A Fruitless Start
One Piece belongs to Oda.
Chapter 11 - How To Deal With Bad Pirates
…..
Time to set sail had come and a total of twenty eight ships were to move to the final battle for the East(hopefully), Hina had to give command to the king because he was the owner of most of the fleet and she was named his second for this. She expected to be side lined but King Luffy actually listened to her opinions…. or anyones really. Guy hadn't a mean bone in his body.
They were all together, all the ships moving in coordination to make sure that there would be no ambushes, Hina was in her marine vessel with her subordinates while the king was in the Saber and both ships were in the center of the formation with the other ships following and surrounding them both.
Hina was the one that suggested that formation and explained it's efficiency that made it be used by the marines, the only reason such formation was great was because every vessel had a den den mushi that allowed communication which avoided accidents.
*Purupuru* *Purupuru*
"Hina here!"
"Smoker reporting, all good here." Smoker and Tashigi were in the Saber guarding the king, If they won but the king died for whatever reasons there was a good chance they would pay for it in blood, "Nami said we will reach our positions a day or so before Krieg."
Intel of where the enemy base was guaranteed that Krieg would have to use this route, the shortest one to the Reverse Mountain from there. It had no name but the girl assured them that she had explored it with Luffy in the past, "Hina wants to know what are our odds?"
"Of winning?" Smoker asked but Hina stayed silent, "We have a seven ship disadvantage if intel is correct but we chose the place and have more info about it…. We can win but it won't come for free."
Ain't that a downer? "Keep an eye on the king, Hina will keep our men alive," and that is her job and priority. There are plenty of big shots that can take Krieg down in the Grand Line, her usual squad can even dedicate themselves to pursue him if needed but most of the East were not used to long combats with multiple ships.
Usually pirate hunting in the East is always with one or two ships at best with Krieg being the exception. Maybe that is why Krieg was left alone? Anyway, this was going to be a real battle, the first for many. In her usual group or in most ships in the Grand Line you can find sailors used to the chaos, the mess and the fighting.
In the East? There was a saying that she heard once, 'calm waters don't make good sailors'. She and her crew were the most experienced there with Smoker's a close second but the division of Loguetown was used to fight only on land. Apparently even the Strawhats were more used to fighting on the sea than many of the marines, the hunts for Krieg taught them a lot.
"Smoker, how are things in your ship?" She asks because morale is an important factor in a fight. If too many are nervous then that can be a defeat before the first shot.
"Well…." His hesitation confused her, "Let me take you to them." She can hear Smoker moving with the snail, his own private one given his position. Hina was wondering why Smoker was not with the rest of the crew. That was until she heard.
"...THERE A INN ON THE END OF….
….WHERE THEY SELL THE BEST ALE….
…..A FINE BREW SO…."
"They are singing?"
"Yes, apparently the king loves music and started to sing at random, he was not very good but the crew got together and the songs picked pace….even Tashigi joined in." Well, at least she won't have to worry about morale in the Saber.
"Hina sees….." She honestly doesn't know what to comment on, "Aren't they worried about…." 'The possible march to their deaths' went unsaid.
"The king once said 'live or die go without regrets'. I don't know if all believe in it, agree to it or the guy is that good of a leader but his people are not afraid. At least not here."
If the other ships had similar leadership…. "Hina was to make some calls," and she spent the next few hours in contact with every ship, asking for the conditions of the crew and what they were doing.
The results were…. varied, in the marines side four of the eight ships were somber, quiet and in general afraid, they were not used to fights or even spars, their days spent with light training, calm easy schedules and the job simple: to repel pirates with their cannons.
On the other hand the Flowers and Fruits kingdom was festive, most of the time, there were five ships that had picked the joyful atmosphere but even then stuff was calm. Many in those were mercenaries or volunteers, trained and a part of the kingdom but not as experienced as the rest, which explain their position on the back, safer than the rest of the fleet.
Calling Smoker again Hina doesn't waste time, "Is the king in the party too?"
"Yes, actually."
"Isn't he afraid?"
"Of death? I don't think he is, but if someone dies here he must wanna to have good memories of them."
Hina found the comment weird coming from Smoker, "You asked him didn't you?"
