Squall just stood there pointing the pistol right at the back of Zeff's head.
"Not good," said Hiccup.
"I don't care how much of a badass he used to be, now he's just a cook," said Squall. "I would have to break a sweat to kill this old fart. I will spare him, but you have to leave. Please, don't make this any harder Ragnar, just leave. Don't force me to kill both of you."
Ragnar just looked at him. "Runaway?" He then immediately aimed one of his pistols at him. "Not a chance!" Squall was taken aback by this announcement and Ragnar looked down at Zeff. "You look quite done with a gun pointed at you old man. What kind of example do you think you're setting for all these other cooks?"
Zeff huffed. "I don't need a lecture from a brat like you."
"I'm not a kid anymore!" Ragnar yelled furiously.
The cooks were quite startled with this turn of events.
"This is crazy!"
"Ragnar would never abandon Zeff, now would he?"
Ragnar then lowered his pistol. "Squall, point that thing at me."
Hiccup stared at him. "Ragnar what are you doing?"
"What I have to do," Ragnar answered.
Squall looked at Ragnar. "Ragnar, why you?"
"Someone is eager to die," said a voice behind them. They immediately turned around and to their astonishment they saw Pearl getting to his feet. "Lucky for you I'm happy to oblige. Allow me, it will be my pleasure to beat you into a bloodied lifeless pulp."
Pearl then raised his shield and raised it towards Ragnar. "Natural Pearls Surprise!" he yelled slamming Ragnar with a shield.
He struck Ragnar so hard that he sent him flying towards the railings and his nose was bleeding as well.
"Ragnar?" Hiccup cried. "Why didn't you charge that?"
"Because if I did that rat over there would pull the trigger on Zeff," Ragnar winced gesturing to Squall.
Squall looked at him. "Why are you doing this? Just leave the restaurant peacefully and no one gets hurt. Please!"
"This restaurant is that old man's life!" Ragnar yelled. "I've already taken everything else that man holds dear. His power. His dreams." Ragnar then picked himself up. "So as long as I'm around, I'm not gonna let anything else gets taken from him!"
"Behind you!" Gabriel yelled.
Pearl had somehow managed to get behind him and was raising both shields this time and slammed them against either side of his head. Ragnar was barely conscious as blood poured out of his mouth and nose and he fell to the ground once more.
"Ragnar!" Zale yelled.
As Ragnar fell to the ground he remembered back when he was eight years old, he was a chore boy on a ship helping the cooks. His poor mother had passed away recently and he had no idea where his father was, so he did the only thing he could and sign up on a ship preferably one with a good kitchen.
Ragnar had just expressed his ambition to the other cooks, but they merely waved it off.
"Stop being a doofus, that's just a fairytale seafaring cooks," said one of the cooks.
"Don't get me wrong, we've all had our fantasies about it, but you have to remember that it's just a dream."
"A dream?" Ragnar asked with a smile. "Well I'm going to find the All Blue, then we'll see who's dreaming."
"That's quite the quest, good luck."
"All right there little man, you even know what kind of place the All Blue is?"
Ragnar narrowed his eyes of the cook. "Yeah, I do! I'm not an idiot! The All Blue is a place filled with fish from all four seas live. There's fish from East Blue, the West Blue, the North Blue and the South Blue. The cooks that have taken to the sea it's an irresistible paradise, I'll find it!"
"Oh yeah, that place is a goldmine. It's got fish and plants from all over the world. Any chef would jump at the chance to cook there."
"True. The cooks I know would risk life and limb to find it."
"Yeah, if it were real."
Ragnar frowned at the three cooks.
"You think that a miracle sea like the All Blue could actually exist?"
"Think about it kid, it's impossible. I bet it's probably just a lie by some daydreaming cook."
A cook then got to his feet. "Okay enough of the silly stories, get out there and collect some plates Ragnar."
Ragnar narrowed his eyes."
Later that evening after dinner, the cooks began eating the leftovers from the meal they had served to the people on board the ship.
"Oh man, what a waste. They left behind plates and plates full of this delicious grub."
"This one has barely been touched, it's pretty good stuff too. I thought they would love at the sure."
"If you ask me the customers these days are spoiled."
The only one among them that wasn't eating the leftovers was Ragnar, he was busy dumping the leftovers and the to the trash bin.
