Hello there, good to see you here. I'm not going to drag this on any longer because I felt that this chapter took a bit longer than usual to post. Anyways, I'd really appreciate it if you guys review this chapter and this fic so I can hopefully deliver something that you guys would enjoy. Also, please read the author's note at the bottom of this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: I don't own one piece, one piece seems to own me instead.

Chapter 5: A five-course meal

"Here's to our new crewmate, Usopp!" Luffy shouts while holding out a mug of ale.

"Cheers!~" Everyone shouts back before taking a swig from their mugs. The crew decided to formally celebrate the formation of their pirate crew as well as celebrate the addition of their two new crew members. After he finishes his serving, Luffy heads inside the ship's storeroom to retrieve cans of paint and a paintbrush that he saw lying around. He returns to the deck to be greeted by a curious look from Usopp, and blank stares from Nami and Zoro.

"You know what a new pirate ship needs? A pirate flag!" Luffy says with excitement. He picks up the brush when he feels a hand gently pushing his down. He looks up, only to see Nami shaking her head.

"No captain."

"Wait, why? What's Luffy going to do with a paintbrush?" Usopp asks curiously.

Nami pulls Luffy's cheek. "This guy's artistic skill is as good as Zoro's sense of direction." You can hear Zoro saying "Oi Oi Oi" in the background.

Usopp chooses this time to try and impress his friends. He stands up, proudly, then points his thumb to himself. "Luckily for you, Captain Usopp is not only a great leader, but an amazing artist as well." He says before taking the paintbrush off of Luffy. Usopp makes two pirate flags; One is the familiar emblem of the Straw Hats, the other one being a skull with a long nose, with two slingshots in the background instead of crossbones. He says it's in case Luffy needs a substitute captain, or if he wants to make a subsidiary of the Straw Hat Pirates.

The crew sailed in relative peace during their day-long journey. It's in the early morning of the following day. Luffy is still sleeping inside and Nami is currently looking at their map to chart a proper course for their next destination. Meanwhile, Usopp just finished tinkering with the ship's cannons. With no one else to bother, he calls Zoro instead.

"Zoro, look! I made some adjustments with the cannon. It was a bit wobbly earlier, but it's pretty stable now."

Zoro whistled. "Why don't you fire on the ocean to test it out?"

Usopp fires the cannon. The cannonball sails over the horizon before making a splash in the distance. He flashes Zoro a thumbs-up before pointing at a nearby rock formation. "Do you want me to test the accuracy next time?"

"Wait, I think I can see someone in there. Don't shoot. Maybe they need help." Zoro knew exactly who they are. In the previous timeline, they accidentally shot them with a cannon. Zoro tells Usopp to steer the ship towards the rock formation and he obeys, despite his reservations that these people might be enemies. Upon getting closer, they can definitely see two people looking like they're in a tight spot.

"Johnny! Yosaku!" Zoro calls out to them.

"Z-Zoro Aniki! It's you!"

"Johnny, bring Yosaku here on the ship."

The man known as Johnny carries his friend, which Zoro calls Yosaku, onto the ship. With Usopp's help, they gently lay him down on the deck, with Usopp getting a rolled towel to use as a makeshift pillow.

"Zoro-aniki! You have to help me! Yosaku's been like this in almost a day now!" Johnny says with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I heard about this. This is what happens when you don't eat a lot of oranges. Though I forgot what it's called."

"Yeah, I heard about that too from some of the fishermen in Syrup Village. What is it called again? Scoliosis?" Usopp added.

Suddenly, the door to the ship opens up, revealing Nami with her staff in hand. She walks to where the men are standing. "I went outside because I heard cannon fire and felt the ship suddenly turning around. I thought someone's attacking us." Nami then looks down at the man laid down on the deck in front of her.

"Ah, I see. Usopp, why don't you squeeze a few oranges over a cup and bring it up here." Usopp immediately goes to the kitchen to do Nami's request. Nami then looks at Johnny. "He has scurvy. It's what happens when you don't have enough Vitamin C in your daily diet. First, you'll feel weaker and weaker until you start bleeding all throughout your body."

"Ahhh! Will he be alright, Aneki!?"

