Chapter 28

Out of Time


The crew spent two days waiting for Luffy at the restaurant. They spent their time in various ways, Nami holed up in the galley when she wasn't out getting a free meal in the restaurant and Usopp working on some new weapon or another. Johnny and Yosaku were busy hamming up their injuries from their little scrap with the Marines, both bandaged to the nines and moping around the deck as their whined pitifully.

Kim scowled at them, a light layer of sweat making her face gleam in the sunlight and her chest heaving with exertion. She shot the boys a death glare every time their eyes were drawn to the sight of her breasts rising and falling beneath the thin tank top she was wearing or whenever she caught them ogling her legs. She wasn't dressed like this to show off. She moved faster with less on her and a tank top and shorts were perfect for moving around in quickly.

"Kim," Zoro said lowly, eyes determinedly fixed on her face for fearing of straying elsewhere.

Kim huffed in acknowledgement and lifted her arms shakily, moving back into the kata Zoro had been teaching her. After her spectacular failure at fighting in Syrup Village, Zoro had taken it upon herself to teach her a few things about combat, even if he wasn't too skilled with a spear. Still, blades were his specialty and he positively itched at the chance to wield Kim's handsome naginata.

The swordsman moved behind her, eyeing her stance critically and reaching out every now and then to adjust her posture, barking at her sharply if she began to falter. Zoro wasn't a mean teacher – he just wanted Kim to do the best she could, even if it meant pushing her.

"You're not holding it right," he muttered, moving behind her and adjusting her arms. Kim froze at the sudden press against her back, but relaxed a moment later, brow furrowed as she listened to Zoro's cool instruction, studiously ignoring any reactions her body had to his.

She was learning, not flirting.

"Guys!" Usopp shouted, leaping off the upper deck to land in front of them, stumbling slightly as his legs received the full force of his impact on deck. "There's a creepy ship approaching! It looks like Don Krieg's flag!" The sniper looked terrified and the wounded bounty hunter pair, shot up from where they were lying on deck, begging for the crew to set sail away from the approaching ship.

Zoro frowned, stepping away from Kim and moving to watch the raggedy ship cutting through the waters like a ghost. Kim gaped at it, taking in the enormous size of the vessel and all the damage done to it, pieces of the mast splintered, the figure head broken to pieces and the sails and flags ripped to shreds. They fluttered eerily in the breeze and she shivered, slipping up behind Zoro and clutching at his shirt worriedly.

He spared her a glance before reaching back and catching her hand with his own, watching with a steely expression as she ship anchored next to the restaurant. His grip tightened as Krieg exited the ship, Gin practically carrying his captain and the swordsman pulled both Usopp and Kim behind him protectively.

Once Krieg and Gin had made it into the Baratie completely, Zoro tugged on Kim's hand, pulling her after him.

"Come on you two. Let's go make sure Luffy's got some backup if he picks a fight." he grunted, making Kim laugh breathlessly. She was still a little winded from her 'training'. She beamed at him and reached back to grab Usopp's hand as well, the sniper needing a little more incentivize to follow along with them.

"We're going to die," the curly haired boy moaned pitifully, struggling to get his hand out of Kim's.

The brunette smiled cheekily and yanked him forward eagerly. "Oh, hush up you whiny-baby. Loosen up! You might even find yourself having fun."

Usopp didn't look like he agreed.

The trio poked their heads around the side of the doorway, watching with varying levels of fascination at the on goings inside.

Kim squeaked in alarm as Sanji was suddenly tossed across the room by a freshly fed Krieg and Usopp grabbed her hand instinctively, eyes wide with terror as the captain grabbed his own crewmember by the throat.

"Gin!" Luffy shouted, looking murderous.

"Nice restaurant." Krieg grunted. "I'll take it."

Silence fell over the gathered chefs and Kim thought the dining room looked almost barren without the patrons who'd been there only moments ago, the lot of them fleeing when Krieg arrived.

