Supernova

by Primordial Vortex

Luffy's adventures took a much different start. It wasn't the Gomu Gomu fruit that Shanks and his crew brought to that sleepy town, and the consequences will reverberate throughout the Grand Line! With the power of the Sun in his hands, the Mugiwara Crew will take on the world! Different-DF-Luffy! Expanded crew. Harem. No Yaoi.

4. A Test of Strength

Hey, hey, hey! How is everyone today?

This is also something I forgot to do last chapter, so you guys are getting the rant here. There are very few things (story related things, not things like grammar or spelling) which can get me to outright abandon a One Piece story. Kuro joining the crew is one of them! That kind of things falls very firmly into outright character assassination for me. You either have to ruin Kuro as a villain (piss poor one that he was in the first place) by having him apologize or all of a sudden warp into a half-decent guy OR you have to ruin LUFFY as a Captain by having him do it.

Luffy would NEVER accept that toe rag on his crew. His crewmates would NEVER accept him inviting Kuro. He's exactly the kind of Pirate Nami hates, Usopp would probably tear his guts out before he would shake his hand, and most importantly, he's the kind of Pirate LUFFY HIMSELF hates. The kind who runs away from the sea! The kind who betrays his nakama! It's just that kind of instant turn-off button. I don't care how good the story was leading up to it. People do decently well at keeping Luffy in character and then they go and do stupid shit like that! Well fuck that. You guys can rest assured that Kuro will never be a crew member in any story I write.

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Chapter IV: A Test of Strength

-]|[-

Nami and Zoro were feeling rather relieved if they were honest. Since they had met Monkey D Luffy, he had captivated them with his strength…his ideals… He was a fair teacher, if what you wanted taught was combat. His explanations may not have been the greatest, but you were able to understand the point he was trying to get across. He had taken down a tyrant; taken down multiple big names in East Blue; and all with only minimal usage of his Devil Fruit. To Nami especially, he had started to seem almost unassailable. His only downside seemed to be him not being the brightest bulb on the shelf.

So, it actually felt fairly good to find something that he downright sucked at.

"Well a Pirate's flag is supposed to be a symbol of death…" Zoro smirked, "I suppose it is quite terrifying if you look at it like that."

"I…I guess it could be abstract art." Nami offered in bemusement.

"You're so artistically challenged I barely have words." Usopp coughed.

Luffy was still grinning cheerfully, "I worked really hard on it."

"It sucks." The three deadpanned. Usopp stepped forward and grabbed a clean black flag and the painting utensils, "Leave it to the pro." He said with a 'mighty' look on his face, "I've been doing graffiti for three decades. I'm a master artist." And while the 'decade' portion was a lie – you would think he would have learned after what happened with Kaya and the villagers – the 'master artist' portion may not have been too far off. "It's done!" He declared happily, showing off his creation.

Both Zoro and Nami punched him in the back of the head, "Idiot!" Luffy had drawn a misshapen skull-and-crossbones with a giant grin and his signature straw hat on its head, inside a white, stylized sun on his black flag. Instead of cleaning it up and drawing it properly, Usopp had instead drawn a long-nosed skull facing the right with a bandana and one of the crossbones replaced with a slingshot. "You completely changed the symbol!" Nami yelled angrily.

A few minutes later, they were standing above the completed flag, "Uwaahhh!" Luffy cried, stars in his eyes, "It looks awesome!"

"It's perfect!" Nami clapped her hands in delight.

"Alright Usopp, go draw it on the sail as well!" He paused, before looking at it closely, "I think you'll have to make the sun black though, since the sail is white." Not too long after, the flag was stung up on the tallest mast, and the symbol was painted onto the sails.

Usopp was laying on the deck in spread eagle, "I'm tired" he panted.

Nami was equally as sweaty, having just gone through another training session with Luffy. She was right beside Usopp in the same position, while Zoro was laying back on the mast with a sleepy expression.

BOOM

All three of them jumped, "Oi, what the hell are you doing?" Zoro yawned angrily. He had almost been asleep when Luffy decided to try blowing their eardrums out!

Luffy turned around and blinked, "I'm testing out the cannon, of course." He said as if that should have been immediately obvious. He turned and looked out at his target with a frown, "Can't get the stupid thing to shoot properly though."

Usopp stood up, rolling up his metaphorical sleeves, "Stand aside, my amateur friend." He cracked his fingers and slipped his goggles down onto his eyes. He stared at the rock Luffy was pointing at in concentration, "Wind is low…small adjustment…calculating drop needed for this distance… That should about do it." He yanked on the cord that fired the cannon, and it went off with another huge bang. The rock was practically blown in half when the cannonball hit it.

"Wow!" Luffy yelled in excitement, "You got it on your first shot!"

"You're right! I did!" Usopp yelled in excitement, before straightening up with a cheesy grin on his face, "I mean, of course I did! I'm an old hand at this you see. I'm an expert at aiming. Feel free to worship my skills as Captain!"

Luffy grinned and clapped him on the back, making him stumble, "I've decided, you're definitely our sniper."

Usopp blinked, "You mean I'm not the Captain?" He sounded legitimately puzzled here. Luffy glared, making a shiver go up his spine, "Fine!" Usopp said as they all went inside the cabin, "But if you ever chicken out on something, I'll be the Captain!"

Nami immediately glared a hole into him at that, "There's only one man I would call Captain, and his name does not start with a 'U.'"

Usopp shivered again at the promise of pain in her gaze, "Eeash…touchy." He mumbled, head down in disappointment.

Luffy grinned despite himself at Nami's declaration, before a light bulb appeared over his head, "Oh right!" Luffy said, clapping a fist into his open palm, "We have one more crucial position to fill before we enter the Grand Line!"

Nami smiled, brushing her bangs back, "That's right, this is the kitchen isn't it?" She had a knowing look, "Well, I suppose I could do it…for some cash." She grinned greedily.

Zoro was smiling lazily, "An indispensable crewmate for long voyages huh?"

Luffy grinned widely, "You think so too, right? Yep, what a Pirate crew really needs is…a musician!"

"ARE YOU RETARDED?" They all yelled with white eyes and shark teeth.

Nami slapped a palm to her face, "And just when I thought you would say something smart. Do you have any idea what sailing is actually like?"

"But Pirates love to sing!" Luffy protested, looking utterly crestfallen.

"COME OUT, YOU GOD DAMN PIRATES!" An extremely loud, extremely angry voice roared from outside on the deck. Usopp jumped roughly three miles into the air, spilling his coffee everywhere. "I'M GOING TO SLAUGHTER ALL OF YOU!"

"The hell?" Luffy asked, before running outside with Nami hot on his heels. He kicked the cabin door open, practically off its hinges, and went into the sunlight. Some guy was standing there with a dadao in his hand. All around him were destroyed, (thankfully) empty barrels. Some of the wood on the ship also had slash marks on it, "What the hell? Who the hell are you!" Luffy yelled furiously, jumping down onto the main deck of the ship.

The man grit his teeth, "Who am I?" He started trembling in rage, "I should be asking you…WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, KILLING MY BUDDY?!" He ran forward and swung his sword down.

Luffy growled and backhanded the blade straight out of the man's hand. He gasped as it flew sideways and clattered on the floorboards. Luffy closed his hand and drilled him right in the jaw. The man swore he felt his jaw crack from the impact as he flew in the direction of his sword, "Almost…" He coughed, "…had him…"

"No, you didn't." Nami deadpanned as she landed over him. She stuck her staff under his jaw and pushed up, "Now, why the hell were you wrecking our ship?"

Zoro walked out of the kitchen with a yawn, before blinking twice, "Huh? That you, Johnny?"

The man – who was apparently named Johnny – gasped and tried to sit up, before remembering the staff at his throat, "Zoro-aniki?! Is that really you?!" He croaked.

Zoro ignored the question, "Where's Yosaku huh? Isn't he always with you?"

Johnny grit his teeth as Nami decided to throw him a bone and allowed him to sit up, "Yosaku is sick!" A few minutes later, they had collected the sick man from Johnny's dinghy and brought him onto the deck. He was a mess. He had a small bit of blood dribbling from his lips, and was lightly bleeding from various wounds, "He was fine a few days ago!" Johnny cried, "Then he started turning pale and even started passing out! His teeth started falling out…his gums were bleeding…even old wounds reopened!" He bowed his head, "I was trying to let him get some rest on top of a rock we found…but then this ship shot a cannonball at us!"

Usopp and Luffy both jawdropped. Their mouths were wide open, hanging as if they were unhinged. They were both sweating profusely, "We…we're very sorry."

Johnny looked miserable, "It's fine." He sighed, "If apologies could solve every problem there would be no need for Marines." If anything, that just made Usopp and Luffy look even more contrite, "Yosaku and Johnny…we were infamous enough to have Pirates quaking in their boots! We've lived and worked together for years! This can't be how it ends!"

Mount Nami had enough and finally exploded, "ARE YOU ALL BLOODY IDIOTS?!"

"What was that?" Zoro growled at her.

"Hey lady, I won't let you mock my friend's suffering!" Johnny looked ready to attack again.

"Am I the ONLY ONE on this ship who knows a single damn thing about the sea?!" She yelled, before sighing and running a hand down her face, "Usopp! Go get a pitcher and some limes from the kitchen and squeeze out the juice! Now!" Usopp ran off in a hurry.

"…Limes?"

Nami leaned back on the rail, "Your idiot friend has scurvy." She glared at him, "This is what happens when you don't eat enough fruits and vegetables! How is it that not ONE of you knew something EVERY sailor should know!" Luffy was pouring the lime juice down Yosaku's throat while Usopp held his head up. The man seemed to be swallowing instinctively.

Johnny looked shocked and ecstatic. He sprang up and got right in Nami's face, practically spiting on her, "Are you telling me the truth Sis?"

Nami backed away slightly, "Don't call me that." She sighed and closed her eyes, "Scurvy is caused by not eating right. If you don't eat fruits and vegetables, you'll lack many of the essential nutrients found in them. In the past it was practically a death sentence. We didn't have the technology needed to store fruits and vegetables for long, so voyages often had many sailors die from it."

"Wow!" Luffy looked awed, "You're like doctor!"

Usopp was crowing, "Yeah, I always knew that girl was special. Captain Usopp's eyes are never wrong!"

Nami's white-eyed shark-teeth face made a return, "IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE SAILING YOU SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW THIS MUCH! YOUR STUPIDITY WILL BE THE END OF YOU!"

"YOSH! I'm charged up and full of nutrients! I'm ready for action!" Yosaku sprang to his feet in a burst of energy.

"YES! MY PARTNER IS FINE NOW!" Johnny yelled in excitement.

"LIKE HELL HE IS! NO ONE RECOVERS THAT FAST!" Nami screeched at them, "LAY DOWN BEFORE YOU HURT YOURSELF! AGAIN!"

"Sorry for the late introductions." Johnny said, resting his fist on his face. He was a tan, average-sized man with short black hair. He wore sunglasses, and had a tattoo on his cheek which read, 'sea.' He had a light blue jacket over a purple shirt, and gray pants, "The name's Johnny."

"And I'm Yosaku." He said, lifting a cigarette to his lips. He had a green coat over a black shirt and plaid yellow shorts. He had some strange red headgear and unshaven legs, "Zoro used to bounty hunt with us in the past. Nice to meet all of you." He grinned, "I have no idea how to thank you all. I thought I was going to die for sure!"

Johnny chuckled, "Still, I never would have guessed that the infamous Pirate hunter would become a Pirate himself!" He would have gone on but Yosaku keeled over, coughing up blood. Johnny turned around with his mouth wide and gaping, "YOSAKU!"

"JUST GET SOME REST ALREADY, YOU IDIOTS!" Zoro roared at the two.

Nami smacked her face with her palm again, "Let this be a lesson to you idiots! The sea is a rough place! You have to eat properly or even that will kill you!"

Zoro sighed, "Yeah, I guess these are the kinds of dangers we'll have to face if we'll be on long voyages."

"They both probably would have died if we didn't come by them." Usopp was sitting on the mast as he said this, "We definitely will need to stay healthy! We need a Chef of the Sea!"

"It's one of the most important skills you can have on the sea." Nami said, "I'm not a bad hand, but I'm certainly no chef. "

"I've decided!" Luffy grinned widely, "Let's go get ourselves a Sea Cook! Eating good food can never be a bad thing!"

"Bro!" Johnny said, raising his hand in the air like a schoolboy, "If a cook is what you're after, I know just the place!" He grinned, "Though recruiting one will be a whole other matter." He spent a few minutes describing the place.

"A restaurant on the seas!" Everyone looked pretty excited at this.

"That's right! It's a fair ways away; about 2-3 days!" he crossed his arms, looking serious, "But that place is close to the Grand Line. Lots of dangerous folks around these parts."

"You don't know the meaning of the word." Nami deadpanned, nudging Luffy gently with a grin.

Johnny continued, ignoring her, "Even that 'Hawk-Eyed' man you've been looking for has been sighted there before."

As the ship turned to the north, a slightly-sweating Zoro could only look both terrified and exhilarated.

-]|[-

Zoro grit his teeth so hard he was starting to become afraid of chewing through Wado. Luffy – they all had discovered – was a complete demon with the staff – or pipe, in this case. The thought that his brother Ace was even better than him with more than a little sobering, when Luffy himself could hold all three of them back at the same time.

"GUH!" Zoro grunted as Luffy's pipe danced and knocked two of his swords high. A dull thunk rang through the air as Luffy's leg hit his side for a devastating impact that almost lifted him straight off his feet. Growling, he swung two of his swords in a scissor-like motion, aiming for his captain's neck.

Luffy vanished, that massive grin of his still on his face. He appeared behind Zoro, who whirled around and got ready, "Rankyaku!" He yelled and kicked upward, sending a powerful blade of compressed air straight at the swordsman. Zoro grunted and his right blade flashed. He swung it upwards, his own compressed-air blade flying from his sword. The two connected in midair and caused enough friction to generate a little bit of static, before dissipating, "Shishishi, you've gotten pretty good at that, Zoro."

Zoro panted heavily. He was covered in a light sheen of sweat from their spar, and if he were a weaker guy, he would no doubt be covered in bruises. Either that or he would be just one massive bruise, "Thanks Captain." He said clearly, despite the blade in his mouth. He had a tired, but happy grin on his face. Ever since they had started actually sparring, Zoro could feel himself grow stronger by leaps and bounds. Luffy had also been slowly ramping up the amount of force he used in his hits, increasing the amount of punishment Zoro was forced to take. By necessity, the swordsman had started learning the beginnings of Tekkai. Every time Zoro thought he had the damn move down, Luffy would just break through it and correct that sentiment. They had given Kami-e up as a bad job for now, seeing as how Zoro couldn't bring himself to limber up the same way Nami could. He had also taught Zoro the basics of Rankyaku. Zoro had obviously chosen to apply them to his swords rather than his legs.

Johnny and Yosaku – who were watching the spar carefully – were both blue, "Zoro-aniki is so strong…and he can't even land a good hit on Luffy-aniki…" A stray lead ball beaning Johnny in the head reminded them that they weren't the only two sparring.

Usopp's physical conditioning was pretty piss poor, even though he could take a rather shocking amount of damage without collapsing. So, until that could be improved, Luffy had instructed him to spar with Nami, who was really starting to get the hang of Soru by now. Usopp was increasing his firing speed with his slingshot, trying to hit Nami with every single shot, while she was dodging and attacking him. Nami – who was rather annoyed with Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dumb for constantly calling her 'bro' – had made sure she positioned herself so that they would be collateral damage occasionally. Usopp was also covered in welts and bruises from her staff and kicks.

Luffy had been quite clear that they would face strong opponents on the Grand Line. If you were on the crew, you trained, and you trained hard. Johnny and Yosaku – after taking one look at the insanity the Captain was leading them through – had quietly sat back and tried to look inconspicuous.

Finally, Luffy called a stop to the day's practice, "Nice job guys! Shishishi!" Zoro let out a giant sigh in relief, sheathing his swords as he walked stiffly over to the mast and instantly falling asleep against it. Usopp crumbled and lay spread eagle, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Nami came out of a Soru and fell to her knees, propping herself up by leaning on her staff. She was covered in a heavy sheen of sweat and her chest was heaving from her heavy panting. She was also covered in some light welts, from her earlier practice with Luffy himself.

"He practiced with all of them and he's not even breathing all that hard." Yosaku was in awe and was feeling pretty intimidated. Johnny was thanking his lucky stars that these were cool Pirates, otherwise he probably would have already been dead, stuffed, and hung on a wall inside the ship for his earlier attacks.

"Shishishi," Luffy looked pretty amused at the state of his crew. He was also really proud of them. Other than some bellyaching from Usopp – who kept claiming diseases to try to get out of training – they were all taking to it like fish to water. "Okay, so you two!" The two bounty hunters stiffened to attention, "How close are we to this restaurant?"

Johnny was the one who replied, "Oh, I'd say we're about six hours out!"

Nami grinned happily, "Awesome! That's enough time for me to have a nice, long soak." She wobbled to her feet and walked shakily to her room, eager to hop into a hot, relaxing bath. Zoro just continued sleeping. Usopp looked like he had passed out. "Luffy, you go shower too after I'm done!" She called before heading inside.

Luffy blinked, "Why?" He yelled at her retreating form.

"Because you reek!" She yelled back, already inside. Luffy blinked again, before sniffing under his arms. His nose wrinkled a bit. Nami had a point, he chuckled to himself as he walked into the ship after her.

-]|[-

"Zoro-aniki! Luffy-Aniki! Usopp-Aniki! Nami-aniki!" The swordsmen duo called out, "We're here!"

Nami came by and walloped the both of them, leaving them smoking on the deck with cartoonish lumps growing out of their heads, "Stop calling me 'bro' god damn it!"

Still, the duo had done their jobs as they all grouped up on deck for their first looks at the Baratie. It was a very strange looking boat. It was a decent bit bigger than the Going Merry,with three visible decks and likely four levels. It had normal masts and was an oval shape around, but what made it unique was the gaping fish head they had for a figurehead along with the tail at the other end. "Wow!" Nami yelled with a giant grin. The actual crew – even Luffy had somehow managed to survive joining in – had all decided not to eat today so that the food here would taste extra good. She was pretty eager to get inside and order. She – and the entire crew for that matter – was salivating.

"That's so funky!" Usopp yelled as he stared at the ship.

"FISH!" Luffy screamed. Zoro was the only one looking even slightly calm, though his mouth was definitely watering.

And then they noticed the Marine Ship coming up beside them. Yosaku and Johnny started to sweat, "Oi, oi, we ain't Pirates here." They decided to try to hide behind the cabin door.

A Marine dressed in formal wear stepped out. He had a pale, pinstripe suit on, bolts attached to his knuckles, pink hair running past his ears, and a scar running on his cheek. "Hmm…I've never seen that flag before…" He breathed calmly, "I'm Marine Lieutenant "Iron Fist" Fullbody. Who is your Captain?"

Luffy stepped up without a care in the world, "That would be me. I'm Luffy. We just painted our flag yesterday."

"And I'm Usopp!" Usopp declared, arms crossed. Nami's smoking fist deposited him into the floor.

