Ch. 26- The Battle for the Baratie
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
"Zoro!" Chopper shouted at the swordsman. "Are you outta your mind?! You could've died!"
"You think I don't know that?!" Zoro questioned.
"...So that's how you got that scar...!" Nami whispered in horror.
"I think I feel sick...!" Franky muttered.
"My word," Brook said. "You were certainly outclassed, Zoro."
"...Tell me about it," Zoro said. "That was the very moment I realized the difference in power between me and Hawk Eye...even now...I still get chills down my back when I remembered the day I lost to him."
"Ahem!"
Zoro turned to see Robin, who glared at him coldly, which did unnerve him a bit. Then, she raised her hand and slapped the swordsman across the face, causing him to cry out in pain as he held his cheek while the others winced. Then, the archaeologist pulled him into a tight embrace, screwing her eyes shut to keep herself from crying.
"Don't you EVER do something so reckless and stupid again," she told him. "Do you hear me, Roronoa Zoro? NEVER again!"
A pause...but then Zoro sighed as he hugged her back and kissed her cheek.
"I'm sorry, Robin..." he whispered.
"Aww," Aika and Kumi cooed.
"Look!" Nami exclaimed. "The memory's coming back!"
The Straw Hats turned to see the memory beginning to return. Mihawk stood on the wreckage of Don Krieg's old gallion, but Past Zoro was staggering as blood dripped from his chest. Luffy's mouth was agape in horror while Johnny and Yosaku were in tears.
"Why...?!" Past Sanji whispered.
"See that?!" asked one of the Krieg Pirates. "That there's a taste of what the Grand Line is like! Even Pirate Hunter Zoro is no match for the likes of Hawk Eye!"
"Hey, Sanji," said Blizzard to the cook. "If I didn't know better...I'd say that's the first time you were actually concerned for Zoro's life."
"I just couldn't believe how far he was willing to go for his crazy ambition," said Sanji. "Seeing Hawk Eye's sword cut into him like that? ...It scared the living crap outta me."
"And no wonder!" Chopper shouted. "The blade could've sliced his heart and lungs in two!"
"I get it, Chopper!" Zoro shouted. "Jeez!"
"You idiot!" Past Sanji yelled. "Don't you get it?! Just abandon your stupid dream!"
SPLASH! Past Zoro fell into the ocean, which prompted Johnny and Yosaku to leap in after him...and as for Luffy? Well...he was beyond pissed by now.
"DAMN YOU!" Luffy roared as he stretched his arm and rocketed himself toward Mihawk, to the shock of Past Sanji and the Baratie staff since it was the first time they actually saw his Devil Fruit powers, as well as the Krieg Pirates. However, Mihawk simply glared at Luffy from under his hat, unfazed, whatsoever.
"The young swordsman's crewmate, I assume," the Warlord said. "You did well to let him fight his own battle until the very end!"
He then side-stepped out of the way, causing Luffy to crash into some driftwood behind him.
"Oh, no!" Aika cried. "Now Big Brother's next!"
"Whoa! Take it easy!" Zoro said. "Calm down, all right? Just keep watching."
"Urrrgh...UGH!" Luffy grunted as he pulled his head out of the wreckage, then glared up at Mihawk, who stared down at him.
"Calm yourself," said Mihawk. "Your friend is very much alive."
Hearing that caused Luffy to gasp in surprise before he heard the sound of splashing, followed by Johnny and Yosaku's voices.
"Big Bro Zoro! Can you hear me?!"
"Speak to us, Big Bro!"
Luffy turned to see the two bounty hunters had managed to pull Past Zoro up to the surface, the green-haired swordsman gasping for air as blood dripped from his wound and his mouth.
"ZORO!" Luffy cried as Johnny and Yosaku pulled him onto their boat.
"Oh, thank goodness," Aika said, relieved.
"How did Zoro even survive that?!" Kumi asked.
"...My name is Dracule Mihawk," Mihawk announced as Past Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku were tending to Past Zoro's injuries. "Listen well...it is too soon for you to die. You should go out and discover yourself...see the world for what it has to offer, and grow stronger, Roronoa! However long it may take...I will wait for you at the top. Strive with all your heart, soul, and mind to best this blade of mine, brave one! GO ON! I CHALLENGE TO SURPASS ME, RORONOA!"
"...Whoa...!" Nami whispered.
"You really left an impression, didn't you?" Franky asked.
"I sure did," Zoro answered. "Hell...I even asked him to train me during those two years."
"Say what?!" Usopp questioned.
"...He...TRAINED you?!" Blizzard asked.
"...I don't believe it...!" Robin whispered.
"It wasn't easy," Zoro admitted. "It...happened after Luffy sent that message to us...I had to toss aside my pride and get down on my hands and knees to get him to train me."
"...No way..." Sanji gaped.
"Hey...I had to get stronger, somehow," said Zoro.
"You there, boy," Mihawk said to Luffy, who looked up at him. "Tell me...what is it that you strive for?"
"...To be King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared.
"Hmph!" Mihawk smirked. "You tread a perilous path. Even more perilous than trying to surpass me."
"I don't care!" Luffy yelled. "That's what I'm gonna be!" He then stuck his tongue at the Warlord.
"LUFFY!" Past Usopp called. "ZORO'S ALIVE! BLEEDING, BUT ALIVE!"
"Really?!" Luffy asked in relief.
"Big Bro!" cried Johnny.
"Come on, say something, will you?!" asked Yosaku, just as teary-eyed as his comrade...and that's when Past Zoro pointed his sword to the sky.
"Z-Zoro?" Luffy asked, worriedly.
"L...Luffy...!" Past Zoro called, panting heavily. "Can...can you hear me?"
"Y-yeah, I can hear you!" Luffy called.
"...You were...worried about me, weren't you?" Past Zoro asked. "I'm...I'm sorry I let you down. If I...failed to become the World's Greatest Swordsman...you'd be disappointed, wouldn't you?!"
Luffy gasped silently while the Straw Hats looked toward the present Zoro, who watched with...surprisingly misty eyes.
"But I swear...from now on, I swear to you!" Past Zoro shouted as tears fell from his eyes. "I will...never lose again!"
Mihawk and Luffy both grinned at this declaration.
