Chapter 17

Men of the Grand Line

Gin stood in front of a man sitting in his chair. The man had just stated his report to his captain, "I see... So that cook saved your life, and you were able to come back here..."

Gin had tears in his eyes, "Y-Yes... Bu-But I never could have imagined that our mother ship would be in this condition..." He steels himself though, "Don Krieg."

"What is it...?"

"Allow me to guide you sir, to the Baratie, the restaurant on the seas!"

Suffice it to say it has been a crazy two days since the Stawhats arrived at the Baratie. The restaurant apparently had a reputation for brawls with unruly customers. That, apparently, actually appealing to some of their guests. Which made sense, when Maxwell actually thought about it. This section of the ocean was riddled with pirates after all. And now, between Luffy conscripted as a cabin boy, and Sanji being a womanizing flirt, there were certainly some high jinx going around. This crazy peace and quiet didn't last forever though.

"It's Don Kreig's pirate ship!" a voice yelled from the Baratie.

Maxwell snapped out of any revelry he might have had on the Merry, and took a look at the window. Customers could still be heard panicking, "A skull and crossbones with two hourglasses at it's side, to threaten their enemies... There's no doubt about it! That's Krieg's flag! Why is he here!?" The mage decided to join everyone on deck.

Usopp was panicking as well, "This is real bad! Shouldn't we be running away!?"

"Bro, let's set sail! We don't want to die!" Johnny and Yosaku voiced similar thoughts.

Maxwell however, took a look at the ship. It was a complete mess. The sails were torn, the railing was nonexistent, and even a mast was broken. Slashes riddled the hull, from shallow cuts to deep gashes, and the figure head was in chunks. It honestly looked like the galleon had been mauled by some giant creature.

Maxwell and the others saw two figures get off and board the Baratie. Violence sounded inside, and soon customers were evacuating. "Get on a boat! We've got to get out of here before we're surrounded!"

"What do you think Max?" asked Zoro.

"I think Luffy's luck is about to paying off."

*Boom!*

A figure is blown out the doors but soon gets up.

Don Krieg heads back in the Baratie, unaffected by the explosion, "That's the best dessert you got, you lousy cook!? Serving that pile of crap for dessert... This is the worst restaurant I've ever been to." Gunfire could be heard from inside, and the Strawhats all look at each other.

Maxwell issues orders, "Yosaku, Johnny, Nami! You stay on the ship. Usopp, Zoro, we're going inside!"

"Got it!" they sound out.

Usopp, Zoro, and Maxwell soon head to the back entrance on the other side of the ship. They sneak around and eventually they come upon Luffy and where all the other chefs are. He saw Don Krieg retracting his his guns into his armor and notices the wounded. Maxwell tries to cast a Barrier without getting noticed, to kept them preserved until they could be properly treated. He also sees a man kneeling beside Krieg, Gin. All the while, Zeff stands in front of the pirate with a huge sack, although Zeff doesn't seem scared.

Don Krieg actually looks at Zeff in shock, "You're... Red-Leg Zeff!" He quickly schools his features though, "So you were alive... The peerless captain and cook of his own pirate crew."

Maxwell's eyes widen, suddenly understanding why Zeff had such a rough kitchen staff. Usopp and Zoro look just as surprised.

"So what if I'm alive? It's got nothing to do with you. As you can see, I'm living as a mere cook now."

Krieg crosses his arms, "Hahaha... Interesting to hear it put that way. But from way I see it, you're living as a cook not by choice, but because that's the only thing you can do." Zeff remains silent at Krieg's observations.

"With the way you are now, you can't wear your infamous Red Shoes. To speak of Red-Leg Zeff, is to speak of the master of kicking who refused to use his hands in battle! The pirate whose destructive kicks could pulverize bedrock, and even leave a clear imprint on steel! You're nickname, 'Red Leg,' refers to your legs that would be died in the blood of your enemies!"

"I've heard rumours that you had died during a shipwreck. Though It seems that you managed to survive, at the cost of one of your precious legs." Krieg begins to chuckle, "With one of your legs gone, you shouldn't be able to fight anymore."

Zeff only raises his arms, "I may not be able to fight anymore, but as long as I have theses hands, I can still cook. Just what are you getting at exactly?"

