I'm the Great Pirate, and I'm waging the Holy Grail War!

Chapter 10 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the Straw Hat Pirates

The piercing noise was like steel needles piercing Zoro's drowsy consciousness.

"Get up, you bastards! This is a restaurant, not a charity hospital!!"

"Wake up! You haven't paid for your meal yet!"

"Hey! Stop playing dead! Get up and I'm going to splash cold water on you!"

The chefs' angry shouts and the sounds of things clashing echoed throughout the room.

Zoro struggled to open his leaden eyelids, and the wound on his chest immediately shot through him in pain.

He gasped.

Who bandaged this up? It's so ineffective.

I rubbed my eyes

What came into view was a scene of utter chaos at the floating restaurant.

Tables and chairs were overturned, and unconscious diners and Creek's men lay scattered all over the floor.

The chefs were trying to wake them up with obvious impatience.

In the shadows of the corner, Creek huddled up.

His once-proud yellow armor was now cracked, just like his shattered ambition.

Ah Jin stood silently by his side, wiping the bloodstains from his hands.

"Zoro! You're awake!"

Luffy's loud voice drowned out all the noise.

He sprang to Zoro's side, his smile under his straw hat dazzlingly bright, as if yesterday's thrilling duel had never happened.

Zoro frowned and sat up despite the pain.

"It's so noisy... What's going on? Where are Dilt and Hawkeye?"

"Dilt and Uncle Hawkeye."

Luffy sat down cross-legged and casually scooped a piece of meat from the plate of the unconscious diner next to him and stuffed it into his mouth.

This made his words ambiguous.

"They left after drinking last night! Whoosh—they were gone in a flash! Uncle Hawkeye also disappeared in his little boat in a flash!"

He swallowed the meat forcefully, his eyes shining with an astonishing light.

He gestured wildly with his hands and feet.

"Zoro! Let me tell you! We've encountered a super-fun event! It's called the 'Holy Grail War'! It was orchestrated by that guy Dilt!"

"Able to summon legendary super-powerful figures from history to fight alongside! Uncle Hawkeye wants to join! I want to join too!"

He proudly waved the back of his right hand, and three strange, bright red emblems appeared and disappeared in the sunlight.

"Look! This is the mark of participation in the great war! Cool, right? Jeanne d'Arc was amazing! And also..."

Luffy's excited narration was like a machine gun.

He dumped out everything from last night's introduction of Dilt, the existence of Jeanne d'Arc, the summoning of Heroic Spirits, and the rules of the fourteen-group free-for-all.

His words were filled with anticipation for his upcoming battles against countless legendary powerhouses.

It was as if it wasn't a brutal war, but an unprecedented grand adventure feast.

"Hawkeye will also be joining the fight!"

Zoro only noticed this one sentence.

"Hey! Brother Luffy!" Two excited voices interrupted.

Johnny and Joseph had woken up sometime earlier.

Despite their dark circles under their eyes, they excitedly crowded in front of Luffy, their eyes filled with fervent worship.

"Wow...that's amazing! I never knew you were so talented!"

"We all saw it last night! You were sitting at the same table drinking with that legendary arbitrator, Dilt, and the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye!"

"You must be a hidden super boss!"

They were stunned by the Conqueror's Haki early last night and only vaguely saw the scene of the three of them sitting at the same table at the end.

The "mysterious tattoo" on Luffy's hand and his spirited narration at this moment completely confirmed their "imagination".

"Huh?"

Luffy tilted his head, looking completely clueless.

"I'm just eating!"

Johnny and Joseph, however, didn't care and excitedly hugged each other.

"That's incredible! Following Luffy was definitely the right decision!"

"The Holy Grail War! That sounds amazing! We need to spread the word about our big brother! Let the whole world know about his legendary status and this earth-shattering battle!"

The two were already immersed in the fervor of "witnessing and spreading history" and "following the hidden bigwigs".

"idiot."

Sanji's voice came through, tinged with disdain.