Fullbody's eye quirked as he caught sight of Johnny and Yosaku, "Huh, I've seen you two before. You've skulked around some bounty offices in the past." He wasn't smirking or anything, but still managed to come across as incredibly condescending, "You two small-timers finally got yourselves caught huh?"

"Small-timers?" Yosaku repeated distastefully.

"Hey Yosaku, I think this bro is sticking it to us." Johnny said, his mouth hidden by his fist.

"We can't let some asshole go around calling us 'small time' now can we?" Yosaku took a drag from his cigarette, "It's not going to net us a single Beli, but I think we oughta teach this kid how to keep his mouth shut."

They both leapt from the Going Merry with their blades drawn, "YOU COCKY LITTLE YUPPIE!"

The following beat down would not have been appropriate for daytime television. The two idiots were soon back on the ship, legs sticking out into the air. Johnny's face was swollen and full of lumps, and his nose was bleeding. Yosaku's nose was bleeding as well, and he had some teeth knocked out of his gaping gob. "A-almost had him…"

"Man, you guys suck." Luffy deadpanned, rubbing the back of his head in confusion. How the hell had they managed to stick to Zoro long enough for him to know their names?

"N-no…he's just not too shabby either…" They groaned, "It w-was a close one…"

Zoro was looking a little embarrassed, "What the hell are you two doing?"

A voice sounded from the cabin of the Marine vessel, "Darling, stop beating on these nobodies. You promised me a good dinner." A woman stepped out, wearing a fancy red dress with her light blonde hair done up.

"Ah yes." Fullbody finally showed some emotion, allowing the pretty blonde to take his arm. He called back to the Strawhats, "Consider yourselves lucky, Pirates! I'm on vacation today, so I'm just here for the good food and my lovely lady. Next time we meet, your lives are forfeit."

Nami got on her knees and started gathering up some of the papers that had fallen out of Johnny's jacket. She immediately stiffened in fury when she saw his face on one of the bounty posters. Luffy took note of that, as she crumpled it in her clenched fists. He put his hand on her shoulder and eyed the person on the paper. It was some sort of fish guy named Arlong. Nami started, before crumpling it into a ball and throwing it overboard. "You okay Nami?"

Her nostrils flared before looking at him, "…Soon…okay Luffy? Tonight." She whispered, standing and wrapping her arms around him. He returned the hug as she placed her head in the crook of his neck. And Luffy understood. This guy had something to do with Nami's anger against Pirates.

"We're in trouble!" Usopp yelled in terror, interrupting their moment. Fullbody had already taken his dinghy over to the Baratie, but before he had done so, he had ordered his men to sink them once he and his date were inside the restaurant! Usopp was sweating as he pointed at the ship, "THEY'RE FIRING AT US!"

With a BOOM, the Marine cannon fired, sending a cannonball speeding towards their ship. Luffy let go of Nami and lazily caught the large iron ball. Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku's eyes all bugged out of their heads while their jaws dropped to the floor. "THE HELL!?"

Luffy grinned as he bounced the ball up and down, "You call this tiny thing a cannonball?" He asked cheekily. Nami and Zoro were smirking as the Marines all panicked, "Here, you can have this back!" He chucked it, and in the time it took Usopp and the two hunters to blink, the Marine ship had a massive gaping hole torn through the cabin. The mast – which had also been in the path – had eighty percent of the wood blown away about three feet above the deck. It creaked and groaned before falling over. "Don't shoot at us again, or next time I'll actually sink you!" Luffy called out, before going to their dinghy.

-]|[-

"Oh wow! It's Marine Lieutenant Fullbody sitting there!"

"Look at how classy he is!"

"I can't believe a big-time lieutenant is sitting here!"

The Baratie's guests were all having a ball watching the 'celebrity' in the room.

"You're the center of attention. How amazing!" Fullbody's date held a glass of wine up.

"Nonsense, I'm sure they're all looking at your brilliance." Fullbody replied in his most suave tone. He smirked as he heard the bang of a cannon go off outside. No doubt those Pirates were enjoying his little surprise. They clinked their glasses together before taking a little taste, "Mhmm, this delicate scent! It must be from Micqueot of the Northern Lands! And this slight sourness mixed with a thick, dry taste… it must be Itelzbulger Stein! Am I wrong, waiter?" He asked the blonde man holding a plate in his fingers.

"You're not even close, sir." The blonde had a dry smirk on his face, "And by the way, I'm not a waiter. I'm the Sous Chef, and I am temporarily filling in for the waiters who fled the restaurant yesterday. My name is Sanji." Sanji was a tall, slim, but muscular man. His decently-long blonde hair was parted to one side, so only one of his eyes could be seen. Above that eye was a swirl, which was actually his eyebrow. He wore a black, double breasted suit with golden buttons. His dress shirt was a pinstriped navy formal shirt, and he had a slightly-loosened black tie. He placed the plate on the table and placed a cigarette in his mouth, enjoying the shocked look on Fullbody's face, "Please enjoy your soup while it's hot."

"Pfff…" Another of the guests was trying to hold his laughter in.

"Hey, don't laugh!" Another scolded.

"How can't I?" Another was laughing outright, "He sounded so sure of himself!"

Fullbody had an extremely embarrassed look to him. His date was still smiling, though that may actually have been worse than laughter. "You seem very knowledgeable about wine, despite the blunder."

Fullbody coughed, "I usually am…my tongue must be a little numb today." He tried to power his way through the embarrassment, 'The hell is going on? I specifically asked the owner for that wine!' He started planning out his revenge, intending on getting the waiter fired. As he was facing away from the door, he never noticed the Strawhats come in and be seated. His date noticed, but her attention had been all on Fullbody at the time, so she didn't realize they were the Pirates that Fullbody had ordered sunk.

Sanji laid eyes on Nami and they immediately turned into hearts, leaping out of his head while the heart in his chest did the same. He practically noodled over to their table, "O'blessed are the oceans for this day!" He got on bended knee and bowed to the orange-haired girl, who had a wicked, greedy smirk on her face, "Blessed Goddess, thank you for gracing our restaurant with your glory this day! Please, accept this Fruit Macedonia, as well as this glass of Grand Mariner."

"Oh, thank you so much, Sous Chef!" Nami clapped her hands together with a wide, pleased smile. Sanji looked even more love-struck by her words, and that she got his title correct. She put on the act of a love-stuck schoolgirl, and she did it fabulously, "I'm afraid the food here is a little expensive for me though…" She trailed off leadingly, her hand on his cheek.

Sanji sniffed, "Please, a Goddess such as yourself has no need to pay for your food. I would be delighted to serve you for free."

"Ah, thank you so much!" Nami gave him a hug. Luffy was eyeing them with a strange feeling. He didn't know why, but he really didn't like seeing Nami acting this way with the blonde, though he did like his cooking from the few fruits he had already stolen from Nami's glass. Nami saw Luffy with the vaguely angry glint in his eye, and it made her smile even wider. "Oh, Sous Chef, I believe I'll have one of every meat dish on the menu, as well as a lot of rice and vegetables." She winked at Luffy, and he broke into a wide grin, barely holding back a laugh. Some minutes later, they were both digging in and found the food to be absolutely glorious.

"Hey!" Usopp yelled, "Serve the rest of us as well, cook! This is gender discrimination! I'll sue!"

Sanji's joyous expression disappeared as he turned to face Usopp, "I already gave you your tea. Be a little grateful, punk."

"You want to start something?" Usopp had a comical look of rage on his face, "I won't go easy on you! Go get him, Zoro!"

"Get him yourself." Zoro drawled lazily, taking a sip of the tea, "This is some pretty good tea too."

"Delicious!" Nami exclaimed, having tasted a few of the fruits. She shared a few with Luffy as well. She looked at the two, "Oh you two, please don't fight over me." She even had a convincing sad look on her face, with her hands clasped together in front of her as if in prayer.

"Who's fighting over you!" Usopp roared at her angrily.

"Anything for you, miss!" Sanji was back into love-mode.

"Damn lecher." Zoro muttered from behind his cup.

The Strawhats all were awed by how delicious the food they had was. When asked, Sanji told them that he made everything himself. Luffy was gorging himself on all the meat Nami had ordered, much to Sanji's dismay. But, he couldn't do anything about it, as Nami had specifically shared everything with him. "It's so good!" Luffy yelled in excitement, "This is the best food I've ever eaten!" The rest of the table echoed the sentiment, putting a proud smirk onto Sanji's face. He was still miffed over Luffy eating the food he had made special for Nami, but that comment earned him a few points.

Suddenly, Fullbody called from another part of the room, "Oh waiter!"

Sanji growled and walked over to their table, "I believe I've already told you I'm not a waiter." He turned to Fullbody's date, "My, how beautiful you are. Would you like to share a glass of fine wine over there? We have an excellent selection." She blushed lightly and deferred in a giggly tone.

Fullbody grit his teeth at this shameless waiter, "Hey, just what do you think this damn bug is doing in my soup, waiter?" Outwardly, he was stone faced. But inwardly he was smirking like mad, 'Hehehe, how do you like that, bastard? I put this bug in the soup myself. You embarrassed me earlier, and now I'll make sure your reputation is ruined. You'll be fired before the day is out!'

Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, "I hardly claim to be an expert on insects, but if I had to guess I would say the backstroke." Silence.

Then, the entire restaurant burst out laughing, all the while Fullbody grew increasingly red. Sanji 2, Fullbody 0. "DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Fullbody stood with a roar and his iron-studded fist broke the table and the dish into pieces, sending them clattering to the floor. Most of the room gasped, while his date skidded her chair backward with a scared shriek, "You don't seem to have any idea who you're messing with." He growled, clenching his iron fist in front of him.

Sanji's eyes were shadowed, "All you had to do was remove the bug you put in, and it would have been edible."

A vein bulged on Fullbody's neck, "You're real fucking full of yourself for a damn cook, aren't you! I'm a paying customer!"

Sanji got on one knee and picked up a shattered piece of plate, "I spent three days and nights on this soup."

Fullbody's date panicked and held her hands helplessly in front of her, "Fullbody stop, please forgive him!"

"Can money fill your stomach?" Sanji asked, danger in his tone.

At that line, the rest of the waiters and chefs all panicked, almost choking, "We have to stop him! Stop Sous Chef Sanji!"

Fullbody charged, and seconds later was absolutely covered in blood. Sanji's fancy dress shoes had simply flashed as he kicked and pummeled Fullbody as his horrified date looked on. His suit was completely ruined by the red fluid. Before Fullbody could fall, Sanji held him up by his collar with one hand, "Going against a Chef of the Sea is tantamount to suicide." Fullbody's eyes were rolled back into his head, "Don't you dare waste food, you imbecile."

Zoro cringed at the scene, and mechanically turned his head towards Luffy. He didn't bother biting back a groan. Luffy had stars in his eyes as he stared at Sanji. He ran a hand down his face, "Why him? Of all the cooks in this damn restaurant, it just had to be him." He turned to Johnny and Yosaku, who were looking quite embarrassed, "So, 'he's just not too shabby either,' huh?" They shrunk into their seats in embarrassment as Zoro smirked at them.

A new guy appeared. He was a comically muscular man – his biceps were small, but his forearms were huge – with very skinny legs but a huge torso and a head shaped like a pear. His lips and his chin were huge, surrounded by a short black beard, and his head was shaved bald, with a white rope tied around it. He wore a navy-blue shirt with golden buttons on both sides. He had a white cloth belt holding up his shorts, which were the same color as his shirt. His name was Patty, and he had been in the bathroom giving himself a pep talk. With the waiters fleeing, the cooks had to wait the tables, and Patty was definitely not a people person. So, he had been practicing cheesy lines in front of a mirror, all the while saying, "Customers are gods!" So now he walked into the dining area, saying, "The customers are Gods! The customers are… WHAAAAAT! THE CUSTOMER IS BEING…!" He had a comical, shark-toothed look of shock on his face. It morphed into an angry growl of rage, "What the hell are you doing to our customer, Sanji?!" He then noted who said customer was and his eyes bulged, "NOT ONLY THAT, BUT HE'S A MARINE LIEUTENANT!"

Sanji looked back, still holding Fullbody up by the neck, "Oh, it's just you, the shitty cook. Don't say my name so causally like that."

Smoke erupted from Patty's nose, "I ain't going to stand here and let a shitty cook call me a shitty cook." He walked forward, "Customers are Gods, Sanji! So how do you explain his injuries, huh?"

Sanji carelessly tossed Fullbody away, "Of course you would call customers Gods. Some of them can actually stomach your shitty cooking, oceans know how." He took a drag from his cigarette, "He dared waste our precious food and insulted a cook. I just taught him some manners is all."

Fullbody awoke with a bloody cough and struggled to sit up, "What the hell is wrong with this place? They're just like Pirates! How can you mistreat your customers like this?!" He yelled furiously, "I'll report this place to headquarters and have you shut down, do you hear me?"

Sanji stiffened and turned to him, looking surprisingly normal for the fury practically wafting off him, "You're going to shut us down huh? Well, I'm afraid that leaves me no choice but to kill you."

Fullbody choked, "Wha!?"

"It just gets me so angry…" Sanji started off at a normal tone, but his volume had increased to shouting level, even as three other panicked cooks tried to hold him back, afraid that he would actually kill the Marine Lieutenant, "TO SEE A SPOILED SON OF A BITCH LIKE YOU!"

"Stop Sanji! You're going too far!"

"Just who the hell do you think you are?!" Sanji almost bit through his smoke.

A new man entered the dining room. He had a peg leg and a hilariously tall Chef's Hat. It was practically twice his height. He had dull yellow hair and a long, braided mustache with a short, pointy beard. He wore a horizontally striped, purple and orange shirt, dark pants, and a chef's uniform draped from his shoulders. "Sanji! Are you running wild in my restaurant again?"

"Shut up, shitty geezer." Sanji replied in an even tone.

"It's exactly as it looks. Head Chef Zeff! Sanji beat up some idiot Marine Lieutenant!" Patty told him.

Zeff's eyes flashed, and so did his peg leg. It smacked Sanji right in the face, sending him crashing to the floor. It was quite a good roundhouse kick, "Are you trying to sink my restaurant, you little shit?!" Fullbody looked elated at Sanji finally getting taken down a peg, before a puzzled look came over his face as Zeff kicked Sanji only once and then walked over to him, "AND YOU! GET THE HELL OUT ALREADY!" Zeff's peg leg swung once more and sent Fullbody flying into the wall, his humiliation complete.

"You're all crazy!" He said as best he could from his cracked jaw, 'Just what do they think their customers are? They're all insane! This violent place is just like a Pirate ship!' He then laid eyes on Luffy and his crew for the first time since they entered, "Wh-what are you Pirates doing in here?! My ship sunk yours!"

Nami smirked cheekily, and chirped back at him, "Oh, you mean that cannonball? Oh, we don't like having our ship destroyed you see." She had such an innocent look on her face, you would think she was actually an angel, "So our Captain returned it to you! I hope you swim well!" She waved cheerily, "Bye, bye!" Luffy burst out laughing as Fullbody's humiliation was now extra well done. The Strawhats and unknowing future Strawhat joined him in laughing.

A Marine burst into the room, soaking wet from sweat with a look of terror on his face, "Lieutenant! Lieutenant Fullbody sir! It's an emergency!" He eyed Fullbody, not even noticing his decimated state, "That Krieg Pirate we captured escaped the brig!" He shouted in panic, making some in the restaurant itself panic as well, "It took seven of us to capture him in the first place, and now he's gone!"

"That's impossible!" Fullbody yelped in shock, "He hasn't eaten in weeks, and we certainly haven't fed him since his capture three days ago! He shouldn't even have the strength to move!"

Some of the customers panicked, "Krieg? THAT KRIEG? The strongest Pirate in the East Blue?" Luffy's ears quirked, but he didn't bother correcting them. They were just normal people after all.

The hapless Marine yelled, "Please forgi-" Before being cut off entirely by a bullet to the back. His front exploded outward and started dripping blood, even as he slumped forward and crashed to the floor.

The man behind him walked forward, his boots clacking on the wooden floor, audible in the nearly silent restaurant. The chefs weren't silent, nor was Luffy or his crew, even as the man sat down, "Anything will do. Get me some food!" He said clearly, inclining back on his chair and laying one of his dirty legs on top of the clean table, "This place is a restaurant isn't it?" He was a relatively thin man of average height with short, scruffy hair, a scruffy beard, and a barely-visible mustache. He has dark circles under his eyes, as though he hadn't slept in quite a while. He had a green shirt with a very skinny white jacket over it, embosomed with a red dragon. He also had gray pants and a white and blue striped headband.

Patty came forward, his cheesiest grin on his pear-shaped face. He would have looked absolutely hysterical if it wasn't so creepy, "Welcome, ya squid-faced crook!" Off to the side, Luffy started to snicker while the rest of them bit their lips.

The man scowled, "Do your ears work? I'm only going to say this once more, so listen up! I'm a customer, so bring me food! Now!"

"That cook is dead…" Fullbody mumbled.

"Pardon me, dumbass," Luffy and his crew couldn't take it anymore and erupted into laughter over in their corner, "But how are you planning on paying for your meal?" He scratched the top of his head.

The Krieg Pirate growled and placed a pistol dead center of Patty's forehead, "Do ya take lead?"

"No money huh?" Patty said. Before the Pirate could make another move, Patty's huge forearms smashed him through his table in a hammer blow.

"Damn that idiot Patty. He broke my table." Zeff grouched.

"If you can't pay the bill, then you ain't no customer." Patty had his arms crossed.

Some of the cooks cheered him on, "Nice going Patty! Show that idiot Pirate who's boss!" Zeff and Sanji were notably absent from this cheering, which the Strawhats noticed curiously. Sanji got up and walked into the kitchen.

The noise from the Pirate's rumbling stomach filled the room, and Patty leaned down to ask, "Aww, is your stomach growling?" He was quite cruel and condescending.

"It's just gas, jackass. Now bring me some food."

Patty looked enraged, "If you don't have money then you're not a paying customer! Get the hell out of the restaurant!" He kicked the downed Pirate as hard as he could, sending him rolling backwards, "This isn't a place for broke ass Pirates like you! I'm not going to give you even a single bread crumb!" The man coughed up some blood. Fullbody then made the decision to get the hell out of dodge, even leaving his date behind like a coward. The normal people and most of the cooks cheered – Zeff again noticeably absent – but the Strawhats didn't look all too pleased.

"What an asshole." Nami frowned, before turning to Luffy as the Pirate crawled his way outside, "Please tell me that's not our cook." Luffy gave her a sideways half-glare, which made her shiver. She really didn't like that look being directed at her, "Didn't think so."

Zeff was looking at Patty and shaking his head as the man curtsied. Curtsied! "Ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy the rest of your meals!" The large man called out, that cheesy grin once again on his face.

Luffy and Nami eyed Sanji as he left the kitchens with a plate and a cup of juice. He walked out onto the deck. They both stood and trailed after him, eager to see what he would do.

The man was laying on the wood groaning in horrible pain. Suddenly, he heard a click in front of him. Sanji had placed a plate of rice and steamed vegetables with a class of juice in front of him, "Eat up." Sanji said, laying back against the rail to keep the man company.