"It may not be our place, he is a king and I am a marine but for this day we share the same battlefield as allies," Smoker then pauses and the snail makes a puffing sound "and I prefer to understand my allies."
Hina can't disagree with that logic, "Keep an eye out, soon we'll be close to where Krieg is supposed to pass."
If Nami's skills and assessment were to be believed, they would find Krieg midway and be able to catch him by surprise in the first assault after that the rest of the plan was already decided and all it would need is coordination.
But there is a good chance that all goes wrong and that Krieg sees them coming or simply has already passed. Hina hopes for the second one in all honesty but she also knows she has a duty to fulfill and she will see all alive from this if she can.
…..
Night was setting in and Peluce was worried, there are few moments in life that one person can tell that if something goes wrong in that moment that was it, there would be no second chances. To soldiers, marines and pirates those moments happen a lot and Peluce knew that he was on one of those.
They were racing for the Grand Line, there was a rotation for the sails and the rudder, the rest was keeping the ships in shape and ready for when they got there. So far all is going well, they had time but the problems will start once they get to the Grand Line.
Peluce knew that the newspapers were tailored for each sea and getting an edition of another sea is a hassle, you need to request it and then pay a fee depending on the ocean itself but when you plan to take the oceans you need to know who is who and where their rivals live.
Some of the stuff he read terrified him and he couldn't believe that such monsters existed on the planet. Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido and "Red Hair" Shanks, four pirates with power and control of many islands and bounties so high that he shivers just thinking about them, but while they had many men under them they had less than what the Krieg's pirates used to have.
'Used to have', that hurts to think about and if they had to fight those monsters without remaking their fleet Peluce is not sure they can win. They needed more pirates and the East had none that would willingly join Krieg's crew and if the last commander had a say they wouldn't go to the Grand Line, he would try to move to the other oceans.
He was sure that there was some way to move through the Red Line, the massive rock that divided half of the world, or the Calm Belt, the seas that stopped anyone from directly entering the Grand Line that had no wind, waves and were infested with seakings.
If they could figure that out they could recruit more pirates without risks…. If Krieg ever was patient enough to wait for someone to figure it out. But most of them were simple pirates, many of a dumber lot that needed someone to shout orders or else had none initiative.
He keeps moving around the ship, checking if the men need to rest or something similar. He will be sleeping the day away while his first mate does the same later and that is the best way to secure constant travels with no stops at that point.
Looking to the sky, he sees the shrinking moon and figures that it is close to midnight, soon there will have to be a shift change-
*BOOM*
The explosion came by surprise, it was not that loud meaning that it was a bit far from him. Took a few seconds before he found the source, one of their ships was hit by a cannonball... Where that came from?
Pulling up a spyglass he looks for the shooter and he hates what he sees, there were two ships, visible thanks to the almost full moon.
The first one that was still shooting is one of the marines standard combat ship, armed with cannons on the front and the sides and ready to send pirates to hell.
The second one was the real problem, he knows for a fact that it had no way to shoot them from that distance in that position but the Dreadnaught Saber, the former main vessel of Don Krieg was right there and knowing the 'Admiral'..."Sir, signs from the other ships."
Because of course, "What the lanterns say?" Since there are no snails for communication Krieg had many of his crew learn to use moviment language with two lanterns, one lantern was nothing, two being moved needed to be read to get the message and three meant battle was over.
"The Don is ordering us to pursue and sink the marines…. other is not to be damaged," he wanted the Saber back. That would only make things more difficult since it had a marine escort but the real question was: why the attack?
He barely looked in that direction because of it- "WAKE UP!" One of his crewmates started to call for the others which stopped his train of thought, "THE ADMIRAL IS CALLING US! WAKE UP!" He needs time and space to focus.
The Strawhats were not stupid, they have been taking the fleet apart for months now and this attack was too unprovoked completaly out of nowhere and….. IT IS A TRAP, "WAKE EVERYONE ONE BUT DON'T CHASE! SEND THE DON A SIGN THAT THIS IS A TRAP!"
Peluce was sure of it, there was nothing for miles and that was on purpose. They were avoiding this kind of situation for starters, "SIR THE DON SENT HIS REPLY! SIGNS SAY TO KEEP ATTACKING!" And now Krieg fell for it. His pride wouldn't allow to let the galleon go and just a marine ship is not a real threat.