The armoured captain tries to put on some charm, "Red-Leg Zeff, you're a man who once braved the waters of the Devil's Hideout, the Grand Line itself! Not only that, you returned without injury." Maxwell skewers his eyebrows at the pirate.

"You must've kept a log book during your time in the Grand Line. So what I'm getting at is... hand over that log book to me!"

Luffy looks over at Zeff, "Cool! You've been to the Grand Line, old man?"

"Yes," Zeff doesn't take his eyes off Krieg though.

"You are certainly correct to assume that I kept a log, and I indeed have it to this day. But I shan't hand that over to you. That log is the pride of me and my men who bravely ventured the Grand Line together. It's much to valuable to give to the likes of you!"

"Then I'll just steal it from you!" Krieg yells.

"It's true I just came back defeated from the Grand Line...! But even so, I'm still the mighty Don Krieg! That ocean, surrounded by darkness, the mention of which alone causes weak me to tremble in their boots...! I had enough power to conquer that sea! Enough manpower! Enough ambition! The only thing I lacked was information! That was my only flaw!"

Krieg leers at the former pirate, "I simply did not know enough... Which is why I'll steal your travel log and this ship!"

The kitchen staff protest, "Like hell we'll just let you! If we lose this ship, we've got nowhere to go!" "That's right! All the cooks here were chased out by other restaurants before finally finding a home in this place!" "Master Zeff is the only one who accepted us as chefs! He's our saviour!" "We ain't letting you pirates steal our home away!"

"Silence!" They all flinch at Krieg's voice, "The difference in strength between you and I is clear as night and day! I even proved it to you just now! Don't forget that I'm the strongest!"

Maxwell rolls his eyes at Don Krieg, getting tired of hearing him rant, "Once I obtain Zeff's travel log, I'll reassemble my pirate fleet and find One Piece! To become the greatest pirate of this era!" Maxwell sees that Luffy unimpressed as well.

"Hold it right there! The one who'll become Pirate King is me."

The staff become nervous, "W-What did that errand-boy say just now!? Hey, back down kid! Or you'll be killed!"

"I'm not standing down, especially on this point!" Luffy walks up towards Krieg.

"Did you say something, you little brat?" Krieg leers down. "I'll be nice enough to let your comment slide for now..."

"It's fine," Luffy crosses his arms. "You don't have to let it slide. I was only stating the truth."

"This ain't a game." Krieg sneers.

Luffy smiles, "Of course."

"Who's this guy again?" Maxwell asks Zoro.

"Apparently, not as strong as he thinks he is," Zoro leans on the table they've been sitting at. The chefs slowly turn their heads towards them.

Usopp meanwhile, begins to worry about their own destination, "Didn't you hear that just now! Even Krieg couldn't make it in there! I won't say anything bad so let's just give up on going to a place like that!"

Zoro responds, "Just keep your mouth shut." He turns towards their captain, "Hey Luffy, you planning a rumble, need a hand?"

"Oh, hey guys. No it's fine, you can just stay stay there."

Don Krieg looks at the trio at the table, "Ha... Hahaha. Ahahahaha! Those are your crewmates? A rather small bunch, aren't they!?"

"What are you talking about!?" Luffy demands. "I've got two others as well!" Sanji just looks at him weirdly from the floor, "Hey, you just counted me in didn't you?"

"Don't joke around with me, punk! Even my fleet of 50 ships and 5,000 pirates were utterly decimated by that devilish sea, in just seven day days! Only because we lacked information!" The chefs look at Krieg surprised, knowing the reputation of the Grand Line.

"Did you hear that just now!? 50 ships gone! In just a single week!" "Heh, sounds interesting." "Usopp, not now."

"Even as a bluff, your comments just now show how completely ignorant you are to reality!" Krieg scolded.

"If there's one thing I hate, it's empty boasting like yours! Keep saying that and I'll kill you right on the spot once I get back from unloading this food!" Krieg grabs the sack and throws over his shoulder, "As for the rest of you... I'll give you a little extension. I'm going to give this food to my subordinates and return back here."

"I'd suggest you leave this place within that time, if you don't want to die. The only things I need are this ship and Zeff's travel log," Krieg begins to leave. "If any of you still feel like dying, even after I warned you, then so be it! I'll bury you to the bottom of the sea for eternity!"