Carne, the chef Patty was always fighting with, broke it with his protest, prompting the rest of the chefs to do the same. Luffy repeated Gin's name, concern for the mistreated crewman overruling any thoughts for the safety of the restaurant at the moment.

Krieg smirked to himself and cracked his knuckles, reminding Kim of some of the more, over cocky football players she'd encountered back home. Not all of them had been that way, but there were a few who liked to fight more than others, radiating the same sense of 'I'm-such-a-big-dog' that Krieg was putting out.

"My ship's a mess and I need a new one." Krieg sneered, looking over the collected chefs with disgust. "I've got about a hundred men still alive and starving on my ship. They're dying from injuries and starvation. They need a hundred rations of food and water. You chefs will provide that and, when you're finished, we'll take this ship."

"You expect us to feed an army of men who'll turn on us the moment their stomachs are full? Are you nuts?! We refuse!" Carne snapped, brow furrowed in anger.

Krieg laughed obnoxiously. "You refuse? It's not a request. It's an order. Don't defy me." The captain's face turned dangerous, teeth bared in anger. The chefs froze up with shock and fear and Usopp practically turned to stone beside Kim.

She rubbed his shoulder, trying her best to comfort him when she was just as scared as he was. Even though she was pretty sure of how things were going to play out, she still was a bit fearful. After all, what if something changed?

Gin whimpered into the floorboards, crying out apologies to Sanji while Patty shouted at him and at Sanji. The blond ignored Patty with experienced ease and ducked tried to duck into the kitchen, intent on preparing a hundred meals for the starving pirates.

Zoro took advantage of the distraction, slipping his hand back into Kim's and pulling her into the restaurant, the brunette tugging a terrified Usopp along with them.

They sat at a nearby table, Kim releasing the boys' hands in order to prop her chin up on her palm, watching everything with curiosity. Her eyes widened as the chefs surrounded Sanji, pistols aimed at him.

The blond took it with ease, spreading his arms out to provide his coworkers with a better target. "If you wanna stop me," he said, smirking in a way that sent a flutter through Kim's chest. "Then fire."

"Sexy," the brunette murmured, a smile spreading over her lips and Zoro scowled at her. She ignored him.

"I know they're nasty pieces of work, but I feed people. I don't judge them. Things get too complicated that way." Sanji continued, smirk fading into a hard expression, the blond glaring down his colleagues. "If a man's hungry... I feed him! That's a cook's job. So what's the problem with it!?"

Patty had obviously had enough with the chef and with Krieg, launching himself at Sanji first, landing a harsh blow on the blond's head, then turning to give what might have been an inspiring speech to the other chefs if Patty didn't ruin the whole thing off by calling the cannonball fired at Krieg's head a meatball. Kim could only take so much foolishness before determining how much stupidity a person contained. And right now Patty was being pretty stupid.

"Dang," the large chef smirked, looking at Krieg's fallen form smugly. "I busted the doors. Zeff's gonna skin me." Carne shook his head, commending Patty on his work. Sanji just rolled his eyes, asking about the rest of Krieg's men. Patty had another stupid suggestion for them as well. "How about we slather the ship with butter and set it on fire."

"Sounds tasty," a deep, angry voice rumbled from the wreckage of the door. "But that last dish was hardly a four-star meal!"

Kim grimaced at the pun and wondered why all the villains' one-liners sucked so badly.

"Whoa," Luffy gaped, watching with wide eyes as Krieg rose from the rubble. "He's all shiny now!"

The chefs moved forward together, attempting to rush Krieg as a whole, but were blasted back when Krieg's armor suddenly shifted to reveal a mass of automatic of guns. Zoro grabbed his younger crewmates and shoved them beneath the table quickly, practically bashing their heads into the floor in his haste to protect them. Both Usopp and Kim clutched at Zoro in their panic, clinging to their protector with wide, terrified eyes. He almost regretted bringing them in with him.