He salivated and gulped, before growling, "This is worse! Take it away! I won't take your charity!"

"It isn't charity. To me, any hungry person is a customer." Sanji said, chewing on his cigarette, "It's incomprehensible, being on the open sea without food." He looked at the sky, "It can be a cruel, cruel place." He bowed his head and sighed, "I understand it more than most…how bad it is to starve on the open ocean…" He looked at the man, "If you want to die with dignity, then be my guest. But if you eat and live, you'll be able to fight for that dignity instead, won't you?"

The Pirate swallowed heavily one last time, before springing up and grabbing the plate. He started scarfing down the food, tears of utter joy streaming down his cheeks, "Delicious…it's so delicious!" He cried, mouth still full, "It's the most delicious food I've ever eaten! I've never tasted anything so good! I'm so grateful! So grateful! I thought it was over for me!"

"It's damn good huh?" Sanji had a happy grin of his own.

Above them on the higher deck, both Nami and Luffy were grinning, "Yeah, that's much better." She commented cheerfully.

Luffy called out below, "How lucky! Looks like you got some food after all!" He chuckled as both the men below started and looked up, "You looked like you were about to die! Shishishi." He turned to Sanji and pointed at him, "Hey cook! You should join my crew! Be the cook for our Pirate ship, will ya?"

"…Eh?" Both of the men looked dumbfounded. Sanji shook his head, "So, you're a Pirate huh?" He grinned lightly, "Well, you better not try anything on this ship. The Head Cook used to be quite the Pirate himself."

"Oh, the old man used to be a Pirate?" Luffy asked curiously.

"I didn't think you could just quit being a Pirate." Nami said dryly, "The hell happened to his bounty then?" Sanji just stared at her, love-struck.

Luffy got in front of her as she rolled her eyes, unseen to Sanji. He shook himself, "This restaurant's like a treasure to the old man." He said, grinning, "The rest of us cooks all came because we admired him, and most of them are hot-blooded enough to be Pirates themselves." He made a wavy motion with his hand, "Quite appropriate, seeing how often this place is visited by the real deal."

The Krieg Pirate smirked, "Not a quiet moment in this place, huh?"

Sanji shook his head in exasperation, "It is part of the daily routine nowadays. It's gotten to the point where some guests don't even show up for the food anymore. Some of them come just to watch the fights." He slipped his cigarette back into his mouth, "Thanks to that, most of our waiters got scared and ran away."

"Shishishi!" Luffy and Nami giggled, before jumping down, "Anyway, join my crew!"

"I refuse." Sanji looked up at the sky, "I have my own reasons for wanting to work here."

"Oh, that's too bad…" Nami trailed off sadly, making sure to lean forward and put a pout on her full lips, "I was quite looking forward to eating your delicious food all the time."

Sanji looked like he was half choking, half steaming from his nose. Hearts had once more replaced his eyes, "You…you're on his crew?" She nodded with a happy-go-lucky smile, "Oh, how cruel the seas can be! To be so close but so far!"

"Doesn't matter anyway! I refuse your refusal!" Luffy stated, getting a giggle out of Nami. "You're a good cook so we'll be Pirates together!"

Sanji stared blankly at him, "Hey, at least hear me out."

Luffy blinked, "Okay, what's your reason then?"

"No need to tell you." He exhaled a puff of smoke.

"…Are you some kind of idiot? You just told me to hear you out." Nami couldn't help it anymore and burst into laughter.

Sanji grit his teeth and snarled at him, "I just meant you should listen to people opinions! Don't make me chop you up, you shitty Strawhat!"

"What did you say?" Luffy snarled back, "You insult my hat again and I'll send you flying!"

"Sorry to cut in…" The Krieg Pirate butted his head into the conversation.

"What is it!" Both of the furious men snarled at him.

"The name's Gin." The newly-named Gin said, "I'm a member of the Krieg Pirates. You say you're a Pirate kid? What's your goal?"

"One Piece." Luffy said, his scowl dissolving and grinning brightly, "I'm going to become the Pirate King."

Sanji's eyes widened, though Gin simply stared at him blankly, "One Piece… If you're still looking for a cook, I'm guessing that means your crew isn't so big then?"

"He's fifth." Luffy said, pointing his thumb sideways at Sanji.

"Why are you counting me you shitty Strawhat! I already said no!"

Gin sighed, "You don't seem like a bad kid so let me give you some advice…" He looked haunted, "Just give up on going to the Grand Line." He turned away, "You're still young. There's no need to rush things." He held his head with his hands, "The Grand Line is just one ocean amongst the many of this world. If you want to be a Pirate there are plenty of other places for you to explore."

Luffy stared at him before starting to pick his nose, "Eh, One Piece is on the Grand Line, so that's where we have to go."

Gin's eyes widened, "Don't you get it kid!" He yelled at him, "There's no way your little crew of five will survive on the Grand Line!"

"You're some kind of idiot, aren't you?" Luffy said, flicking a booger over the side, "If all you ever do is run away from your dreams how are you supposed to make them come true?" Gin went wide-eyed, but unknown to them, so did Sanji.

"Kid…" Gin said, before shaking himself, "It's really no business of mine if you die." He shrugged, "At least I tried." He grabbed himself a dinghy at Sanji's urging, "Thank you so much for the food, Sanji!" Gin said, smiling for once, "You're my savior! Would it be alright if I came back here to eat again?"

"Sure." Sanji grinned, "Any time."

"SANJI!" A voice roared from above them.

"Ah, the old man." Luffy said, bending back to look up.

"Ah, sorry Sanji…you're going to get yelled at because of me… because you gave me food." Gin said contritely.

"What are you talking about?" Sanji asked, kicking the plate and cup lightly and sending them off the side of the ship, "How can I get scolded if there's no proof?"

Gin got on his knees as the boat started sailing away and bowed down, "Thank you Sanji! I'll never forget this!"

"Just don't get caught again, Gin!" Sanji waved him away.

"Back to work!" Zeff yelled before turning away, a soft smile coming across his face for the briefest of moments.

They had caught up with Zeff, before Sanji turned to Nami with hearts in his eyes, "O'love…laugh if you will at my poor self who cannot resist his tortuous passions! Were it I could be with you, I would sail any ocean and walk any path, be it Pirate or devil! Alas, there is a great obstacle between us!"

"Obstacle you say?" Zeff turned around and looked gruffly at Sanji whose heart-eyes shattered as he turned away from the beautiful orange-haired girl, "Don't mince words, you shitty brat. You're talking about me." He crossed his arms, "It's a good chance for you to get off this boat. Get out of here and join them. I don't need someone like you in my restaurant."

Sanji did not look pleased, "Excuse me? I', not sure I heard you right, shitty geezer." He said, standing tall and staring at Zeff, "I've been the Sous Chef of this place for near a decade. So just what exactly do you mean when you tell me I'm not needed?"

Zeff scoffed, "It's no big mystery, you shitty brat."

"Well now we know where he learned to talk from." Nami poked Luffy in amusement. He chuckled.

"All you ever do is pick fights with the guests and sniff around the ladies like some mutt in heat." Zeff didn't look apologetic in the least, "You can't cook a decent meal to save your life…" Both the Strawhats frowned at that. Sanji's food was the best they'd ever had before. They noted Sanji's clenched fists, "You're just unnecessary baggage holding the place down. Not to mention the fact that none of the other cooks want you around. So, go be a Pirate you shitty brat. It's better if you just get the hell off my ship."

Sanji reached forward and snatched Zeff's collar in a tight fist, "You shitty geezer. Have you been wanting to say this garbage for long?" He almost bit through his smoke, "I can ignore all the rest of your drivel, but I can't ignore you insulting my cooking! I'm staying here no matter what you say! Got that!"

Zeff grabbed him by the arm and flung him over his head and slammed him onto the deck so fast that Sanji couldn't even react to it. "How dare you grab the collar of the Head Chef!" He started walking away with a, "Hmph."

Sanji got up and screamed at Zeff's back, "I'm not leaving, you hear me! I'll stay here until the day you die! No matter how you try to chase me out, I'll continue to be a cook here!"

"I ain't dying for at least another hundred years, you shitty brat." Zeff didn't even turn around.

"Pretty mouthy for a shitty geezer." Sanji muttered as he got to his feet.

Luffy clapped him on the back, "Looks like you got fired, so you can come be my coo-"

"As if!" Sanji yelled in his face before walking back into the store.

-]|[-

Night had now fallen, and the crew had made their way back onto the ship, which was moored next to Baratie. Luffy knocked on the door to the women's cabin, "Come in!" Nami called to him from inside.

"You wanted to talk?" Luffy asked, as he came in and sat down on the bed with Nami. She gestured him closer and he laid down next to her, wrapping his arm around her side and pulling her in for a tight embrace. "What's wrong?"

"Luffy…I…" She grimaced, not really knowing if she wanted to go through with this.

Luffy started rubbing her back, "You know you can talk to me about anything right?" He asked her, putting her into even more confusion about what she wanted to do.

Luffy was strong. No, he was hellishly strong. She knew for a fact that he could wipe the floor with every single Fishman on Arlong's crew, except for the shark himself. Intellectually, she knew he could defeat even him, but she was afraid of losing him. She had seen – time after time – people come to defeat Arlong only to fail. Time after time, she had gotten her hopes up, only to watch those hopes go up in flames. She had even poisoned him herself, and he had just laughed it off. She teared up, "I know…I just…"

He reached up and wiped her tear away, "I told you I would do anything for my nakama…for you…didn't I Nami?" She reached up and grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers with his with a small smile, "Just trust me."

She sighed, biting her bottom lip, "Okay…" She whispered, "I…it happened years ago." She took a deep breath, "Me and my adoptive sister Nojiko…we both lost our parents young. A Marine woman named Bell-mère found us on a battlefield…" She closed her eyes, still able to see her beautiful mother in her mind's eye, "She left the Marines and adopted the both of us…we were family. None of us were related, but we were a real family. She encouraged us to express ourselves, and I found my love for navigation…for drawing maps of the world." She choked back a sob, "But we were poor… Bell-mère barely made enough to feed and clothe us. She often had to survive only on her tangerines for us to eat. One day, we had a fight after I got caught stealing navigational books because of it, and I said some really mean things to her."

She choked, hiccupped, and then her expression changed. Her sadness changed into sheer hate which warped her face, throwing Luffy for a loop, "And then HE showed up." She snarled, "Eight years ago, a Fishman named Arlong showed up in my hometown of Cocoyashi." She began trembling in rage, unconsciously squeezing Luffy's hand harshly in her fury, "He was the Captain of the Arlong Pirates." She said, "But he wasn't kind like you say Red-Haired Shanks was. He was a cruel monster." She hissed venomously.

Luffy brushed her hair back, "What happened?" His navigator was literally trembling in fury, tears pouring from her eyes. He tightened his grip on her, trying to provide some meager comfort.

She sagged and sobbed into his chest, "He…he…he came to the Conomi Islands and took over the entire island chain! He told us that if we wanted to live, that every single person there had to pay for our lives." He sat up, bringing her with him. She was now straddling him, her head nestled in the crook of his neck. Their arms were around each other, "Every adult had to pay 100,000 Beli to live…every single month! And every child had to pay 50,000!" She felt Luffy completely stiffen underneath her.

She pulled away to look at him and predictably, his face looked thunderous. She sighed, and steeled herself for what came next, "Bell-mère didn't have enough for the three of us…she only had 100,000." She whispered, tears dropping from her eyes, "Arlong didn't know about either me or Nojiko…we could have been safe… but Bell-mère was never like that. She would never deny us…deny being our mother…" She closed her eyes, "She gave Arlong the 100,000 and told him it was for us." She looked him dead in the eye, "Arlong shot her between the eyes right in front of us."

Luffy was quiet, and Nami knew from the way she started sweating as the room became sweltering that his fury was off the charts. She hugged him, and it did the trick. The heat dipped again, "And then it got worse." His breath hitched, "I attacked him, and one of his subordinates found my maps." She smiled bitterly as she let go of him and gripped the hem of her shirt. Originally, she was just going to pull the sleeve back, but with it drenched in sweat she just didn't care anymore. She threw the shirt away, now only in an orange bra, and she took off the bandages covering her left arm.

Luffy zeroed in on her arm and felt his blood start to boil. She had a tattoo, one of a saw-nosed shark turned to the left with the tail curving inward. The same mark he had glanced at on this Arlong's bounty poster. It was clearly a Jolly Roger. Luffy's teeth were almost breaking inside his mouth at the sign of another's mark on hisnakama…his Nami. "He kidnapped me because he liked my maps." She said bitterly, "He kidnapped me and forced me to draw maps endlessly for him. Forced me to pretend to be friends with my mother's murderer and my people's slavers every single day for years. Forced me to HATE MY OWN DREAM!" She clenched her fists, "And he told me… 'If you hand me 100,000,000 Beli, I'll set your town free.' So I was forced to work for him. To make money for him. To put a fake smile on my face and pretend to be his friend." She grabbed her arm with her right hand and started clawing down the side of that hideous tattoo so hard she drew blood, "I tried stabbing him. I tried poisoning him. Marines came to try to free us." She began sobbing anew, "Nothing worked. Every time we had hope, it was torn away from us."

Luffy grabbed her hand and stopped her from mutilating herself. His face was absolutely thunderous as he grabbed her bandages and wrapped her arm up. They immediately started turning a little red from the light streaks of blood that had been running down her arm, "It hurts." She cried, "Having this fucking mark on me BURNS!" She hissed in tearful agony, "Luffy…help me." She pleaded with him.

He leaned back and grabbed onto his hat, before placing it on an absolutely stunned Nami's head. 'This hat is my treasure! I'll never forgive anyone who messes with it!' Her head dipped, and renewed tears streamed down her face once more. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Nami." Luffy said seriously, making her look at him once more. His voice was very controlled, but Nami didn't think for a second that he was okay. The only reason he wasn't just completely exploding was because she was still straddling his lap. His face was dark with rage, "We probably still have a few days to go here on this restaurant." He said.

She nodded, smiling tearfully, "Yeah, he doesn't seem to look like he'll be an easy nut to crack."

Luffy didn't smile back, "As soon as we have our cook, we're sailing for your home." Nami choked back a sob, "We'll get there and I'm going to completely destroy this bastard fish." Nami flung her arms around him and pushed him back onto the bed, bawling freely into his neck, "No one hurts my nakama." Luffy said, tightening his hold on her, "No one hurts you." He said possessively, "I'm going to beat this bastard fish so hard he'll wish he never heard of East Blue. I promise that!"

Nami could do nothing more than weep like a baby. She just didn't stop, allowing all of her rage, hate, and humiliation to seep from her. Because she knew. She knew without a shadow of a doubt, that her Luffy would keep his promise. She sobbed for over an hour onto him, all the while he didn't say another word. He didn't need to say another word. The hat on her head and his hand rubbing soothing circles onto her back were enough.

Finally, she pulled back with one last sniffle and hiccup, "Sorry Luffy." She said in embarrassment as she wiped her face, "I got your cardigan and your chest all wet." She flushed at his smile.

"It's just a shirt, shishishi!" He chuckled as he leaned up long enough to start slipping it off his shoulders. Nami pulled it off of him, moving back and sitting on him. She dried the rest of his chest before hanging the shirt on her bed.

She brought her hands up and touched the brim of the hat for a moment, before slipping it off her head and hanging it off the bedpost as well. She looked at him with a small smile, "Stay the night?"

"Sure." He pulled her back on top of him. She moved so she was half straddling him, her left leg and arm on top of him while he held her shapely form close with his left arm, "Good night Nami." He said, smiling down at her.

She didn't say it back yet. She looked at him, into his eyes. She smiled and her left hand – which had been tracing small circles on his muscular chest – trailed upward. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled while moving up herself. His eyes widened, before he mimicked her and kissed back. He wasn't really sure why she was kissing him, but it really felt amazing and he was enjoying it. He hoped they would be able to do it some more. Nami however, was just too exhausted from the day's training and the rollercoaster of emotions. She settled down and snuggled into him. "Good night Luffy…" She whispered, before falling asleep with a smile on her face, leaving Luffy stewing for a few minutes with feelings he had never experienced before. Finally, he fell asleep too, a grin on his face.

-]|[-

Two days had already passed, and the Straw Hat crew was once again on the Baratie after a morning of intense training. Nami in particular was like a woman possessed. Ever since that first night on the Merry, she had been pushing herself just as hard as Zoro did. Luffy hadn't known why she had been pushing so hard until that night in her room, but after hearing her story, it made perfect sense. Through their sparring and through weight training, she had progressed marvelously in Soru and had progressed so rapidly in Kami-E that even Luffy was a bit dumbfounded. Thus, he had started teaching Nami Geppō as well, and she was really taking to the three movement-based Rokushiki skills like a fish took to water. They almost seemed to be perfect for her. But more than just sparring, she had begun weight training as well. Before they had arrived to Baratie, she had started doing some squats with some of Zoro's smaller – relative. Very relative – weights and the sight of her made Luffy feel very hot and sweaty. Which was strange since Luffy never felt that way anymore since eating his Devil Fruit.

After yet another morning of training, they had been inside the restaurant enjoying a well-earned, delicious breakfast cooked by Sanji when a scream ruined the atmosphere of the place, "IT'S DON KRIEG'S PIRATE SHIP!" A terrified guest yelled.

Another was staring out the window in terror, "A skull with two hourglasses to either side…to threaten their enemies… THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! THAT'S KRIEG'S FLAG! WHY IS HE HERE?!"

Pandemonium erupted in the ship, as a pale Patty stood there trembling with his head in his hands, "Come on…it was just a light tap…he would have gotten worse in a bar fight…he can't be coming here to kill me, right?"

"Are you happy Patty?!" Another chef asked hysterically, "Aren't you so glad you messed with him! Well? Are you going to chase him off, mister tough guy?!"

Usopp looked like he was panicking, "This is really bad! Shouldn't we set sail and get out of here?"

"That's a pretty huge ship." Luffy said in excitement. He, Zoro, and Nami were completely ignoring Usopp. Nami looked a little nervous, but she wasn't backing away in the slightest. "You think Gin came back to repay his debt?"

"I doubt it." Sanji took a drag from his cig, "But it's strange…" They all gazed as the ship came into full view and they could make out details, "That ship is in complete shambles. What manner of hurricane did they sail into?" Indeed, the giant Galleon was an utter mess. The sails were torn and ripped. The figurehead of a snarling saber-toothed cat had a huge chunk of it torn off. The main mast was off kilter roughly fifty feet up, the wood barely staying together. All in all, it just looked like it had been mauled by a very, very large tiger. "To turn a giant galleon into this state… This certainly isn't the work of humans." Sanji stated ominously.

The door leading into the restaurant slammed open, revealing a large shadow. Everyone's eyes went wide as the shadow came into the light. It was Gin, carefully holding up a much larger man. He was pretty huge and muscular. His hair was greying, and he had huge sideburns, with gauze wrapped around his head. He wore a yellow cheetah-print shirt with a fur-lined cape over it, secured to him by a large golden chain. He might have possibly cut an intimidating picture if he wasn't hunched over looking absolutely miserable. Gin was literally having to hold him up, "Pardon the intrusion…" Even his voice sounded weak, "But could I have some food…and water? If it is money you want, I got plenty." Even his voice sounded exhausted and miserable.