All logic say he is right and Peluce could agree by just using his spyglass and checking that there were no other ships close but that was for now at least, there is a good chance that the reinforcements from the kingdom or the marines are already on their way, they had a snail in each ship minimum and the galleon is the most important of them all.
Soon all the pirate fleet started turning in the direction of the two enemy ships and they in turn started to retreat, the wind was good for everyone in that direction so it would take time to catch up depending on the waves. But they were a fleet, their strength is their weakness too, if they move too fast, the slower ships will be left behind, too slow and the enemy escapes. Maybe that was the reason for the attack, low risk high reward.
Everyone was awake now and cannons were brought out and to the front of the ships, since Peluce was in one of the supply vessels he would not see combat but he can't just split from it and be left stranded while everyone else goes after the Saber…. Krieg would have his head if he did.
The pirates started to shoot back aiming solely at the marines and trying to take out the Saber's support, all it would need was a good cannonball in the mast or one of the sides and catching them would be easy.
Suddenly a cannonball flew from the Saber, just one and he saw no flare of cannons from that side "WHAT IN THE HELL?" That made no sense to him, especially when the ball hit one of the front ships right in the middle. He couldn't see if anyone was hit or any equipment destroyed but he had to change his focus back to the Saber's direction when someone screamed.
"INCOMING!" They came at a steady pace, one cannonball after another flying in arcs and hitting their ships or the water around them. Not only that but the galleon started to cover the marines retreat with its size, they were still running but the Saber was the only ship they could see at that moment.
"Whatever weapon they are using, it has more range than our cannons." Not by much, it was only one and it took some time to shoot, a few seconds at best but it was something, "Send a message to go slower, that thing will run out of ammunition sooner or later if it keeps going like that."
Krieg must have agreed to the order for all the fleet to fold some of their sails and go at a slower pace, but Peluce was still bothered, they could still see the Saber and that meant they must be going slower too. The cannonballs stopped for a while and someone tried to accelerate a bit only for them to come back and the process to repeat itself.
This…. this is bad, he can't help but think. They should disengage and run or go back to rushing to the Grand Line. At this point they will run a goose chase where their supplies would run out before they could ever catch the galleon.
They tried to attack, even Krieg lost his patience and ordered the attack to his galleon but that was all worthless. There was no impact, everytime a cannonball got close it was redirected…. was that smoke? What the hell? There were also instances of cannonballs hitting each other mid-air. He doesn't understand what is happening anymore.
The chase lasted hours until the sun was already up and the day had truly started and every few minutes Peluce looked around with his spyglass, every time they missed a hit they lost ammunition, every second in the chase there was less supply for the Grand Line, "Did Krieg send any new orders?" He was losing his patience.
"Nothing so far sir…. should we-"
"Quiet," he knew what the man would ask, "keep an eye on the main ship also send some people to-"
"LAND AHEAD!"
"WHAT NOW?" Peluce looked to the horizon and saw a small island, there was a white flag planted on it, sign of surrender or parley. Krieg used many of those in his career, "This is where they were bringing us?" He once again checked around, and from the horizon he counted five ships approaching: Reinforcements. "I knew it, they were bait."
Best idea now was to run before more of them showed up- "Sir, look south." Ten more were showing up-
"Sir, behind us!" And another group was also there with more ships, another group of seven.
"We are surrounded," it was a trick, their opponents used the night to move quietly while they focused on the two ships…. there was a route out still, the sides were still open and they didn't need to fight, they need time now to organize.
"Sir! Signs from the Don," another man shouted. The lanterns were unlit but there were three of them.
"Looks like we will parley afterall." He looked to the small island, knowing that there would be the place of the meeting.
…..
"I said I am going and that is final!" Smoker wanted to hit the young king with his jitte, he heard from Kuzan that Garp was one of the most stubborns men on the planet and now he knows that it MUST run in the family.
"Your majesty," the face Luffy made at Smoker's attempt of calming him down was one of rage incarnated, "Luffy," he looked calm now and gave a nod, "you are the commander of this operation and we don't need you running into danger." That was the best excuse Smoker could come with.
