Transmigrating into One Piece: The Peerless King

"Hello, hello... is the restaurant owner here?"

"I was being chased while I was eating at your restaurant. There are many witnesses here. If this gets out, won't even more people cause trouble at your restaurant in the future?"

"Then your place will become a battleground for resolving disputes. Who will dare to eat here in the future? They might get caught in the crossfire if they're not careful. This is no good place to eat!"

Seeing that his life was hanging by a thread, Zhao Hai shouted at the top of his lungs throughout the restaurant, looking like a drowning person desperately grasping at the last straw, making a final attempt to save himself.

"Hahaha...hahaha..."

Upon seeing Zhao Hai's state, the three tyrants burst into hearty laughter.

"A bunch of arrogant brats who don't know their place! If you want to fight, go outside and fight! This place is for people to eat, not for you to fight!"

A sound like a lion's roar suddenly rang out throughout the restaurant, even causing Zhao Hai, who was considered a minor expert, to experience some tinnitus.

The other three thugs covered their ears and screamed repeatedly, terrified, and hurriedly ran out of the restaurant.

However, before leaving, he still threatened Zhao Hai, saying, "Kid, we'll be waiting for you outside. If you've got the guts, then don't come out at all, hmph!"

Fortunately, the roar that sounded like a lion was only directed at Zhao Hai and the three thugs. If it had been directed at all the diners in the restaurant, many of them would probably have fainted by now.

Following the sound came a boisterous old man and a helpless old man.

Judging from the helpless expression on the old man's face, dressed in a chef's uniform and still holding a ladle in his hand, he must be the chef of this restaurant.

"overtake!"

"No wonder your mother's voice is so powerful. It turns out that your mother has Garp's lion-like roar! No wonder he is a marine hero who was able to chase down the Pirate King Roger."

Looking at the broad-chested, muscular old man with a striking scar above his left eye, eyes like sapphires, silver hair, and wearing a navy uniform embroidered with the words "Justice," Zhao Hai, as a seasoned One Piece fan, immediately recognized him as Garp, known as the Iron Fist, and couldn't help but marvel at Garp's formidable strength.

"Old man, I am a customer of this restaurant, a victim. How dare you hurt me? Don't think that just because you are a naval officer, you can bully a commoner like me."

"Compensation! Yes! Compensation is a must!"

Although Zhao Hai was somewhat frightened, he quickly thought of something and mustered his courage to shout at the old man, Garp, who was making his ears ring.

Although Garp is incredibly powerful, he is also a very righteous Marine, so Zhao Hai isn't afraid that a single roar from him would bring down Garp, a high-ranking Vice Admiral in the Marine Headquarters.

"Hahaha... Garp, you old codger, even as a vice admiral you're not all that great, yet you're being asked for compensation by a mere kid."

Chapter Twenty-Three: Garp

Seeing Garp's discomfiture, the old chef standing nearby also took a good laugh and mocked his close friend Garp.

"Ok?"

"This cook actually dared to directly mock Garp, that hot-tempered old man. He must be someone important!"

"But... but I've never seen him in anime. It seems he's either a former high-ranking official or a top-notch reclusive master."

Zhao Hai secretly sized up the old chef, pondering to himself.

Zhao Hai was originally worried about how to join the Marine Headquarters, which is located in the Grand Line. Just when Zhao Hai was having a hard time, he suddenly met Vice Admiral Garp of the Marine Headquarters.

Isn't this like a pie falling from the sky?

Now, Zhao Hai increasingly feels that he is the so-called chosen one who carries the destiny of heaven and earth.

Otherwise, why would so many once-in-a-lifetime "chance encounters" happen one after another?

How could Zhao Hai easily let go of such a great opportunity to get involved with Garp?

Besides, Garp is an upright person and the perfect mentor to join the Navy. With the opportunity right in front of him, Zhao Hai had no choice but to shamelessly start his long-winded argument.

He directly demanded that Garp compensate him for emotional distress, lost wages, medical expenses, and excessive shock...

Anyway, Zhao Hai just recklessly listed a whole bunch of "miscellaneous" fees of this kind or that kind.

Hearing this, Garp grimaced and almost couldn't resist beating Zhao Hai up.

Even the old chef who had initially been quite displeased with Garp changed his expression and stared at Zhao Hai with surprise.

"Heh... this kid's pretty cunning, isn't he? He's got a knack for it, just like my grandson!"

When Garp saw that Zhao Hai was actually trying to extort money from him, he recovered after a while and laughed heartily at Zhao Hai.

"Old man, what are you laughing at! Pay up! Otherwise, this is an official bullying the people."

Before Zhao Hai could finish speaking, Garp walked over to him and patted him hard on the shoulder.

He narrowed his eyes and chuckled, "Kid, you clearly have some skill, but you're hiding it like this old man."

"But don't you dare follow this old man's example and come to this godforsaken place to be a cook, hahaha..."

Then, Garp pointed to the old chef not far away, a smug smile spreading across his face.

"Wow! These past few days have been absolutely insane. Your mom has been either hearing about Admiral Kizaru or running into top-tier figures like Hawkeye and Garp."

"Karp! I can tolerate you talking about me, but you old geezer are not allowed to tarnish the noble profession of chef. What would you eat every day without chefs?"

Hearing that Garp looked down on the cook, the old man next to him was indignant and shouted at Garp.

"I'm telling you, old man, not only are you refusing to pay compensation, but now you want to use force to suppress an ordinary citizen like me?"