"From now...to the day that I beat him to become the World's Greatest Swordsman," Past Zoro continued, "I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN! YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT...KING OF THE PIRATES?!"
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Nope!"
"...Wow," Aika whispered. "I think...that's the only time Zoro's ever cried."
"...Zoro," whispered Robin.
"...That was the time I officially declared my loyalty to Luffy," Zoro said. "Back then...I only saw him as some idiot who was dreaming way too big...but then I realized something: Luffy's way dream was a lot bigger, compared to my own...just like Hawk Eye said. I realized he was serious about all of this...and that meant that I had to take my ambition seriously, as well. That was the moment I took back everything I said about him."
"...Well said," Brook said.
"Thanks," Zoro replied.
Mihawk chuckled as he turned to head back to his coffin boat.
"You two make quite an impressive team," he mused. "I hope I encounter you two...again, one day."
"Wait, just one minute there, Hawk Eye!" Don Krieg called. "I thought you came here for to take the head of Don Krieg, the Tyrant of the East Blue!"
"Your head?" Mihawk repeated. "You were never my concern to begin with...but I think I've had enough entertainment for now, so I'm going off to take a little rest, if you don't mind."
"Uh-oh..." Blizzard whispered.
"Don't go, just yet, fancy pants!" Don Krieg exclaimed. "You may have had your fun, but I've only been on the receiving end of it."
"D-Don Krieg?!" questioned one of his men, nervously.
"If the man wants to leave, then just let him leave, for the love of god!" cried another.
"Now it's my turn to have some fun with you," Don Krieg smirked before he opened his armor, revealing many gun barrels hidden inside. "DIE, HAWK EYE!"
"You are indeed," Mihawk began as he drew his sword, again, "a slow learner."
"Definitely is," Zoro nodded in agreement.
"Farewell," said Mihawk...as he swung his sword, creating a powerful wave that sent many of the Krieg Pirates flying into the sea, and the Straw Hats instinctively shielded themselves, even though they knew the water wouldn't really touch them.
"WHOA!" Luffy cried as he grabbed onto the railing of the Baratie, then turned to Past Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku, who had Past Zoro with them. "USOPP! SET SAIL, HURRY!"
"Got it!" Past Usopp called back as he held up Luffy's hat, which had flown off when the Straw Hat Captain tried to attack Mihawk. "We'll go after Nami, and you stay here and have that cook join up with us!" He then tossed the straw hat to Luffy. "And then, once we've got everyone together...we'll all go to the Grand Line!"
"You bet!" Luffy called back as he caught his hat and put it on his head, while the Straw Hats all smiled.
"Hey, Luffy!" Past Sanji called, causing Luffy to turn and see the Krieg Pirates, who preparing to invade. "Here come the locusts, now."
"Heh," Luffy smirked before he looked up at Zeff and the Baratie staff. "Hey, Pops! If I beat these guys for you, then does mean my debt's repaid?"
A pause...but then Zeff smirked.
"You got a deal, kid," he said. "Now go wild!"
With that, the memory faded to black.
"That was quite a moving speech you made," Brook said to Zoro, who sighed.
"Yeah," he muttered, "but...I can't believe I was so disrespectful of Luffy, and not just because of what I said about him before I fought with Hawk Eye."
"What do you mean?" asked Aika.
"I think he's talking about is when Luffy told him to go after Nami," Blizzard began, "but instead, he chose to fight with Mihawk because back then, the only thing that mattered to Zoro was fulfilling his dream...and if Luffy tried to interfere in any way..."
"...He would've killed himself," Chopper concluded, "just like Zoro made him promise to do."
"...My god," Zoro whispered.
"Well, at least you learned from that," Franky said. "That's the important thing."
"Yeah," Zoro nodded. "You're right."
Soon another memory appeared, and this time, it showed Luffy, Past Sanji, and the staff of the Baratie, preparing to fight off the Krieg Pirates. It seemed like a pretty typical fight: Luffy scaring the living daylights out of the mooks with his Devil Fruit powers, but the only one who remained unfazed was Don Krieg, himself, even going as far as to shoot one of his men, who was too terrified to go back to the Grand Line because of everything that had transpired there. He remained entirely convinced that Mihawk was another Devil Fruit user, which was why he was so dead-set on not only claiming the Baratie as his own, but also taking Zeff's old log book of his pirate days, believing it would contain information on the Grand Line and even the location of the One Piece itself.
"Such a despicable man," Brook said with great disdain. "Shooting his own men, like that. He's no different from that Kuro fellow!"
"Tell me about it," Usopp concurred.
"You really think that Mr. Zeff knows where the One Piece is, Sanji?" asked Aika.
"I wouldn't know," answered Sanji. "I never even took one peek at his log book, and even if he did know, you'd think he would've found it a long time ago."
"I suppose so," Usopp concurred as they continued to watch the memory. It seemed the Baratie chefs were biting off more than they could chew (no pun intended, of course), for the Krieg Pirates were beginning to get the upper hand...especially when one of Don Krieg's second unit commander, Pearl, came on board the Baratie and easily dispatched of Patty and Carne.
"Whoa!" Usopp cried as he saw the rotund man strike the two cooks down with his pearl embedded shields. "Did you see that?!"
"How can we not?" Nami asked.
"Pearls, huh?" Franky inquired. "I never would've thought to utilize jewels THAT way."
"Don Krieg also had brass knuckles with diamonds in them," said Sanji. "When these guys play, they play dirty."
"Well, he's called 'Foul Play' Krieg for a reason," Nami said as the memory continued. One of the Krieg Pirates had tried to take away Patty's cooking knife once he was down, but he refused to relinquish it, even going as far as to grab the blade of the knife with his bare hand, causing it to bleed. That's when Past Sanji ran up and kicked the pirate in the face, and the Straw Hats cringed when they heard the sound of his foe's facial bones cracking, and not just that, but that pirate ended up flying into several more behind him before they finally slammed into Pearl, who remained unfazed, due to them hitting the shield covering his torso.
"Ooh!" Blizzard winced. "That had to hurt!"
"Yeah! Go Sanji!" Aika cheered, which caused Sanji to smirk with pride.
"A chef's knife," Past Sanji as he caught the knife in his hand, "is his soul. A crap-pirate like had better not get his grimy paws on it!"