Usopp arrives a few seconds later with a mug filled with orange juice. Him and Johnny tilt Yosaku's head to allow him to drink the contents of the mug.

"Yeah, he'll be alright. Though, let that be a warning to you two next time. You need to stock up on some food if you're planning on sailing for long periods of time."

She was somewhat ignored when Yosaku quickly stood up with renewed vigor, with Johnny immediately embracing him. "It's a miracle! Thanks Aneki!"

"You idiots! He's still not fully well yet, he needs rest." Again, her warnings fall on deaf ears because the pair started celebrating with Usopp. Their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders while jumping around the ship.

After a while, the three stopped moving around before sitting down on the deck. "Zoro-aniki, what are you doing here in a pirate ship?" Johnny asks Zoro. Yosaku looks up on the crow's nest of the ship to see a pirate flag that he's not familiar with, which surprises him.

"Well, these idiots decided to form a pirate crew. So I tagged along to keep these people safe."

"How come you never introduced us to these guys? Which one's the captain, by the way?"

Before Usopp can proudly raise his hand, Zoro points back to the ship's cabin area. "He's sleeping. He seems a bit tired, so we let him rest."

"Ah, I guess we'll meet him soon. Anyways, I suppose that we need to introduce ourselves to Aniki's friends. My name is Johnny and this one is Yosaku."

"We're the bounty hunting duo of east blue. Zoro-aniki used to go with us on jobs." It was Yosaku's turn to answer, finally regaining enough energy and sense to talk. "We're glad that he's got some reliable friends. Please take care of him. He gets lost very easily." He continues before him and Johnny bows in front of the Strawhats.

"Yeah, we understand that." Nami waves them off. "I'm Nami, the one with the long nose is Usopp, and our captain's name is Luffy."

The two simply nods upon hearing their names. "Zoro-aniki, where are you headed?"

"We're looking for a place to buy some food. We're somewhat low on stocked items."

"And we're looking for a chef as well. Captain's orders." Nami added.

Usopp looked at them curiously. "He did?"

"When we met up on the previous island. Luffy said he wanted a chef, a doctor, a musician, and someone who can fix a ship. And we'll pick up anyone else that Luffy wants to drag back to the ship." Zoro answered.

"That's oddly specific and unspecific at the same time." Usopp sweatdrops.

"Well, our captain's pretty weird." Zoro replied.

Johnny interrupts the crew's conversation. "Wait, so I'm guessing you're headed to Baratie. I heard the cooks there are good, but they're pretty scary. It's rumored that they're not afraid of pirates."

"Oh! Maybe we can find someone strong in there then." Usopp says, eager to look for another crew member.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, except for the somewhat boisterous chatting from Usopp and the bounty hunting pair. Moments later, Usopp spots Baratie. He was amazed at the sight of a restaurant at sea, expecting an island filled with cooks rather than a ship. They were about to prepare to dock when they see a marine ship sailing towards them, eventually catching up.

"Hey! This is the first time I've seen your mark. What's the name of your gang?" A marine wearing a light purple suit asked.

"Oh, we just formed our crew recently. The captain is asleep though, so if it's alright, I'd like to ask you not to bother him at this time." Zoro says nonchalantly, which irritated the marine.

"You know what, you guys irritate me." He looks to one of his soldiers and orders him to prepare the cannon. "Sink those pirate scum. I don't care if they're an unknown rabble. Maybe the sight of their ship sinking will make me feel better."

The marine soldiers aim the cannon at the Going Merry before firing. Usopp, Johnny and Yosaku started panicking. Meanwhile, Zoro simply pulls out Wado Ichimonji to try and cut the cannonball in half before it hits their ship. The marines open fire at the Straw Hats and the cannonball sails through the air. At the same time, however, the door to the cabin opens.

And out came Luffy.

In his half-asleep state, Luffy barely registers a cannonball hitting his face. Johnny and Yosaku start panicking, thinking that the captain has been fatally wounded. However, they were stunned to see that the cannonball bounces off of Luffy's face, hitting the marine ship's mast. Surprised at the sudden attack, Luffy rubs his eyes, blinks, before looking at the people around him.