"This is a parley. Rules say that the leaders need to be present at the parley." Yes, that is correct. The main commandant in an army or group needs to be there to make sure the decisions are swift and the blame can't be moved to another.
"This is Krieg that we are talking about. You remember that right? The man nicknamed 'Foul Play'" Smoker was trying to avoid a hostage situation, something that the king himself managed to avoid until then.
"Doesn't matter, I am strong," that…. Smoker can't disagree with that. Even in the middle of the operation Luffy takes time to train everyday, he even offered to train with Smoker and Tashigi if they wanted. The girl benefited from sparing with new people and the only reason why Smoker himself didn't accept was because he wanted to be rested in case things go wrong, "besides, everyone says that parley is one of the few things Krieg never breaks." That was how he recruited many pirates, 'surrender or die'.
Dressed in a red vest, his jacket and pants, the strawhat didn't look like the king he was and Smoker could go and try and convince the pirate to surrender….fat chance of that happening, "Trust me on this, it will be safer if I go."
"Is that because your devil fruit?" With him having to stop some cannonballs that were already out, not that he was trying to keep a secret he just didn't see it as important. "Because Nami is going and she also has one."
The girl let out a sigh but she is needed there to tell the king the best time to put their contingencies in practice…. also she was one of the few that could stop him from doing anything harsh. "Captain Smoker, I get you are worried but please, let it just go. Luffy will end up swimming there anyway if you try to leave him behind." Smoker could believe that.
"Fine, but I will go along with you both." This way if things go wrong he can take them both to safety.
The three of them got on a small boat after the marine finished giving instructions to Tashigi in case anything goes wrong, he also entrusted her with his den den mushi to call Hina in the same circumstances.
Luffy took care of the paddles and off they went, Nami was all the time focusing on the clouds and climate trying to keep. Smoker really wanted to have his bike but he left that on Loguetown, no one can blame him for it, because he didn't expect to need it or to go and basically fight in a war so soon.
The island was small, it had no forests and was just a simple piece of rock in reality, they had planted the white flag days ago the whole point of this is to try and stop the bloodshed if Krieg surrender since the king himself didn't like his attitudes, but Luffy is a fair man and he wants to hear Krieg's side first before things get worse. He was sure it will because Krieg is the kind of pirate that doesn't care about honor or morals.
In the distance Krieg himself was visible and he had other four in his boat, three of the men were unremarkable but the last one was a well dressed fat pirate with a fedora and a somber look on his face. That could either be a good or a bad sign for everyone.
They got on the island first and moved to stand next to the white flag with Smoker positioning himself a little to the front just in case things start with an ambush. Krieg looked smug, dressed with a long cape and armor that looked made of solid with and had fists covered in diamonds. He had his hair uncut almost trying to look regal but Smoker just saw the cheer level of arrogance in the man's eyes.
He was sure he would win, sure he was invincible and that the numbers don't matter. Even if both sides are mostly equal he was certain he would win and that was bad, just looking at the man expression told Smoker that this could only end in one way.
"Finally we meet," Krieg started once he was close enough, his eyes were on Luffy, "Grandson of Garp and the new king of the East."
"Name is Luffy and you are Krieg right?"
"HAH! Stop pretending that you don't know the mighty Don Krieg! At this point you must have seen my poster and planned how our interactions would go." He looks over to their fleet and his smile just grew. "How else can you explain that? A army made to fight me, ships repurposed, ready to sink me and all that forming an alliance with the marines," he looks to Smoker, "I am not surprised that the government sent you to take me down, I suppose it was just a matter of time considering I broke our agreement."
Agreement? What was he talking about?
"I called this parley to settle this once and for all." Luffy had no idea what Smoker was thinking at the moment and he didn't care about the government or their deals with the man in front of him because once Krieg is out then it will not matter.
"Oh, and how would we 'settle this'?" Krieg was curious.
"We fight!" That was all Luffy said.
For a while Krieg stayed silent, waiting for anything else but Luffy said nothing soon Krieg was laughing, "BWAHAHAHAHAHA! FIGHT? THAT IS WHAT WE ARE HERE FOR ISN'T IT?" He moved his hands to both fleets. "The best that you have against the best that I have, OF COURSE WE WILL FIGHT! THERE WAS NO NEED FOR THIS PARLEY AT ALL!"
