One Peace, The Shadow Monarch

Ding!

[Continues Secret Quest: Stealing the Main Protagonist's Role Part 2/3. Complete]

[Description: Confront and defeat Luffy in different parts of the storyline]

[Reward: Super rare Gold-tier item Devil Fruit Maker]

Devil Fruit Maker:

Allows the user to experiment and create different Devil Fruits

Ding!

[Bonus Reward: Super rare Gold-tier item Devil Arm Dr. Faust]

[Bonus Reward: Super rare Gold-tier item Devil Arm Dr. Faust Skill Scroll Max]

-Dr. Faust:

A hat that converts your stamina into Crystal Shards to launch special attacks. Slaughter as many foes if you don't run out of your own stamina first.

Ding!

[Unluced Secret Quest: Ghost Ghost Devil Fruit model: Poltergeist Ship, Devil Fruit awakening method]

-Devil fruit ghost ghost model: poltergeist ship, Devil fruit awakening method:

(0/3) 200 kilograms of Dyna Stones, 1,000 kilograms Treasure Tree Adam wood, Pluton manuscript or ship itself. 

Patty tossed Gin over his shoulder and exited through the restaurant's back door.

"Please never come back!"

He declared, followed by the thud of the man hitting the ground. Patty then re-entered the restaurant, closing the door behind him.

"Damn it! In my normal state, I wouldn't be mocked by the likes of him."

Gin grumbled to himself while lying sprawled on the deck, motionless. Suddenly, the backdoor burst open, and Sanji appeared. He placed a large plate of seafood paella before the man, who began to drool. Sanji sat down, leaning against the guardrail encircling the lower deck.

"Eat it,"

Said the blond, smoking his cigarette.

"Shut up! Leave me alone!"

Gin yelled.

"I refuse to accept charity, even in my lowest moments! Remove this food immediately."

"Just stop complaining and eat,"

Sanji retorted.

"To me, a hungry person is a customer."

"Sorry, but I'm not a customer,"

Gin protested, though his rumbling stomach betrayed his words. Sanji took a long drag of his cigarette, exhaling with a sigh.

"I'm well aware of the ocean's vastness and cruelty...the terror of being without food and water at sea...the struggle...No one understands the pain of hunger better than I do."

Sanji tapped the ash from his cigarette onto the ground.

"You can choose to die for your pride, but if you eat and live, isn't there a future ahead?"

Gin inhaled sharply, then looked at the food again. He lunged for it, forgoing utensils, and began to stuff the rice into his mouth by the handful. Despite his rough manner, he was careful not to drop a single grain. Tears streamed down his face, but he was too engrossed in eating to wipe them away.

"S-S-Sorry...and...thank you...I thought I was going to die...I thought it was the end,"

He wept between mouthfuls.

"Delicious... Delicious... I've never tasted food this delicious!"

Sanji's solemn expression transformed into a delighted smile.

"It's damn delicious, right?"

Hector sits on the railing next to Sanji.

"You're a pretty nice guy, feeding him even though he couldn't pay. You do realize that an act of kindness might cost you later, right? You're quite strong too; why not join my crew?"

Sanji looks up at Hector with incredulity, waiting for a response.

"Not a chance, Hector. Your beauties are impressive, but not even death could pull me away from this restaurant. The old man needs me, whether he admits it or not. Besides, I'm not interested in becoming a pirate."

Sanji exhaled a cloud of smoke into Hector's face, who was surprised and intrigued by the Marlboro Gold cigarette he had started smoking. Gin, no longer starving, turned to Hector.

"You're a pirate, right?"

Gin asked with polite curiosity. Hector, still smoking, nodded and offered him a lit cigarette, then gave one to Sanji as well.

"Excuse the interruption, but my name is Gin, and I'm part of Don Krieg's pirate fleet," Gin said, bowing.

"Where are you headed?"

Hector exhaled a cloud of smoke and replied, "The Grand Line," as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Hmm, my family is waiting for me there."

He was eager to return to familiar waters; the East Blue had been fun initially, but now it was becoming dull.

"If I were you, I'd avoid the place, even if people are waiting for you," Gin advised, but Hector paused his smoking at that.

"Why? I know Paradise is wild, but it can't be as bad as the New World," he mused, recalling his time in Paradise with his father. It didn't seem as dire as Gin suggested, except for the encounter with Dracule Mihawk in Gin's story.

"Paradise?! That place is known as the pirate's graveyard!"

Gin shouted at him, and Sanji was tempted to tell the man to save his breath for Hector.

"Yeah, only if you're weak."

Gin took offense to those words from Hector, especially since they were delivered with a smile.

"What happened?"

Sanji inquired, continuing to smoke.