They stayed beneath the table after the gunfire ended, waiting until they were all clear before peeking above the table again. Usopp scrambled back into his chair, fears forgotten temporarily as he listened to Krieg go on about Zeff like the fanboy he was. Kim whimpered and pressed herself further into the floor when Zoro tried to pull her back up, the girl refusing to move from the safety of the table.

Zoro grimaced and tugged at her more gently, managing to pull her into a firm embrace and simply holding her until she calmed down enough to emerge from beneath the table. She felt a phantom twinge in her left arm and remembered the pain of a gunshot wound.

She hated the sounds of gunshots.

Instead of returning her to her seat, Zoro picked her up and placed the brunette in his lap, wrapping an arm around her waist in a display of casual comfort.

Sanji saw this and frowned at the pair. Kim didn't seem to notice, attention fixed on Luffy as the rubberman stepped forward to confront Krieg, but Zoro caught the frown and glared right back at the blond. They held each other's gaze before turning their attentions to Luffy instead.

The rubberman put a hand on his hip and pointed at Krieg threateningly with the other, the apron 'round his waist making him look like a scolding mother. "Hold it! I'm going to be King of the Pirates! Not you!"

The chefs cried out in horror, watching their impulsive and oddly endearing fool of a chore boy approach his supposed doom.

"Kid! Stay out of this!" Patty bellowed, sweating nervously. "You're gonna get yourself killed."

Luffy grinned at him. "I can't. Not when it's something like this!"

"You want to say that again?" Krieg said dangerously, eyes narrowed at Luffy. "You'd better take that back, brat."

"No way! I'm only stating the truth!" Luffy laughed, enraging Krieg.

"This isn't some game!"

"Duh. I'm not stupid."

"He can't be serious!" one of the chefs moaned. "The Grandline was too much for even Krieg. There's no way a kid like him'll ever make it!"

"Can't we just call this all off?" Usopp begged, turning to Kim and Zoro for support.

The swordsman shushed him, shoving him away with a frown. "Quiet. Don't get involved with this."

Kim giggled, reaching out to tug on one of Usopp's stray curls. "Don't be silly. The Grandline ain't so bad."

Luffy turned to them in surprise along with everyone else, a warm grin spreading over the captain's face at the sight of his nakama.

The trio turned to him, Kim smiling pleasantly while Zoro smirked and Usopp attempted to form a serious expression.

"Time to fight?" the sniper asked in a gruff voice, knees trembling beneath the table.

"I'm willing to lend a hand." Zoro grinned, leaning back in his chair and shooting Sanji a challenging look as he toyed with Kim's hair.

The brunette grinned and twirled her fingers in a wave. "'Sup? We kicking ass or what?"

"Zoro, Usopp, Kim! You're still here? I was gonna handle this on my own..."

Kim shrugged, not caring if Luffy did what he wanted or not. Usopp looked relieved and Zoro kicked him in admonishment beneath the table, wanting him to act more enthusiastic in supporting Luffy.

Krieg laughed at them. "That's your crew?! Pathetic!"

Luffy scowled and held up two fingers. "Wrong! There's two more!"

Krieg growled. "Don't be so cocksure kid! I went into the Grandline with a fleet of 5,000 men and we were smashed to bits within seven days!"

Kim frowned and leant forward a bit, raising her voice to be heard over the exclamations of disbelief the chefs were voicing. "Five or five thousand, it doesn't matter what you go in with. You'll die if you're not prepared for what you'll find on that sea. The Grandline isn't like any of the Blues. It's more dangerous and even the geography is warped, especially once you get further in! You can't get around in it with simple maps and compasses. You need a Log Pose and a heluva good navigator and men who can handle the journey! And you need to listen! I'm willing to bet none of you listened to any advice you were given before you decided to trek off into the unknown. That's just stupid and everything you went through could have been avoided if you'd only planned better!" Her eyes flashed. "We're not afraid of the Grandline. We welcome it."