"It way gross to eat the leftovers of strangers," Ragnar scolded. "You should just let me throw that stuff away."
"That kind of talk proves that you got a whole lot to learn," said one of the cooks dismissively. "So listen up, kid. If you choose life on the high seas, you have to be resourceful. The ocean is a strange and unpredictable place where wasting food can be a fatal mistake. So why don't you have some, huh?"
"No way," said Ragnar turning his head.
The cook merely chuckled.
However the entire ship then shook violently and everyone on the ship began panicking as they ran in all different directions.
"Hold on, people!" the Stuart cried. "Panicking won't help!"
A sailor then immediately rushed into the kitchen and look to the cooks. "Pirates are here!"
The cooks eyes widened in horror.
"What? Pirates?" Ragnar stared.
Outside it was a fierce storm and sailing towards the ship was indeed a pirate vessel. This one had an unusual figure shape of a chicken wearing a chef's hat and it had a knife and fork forming a cross just below the neck. Standing upon it was none other than Zeff, when he himself was a pirate.
"That ship, it's Red Foot Zeff, Captain of the Cook Pirates!" a seaman cried.
Ragnar had managed to get on deck and immediately hid.
"They're back from the Grand Line," said a seaman horrified.
The captain knowing that he stood no chance against the pirates immediately surrendered and in no time at all the pirates boarded the ship. The captain looked at Zeff fearfully and was barely able to move.
"I take it that you're the infamous pirate Captain Red Foot Zeff?" said the captain. "So, what do you want?"
Zeff smiled. "Steal! Steal everything that isn't nailed down!"
Immediately the pirates began to loot and plunder anything that wasn't nailed down, they even took the possessions of the passengers. Everyone screamed as pirates ripped bags from their hands, the gold jewellery and even the food from the stores.
Ragnar just hid behind some barrels. 'I thought I had another pirates ever since my old man left me and my mum. Well, I refuse to die at the hands of these animals.'
Ragnar then immediately drew a pair of kitchen knives and met the pirates head-on.
"Hey, look at this," the pirate smirked. "Hey, Killer, if you're not careful you might have someone's eye out with that."
The pirates sniggered. "He got me, look I'm bleeding."
"Shut up!" Ragnar glared. "You mongrels had better stay away from me!"
Everyone on the deck was immediately mortified as they stared at Ragnar in horror.
"Ragnar!" a cook panicked.
"Stop it! You'll make them mad!"
Zeff looked at Ragnar. "A bit young to have a death wish, but that's no reason not to grab it."
Ragnar ignored him. "All right you jerks if I'm dying here then I'm taking some of you with me!"
He then immediately turned around and before he could do anything, Zeff kicked him so hard that he was sent flying across the deck. He then struck the wall and went straight through it much to everyone's astonishment.
"Ragnar!" a cook cried.
A few pirates sniggered.
"Wow, good one."
"Yeah, that was brutal."
Ragnar was still very much alive and began lifting himself from the rubble, much to the amusement of the pirates. He then began crawling on the ground towards Zeff, gritting his teeth against the pain.
"I'm not going to die," he said. "Not here!" He then immediately bit down on Zeff's leg. "I've got to live! So that I can find the All Blue!"
The pirates just looked at him stunned, but seconds later they burst out laughing.
"He said the All Blue!"
"Pretty ambitious."
"That is a good one! Hey, Captain, should retell the little tyke that it doesn't exist?"
The cooks and the passengers just stared at Ragnar horrified.
"That fool, he won't shut up," said a cook.
Zeff remained absolutely silent and raised his leg then with one good swing he sent Ragnar flying into the wall once more. This time he struck him so much force that he was unable to move and he was barely conscious.
"I'm not going to draw my last breath, until I seen the All Blue," said Ragnar.
"Captain, I recommend that we withdraw immediately," said one of the pirates. "This storm is way bigger than expected."
Zeff looked at Ragnar briefly before he turned to his men. "All right, men. Playtime is over, let's load up the treasure and get out of here."
The pirates immediately did what they were told and began to load their ship and Ragnar just laid there completely helpless.
Then suddenly a massive wave of erupted from out of nowhere and slammed into the two ships. Ragnar turned as water landed on the deck and swept away, he was far too injured to grab hold of something and was immediately washed off the ship.
