Chapter 40: Fight the Current, Ride the Waves!

He was at least a pirate with a bounty of five million, and Kiba had put in a lot of effort into his appearance.

The chefs at the sea restaurant weren’t lacking in combat skills, and Red-Leg Zeff had even been a pirate who ventured into the Grand Line.

But so what?

The guy was already in his sixties, missing a leg, and his fighting strength was probably less than a third of what it was in his prime.

Standing behind Kiba was the Black Cat Pirates, a crew in their prime. The sea restaurant was nothing in their eyes.

With a sharp gaze sweeping across the room, Brutal Jason’s voice wasn’t loud, but it sent a shiver down every diner’s spine.

“Get out.”

With that command, the customers quickly fled outside.

Many recognized the Black Cat Pirates’ flag. In the East Blue, there weren’t many who dared to mess with these pirates.

In just a few moments, the restaurant hall that was bustling with people was now left with only a handful of guests.

With everyone else gone, the remaining guests stood out even more, and Kiba finally noticed the member of the Silver Fox Squad.

When he first entered this story world, the guy had a big fight with Olsen, and his sharp sword skills left a deep impression on Kiba.

He never expected to run into him at the sea restaurant.

Kiba had a feeling that the guy must be here for some purpose. Even if you don’t know the plot, there’s always a chance someone stumbles upon something.

Selling the information would naturally let other participants follow suit. Otherwise, why would they come here just to eat?

“Wait for me a moment.” Kiba called out and then walked towards the Silver Fox Squad.

The Baratie was docked nearby, with a group of pirates on board eyeing the place fiercely. At this moment, no one inside the sea restaurant had the guts to make a move on him.

Pulling out a chair, Kiba sat down in front of the two, staring intently at the calm Hoshiyama before shifting his gaze to his weapon. “Your swordsmanship is impressive. Haven’t you considered visiting the dojos on various islands?”

Hearing this, Hoshiyama and his companion couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback. They had anticipated many conversations, but they hadn’t expected him to suggest they go to a dojo as apprentices.

With his hand on the gun holster at his waist, Vincenzo said in a deep voice, “The captain is extraordinary. He doesn’t need to learn from those places.”

Doesn’t need to?

Kiba smiled but didn’t say anything. He could only think these guys underestimated the power ceiling of the pirate world. They didn’t understand what a terrifying place the East Blue could be.

Focusing on the young man, Kiba raised an eyebrow. He recognized the man as a gunman, and not just any gunman but a rare dual-wielder.

Typically, to enhance their survival skills, gunners would have some life-saving equipment in their secondary slots.

Like his three-dimensional maneuver gear, small shields, and smoke bombs to confuse enemies.

Daring to equip two pistols meant he was either a fool or a master extremely confident in his abilities.

“Unfortunately, overly confident people often die young.” Kiba didn’t hold back with his words.

He didn’t care if they went to the dojos to learn, but they couldn’t interfere with his upcoming mission. If it wasn’t for the fact that they were on the same side, he would’ve made his move the moment he recognized them.

Hearing his harsh words, Vincenzo was about to lose his temper but was stopped by Hoshiyama beside him.

“Don’t be rash. He’s not our enemy yet.” After saying that, Hoshiyama turned his gaze to Kiba and said, “I know you repelled the Sound Nest Squad. Though I don’t know the details, I believe you understand your opponent’s strength.”

Of course, Kiba knew how strong his enemies were.

In that battle, he and Captain Kuro worked together, taking full advantage of every factor in their favor. Even then, they almost failed to stop a beheading move.

If it were a fair fight, that sniper with overwhelming attack power could have taken down all their strong fighters by himself.

Giving him a slight nod, Kiba was curious about what he would say next.

“No matter how it happened, you will become Sound Nest’s primary target from now on. Are you sure those characters from the story behind you can handle a Navy fleet?”

With just a few words, Kiba knew the other wasn’t particularly familiar with the Black Cat Pirates, at least not focused on him.

Compared to that battle, the Black Cats had undergone significant changes. The collective joining of Alvida's pirate crew had greatly strengthened their base power.

--

"No matter how things play out, you will become the primary target of the Nest of Sound. Are you sure that group of side characters behind you can take on a navy fleet?"

As he spoke, Kiba immediately realized that the person in front of him didn’t really understand the Black Cat Pirates, or at least wasn’t paying attention to him.

Since that battle, the Black Cat Pirates had undergone a complete transformation. The addition of the Alvida Pirates had significantly bolstered the fleet's overall strength.

The presence of the Onmyoji filled the gap in high-level combat power, meaning Kiba no longer had to face enemy squads alone.

When they were weak, he had the guts to make a move against them and even managed to spare the gunner’s life. Why would he become hesitant now that they were stronger?