"What happened while I was asleep?"

"Nothing." The Straw Hats simply replied. Zoro sheathes his sword, while Johnny and Yosaku are amazed at Luffy, looking at him with stars in their eyes.

On the first day, the waiter took their orders.

"Welcome to the floating restaurant of Baratie!" Johnny and Yosaku shout eagerly, excited to show one of east blue's famous attractions to their new friends. The group enters the building and they seat themselves close to where the kitchen is. Usopp looks around with eyes filled with wonder. Never before has he seen a place that is this crowded and lively. Suddenly, from the corner of their eyes, they spot a waiter in a black suit heading to their table carrying a tray with bowls of soup.

"Good morning to you, lowlives. Here's our complimentary soup while I take your orders. What would you like to eat?" he says before handing them the menu. He turns his attention to Nami before gently grabbing her hand. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry, my lady. I did not see you there. My name is Sanji, your waiter for today. I'm the assistant chef of this restaurant. But since we're understaffed, I'll be serving in the meantime. Is there anything you'd like to personally request?"

While Usopp and the bounty hunters cringed at Sanji's obvious attempts to flirt, the three Straw Hats felt a familiar pang of pain and guilt in their chests. Nami and Luffy more so than Zoro.

Reigning in her emotions, she gently pulls her hand away. "Oh, I'd like to order something, but I'm not sure if I have the money to pay for such fine service."

"Ah, then allow me to ease your burden." He says, before turning to the men in the table, his expression changing drastically. "You shitheads still have to pay, though."

"Oi, that's unfair customer treatment!" Usopp and the bounty hunters protested.

"Then if you want it to be fair then pay for this lady's food, then. That way you can pay for all of your meals." He stood beside the table while writing their orders before he walked back to the kitchen.

The group chatted amicably while waiting for their food when they were interrupted by the familiar marine from earlier. The marine's disheveled appearance might've had something to do with the cannonball they casually reflected earlier.

"How dare you attack a marine!"

"We didn't attack you. It was your cannonball that hit your ship. And besides, what did you expect to happen? You shot at us, we protected our ship." Zoro says, his irritation visible to everyone on the table.

"I expected you to sink to the bottom of the ocean!" He then breaks the table with a single punch, breaking it and spilling the bowls of soup. "Don't you know who the hell I am?! I am Fullbody, a Marine Lieutenant! And when I say that you don't deserve to eat, you don't get to eat. Do you understand?!" He then dusts off his fists and wipes off the droplets of soup that splashed from his attack. "I was in a bad mood earlier because my date stood me up. And now seeing your faces in this restaurant makes me want to beat the crap out of you."

He did not have the opportunity, though, as he was kicked away by Sanji, who wore a dark expression upon seeing the spilled soup.

"You threaten people in front of women, spill someone else's food without thinking of the people cleaning it up, and you waste everyone's goddamn time? I'm impressed how easy you tick off a chef's shitlist."

Fullbody wipes off the blood off of his lip before standing up ready to fight. "You'll pay for that, you son of a bitch."

Fullbody initiates the attack, but he quickly goes down from Sanji's counters. A few minutes later, some of the staff decided to pull him away from the marine's still beat-up but still conscious body. Fullbody slowly sits upright before standing on his wobbly legs.

"Sanji, stop beating up the customers!"

"Let go of me, you idiots! That guy started it first! He was bothering other customers." Sanji shouted, trying to get away from the other waiters holding him back to resume the beat-down. Meanwhile, the Straw Hats continued watching the scene with different amounts of interest.

The marine dusted himself before narrowing his eyes on the chefs. "You think I'll let this go? I swear to you that I'll close this restaurant down. And when that happens, I'll make you all kiss my feet just to keep your jobs." He was about to walk to where the chefs are when a marine runs inside the restaurant. Everyone can see that his face is a bit bloodied.

"Lieutenant! This is bad- one of Krieg's men managed to escape during the commotion. He managed to steal one of our life boats, but we weren't able to track him." The marine said.