"He's starving." Luffy noted.

"Wonder what happened." Sanji looked at the man with understanding eyes.

"…The heck?" Patty asked, "This weak looking guy is Don Krieg?"

Krieg tried to take another step forward, but he just keeled over and fell, unable to stand any longer. "DON KRIEG!" Gin yelled in shock, "Please, save my captain! Get him some food and water! He'll die at this rate!" He looked out onto a sea of faces, searching for some sympathy. But as Zeff wasn't here and Sanji and the Strawhats were to the side, he found none. He had a look of disbelief on his face as no one did a thing.

Patty burst out laughing, "Ahahaha!" He crowed, "This is just perfect! This is what the infamous Don Krieg looks like!?"

Gin looked absolutely enraged, "WE'RE PAYING CUSTOMERS THIS TIME!" He roared out. "WE HAVE MONEY! PLENTY OF IT! YOU CAN'T TURN US AWAY, YOU DAMN BASTARDS!"

"You there! Call the Marines! They won't get another chance like this!" Patty said, ignoring the furious man, "Don't let him get a single scrap of food!"

Most of the guests were in agreement, "That's right! This is punishment for all the crimes he's committed! It's only right that he should die after all that he's done!"

One of the chefs was sweating, "If we feed him, it's obvious that he'll just attack the ship! I ain't giving him a single damn drop of water!"

"I won't do anything!" Krieg croaked, "If you give me food, I promise I'll quietly withdraw… Please…help me!" He was bowing, on his knees.

"Don Krieg!" Gin had tears in his eyes, "Stop! Don't do this! A great man like you shouldn't be lowering his head! It's too shameful!"

"I'm begging! I don't care if it's scraps or leftovers! I'll eat anything you have to give me! Anything!" Krieg's voice was hoarse and defeated. Tears were leaking from Gin's eyes. Some of the customers were even looking a little doubtful at the display.

Patty was unmoved. He harrumphed, "Trying to earn some sympathy points?"

"Hey, move it Patty." Sanji said, a plate and a bottle of wine in his hands. He twirled in a spin and his foot lashed out. His heel caught Patty square on the cheek, and sent him careening to the floor, seeing stars. "Here Gin. Give him this." The two gaped in astonishment, before Krieg started scarfing down his meal with moans of delight.

"Sanji!" A cook with sunglasses yelled in shock, "Take that food back this instant! Don't you know what kind of guy Krieg is?! He's the ruler of East Blue! The King of Deception! Krieg disguised himself as a Marine after escaping prison and killed the commanding officer of the ship he ended up stealing! He's attacked peaceful ports and towns, while waving a Marine Flag to fool them into letting him get close! He's waved white flags at his enemies before attacking them when their guards were down! He's scum who will do anything to win! That's how he made it to the top! His strength ain't no exaggeration either! You really think he'll leave after you feed him?! That's impossible for a man like him! Letting a demon like him starve is good for the world!"

And like a prophet speaking, his words proved true. Krieg gulped down the last of his food and clenched his fists in triumph. With a roar, he threw a fist forward and sent Sanji flying. Almost everyone in the restaurant dropped their jaws in horror, "Don Krieg!" Gin yelled hysterically, "This isn't what you promised! I guided you here because you swore you wouldn't harm anyone! That man is our savior!" Don Krieg's comparatively massive hand grabbed onto his shoulder and tightened like a vice, "GAHHH!" Gin screamed in pain as his shoulder was crushed beneath his Captain's grip.

"Ah, that felt great." Krieg said, "I feel like I'm back to my normal self." He grinned as he looked around, before sneering at the lot of them.

Sanji sat up, bleeding slightly but not all that hurt. He was smirking lightly, "So…the snake bears his fangs at last."

Krieg cracked his neck and looked around, "Nice ship." He commented, "I'll take it."

The cook who had ranted at Sanji was sweating "I told you…" He said lowly, miserably, "THIS IS THE REAL KRIEG! HE'LL TAKE OVER THIS SHIP!"

The guests panicked and ran from the ship in droves, practically diving onto the ferry nearby. When the last person was on, the ferry raced away without as much as a backwards glance.

"Don Krieg!" Gin hissed, clutching his throbbing arm, "What about your promise!"

Krieg didn't even spare him a glance, "My ship's all torn up." He said lightly, "I'll be needing a new one, so after my business with you all is finished, I'll let you all leave." Not that anyone there actually believed his words. Krieg had already proven himself to be untrustworthy, "I have a hundred subordinates left on my ship, and they're all starving. You all will prepare enough food to feed them." He had a mean, evil glint in his eye as he stared at the cooks, before barking when it became clear that none of them were jumping to follow his orders, "Well?! Make it quick! Some of them have already starved to death!"

The cook with sunglasses grit his teeth, "Feed a hundred men who are only going to attack us once we do so? You must be out of your mind! We refuse!"

Krieg looked half amused, half enraged, "You seem to be under the mistaken impression that it was a request." He said darkly, causing many cooks to cringe, "I gave an order, and no one disobeys my orders!"

"I…I'm sorry Sanji!" Gin yelled, "I never intended this!"

Patty growled and whirled around, "Sanji, you shitty cook! This is all your fault! Because of you we're in this mes…WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" He shouted with his eyes popping out of his head as he watched Sanji walk away.

Sanji turned back with a raised eyebrow, "Where am I going? Isn't it clear? I'm going to the kitchen. I have a hundred meals to prepare."

Most people still in the restaurant cringed and jawdropped. Krieg smirked, "Smart man."

The cooks ran and surrounded Sanji, "Like hell you will!" The all pulled guns out and aimed them straight for Sanji's head. "Are you Krieg's secret agent Sanji? Is that why you're doing this?! You're not taking a fucking step into that kitchen!"

Sanji didn't look shaken in the slightest, "Go ahead and shoot then." He said blandly. The cooks recoiled, some even jerking their guns back, "You think I don't know full well that they're scum?" He scoffed, "None of that matters. Thinking of the consequences is too much of a hassle. If I see someone starving in front of me, then it is my sworn duty as a cook to feed them! If you want to stop me then you better pull those triggers! If not, save them for Krieg's grunts." He took a drag from his smoke, "I feed hungry men. I don't care about what happens to them after that. If they then decide to bite the hand that fed them, I'll kill them myself."

The cook's awe of his words died away when Patty smashed him in the back of the head. Luffy scowled, "What's this idiot doing hurting my cook?" He muttered.

Patty yelled, "Hold this idiot down!" He turned to Sanji, holding a long rectangular thing wrapped in white blankets, "I know full well that you've fed the people I've turned away! I've ignored all of that, because I can't say who was right and who was wrong! But this time you're definitely in the wrong! I'll protect this place my own damn self." He lifted his package and tore away the wrapping, revealing a huge, lobster shaped thing with a huge bore in its mouth, "Luckily we only have Krieg himself to deal with! He can't mess with all of us!" He lifted the cannon and took aim, "This is the Baratie! We have Pirates coming here looking to make a mess every day! We're more than prepared to deal with your sort!" Krieg looked completely unimpressed, "Since you enjoyed your meal so much, how about some dessert, Krieg?! Indigestion Meatball Special!" He roared and fired a large cannonball directly at Krieg.

It hit Krieg and engulfed him in a massive explosion, "DON!" Gin yelled in shock as his Captain was blown through the doors and out of the restaurant.

Patty frowned, "Ah damn it. I blew the doors out. The owner's going to have my head for this…"

"It's fine Patty." The cook with glasses said, "It was collateral damage from defending this place. Chef Zeff will understand."

"And what will you do with his underlings?" Sanji asked from his position on the floor.

The cooks didn't get a chance to answer, "That dessert tasted like shit." Krieg walked back in, not even scuffed up. He was wearing golden-colored armor that covered his entire upper body. How the hell did he hide that underneath his shirt? It was so bulky it should have been impossible to not notice! "You shitty cooks…this is the worst restaurant I've ever been to."

Patty cringed away, before they all grabbed gigantic kitchen-implement-styled weapons, "Get him!"

"ANNOYING LITTLE SHITS!" Krieg roared, before he pulled out two pistols and ten more came out of various parts of his armor. He immediately started firing, knocking all the cooks away at once. As all the cooks collapsed – their bodies riddled with holes from the bullets – Krieg roared, "You insignificant worms think you can defy me! I'm the strongest! This steel arm, more powerful than any other! This unbreakable armor made of Wootz Steel! These diamond fists which can pulverize anything! My entire body is a finely tuned weapon! I'm the Fleet Admiral of fifty ships and five thousand men! I've won every batt-"

"Oh, shut up already." Dead silence. Krieg turned mechanically to Luffy, rage literally pouring from him, "Who cares about your fancy toys?" Luffy laughed, "You aren't the strongest of anything."

"What was that, you damn brat?" Krieg growled out through gritted teeth.

"Did I stutter?" He asked quizzically before turning to Nami, "I didn't stutter, did I?"

Nami started to giggle. Seeing Krieg for real put any nervousness from her mind. Any man who had to rant like that and cover himself in 'unbreakable' armor clearly couldn't be all that strong. Besides, his legs were uncovered! What manner of idiot wore body armor and didn't cover their legs at all?! His pants weren't even made of hide! "No Captain, I don't believe you did."

Krieg calmed himself, "You stupid little brat." He would have said more, but a giant sack landed in front of him, "What's this?"

"Owner Zeff!" The cooks shouted in shock.

"Food for a hundred men." Zeff said lazily, "Hurry up and bring it to your men."

Krieg looked like he was sweating, "Did…did they say 'Zeff?'"

"Sir! How could you give them that food! Once they recover they're going to be gunning for the ship!"

Zeff had a smirk on his face, "Oh they will, will they?" Krieg's face darkened, "That's only if they have any fighting spirit left in them…isn't that right, Grand Line dropouts?"

The cooks recoiled, "Even Don Krieg couldn't make it?!" They screeched, "The strongest of the East Blue were defeated by the Grand Line!" Gin was holding his face with his hands and almost sobbing.

Krieg was still looking like he'd seen a ghost, "Y…you're 'Red Leg' Zeff!" Krieg stared at Zeff like he was a treasure, "The peerless cook and Captain…so you were alive."

"And? My being alive has nothing to do with you. As you can see, I'm a cook full time now." Zeff replied.

Krieg chuckled, "A cook full time? That's an interesting way to put it. More appropriate would be to say you can do nothing else now." He laughed darkly, "To hear of Red Leg Zeff is to hear of the man who could kick so hard his shoes would be dyed red with the blood of his enemies… the man who could break cliffs with only his legs and leave imprints of his shoes on steel! The man who would never use his hands in a fight! You're a laughable nobody now! Full time cook? HA! More like you can never put your red shoes back on! You're a cook now because it's the only thing you can do!" He grinned, "I heard you died in a shipwreck. It seems you managed to survive, though it cost you one of your precious legs. With it gone, you can't fight anymore."

Sanji looked like he wanted to go tear Krieg apart. He looked utterly furious. Zeff was uncaring as he held up his hands, "As long as I have these hands, it doesn't matter if I can fight or not. I can still cook." He dropped them back to his side. "So, are you going to get to the point, or are you going to continue blathering?"

"Red Leg Zeff! The man who once braved the waters of the Devil's Hideout! The Grand Line! You not only sailed those waters, but you returned without injury! You must have kept a log of your voyage! HAND IT OVER!"

Luffy had stars in his eyes, "Oooohhhh! You've been to the Grand Line, old man?"

"I have." Zeff said, "And you're right that I kept a log. Indeed, I still have it to this day. But I shan't be handing it to the likes of you. That logbook is the pride of me and my crew. It's much too valuable to give to a weakling like you."

"WEAKLING?!" Krieg roared, "I CAN THROW BATTLESHIPS WITH MY BARE HANDS! HOW IS THAT WEAK?!"

"There's no sense explaining it to an idiot." Zeff smirked at him without a care in the world.

"THEN I SHALL TAKE IT FROM YOUR CORPSE, OLD MAN!" He clenched his fist in front of him "It's true that I came back defeated from the Grand Line, but even so, I'm still the mighty Don Krieg!" He growled out, taking a step forward. Zeff didn't flinch whatsoever, "That dark sea which sends weak men to their knees…I had the power! I had the ambition! I had the manpower!" He ranted, "I only lacked information! It was my only flaw! That is why I'll take that logbook from you! Once I have it, I'll reassemble my crew and conquer the Grand Line! I'll find One Piece and become the Pirate King!"

"Hold it right there, asshole!" Krieg stiffened, enraged once more as he turned to Luffy, "There's only room for one Pirate King, and that's going to be me." The rest of the cooks – well, almost all of them – dropped their jaws and backed away from him, afraid that Krieg would charge.

Krieg eyed him, looking like he had something rank in his nose, "I'll let that comment slide, you dumb brat."

"Of course you will, coward." Luffy said in amusement, "Your guns are empty." Krieg stiffened, "And it doesn't look like you're man enough to fight without your little toys."

"You planning to rumble, Luffy?" Zoro had Wado over his shoulder, "Want a hand?"

Krieg started to laugh, "That's your crew? Two kids and a little girl? Don't make me laugh."

"Him as well." Luffy said, jerking a thumb towards Sanji, who immediately yelled at him, "So that's five."

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Krieg finally bellowed, "MY ENTIRE CREW OF FIVE THOUSAND MEN WERE WIPED OUT ON THAT HELLISH SEA! ALL BECAUSE WE LAC-"

"What does it matter if you had five thousand men?" Nami said in amusement, forcing him to swallow his tongue in shock. She draped herself over Luffy's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him from behind. He grinned in pleasure as Sanji looked on, crestfallen, "You could have had five million men and it wouldn't have made a difference if they were all weaklings." The room watched in stunned silence as Krieg turned purple in rage, "Five thousand and all you have left are one hundred. Man, they must have sucked." She pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out, "Of course, with an idiot like you for a Captain, it's a miracle you even have a hundred left."

"YOU LITTLE SLUT!" Krieg screamed as he pulled out a gun, forgetting that it was empty, "WE'LL SEE HOW MUCH OF A BITCH YOU CAN BE WHEN I HAVE YOU SCREAMING UNDER ME!"

Not a single person in that restaurant other than Zeff saw what happened next. One moment Krieg was pulling the trigger on his empty gun, and the next he was flying out the door with the front section of his armor completely shattered. He flew backwards, breaking the railing and continuing into his flagship. The impact was so hard that the entire massive Galleon rocked back, sailing backwards and almost capsizing entirely. Before it settled down and drifted back to where it had been moored, one of its anchor snapped entirely and the chain dropped to the ocean floor, never to be brought back up.

"Fast." Zeff looked vaguely impressed as Luffy put his leg down, standing in front of where Krieg's outline could still be seen. The entire Strawhat crew had massive scowls on their faces. The rest of the cooks – even Sanji – as well as Gin were twitchy and gaping with their eyes popping out of their heads.

Nami came up behind him and gave him a peck on the cheek, "Thanks Luffy…though I kinda wanted to do that myself." She scowled at the Galleon. He smirked at her, delighted at her words, before turning back.

Luffy grabbed the bag of food before vanishing. He appeared on top of the Galleon, where Krieg had just peeled off a wall and was laying on the boards, groaning in pain. The entire front of his armor had shattered into dozens of pieces and it was crumbling from his form. So much for unbreakable. He put the bag down, "Feed your crew, asshole!" Krieg growled and – body trembling – made his way to his feet, "It'll be more fun to crush you at your best." He vanished again, leaving Krieg there trying to keep his armor together.

Krieg grit his teeth before barking out orders, "Eat! We're taking over this ship when you're done!" The smell had revived his crew, and they all flooded – and by flooded he meant crawled – to the bag. Krieg meanwhile went inside the ship. Clearly his armor had been damaged in the Grand Line. Yeah, that had to be it. It must have already been weakened from those seven hellish days. It was a good thing he had a spare. He would have to buy a new one though. He didn't like the un-gilded look of his spare set.

Luffy appeared back inside the Baratie and almost everyone there looked at him like he was a ghost. Gin almost looked like he wanted to attack him for hitting his Captain but knew Krieg would want him untouched. His Captain would want to beat the one who attacked him himself. His teeth ground in shame before he bowed to a man he wanted to call a friend, "I'm so sorry Sanji! I never intended this! I had no idea this would happen!"

"There's no need to apologize, kid." Zeff said softly, "Every cook on this ship did what they thought was right."

"OWNER ZEFF!" The cooks yelled, "How could you side with Sanji! What's the meaning of this! It's his fault we're going to be attacked!" One of them turned to Sanji and started screaming in his face, "Was this your plan all along Sanji?! Was this how you wanted to become the Head Chef?! Or have you just completely lost your sense! Huh? Which is it?"

And then Zeff spoke, "SHUT UP YOU STUPID EGGPLANTS!" The cooks cringed back, looking wide-eyed at Zeff. Sanji's head dipped, his face shadowed before the light of a match illuminated his face momentarily, "Do ANY of you know what it feels like to starve? Do any of you know what it feels like to be so hungry you beg for death?!" They all looked at him, lost and shocked, "Not one of you numbskulls know how terrifying and painful it is to be lost at sea with no food and water! The difference between you and Sanji is that he knows!" The cooks turned to an uncaring Sanji, shock plain in their gazes. Zeff scoffed, "There's no use crying over spilt milk. If you want to leave, there's the door."

The cooks all hardened their gazes and gripped tightly onto their comically-enlarged kitchen implements of doom, "I'm stayin right here. I couldn't live with myself if I left without a fight." Patty said.

"Same here. I live and work in this place. Ain't nowhere for me to go."

"What are you all doing?!" Gin yelled hysterically, "Haven't you all realized how strong Don Krieg is already? You're all going to die!"

"I told you, didn't I?" Sanji stared at Gin, "As a cook, my duty is to feed starving people. The ones coming to attack will all be fed." He stared at Gin blandly, "So you better not complain when I kill them." His face was dark and shadowed, "If someone's coming to steal this ship, then I'll kill them myself…even if that someone is you. Got that?" Gin stared at him in shock.

"Hmph." Patty said, slinging his giant fork onto his shoulder, "You save em only to kill em afterwards? What a guy."

"Shut up, shitty cook." Sanji said.

"Hey Gin!" Luffy called out, "You guys have been on the Grand Line, right?"

Gin cringed, going back to holding his head, "Seven days…for seven days we sailed aimlessly. I still don't know if I was actually awake for any of it or if it was just one giant nightmare. Then on the seventh day he appeared."

"He?" Sanji looked curious.

"To think the entire fifty-ship Krieg Fleet…it was ALL sunk by one man!" Now that got most of the ship to recoil in shock.

"Impossible!" Sanji and Patty looked completely terrified of the thought. "The entire fleet was crushed by one man?!" Even Nami and Zoro looked unsettled.

Gin continued on, "While we still had no idea what was going on, he started sinking our ships one by one! If it wasn't for a freak storm that picked up our ship and hauled it away, even the Flagship of the Krieg Fleet would have been sunk! I have no idea if anyone else got away!"