"If they have the guts, let them come," Kiba said with a smile, glancing at a group of silent chefs in the distance. "Instead of worrying about me, you two should think about your own situation."

Who cares if you’re famous? If you’re trapped here by his pirate crew, shouldn’t your first priority be figuring out how to survive?

Next to him, Paul had already drawn his cursed blade, waiting for Kiba's signal to start the slaughter. The eerie gleam on the blade even made Kyuyama glance at it a few times.

"Nice sword," he said, slowly drawing his own blade with a proud tone. "But it's no match for mine."

Seeing their captain starting to get lost in his obsession again, Vincenzo sighed helplessly and turned his head, smirking as he asked, "Aren't you curious how we got here in the first place?"

During their conversation, the rest of the patrons had all left the sea restaurant on boats. Now, only the massive hull of the sea restaurant and the Blaku were anchored nearby.

Kiba hadn't noticed this earlier, but now that the other party mentioned it, he realized these two reincarnators hadn’t arrived by boat.

This meant they could leave the sea restaurant anytime they wanted.

Gripping the handle of his Dragon Lancer, Kiba was quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. Of course, he wanted to keep them here but worried it might disrupt the plans for his upcoming mission.

Once a fight breaks out, who knows how it will end? Besides, he remembered that the Silver Fox Squad supposedly had three members.

Only two were here, which likely meant the other one was keeping watch from afar.

Raising his hand to stop the eager Paul, Kiba said in a deep voice, "Ten seconds. Get out of my sight right now, or I swear I'll finish you off today."

His gaze fell on the gunman, Vincenzo. At this close range, summoning a giant would definitely catch him off guard.

Stopping his companion from getting angry, Kyuyama gave Kiba a deep look and said, "We can leave, but don't misunderstand. This is a compromise to deal with the Navy faction."

In other words, they're not afraid of him at all; they just don’t want to mess up their main mission over something trivial.

Ignoring his attitude, Kyuyama stood up and walked to the entrance of the sea restaurant, facing the calm sea.

At this moment, everyone’s eyes were on him. They all wanted to know how he planned to leave without a ship.

"Is he going to swim away?" a chef sneered, expressing disdain for the duo’s retreat.

Most of the chefs were former pirates who had seen their fair share of fights. They thought they’d witness a thrilling battle today, but it ended up fizzling out.

Not caring about the crowd's reaction, Kyuyama raised his blade, his face serious as he softly chanted, "Reverse the flow, chase the waves!"

As the blade hummed slightly, the surrounding sea suddenly began to churn violently. When everything calmed down again, the two reincarnators were nowhere to be seen on the deck.

"What is this?!" Zangao on the ship was stunned. Just a moment ago, he felt an inexplicable power emanating from the blade of Kyuyama's sword.

It was as if the weapon truly had a soul, and the chant was the key to awakening that power.

Even Kiba, who had seen a lot, was quite surprised.

"If I'm not mistaken, that was probably a Zanpakuto’s release, and a water-type one at that, which is particularly lethal against those with abilities."

He had previously asked Ryuuno to find out the exact whereabouts of the Silver Fox Squad, worried they might appear on the Pirate Admiral’s ship.

The results were surprising. No one knew the Silver Fox Squad's whereabouts, and not even the Navy’s wanted list had any information on them.

The Onmyoji had speculated that they likely had a specific goal, completely different from those following the main storyline.

After seeing Kyuyama's ability, a bold guess suddenly popped into Kiba's mind: could these guys be setting up an ambush for some ability user?

If they found the right terrain, even someone with particularly strong powers could end up defeated.

"Seems like everyone has their own tricks," Kiba thought as he snapped out of it, deciding not to worry about the Silver Fox Squad anymore.

As long as they don’t go against him, he doesn’t care what they're plotting.

No matter how much he knows, could anyone understand the world of pirates better than him?

If no one says anything, who would know that the smoking kid in the corner is actually the third son of the Vinsmoke family, exiled and on the run?

Over the years, Vinsmoke has been searching for Sanji, even offering a hefty bounty for his capture.

If Kiba could get his hands on Sanji, he would have something to negotiate with Germa 66.

Even if he doesn’t like it, Sanji is still a member of the Vinsmoke family. Judge wouldn’t just let his son wander around freely.

Even marrying him off would be better than letting him work as a chef. At least it could help the family gain the support of a Yonko.

Understanding this, Kiba had chosen to come to the sea restaurant, hoping to use Sanji to connect with the Vinsmoke family.

Let’s not even mention anything else; he just needed his broken goggles repaired. For a family skilled in making exoskeletons, fixing a pair of glasses would be a piece of cake.

Next up, he just had to figure out how to invite Black Leg.

(End of Chapter)

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