One Piece - I Am A Different Luffy! BOOK1!

Chapter 41 - Baratie 04.

[Chapter Size: 2146 Words.]

Third Person POV
Baratie, East Blue.

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Somewhere on the sea, East Blue.
"Hey, why is my cook wasting food on a dead man?" Luffy casually inquired as he appeared at his side, unnoticed by anyone, without anyone having time to react.
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A heavy silence hung in the atmosphere, echoing like a verdict after the spoken words.

The most dumbfounded person was Don Krieg, wondering if he had heard correctly.
"Hm? What did you say?" The pirate in question squinted at Luffy.
"You didn't hear?" Luffy mocked before continuing.
"I said there's no reason to waste food on a dead man. Am I not right?" Luffy calmly looked at the pirate, his words laden with disdain.
"Are you insane?" Reiju couldn't help but speak, finding the man's behavior quite reckless. Uttering such words only served to escalate the already tense situation.

"Hm? Do you know who I am? Who are you to speak like this to the strongest man in the world?" Krieg spoke angrily, as if his reputation meant little to this unknown figure with a straw hat on his back.
Unfazed by the tension in the air, Luffy, with a mocking smile, responded:
"His name is Monkey D. Luffy, a rookie pirate with a bounty of 10 million Berries..." Gin, still on the ground after being punched by his own captain, intervened, providing information that could further stir the tense atmosphere.
"10 million? Hahaha, he must be quite ruthless then!" Krieg replied, showing a disdainful smile.
"Hm?" Luffy was intrigued by the pirate's reaction.
"I have a proposal that can save your life after those bold words. If you join me in the Grand Line under my command, I'll forgive you for everything you said and let you live." Krieg offered, with a greedy smile, hoping to attract a new recruit to his crew.
"Let me live? Are you kidding me?" Luffy looked at the pirate as if he were staring at a fool clad in armor.
"Let me tell you something, Don Krieg. Do you think you have qualifications to subjugate me? You can't even fight in the Grand Line, just a failure who ran away after being kicked... The strongest man in the world? You have ambitions you'll never achieve..." Luffy said calmly as he began to walk towards the man at a slow pace, a challenging smile on his face.
Don Krieg, still recovering from the shock of hearing Luffy's mockery, responded with a mix of anger and disbelief:
"You, you damn rookie, think you can belittle the great Don Krieg? I have a fleet! Men! Weapons! Nothing can surpass my power!"

Luffy, maintaining his serene expression, retorted:
"A fleet, men, and weapons, is that all you think you need to be the strongest? The Grand Line is not so forgiving, my dear. Here, real strength means more than a number of followers or an arsenal. It means facing challenges that make others tremble. Are you ready for that, Don Krieg?"

Enraged, Krieg tried to maintain a confident pose:
"You're just an insolent kid with a bounty of 10 million! I'll show you what happens when you dare to challenge the great Don Krieg!"

Luffy, now just a few steps away, responded with an ironic smile:
"Show me, then. I'm looking forward to seeing if there's any real substance behind all these empty threats."

"YOU! I'VE MADE UP MY MIND, I'LL KILL YOU HERE AND NOW!" Don Krieg roared, fueled by fury. Luffy's comments about his failure in the Grand Line hit him like a direct blow to his already wounded pride. He completely ignored the recruitment idea, focusing only on annihilating the challenger.

No longer caring about any possibility of recruitment, Luffy continued his approach, triggering an impulsive reaction from Don Krieg, who threw a powerful punch towards the man in the straw hat.

"Dodge that!" Reiju, closer to the scene, expressed disapproval urgently.

BOOM

Luffy showed no interest in evading, absorbing the impact directly, without retreating an inch. Silence settled for a moment, interrupted by Luffy's calm and mocking voice.