Luffy whistled, "Man, you guys have some shitty luck." Gin whirled around to stare at him, dumbfounded. Luffy didn't sound surprised in the slightest. Hell, he was picking his damn nose! "So, who'd you run into? I can think of a few guys who could do that…like Grandpa." He shivered. Everyone except Zeff, Nami, and Zoro cringed.

"GRANDPA?" Even Zeff looked unsettled at that. "Who's your grandpa, kid?"

"Garp." Nami said, and even Zeff choked, "Yes, that Garp." She had a massive grin on her face as she stared at the sea of dumbfounded faces.

Gin shook his head, before continuing his story in misery, "I don't know his name…but he was the most terrifying man I've ever come across!" He closed his eyes, "I see him still, with his terrifying gaze! I want it to go away! I don't want to think about that 'Hawk-Eyed' man anymore!"

Zoro stiffened and broke into a sweat. Zeff crossed his arms, "Then it was his work for sure." Gin lifted his head and stared, "Simply calling him 'Hawk-Eyed' is no proof that it was him…but his handiwork proves it for you. The fact that he sunk your entire fleet is proof enough!"

"Who is he?" Usopp asked curiously.

"Hawk-Eyes Mihawk." Zero stated seriously, "The man I've been looking for all this time."

"Eh? Hawk-Eyes?" One of the cooks said, "Don't know nothing about no 'Hawk-Eyes,' but that reminds me of good old Red-Eyes." He laughed, "He came here often, and got so drunk his eyes went completely bloodshot. He went and caught himself on fire and died. Man, those flames were something else."

Zoro was shooting a death glare at Johnny, "So, 'the 'Hawk eyed' man I'm looking for shows up here,' huh?" Johnny cringed back, sweating profusely.

"So, why did he attack you?" Sanji asked, "Did he bear you some grudge?"

"No!" Gin yelled hoarsely, "He attacked out of nowhere, for no reason!"

"Perhaps you disturbed his afternoon nap?" Zeff mused aloud.

"THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Gin roared, "He destroyed our entire fleet for that?!"

Zeff snorted, "That's the kind of place the Grand Line is. Besides, it was just an example. No need to get all irritated."

Luffy was grinning madly, "Sounds fun. Shishishi! We definitely have to go there!"

"Could you at least pretend to be scared like the rest of us!" Usopp was predictably ignored.

Zoro was grinning, "Looks like I made the right decision, huh Luffy? My own goals lie in the path of yours."

Sanji turned away, "…Bunch of idiots." He deadpanned, "You're the type to rush to your deaths."

"True." Zoro said easily, "But leave out the 'idiot' part." He cast his gaze to the blonde chef, "Ever since I decided I would become the Greatest Swordsman in the World, I cast away any attachment to life. The only one who can call me an idiot is me."

Luffy grinned, "Same here."

Nami's head dipped and she smiled softly, gripping Luffy's hand with her own, "Ditto."

Usopp crossed his arms, "As a man, I must say the same." Zoro knocked his blade's pommel into his head for the clear lie.

Zeff finally had an expression on his face other than seriousness. He was smirking broadly, looking at the small crew.

Outside, the surviving members of the Krieg Pirates were gorging themselves happily, enjoying the feeling of strength returning to their bodies. "WE'RE SAVED!" They cheered, "We're alive! It's like a dream! We finally escaped that nightmare! The 'Pirate's Graveyard!'"

"That's right!" Krieg was sitting smugly, back in his backup set of un-gilded steel armor, "And we'll sail right back to the Grand Line soon." The crew froze and stiffened up, looking at him as though he were a ghost, "What's with those expressions?" His smirk had vanished.

"W…we're going BACK there?" A hapless Pirate asked in terror.

His answer was a bullet to the head. "Any others disagree as well? Hmm?" The Pirates plastered on fake looks of excitement and started cheering. Krieg returned to smirking, "First we'll lose this destroyed ship and seize this restaurant." He told his crew, "Your enemies are a bunch of shitty cooks, so there should be no issues."

Inside, one cook yelled, "Brace yourselves! I can hear them coming!"

But they didn't come. Zeff stiffened up, an expression of shock on his face. Seconds later, the massive Galleon split into three pieces. The sea surged and roiled as water started rushing into the breeched hull. The cuts were utterly perfect. Not a splinter was visible. "DON KRIEG! OUR SHIP'S BEEN CUT!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN IT'S BEEN CUT? HOW DOES A HUGE GALLEON GET CUT?!"

The Baratie shook and rode the waves caused by the massive ship starting to sink. And this time, there was not a single eye in the restaurant that wasn't wide open, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

"HOIST THE ANCHOR!" Zeff roared in panic. He really didn't want his ship sunk and unlike with Krieg, he couldn't actually do anything about this.

"OH NO! THE GOING MERRY!" Nami screeched, before grabbing Johnny and Yosaku and pulling them out of the ship as fast as she could onto their ship. After a few minutes of barking orders to the two bounty hunters, she was able to get the ship to settle down and took it a bit further out from the sinking wreck. As she couldn't perform the real Geppō for too long yet – even the week or two they had been training hard on the Going Merry for wasn't enough time for her to build up the strength and stamina yet – she performed a much easier, bastardized version that had her looking like she was running on the water. She reached Luffy's side once more, panting a little from the exertion, "She's safe." She smiled weakly.

"Good job Nami." He pulled her to him in a hug. They both blinked as they watched Zoro walking forward as if in a trance, as the ship settled down. The all ran outside, to watch what was happening.

The idiot duo had managed to swim back to the Baratie. It was a miracle they weren't pulled under. They were waterlogged as they climbed back onto the deck, and as they were catching their breath, they heard Zeff's own breath hitch, "That…that man!"

"IT'S HIM! DON KRIEG! IT'S THE MAN WHO SUNK OUR SHIPS! HE FOLLOWED US ALL THE WAY HERE! HE'S COME TO KILL US ALL!"

Zoro stared at the incoming man in shock. Shock, terror, and excitement. His heart was absolutely hammering inside his chest. The ship sailing towards them could barely be called a ship. Hell, it could barely be called a dinghy. It looked like a coffin. A large coffin, but a coffin nonetheless. On the edges were candles that burned with green fire, and the mast resembled an ornate cross. But that wasn't what most paid attention to…

No, their focus was solely on the man sitting with his legs crossed on the only seat on the Coffin Boat. It was a black-haired man, with piercing yellow eyes. He had a short beard, mustache, and sideburns, all of which pointed upward. He wore no shirt, opting instead for an open, long black coat. It was red on the inside, with red sleeves and his collar decorated with flower patterns. His pants were a light purple, tucked into strapped boots. He had a large, wide-brimmed, plumed hat. A necklace hung around his neck, with a pendant shaped like a large cross adorning it. And on his back? On his back was a long, deadly looking black blade whose handle was simply a smaller, more ornate version of the cross that served as the mast for his ship.

"Th…that's the one who sunk Krieg's fleet?" Patty blinked owlishly, "But he looks completely normal. He doesn't even have a special weapon."

"Idiots." Zoro breathed out.

Zeff continued, taking up Zoro's cue, "His weapon is on his back." He said simply.

"What?!" The cook with sunglasses yelled, "He cut that huge ship with that tiny sword?!"

"That man is a renowned swordsman…more renowned than any other…" Zeff replied seriously, some real worry for his ship seizing him. Even before he had retired, he wouldn't have been a match for this man. Missing one leg and out of the fight for more than a decade? He stood even less of a chance.

"The greatest swordsman in the entire world." Zoro grinned, "Dracule Mihawk!"

One of the terrified Krieg Pirates was trembling, "Damn you…what did we ever do to you! WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW US HERE?!"

Mihawk eyed him, expressionless, "Your vanguard interrupted my nap."

The Pirate started, rage filling his being, "THAT'S BULLSHIT!" He pulled out his pistols and started unloading in Mihawk's direction.

Mihawk lazily raised his hand and pulled his sword off his back. He directed it towards the man, and the bullets danced around it, changing directions completely and disappearing into the distance. They all gaped, "He deflected it." Zoro was standing there beside the Pirates, who jumped in shock. The capsized Galleon had actually formed a decent platform for them to stand on, and Zoro had moved there with an awed grin, "He changed their trajectory with the very tip of his blade. No matter how many times you shoot, the results won't be any different." He eyed Mihawk with anticipation, even as the Krieg Pirates freaked out at his presence beside them, "I've never see such graceful movements."

Mihawk eyed him with some idle curiosity, noticing the two crappy blades next to the one good blade on his hip, "A sword without grace is nothing but an iron bar."

Zoro was grinning as he glanced towards the cuts on the ship's sections, "Did you cut this ship with that blade as well?"

"Indeed."

"Then it's true…you really are the greatest in the world…" Zoro had his hand on Wado. "I set sail to meet you!"

Mihawk looked unimpressed, "And what is your goal?"

Zoro untied his bandana from his arm and tied it properly to his head, "To surpass you!" He was grinning madly, his heart beating a tattoo into his chest, "You said you're free, right? Shall we duel?"

Mihawk's eyes closed for the briefest of moments before he vanished. Not a single person there saw him move. Not even Luffy or Zeff. He appeared – standing – in front of Zoro, "Pitiful weakling." He said harshly, "If you are a competent swordsman, then you know the difference between us without needing to cross blades." He eyed Zoro uninterestedly, "Yet you still dare challenge me. Is it conviction or ignorance that fuels you?"

"Neither." Zoro said, Wado between his teeth and his other two, unnamed blades in his hands, "My ambition fuels me, and my promise to my departed friend." He prepared himself, while Mihawk stood there with his arms crossed, "To be honest, I never imagined I would find you so soon."

"That is not to your favor." Mihawk replied. He reached up and took off his necklace, before unsheathing a tiny kogatana that was hidden inside it.

Zoro's eyes widened, before they narrowed, "And just what are you planning on doing with that?"

Mihawk held his tiny knife in a ready grip, "I am not the kind of brute who would hunt a rabbit with a cannon. Though you may be a swordsman of some renown, this is the East Blue. Of the Four Seas divided by the Red Line and the Grand Line, this is by far the weakest of them all." He bent his head to the side and held the blade in a 'go-figure' position with an apologetic look to him, "I apologize though. Unfortunately, I have no knife smaller than this on me."

Zoro clenched his jaw, "There's a limit…TO HOW MUCH YOU CAN UNDERESTIMATE ME!" He roared, and charged forward, "Don't regret it when you die! ONI…!"

"Hear me, little frog in his well…you're but someone who has yet to experience the real world." Mihawk said, not even flinching at Zoro's headlong charge.

"GIRI!" Zoro roared, his three blades aiming to carve Mihawk into three pieces. CHINK. Jaws all over dropped as Mihawk's tiny knife – it honestly could have been an oversized toothpick for how large it was – impacted the attack in the exact place the three blades were crossed. Zoro's forward momentum was completely halted, and no matter how much of his absurd strength he put into it, he couldn't even get the knife to budge a centimeter. His own blades were trembling from his exertions, even as his muscles bulged in effort. Mihawk's single arm didn't waver in the slightest. A yawn wouldn't have been out of place.

Johnny and Yosaku were trembling and terrified, "Zoro-aniki's Oni Giri was stopped! It's never failed before! NOT ONCE!" Luffy and Nami had their jaws set in worry, while Usopp joined most of the rest in gaping hysterically.

'I... I can't move…' Zoro though. A bead of sweat dripped down his chin, 'Not a single man has ever seen through this attack! Not one! How is he stopping it with that TOY?!' He stared at Mihawk's expressionless face, his piercing eyes practically boring a hole through his spirit, 'THIS IS RIDICULOUS!' Zoro backed up and charged again, swinging wildly, 'THE WORLD CAN'T BE THIS FAR AWAY!' No matter how fast or hard Zoro swung his three blades, the results were the same. Mihawk's toy parried every single strike as easily as a normal man would flip his newspaper. Finally, a harder push from Mihawk knocked Zoro ass-over-teakettle and to the floor, 'There shouldn't be such a vast difference between us! There can't be!' He got up and charged again, 'I trained too hard to be defeated by a TOY!' Memories of every fight with Kuina; every bit of training he did; being given Wado Ichimonji by a proud sensei; his harsh training with Luffy and the rest of his crew... all of those thoughts flashed through his mind as he attacked madly, without direction.

"Such ferocity." Mihawk commented blankly. He was disappointed. He truly was. The man he was facing had completely lost himself and was giving an even poorer showing than Mihawk had thought he would.

Zoro panted for a moment, before readying another charge. Mihawk danced around the blade and readied an axe-hand. His hand snapped forward and caught Zoro right on the back of the neck, sending him crashing to the floor, "What burdens you so, weakling? What do you desire at the extent of your strength?"

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ANIKI A WEAKLING!" Johnny screamed, drawing his dadao.

"We'll teach you a lesson!" Yosaku roared in response, drawing his as well.

"SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" The uncharacteristic furious roar from Luffy – as well as his now-smoking fists – stopped the two in their tracks. They crashed to the floor, groaning in pain.

"But Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed, "Zoro's getting decimated right now! He needs help!"

"Not one of you will move!" He said commandingly, "This is Zoro's dream! This is Zoro's mission! This is why he set sail! Not one of you have a right to take this from him!" Nami eyed him sadly. Luffy was burning with anger. His hands were clenched around the rails, digging into the wood so hard that it was being crushed. Light smoke was wafting from his hands as well as his feet, as his Devil Fruit started burning the wood even at the relatively low temperature he was outputting with his partially futile attempt at control. She could see the same anger in him that she was feeling, the same desire to go out and help their friend. But she knew he was right. She felt as helpless as she had whenever she thought of Arlong before she met her Luffy. She clenched her own hands and watched. This was Zoro's dream, so they could do nothing to help him. But suddenly, a thought came to her. Maybe they couldn't help him, but maybe she could help him help himself.

Zoro climbed to his feet, having taken yet another tumble. Before he could charge again, a piercing screech rang through the air, "RORONOA ZORO!" Zoro stutter-stepped, before glaring at Nami, "Stop fighting like a fucking enraged idiot!" She screamed at him, "You're better than that and you damn well know it! Stop letting him get in your head! Let him use that stupid toy if he wants to! Prove him wrong and make him draw his sword!" She was looking as angry as he'd ever seen her, and it was all directed at him.

Zoro quit staring at her and let the words echo in his head. For a moment, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before exhaling. He opened them and his eyes – which had been filled only with blind rage – were sharp again, "Heh, don't tell me what to do, you damn witch."

"Asshole." She smirked as she gave him the finger, before settling down to watch the fight continue. She gave Luffy's hand a squeeze.

Mihawk eyed him curiously, a ghost of a smile almost appearing. He needed a reaming to do so, but the weakling had calmed himself. Perhaps this would end up being a bit more interesting than he expected. Zoro was smirking around his katana once more, "Sorry about that." He gripped his swords tightly, "I'll try to make this a bit more fun for you!" He held two of swords above his shoulders horizontally, "Nanajuni Pound Ho!" He slashed down, and two massive air blades flew towards Mihawk.

"Interesting, but not enough." Mihawk said calmly. His own knife danced into the path of the two air blades and redirected them. They flew off to his right and gouged into the already demolished ship. It didn't come anywhere close to cutting through it, but the wood split a good meter through before the attack lost power. The Krieg crew all looked like snot-nosed brats at the sight.

Zoro hadn't lost a step, charging forward before Mihawk had even redirected his attack. He remembered Luffy's words, 'The world's greatest swordsman? Sounds great! If you can't manage something that small I'd be embarrassed!' Both of his swords were behind the precious one in his mouth, pointing towards the ground, "TORA…!" He reached Mihawk just as his attacks were cutting into the downed ship. "GARI!"

But Mihawk hadn't even been distracted, and he was bored of just parrying. "You are stronger than I expected. I had not thought I would meet a man in East Blue capable of projecting an air blade. A weak one to be frank, but that was far better than I would have expected from someone who never stepped foot in the Grand Line." He stabbed forward, burying his knife into Zoro's ribcage. Blood immediately gushed from the wound, splashing on the deck. It also started leaking from his mouth. His entire crew clenched their teeth and the wooden rail under Luffy's iron grip started blackening. Tears welled in Nami's eyes as she watched the worst happen.

Mihawk paused in interest. Though his knife was buried in Zoro's chest, the man refused to take a step back, "…Do you wish for me to pierce your heart? Why do you not retreat?"

Zoro was panting, "Heh…hell if I know." His jaw clenched around Wado, "But I know…that if I take a single step back…I'd be losing something very important to me." Blood was dribbling down his chin, "A promise or an oath…it would be irreversibly broken, and I could never stand here again."

Mihawk's gaze was as intense as his epitaph suggested, "Yes…that is called defeat."

Zoro laughed painfully, "Yeah…that's why I can't step back."

"Even if it shall mean your death?" Mihawk asked.

"Death would be better!" Zoro said gruffly, "I could never live with myself if I merely shuffled away with my tail between my legs!"

'What conviction!' Mihawk stepped back, sliding his knife out of Zoro's chest and swinging it. In that one rapid swipe, every single drop of blood flew off and it was as dry as it had been before the fight. His pendant in his left hand was completed once more as the small knife found its home. He secured it to his neck, "Kid…tell me your name."

"Roronoa…Zoro!" Zoro moved his swords so that they were all at angles to each other. They all pointed in different directions, almost like a three-pointed star.

"I shall remember it…" Mihawk said as he reached behind his shoulder and pulled Yoru – the greatest sword in the world –from his back, "For your strength is not often seen in this world." He held his blade in front of him, "And to pay my respect to your skill with your blades and your conviction, I shall end you with this."

'This is it.' Zoro thought calmly, "I appreciate it." His thoughts were serene, completely counter to what was about to doubtlessly be a violent clash, 'The world's greatest…or death!'

"Die!" For the first time in the entire fight, Mihawk moved aggressively. He blasted forward at a blistering speed, as Zoro began spinning the two swords in his hands. Mihawk's eyelids widened while the eyes themselves shrank as he analyzed the technique.

"Santōryū Ōgi!" Zoro called out, "SANZEN SEKAI!" The sounds of slashes rang through the air as both men stood back to back, their strikes completed. For a moment, nothing happened, before two of Zoro's three swords completely shattered. Blood splashed out of his chest as another cut opened up, 'I lost.' He dropped the two useless handles and pulled Wado from his teeth, blood spilling once more from his mouth. 'This wasn't something I ever considered possible. So, this is what it means to be the strongest in the world?' He sheathed his treasure sword with a click, before turning around and presenting himself, arms held out with Wado clenched in his left fist.

Mihawk didn't blink, but for a brief moment an ounce of confusion was visible in his gaze, "What's this?"

"A wound on one's back…" Zoro was grinning, even as blood spilled from between his teeth, "Is a swordsman's shame."

Mihawk finally showed an emotion that wasn't calm, serious boredom, "Splendid!" He said through a wide grin. He slashed down, splitting Zoro open from his left collarbone to his right hipbone. 'Don't rush to death, young one.' Mihawk thought, even as Zoro collapsed backwards into the drink, his prized blade clenched tightly in his fist. 'It is not your time yet.'

"ZOROOOOOOOO!" Luffy screamed, even as Nami stumbled backwards, holding her mouth with both hands in horror. Tears streamed from her eyes as she watched her friend fall. The temperature became absolutely unbearable as everyone close to him started clenching their throats.

