One Piece: Getting Stronger by Writing a Diary

"Hey, your fried rice is over there."

"Don't disturb a lady while she's eating."

Sanji swiftly appeared in front of Krieg, his expression serious as he spoke.

"Fried rice?"

Krieg frowned and followed Sanji's gaze, finally noticing a large bag of fried rice on the floor.

"Haha, very good!"

"So, while you were preparing fried rice for us, you also went out of your way to prepare a lavish feast for these guys?"

Krieg glanced at the bag of fried rice stuffed haphazardly, then at the sumptuous spread on Arton and his crew's table. His anger was clearly building up.

Sanji lit a cigarette and said coldly, "Fried rice can fill your stomach just as well—"

Bang!

Before Sanji could finish speaking, Krieg had already thrown a punch straight at his face.

This time, Sanji had learned from his previous mistake of being knocked to the ground by Krieg. The moment Krieg moved, Sanji had already raised his leg to defend himself.

But even so, the sheer power of Krieg's attack hitting Sanji's shin sent him flying backward.

Unfortunately, the direction Sanji was sent flying was right toward Nami, who was standing next to Arton.

Frowning, Nami summoned a long-handled naginata from within herself and used its blunt end to swat Sanji away in another direction.

"Nami-san's loving strike!"

Although Sanji was sent flying, the visible heart-shaped pupils in his uncovered eye revealed his infatuation, leaving Arton, Nami, and the surrounding diners utterly speechless.

"Hmm? That blade of yours looks pretty good," Krieg remarked, his eyes lighting up as he noticed the weapon in Nami's hands. "Great, it's mine now."

Without hesitation, he reached out to grab the blade from Nami.

"Hmph!"

Nami snorted coldly. Her blade transformed into a flash of lightning as she swiftly slashed toward Krieg's arm.

In that instant, Krieg's instincts screamed in alarm.

He instinctively pulled back his arm, using the shield attached to it to block Nami's incoming strike.

Even so, Nami's attack pierced through the shield, through Krieg's arm, and slammed into the golden armor protecting his chest.

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, Krieg's body was sent flying backward, slamming heavily onto the deck.

"What?!" 

Gin stared in shock at Krieg, frozen in place. Everything had happened so quickly, unfolding within mere seconds.

It wasn't until Nami's attack had finished, and Krieg lay on the ground, that Gin finally reacted.

"Wha... what just happened?!" 

"Captain Krieg, are you alright?!" Gin hurried to Krieg's side, asking with concern.

But soon, his pupils contracted sharply.

In front of him, Krieg's arm—the one used to block Nami's blade—was severed.

Not only that, the golden armor on Krieg's chest was shattered, and a massive slash wound on his chest was bleeding profusely onto the deck.

"Amazing! Uta, your crewmate is incredible!" 

Luffy exclaimed, his mouth wide open in astonishment at the scene before him.

"Hehe, of course! Nami is a member of the Flame Blade Pirates, after all," Uta replied confidently, puffing out her chest. "And just so you know, I'm much stronger than Nami." 

Luffy swallowed hard, his excitement growing as he looked back and forth between Uta and Nami. Finally, he glanced regretfully at Arton.

"Ah, if only I had invited you and Nami to join my crew earlier," Luffy lamented. "For some reason, I feel like Nami could've been one of us." 

Shaking his head, he sighed.

"So strong!" 

Zoro's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched Nami, standing tall with her blade in hand.

Krieg had a bounty of 17 million Berries.

Moreover, Zoro had seen firsthand the sheer power of Krieg's earlier attack on Sanji. 

Zoro thought to himself that even if he had been the one to step in, it wouldn't have been possible to injure Krieg so gravely in an instant.

Yet, with a single, seemingly simple slash, Nami had severed Krieg's arm and left a deep wound on his chest.

Zoro had no doubt—if not for that golden armor, Krieg might already be dead. 

"Not only did she leave a wound on Krieg's chest, she even easily sliced through the golden armor?" 

"Is this woman already a Sword King capable of cutting steel?" 

Zoro muttered to himself, his hand instinctively gripping the hilt of his blade. 

"Arton-san is still the same as always, any crewmate he accepts inevitably becomes stronger," 

Jango sighed, recalling the transformations he had witnessed in Nami and Carina back when he sailed under Arton. 

Turning to Zoro, he asked, "Zoro, do you still plan on challenging Nami and Arton-san?" 

"Of course!" 

A ferocious grin appeared on Zoro's face, and a powerful fighting spirit erupted from him. 

"Sigh, what's the point?" 

Jango shook his head but wasn't overly concerned. In his view, with Uta and the relationships involving Luffy, Usopp, and Kaya, Zoro might get hurt, but at least he wouldn't be killed by Nami. 

If Zoro wanted to spar with Nami, so be it. 

"Nami-san is this strong?!" 

Sanji had just gotten back on his feet when he saw Krieg being sent flying by Nami's attack. He couldn't believe it—the woman he thought he needed to protect possessed such incredible strength. 

"Kid, looks like she doesn't need your protection," 

Zeff, who had approached Sanji unnoticed, crossed his arms and commented indifferently. 

"Old geezer…" Sanji frowned, "Mind your own business." 

With a cold snort, Zeff replied, 

"Hmph, I couldn't care less about your business." 

"But I'll say this—you need to know your limits." 

"You've seen Krieg's strength firsthand." 

"Even if you fought him, there's no guarantee you'd win." 

"And yet, Nami was able to easily sever his arm. Her strength is far beyond yours." 

"If she's that powerful, then there's no need to even mention Arton." 

"My advice? Don't go provoking the women around Arton." 

With that, Zeff walked away, leaving Sanji alone, torn and deep in thought.