Gin didn't follow his captain as Krieg left the Baratie. "Sanji... please forgive me! I had no idea... No idea at all that this would happen...! I...," he can't truly express the words of his regret.

"There's no need for you to apologize," says Zeff. The affected parties look at the cook surprised, "The cooks of this restaurant acted of their own free will, and this is the result of that."

"Sir!" Patty, the dessert chef, speaks out. "How could you, of all people, side with Sanji on this!? Just what is the meaning of this!?"

The cooks also turn on their fellow chef, "That's right! He's the one to blame for all this!" "He just wants to destroy this restaurant that's so important to you, sir!" "Sanji! We're you planing on using this mess we're in to become the next head chef!? Or have you completely lost it!? Which is it!?"

"SILENCE, YOU NUMBSKULLS!"

The cooks flinch at their Head Chef's voice, "Have any on of you ever been hungry enough to die...? Do any of you know just how terrifying and painful it is to be stuck in this ocean, deprived of food and water!?"

Sanji lights a cigarette as he listens to Zeff. The cooks look at Zeff nervously, "W-What do you mean sir?"

"If you've got time to be crying over spilt milk, then the back door is right there!"

The chefs however, remain stout, "...I'm... gonna stay here. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just left without a fight." "...Same here. This is the place I live and work at." "Not like I've got anywhere else to go to."

"W-What are you all doing!?" yells Gin. "Haven't you realized how powerful the Don is by now!? You need to run away!" He didn't want to condemn his saviours to death.

Sanji breathes out a cloud of smoke, "Hey Gin, let me tell you something."

"It's my duty as a cook to feed anyone who's starving. But the ones who coming to attack this ship are those who've already been fed. So you better not complain when I kill them. If someone is planning on stealing this ship, then I'll kill that person without a second thought. Even if it's you. Got that?" Gin can only look at his friend, stunned.

Patty looks at Sanji, "Hmph. You save a person only to kill him afterward? Some guy you are."

"Shut up, you shitty cook."

Luffy joins Maxwell and the boys, "Hey! What do you think about him? Pretty good, right?"

Maxwell strokes his beard looking at Sanji, "Well... he certainly has priorities."

"Who cares about him!" yells Usopp, "If we don't get out of here soon—!"

"Calm down," scolds Zoro, "Our enemies are wounded pirates."

Luffy looks ready to throw-down, "That's right. And besides, I have to fight with that guy. If he really is strong, then he and I are going to butt heads eventually anyways!"

Luffy suddenly remembers something, "Oh that's right. Gin!"

"Hm?"

"You said you didn't know anything about the Grand Line, but didn't you go there?"

Gin runs his hands through his hair, having flashbacks, "...I don't know if it is the truth... I just can't believe it... I just don't know if those seven days where real or just a nightmare..." he begins to sweat, still frightened from their journey. "I'm still wrestling with it in my mind... He just appeared all of a sudden... To think those 50 ships were destroyed by a single man...!"

"WHAT!?" "IMPOSSIBLE!" "The entire Krieg Pirate Fleet was crushed by one man!?"

"While we still had no idea what was going on, our ships sank one by one." Gin shudders, "And if that weren't for that storm, that whisked us away, even our main ship would've sunk. I don't know if any our ships managed to survive. It's just too terrifying to believe it's real! I don't want to think about that hawk-eyed glare that could kill a man! I don't! I don't want to think about him!" Gin curled up on the floor too scared to say more.

"What!?" Zoro took this new seriously then others. And he wasn't the only one who recognized him.

"That had to be the work of that hawk-eyed man, without a doubt...," Zeff uttered. He spoke to Gin directly, "You say that you witnessed a man, whose glare was as sharp as a hawk. Doesn't necessarily prove it was him, but the fact that he sunk your entire fleet is more than enough proof that it was really him."

"Master Zeff... who is he?" Maxwell wasn't fairing much better than the chefs. He was nervous of what kind person could take down a fleet. He'd heard of mages sinking battleships, but they were always never alone. One man, against a fleet in the middle of the open ocean? If Maxwell had to face someone like that, he'd probably run too. Zoro decided to answer Maxwell's question though.

"He's the man I'm searching for."

"WHAT!?"