"I-I don't even know. We were just settling into the first week when this man appeared out of nowhere and started to single-handedly take down our entire fleet of 50 ships, slicing them apart! I wasn't sure my captain would make it out, but he managed. The thought of going back and facing that monster, that man with those terrifying eyes! I thought it was a nightmare! All my mates, thousands of men strong, obliterated within minutes. All by that beast, that man! The man with the eyes of a hawk!"

Gin shut his eyes, attempting to erase those memories, while Sanji exhaled a cloud of smoke and glanced over at Hector, who was scowling.

"Forget it, do what you want. I just hope you're not afraid of death."

With that, Gin stood up and hastily 'acquired' a boat. Turning to Sanji as he prepared to depart, he said,

"I need to return to Don Krieg immediately. Sanji, and Hector, thank you for everything. It means a lot to me, and I hope we cross paths again someday."

After Gin's farewell, Hector smirked and waved goodbye as the man set sail on a small boat.

"You realize he's going to return with his captain and the entire crew, right?"

Hector cautioned, leaving Sanji without words.

"..."

"Hey, kid, don't you have work to do?"

Zeff called out from the balcony, his gaze fixed on Hector. As Zeff was preoccupied, Sanji tossed the empty dishes into the sea and smirked at the old man, who just shook his head and went back inside.

"Why did you throw the dishes away?"

Hector was puzzled by Sanji's actions.

"If there are no dishes, then there's no evidence that I fed Gin."

It was a simple rationale, but Luffy understood. The afternoon progressed with Luffy assisting the restaurant and Hector's group gearing up to depart after his showdown with Mihawk.

Three days had passed since the crew's arrival, and Luffy had miraculously healed overnight, making fair progress toward his goals. To date, he had botched 24 orders, shattered 43 plates, set the kitchen ablaze twice, accidentally punctured the floor thrice, and nibbled on 12 orders.

Zeff was on the verge of tearing his mustaches out, as none of his formidable kicks seemed to have much effect on the boy. At Hector's table, they were thoroughly entertained by the wrecking ball that was Luffy, with his relentless recruitment efforts, though even they had their limits with Luffy's notorious whining.

On the third day, an unnatural fog shrouded the area, obscuring visibility. Luffy was disposing of the trash when Usopp called out from the Going Merry.

"Luffy, how much longer must we wait? We've got to cover all expenses. When can we leave?"

Luffy simply grinned and gave Usopp a thumbs-up, a gesture that reassured Usopp; Luffy was truly remarkable, once you acknowledged his hopeless foolishness.

As Luffy turned to re-enter the Baratie, he halted, his gaze shifting toward the mist, his expression inscrutable. Zoro tensed simultaneously. Usopp and Koby glanced around, puzzled about what had alerted the crew's powerhouses.

From the fog, the silhouette of a massive galleon loomed, shrouded in shadow and mist. One feature was distinct: the pirate flag flying high on its mast. An early-morning customer exclaimed from within,

"Flee for your lives! That's the flag of Don Krieg, the tyrant of East Blue! The hourglasses on the flag signal our doom! Flee, I tell you, FLEE!"

Luffy nearly toppled off the deck into the sea as every patron scrambled frantically to their boats, eager to escape the dread of East Blue. Inside, Patty's voice boomed at the stunned Sanji,

"Look what you've done! You've fed one of Kreig's pirates, and now he's returned for more!"

Patty managed to stammer out to the wide-eyed Sanji, who then relaxed, taking a drag from his cigarette.

"That ship's awfully damaged, wouldn't you say?"

He inquired, causing everyone within earshot to pause. As the mist cleared, Sanji's observation was confirmed; the ship appeared as though a colossal beast had ravaged it with its enormous claws. All who were aware of Kreig's notoriety were stunned; what could inflict such damage on the most dreaded man in the East Blue, the master of deceit and betrayal, Don Kreig?

RACE: Human■■■■■■

NAME: Hector Barbossa■■■■■■

Level: 48

Health Points: 30,200

Mana Points: 26,520

Stamina Points: 15,100

Attunement: 1,327

Vitality: 756

Endurance: 756

Strength: 1,256

Dexterity: 1,361

Perception: 756

Skill: 756

Safe Rewards From Daily Quest:

+Stat Points: 15

+Skill Points: 3

+Status Recovery: 0

Skill Tree:

+Haki:

-Observation Haki: S Rank

-Armament Haki: S Rank

-Conquers Haki: EX Rank

+Rokushiki

-Moon Step: S- Rank

-Iron Body: S Rank

-Tempest Kick: S+ Rank 

-Shave: S+ Rank

-Finger Pistol: S Rank 

-Kami-e: S- Rank