him without saying anything.
There was no point thinking about it.
She simply picked up her fork and put a piece of grilled meat into her mouth.
Since she was already here, she might as well eat and drink.
Whatever happened next wasn't something she had any control over, nor could she change anything.
Just then, Carina at the neighboring table suddenly raised her voice.
Her clear voice carried through the quiet restaurant, making sure almost everyone present heard it.
"Nojiko, did you hear?"
Holding a wine glass, Carina leaned back slightly, her eyes curved with amusement.
"Arlong was released. He's been causing trouble around Cocoyasi Village lately."
The wine glass Nami had just picked up stopped abruptly and slammed onto the table, spilling more than half the juice inside.
She shot to her feet, her face changing instantly.
Usopp, chewing on grilled meat, looked up at her calmly, without the slightest surprise.
He slowly swallowed before speaking softly, "What's wrong?"
As he spoke, he lightly tapped Nami's plate with his chopsticks.
The gesture was subtle, but the meaning was unmistakable.
When you're inside the game and you're a chess piece, you have to be prepared to play your part.
Carina bringing this up at this exact moment had to be on someone's orders. Most likely, it was a task Shirahoshi had arranged.
Nami forced down the turmoil in her heart, managed a faint smile, and slowly sat back down.
She picked up a napkin and wiped the corner of her mouth, deliberately keeping her voice calm.
"It's nothing. I just have a grudge against Arlong. Didn't the World Government wipe him out long ago? How was he released?"
"That's a long story."
Carina turned in her chair with her wine glass, half her body bathed in the sunlight streaming through the window. She crossed her legs lazily and began to explain.
"Jinbe and Tiger from Fish-Man Island defected a while back. On the way, they rescued the imprisoned Arlong."
She took a sip of wine, her crimson fingernails lightly tapping the rim of the glass.
"But don't worry. Arlong doesn't have the guts to enter the New World. Right now he only dares wander around the area near Cocoyasi Village."
Nami bit down hard on her lower lip, her eyes locking onto Nojiko.
Nojiko never looked at her.
She simply lowered her head and calmly cut the steak on her plate, her expression peaceful and quiet.
She neither denied it nor responded.
That silence was the clearest answer of all.
A chill slowly crept up Nami's back.
She knew Cocoyasi Village would never suffer the same enslavement as before.
But if their group didn't deal with Arlong themselves, the princess manipulating everything behind the scenes would simply watch coldly and let Arlong continue wreaking havoc around the village.
She was only about the same age as Nami, perhaps not even an adult yet, but the ruthlessness behind her schemes was chilling.
Nami lowered her head to look at the food on her plate, now completely cold, her heart heavy.
The trap had already been laid.
She had no room to refuse or retreat.
At that moment, a sudden disturbance came from outside the window.
A dazzling deep green light erupted without warning, a sharp beam sweeping across most of the sea.
An instant later, a thunderous explosion echoed across the water.
The entire floating restaurant shook violently. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling swayed nonstop, filling the room with clinking sounds.
Zoro instantly stopped eating.
The chicken leg in his hand dropped onto his plate with a slap as he sprang to his feet, his eyes turning razor-sharp.
A flying slash.
There was no way he could mistake it. That slash, condensed from the ultimate sword intent and capable of sweeping across the sea, could only be unleashed by a supreme swordsman.
Without saying a word to the others, Zoro grabbed Wado Ichimonji and hurried toward the deck.
Behind him came Luffy's muffled shout, "Zoro, where are you going? I haven't finished my meat yet!"
"Take your time."
Without looking back, Zoro slammed open the heavy carved wooden door, and a biting sea breeze rushed toward him.
At some point, the sky had turned completely dark.
Heavy storm clouds hung low over the sea. Waves rolled one after another, white foam crashing endlessly across the surface. Atop the floating restaurant, the World Government flag snapped repeatedly in the wind.
Two or three hundred meters away, an old pirate ship was fleeing in panic.
Its sails were torn to shreds, its hull covered in cracks of varying sizes, splintered wood flying through the sea breeze.
Water churned behind the stern as the helmsman desperately turned the ship toward the restaurant.
The pirates aboard were terrified. Their screams, curses, and cries mixed together until the entire ship descended into chaos.
About a hundred meters behind the pirate ship floated a bizarre little boat.
It had neither sails nor oars. Made entirely of black wooden planks, its long, narrow shape looked less like a boat than a coffin.
It ignored the crashing waves, remaining perfectly still atop the sea.
Standing in its center was a man dressed in black.
He wore a long black coat buttoned all the way to his throat. A broad black hat was pulled low, hiding most of his face.
On his back rested an enormous black cross-shaped sword, longer than height.
He stood straight as a statue, his presence silent yet chilling.
The seawater around him receded on its own, an invisible force surrounded the boat as every approaching wave quietly dispersed.
"Hawk Eyes... Mihawk!", Standing by the railing, Zoro said.
The world's greatest bounty hunter.
The world's second greatest swordsman.
Hawk Eyes Mihawk.
A supreme powerhouse whose reputation rivaled that of the Four Emperors.
By his own strength alone, Mihawk had made his name even more feared than the Four Emperors.
Every pirate he set his sights on met the same fate.
Not one had ever made it back to land alive.
The screams from the pirate ship grew even more desperate.
"Captain! He's coming again!"
"Go! Just a little farther and we'll reach the floating restaurant!"
"Please spare us! What did we ever do to offend you?"
The pirates had completely broken down. Some rowed frantically, some clung to the ship and wept, and others were already preparing to jump into the sea.
Finally, Mihawk moved.
