Chapter 65

I can't imagine where their confidence comes from. Why do they think O'Hara's residents will support their actions?

Self-brainwashing? The thought suddenly popped into Hippolyte D. Asa's mind.

However, everything that needed to be said had already been said. He had no interest in continuing the conversation and was too lazy to deal with it any further. He ordered Rockwell to speed up and set sail toward Carnival City.

Two Days Later

Despite being on the verge of starvation, the entire pirate crew finally arrived at their destination—Carnival City.

"Rockwell, go back and train hard. I look forward to meeting you in the New World one day. As for them..." Asa glanced at the five dying O'Hara scholars. "Let them go—they've chosen their path to the abyss. There's no turning back."

"Lord Asa..." Rockwell hesitated, wanting to say something, but Asa had already lost interest. In an instant, he transformed into lightning and disappeared.

The fate of O'Hara's archaeologists was all but sealed. Their dedication to the Poneglyphs would not waver just because of a few words from Asa.

One could easily imagine what O'Hara's future held.

Asa, however, had no desire to concern himself with it. There was no point. Similar tragedies unfolded across the world every day—wasting time dwelling on it was meaningless.

The first thing he did after landing on the island was eat. Hunger had drained him to the point where he couldn't even maintain his normal strength. If the World Government chose this moment to attack, he might struggle to escape.

Inside a restaurant, the other guests were dumbfounded, watching Asa devour his meal at an alarming pace. Plates stacked up at an insane speed, while the kitchen's chef, drenched in sweat, struggled to keep up.

"Hiccup..." Asa let out a satisfied burp, patting his full stomach. The nearly exhausted chef sighed in relief, swearing he would quit his job today. If another customer like this appeared, he'd rather risk starvation than endure this again.

This was the struggle of chefs at sea.

The stronger a person was, the more energy they consumed—and the more they ate. The average cook couldn't keep up with the appetite of a powerhouse.

A highly skilled chef, however, could create the most nutritious and delicious meals with the least amount of food, ensuring efficiency without waste.

This was why elite chefs were so highly sought after on the ocean. It wasn't surprising that Sanji had such a hard time keeping up with Luffy's monstrous appetite every day.

"Carnival City is on the first route of the Grand Line, and the next island is the legendary Gourmet Capital, Pukei. It seems I need to find a chef to help solve my food supply issue…" Asa muttered, gulping down a drink.

A glimmer of determination flashed in his eyes as he made up his mind—he needed to recruit his first crew member.

Wandering aimlessly like this, without the ability to catch food at sea, he might actually starve to death.

And if a Thunder Fruit user with a bounty of 300 million beli ended up dying from hunger, it would be the funniest joke of the year. The Marines chasing him—especially Kizaru—would probably laugh themselves to death.

"Waiter, the bill!" Asa leaned back in his chair, lazily picking his teeth—a textbook example of relaxed arrogance.

"Sir, your total is two million beli." The waiter approached with a polite smile, holding a tray.

"Two million beli?" Asa's expression shifted. His aura flared slightly—not in anger, but pure disbelief.

Two million beli?

People often talked about millions and even hundreds of millions of beli, but in reality, two million was a fortune. For an average family, that sum could last a long time.

And yet, he had just spent it all on one meal.

How was he supposed to survive like this?

"Yes!" The waiter remained calm, though he could tell the man before him wasn't ordinary. "The meal you just enjoyed was prepared using Neptune meat—naturally, it's not cheap!"

Neptune-class ingredients were worth the price, but that wasn't Asa's issue. The problem was…

He had no money.

"Am I seriously about to dine and dash for the first time in my life?" Asa rubbed his nose, considering the option.

Wealth meant nothing to him. He hadn't even spared a glance at the sky-high treasure hoard aboard the gold transport ship—he had simply blown it up without a second thought. There was no way he would let something as trivial as two million beli hold him back.

Scanning his surroundings, his eyes landed on the perfect solution.

Carnival City was a bustling hub, packed with pirates constantly coming and going to resupply. Even in this restaurant, a group of them were drinking and making noise.

Most of the faces he saw belonged to dangerous men—pirates, without a doubt.

"Sir… are you implying you don't have money and plan to dine and dash?" The waiter's polite smile vanished. He subtly took a step back. If Asa dared to run, the owner would be summoned immediately.

To run a successful restaurant in a prosperous city like this, one needed solid backing.

But Asa had already clashed with CP0 and the Marines. What did he have to fear?

He casually raised his hand and pointed at a large, dark-skinned man with a muscular frame, standing over four meters tall.

"Two million beli… that pirate over there should be worth about that much, right?"

The moment Asa finished speaking, the restaurant fell silent.

The lively atmosphere turned ice-cold.

These pirates weren't weak. They had been drinking, but their senses were sharp enough to catch every word.

The waiter, reacting swiftly, hid behind the bar. This method of "paying with heads" was an old trick among bounty hunters—he had seen it before.

"Kid… what did you just say?" The towering pirate put down his drink and glared at Asa. His sheer size blocked out the light. "You think my head is only worth two million? Do you have any idea how much my bounty is?"

"Fifty million beli…"

"You talk too much." Asa crossed his legs, resting his head on his left hand while lazily picking his ear with his right.

"You little bastard, I'll kill you!"

Furious at being interrupted, the giant pirate immediately drew a thick-barreled flintlock from his waist and aimed straight at Asa's head, ready to blow him away.

"Hahaha, this brat is done for!" The other pirates cheered, seeing Asa as nothing more than a joke.

Boom!

Sparks flashed as a solid iron bullet shot from the barrel, heading straight for Asa at high speed.

"Kill that arrogant brat! Hahaha!"

The pirates slammed their fists on the table, laughing. In their eyes, even if this kid was strong, so what? They hadn't bothered with intelligence reports, so they had no idea who they were dealing with.

Click!

Laughter turned into stunned silence.

Asa didn't dodge. He didn't even move.

Instead, he bit the bullet—literally—clamping it between his teeth. His bite force, stronger than fine steel, crushed the iron round effortlessly.

"Uh… uhh… cough!"

A pirate who had just taken a sip of his drink choked in shock, eyes bulging with disbelief.

(End Of Chapter)

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