One Piece : Bullet Tide

The Dustback cut through the open sea like a whisper, the salty breeze carrying the scent of fresh water and adventure. Baratie was finally in sight—the floating restaurant, a place of fine cuisine and broken teeth.

Dez stood at the bow, hands resting on his gunbelt, the wooden deck creaking beneath his boots. His coat billowed as he watched the famous eatery come into focus. It was about damn time for a real meal.

It wasn't that Dez didn't know how to cook—he could throw together a decent enough meal to keep himself alive—but Baratie was something special.

They had the kind of food that made legends put aside their grudges for just one night.

And after weeks at sea, chewing on dried meat and stale bread, he was ready for something hot, fresh, and drowned in alcohol.

A Not-So-Quiet Arrival

As the Dustback drifted closer, Dez took in the scene. The restaurant itself was an elegant, ship-shaped structure, bobbing along the waves like a nobleman's mansion on the sea. But the peace of the moment was short-lived.

BOOM!

A cannonball hurtled across the water, smashing through Baratie's side with an explosion of splintered wood and smoke.

Dez raised an eyebrow, his cigar tilting slightly in his mouth.

"Hell of a welcome."

From the deck, he could see the commotion—some poor bastard had...inflated and redirected a cannonball midair, redirecting it straight into the restaurant. That was new.

Most folks would have turned tail, seeing Marine warships and pirate crews getting into a scuffle. But Dez?

He was here for a meal.

Letting the Dustback drift to the side of Baratie, he secured the mooring ropes, adjusted his hat, and stepped off with the slow, lazy stride of a man who had seen far worse than a misplaced cannonball.

The inside of Baratie was a mix of chaos and class. Fine tables and lavish meals contrasted with the bloodstains and broken furniture that told the stories of the men who had tried to cause trouble here.

Dez took it all in as he walked through the wreckage of the entrance, boots crunching over fallen debris.

The staff barely batted an eye—this was Baratie, after all. If you walked in breathing, you were still a paying customer.

The air was thick with tension. A young man in a straw hat was grinning like a fool, some blond-haired waiter looked like he was two seconds from kicking someone through a wall, and a group of pirates was either unconscious or regretting their life choices.

Dez didn't give a damn about any of it.

He walked straight past the commotion, pulled out a chair at an untouched table, and tipped his hat back as he leaned into it.

A waiter, clearly rattled by the explosion, hesitated before approaching. "Uh… can I get you somethi—"

"Whiskey, double." Dez drawled, rolling a cigar between his fingers. "And whatever's the best thing on the menu."

The waiter nodded quickly and hurried off.

Dez exhaled, letting the world fade into background noise. Fights, cannon fire, broken furniture—none of it mattered right now.

He was here for two things—food and leads.

And as long as nobody put a hole in his whiskey glass, he'd let the circus play out.

Dez leaned back in his chair, savoring the first real meal he'd had in weeks. The whiskey burned just right, and the steak—seared to perfection, dripping with sauce—was enough to make a man forget the chaos around him.

For a while, he simply enjoyed the moment.

But then, something caught his eye.

At a nearby table, three people sat together. A red-haired woman, a long-nosed guy who looked like he had a story for every occasion, and—

Him.

Dez's fingers tightened slightly around his glass.

Roronoa Zoro.

Zoro wasn't just any swordsman. Before he dropped off the bounty hunting scene, he was the best damn rival Dez ever had.

They used to clash over the same bounties, outwit the same targets, and sometimes when a job got too bloody, they'd team up just to split the payday. Zoro was a monster with those swords and Dez? Well, he was the fastest gun in the East.

And then, just like that—Zoro vanished.

One day, he was cutting his way through the worst criminals in the East Blue, stacking bounties like it was sport. The next? Gone. No one knew why. Some said he got himself killed. Others claimed he set sail for the Grand Line.

Dez had bet on the latter.

And yet, here he was—not alone, not chasing bounties, but sitting with a damn pirate crew.

Dez took a slow sip of whiskey, eyes narrowing.

What the hell happened to you, Zoro?

He didn't stare for too long. A good bounty hunter knew how to watch without being seen.

But Zoro?

He wasn't just some rookie thug—he had instincts.

Midway through drinking from his cup, Zoro's sharp gaze flickered in Dez's direction. Recognition flashed in his eyes.

For a second, neither moved.

Then, ever so slightly, Zoro smirked.

Dez exhaled slowly, shaking his head with a half-smile of his own. Of course, he'd notice.

Zoro turned back to his crew, unconcerned. But now, Dez knew for certain—this wasn't a coincidence.

His old rival was running with pirates now.

And if Zoro had truly switched sides, that meant one thing:

So long as they were on different paths… someday, they'd have to settle the score.

Nami leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she studied the silent exchange between Zoro and the dark-skinned gunslinger.

She knew that look.

Zoro wasn't the type to stare at random strangers. There was history there.

Her eyes flicked to the man at the other table—the hat, the long coat, the relaxed yet ready posture. A bounty hunter, if she had to guess.

She glanced back at Zoro. "You know that guy?"

Zoro didn't answer right away. He swirled his drink, smirked slightly, and finally said, "Yeah. You could say that."

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Meaning…?"

Zoro set his drink down and leaned back, arms folded over his chest.

"That's Dez Corvin. Back in the day, he was the best damn bounty hunter in the East Blue."

That caught Usopp's attention. "Wait, wait, wait—better than you?"

Zoro shot him a dry look. "I never said that."

Usopp grinned. "Sounded like it!"

Zoro ignored him. "We used to go after the same bounties. If I didn't get to them first, he did. He's fast, smart, and a damn good shot."

"How good?" Nami pressed, intrigued.

Zoro exhaled, tilting his head slightly as he thought about it.

"Ever heard of a guy who can shoot a bullet around a corner?"

Usopp choked on his drink. "What?! That's impossible!"

"Not for him," Zoro replied. "He doesn't just shoot—he makes bullets do things they shouldn't."

Nami frowned slightly. "Like what?"

Zoro tapped his fingers against his glass before answering.

"There was this time in Loguetown. Some big-shot pirate named Gustav the Red had a 16-million-berry bounty and a whole gang watching his back."

He took a sip before continuing. "I was tracking him down, but so was Dez. We both cornered him in an alley at the same time. Gustav panicked, and pulled one of his crew in front of him as a shield."

Zoro smirked. "Didn't matter."

Usopp leaned in, eyes wide. "What happened?"

Zoro tilted his head toward Dez's table. "That guy over there? He fired one shot. The bullet hit the wall, bounced off a lamp post, ricocheted off a sign… and still hit Gustav clean between the eyes."

Nami raised an eyebrow. "You're exaggerating."

Zoro grinned. "Swear on my swords."

Usopp's jaw dropped. "That's not a gunman—that's a freaking sniper magician!"

Before Nami could ask for more details—

CLATTER!

A loud crash interrupted them as plates hit the floor.

They turned to see Luffy standing there, eyes wide, a piece of meat still in his mouth.

He chewed, swallowed, then grinned. "A gun guy who can do crazy stuff with bullets?"

Zoro sighed. "Here we go…"

Luffy turned fully toward Dez's table, eyes sparkling with interest.

"Oi! Hey, gun guy! Wanna join my crew?!"

Nami groaned, Usopp facepalmed, and Zoro just smirked, shaking his head.

Dez, still enjoying his meal, slowly lifted his glass, took a sip, and finally turned his gaze toward the rubber idiot calling out to him.

With a lazy grin, he exhaled and muttered to himself—

"And just like that, I lost my appetite."

TO BE CONTINUED…