"You bastards are lucky that I need to do my job." He spits out before walking out of the restaurant. As the marine lieutenant leaves, the waiters holding Sanji down lets him go as he shrugs them off. Moments later, a chef wearing a tall toque walks out of the kitchen to see what the fuss is about. He looks around and sees Sanji with the other chefs, as well as a broken table and some spilled food.

"What the hell happened here." He simply said

"Owner Zeff, Sanji was beating up another customer. We tried to stop him but, he just won't stop." The chef known as Zeff turns his head towards Sanji, waiting for an explanation. Sanji points at the Straw Hats' broken table.

"That marine ruined someone else's meal." He said, before walking to where they're eating. "I'm really sorry about that. Your meal's about to be delayed some more. I'll seat you somewhere else and I'll serve you another set of complementary dishes."

Luffy flashes him a wide smile. "That's alright! You look really cool out there, going up against that guy. Say, we're looking for a chef, and you seem strong enough. Do you want to join us?"

"No." He immediately replied, before asking one of the waiters to attend to them. He was about to head back to the kitchen when Zeff interrupts him with his arms crossed.

"Why don't you go out to sea with those people? You keep on breaking my property and scaring some of the customers. I'm starting to think that you're more trouble than you are worth." This irritated Sanji, and he refused to even acknowledge the question. Instead, opting to continue his way back to the kitchen, but not before bumping shoulders with Zeff.

Usopp watched the entire exchange before facing Luffy. "Well, he does seem strong. Are you sure about wanting him to join?"

Zoro simply shakes his head. "Don't bother. Once Luffy sets his mind about something, you really can't stop him."

On the second day, their appetizers were served.

The Straw Hats decided to anchor themselves close to Baratie, which confused Johnny, Yosaku, and even Usopp. Nami told them that Luffy really wanted to recruit Sanji and decided to stay here until they do so. Zoro and Luffy went inside Baratie to order some food for them to bring back, leaving the four of them to guard the ship. Usopp busies himself with modifying some of their facilities with whatever parts he can find in the store room, while Johnny and Yosaku serve as their body guards.

"Nami-aneki, what are you doing?" Yosaku asks.

Nami looks up from her maps to face him. "Oh, just charting possible islands that we can visit before we head to the grand line."

"Grand line?! You guys plan on going there?"

"Oh course. Luffy wants to become the pirate king. He can't become one if we can't even go there, right?"

Yosaku nods in understanding. Johnny, however, was a bit skeptical. "You guys are really loyal towards Luffy-aniki. I'm amazed at how all of you really go out of your way to satisfy his whims."

Nami simply smiles at the two of them. "Luffy's helped everyone in the crew. The least we can do is humor him from time to time. Though it does get a bit annoying sometimes." She jokes.

A sudden gust of wind picks up out of nowhere. Nami quickly folds her map so it won't tear from the force of the wind. Johnny's coat opens up in the wind, however, and several pieces of paper fly out from his pocket. Nami manages to catch some before they fly away and pulls it down. She reads the pieces of paper, only to find out that they're wanted posters. Her eyes focus on one bounty head.

"Ah, thank you Nami-aneki. Those are some wanted posters of some of the guys we're interested. Don't worry. If you ever get a bounty, we won't go after you." He jokes. He noticed her staring at Arlong's wanted poster. Arlong is known as east blue's most wanted man with 20 million Beri over his head. He wonders if she's interested in cashing in Arlong's bounty.

For Nami, when she saw the wanted poster, she expected to feel a dull sense of pain in her heart. But, surprisingly, she was overcome with a sense of camaraderie upon remembering the events from the previous timeline. When Luffy saved Cocoyashi village from the fishmen, not only did it signify the end of Arlong's tyranny, but it also solidified the group's bonds. That was the day when a rag-tag bunch of teenagers turned into a tight-knit pirate group that took the world by storm. She looks up into the sky while grasping Arlong's poster, a smile visible on her face.

"Nami-aneki, is something wrong?"

"No, I just remembered something."

Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, Luffy and Zoro are waiting for their food to be served. At first, when the staff recognized that Zoro was the infamous pirate hunter of east blue, they were afraid at first. But over time, they got used to the groups presence, to the point that they're frequently reprimanding Luffy because he would wait just outside the door to try and taste-test the food exiting the kitchen. "Quality control", he says to the staff's irritation and amusement.