He reached back and grasped the hilt of the massive cross-shaped sword, slowly drawing the black blade.
Its pitch-black edge gleamed with icy light.
The simple act of raising the sword caused the pressure over the sea to plummet.
A slender black arc extended from the tip, clean and without the slightest excess.
The next second, a tremendous roar exploded across the sea.
The entire pirate ship was split cleanly in two from bow to stern by the ultimate slash.
The panicked pirates didn't even have time to scream before they were severed along with the ship, their upper and lower bodies falling onto the two broken halves.
The sea instantly fell into an eerie silence.
Only the endless sound of waves remained.
Zoro gripped his sword so tightly that his palms were drenched in sweat.
That strike had already surpassed an ordinary flying slash.
It was sword intent refined to the absolute limit.
Dozens of people.
A sturdy pirate ship.
Before that slash, neither had the slightest chance to resist.
He swallowed unconsciously, his heart filled with shock.
"There's one left."
Mihawk slowly raised his head.
Beneath the brim of his hat, his sharp golden eyes swept across the broken wreckage before locking onto the lone survivor.
The instant the ship had been cut apart, no one else escaped.
Only Clark had seized that brief moment to leap into the air.
Relying on the Moonwalk technique he had mastered through desperate training, he stepped through the air more than ten times in succession, running for his life toward the floating restaurant.
Clark was fat, gasping for breath as he stumbled forward in panic. Cold sweat covered his face, his bloodshot eyes filled with utter terror. He was on the verge of a complete breakdown.
He finally reached the restaurant's side, slammed against the wooden hull, then grabbed the railing and awkwardly hauled himself onto the deck.
Zoro stepped aside and watched the man collapse at his feet.
Clark struggled to his feet, yanked a curved saber from his waist, and immediately held it against the neck of the nearest waiter.
With madness in his eyes, he shouted toward the restaurant, "Everyone inside, listen up! Bring out all the food right now! Set sail immediately and head east!"
The cold blade nicked the waiter's neck, drawing a thin line of blood.
"Hurry! If you don't do it now, I'll kill him!"
His overwhelming fear had completely shattered Clark's reason.
His face twisted as he abandoned every shred of a pirate's pride.
He wanted only one thing, to escape these waters.
Watching the hysterical Clark, Zoro's expression gradually turned cold.
At that moment, a calm voice came from the restaurant entrance behind him.
"Zoro," It was Kuina.
At some point, she had walked to the doorway, one hand resting casually against the frame, her posture as relaxed as ever.
She lifted her chin toward Clark, "Defeat him."
Zoro turned to look at her, confusion in his eyes.
Kuina smiled faintly, "If you beat him, I'll let you see just how far you are from the world's strongest."
Zoro's breathing paused for a moment.
Without the slightest hesitation...
Shing!
Wado Ichimonji came out of its sheath, its clear ring echoing across the deck.
"Alright."
He answered quietly before stepping forward.
His body shot toward Clark like an arrow released from a bow.
Clark reacted immediately by swinging his saber.
The blade that had been pressed against the waiter's neck whipped back, coming toward Zoro with brute force.
The shrill clash of steel rang out.
Clark was no weakling.
He carried a bounty of twenty-two million Berries.
It wasn't among the highest, but among ordinary pirates, it was enough to dominate an entire stretch of sea.
His curved saber looked old and ordinary, yet every swing landed with the weight of a massive hammer.
In their first exchange, Zoro's arm went numb.
The tremendous force drove him back three steps, leaving two deep dents in the wooden deck beneath his feet.
"Not bad, kid."
Clark grinned viciously and pressed the attack, bringing his saber down again.
His techniques weren't refined, but they were fast, ruthless, and heavy.
Every strike was meant to cripple his opponent, as though he wanted to smash Zoro into the deck.
Zoro clenched the sword in his mouth, drew his second blade with his left hand, and reversed his grip on Wado Ichimonji with his right.
The twin blades swing into a blur.
"Two-Sword Style: Seventy-Two Pound Phoenix!"
A relentless barrage of sword strikes rained down.
Seven or eight slashes burst out one after another, forcefully suppressing Clark's assault.
But only suppressing it.
They couldn't break through his defense.
Clark roared, freeing his left hand and driving a heavy punch straight into Zoro's chest.
A dull impact rang out.
Zoro was blasted into the air, crashing hard into the restaurant's outer wall. The thick wooden planks caved in, leaving a huge crater.
He couldn't stop himself from coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"Hahaha!"
Clark laughed wildly, his eyes full of mockery, "Kid, your swords are nice, but you're too weak! If you think you can match me head-on, you're still a long way off!"
He licked the blood from the corner of his mouth and raised his curved saber.
"Die!"
Pushing off the deck, Clark charged forward like an out-of-control battering ram, carrying overwhelming momentum straight toward Zoro.
Supporting himself against the wall, Zoro slowly stood up.
Blood continued dripping from the corner of his mouth.
He lowered his head slightly and clenched his third sword between his teeth.
In a hoarse whisper, he murmured, "Three-Sword Style... Oni Giri."
As the words fell, he raised his head.
His eyes burned with crimson fighting spirit as he stepped forward to meet the attack.
Blinding sword light surged.
The two ultimate attacks collided head-on.
A crisp snap echoed through the air.
Clark's Armament Haki-coated curved saber split cleanly in two.
He didn't even have time to react.
Zoro's three blades had already passed through him.
Three sprays of blood burst simultaneously from his chest, abdomen, and shoulder.
Clark's massive body froze in place.
A low gurgle escaped his throat before he collapsed onto the deck, never to move again.