"Ugh...Sanji...!" Patty groaned.
"Here, Patty," Past Sanji said as he handed Patty the knife. "Hold it tightly while you die. I'll take care of these bastards for you, okay?"
"Take care of us, huh?!" yelled one of the pirates as he and a few others charged at Past Sanji.
"Yeah, right! No two-bit cooks are gonna defeat us!" yelled another, but when one tried to stab the blonde cook...he suddenly vanished into thin air!
"What the-?!" one of them questioned. "Where did he-"
WHABAM! Past Sanji was on his hands as he gave a whirling kick to the Krieg Pirates, sending them flying!
"Two-bit cooks, huh?" Past Sanji asked with a dark glare in his eyes. "I'm gonna make you wish you didn't say those words, bastards."
"Wow!" exclaimed Chopper. "That was so cool!"
"Eh," Zoro shrugged. "I could've done better."
"Excuse me?" Sanji asked.
At that moment, Pearl gave a wry laugh.
"So you took out those weaklings with just kicks alone," said Pearl. "You seem pretty clever. Is that your fighting style, cook?"
"Damn right," Past Sanji replied with a confident smirk. "A cook's hands are his life. I can't risk damaging them in battle. I'll finish you with my legs, too."
"You? Finish me?" Pearl inquired. "That's impossible. In 61 battles to death, I've won them all, and without a single scratch on me. I am the invincible Iron Wall of the Krieg Pirates! You may protect your hands, but I protect my entire body when I fight. I've never lost a single drop of blood in battle. Not one, and no cuts, either. That's how tough I am! I am Pearl, the Invincible Iron Wall! I am the Shield Man, and I'm incredibly handsome, as well, as smooth and polished as silver!"
"...What the hell's he talking about?" asked Luffy, watching from a nearby mast that he was clinging to.
"Ugh...not another one of these gloaters..." Nami muttered in annoyance.
"Tell me about it," agreed Robin.
"...Is it really possible to protect your whole body while you fight?" Aika asked.
"Maybe," Sanji began, "but if you use too much of a defense, you can't really focus on your other strengths. Say, for instance, you're wearing a heavy suit of metal armor. Sure, it can protect you, but you can't really move much, now can you?"
"...I guess not," Aika answered. "It would be pretty hard to move."
"And if you can't move, you can't fight, can you?" asked Kumi. "Let alone escape if you need to."
"Good lesson, girls," Blizzard nodded.
"Hey, Straw Hat!" Don Krieg called as he held a spiked ball and chain at Luffy. "Don't you know to never take your eyes off your opponent?!"
On that, he swung the spiked ball at Luffy, who cried out in surprise as the mast broke, then he threw it at the raven-haired boy, which didn't hurt him, of course, due to his rubbery body, but it did end up sending him backwards, right towards Past Sanji and Pearl, the former getting blocked by the latter's pearl shields on his hands. However, Luffy ended up crashing right into the back of Pearl's head, which caused him to slam his face into the back of his shield.
"Oh, boy, here it comes," Sanji muttered.
"Here what comes?" Brook inquired.
"Phew!" Luffy sighed as he dusted off his pants. "That sure scared me! I'm glad I didn't fall into the sea!" That's when he noticed that Pearl had suddenly gotten silent, and as he turned around, he saw that the result of him hitting his face against his shield had caused Pearl's nose to bleed...and for some reason, it was causing him to shudder, and the Krieg Pirates were beginning to panic, as well.
"Not again..." Don Krieg muttered in irritation.
"Wait, what's happening?" asked Chopper.
"How come they're all bugging out?" Usopp inquired.
"You'll see," Sanji replied.
Soon, Pearl began to sweat profusely and yell while clanging his shields together, and the Krieg Pirates were doing their damnedest to calm him down, but to no avail. That's when Pearl somehow sent his whole body ablaze, causing the Straw Hats to shield their eyes.
"What the hell?!" Franky questioned.
"What's going on?!" Blizzard asked. "Why'd he light himself on fire like that?!"
"The Krieg Pirates say he was living in the jungle since he was a kid, and because of that, he was always surrounded by vicious beasts!" Sanji answered. "To keep them at bay, he'd light up a fire, but the guy got paranoid because of it! Even the tiniest drop of blood will make him go nuts!"
"Talk about a severe case of hemophobia," Robin mused.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Pearl yelled as he held up several smaller pearls in his fingers. "FIRE PEARL...LUCKY YOU!"
He then threw the pearls onto the "fin" of the Baratie, thus setting it on fire and forcing Luffy, Past Sanji, and even some of the Baratie staff and Krieg Pirates to flee from the flames!
"Whoa!" Usopp cried. "Is he nuts?!"
"Yes!" Nami answered.
"Burn, all of you!" Pearl yelled. "With my fire and flaming shield, I'm beyond invincible!"
"That moron!" Don Krieg yelled. "We need that ship and he's gonna destroy it!"
"Ow, ha-ha!" Luffy cried as he ran around with the seat of his pants ablaze. "My butt's on fire!"
Although they tried not to, the Straw Hats did snicker just a bit at the sight. However, the Krieg Pirates and the Baratie staff were forced to jump into the water to save themselves from burning. Patty actually seemed to show concern for Past Sanji when he tried to charge at him and leaped over the flames, to Pearl's shock.
"What?!" Pearl questioned. "How can this be?! Not even a wild beast would jump over that huge wall of flames!"
"You're a real moron, aren't you?" asked Past Sanji as he held up his cigarette. "If I'm afraid of a little fire, then how can I be a chef?"
"Even I'm not afraid of fire," Blizzard added.
"Damn you!" Pearl cursed as he tried to punch Sanji with his shield. "This one's smooth as polished silver! FLAMING PEARL SURPRISE!"
Past Sanji grunted as he ducked down, then threw his leg up and kicked Pearl right in the face...which only succeeded him in making him more crazed than before. He attempted to burn down the whole Baratie by tossing more Fire Pearls in the air, and some of them were headed straight for Zeff. However, the retired pirate simply gave an uncaring glare as he did a roundhouse kick with his peg leg, extinguishing the flames on the pearls and reducing them to nothing more than little white balls.
"Whoooooooooooooooaaaa~!" Aika exclaimed with starry eye. "Did you see that?!"