"Idiot!" Sanji roared from his position meters away, 'This damn bastard's out of his mind! The result was obvious against the world's best swordsman!' He screamed out, "IF YOU'RE JUST GOING TO DIE, THEN ISN'T IT BETTER TO THROW AWAY YOUR AMBITION?!" His voice rang through the air as Johnny and Yosaku dove after Zoro.

The wood under Luffy's hands cracked and shattered into thousands of pieces as he lunged forward, "YOU BASTARD!" His arms were glowing golden as his Devil Fruit worked overtime. He landed and threw his fist forward, aiming to vaporize Mihawk so that not even his ashes would remain.

A massive blast of plasma bigger than the damn galleon had been shot towards the World's Greatest Swordsman, engulfing him in its blaze. It split into two, rocketing outward at sea. Immediately, the wood under their feet steamed as the seawater evaporated and then started smoking before disappearing under the heat. The sea behind Mihawk boiled even as the plasma blast split the sea into three, throwing up masses of rapidly-evaporating water. All of the Krieg pirates collectively crapped themselves at the sight, and all of the Chefs on the Baratie were no better. Several of Krieg's men decided that their Captain was a fool and used the roar of the attack to disguise them jumping into the water and attempting to flee. Facing the sharks would probably hurt less.

Finally, the beam petered off and ended entirely, revealing Mihawk standing there at the head of a 'Y' shaped gouge in the wooden deck of the ship, which was rapidly being covered with water. The section of destroyed deck they were on rocked as the water thrown into the air fell back down. His blade was held in front of him. He wasn't dead, nor was he even smoking. Hell, the greatest swordsman wasn't even sweating. Luffy's attack hadn't even touched him. "So, you're that young man's comrade?" He asked Luffy as if he hadn't just been engulfed by a vaporizingly-hot beam of plasma which had annihilated everything in its path but him, "I thank you for not interfering in our fight. That took much stronger Will than most possess." He eyed the even more furious Luffy, "Fear not, your friend shall live." Luffy gasped, his arms turning back to normal.

Luffy whirled around and watched as the two idiots pulled Zoro above the water, even as he coughed up a mass of blood. "ZORO!" He yelled in joy, a sobbing Nami doing the same from her place on thedinghy they had managed to grab and taken out close to where Zoro had fallen. They managed to get Zoro onto the boat, and his two crewmates immediately set to giving him medication and doing their best to close his wounds, even as Johnny and Yosaku dove to find his sword. "Zoro are you alright!"

"Like hell he'd be alright you idiot!" Nami screamed, "But he's alive and I'll be damned if I don't keep him that way!"

"It is much too soon for you to die." Mihawk yelled out, "My name is Dracule Mihawk! Learn about yourself! Learn about the world! Become strong, Roronoa Zoro!" He had his arms crossed as he looked out at the small boat, "No matter how many years pass, I shall stand at the top of the world and wait for you! Forge ahead with that fierce heart! Surpass my blade! Surpass ME, RORONOA ZORO!" Silence was his answer.

On the Baratie, Zeff was staring at the proceedings in much more profound awe than any of the other people watching, "To think that Dracule Mihawk of all people would be heard saying words like that."

"Boy, what is your goal?" Mihawk directed his attention to Luffy.

"To be the Pirate King!" Luffy faced off with him with the same conviction Zoro had.

Mihawk closed his eyes and gave off a little chuckle, "Then you're an even bigger fool than he is. That's a tougher path than his shall be."

"Don't care." Luffy said, "I will be the Pirate King!"

Mihawk grinned broadly, both at Luffy's words and at what happened next. Zoro lifted his last remaining sword high in the air, pointing it to the sky, "H-hey Luffy! C-can you hear me?"

"Idiot!" Nami said with tears dribbling down her cheeks, "Stop exerting yourself!"

Zoro ignored her as Luffy responded, "Sorry for worrying you… I know that if I don't become the Greatest Swordsman, you'll be embarrassed." He coughed out blood, making Johnny and Yosaku panic, "I swear…that until they day I fight him and win…I'll never lose again!" Mihawk's broad grin widened further, "Until the day I FIGHT HIM AND WIN, I'LL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!" Luffy joined Mihawk in grinning widely, "Any problems with that, PIRATE KING?!"

"Shishishi! Nope!" Luffy relaxed, grinning as he knew his crewmate would be alright. Nami was also smiling tearfully, hiding behind one of her hands.

Sanji stared with an open jaw. Wha…what had just happened? He lost that badly and not only swore to keep going, but had gotten the World's Greatest to practically endorse him on top of it? Unbidden, a dream of a Chef's Paradise rose up in his mind.

With one final smirk, Mihawk turned, "You make a great team. I shall be watching your crew closely." He started walking away.

"Hey, Hawk Eyes!" Krieg called out, Unseen to anyone there, Mihawk couldn't resist rolling his eyes. He turned back, as calm as ever, "You came for my head, didn't you? The head of the infamous Don Krieg."

Mihawk was once again expressionless, "I did." He confirmed, "But I've had my fun for the day. I'm going home."

"You may have had your fun, but I haven't!" His crew all started to panic, "HOW ABOUT YOU DIE BEFORE LEAVING?!" His gun chambers on his armor opened up as he pulled out his pistols and he started unloading.

Mihawk closed his eyes in exasperation, "Hmph. There are some fools who make the world move for them. Some fools though, are just fools." He swung his sword and a massive blast of wind rose up, distracting everyone there. When it died down, neither hide nor hair could be seen of either Mihawk or his boat.

"Tch. He got away." Krieg said as Luffy appeared back on the Baratie, no worse for wear. "Oh well, we were planning on getting rid of our ship anyway, so its destruction is irrelevant." He eyed the floating restaurant and grinned, "Look at that goofy ship. Once it's ours, we won't need to fear the Grand Line at all. It'll be far better than hanging a white flag or pretending to be Marines. It'll be the perfect disguise for us. With Pirates teeming in every ocean, rebuilding our fleet will be a cakewalk."

"B-but Don! What if we run into another monster like Mihawk when we return to the Grand Line?!"

His answer was also a bullet, "Don't be stupid. Do you really think a human can just cut a giant galleon like that? He's clearly got a Devil Fruit power!" They were out of earshot, so Luffy didn't hear this comment and therefore didn't start taunting Krieg again. "We've only heard legends of Fruit users, but the Grand Line is full of them! Even that dumb brat in the Straw Hat is just another run of the mill guy there! Red Leg Zeff spent a whole year on that sea! He HAD to have found a way to deal with people like them! Once we have his Log, we'll be invincible!"

His crew was reinvigorated, "So that's how it is! Just as expected from the mighty Don Krieg! Once we have that Log we'll get One Piece for sure!"

Sanji lit up another cigarette, "Tch, they're coming. Damn pests just don't know when to quit." He looked around, "Where are Patty and Carne?"

"Getting battle preparations ready." Another cook answered him, "They sure are reliable in times like these."

"Tch." Sanji said, "Only in times like these. Go to the control room and open the fins. The geezer won't shut up if we fight inside."

He didn't have time to say anymore because the Pirates all charged, roaring their battle cries. Luffy frowned, "Man, this is going to be so boring." He whined.

Several of the cooks still outside snapped their eyes to him, "What do you mean boring?! That's Don Krieg!"

Luffy ignored them and jumped up into the air, "Rankyaku!" He unleashed a sharp blade of wind from his leg which carved into the wooden deck the Pirates were running on, splitting it in twain. The deck basically spring-boarded and launched all of Krieg's charging crew flying. Some of them smacked into each other, and all crashed into the sea and sank. Luffy didn't even bother landing, instead jumping up and down on the air with Geppo and smirking.

"WHAT KIND OF DEVIL FRUIT IS THAT?!" Krieg, the few crewmembers of his who weren't unconscious, and most of the chefs screamed in shock.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, "It's not a Devil Fruit! Or at least this isn't!"

"Bullshit!" Krieg roared, "It's a fruit!"

Luffy shrugged his shoulders before letting himself fall, landing on the railing and sitting down, "Believe what you want. It's not like an idiot like you will ever make it anywhere to be proven wrong anyway." Krieg grit his teeth and his armor opened up again, revealing his arsenal of guns. The bullets rocketed forward at Luffy, who merely grinned widely. His right arm flashed dozens of times, moving in a blur. Finally, it stilled, and he held it in front of him. He laughed his ass off at the gaping looks from almost everyone. In between each finger were the bullets Krieg had fired. "Shishishi, not going to work!" As he let the bullets fall uselessly to the ocean floor, his eyes bugged out and turned into stars, "Wooohhhh! AWESOME!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"

The fish head figurehead had detached itself from the Baratie and had turned directly at Krieg with its maw open, revealing a triple-barreled cannon. Patty and Carne – the cook with the sunglasses – were peddling madly. Cannonball after cannonball flew forward, missing Krieg by a mile but damaging the destroyed Galleon even more. As they were doing that, the Baratie's 'fins' opened, revealing a collapsible deck which had just been raised. Now they had a good platform for a fight. Sanji grinned, "If you shitty Pirates want to fight, then bring it!"

Patty and Carne continued peddling towards Krieg, who stopped it with one hand. Their eyes bulged in shock as their ship started lifting up into the air, "You shitty cooks. I'm Don Krieg! The man who will be the Pirate King!" He roared in exertion as he tossed the small battleship dozens of meters into the air.

"Oi! Stupid Krieg! I already said that will be me!" Luffy shook his fist in Krieg's direction.

Sanji scoffed, "All talk and no substance… Useless bastards." He jumped up and kicked the fish head away and into the water. The Krieg Pirates were awed.

"SANJI!" Patty and Carne roared as they swam out of the destroyed figurehead and leapt back onto the deck, "YOU TRYING TO KILL YOUR OWN SIDE?!"

Sanji stared at them blankly, "Yeah."

"Did you brains become boiled into stew, you shitty bastard?!" Patty screamed at him, shark teeth and all.

"You almost lost two powerful fighters!" Carne pointed at him angrily.

"Powerful? Hah!" The Krieg Pirates who hadn't already drowned from Luffy's kick managed to climb aboard the deck. All around them, the bodies of the cooks were littered. "Even if you hold weapons, a cook is still a cook. Why don't you run off to some kitchen?"

Another Krieg Pirate was smirking viciously, "Don't compare us to whatever loser Pirates you've fought before. We're Don Krieg's crew!"

One of the nameless cooks cringed as he got up and started crawling backwards, "These guys are different from the Pirates we've been able to beat before! Shit, these guys are strong!"

Patty roared, "Are you going to let yourselves be beaten that easily?! And you call yourselves fighting cooks?!"

"So what if you're fighting cooks? We fight for a living! So just shut up and hand the boat over!"

Patty picked up his giant fork, "Ten years I've been a cook! I've searched through more than three hundred restaurants and have been refused at every one for getting into fights!"

Carne gripped his giant knife, "After searching for years, we ended up here! Fighting or cooking, we can do it to our heart's content! There's nowhere as good as this ship! Like hell we'd give it to you!"

In seconds, the two had run through every single Krieg grunt still alive. Then, they turned as another man joined them. Their eyes widened as he jumped up onto the deck and laid the two out flat in one hit each. The new guy started laughing, "Behold! My invincible iron wall!" He was wearing the most stupid-looking attire any of them had ever seen, and that included Buchi and Sham from the Black Cat crew. He had giant iron plates on both his front and his back, which made him look round. They covered everything from crotch to collar. On his feet, knees, elbows, hands, and head were smaller iron plates, and every single one of them had a brilliant looking pearl in the middle.

The Pirates cheered as Pearl started ranting about his attack, and one of them went over to Patty and tried to take his knife. Keyword being tried. No matter how injured, Patty absolutely refused to release his hold on his knife, so the two began to struggle. Sanji's face was shadowed before he blurred, and the cheering Pirates were rudely interrupted via his fancy shoes breaking their teeth. Every single one of them flew backwards and crashed into Pearl's armor. "A chef's knife is his soul. It's not something amateurs like you should even think about touching." He handed the knife back to Patty, "Here. I'll handle the rest. Make sure you kick the bucket for good this time."

"Fu-fuck you, Sanji!" Patty groaned in pain.

Pearl started laughing, "Beating them all using only your legs? How lazy. Or maybe that's your policy."

Sanji grinned back, "A chef's hands are his life. I can't risk them in fights. Don't worry. My feet will be more than enough."

"You? Take me down? Don't make me laugh." Pearl started chuckling, "In the past sixty-one fights I've been in, I've won them all without a single scratch. You might protect your hands in a fight, but I protect my entire body!" He boasted, "In every single fight I've been in, I've not lost a single drop of blood! Not a single drop! That's proof of my invincible strength! That's why they call me Iron Shield Pearl!" He grinned, his teeth pinging in the light, "Any my iron defense is quite fashionable too!"

"What a dandy…" Nami muttered, having appeared behind Luffy. She pecked him on the cheek, "Zoro will be just fine Luffy. I had Usopp and the idiots sail further away with the Going Merry but told them to stay within eyeshot. I don't want Zoro anywhere near this mess."

"Good. Let him rest. We can just Geppo there later." Nami took up a position leaning forward on the rail he was sitting on.

"You better pay attention Straw Hat!" Krieg roared, catching their attention. He was swinging a Morningstar around his head, the spiked ball portion of which was at least twice as big as Luffy's head, "DIE!" He threw it at Luffy.

Luffy caught it in one hand, barely paying attention. He was more interested in watching Sanji's fight. He never noticed Krieg's jaw dropping as the spiked ball went from black to white-hot in the blink of an eye and completely melted. The chain flopped uselessly to the ocean, throwing up steam as the white-hot metal boiled the water.

Sanji surged forward and kicked at Pearl's head, but the man simply lifted one of his shields to block it. Sanji's eyes narrowed as he did a back-spin kick, knocking that hand way. With his arms, he pushed off the ground and planted both feet cleanly off Pearl's face, knocking him back a couple feet. The Krieg Pirates all felt shivers go up their spines as Pearl grimaced and dabbed at his nose, noticing a small streak of red, "B-blood?"

"H-hey! Pearl! It's just a small nosebleed!" One of the Krieg Pirates was waving his hands in front of him, "Everyone gets those! Just calm down, Pearl!"

Pearl was staring at the red on his fingers, having broken out into a flop sweat, "M-my blood. My iron wall was broken through! These guys are dangerous."

"The hell is wrong with him?" Nami asked Luffy, "It's just a little nosebleed." Luffy shrugged in response.

Krieg roared at his subordinate, "CALM DOWN PEARL! This isn't the jungle! There's no need to go wild over a damn nosebleed!"

"Danger! I'm in danger! Danger! DANGER!" Pearl was clapping his shields together like that toy monkey with a pair of cymbals. "DANGER!" He screamed one last time, before he was engulfed in fire.

"D…did he just light himself on fire?" Nami asked dully, a look of sheer disbelief on her face. Luffy had practically fallen off the railing, holding his gut as he laughed. The explanation the other Krieg Pirates gave – that Pearl grew up in a jungle and had learned to start fires to ward off savage beasts – sent him into hysterics and he actually did fall forward onto the deck. Nami was giggling behind her hand as well, holding herself up using the rail.

"DON'T YOU DARE GET CLOSE TO ME!" Pearl screamed hysterically, "Fire Pearl Daitokuten!" He roared, and flaming balls of fire erupted from him, flinging every which way. Sanji dodged easily, while the one that hit the still-laughing Luffy had no effect whatsoever.

The rest of the cooks and Krieg Pirates had to dodge as best they could, "HOT! HOT! HOT! PEARL PLEASE STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO BURN THE SHIP!"

"BURN!" Pearl yelled, "With my fire shield, my iron shield became even more invincible!" Sanji surged forward – ignoring the calls from a hysterical Patty telling him to stop – and jumped into the air, throwing a spinning kick at Pearl which knocked his arm to the side, "WHAT?! How can you approach me?! Even wild beasts won't come near me!"

"Idiot!" Sanji was grinning madly as he charged again, "How could I be a cook if a little fire could scare me?!" He rolled under Pearl's punch and smashed his foot right into the large man's face.

Pearl looked completely hysterical, clutching his bleeding face with tears in his eyes, "M-MY FACE! DANGER! THIS GUY IS DANGEROUS! MORE FIRE! MORE PEARLS!" Fireballs started erupting from him again, at a much higher speed and density than the last time.

They raced for the restaurant, looking to light it ablaze. Zeff stood there without concern, next to Nami. His peg leg rose off the wood and he let out a rapid kick. The sheer wind generated was enough to put out all of the flaming pearls, also stopping all of their forward momentum. They all dropped to the boards with little clinks. "A lost leg or not, I can handle far more than a few little flaming pebbles."

Sanji used Pearl's distraction to nail another hard hit to Pearl's head, knocking him to the ground in a daze. Suddenly, a large cracking sound rang through the air, forcing Sanji to turn. Luffy got up as well, and his eyes narrowed.

Gin was behind Zeff. Or rather, Gin was on top of Zeff, a broken peg leg clattering near his feet. He held a gun in each hand, one pointed at a downed Zeff's head, and the other held right up flush with Nami's temple. "That's enough Sanji! And you too kid!" Both of the men he was speaking to growled, "You want to save this man, don't you? And you want to save your crewmate, right?! Then get the hell off of this ship!"

Sanji didn't reply to Gin, "Hey geezer! Isn't this a bad example to be setting when we're out here fighting?!"

"Hmph." Zeff said, his tone as even as they'd ever heard it, "I don't need to listen to a little eggplant like you."

"Eggplant?!" Sanji roared, "You can't keep treating me like a little kid forever you shitty old geezer!" Luffy had walked over to him and joined him in staring at Gin, "Gin! Aim that gun at me instead!"

"Then he'll just kill you, you know." Luffy said, arms behind his head. He had looked at Nami's face and had not seen a trace of fear. She had even winked at him. It made him relax.

"Who cares?" Sanji said, not taking his eyes off Gin.

"Sanji…but why?" Gin asked, trying to understand just what drove the men before him. He couldn't fathom wanting to throw away your own life over a ship. All they had to do was leave!

"Gin you cheap, cowardly son of a bitch." Sanji spat at him, "I can't accept your conditions!"

"It's simple Sanji! All you have to do is get off the ship and everyone lives!" Gin yelled back.

"I've already taken everything away from that geezer! His strength! His dreams! I won't let you take away his treasure too!" Sanji finally exploded at him.

Zeff had his eyes closed, "Not the time, you damn pipsqueak." He muttered.

Pearl had gotten up, his head back on straight after Sanji's devastating kick. He growled and charged, swinging at Luffy to take him out before beating Sanji into pulp.

Things did not go quite as planned for the large man, "AARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHH!" Pearl dropped to his knees, screaming himself hoarse as he clutched the cracked, blackened stump that used to be his right arm and shield, "MY ARMMMMMM!" He stared rolling around in pain, only making things worse for the horrendous injury he'd inflicted on himself my trying to hit a pissed off Luffy.

Jaws dropped all over the ship, "I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE, KID!" Gin screamed at Luffy his eyes wide.