Krieg was treating Luffy's declaration as a declaration of war but that wasn't the king's intention, "No, we fight as in you and me. No one else!"
That was a thing it was done when both sides had equal armies, instead of fighting head to head, a champion or the leader of said armies clashing to avoid unneeded deaths.
"And why would I accept?" Krieg's smile was unnerving.
"You win, you can take all the ships we have, you lose you surrender."
Krieg said nothing for a bit, maybe considering his position, it was a tempting offer and the man needed the ships, "And the marine agrees with this condition?" Krieg, for the first, took his eyes out of Luffy and stared at Smoker.
"We have order," that was the only truth. "Use our best resources to take you down, this is just the best method that will guarantee the minimal loss of life." The fact that Luffy is a king and was accepted as the commander of the operation means that his plan was a go even if Smoker disagrees.
"BWAHAHA!" Krieg was happy, " Really now? And this fight…. what are the rules?"
"We fight until someone loses. Why?"
"Well, it depends on your definition of a loss. For example…. what if I want to kill you?" Krieg made clear his position but Smoker spent enough time with Luffy to know his reply.
"Sure." There was no hesitation, he said it as if simply commenting the weather. "In my case I don't want to kill you… also I have some questions that I want you to answer."
"Fine by me, I will humor you." Krieg looked really happy with himself, "Ask them, consider it a gift for you to take to the grave." Smoker was also half curious himself on what Luffy would ask.
"Thanks…. Did you tell your men to break the code?"
Code?... The pirate code? What did that have to do with anything? "What is it to you brat? Krieg asked, Smoker curious himself.
"Did you or not?" Luffy was only focused on the answer and everyone else stayed silent waiting for it.
"Feh…. if they broke the code it wasn't my code. On my fleet we have rules and if you break them you are severely punished." Krieg pauses as he puts a hand in his chin, "Be specific. What part of the code do you think someone broke?"
"Your men shot their comrades ships in the middle of a raid," Smoker raised an eyebrow at that and some of the men with Krieg looked at each other in confusion.
"Depending on the circumstances," that was not what Luffy wanted to hear, "If our ships are compromised I gave orders to do all that was necessary so it didn't fall into enemy hands." He lets out a twisted smile, "Your hands to be more exact."
Smoker could hear the bones of Luffy's hand, he really wanted to attack the pirate, "You are a coward."
"COWARD?! HA! FUNNY COMING FROM A BRAT!" Krieg had his hands close to his sides, Smoker was ready to jump in if needed.
"YOU ARE A COWARD AND A SHAME TO ALL PIRATES!"
"WHAT A BRAT LIKE YOU KNOWS ABOUT PIRATES!" Krieg turns to his men and declares, "I AM THE STRONGEST! I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BE KING OF THE PIRATES! ME, DON KRIEG!"
"Uh-oh." Nami finally stopped just looking around but her reaction confused Smoker.
"NO YOU AREN'T!" Luffy stepped forward and stood right in front of Krieg with his head held high, "I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BE KING OF THE PIRATES!"
Did Smoker hear him right? WHAT THE ACTUAL- "YOU AREN'T EVEN A PIRATE!" Krieg interrupted his thoughts and everyone was looking at the two men who looked ready to fight, not for the fate of the East Blue but for the sake of their own pride.
"I WILL BE THEN I WILL FIND ONE PIECE! A COWARD LIKE YOU WOULDN'T LAST A MINUTE IN THE GRAND LINE!"
"WHAT INSOLENCE YOU BRAT! YOU BARELY LEFT YOUR DIAPERS AND THINK YOURSELF GREAT!"
"I AM BIG ENOUGH TO BEAT YOU AND YOUR FLEET TO A PULP!" Smoker knows that was not what Krieg was referring to but he didn't really know what was happening anymore.
"WHY YOU LITTLE!" Krieg was ready to charge but before he could the other pirate at his side, the fat man with the hat spoke.
"Boss calm down, we are still on parley. Besides, his offer is really good and you can kill him anyway."
What Smoker think about the offer now? Does Luffy want to really be a pirate or is he just trying to provoke Krieg into attacking.