"That was amazing!" Chopper exclaimed, just as amazed as her.
"He put the flames out with his own peg leg!" Kumi exclaimed.
"What'd I tell ya?" Sanji asked with a proud grin. "Nothing stops that old-timer."
"He's kinda like Rayleigh, a little bit," Usopp added.
"Whoa!" Luffy exclaimed in awe. "Nice moves there, Pops!"
"Yeah!" cheered the Baratie staff.
"All right, Boss! Way to go!"
"Of course! What'd you expect from him?!"
As for the Krieg Pirates, they were all gaping in shock at what they had witnessed. They just couldn't believe that such an old pirate still had such skill, even after his retirement. However, Don Krieg was not very impressed, for he threw his ball-and-chain at the Baratie, still hell-bent on getting the ship fo himself, even if it meant destroying the "fin" and killing Pearl to get it. Just when it was about to make impact, however, Luffy jumped in the way.
"GUM-GUUUUM...BAZOOKA!" he yelled as he threw the ball back at Don Krieg's ship, to Past Sanji's surprise.
"He tossed that thing right back!" he exclaimed.
"OW! OOH! OH! HOT! FIRE, HOT!" Luffy cried as he kept trying to put out his flaming pants by patting his hands on his buttocks.
"Uh...he does know he could just dip his butt in the water, right?" Kumi asked.
"I don't think he does," Chopper answered.
"WHOA, LOOK OUT!" Past Sanji yelled as he and Luffy spotted one of the broken masts from Don Krieg's ship beginning to fall towards them, forcing them to jump out of the way. However, Pearl wasn't really paying attention and ended up getting knocked out cold, to the shock of the Krieg Pirates.
"Man, what a freak," said Past Sanji.
"He was an idiot, too," Luffy added, but then a cry of surprise from behind them got their attention.
"Hold it, Sanji."
Past Sanji and Luffy turned to see Gin...who was holding Zeff down to the deck at gunpoint.
"I don't want to kill you!" he shouted.
"Oh, no!" Aika cried. "Mr. Zeff!"
"Gin, what are you doing?!" Luffy questioned.
"Gin...!" Past Sanji hissed.
"I don't care if he was once a legendary pirate," Gin said. "Now, he's just a cook. I don't have any problem with shooting brains out."
A closer look revealed that Gin was holding a piece of Zeff's peg leg in his hand, and it didn't take long to realize how he had incapacitated him.
"That bastard!" yelled Patty. "He went and broke the boss's peg leg!"
"I knew he was trouble!" Carne added.
"How could he do that?!" Nami asked. "After everything you did for him, Sanji!"
Sanji sighed and shook his head.
"Even now, I still don't know what he was thinking," he muttered.
"Damn him!" Luffy cursed as he attempted to go up and punch Gin out. "I ought to send him flying!"
"Hold it, Luffy!" Past Sanji said as he held him back. "Let's hear him out, first."
"You want your boss to live, don't you?" asked Gin. "Then leave this ship, right now!"
"...Leave this ship?" Past Sanji repeated before he gritted his teeth. "Hell no! I refuse!"
Hearing that caused the Baratie cooks to gasp in horror.
"You moron," Zoro said. "Couldn't you see your boss was in trouble?"
"It was because of that I didn't leave!" Sanji argued.
"Sanji, are you insane?!" asked one of the cooks. "Don't provoke him, or he'll kill the boss!"
But Past Sanji ignored them.
"Hey, you crap-geezer," said Past Sanji. "You're really set a bad example for your staff!"
"Hmph!" Zeff scoffed. "I don't wanna hear any kind of trash coming from your mouth, you damn eggplant!"
"Stop calling me that!" Past Sanji barked. "Dammit, I'm not a kid anymore!"
"Sanji, this is no time to argue!" yelled one of the cooks.
"I thought he was trying to save the boss!" cried another.
"...Gin," said Past Sanji. "Take your gun...and shoot me, instead."
"What?!" Luffy questioned in disbelief. "Sanji, are you crazy?! He'll kill you!"
"WHAT?!" the Baratie staff cried.
"Sanji...why?" asked Gin in disbelief.
"...Because a son feels like he has to protect his old man..." Sanji whispered. "That's why."
"...Sanji," Nami said, sadly.
"If you want to die, so badly," Pearl's voice spoke from behind him, "then I'll polish you off like silver!"
"Oh, no, that crazy guy, again!" Usopp bemoaned as Pearl stood to his feet.
"I never would've imagined that I, the invincible Pearl, would get two bloody noses in one battle," Pearl said. "I'm feeling very threatened, right now...so don't you move, or I'll blast your boss to Kingdom Come! Now here comes the Absolutely Natural...PEARL SURPRISE!"
Then, he punched Past Sanji in the face, sending him flying across the deck until he crashed into the wall.
"Sanji!" Luffy cried. "Why didn't you dodge it?!"
"Because if I didn't," Past Sanji began, "then Gin would kill the boss...!" He then looked over at Gin, who was absolutely stunned. "Gin...it's just unfair. I can't do what you ask."
"Why can't you?!" Gin questioned. "It's easy! Just leave the ship, and everyone will be spared-"
"I can't do that!" Past Sanji barked. "This ship...this restaurant...is the old man's pride and joy!"
The Straw Hats glanced at Sanji, who quietly lit up a cigarette before he took a drag and puffed out some smoke. It was then that his past self began to go into a speech about how Zeff had lost everything, just to make sure that Sanji lived...even as he was taking a severe beating from Pearl.
"...Sanji?" asked Nami. "If you don't mind me asking...what exactly did you mean by that? When you said that Zeff had given everything he had?"
"...When I was a kid," Sanji began, "I was working as an apprentice cook on this passenger ship, called The Orbit, when the old man and his crew raided the ship and attacked everyone on board. There was a huge storm going about...and he and I ended up getting tossed overboard. We ended up stranded on a rock in the middle of the sea...with no help in sight. The only thing we had were two bags of food. I tried to eat it sparingly so it would last about four or five days...but on the fifth day, there was another storm, so this passing ship didn't see us."
"...And...and then what?" Kumi asked, worriedly.