"Oi Luffy, you shouldn't bother them while they're at work."

"But the food looks amazing! And they change the menu everyday so I wanna test them out."

The front door of the restaurant busting open grabs everyone's attention. They see a man wearing a gray tracksuit walking towards one of the vacant tables. He sits down and places his legs on the table. He looks a bit worse for wear, everyone can see that. A large man, who they remember as Patty approaches the man.

"Damn marines chasing me to sea... Hey waiter, bring me some food, will ya'?"

"Good afternoon, you piece of crap. I'd like to ask first if you can pay."

The man pulls out a pistol and points it at Patty's head. "I don't have coins in me. Do you accept lead?"

Without hesitation, Patty punches him with a downward swing of his fist before kicking him towards the open door. "If you can't pay, then you're not a goddamn customer. Get out, you scum." This earned a few cheers from the staff and the patrons.

"Heh. Not keen on giving out donations, huh..." the man said before standing up and limping out of the door. Unbeknownst to the crowd, Sanji saw the entire exchange. He then quickly enters the kitchen.

Upon exiting the restaurant, he heads to the restaurant's back area before collapsing due to fatigue. He laid there for a bit before he smelled something delicious. He looks up as much as he can before a plate is laid down in front of him. He turned to the person who saved him and was greeted by Sanji wearing a grin. Gin immediately sat up and ate the food as quickly as he can. The chef, meanwhile, sat on the deck while leaning on the deck's railing.

After finishing the meal, the man gently puts down the plate with a thankful smile and tears on his face. "This...This is so freaking good! I thought I was about to die! I haven't eaten in days and my stomach's been hurting. Thank you...My name's Gin, and I'm really grateful for you saving me."

Sanji simply grins before exhaling a puff of smoke. "It's that good? I'm really glad."

"He's a pretty good cook, isn't he?"

The two look up at the roof to see Luffy looking down from where he's sitting on the edge of the rooftop.

Sanji clicks his tongue in annoyance, while Gin looks at him in confusion. "Who's that guy?"

"Oh, he's a pirate, he says. Been trying to recruit me for days as his cook."

"I told you I refuse." Luffy said, which annoyed Sanji further.

"Huh? You refuse? You're the one offering me, I'm the one that should be telling that to you, straw hat bastard."

"No, I refuse your refusal."

"That doesn't make any sense!"

Gin chose this moment to interrupt the two, looking at Luffy seriously. "You're a pirate, kid? You don't look the type."

"I'm trying to get this guy to join me so we can have a strong cook in our ship. Once we finish everything up, we'll head straight for the grand line and start our adventure."

The mention of the grand line drastically changed Gin's expression from serious to slightly fearful. "Grand line huh? Let me give you some advice, kid. Don't go to that place. It's not sunshine and rainbows. And it's certainly not a place for excitement and adventure. It's a dangerous place where everything's trying to kill you. There are plenty of islands here in the east blue where you can go have your adventure."

Luffy tries his hardest not to wince at that. More than anyone else, Luffy knows the dangers of the grand line. They've experienced it firsthand. That's why they returned, though. To correct their mistakes and to fulfill their dreams with their friends once again.

"No, I've made my mind. I want to enter the grand line and become the pirate king."

Gin shrugs. "Well, I can't stop you. Anyways, I'm really sorry, Sanji-san. I guess I don't have the money to pay." He says before standing up and jumping back to his small boat. "You'll probably get in trouble for that."

"It's fine. I'll think of something to tell the owner." And with that, Gin sails away from the restaurant. The two of them watched as he sailed further and further out, before Luffy broke the silence.

"Hey, why don't you want to join me on our ship?"

"Tch. I don't need to tell you my reasons." He says, before lighting up another cigarette. "Why do you want to sail anyway? What good is it for you?"

"It's my dream, so I'll do it." Luffy immediately replied.

"Dream huh..." This made Sanji think for a bit. A few seconds later, he looks at Luffy. "Have you ever heard of all blue?"