"THIS PARLEY IS A SHAM! THIS BRAT IS A LIAR!" Krieg declared.
"I AM NOT THE ONE CALLING MYSELF A CAPTAIN AND STILL NOT TAKING CARE OF MY CREW!" Luffy retorted and that kept going for a while, neither side backing down but refusing to throw the first punch.
What Smoker is supposed to do in this situation? If Krieg accepted the duel then he could fight but it looked like Luffy planned to go and do it himself anyway. There was also the whole pirate bit in this mess. What would the World Government do if this gets out? The king of the biggest nation in recent history declared that he would be a pirate of all things…. There are other kings that fancied themselves pirates, damn warlords had at least two or three members that are 'royalty'. But why a pirate?
The marine couldn't help but stand still while things happened around him, Luffy and Krieg fighting, the pirates trying and failing to calm their leader and Nami just shaking her head…. He now can recall that she didn't react to Luffy's declaration. Did she knew? Should he interrogate her?
Luffy is now a king with hundreds of subjects, if he rebels….. he isn't rebelling against the government, he wants to be a pirate. If he becomes one would he use his country to control the East Blue? Can Smoker even do anything about it? As grandson of Garp, the hero, someone that the marine showed approval in a sense using Smoker himself and the fact that his kingdom was carrying all the East Blue in its back at this point.
For the first time in a long while Smoker was uncertain on what to do.
…..
Zoro was not the most patient man on the planet, he knew that, his friends knew that, his enemies learned that the hard way when pushed but he is surprising himself these days, "Can you really see what is happening?" Asked Tashigi.
"Not in detail but yes, I can see them," the people on the ship had no choice but to wait for the results of the parley and Zoro was not supposed to be there. Originally he would be the one in the island with Luffy and Nami but Smoker insisted on going and Nami pointed out that with the two of them plus Luffy together the parley had no chance to work.
"You aren't pulling my leg…. are you?" Tashigi was skeptical of Zoro's vision, all the ships needed to keep a long distance from the island to make sure that they didn't bombard it or each other. There were plenty of people with a spyglass looking at it but the Santoryu user refused stating that his eyes were enough, "I won't think less of you if you can't see…. you know I use glasses for day to day activities right?" He rolled his eyes.
"Yes I know," Zoro knew she was teasing him a bit, "but I can see them, at least enough to know what is happening." She nods.
"Then…. what is happening?" Lots of people looked at him curiously, not everyone had a spyglass.
"Luffy and Krieg are almost fighting at that point but not because of any deal," that was both what he could see and him knowing Luffy enough to guess with how the smallest and the biggest guy were face to face and looked to be screaming at each other.
"I think Zoro is right," said one of the sailors who had a spyglass "boss and Krieg are almost trading blows…..I think. So far no fight."
Many were really hoping this would end with Luffy decking Krieg and them going home, being ready to fight doesn't mean wanting to fight. Plenty of the people there just wanted to go and live their peaceful lives.
The crew of the Saber was generally staffed with veteran fighters but for this voyage there was a lot of new blood to fill the numbers and use all the capability of the galleon, the side cannons, the many sails and the space that allowed for a crew of 100 capable. All that in preparation for a war.
But many, in all the fleet really, hoped that the fight wouldn't come, Luffy did his best to keep everyone calm but there is a reason why they made various plans to avoid a fair fight with Krieg. Not that the pirate would give them a fair fight.
"Do you think Krieg will accept the fight?" Tashigi asked him but he had no real way of knowing.
"You are the marine, don't you have anything on him?" Zoro answered and with an exclamation of surprise she started to dig into her pockets.
"You are right! Give me a minute." Zoro could wait, he didn't know much about the pirate but he wasn't the one that made the plan. Finally finding a small notebook the marine master chief petty officer. "AH-HA! Found it: Krieg started his career by killing and taking over a marine ship, using it as a disguise he started his attacks to towns and ships by pretending to be a marine for a while, he grew in strength and had little to no mercy." She made a scow on her face. "He attacked people even under white flags and only in his latter years he started to avoid doing it." Looking at the small piece of land she hums, "That explains why we had the flag on an island at least."