"Days passed," Sanji continued. "I started to ration my food more in order to last a bit longer...but after 25 days, it got moldy...but I didn't care. My stomach was so empty...I just had to eat something...even a moldy piece of bread...but it was the last of my food. It tasted horrible and it was hard to swallow, but I still didn't care. I choked it down as best I could, but it eventually fell out of my fingers. More days passed...30 days...50 days...then 70...finally, I decided that I would kill the old man and take the food he had left...it was his fault I was in the mess I was in, anyway...or so I believed."
"W-what happened?" asked Usopp.
"...I went over...tore open the huge bag he had to steal his food," Sanji explained, "but it turned out it wasn't food at all...it was treasure. Tons of it."
"Treasure?!" Franky questioned.
"But wait," Blizzard said. "If he had treasure...then...what did he do for food?!"
"...There's a reason he has that peg leg, you know," Sanji answered.
"...He ate it...didn't he?" Robin asked, sadly.
"...Yeah," Sanji answered, causing Aika to gasp, while Zoro seemed a bit unnerved by this revelation.
"...My word...!" Brook whispered in horror.
"He...he ate it?!" Chopper asked in shock.
"And...he gave you the food," Nami concluded, which caused Sanji to nod.
"The old man had no reason to be kind to me," Sanji began, "except for one thing: he and I had the both had the same dream- to seek out the legendary All Blue. After 85 days of sitting, waiting, and nearly starving to death...a ship finally appeared and saved us both. It was from that day on that we founded the Baratie together."
If the Straw Hats didn't know better...they could've sworn that they momentarily heard the cook's voice break. Then, out of nowhere...Nami went up and hugged Sanji, whose visible eye widened in surprise.
"...Nami?" he asked. "What are you...?"
"...This is just a friend comforting another friend," said Nami. "Don't think too much of it, okay?"
"...Heh," Sanji chuckled. "Yeah...thanks."
"Anytime," Nami replied before the Straw Hats noticed Past Sanji get up.
"You...you ate your own foot," he began as he forced himself to stand, "just to save me...!"
"Sanji!" Luffy exclaimed.
"What?!" Pearl questioned in anger. "How could he survive such a powerful blow to the head like that?!"
"There's no way I'm gonna let you take this restaurant!" Past Sanji declared. "And I'm not let you kill the old man, either! That idiot sacrificed himself, all to save some worthless boy...so I'll defend him with my life and repay my debt to him!"
Luffy's eyes went wide at the cook's proclamation.
"...Not bad, cook," Zoro said. "Looks like you got some balls, after all...just don't expect me to give you any more compliments, got that?"
"Oh, trust me," said Sanji. "If you complimented me a lot more than you do, I'd actually be worried."
"Sanji!" Zeff called. "I don't want any favors, got me?! I don't need some eggplant protecting me!"
"Favors, huh?" Past Sanji inquired as he fixed his tie. "Who did whom the favor? If you hadn't eaten your leg for my sake, you'd never have lose to these damn pirates!"
Despite his bravado, the Straw Hats could see that Past Sanji was shaking a bit.
"Sanji, you shouldn't have gotten up," Chopper said. "You suffered a major blow to the head, you know! You could've had a serious concussion!"
"I know," Sanji answered, "but I didn't care...I had to protect Old Man Zeff."
"Why, Sanji?" Gin asked. "Why did you stand up, again!?"
"AHAHAHAHA!" laughed Pearl. "So, you want more of my Pearl Surprises, do you?! You do realize that you can't possibly win, don't you?! In this world, it's winner take all, and the losers get nothing! And whatever the prize is, the winner crushes the competition! Am I wrong, Don Krieg?!"
"No," Don Krieg answered. "You're absolutely right, Pearl."
"You couple of big meanies!" Aika yelled.
"Yeah, who do you guys think you are?!" Kumi questioned.
"Am I wrong, Gin?!" Pearl asked, but Gin only looked away, seeming ashamed of his actions.
"Look at him," Robin said. "It's clear Gin doesn't want to do this."
"I know he didn't wanna do it," said Sanji, "but the guy was just too stubborn to admit it!"
"Why do I even need to ask you?" asked Pearl. "After all, you're the clear leader when it comes to ruthlessness." He then pointed at Past Sanji. "We'll crush you and there's nothing you fools can do about it. Why bother standing up?! You're clearly wasting your strength!"
"...Because," Past Sanji smirked, "for just one moment longer...I want this place to remain a restaurant."
Hearing that caused Pearl to laugh even more, while Luffy just continued to stand by. However, the Straw Hats knew by the look in his eyes that he wasn't about to hold back, much longer.
"Your words mean nothing," Pearl said. "I'm afraid it's time this restaurant to close down, and soon, it will be reopened for business...as a pirate ship."
That did it. Luffy raised his head up, showing a fierce glare in his eyes that the Straw Hats knew all too well. Then, he stretched his leg, high up into the air to the point where it nearly seemed to touch the heavens above.
"GUUUUUUM-GUUUUUUUUUUM..."
"WAIT, NO!" Past Sanji cried. "DON'T DO IT! GIN WILL SHOOT THE OLD MAN!"
"BATTLE AAAAAAAAAAAXE!" Luffy yelled as he brought his foot down...destroying the Baratie's fin.
"What the hell?!" Franky questioned.
"What did Luffy go and do that for?!" Blizzard asked.
"Because back then," Sanji began, "he'd rather see the restaurant get destroyed than see it in Krieg's hand. I didn't understand at the time because I was still set in my own ways."
"And Mr. Zeff was okay with that?!" Aika asked.
"Eeyup," Sanji answered, nonchalantly as the memory continued.
"That boy's trying something," said Krieg. "Gin! Hurry and blow a hole in Red Leg Zeff's head!"
"But...but Don Krieg...!" Gin stammered, the pistol now shaking in his hand.
"Hold on!" Luffy exclaimed. "I didn't even touch you guys! All I did was bust up the fin!"
"Hey, Luffy!" Past Sanji yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"This ship," Luffy replied, bluntly. "I'm gonna sink it."
"YOU'RE GONNA WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" the Baratie staff and the Krieg Pirates yelled in horror.
"IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE?!" Patty questioned.
"THAT SHIP IS SUPPOSED TO BE OURS!" yelled the Krieg Pirates.
"GIN!" Don Krieg ordered, sounding a bit more panicked, this time. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! KILL ZEFF, ALREADY!"