Luffy nods. He's heard of it from Sanji himself from the last time he tried to recruit him, so it's no use to lie about it. He listened as Sanji detailed the story of all blue with all the eagerness in the world, which made Luffy smile fondly.

"That's great! We both have a dream to fulfill, so why don't you join me?"

Sanji's expression turned into one of resignation. "I have a debt to repay the owner of this restaurant. This place is his treasure, so I'll protect this place with my life."

Luffy sighs before jumping down to the deck. "I may have failed to recruit you today, but I won't give up."

"Persistent bastard." He says, before standing up and preparing for his shift. "Well, I better get back to the kitchen. Break time's over." The two of them head back inside.

The waiter told them that their meal was delayed, so they were served a drink that was far too bitter for their taste.

Nami jolts awake from her slumber, breathing heavily while sweating, despite the chilly evening weather. She wipes her face and rubs her eyes before she slowly stands up and decides to head to the deck, resigned to the fact that she won't be able to sleep this evening. Instinctively, she reaches out with her color of observation and was surprised when she senses someone already up and about.

Quietly exiting the cabin, she spots Luffy leaning forward on the ship's railing, looking out into the open seas. She slowly walks up to him before standing beside him.

"I'm surprised you're awake. Can't sleep?"

"Yeah. You too?" Luffy asks.

"I can't sleep. I'm... having nightmares." She replies. Luffy simply nods in understanding.

The two of them remained quiet for a few minutes, content with watching the calm rhythm of the waves. "You know, I'm jealous of Zoro. He seems like he can sleep peacefully despite everything."

Nami shakes her head. "That's not true, and you know it. He's very good at hiding it but he feels sad every time he sees Usopp or Sanji. It's just that he thinks that he should be the pillar of stability that the two of us can lean on."

The two of them returned to the comforting silence from earlier. As more and more people join the crew, there will be less time to think clearly. It seems that aside from training to get stronger physically and mentally, they needed to train themselves emotionally. Unintentionally, Nami's memories from their previous journey resurfaces.

...

"Nami-san! I'll keep them distracted. Head back to the ship!" Sanji shouted at Nami as she immediately stopped running, looking back at him worriedly.

"Sanji-kun, what are you talking about! We can get away from them!"

"You know as well as I do that we won't get out of here. Unless someone buys the other enough time." He says as he gathers his breath. Their crew was ambushed by the marines after their fight against the Blackbeard pirates. They decided to split up and spread out, so it'll be harder for them to capture them, but the marines have other plans. They used the same inventions they used to fight against the former warlords. And while it was only mildly effective against them, using these things against a single pirate crew made them much more potent.

"Don't you dare-"

"Luffy needs you, Nami-san!" This immediately silenced her outburst. "You're the only one capable of traversing these hostile waters. If you fall here, then the crew is as good as dead!"

Whatever form of protest she had in her head was squashed. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she shouted back. "You better make sure to escape once we're out, you hear me!?"

The only reply she received was a confident smile before Sanji immediately jumps back into the fray. Nami continued her desperate dash back into the ship with tears on her eyes. Unknown to her at the time, this was the first of many losses that she'll experience in a long time.

...

Nami steeled herself before swallowing any traces of sadness. "We were given an opportunity to start again, Luffy. The least we can do is make this second chance worthwhile..." she says.

"We will, and we'll make this crew more awesome than the last time." Luffy says with a hardened yet confident expression, before turning into a more somber one. "But... I want to at least remember what they did for me..."

Nami nods as she does the same, quietly honoring and thanking their sacrifice to make this possible again. The two remained there until sunrise, comforted by the presence of their friends.

The waiter served their dessert a bit too early on the fourth day.

It was an afternoon. After cooking several meals for a few hours now, it was time for Sanji's break. After telling his coworkers, he grabs a piece of extra bread before exiting through the back door. Once he got out, he was a bit taken aback by the sight of a pirate ship anchored relatively close to Baratie. Upon looking closer, he can see the green-haired swordsman and the long-nosed kid chatting casually on the deck. What he was surprised of, however, was that the swordsman is lifting two cauldrons that are larger than a person. It seems that he's using them as makeshift weights by tying them to a steel pole and lifting it. And upon closer inspection, those cauldrons seem familiar.

