"Reno-oniichan... are you really planning to recruit that beautiful chef onto the ship?" Kaya asked timidly.
Reno didn't hesitate.
"That's right. She's one of my targets."
All four girls went silent.
"…You playboy," Nami huffed, puffing her cheeks in jealousy.
Four of them already weren't enough—and now he was going after someone new?
But... well, it was Reno. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't have the strength to back it up.
Sensing their unease, Reno turned to Nami.
"Nami, ever since the beginning... have I ever treated you unfairly?"
She blinked, caught off guard.
Honestly? He hadn't.
Still, she pouted and looked away. "...You're alright, I guess."
"And after Makino, Kaya, and Nojiko joined, did I treat you any less kindly?"
"…No."
The other girls also shook their heads.
"Then let me be clear." Reno looked each of them in the eye. "No matter how many join us, you'll always be my girls. I won't show favoritism."
He knew that deep down, they all harbored the same concern.
And it was better to set the record straight now—because this was only the beginning. There would be more beauties in the future.
Reno didn't deny it.
Yes, he was a lustful man. Yes, he was collecting beautiful women, partly for the system rewards, and partly because... he enjoyed it.
But one thing he never did?
He never neglected the women who had given their hearts to him.
That was his bottom line.
Those words were like a warm blanket. The girls finally relaxed, smiling once again.
After all, Reno didn't just say it—he proved it every day.
"Reno-oniichan, Kaya believes in you!" Kaya said sweetly, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder.
"Hmph. You and your sweet-talking... fine, I'll let it slide this time," Nami muttered, but the corners of her mouth curled upward.
"Let's eat," Makino said with a soft smile. "Captain, try this. The foie gras here is excellent."
She offered him a piece, and Reno nodded in approval after tasting it.
Baratie truly lived up to its reputation.
The atmosphere returned to its usual cheerful state, with lively conversation and laughter at the table.
Meanwhile, outside the restaurant...
"Captain! Are you alright?!"
Gin reached out to touch Krieg, but the moment he made contact, static jolted through his hand, forcing him to pull back.
"Damn it! Who the hell did this?!" Gin snarled.
Had Hawk-Eye come after them again?
No... impossible. There was no way the world's top swordsman would row his creepy coffin boat all the way from the Grand Line just to chase them down.
Besides, that man fought with a blade, not lightning.
"Cough! Cough!!" Krieg suddenly sputtered up seawater, finally regaining a bit of consciousness.
"Gin... get us out of here... now."
Krieg's eyes were filled with terror.
That woman—Nami. Just who was she?
He'd barely escaped Mihawk with his life... only to get completely annihilated by some unknown female pirate. Instantly.
Krieg was starting to question everything.
"I'll avenge you, Captain! Just tell me who—!"
"GET US OUT!" Krieg shouted, grabbing Gin by the shoulders and shaking him desperately. "Don't be a moron! If she could take me down in one hit, you think your 12 million bounty is gonna save you?!"
But neither of them noticed—
Out on the distant sea, a coffin boat carved through the waters. An eerie blue flame flickered atop its mast.
Standing tall, fingers laced and eyes sharp as an eagle's, a man in black watched the horizon.
A black sword was strapped across his back.
Hawk-Eye Mihawk had arrived.
With a single step, he rose.
Shink—!
The legendary black blade Yoru slid from its sheath with a deafening resonance.
WHOOSH!
A blinding emerald slash tore through the air, crossing over a kilometer in the blink of an eye.
Krieg's broken flagship—Dreadnought Saber—was sliced clean in two.
The titanic vessel split like tofu, the wreckage crashing into the sea with tremendous force.
Tsunamis surged outward from the impact, violently rocking everything nearby.
Even Baratie was caught in the wave.
Inside the restaurant.
Carmen had just finished serving dessert at Table 3 when the ship swayed violently.
Caught off guard, she stumbled.
Reno moved like lightning, catching her waist and pulling her upright—just before she flashed everyone in the dining room.
"Th-thank you..." Carmen mumbled, face flushed.
Reno gave a small nod.
"What's going on?!" Makino cried out, steadying a glass of juice that nearly tipped over.
"It's not a storm," Reno muttered. "It's him."
"Who?" Nami asked, scanning outside. "What's the big deal?"
"He's called Mihawk. Current Warlord of the Sea—also known as the World's Greatest Swordsman."
"…The greatest?" Nojiko gasped.
Reno nodded.
"Certified by Oda-sensei himself. No contest."
"So... he's way stronger than Arlong?" Nami asked, already getting nervous.
That made Reno laugh.
"Arlong? Don't make me laugh. Mihawk's on a different planet."
"If not for his Shichibukai title, his bounty would be at least 3.5 billion berries."
Billion?!
The girls froze.
Eight digits. Eight zeros.
They had never even imagined a pirate with a bounty that high.
Nami swallowed hard. "Reno... don't tell me he's the guy you came here to find—"
Before she could finish, Reno's eyes lit up.
"He's here."