"I didn't!" Luffy said with a wide, dark grin, "See? Still in the same spot." His eyes were shadowed by his hat, but it did nothing to hide his bared teeth, "Not my fault he tried to hit me."

Gin stared at him in disbelief, incapable of comprehending just how powerful the boy in front of him was. The guns he was pointing trembled for a moment and he broke into a savage sweat.

"Let them go Gin! If you want this ship, you'll have to beat me!" Sanji said, his face dark as he started recounting those dark days so long ago. He spoke of how he was a simple cook in training on a passenger vessel. He spoke of how he used to be as a child, one who would chide others for eating leftovers and who would throw out ingredients that even looked like they went bad. He spoke of the legendary sea which had been his dream, and the wonders it held for cooks. And then he spoke of how the Cook Pirates set themselves on the Orbit, the ship he had been on.

"You must be the Captain of the Cook Pirates. What do you want from us?" The Captain of the Orbit asked a younger Zeff.

"Money/" Zeff replied easily, "Take all of their valuables, down to the last penny!" The Pirates charged forward, ripping pearls off women's necks, and taking everything valuable which wasn't bolted down. Curiously, they didn't harm a single person.

"Captain!" His first mate yelled, "If we don't get out of here we'll be caught up in this storm as well!" Currently, Sanji was down in the kitchen, scraping together a couple of knives to fight with. Like hell he was going to let himself be killed by these bastard Pirates!

"Hold on a second." Zeff told one of his crewmates, who stiffened, "What's this?"

"I…I'm sorry Captain! I was just a little hung-" He yelled in terror as Zeff advanced on him and kicked him right through the mast.

Seconds later, his bleeding skull was clutched in Zeff's grip, "Don't I always tell you all never to touch an enemy's food?!" He blinked as he heard a commotion, turning and seeing a little brat wielding two knives swinging at his crew. He sighed, "If the kid wants to die that badly, then just kill him and be done with it!"

"I don't want to die, but you're going to kill us anyway! So, I'll have to kill you before you can kill me!" Sanji screamed. Zeff's kick deposited him into the ground.

"Damn, look at the Captain go. He won't hold back even against a little brat."

Zeff had his arms crossed as he looked down at the little eggplant gnawing on his leg in exasperation, "I'm not going to die! I'm going to find All Blue one day!" The rest of the Pirates started laughing and jeering at the boy, though Zeff's eyes had softened momentarily. Still, he kicked the brat off his leg and into the wall of the cabin. The rain was really coming down extremely hard, and it was getting worse. Still, Sanji yelled, "There's no way I'm going to die to some stupid Pirates like you in a place like this!"

"Captain!" The first mate yelled, "We have to go! This storm is far worse than we thought!"

Before another word could be said, a gigantic wave engulfed the deck of the ship, grabbing onto Sanji and pulling him from the boat. Zeff's eyes widened, "That stupid brat!" He leapt and kicked right through the mast, sending it and himself into the deep after Sanji. Another wave – an absolutely titanic wave far bigger than the one that had swept Sanji to sea – crashed into the ships, engulfing them entirely. The sounds of cracking and breaking wood were drowned out by the roar of the waves and the howling of the wind.

…

A few days later, Sanji woke up to clear blue skies, "So, awake are you, you little eggplant? You're pretty lucky." Zeff's voice startled him. He tried to sit up, before groaning in agony, "Of course you can't move." Zeff scoffed, "Just whose kick do you think you received?"

Sanji groaned, "Where's the ship?"

"Who knows." Zeff sighed, "It probably sank, but I can't say for sure. My ship on the other hand…" He looked forlornly at the pieces of wood strewn around the giant rock/plateau in the middle of the ocean they were on, "It definitely sank. I can tell from the wreckage." He closed his eyes, "I can only be thankful that I didn't see any of their bodies." He opened them again, "In any case, it's been two days since the storm. You and I are stuck on this godforsaken rock without a single plant, fruit, or animal to eat." He chuckled darkly, "Of course, there are plenty of fish in the sea, but the waves have carved the walls of this damn rock into sheer cliffs that are impossible to climb up. In other words, we're stuck here without a way to get any food. Feel free to cry if you wish."

Sanji growled and yelled at him, "Like hell I'm going to cry! This is all your fault you damn geezer!"

Zeff almost smirked, but he held himself, "If you don't shut it, I'll eat you instead," He turned back to the calm ocean waters, "In any case, waiting for help is our only hope now. If we're lucky, we'll be saved tomorrow. If not, only our bones may be waiting here by the time someone shows up." Sanji started, an image of his skeleton filling his mind and terrifying the young boy. Zeff held up two bags of two different sizes, "This is your share, eggplant." He put the smaller bag near Sanji, "This is what little food got washed up on this rock with us. If you eat normally, it'll last you five days. If you're smarter and ration, it should last a fair bit more than that." He said, staring seriously at the boy, "Good thing we're both chefs."

Sanji pointed a finger at him angrily, "Why the hell is your bag bigger?!"

"I'm an adult you dumb little eggplant. Clearly I'll need more to eat than you." He put his boot on Sanji's head, "That's how it is, brat. Let's try to get along until we're saved."

"You damn geezer!" Sanji yelled.

"You should consider me nice for even giving you food in the first place! Don't expect me to be any nicer than that! Now stay on this side of the rock and don't bother me unless help comes! I'll be on the other side of this rock doing the same!" He left Sanji clutching his bag of food, "Pray for luck."

Sanji sat there, alternating staring at the sun's reflection on the waves and at his bag of food. Occasionally, he reached a hand for the bag before recoiling, remembering Zeff's words. Finally, he wrapped his arms around his knees and buried his head in between them, "I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" He started to sob.

On the other side of the rock, Zeff had a large stick in his mouth. He held a tiny boulder above his head, with his right leg extended and straight. There was a rope tied around his thigh, so tightly the flesh below was starting to purple. He was sweating profusely as he bit into the thick wood, 'So this is where…even my red leg will meet its end!' He brought the rock down, again and again just below the knee, until the bone was broken through and the leg came off entirely. Only the stick he was starting to chew through kept his screams from ringing through the air.

…

Sanji was sifting through all of the food items inside his small bag, "That damn geezer. Like hell I'd let him know if I see a ship! He can go to hell for all I care! I'll survive on my own!" he stared at the sea, "I can see so far away! I have no doubt I'll see at least one to two ships in the next five days! Besides, none of this wreckage is from the Orbit so they'll no doubt pass by searching for me!" He organized all of the food items and started thinking, "This will last me five days, but it'll be better to think of the worst-case scenario. Plus, there's plenty of rainwater collected on this rock, so thirst won't be a problem! I'll have to make it last for twenty! If I can survive for twenty days, I'll be rescued for sure!"

He started nibbling on a piece of bread and finished it quickly. But his stomach was still growling as he pulled his head out of the small pool of fresh water, "Maybe…" he looked at the bag of food, before shaking his head, "No! It hasn't even been the first day yet! It has to last twenty days no matter what!" He started punching himself in the stomach, "Damn it! Stop growling!"

The first day ended, without a ship in sight. On the fifth day, another storm passed by, dropping gallons of rain onto the island. He was glad he had managed to create a small shelter out of the broken pieces of ship strewn about. He was able to keep his food dry because of it. Suddenly, he spotted a ship. He sprang up in elation, waving his arms and shouting at the top of his lungs, but they were too far way to hear through the storm. He set about trying to light a fire, but the wood was too wet to catch. Sanji's yells turned hoarse and large tears dribbled from his eyes as he sobbed, watching salvation sail away.

On the twenty-fifth day, Sanji looked tired, unhealthy, and skinny. There were bags under his eyes and scratches all over him as he held his last piece of moldy bread. He eyed it as if it was the most delicious thing on earth, remembering all the times he had thrown food away because they were leftovers, or because they looked a little bad. He became so angry and frustrated with the boy he had been, that the bread slipped from his grasp and tumbled off the rock, much to his horror.

Days more passed, then weeks. On the seventieth day, Sanji could take his hunger no more. He was a pale shadow of his former self, mere skin and bones. He got up shakily and made his way over to Zeff, clutching a knife. He gasped as he saw the bag of food, as full as it had been on that first day. The hunger had gotten to him, and he didn't even stop to think that perhaps something was wrong. He looked utterly delighted as he took out a knife, "What's wrong little eggplant? Have you seen a ship?" Zeff asked without turning around. His voice was hoarse and quiet, very much unlike his previous strong tone.

"I've come to take your food!" Sanji was smirking as much as his weak body could, holding the trembling knife in front of him, "Kill me if you can, because I'll die anyway if I don't eat something!" He slashed the bag open, but only heard clanging. The knife dropped limply from his fingers, "Wha…what's this?" He was on his knees, staring helplessly at the piles of treasure spilling from the sack.

"Little eggplant." Zeff sighed, "Didn't I tell you no contact until one of us had seen a ship?"

"It…it's all gold…and jewels!" Sanji stuttered.

"To be filthy rich…and yet not able to eat. Strange isn't it?"

"This bag is nothing but treasure…" Sanji said hoarsely, "WHERE'S ALL THE FOOD?!" He stumbled forward, gripping onto Zeff's equally emaciated shoulder "JUST WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN EATING ALL THIS TIME?! HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?! DIDN'T YOU HAVE THAT HUGE BAG OF FOOD?!" He started and fell back in shock and horror as he eyed Zeff's leg, "Yo-your leg…" Tears started pouring from his eyes, "DID YOU EAT YOUR OWN LEG?!"

"Yes."

"WAS THE FOOD YOU GAVE ME ALL THERE WAS TO BEGIN WITH?!" He cried out in utter disbelief.

"Yes."

"But you can't be a Pirate anymore without your leg!" Sanji cried out in grief, "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT FOR ME?! I TRIED TO KILL YOU! I NEVER DID A SINGLE THING FOR YOU! SO WHY?!"

"We share the same dream." Zeff smiled softly at his disbelief, "It exists. I know it. When the times comes, go to the Grand Line and find it. I may not have been able to do it in the single year I spent on the Grand Line, but I saw the possibility of its existence!" He sighed, "But I've lost all my comrades…so I can't be the one to find it anymore. I can't imagine life as a Pirate without those guys…the ones who stuck with me through thick and thin… They were good guys…" He sighed as he fell backwards, unable to stay sitting any longer.

"G-geezer! Don't die! Don't you dare die on me!" Sanji cried, as he rushed to make sure the man hadn't given up the ghost already.

"The sea…is too big…and too cruel." Zeff said hoarsely, "I wonder how many men have died despising the vastness of the seas…?" He stared up at the sky, "In all my years as a Pirate I've gone through my fair share of times without food. And each time, I would think about how nice it would be if there was a restaurant that floated on this vast ocean…if I ever manage to get off this damn rock, I'll build it if it's the last thing I do. The only one who could run a place like that in this age of Pirates is me."

"Yeah!" Sanji said as he cried, "Then I'll help out too, so you better not die old geezer!"

"Hah! An eggplant like you is too weak for that."

"THEN I'LL GET STRONGER!" Sanji roared at him. Fifteen days. That was how long it took for help to arrive, and by that time both Sanji and Zeff were knocking on Death's Door. But they survived, and when they were hale and hearty once more, Zeff built his Floating Restaurant.

Sanji was bowing his head as he finished his story. He turned burning eyes at Gin, "I took everything from him! He ate his own leg, so I could live! I'll be damned if I let you take this place from him, and I'll be damned if I let you kill him! IF I CAN'T PUT MY LIFE AT RISK TO SAVE HIS I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO REPAY MY DEBT TO HIM!"

WHAM! Luffy's fist connected with Sanji's cheek and sent him crashing to the floor. He hit off the floorboards so hard that his body bounced a foot back into the air. He lay there, groaning as Nami gasped, "LUFFY!"

Luffy ignored her, wrath all over his face as he grabbed Sanji by the collar and hauled him up, under the gaping gazes of every single other person there, "YOU DAMN IDIOT!" He roared in Sanji's face. He shook him until his eyes refocused, "What good will throwing your damn life away do! That old man saved you, so you could live out both of your dreams! He didn't cut off his own leg so that you could spit on his sacrifice and throw your life away!" Sanji stared at him, shock in his gaze. He dropped Sanji to the floor as he heard Krieg laughing at Sanji's story, calling out Zeff for being an idiot. A blast of plasma cut that laughter short, vaporizing a semicircle out of a piece of wood Krieg had been sitting on. The large man dove out of the way and when the beam cut off, he stared at his previous location in shock. The wood was black and darkening further away from the initial burn by the second from the residual heat.

"I TOLD YOU TO CUT IT OUT STRAW HAT!" Gin yelled, "Don't think I won't blow her pretty little head off!"

"Then do it already, you coward!" Nami said heatedly. She was as saddened by Sanji's story as anyone there with an actual heart, and these Pirates were absolutely pissing her off.

Gin stiffened and turned to her, taking one gun away from Zeff and pointing both at her, "You think I won't do it, little girl?" He asked angrily, "Don't think I won't pull this tri-"

"Then do it." Nami said, deathly serious. She turned her head from the temporarily-suspended fight below and eyed him. She smirked, making sure Luffy would hear her, "Guns aren't for show, you know." Luffy grinned broadly.

Gin growled, before his arm jerked and he pulled the trigger. BANG! The gun went off with a plume of fire and a tremendous crack, but despite being at point-blank range, the only thing he hit was Nami's after image. Teeth flew from his mouth as she appeared exactly where she had been, staff in high gear. The impact spun him so that his back was facing the lower fins, both his guns flying from his hands. She vanished again and appeared in front of him, to his right. Her staff flew true once more and caught him right under the chin, sending him twirling and tumbling out from the higher deck. He managed to reach the apex of his flight right in the middle of the burning fin, before Nami appeared above him one last time. She and her staff hurtled downward, cracking him in the forehead and sending him rocketing to the ground. His head impacted the wood and broke right through it, burying him up to his shoulders in the wooden deck. His legs flopped lifelessly down, leaving him with his head in the ground and his ass in the wind. Nami landed like a cat, in a three-point landing. She had the widest, smuggest smirk anyone had ever seen on her face.

"BATTLE COMMANDER GIN!" The rest of the Krieg Pirates screamed in terror, watching as their second strongest fighter was taken out.

Krieg eyed his first mate blankly, "Oi Gin, stop playing around." Gin slumped further, if anything, "GIN! YOU'RE MY BATTLE COMMANDER AND I'M TELLING YOU TO GET UP!" Gin didn't move a muscle. A large vein started pulsing on Don Krieg's temple, as he started to grit his teeth. He was practically foaming at the mouth. He began to howl in fury, "DAMN YOU, YOU WORTHLESS TRASH!" He looked the very picture of a villain having his villainous breakdown. One of his teeth cracked in his mouth as he kept grinding, the snap ringing clearly in the silent air, "WE'RE THE KRIEG PIRATES! THE STRONGEST IN EAST BLUE! THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN BE BEATEN BY SOME LITTLE BITCH!"

Nami didn't even bother scowling anymore. Those kinds of taunts wouldn't get to her anymore. She had her staff over both shoulders behind her neck and her hands were hanging of it lazily. She was grinning as madly as Luffy as she came to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, "You aren't the strongest of anything," She stuck her tongue out and pulled down her eyelid, "Biggest maybe." She grinned, before gaining a surprised look to her, "Oh, but you aren't even that anymore. Guess that makes you…well, nothing really."

Krieg looked apoplectic, "I see…I see now." He pulled one of his large shoulder plates off and aimed it in their direction, "I didn't lack information…I LACKED A STRONG CREW! YOU FUCKING WEAKLINGS!" He howled, trembling in sheer rage. The mouth of the Krieg Jolly Roger on the shield opened up, revealing a cannon as he grabbed a fancy mask from his side and fastened it to his face. The rest of the Krieg crew panicked and started scrambling for the gas masks on their belts as well, "NO ONE PUT ON A MASK!" Krieg bellowed at the sight, "NOT ONE OF YOU IS WORTH YOUR MASK. IF YOU SURVIVE THE POISON GAS, I'LL KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!" The masks dropped limply from their hands, staring at their foaming-mad Captain in horror. They all started to sob, while some dove off the fin in a desperate attempt to get away. The open mouth on the shield started to glow, "DIE! ALL OF YOU! DIE! LETHAL POISON GAS BOMB! M! H! 5!"

The cannon fired, launching a large black projectile shaped vaguely like a warhead. It flew towards the ship of panicking cooks and Pirates, before Luffy lazily raised his fist. "Enten Enten no… Enjū!" A thin blast of plasma – the same as he used against the Lord of the Coast near his hometown – engulfed the bomb. When Luffy lowered his arm, the MH5 bomb had completely disappeared. Once again, the rest of the boat was filled with snot-nosed brats. Even Krieg himself, shown by the waterfall of snot coming out from his mask. "Shishishishi! You're next, stupid."

"Hey Luffy." His ears quirked as he turned to look at Nami, who was looking at Krieg with a vicious smirk, "I think I owe that asshole, don't you agree?" Luffy grinned right back at her, "If he's the kind who will kill his own crew, then he's even weaker than I thought." Krieg growled at the girl as he pulled off his gas mask, "There's no need for you to waste your time on this weakling. How about I get some practice?" She turned to him with a smile, "After all, I'll hardly be ready for the Grand Line if I lose to this asshole." She dropped one of her arms and swung her staff into a ready position.

"Shishishi!" Luffy started laughing out loud as he fell back and took a seat on the stairs, "Have fun Nami!"

"Whatwhatwhat?!" Sanji immediately got in his face and started shaking Luffy, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THAT'S DON KRIEG! WHY ARE YOU SENDING THE GODDE-?"

Luffy punched him in the gut, bending him over, "Shut up. I still owe you an ass-kicking." Luffy grumbled, "Old man eats his leg for you and you think that to pay him back, you should die? What an idiot." Luffy scowled at him, even as Sanji trembled in pain under his gaze, "Sit down and watch. I trust my crew and I trust her." He stopped scowling at Sanji and turned back to Nami, a grin growing on his face again as she landed on the platform.

Krieg leered at Nami, "Oh I'm going to enjoy this, you fucking bitch."

"I doubt it." Nami smiled cheerfully, before she put her game face on.

"You know, I'm a little glad that Straw Hat bastard destroyed my bomb. After I kill the rest of you I think I'll keep you as a pet." Krieg grinned as his armor opened up, revealing his mounted guns, "I'll finish this qui-!"

Nami shut him right up when she appeared in the air in front of the large man. He had no time whatsoever to react as Nami's staff caught him square in the teeth, rattling his brains and sending him crashing to the floor. "Get up Krieg! I know that wasn't enough to take you out." She was spinning the staff lazily as she licked her lips. 'Huh, when did I start actually enjoying fights?' She wondered absently. She certainly hadn't been into it before. She had always been a thief, 'Hmph, for all the good that did me. It's been almost a decade and I still haven't raised enough, and that's if Arlong doesn't try to get me on a technicality.' She had been terrified for so long, and hopeless for so long. She smirked. Maybe this would actually be better. She could take care of herself now, and she liked it.