Luffy grinned proudly and Zoro ruffled her hair. Beside them, Usopp sat up a little straighter, feeling somewhat comforted by Kim's confident words.

Krieg looked murderous and also a little contemplative. "Watch your mouth, little girl. That kind of impudence will get you killed." He stepped forward threateningly and Kim stared him down stubbornly, anxiety only evident by the way her grip tightened on Zoro's shoulder. The swordsman gave her waist a squeeze to remind her she wasn't alone in facing down Krieg.

"..." Luffy narrowed his eyes at Krieg, daring him to make a move against his Chronicler or any of his nakama.

"Listen carefully," Krieg shouted. "I'll give a chance. I'm going to take this food to my men and when I return, anyone who doesn't wanna die had better be gone. All I want is the ship and the captain's log. And maybe that girl if she knows so much about the Grandline."

Zoro's grip tightened around Kim's waist and Luffy's expression turned deadly. "Like hell," Zoro growled lowly, pulling Kim against him possessively.

Krieg sneered again, shouldering the giant bag of food Zeff had brought out while the trio of StrawHats had been under the table. "If anyone's eager to die, stick around. I'll give you a burial at sea. Your choice."

Silence fell over the restaurant and Kim felt something cold and heavy settle in the pit of her stomach, shivering slightly as everyone turned to look at her in horror.

Why did she open her big mouth?


A/N: Well, my first two performances went well, even if the first one ended in tears.

SBS!

Thanks for Favoriting and Alerting: Jennybot19, Lifespire, slo19969, avatoa, jacques0, and Shaekyn.

Lady Syndra: Thanks!

Molly Grace 16: Sanji's meant to be nice to ladies, not annoying. Kim can appreciate someone with interest in her, especially if they're her type like Sanji is.

Shiningheart of ThunderClan: It is impossible to mess Sanji's bangs up. Watch some of the openings. There's a part in the Brand New World opening where all of his hair but his bangs are flying everywhere. I want whatever he uses on it to make it do that.

OrionRedde: Sometimes you just need to snuggle!

camierose: *giggles with you*

CatalinaVonFeuer: I know how you feel. I have an AP Chemistry Exam the same day as a show choir performance. I'm going to be a pile of mush by the end of Monday. And sappiness is pretty much a given when you're working with characters like these. Scaring Johnny and Yosaku is lots of fun, even if Kim only did it a couple of times.

wolfscry248: Plenty more where that came from!

mamc97nolongeranonymous: I've considered watching Torchwood, but I probably won't until I have a better idea of it's plot and I'm done with the first season of Doctor Who and Sherlock. I can only deal with a couple of things at one time.

10th Squad 3rd Seat: Awwwww!

Lifespire: 'Sanji's delicious backside.' Ah, that cracked me upXD!

shanagi95: Then flirt they shall. And annoy Zoro to death with it!

FreeWeirdGal: I think that Zoro's dislike of Sanji stems greatly from Sanji's treatment of ladies and how Zoro views Kuina. Sanji's been raised to think of women as the most important kind of people and that being anything less than a gentleman to them is unacceptable. Women are priceless and should be treated like queens and should never be struck or spoken rudely against. Zoro, on the other hand, had a first hand experience with a girl who disliked that norm and felt like her dream would be unreachable because she was a woman. That probably stuck with Zoro for the rest of his life, especially considering that he lost that girl the very next day and thought that he was partially to blame seeing as Kuina probably would never went to polish the sword if he hadn't called her out to fight. Therefore, he only sees the strength in women now and gets annoyed with Sanji for treating women like delicate flowers. However, I think that Sanji recognizes the strength in women but treats them all the same regardless. He seems to like Nami and Robin enough and they're some of the strongest women in the story (emotionally if not physically).

skipbeataddict: Thanks!