"Are you outta your mind?!" Past Sanji questioned as he grabbed Luffy by the collar of his vest. "You can't sink this ship! I've slaved away nearly all my life on her!"
"But if I sink, they've got no reason to stay, right?" Luffy asked.
"He does make a good point," Nami said.
"That's Luffy for you," Zoro added. "He may be dumb at times, but sometimes, his logic is straight."
Gin only stood in disbelief while Zeff chuckled in his throat.
"...You just don't get it..." Past Sanji hissed. "You don't understand my feelings towards this ship and the massive debt that I have!"
"And for that, you plan to die?" Luffy asked as he swatted his hand off of him, then grabbed Past Sanji by the collar of his jacket and pulled him close to his face with a furious glare in his eyes. "Getting killed?! That's how you wanna repay your debt?! The only man saved you because he wanted to do something with your life, not to die like a fool! Only a coward would do something like that!"
"Then how else am I supposed to take them from taking the crap-geezer's ship?!" Past Sanji questioned.
"...Oh, shit," Sanji cursed in realization. "I get it now."
"What do you mean?" Usopp asked.
"Luffy's talking about how Shanks saved him," Sanji said. "He was referring to that time...but how the hell was I supposed to know, back then?"
"Are you two done?" asked Pearl, causing the two to turn to face him. "It was your misfortune to meet with us, the Krieg Pirate. There's nothing you can do about this, now. Not when we've got a hostage!" He then held up his flaming shields. "Now, burn and die with this last FIRE PEARL SURPRISE!"
But just before he could strike Luffy and Past Sanji down...Gin suddenly ran up and struck him with these club-like weapons...and completely shattered his shield!
"HAA!" Brook gasped.
"Whoa...he's so strong!" Chopper exclaimed.
"He shatttered the shield like it was nothing...!" Aika whispered in shock.
"Gin?!" Past Sanji questioned. "What are you doing?!"
"...Sorry about this, Pearl," said Gin. "Just step aside."
"Ugh...!" Pearl gagged as blood spilled from his mouth. "W...why, Gin...?!" On that, he soon collapsed.
"GIN!" cried one of the Krieg Pirates in disbelief. "WHY DID YOU STRIKE DOWN PEARL?!"
"GIN, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Don Krieg yelled. "HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS!"
"...I'm sorry, Don Krieg," Gin apologized, "but we do owe Sanji our lives." He then turned to face Past Sanji while holding his weapon against his shoulder. "So...allow me to send him to the grave by my own hands."
"What did you say?" Past Sanji asked.
"...Oh, no...!" Aika whispered, but then Sanji held out his hand to her, causing her to glance up at him before she firmly grasped it and continued to watch the memory.
"...Cover her eyes when things get too brutal," Sanji whispered to Robin, who nodded her head.
"I can't believe it...!" whispered Patty. "That guy managed to shatter his shield, just like that!"
"Maybe he's not just some mook," added Carne.
"Phew!" Luffy sighed. "See? Everything worked out!"
"You liar!" Past Sanji barked. "You really were planning to sink the ship!"
"...Have you lost your mind," Don Krieg started, "Gin...Battle Commander of the Pirate Armada?"
"Battle Commander?!" Nami asked.
"That's right," Sanji answered. "Gin was Don Krieg's right-hand."
"No wonder he's so strong!" Kumi exclaimed.
"Sanji," Gin said. "I was hoping you'd leave this ship without getting hurt...but I'm afraid that's not happening."
"...Sorry," Past Sanji answered. "I'm afraid not."
"...Then I guess the best I can offer you," Gin began, "is to kill you myself."
Aika whimpered as she gripped Sanji's hand, but the cook gave her a reassuring pat on the head, causing her to smile up at him. She knew that this was all just a memory and that Sanji would actually be okay, since he was standing right here...but she was still worried about his past self.
"That goes for you, too, Straw Hat," Gin said. "You should have just left with your crew."
"Why should I have left?" Luffy asked. "I'm not gonna lose to a bunch of wusses like you."
While Gin seemed unfazed by the comment, the Krieg Pirates took very much offense to it while the Straw Hats snickered.
"What did you say, you smart-mouthed kid?!"
"How dare you say that about us, and to our Battle Commander's face?!"
"We're the Krieg Pirates, the strongest in the East Blue!"
"Maybe," Luffy answered, "but only because you outnumber all the other pirates in the East Blue."
Hearing that made the Krieg Pirates even angrier than before, while the Straw Hats burst into laughter. One thing that would never change about Luffy: he sure know how to piss off the enemy.
"You sure hit 'em where it hurts," said Past Sanji, humorously as he blew out a puff of smoke.
"Well, I was only speaking the truth," said Luffy.
The Krieg Pirates were ready to maul him to death at this point, but just as they were all about to clamber up onto the destroyed fin of the Baratie...
"STOP, YOU MORONS!" Don Krieg yelled, causing them all to freeze.
"But Don Krieg!" complained one of his men. "He insulted us!"
"Getting all worked up over being called wusses," Don Krieg began, "only shows that you acknowledge your weakness."
"...Is that true?" Aika asked.
"In a way, he's right," said Robin. "If you react to insults, it shows you're weak inside. That's why Luffy always remains nonchalant whenever people insult him."
"The outcome of this battle," Don Krieg smirked, "will tell who's strong or weak...and since I, Don Krieg, am here, you can quit your bitching!"
Hearing that caused his crew to cheer in agreement.
"...You sure gotta hand it to him," said Franky. "Guy's an ass, but he's got charisma."
"Maybe," Nami answered, "but Luffy's got way more charisma."
"Tons more," Blizzard added.
"You, boy!" Don Krieg called to Luffy. "Tell me...of the two of us, here...who has more of a chance of becoming the King of the Pirates?"
"Duh," Luffy replied. "That's me."
"Yeah, Big Brother's obviously gonna be the next King of the Pirates!" Aika agreed.
Now it was Don Krieg's turn to get pissed. He stood up and began to take off the left shoulder plate on his armor and aimed it at the Baratie, which caused his men to panic.
"Oh, no!" one cried. "Don't tell me he's gonna use...THAT!"
"Use what?" Aika asked. "What are they talking about?"