Zoro nods, he didn't know who gave that idea but trusting Krieg was an easy way to die. "Tashigi-swan!" Speaking of easy….. Sanji comes closer to the girl and offers a sundae, by the size of the plate he must have served every girl on board, "Please accept this to help on this hot day."
"Ah! Thank you!" She accepts the sundae, but not taking her eyes of the island waiting for signs of any problem, "Maybe the Krieg that began as a pirate wouldn't accept a fair fight but this one must be really proud to go there personally," that or he learned to respect parleys, thinks Zoro.
"Nah, he probably will reject it." Zoro decided to say.
"Why?" Tashigi questioned, "We have no indication that he will prefer a full scale war."
"My instinct is telling me." That was all Zoro said.
"That is not a real answer," Tashigi said, a little dejected.
"Yes Marimo! Give the lady a proper reason," the cook jumped in support of the girl and everyone besides her took a few steps back in case Zoro decided to start a fight.
Fortunately, and strangely, Zoro didn't. He kept himself focused on the island waiting for the situation to unfold, "Not today Ero cook, we have bigger fish to fry."
Sanji also looked to the island and lighting a cigarette he got closer to the swordsman, "This is not going to end there, will it?"
"Don't know, but we need to pay attention to that," he looks at the pirate fleet, "and them."
"I agree." Even Sanji was serious now, the previous interaction gone, "I say that we have pretty good odds of winning if all goes well."
"What goes well? Luffy fighting or the other plan."
"Feh," Sanji lets out a smile, "trust in Nami and in my plan. Luffy does."
Zoro did trust the navigator even if he was skeptical about the whole idea that came from Sanji of all people, the problem is that until all is over he can't let his guard down. He and Sanji talked a bit more until Tashigi finished her sundae and the cook offered to get more. All that was left was the wait for the results, the lives of many hanging in the balance.
…
Nami had ended her part for a while now and just watched to see if Luffy would fight with the pirate. Neither had attacked yet, she knew the king's reasons, parley and fair play, but she can't understand the pirate's. The guy was a cheater as they come…. was he intimidated by Smoker? Or maybe not underestimating Luffy? No, he was arrogant and extremely prideful, there had to be another reason.
If it was what Nami suspected then their plan will go along just fine. "YOU ARE HIDING BEHIND YOU MEN! FIGHT ME ALREADY!" Luffy screamed, this has been going for a while now.
"HIDING?! I AM DON KRIEG! I AM NOT THE ONE THAT NEED A WHOLE COUNTRY TO FIGHT!" He does realize that the fifty ships he had were more than most countries could call right?
"I AM HERE NOW AREN'T I?"
"Well they are still at it," commented Nami. The devil fruit users stayed to the side watching the 'fight', "Why Krieg didn't accept the fight already if we are to waste this much time."
"If I had to guess…. he wants the king to attack first to claim more rewards for his life or something….." Smoker looked at her, "Can I ask you a question?"
"You just did." Smoker just raised an eyebrow to her answer, "Sure you can but I want a question too in turn." The marine just nods.
"Was that thing about piracy….. does he really want to be a pirate."
Now Nami was facing a dilemma, the thief in her was saying to lie and avoid any more mentioning of it for as long as she can, even separating Luffy and Smoker for the rest of the trip.
Another part of her…. "He is serious," can't lie about Luffy's ambition, "he dreams of being the most free person in the world. To Luffy that is what means being the King of the Pirates."
"But is he not already free?" Smoker's voice showed true confusion in his question.
"He isn't, at least not in the way that he cares about being." Nami stopped trying to think of the best way to elaborate about Luffy's dream, "To him freedom is being able to go wherever he wants, to explore, to do all he wants. About the last one, he doesn't want to harm people or to sack or steal from innocents. He just wants to travel and have fun…. and to be King of the Pirates."
"But why a pirate?"
"That is complicated as in I don't know how to explain and even if Luffy did explain you probably would be left confused, you would understand where he was coming from but you would still be confused." Because with Luffy there is the absolute certainty that he would explain the complex things in the simplest details…. leaving out hundreds of useful details. "As a king of a country he has to worry about thousands of people and small things… he doesn't like that. Sure he can do it, he cares about everyone who trusts him but he can't do all he wants because of it."
"The World Government let many kings do some ridiculous stuff." A fair and valid point but not the problem.