"Ragnar!" a cook cried.
Then to everyone's amazement, Zeff quickly rushed over towards the mainmast and dealt a devastating kick.
"Captain?" said one of the pirates confused.
Zeff's kick was so strong that it broke the mast and he grabbed hold of it as it felt towards the water.
"Damned, brat," he muttered before he hit the water.
The pirates immediately looked over the side in astonishment.
"Captain!"
"Why did he risk his life for one measly kid?"
A few moments later and massive tidal wave headed straight towards them and consumed both ships.
As this was happening Zeff was swimming down towards Ragnar, who was now unconscious and sinking down towards the bottom. Zeff stopped and to his horror he saw one of the ships heading straight towards him.
Ragnar opened his eyes briefly and saw the wreckage of both ships, try as he might he found himself unable to swim upwards.
Zeff managed to avoid getting crushed by the ships, he then started to continue to make his way down towards Ragnar. However, his right leg was trapped amongst the wreckage of the ship and try as he must he was unable to break free.
Ragnar was sinking even faster now and if he didn't do something soon Zeff would drown himself. He knew there was only one way to break free and immediately grabbed a fallen anchor and wrapped the chain around his leg and slammed the anchor into the wood of the wreckage.
The two ships then began to moving closer together, the moment they slammed into one another they parted once again and the movement began to pull on the slack on the chain connected to the anchor. Then there was an almighty crack and blood shot out of the water from the momentum of the chain.
Ragnar was still sinking, and then he saw Zeff swimming down towards him and then everything went black. Just as he lost consciousness, Zeff grabbed him and then quickly shot up towards the surface.
When Ragnar regained consciousness, he found himself on dry land and try to process what had happened.
"The brat finally wakes up," said a voice. Ragnar looked up and saw Zeff sitting at the edge of a cliff. "You're lucky to be alive you know."
Ragnar shot up. "You," he growled and then suddenly felt a massive jolt of pain.
"Moving isn't a good idea, you're still pretty banged up from the beating you took," Zeff advised.
"What about the ships?" Ragnar asked.
Zeff shrugged. "Who knows, it was a terrible storm our ships were most likely destroyed. It seems as if we're the only survivors. Washed ashore on a desolate rock, without as much as a single fruit tree to give us food."
It was then that Ragnar realised for the first time that they were on of lifeless reef in the middle of the ocean and its formation was a bit odd as it was slightly curved.
"There are plenty of fish in the sea," Zeff continued. "But the rock has been curved by the waves in such a manner that we would never be able to climb back up if we ever went down. Sad, isn't it?"
Ragnar didn't really care about that. "This is all your fault, old man! I hope you die!"
"You can whine all you want, it won't help. If no one comes will just dry up and become two more skeletons in the sea."
Ragnar gulped.
"That back there," Zeff just without looking at him. "It's your share of it." Ragnar looked around and saw a small bag next to him. "It some of the food that washed up. Should be a good five days worth, it's not much but it's better than nothing. If you ration it out it will last longer. Use your head when you eat. Good thing were both cooks, huh?"
Ragnar then looked at Zeff and saw a large bag next to him and immediately assume that it was full of food.
"Hey, wait, is that back your share of the food?" Ragnar yelled in outrage. "You've got way more than me, you pig!"
"Of course I've got more food," Zeff smirked. "I'm a grown man so I need more to survive than a runt like you. You should be grateful that I'm sharing any of it with you, don't expect any pity for me brat."
Ragnar gritted his teeth. "You miserable pirate."
Ragnar knew how outclassed he was in combat with Zeff, even have the bruises to prove it.
It was evening and Ragnar was looking out to sea for any ships just as Zeff ordered.
'Get to the other side of this rock and watch the ships,' Zeff ordered. 'Let me know as soon as you see one. Until then don't bother talking to me or move from your post, that will just waste energy and we can't afford that. Good luck.'
Ragnar didn't like doing what he was told by the old man, but he can argue with the logic either. However, he wasn't planning to do everything the old man had told him.
"Screw you, old man," said Ragnar bitterly. "I'm not gonna tell you anything if I see a ship."
He then decided to pass the time by figuring out how he was good ration his food.