"D-Don Krieg, please!" Gin cried. "Not the MH5!"
"The what-now?" Luffy repeated.
"MH...5?" asked one of the cooks that was spectating the fight.
"...Did...did he say MH5...?!" Chopper whispered in horror.
"What is it, Chopper?" Kumi asked.
"MH5 is a deadly, poisonous gas!" Chopper answered. "If you inhale it, it'll almost guarantee death unless the antidote is administered, immediately!"
"What?!" Aika questioned.
"...He was...going to use poison gas?!" Usopp asked in disbelief.
"...Despicable...!" Brook whispered, remembering how he and his former crew members died due to getting hit with poison weapons.
"If it's a cannonball," Luffy started, "then I'll just use the Gum-Gum Balloon to bounce it back!"
"Don Krieg, please!" Gin pleaded. "Don't be hasty! I'll kill the kid!"
"It doesn't matter whose hand kills him," Don Krieg replied. "You know that above all else, I despise things such as 'honor' and 'mercy'!"
"...He really is awful," Aika said. "I can sense nothing but evil come off of him! He's rotten, right to the core!"
Robin only stared coldly at Don Krieg. She had seen too many people like him throughout her life. Men like him was what she despised, most of all.
"This is war, Gin!" Don Krieg declared. "And when you're at war, the only thing that matters is victory! Winning is everything, even if it means...using the poison gas cannonball!" On that, his shoulder plate opened up, revealing a cannon barrel inside.
"Poison gas?!" Past Sanji repeated in shock.
"No! Don Krieg, don't!" Gin pleaded.
"This...IS TRUE STRENGTH!" Don Krieg shouted as he fired the cannon, and the Krieg Pirates planted gas masks on their faces while the Baratie staff dived underwater to keep from breathing in the gas. However, that's when the Straw Hats noticed something: Don Krieg wasn't wearing a mask, at all.
"It's no problem!" Luffy exclaimed, confidently, as he rushed to stop the cannonball. "I'll just kick it down into the water!"
"Wait! Come back!" Past Sanji cried.
"WAIT! STRAW HAT!" Gin shouted. "IT'S A TRAP!"
But Luffy was too late...as Don Krieg gave a sly smirk. Then, the cannonball exploded, and instead of gas, the Straw Hat Captain was hit with a rain of shuriken, which sliced through his skin.
"AGH!" Luffy cried as he dropped to the destroyed fin. "Dammit, that hurt!"
"Oh, no, Big Brother!" Aika cried, worriedly.
"He was too hasty," said Zoro. "Should've stood back."
"I thought something was weird when Don Krieg didn't put on his mask," Usopp added.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Luffy realized. "That wasn't gas!"
"YOU THINK?!" Past Sanji questioned. "USE YOUR HEAD, NEXT TIME!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed Don Krieg. "You don't use something as valuable as my MH5 for this! I could annihilate an entire village with one of those things! You think I would waste it to kill dirty pieces of trash like you?!"
"Big Brother is not trash!" Aika yelled.
"...Hmph," Luffy huffed as he stood up, brushing off his earlier blunder. "I see...well, I guess you get a point for that one!"
"You think I'm playing games?!" Don Krieg questioned, angered by Luffy's casual behavior. "I have many more ways of killing you! Now...I'm gonna ask again: which one of us has more of a chance of becoming King of the Pirates, here?!"
"...Come on, are you stupid?" Luffy asked. "The answer to that is a simple no-brainer!"
Don Krieg smirked, thinking that the raven-haired teen was going to say his name...but once again...
"It's gonna be me!" Luffy exclaimed. "You don't have what it takes to become King of the Pirates!"
Don Krieg growled while the Straw Hats couldn't help laughing, despite the seriousness of the situation.
"GIN!" the tyrant yelled. "DO YOUR DUTY AND SEND THAT DAMNED COOK TO HELL!" He then glared at Luffy. "As for this impudent boy...I'll kill him, myself!"
"Uh-oh...Don Krieg's pissed, now...!" whispered one of the Krieg Pirates.
"I understand, Don Krieg..." Gin answered. "Sorry, Sanji...but you don't have a chance at winning."
"Heh..." Past Sanji smirked. "We'll see about that...you small-fry bastard."
Thus, the fight began. While Luffy was busy with Don Krieg, Past Sanji took on Gin, who charged at him while holding up his weapon in attempt to strike the cook down. However, Past Sanji leaped up into the air before he could get hit and tried to land a kick to Gin's face, but the man ducked his head down to avoid it.
"Do you know what they say about me, Sanji?" Gin asked with this almost wicked grin on his face. "They call me...the Cold-Blooded Demon."
He soon pinned Past Sanji to the piece of shattered wood with weapon, preparing to bash his head in with the other.
"I can't show you any mercy, now," Gin said. "...Goodbye."
"Oh, no! Not good!" Kumi cried, and it seemed that the Baratie staff agreed with her sentiment. However, Past Sanji remained surprisingly calm, puffing out smoke from his nostrils. Then, just as Gin was about to kill him, he spat his cigarette into his face, causing him to grunt in slight pain as it burned him before Past Sanji slipped out, stood on his hands, and kicked Gin in the jaw! However, Gin was not about to be outdone, for he slammed his club into Past Sanji's right side...causing a sickening crack to fill the air. The Straw Hats cringed, knowing it was the sound of his ribs, which were already busted from the beating he took from Pearl.
Despite this, Past Sanji continued to fight, and while he was busy, Luffy attempted to go after Don Krieg by running across the fallen mast. However, he saw him coming and fired several bombs into the water, which caused some of it to spray up and obscure Luffy's vision. The next thing he knew, he found himself turning tail and running back to the Baratie, holding his hat protectively in his arms, before he got skewered in his left thigh by a metal green-and-yellow-striped stake. Robin was forced to cover Aika's eyes at that point to keep her from worrying any further.
"Lousy bastard!" Luffy yelled. "You wanna fight?!"
"Do I 'wanna fight'?" Don Krieg inquired. "I don't need a desire. Battle demands only the tools and methods of death! That's military might, boy! And what can YOU do? Just charge ahead like a wild ape!"
"Oh, yeah?" Luffy asked as he stretched his cheeks, showing his teeth. "Well how about I bite your head off?!"