Krieg finally decided to stop laying about and jumped to his feet, turning and thrusting his shield at Nami, who danced out of its path and jumped. She landed a clean kick to Krieg's head which sent him a few steps backwards. He turned to her with a bloody smirk, "You don't hit so hard." He said victoriously. He replaced his shoulder plate onto his armor and held out his clenched fists, "One hit from me and you'll be down for good, bitch."

"By all means then, Don. Hit me." She grinned.

"STOP BEING SO COCKY, YOU LITTLE WEAKLING!" Krieg roared and punched out at her. She dodged so fluidly with Kami-e that it almost looked as if she was being lazy. Krieg charged forward like a wild animal, sending punch after punch towards the nimble girl, missing every single one. Every time he did hit something – such as the wooden mast of his destroyed Galleon – he pulverized it. His physical strength was actually pretty immense, and Nami certainly didn't want to be hit by him.

"Are you even trying to hit me?" She taunted, sticking her tongue out. She was used to using her feminine wiles to get men to do what she wanted. This was a little different, but at the same time, it was just more of the same. She wanted him angry and stupid. She realized after that first hit that she wasn't going to beat this huge guy the way she beat Gin. She would need to get him and get him hard. Taunting the raging bull seemed to work wonders in keeping him open for hits. Like the one she just gave him.

WHAM! Her staff swung upwards and cracked him on the chin, forcing his teeth to clack against one another from the impact, "Grk!" Krieg groaned as he felt blood welling in his mouth. He had bitten his tongue because of that. He raised his fist again but before he could do anything more, her staff hit the bridge of his nose and knocked him back a couple steps. "You fucking uppity whore!" He growled, before grabbing his cape and swinging it around his body, revealing a mass of spikes, "I'd like to see you hit me now! You can't even come close!" He charged at her, looking to barge straight into her like a large spiked wall. Nami vanished and he skidded to a stop, growling. She appeared above him, standing on his cape harmlessly. They were huge spikes after all, and she had small feet. She could easily fit them in between each spike.

She was grinning, "I'd suggest you reconsider those words, but I really don't like you." She thrust her staff down like a spear and got him right in his widened eye with the butt of her staff.

"FUCK!" He howled as she back-flipped off of him as he swung his massive hands up to his now bleeding, useless eye. "MY EYE!" He howled in agony, swinging his body wildly in pain. Finally, he settled on one knee, holding one hand to his face while the other was clenched, arm muscles bulging under his armor. The hand on his face was leaking blood, and Nami really didn't want to see what was behind that hand. She had just eaten a couple minutes ago, after all.

"N-NO WAY!" One of the Krieg Pirates screamed, "I've never seen Don on his knees!"

She grinned, "Invincible armor huh? You're full of weak spots."

Krieg spat at her, before punching. His gauntlet exploded, launching a huge iron net at her, "Drown you bitch!"

"No thanks." Nami vanished and appeared behind him. CRACK! She smashed her staff as hard as she could into the back of his dome. Krieg went down, slamming his forehead against the floorboards. She looked angry as she took in her staff, or rather the small crack running down it, "Fuck! What is your damn head made of?" She yelled at Krieg, even as he got up and tried to backhand her. She jumped out of range and complained, "You cracked my staff." She sulked. She liked this staff. She jumped back as Krieg got up again, howling like a mad beast and shooting a dozen guns at her. She bobbed and wove around the bullets with Kami-e. 'I can't put him down. Damn it!'

She was starting to tire a little, and her breath was coming a little harsher. Zeff noticed that immediately, "She's tiring." He said needlessly. Sanji was clenching his fists in worry as he watched her.

"Damn it!" Sanji growled, "He has so many weapons and strong armor! She can't bust through."

"She'll figure something out." Luffy was still grinning, without concern. He trusted her. "She's come a long way. She isn't about to lose to that asshole."

"Damn it! That's Don Krieg!" Sanji yelled at him, "Even if his crew was crap, he was still strong enough to throw that mini battleship! And he has more weapons on him then that battleship!" He screamed in worry as Krieg started using a flamethrower, looking to cook Nami alive. He swung the flaming arc madly in the attempt to catch her with it, but she used Soru beautifully to stay out of its way. A kick to the back of Krieg's head sent him careening to the deck once more, though he bounced up as fast as ever, still trying to catch her with his flamethrower. This time, she appeared to his side and kicked him as hard as she could in his unarmored thigh. He grimaced in pain as she started a dance of Soru, coming in as fast as she could and delivering a hammer blow to his unprotected legs each time. Because one of Krieg's eyes were useless, he was especially vulnerable on his left side. He just couldn't see her coming. Krieg had enough and spun in a circle, hoping to catch her with his fire. Nami took the smart way out and dove into the drink. Krieg quickly ran out of fuel for his flames and it sputtered before dying out. Nami climbed back onto the deck, but she was noticeably panting.

"Damn it, she's getting really tired!" Sanji's jaw was clenched.

"And yet she won't give up." Zeff countered, "It doesn't matter how many weapons Krieg throws at her or how tired she gets. She just keeps going. He's no match for her conviction." He turned to Luffy, "Hey kid, how long have you been teaching her?"

"Eh, how'd you know I taught her?" Luffy blinked at him.

Zeff laughed, "She uses the same moves as you do, even if she's nowhere near as good at them, or as fast." He smirked at Luffy, "So that makes you the teacher, doesn't it?"

"Shishishi, it's been a couple weeks by now." He grinned, "She used to be afraid of fighting even the weaklings. Then one day, she just got really serious about learning from me." His smile dimmed as he remembered her reasons…the nightmares that had given her that new conviction, "She's been trying her heart out since then."

"A couple weeks!" Sanji gasped, "That's impossible!"

Zeff noticed how he got much more serious, "People like her…like you…they don't go down without a fight. They never give up, even when things appear hopeless. A weakling like Krieg could never beat either of you." Luffy was back to grinning madly.

Krieg's legs had their pants torn off and looked like two giant bruises. Every step he took sent a jagged fork of lightning up his legs, sending his nerves into screaming pain. Nami was grinning. She knew how to take him down now. She didn't have the power to bust through that stupid armor or his stupid head, so she would have to go around it.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Krieg roared, grabbing both of his shoulder plates and slamming them together. A handle came out and extended it into a long spear. The massive round shield at the end spat out a triangle of sharp metal. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"You haven't even touched me, stupid." Nami grinned as she merely jumped back out of the spear's range.

She regretted that immediately.

Her shrill scream broke through the air as the deck the spear hit exploded outward, peppering her with wooden shrapnel. She hurried to cross her arms in front of her face, avoiding getting hit in the head. But the blast knocked her down into the deck and she rolled, aggravating the wooden chucks embedded into her flesh. She cried in pain as blood leaked down her arms, "FUCK!" She howled in agony as she grabbed the two wooden shards embedded in her left arm and above her hip and yanked them out. Blood started pouring from the wounds. She saw red, "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" What appeared to be a miasma of death was surrounding her, her voice utterly wrathful. She struggled to her feet and vanished. The trained, furious eyes of Zeff and Luffy saw she was noticeably slower after taking her first hit of the fight. She appeared directly under Krieg, almost sliding on the crippled deck. She threw herself into a handstand and kicked upwards with both feet.

Krieg's gruff voice immediately went high pitched and he began singing soprano. He pitched forward while also being lifted off his feet and flying forwards from the impact, clutching his family jewels and falling face first onto the deck. Nami let herself down and vanished again, punting him between the legs once more and sending him launching forward like a rocket. His face ground roughly into the damaged boards of the piece of ship they stood on, earning him not only a friction burn, but also peppering his flesh with splinters. He finally came to a halt by smashing into a broken mast. She stalked forward like an angry tiger and kicked him in the jewels again, and then again.

Everyone watching turned blue, while the weaker willed among them crossed their legs and crossed their hands in front of their crotches. Luffy raised a shaky hand, "Uh, Nami? I think he's… eeep." He shut up as she turned a scathing glare in his direction, "Never mind. I think I still see him twitching." Their eyes popped out of their heads as Nami turned around, grabbed Krieg's fallen exploding spear and dragged it behind her, "Wait, you're not going to…!" Yes. Yes, she was. With a growl of effort and an amount of strain she would definitely regret later – as exhausted and injured as she already was – she hefted the spear and swung it like a golf club. The whimpering Don Krieg knew no more.

And unfortunately, the explosion also sent Nami and the spear flying, and she definitely regretted her decision. The flying spear was caught by Luffy and he casually handed it to Sanji, who almost fell over, having not expected it to be as heavy as it was. It only took him a moment to get used to it before he set it down gently. Luffy vanished and caught Nami before she splattered on the deck. She almost flailed, worried for a moment that even after all that abuse, Krieg was still awake. But no, Krieg was out cold and probably wishing he was dead in whatever dreamland took him. She recognized the beaming Luffy and slumped in relief. Her chest was heaving, and she was pouring both sweat as well as blood. But she had a wide grin on her face. She had done it! She tiredly wrapped her arms around his neck, "I think I'm going to take a nap." She mumbled, before passing out herself.

"Shishishishi!" Luffy chuckled as he carried the beautiful girl in his arms. He vanished and appeared with her on the Going Merry.

"Luffy!" Usopp gasped as he saw Nami in the state she was in, "Is she alright?"

Luffy grinned, "Yeah…she's just fine." He gazed at her fondly as he placed her down on the deck, "Can you bandage her hip and her arm? I'll be right back." He grinned down at Usopp, who was busy doing as was requested, "We can start sailing back to the restaurant. The fight's over."

He vanished and reappeared back on the Baratie. Krieg was still down, with his men crowded around him. Even Gin was up again, staring at the defeated form of his Captain in disbelief, "Thi…this is impossible." He kept repeating blankly.

Sanji sighed and got up, "Give these idiots the boat we use to go out and buy supplies."

"What?" Patty yelled, "Why should we do anything for these clowns! They attacked us!"

"Just do it!" Sanji yelled at them, and they hurried off while grumbling and whining about Sanji. "Get out of here with the rest of these idiots, Gin. Don't come back."

Gin looked shamed as he picked up Don Krieg, "Sanji…I'm sorry." He sighed, "I never meant for any of this to happen."

Sanji stared at him without empathy, "Funny how that happens, huh?" He glared at the dirty, scraggly man, "You lost all sympathy when you tried to blow Zeff's head off."

"I…"

"Go." Sanji turned away, before coming to stare at Luffy. Gin bowed his head in shame and left. "Kid." Sanji looked at Luffy, "What did you mean?"

Luffy didn't have to ask what he meant, "He saved you so you could live your life, idiot. He saved you because he couldn't accomplish his dream, but you could." Zeff was looking out at the open ocean, decidedly not looking at either of them. "I don't know what this All Blue thing is, but neither of you are ever going to see it if you keep being an idiot!"

Sanji was quiet for a moment, "That true, Geezer?" Zeff was still silent, and Sanji bowed his head, "That's why you always try so hard to kick me out?"

"That's right lil' eggplant." Zeff finally spoke up, "I've always hated brats. None of you ever pay attention to our lessons and always assume you know better."

Sanji brought his cigarette up to his lips and took a deep drag. He exhaled, looking out at the sky. He looked down at Luffy, "We both have crazy dreams, don't we? I guess I'll have to come along and be your cook." Luffy broke out into a wide grin, "So where we headed, Captain?"

"I don't know the name of the island." Luffy admitted. He wasn't really good with small details like that, and Nami had only mentioned it once. He didn't remember. "But I know what we're doing there." He grinned and punched his left hand with his fist, "I'm going to feed Arlong the Saw his own nose."

-]|[-

Another day had gone by, and Nami was once again up, even if she was still wincing when she moved sometimes. Zoro was awake, though still bedridden. Nami had given him a few lumps to go with the horrendous injuries he already had when he had tried to get up and train. The Going Merry was once again fully stocked, by terrified chefs who stared at Luffy like he was a dead man. Everyone in East Blue knew who Arlong the Saw was. They had basically almost cleaned the place out of meat, and the crew along with Johnny and Yosaku were sitting against the rails, waiting for Sanji.

Finally, he showed up, a cigarette in his mouth and a rucksack over his shoulder. The past day had been spent recuperating and reminiscing for a lot of the people there, and now it was about to be goodbye. He started walking forward in the path created by the rest of the cooks, leading to his new hope. Well, almost all the cooks. Patty and Carne appeared above him, holding their oversized kitchen weapons, "This is payback for all those years! DIE!" They were soon smoking on the floor covered in lumps.

Sanji stopped by Zeff, and stared at him, "How's my cooking, geezer?"

Zeff smirked and scoffed, "Still shit, little eggplant."

"Who's full of shit now, geezer?" He walked away. He saw the truth in Zeff's eyes. That was just how the two of them had always been…and how they would always be.

"Not going to say goodbye?" Luffy asked him with a grin as he jumped up onto the deck of the Going Merry.

"It's fine." Sanji said, his face blank.

"Hey Sanji." Zeff said, lips quirked under his mustache. Sanji's stone-faced look broke, "Don't catch a cold."

Tears started prickling in Sanji's eyes, and his lips quivered, "OWNER ZEFF!" He yelled, whirling around and putting his head flat against the ship's rail. "I'm eternally grateful to you for taking care of me for so damn long!" Patty and Carne broke into tears and started howling. Zeff held himself much better, willing his own tears not to start leaking. Even still, he wasn't able to keep his eyes from being extra shiny. Sanji wiped his tears with his left arm, "I'll never forget it! Never, for the rest of my life!"

"You damn idiots." Zeff said, "Men should say their goodbyes silently." He was still adamantly holding his own tears back.

"SET SAIL!" Luffy hollered as the Merry broke from the Baratie and started sailing away.

-]|[-

"Usopp." Nami barged into the workshop Usopp was trying to set up on the ship. He jumped, spilling the ingredients for his new star.

He growled at the wasted work, "What's up Nami?"

"You said you were an inventor, right?" She asked, "Were you telling the truth or was that another of your lies?"

He scoffed and crossed his arms, "Of course I'm an inventor! Don't underestimate me!" He blinked in sudden confusion, "What's that got to do with anything though?"

Nami sat down and grimaced, holding her side, "This!" She hissed, "I was way better than Krieg! I may not have been stronger, but he was no match for me until that stupid exploding spear-" She jerked her head at said weapon, which they had taken along as a spoil of war, "-caught me by surprise. I should have beaten him easily, but I just couldn't take him down! I didn't have any attack strong enough." She sighed, "And Luffy told me that unlike the movement abilities of the Rokushiki, the attacking abilities are much, much harder to learn. It'll be a long time before I can use them well enough in a fight and that's not good enough." She put her finger on his nose and pushed it down, holding back a giggle as it sprung back up and wobbled, "And you've not even started learning the Rokushiki yet."

Usopp crossed his arms, not looking pleased, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we both need more firepower. My staff broke on that idiot's head. I'll need a better one. As for you, at the very least, you need a better slingshot." She said, and grinned, "But luckily, we have you, Mr. Inventor."

Usopp stared at her, "Yeah, I think I can work something out." He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

"I knew I could count on you Usopp!" She clapped her hands together in glee.

"Yeah, but it won't be cheap. We'll have to sit down together and start coming up with ideas and material costs." Nami cringed at that but held strong. It went against her every instinct, but it would be worth it. It would have to be worth it, or else she'd strangle the longnose.

-]|[-

"She's been gone an awful long time." Kurobi said to Arlong as they sat around the banquet table.

"She has." Arlong said in between bites of his food. "I'm not worried. Little Nami knows better than to run away. She'll be back."

"She's been gone for much, much longer than she usually is though." Kurobi repeated, "She's a smart girl, for a worthless human. She was close, wasn't she?"

"She was." Arlong said thoughtfully.

"Maybe she's trying to get as much as she can in one trip, so she can try to surprise us." Chew suggested.

Arlong was silent as he considered his officer's words, "Shahahaha." He started to laugh, "Yes, that would be just like out little Nami, wouldn't it?" He turned to Kurobi, "Get me Nezumi." His dark laughter filled the night air and chills went down the spines of all the humans on the Conomi Islands.

-]|[-

AND DONE! Another monster of a chapter on the books!

There were again mostly minor changes done to this chapter. Parts of the fights were re-written; particularly Nami's fight with Krieg. The last scene of the fight… when I re-read it, I flat out could not picture whatever it was that I had intended in the original. And if I couldn't picture it, I doubt any of you could. Hopefully this new version actually makes sense. I also removed the mention of Shanks' lost arm since he still has it in this new version. Most of the rest was just minor grammar changes.

Something that I just want to make sure is clear is that sailing takes a long time. Time isn't really brought up in the manga most of the time, so I'm taking a few liberties here to give crew members extra training time. Quite a bit of time passed in between the end of last chapter and the start of the last one. At least two weeks, and that was before the week or so they spent on the Baratie.

Now, I imagine that Nami taking down both Krieg and Gin will have caught some of you by surprise. I've been planning it for a while, and I hope you all enjoyed it! Now, with Kami-e, Geppō (kinda-sorta. There's a reason she didn't use it much in her big fight.), and Soru under her belt, she's WAY stronger than Canon Nami. (Which – as an aside – I think is way stronger than many people give her credit for. It IS played for laughs, but Nami is strong enough to hurt Luffy even though he's rubber. I'm just taking it a bit further and as you can see, she's training.) Still, not too strong. I definitely tried to make sure that she struggled. She tired quickly and the one time Krieg hit her, it almost put her down. To top it off, she definitely didn't break through his armor the way Luffy did. But if anything, she left him worse off after all the abuse to his lower body. When Krieg wakes up, he'll probably wish he didn't.

But now, with the Clima-tact starting to come in early on top of it, we're reaching the point I wanted for Nami. She's going to be a battlemage (to borrow a MMO term, since battlesciencegirl doesn't have the same ring to it), and man can I not wait to write some good fights for her. It's a pity I can't just skip to the Sorcery Clima-tact, but even the basic one should be fun.

Zoro is also much stronger than in canon – In both sheer strength and in his techniques – using one of his pound cannon attack against Mihawk. Who promptly laughs it off, cuts him down, and then takes a massive plasma burst from Luffy without even a scratch. Talk about Reality Ensues huh?

I'm sure you guys were also a little surprised that I didn't add Gin to the crew in this one. With the "expanded Crew" tag, I'm sure many of you were expecting it as has been done in a good number of stories.

Well, things don't always work out that way, do they? Gin didn't fight Sanji, nor did he have his moment of redemption. His quick knockout spurred Krieg to madness and when the dust settled, all that he could feel was shame as a man who could have been a friend felt only anger towards him. Gin's story ends here.

This chapter could have been a little shorter, but honestly, Sanji's backstory is important. I really just don't feel comfortable glossing over important history like that, even if everyone should technically already know it. It's important setup for the characters, so it just doesn't feel right doing three or four lines on entire chapters from the Manga.

Next up is Arlong Park. With Arlong up to his old tricks at the end of this chapter and the backstory already taken care of in detail, Arlong's arc is pretty much going to end up being just fights.

Also, once East Blue ends, so do these single-chapter arcs. Keep that in mind, because even for me, 30k per chapter is starting to push it. Post-East Blue, they'll definitely start getting cut into multiple chapters. Imagine Dressrosa in one chapter. I'd probably end up hitting a word limit or something.

Cheers!

Vortex out!