"I'll be fine, I have five whole days worth of food," he said confidently. "I'll definitely see a ship or two before I run out, I'm sure of it. Just to be extra safe divided up between 20 days, that's more than enough time to be rescued. I guess I can do now is to sit and wait."
He then looked at the open sea and smiled. "Easy, I'll survive through this with no problem."
The sun began to go down and Ragnar marked off the first day.
"Didn't see a ship today," he said regretfully. "That's all right just be a few more days."
Days began to go by and Ragnar spend as much time as he could watching out the ships. Regrettably, he was forced to sleep every now and then and he could have missed the ship for all he knew.
It was soon the 25th day on the rock and still there was no sign of any ship. Ragnar had began to ration out the food even, enough that he was still hungry but just enough to stay alive. However, he was down to a single loaf of mouldy bread.
"This is it," he said weakly. "One mouldy piece of bread."
He then began to eat it, he didn't care that it was mouldy or not as he was so hungry. He had hardly slept over the past 25 days in case he missed the ship and there were starting to take their toll on him.
As he sat there looking out to sea he can help but remember what the cooks had said to him about not wasting food out on the open sea. He soon found himself leading his own words, literally, as he looked down at the mouldy bread.
Then when he began to wash his eyes he accidentally dropped the bread and it fell over the side of the cliff much to his horror.
'My last piece of bread,' he said stunned.
23 days later, he was still standing watch over the cliff and now he was practically all skin and bones. Fortunately humans were able to stay alive for long time without food, water was the only issue but he was able to drink from rainwater that came every now and then. But to be perfectly honest it was a miracle that he was still alive, but he doubted he could last another day and still no ship had been seen.
His thoughts then turned to Zeff, remembering that he would still have large amounts of food left. 'I wonder, is the geezer is a dead yet?'
He then began to scale the rocky ledges with as much strength as he had, which wasn't much. He could barely move and he knew every single movement would only make him more hungry, but at this point he was desperate for a single crime of the old man's food.
He looked over the ledge that marks the boundary line between their two territories and found that Zeff was still sitting there, in fact it looked as if he had moved a single muscle for the past two months.
"He's alive," he gasped. His eyes then turned towards the bag of food behind him. 'And he still got food. A lot of food.'
Every single bit of rational fought inside his head immediately disappeared as he licked his lips thinking of the delicious food in the bag. "So much, there's so much left."
He was so hungry that he wasn't thinking straight and completely forgotten how Zeff had overpowered him on the ship. However the thought of food in his belly removed what common sense he had in his head and he immediately drew out a kitchen knife.
"I've got to get that food, it's not fair that he has so much more than me," he said. "Besides this is all his fault."
He then very carefully began making his way over to Zeff, making sure not to make a single sound. He was a few feet away from the bag for moment it looked as if he would get away from the theft.
"What are you doing here you brat?" Zeff grunted. "Are you here because you saw a ship?"
All fear had completely left Ragnar's body and he immediately held out the knife. "I've come over here to steal your food, old man. If you want to kill me for it then go ahead soon enough I'll starve that it makes no difference to me."
Zeff didn't stop them as he made his way over towards the back and he failed to realise that the bag had not been opened at all. He then plunged the knife into the bag and ripped a large hole in it, but then his eyes widened. For the bag did not contain any food, but tons of treasure no doubt what was left of the plunder from Zeff's ship.
Ragnar then dropped the kitchen knife and fell to his knees, realising what Zeff had done.
"Didn't I tell you not to come over here unless you saw a ship?" Zeff asked as if nothing had happened.
Ragnar just stared at the treasure then to Zeff. "Why? You said food."
"Strange isn't it," said Zeff. "We have all this money and yet we're going to starve."
"It's only treasure," Ragnar breathed realising that Zeff had no food to begin with. "It's worthless."
He then immediately rushed over to Zeff and saw that he was missing his right leg and he was virtually a skeleton. His trouser leg was covered in blood, but he used a bit of rope in order to squeeze the skin together which no doubt stopped him from dying of blood loss.
"What happened to your leg?" Ragnar stared.
He then immediately remembered everything before he blacked out. Zeff's leg had been trapped within the wreckage and then he used the anchor the momentum of the ships to free himself. At first he for that he use the momentum to wedge open the gap to slip his leg through, but instead he used to snap his leg clean off.
'It was then,' he gasped.