His taunting did nothing to faze Krieg, however, for soon, he heard the sound of blows landing behind him. Luffy turned, and saw that Past Sanji was lying on the floor, clutching his injuries while Gin stood over him, his weapons dripping with blood.
"Oh, no!" Usopp cried.
"Sanji, you really took a beating, there!" Blizzard added.
"What were you thinking?!" Chopper asked. "You already took a pummeling from that Pearl guy! How many ribs did you break?!"
"...About 5 or 6," Sanji admitted.
"WHAT?!" Chopper questioned in disbelief.
"Haa...haa...!" Past Sanji panted. "Those...skewered dumplings that you call 'weapons' aren't doing much, are they, Gin?" He then gave a forced grin, despite his pain. "You...damn bastard...!"
"I'll finish you off, here and now," Gin said as he rushed him. "So don't move!"
Past Sanji grunted before he jumped onto his right hand, causing Gin to miss...or so it looked like.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Past Sanji asked. "You trying to miss on purpose?! STOP SCREWING AROUND!"
BAM! He kicked Gin in the back of his skull, sending him to the floor...but in doing so, he cried out in pain as he began to cough up blood.
"What happened?!" Franky questioned.
"...I pushed myself way too far," Sanji answered. "It got so bad, I couldn't even take the shock of my own attacks, anymore."
"Honestly!" Nami exclaimed. "Between you, Zoro, Luffy, and even Blizzard, none of you monsters know your limits, do you?!"
The Krieg Pirates soon laughed at Past Sanji's expense as Gin prepared to finish him off...but just when he was about to, tears began to fall from his eyes.
"I...I...!" he whispered before he threw his head to the sky. "I CAN'T KILL THIS MAN...DON KRIIIIIIIIIIEEEG!"
Hearing that caused everyone around him to gape in shock and disbelief at what he had just said.
"I...I just can't kill him!" Gin cried.
"...What did you say?" Don Krieg asked, angrily. "Say that again! I DARE YOU!"
"...That...that was the first time...that anyone had been so kind to me!" Gin sobbed, while the Straw Hats all smiled. "That's why...that's why I can't kill him!"
"...You stupid son of a bitch...!" Don Krieg hissed as he held up his shoulder plate again, much to the shock of his men. "You can't bring yourself to kill him, huh?! You disappoint me, Gin. I thought that out of all my men, you would faithfully execute the principles of the Krieg Pirates! I made you the Battle Commander of my armada because of your strength and ruthlessness in your bloodthirsty pursuit of victory! I believed that you were unsurpassed in these things...but I see now that I was wrong!"
Aika whimpered as she clutched Sanji's hand, causing him to hold her close to him.
"I'm...I'm so sorry," Gin apologized. "I would never betray, Don Krieg...! I don't regret anything I've done in your service! I respect your strength...and I thank you..."
"...Gin..." Past Sanji whispered.
"But...this is the one person that I just can't kill!" Gin cried. "...Don Krieg...is...is there any way...any way at all...that this ship could be spared?"
Hearing that caused Don Krieg to tense up with rage, while the Krieg Pirates froze in fear.
"INEXCUSABLE!" Don Krieg yelled. "HOW DARE YOU, MY MOST TRUSTED OFFICER, REFUSE TO OBEY MY ORDER?! WHAT THE HELL HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU, GIN?!"
On that, the Krieg Pirates panicked as they put on their gas masks, realizing that Don Krieg was planning to use the MH5 for real, this time. Gin, trying to get through to his leader, prepared to put on his mask, as well, but Don Krieg, no longer seeing him as part of his crew, ordered him to drop his mask. This shocked the Krieg Pirates, for Gin was the most loyal out of all the crew, and even went as far as to use himself as a diversion to Lieutenant Fullbody so Don Krieg and the others could get away after they escaped the Grand Line.
"...It just goes to show you how much some people can take others for granted," said Nami.
"Thank the stars Luffy didn't turn out that way," Brook added.
"Look!" Aika exclaimed as she saw Luffy trying to rush Don Krieg again. However, this time, Krieg destroyed the mast that Luffy was using to cross over, forcing to hang on tight so that he wouldn't fall into the ocean, then turn and run again when Krieg fired the stakes at him, again.
"Gin!" Luffy called. "Don't listen to that bastard Krieg, got it?! Because I'm about to kick his ass!"
"...Straw Hat...!" Gin whispered in disbelief...but then he snarled. "Straw Hat! You shouldn't talk about that Krieg, that way! Don Krieg...is the mightiest man alive. A runt like you...couldn't even dream of beating him!"
"Are you insane?!" Past Sanji questioned. "Open your eyes, you idiot, he's trying to kill you along with us!"
"...I know," Gin answered. "I'm a coward...a fool who let some damn sentiment get in the way of my duty! ...I deserve the death penalty."
On that, he tossed his mask into sea.
"...He really is nuts," Nami said. "How can someone be that blindly loyal?!"
"I suppose it's hard to realize the person you followed endlessly would kill you without a second thought," Sanji answered. "I guess Gin just wanted to believe that Krieg was a good leader."
"POISON GAS BOMB: MH5!" Krieg yelled as he put on his mask and fired the bomb at the Baratie. Patty and Carne hurriedly got Zeff inside to avoid the gas, while the rest of the cooks dived into the sea and the Krieg Pirates put on their masks. However, Luffy ran up and grabbed two masks from them, tossing them to Past Sanji and Gin, but when he went to get one for himself, he saw that the pirates had escaped before he could.
"AAH!" Luffy cried in a panic. "WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!"
"He's gonna hit!" Chopper shouted, but then, out of nowhere, a mask suddenly appeared by Luffy's side. Not questioning how it got there, he hastily grabbed it and put it on his face, just when the bomb finally hit...and the memory faded to black, once again.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Luffy: *thinking* Phew! I'm alive! That mask appeared, just in time!
Gin: *coughs* D...Don...Krieg...!
Chopper: Oh, no!
Luffy: KRIEG, YOU BASTARD!
Don Krieg: Fight me as many times as you want, boy, but it's your funeral!
Past Sanji: Chore boy!
Luffy: Hmph! There's no way I'm gonna die here!
Next time: Luffy's Heart
I decided to stop here before it got too long. The fight will be over next chapter.
Review, please!