"It hurts so much! Damn it, it hurts so bad!" 

"My hand… My power to become king!" 

Krieg clutched his severed wrist with his left hand, his face contorted like a demon crawling out of hell. 

"Captain Krieg, are… are you alright?" 

"How could this happen? How did things suddenly turn out this way?" 

Gin picked up Krieg's severed arm, panicking as he tried to reattach it. But with his limited ability, such a feat was impossible. 

"Give it up. Unless you have medical skills like Kaya's, reattaching a severed arm is completely out of the question," 

Nami, holding her naginata, walked toward Gin and Krieg with a look of disdain. 

"You damned woman, what did you do to me… Wait, did you say my arm can still be reattached?" 

Krieg's eyes widened as he questioned Nami. 

"And if it can be reattached?" 

"Do you think we would help you with that?" 

Nami replied calmly. 

"If it can be reattached, then do it! Reattach it for me!" 

"Unless… you all want to die here!" 

As Krieg spoke, a cannon barrel suddenly extended from his left arm. 

"Captain Krieg, is that a poison gas bomb?!" 

"If you fire that here, we'll all…" 

Gin frantically warned, but Krieg cut him off. 

"Shut up! This is not the time for you to speak!" 

Krieg roared at Gin before turning to continue threatening Nami. However, before he could finish, Nami kicked him hard, sending him flying out of the restaurant's doors with a single blow. 

"Captain?" 

Gin's eyes widened in shock. In the next moment, he drew his weapon and lunged at Nami. 

But the result was the same as Krieg's. With just one powerful kick, Nami sent Gin flying out of the restaurant as well. 

"That was amazing! The captain and battle commander of the Krieg Pirates were both kicked out like that?" 

"No wonder she's a member of the Flame Blade Pirates. Even without Arton stepping in, she can easily defeat the Krieg Pirates." 

"Thank goodness! Our lives are completely safe now!" 

The diners, witnessing Nami's performance, couldn't help but murmur joyfully among themselves. 

Nami, however, stood momentarily stunned, looking at her own hands. 

"A pirate with a 17-million-Berry bounty is… only this weak? Have I… already gained such power?" 

"If that's the case, I should be able to easily defeat Arlong too, right?" 

She muttered to herself, a sudden sense of purpose washing over her. The efforts she had made over the past few days—trying every means possible to break through Carina's defenses and earn points from Arton—now felt worthwhile. 

"Arton-san, about those two earlier, it's fine. After all, they've already eaten the fried rice." 

"But as for the rest of the Krieg Pirates, please allow them to eat first." 

"Once they've had their meal, you can deal with them however you wish." 

"So, could I trouble you to ask your crewmates to hold off for now?" 

"In exchange, I'm willing to keep treating you to meals for a few more rounds." 

Zeff suddenly appeared beside Arton, speaking calmly. 

"Damn it, why are you still thinking about feeding the Krieg Pirates?" 

"They were trying to harm you! Are you out of your mind?" 

"Arton-san, don't listen to him!" 

As soon as Zeff finished speaking, some of the diners began arguing. 

Zeff ignored them, keeping his gaze fixed on Arton. 

"Red-Leg Zeff, I know your story," Arton said. 

"You've experienced what it's like to go hungry for days." 

"That's why you can't bear to see others starve." 

"While I don't entirely agree with such behavior, I do understand it." 

"Don't worry. Out of respect for the Baratie's hospitality, neither I nor my crewmates will harm the Krieg Pirates while they're hungry." 

"So, you can let those starving pirates eat your fried rice without worry." 

Arton smiled. 

"You… you actually know about my past?" 

Zeff looked at Arton in shock. 

Arton only smiled without elaborating further. Seeing this, Zeff had no choice but to let it go. Together with Sanji, he carried the fried rice out to the pirates. 

Similarly, because it was Arton's directive...

With Arton's statement, the diners in the restaurant stopped voicing their opinions about Zeff distributing fried rice to the pirates. 

"Hey, can we start now?" 

"You've already drawn your sword, so don't put it away so easily," Zoro said, stepping forward with a grin as he approached Nami. 

"It's you again," Nami said, frowning as she glanced at Arton. 

Arton chuckled and said, 

"Let it go, Nami. Since he's so eager to spar with you, why don't you give him what he wants?" 

"Oh, and don't break the white-handled Wado Ichimonji in his hands." 

"After all, it's a renowned blade of the Great Grade Swords. It'd be a real waste to damage it." 

Hearing this, Zoro frowned immediately. 

"The Wado Ichimonji won't be destroyed!" he said firmly. 

"Don't be so certain, Roronoa Zoro," Arton said, a mysterious smile on his face. 

"Even renowned blades can sometimes be easily destroyed." 

"Perhaps one day, you'll encounter a Marine who's eaten the Rust-Rust Fruit, and you might see one of your prized swords ruined with ease." 

"The Rust-Rust Fruit?" Zoro frowned deeper. 

"And Nami—her swordsmanship surpasses yours." 

"If I don't warn her, she might really end up cutting through your sword." 

"You wouldn't want the sword you inherited from your friend to break here, would you?" 

Arton's mysterious smile deepened. 

"What?! You know about my friend?" Zoro's eyes widened again. 

"I know many things, including the story behind your sword," Arton replied. 

"But that aside, aren't you here to spar with Nami?" 

"Or are you giving up?" 

"Hmph, of course I'm not giving up," Zoro retorted. 

"Arton, I will defeat her. And then, I'll defeat you." 

"After I beat you, you'll tell me everything you just hinted at." 

"Let's talk about that after you defeat Nami," Arton said, waving dismissively, his tone indifferent.