Zeff must have swam towards him with only long leg, in fact he probably hadn't sealed the wound beforehand. Zeff had saved him at the cost of his leg and then he no doubt had to carry him, the food and the treasure to this small rock.
"It was then and in order to save me you…" Tears then began to form his eyes. "You gave me all the food you had."
"I did," Zeff nodded.
"And you had to know that without that leg, you would never be a pirate again."
"That's right."
"You old fool. Why did you help me? It doesn't make sense to sacrifice so much for me!" Then looked at Zeff in confusion. "So why? Tell me!"
"Because… for my entire life I had the same dream as you," Zeff smiled.
Ragnar looked at him. "The All Blue." He then looked at him in confusion. "But your men said that it didn't exist."
"Of course it does, never mind them," he said meekly. "When the time comes head to the Grand Line, that is where the All Blue ought to be. My days as a pirate are done, but you have your whole life defined it."
He then toppled over from exhaustion and hunger. He then chuckled. "It's funny really, a pirate told me that on that ship of yours was a great treasure that once belonged to him. Now I know what he meant, he was talking about his son."
Ragnar's eyes widened. "You know my old man?"
Zeff nodded. "Despite his name, is possibly the most honourable pirate there is. He told me that he had a wife and a son that he hold so dearly, but had to leave to protect them. For he knew it the World Government discovered that he had a family they would hunt the ends of the earth to kill them to prevent his pirate legacy from spreading across the seas like a storm."
Ragnar was asking more questions, but then he fell unconscious. He could only imagine how he managed to survive with no food for nearly 2 months.
"Don't die now," Ragnar pleaded. "Get up! Come on, old man, don't you dare give up!"
Zeff opened his eyes weakly and looked at him. "I wonder… how many men have lost their lives cursing the ocean? Knowing that it will soon be their grave. This isn't the first time that I've been hungry and looked death in the eyes and my thoughts are the same each time. It is always my deepest wish that there ought to be a restaurant in the middle of the sea."
"A restaurant?" Ragnar blinked.
"Yeah, I was thinking that if I made it out of this mess alive that I would like to build a restaurant as my final purpose in life," he said looking out to sea.
"Great and I'll even help you do it," said Ragnar encouragingly. "So don't die, okay."
Zeff laughed. "A weak little brat like you could be much good for anything."
Ragnar narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll become strong, I'm already good with a gun." He then closed his eyes and began to cry. "So don't die."
After hearing the wave so much for nearly 2 months, he could tell when there was a change in the sound. He turned and saw cutting across the waves was a ship and he could scarcely believe his eyes.
"Hey, help!" Ragnar yelled at the top of his voice and waving his arms frantically. "We need to help! Over here, please!"
Zeff just watched as Ragnar kept on yelling at the top of his voice.
Someone on the ship must've saw him as the ship then turned and sailed towards them. After that they were given a large meal and they tended to Zeff's injuries. After that they made their way to dry land and using the treasure, Zeff bought a ship which they converted into the restaurant they know today.
Back in the present, those memories had shaped Ragnar into the man he was today. Zeff had saved his life and he owed him everything and he was not about to let everything be burnt away after everything they went through.
He clenched his fist. "That old coot. He gave up his legs so that I could live."
The cooks looked immensely astonished, none of them had heard the story on how Zeff lost his leg. They had assumed that, he lost it after battling against a strong opponent probably a pirate from his past, but never in their wildest dreams with they had expected this.
Ragnar then began to pick himself up with newfound strength and determination and he looked at everyone defiantly.
"There's no way to repay the old man for his kindness unless I risk my life for him!" Ragnar yelled.
Everyone just remained quiet as they stared at him.
"Why?" Squall asked. "Why are you standing Ragnar? Stay down."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, it's a little too much like giving up," Ragnar smiled.
"Idiot," Gabriel muttered. "They'll kill you."
"You little brat," said Zeff.
Pearl laughed. "That is so very refined of you, but this restaurant will be closing soon and it will open again the business as a pirate ship."
Hiccup then yelled and immediately flew up towards the air.
"No, don't!" Ragnar cried. "Squall will shoot the old man!"
"Take this!" Hiccup yelled as he flew straight down. "Dragon Talon!"
Hiccup then slammed his foot right into the fin and then it immediately broke apart.