"The people around here have sharp eyes; they won't allow you to make excuses!"

Zhao Hai rubbed his shoulder, which was numb from being patted by Garp, and protested loudly.

"Kid! So what do you want? But I don't have much money."

"Don't give me that nonsense about compensation for emotional distress. I see you're perfectly healthy. You could take a few more of my iron punches and you'd be fine."

Seeing Zhao Hai's sly look, Garp couldn't help but think of his grandson and immediately pulled the same trick. He waved his hand, found a stool, sat down, and looked Zhao Hai up and down with interest.

"Chao! You're a vice admiral in the Navy, and your strength surpasses that of a Navy admiral. You're one of the strongest people in the world, yet you're acting like a scoundrel?"

"Get up! What are you trying to do? Shouldn't you maintain your image as a person in a high position who is approachable and ask me what my demands are?"

"Then I can take the opportunity to ask you to take me to Marine Headquarters!"

Zhao Hai was stunned and stood there dumbfounded when he saw that Garp had no air of a naval admiral at all, but instead looked like a street ruffian.

"I want to join the Navy!"

Finally, after a period of internal struggle, Zhao Hai stopped wasting words and directly stated his requirements.

"You're not kidding?"

Garp's expression, which had been nonchalant, suddenly changed, and he stared intently at Zhao Hai with an uncertain look.

Garp instinctively didn't believe it, thinking Zhao Hai was joking with him.

Although Garp also thought highly of Zhao Hai based on Zhao Hai's performance just now, given Zhao Hai's carefree personality, he should be yearning for freedom rather than choosing the Navy with its many rules and regulations.

Therefore, Garp was still very skeptical of Zhao Hai's words, or even completely disbelieving them, so he kept his eyes fixed on Zhao Hai, trying to see if he was lying.

"That's right! To be precise, it's joining the Navy Headquarters!"

Zhao Hai met Garp's gaze and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Good lad! You have ambition. Joining the Navy was definitely the right choice."

"Sigh! If only my grandson thought the same way you do, I wouldn't have to worry about him so much."

Garp, who was initially pleased that Zhao Hai wanted to join the Navy, couldn't help but darken his expression when his grandson was mentioned.

"Your grandson does indeed share the same idea as me—to be a free and unfettered pirate. I'm just temporarily settling to be a Marine."

"Once I'm strong enough, I'll be able to go wherever I want. How can these rules and regulations of the Navy possibly bind me!"

Hearing Garp's words, Zhao Hai couldn't help but think to himself with disdain.

"So you're saying you agree to let me join the Navy Headquarters?"

Seeing that Garp's expression had returned to normal, Zhao Hai cautiously asked tentatively.

Zhao Hai didn't want to disturb the hot-tempered old man by making too loud a sound.

Because his shoulder was still aching, he really didn't want to experience the power of Garp's iron fist again.

"Well, you can just report to the Marine Headquarters yourself. Just say that I, Garp, recommended you. Those old guys should still give me, Garp, face."

"I will inform them beforehand. I have other things to take care of. You can go to the Navy Headquarters by yourself."

After saying that, Karp pulled the old man aside and left, leaving Zhao Hai, who was still completely bewildered, standing there in a daze.

"It's that simple! Really that simple! I'm now a junior Marine at Marine Headquarters?"

Zhao Hai frantically asked himself these questions, but the answers he got were all the same: "I have already gained the approval of Vice Admiral Garp of the Marine Headquarters, so I am now a quasi-Marine!"

Things changed so suddenly, and the task was so simple, that Zhao Hai even had some doubts.

He then asked the system, "Xiao Jin, have I completed half of my mission to join the Navy?"

"This system only calculates zero and 100% completion rates. Even if you complete 99% but do not reach 100%, it is still zero in this system."

The system, Xiao Jin, replied in a cold voice.

"Well, with Garp's recommendation, joining the Marine Headquarters should be a done deal. Now the only problem is how to get there."

Zhao Hai didn't pay much attention to the system Xiao Jin's cold reply. After tidying up a bit, he ordered another table, enjoyed a delicious meal, and then left the restaurant without lingering any longer.

"Ah! I'm full and satisfied. The air outside feels really nice now!"

Zhao Hai took a deep breath of the fresh air outside and felt refreshed.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly saw three pieces of trash walking over and blocking his way. Without changing his expression, he laughed and said, "Of course, except for a bunch of trashy guys who waste food when they're alive, ruin the land when they're dead, and stink when they walk."

"Boy! Stop being so arrogant. How dare you insult the three heroes of our town? You're courting death."

"We were just planning to leave you with a missing arm or a limb and call it a day, but now we've decided to chop up your body and throw it into the sea to feed the fish. There's no one coming to save you anymore, so be prepared! Hehehe..."

The burly man was the first to lose his temper. Hearing Zhao Hai's sarcasm, he immediately became enraged and roared coldly at Zhao Hai.

The people blocking Zhao Hai's way were none other than the three local bullies from the restaurant earlier.

However, the three of them did not make a move immediately. Instead, they just watched, hoping to see fear and terror on Zhao Hai's face before slowly eliminating him when he was at his most helpless.

This gives them a tremendous sense of psychological satisfaction—a violent and sadistic mentality.

This is one of the main reasons why most of the town's residents are afraid of them.

He's a complete serial killer, who wouldn't be afraid?

"That Garp is really something. As the Marine Headquarters Admiral who represents absolute justice, he actually came here and still allows these trash to continue to exist. It's really incomprehensible."