"Hey, those are our pots. The hell are you doing with those?"

Zoro looks at him while maintaining his routine. "I asked one of the chefs if I can borrow them, and he let me."

Sanji feels like talking to this guy for long periods of time will give him a headache. "This is a restaurant, not your personal hotel. You know what, forget that I said anything." He then sits down on the deck of the restaurant, and lights up a cigarette. "I'm guessing that your captain told you that you'll stay here until I say yes to him."

"It's one of his whims. I'm sure that he has something in mind." Zoro says without breaking his concentration.

Usopp turns to Sanji. "Hey, why don't you just join us? It'll be fun! And besides, the owner told Luffy that you can leave."

"I don't care about what that geezer says. If he wants me gone, then he should just fire me." Sanji exhales a puff of smoke, before pulling out the bread he picked up from earlier and he starts eating. "Aren't you that famous bounty hunter? What are you doing sailing with pirates?"

"Career change." Zoro simply replies.

"Oh before I forget, Zoro. After Johnny told you something a few days ago, you began training like crazy." Usopp points out.

Zoro chooses this time to take his break. He puts down the two cauldrons before leaning forward on Merry's railings. "Johnny told me that Mihawk was spotted close to this place. I decided to ramp up my training in case I meet him." The mention of Mihawk's name confused Usopp, while Sanji's eyes widen.

"Mihawk? The royal warlord? What's he doing here."

"Beats me." Zoro simply shrugs. "The only thing in my mind now is the thought of challenging him to a duel."

"Mihawk? Who's he?" Usopp asked, still confused on who the person they're talking about.

"He's a warlord. Government sanctioned pirate, basically. And he's considered to be the world's greatest swordsman." Sanji answers Usopp before turning to Zoro. "You know he's a grand line pirate right? I don't know how strong you are exactly, but he's on another level compared to the other scum sailing in east blue."

"I know I can't beat him. Not yet. But what kind of person would I be if I didn't try." Zoro says, before rehydrating himself. His journey and experiences from the previous timeline certainly humbled him. He doesn't have any illusions of beating Haw Eyes, especially with his current body. But still, he wants to measure how far he is from the top.

Sanji raises his arm, not meaning to offend the swordsman. "Hey, hey, I'm just asking. You do you." He finishes his snack before taking another hit with his cigarettes. "While you guys are here, however, I'm going to take my time attending to Nami-swan~"

"Oi Sanji, give us some food!" Usopp shouted at him.

"I'm on a break right now, you long-nosed bastard. Ask me again in an hour."

Their main course arrived on the fifth day.

The Straw Hats, together with Johnny and Yosaku, are currently having their breakfast inside Baratie. The staff are now used to their presence, to the point that some of the staff don't even consider these guys as "honored customers".

"Hey Patty, give me some of that cake you're serving!" Luffy shouts.

"It's not for you, straw hat! Why don't you order from one of the waiters!" Patty tries to evade the rubber man's arms that's trying to grab the plate.

The entire restaurant was stunned into silence when two men bursts from the entrance. Looking at it, Luffy can see Gin. On his shoulders, however, is a man wearing a large coat. He seems weak and is about to fall over without Gin's support.

"Please, someone, feed us! We have money to pay for food this time!" Gin shouts while looking around frantically.

"Th-That's Don Krieg..." one of the patrons mumbled. Everyone was unsure of what to do. However, for three people in particular, this was something they expected.

'it's time.'

AN: Hello again, and welcome to the bottom section for this chapter. For this chapter, I decided to experiment on some narration styles and separating the chapter into different portions. Also, someone mentioned to me that I can try using line breaks instead of the "-xxx-"s that I've been using in previous chapters, so I'm trying it out this time. I'm really interested in your thoughts and opinions, especially to see if this fic is getting better or getting worse and hopefully, I can adjust.

Also, this chapter didn't include any significant combat scenes because I thought that it would break the tone and themes for this chapter.

This might get a bit annoying, but I'd love to thank everyone who've read all the chapters that I've posted so far. And also those who have decided to check on this fic from time to time, your support is really appreciated. See you next chapter, and take care!