He came over carrying two plates of fragrant seafood risotto.

Upon seeing food approaching, Luffy's eyes immediately lit up, and he stopped talking.

He kicked aside the inconvenient Johnny Joseph and placed the food next to Zoro.

"Here's your green algae head. Eat it while it's hot."

Zoro's face contorted in a rage: "Hey, Curly Eyebrows! Who are you calling a 'moss head'?!"

Unfortunately, he collapsed again as soon as he finished speaking because his wound reopened.

Sanji lit a cigarette and looked at Luffy.

"Luffy." Sanji exhaled a smoke ring.

Luffy, who was wolfing down his food, squeezed out a moment to respond.

"Um?"

"Before that guy Dilt left."

His voice was lower, carrying a subtle complexity.

"He specifically said something to me."

Luffy, his mouth full of rice, asked, "Huh? What did he say?"

Sanji gazed at the distant sea, his blond hair gleaming in the sunlight.

"He said... Kid, your cooking is pretty interesting. You can check out All Blue sometime."

All Blue! The legendary sea where fish from all over the world gather!

Sanji's fingers, which were holding a cigarette, trembled almost imperceptibly.

That man... actually knew.

The flame of dreams buried deep in Sanji's eyes has been ignited.

With the support of Zeff and a group of chefs, he decided to set sail.

Just then, Usopp's piercing scream rang out from outside: "The ship—!!! Our Going Merry is gone!!!"

Everyone was startled and rushed to the edge of the deck.

The sea where the Going Merry was once anchored was now completely empty!

"Nami! She took advantage of us being unconscious and sailed away with the boat!"

Sanji immediately retorted, "How could it be Nami?!"

Luffy pulled his straw hat down to cover his eyes, and a big, untroubled smile spread across his face.

"whee……"

He showed no sign of frustration at having his ship stolen; instead, he was full of hope for the future.

He instinctively clenched his fist, feeling the hard object against his palm.

It was an inconspicuous little wooden wedge, bearing the scent of time.

It was the piece that Dieter had pried off Roger's execution platform.

"Here you go, as a keepsake..."

Zoro silently picked up the three swords leaning against the wall and re-tied them around his waist and arms.

Having witnessed the true pinnacle of the "world," the wound on his chest was no longer a chasm of despair, but proof of his path to the summit.

"Let's go." His deep voice carried an undeniable firmness.

"You two go and find out about Nami."

Johnny and Joseph immediately jumped up: "Yes! Brother Luffy! Brother Zoro! We're going right now!"

"And while we're at it, spread the news that Luffy is participating in the Holy Grail War throughout the East Blue!!"

Luffy raised his hands: "Let's go find Nami first! And then—"

"Let's go see more super-strong guys!!"

Krieg's cloudy eyes reflected Luffy's silhouette.

The sea breeze carries the scent of freedom, yet it cannot dispel the deathly stillness in his heart.

Ajin pleaded bitterly, "Chief... let's go..."

Creek remained silent, letting himself be helped as he staggered toward the wreckage.

"Ah Jin!"

Akin suddenly turned around and saw Sanji throw a bulging package at him.

"Mr. Sanji, this is...?"

Sanji exhaled a smoke ring: "Don't go hungry on the way..."

With tears welling up in his eyes, Ajin knelt on the small boat and drifted further and further away with the ocean current.

"This kid can't even take care of himself, yet he's thinking about taking care of others."

"Don't catch a cold after you go out to sea..."

Sanji stopped in his tracks.

The sea breeze ruffled his blond hair.

He suddenly turned around, bent his knees, and knelt heavily on the deck in front of the man who had given him a second life.

My forehead pressed against the cold floor.

"Old man... all these years... I'm so grateful for your care!"

"I will definitely find All Blue and fulfill our shared dream!"

Luffy watched this scene, facing the strong sea breeze that rushed towards him.

He clutched the straw hat tightly to his chest, the sunlight shining on him, making the three bright red Command Seals stand out even more.

He grinned, revealing his signature bright smile.