"Luffy doesn't want to harm anyone, he wants to travel, see the world, all of it." There was more but she will not say anything else.
"..."
"Look, let it go for now, if you have more questions you can ask him later," that is fair right? "Besides you can't disagree we have more immediate troubles." Smoker nods and Nami takes her turn, "How do you learn how to use your devil fruit?"
"That…. is personal. Not in the sense that I wouldn't tell you but in the sense that every person has their own way," he puts a hand in his chin, "besides, our powers are too different. I am a logia and that means that I use an element to the point that I can turn myself in it. You are zoan and I saw you turning completely into your animal." Smoker gives her a shrug, "As far as I am concerned all you need to do now is learning how to control your other form and that would be it."
Nami wanted to say that she disagreed and that someone told her something…. different. Not about it being personal but Ana had said that just using the power of a devil fruit was something basic especially to zoas and logias. The most powerful users learned how to combine their imagination and human forms to their powers, that was why she was trying to turn into a hybrid ever since she gained the power, she feels that once transformed into a hybrid she would discover the true power of her devil fruit, "Thanks for the answer anyway."
The marine nods and the two keep watching the 'fight', Nami is almost sure that Krieg will not accept the fight unless he has way more to win or some advantage in it, Luffy wouldn't have any problems giving it to the guy but Nami is stopping him from doing that just by being there. She warned him that if he tried to alter their initial deal without her permission there would be…. consequences, forcing him to promise her that he wouldn't.
Since the 'admiral' is a coward, time to go for the next plan, "ALRIGHT BOYS! SPLIT UP! THIS IS GOING NOWHERE!" She could see that Krieg didn't expect her moving in the conversation.
"AND WHO ARE YOU?"
"Nami is my name and money is my game," she don't know if it was because she has a devil fruit now or maybe her experiences but Krieg didn't look like much, she was sure that she could take him down in a fight if needed, "It is obvious that you two aren't reaching any sort of deal so… want to leave for the day and come back tomorrow with a decision already made?"
That is a gamble to everyone involved in this, Krieg is limited in his supplies because of their efforts and everyday away from the Grand Line is a chance he will have to resupply there, an area he doesn't know with no allies and the government gunning for him. This will reveal his intention, if he accepts the fight great, Luffy will end him fast and everyone will go home. If he doesn't then war it is, one way or another.
"Fine by me" his smile was disgusting for her, "the parley will last until tomorrow when we reach a decision." He turns to look at Luffy, "I expect your surrender by then." Luffy was ready to charge at the guy but Nami shakes her head, the pirate missed that interaction and started going to his boat.
The king, the thief and the marine started to move to their boat as well. The idea was that both sides would coordinate to leave at the same time and avoid bombardments but Krieg didn't seem worried or simply didn't care.
"Do you think he will wait for tomorrow?" Asked Smoker and this time he was the one with the paddles.
"I hope so, I really want to kick him in the face," Luffy really wanted that fight, unfortunately Krieg was not going to accept it. Nami knew it, the pirate was going to do one of his old tricks and use the moment of peace to attack but that was fine, tonight was going to be an interesting night.
During the trip to the galleon Smoker didn't say a word and focused on just paddling, Luffy was bothered by what they were doing but if all goes his way then tomorrow he will punch Krieg in the face. Nami doubts that because she saw lots of pirates like Krieg over the years.
He was too certain of his own power, of his right to do whatever he wants regardless of others and, especially, too arrogant. Now Nami is going to be fair and if asked to say, there was a chance that Krieg was going to wait for tomorrow and fight fairly, that was how she managed to convince Luffy to be patient and to see if Krieg was someone worth fighting against.
But Nami saw the man for what he was, a coward and an opportunist, she was those things too but not to the detriment of others like Krieg and that was what allowed her to see what he would do before he even did.
She was not the only one of course, others could too, the man was predictable like that. But who knows? Maybe tomorrow will come without troubles and the battle ends with a one on one fight. She doubts it but it is never wrong to have hope.
…
Krieg was smiling all the way to his ship, things were looking up for him. His enemy was right in front of him and all he had to do to reach the Grand Line was to kill Monkey D. Luffy, someone who got in the way of his ambitions more than once.
Sure, once he planned to leave the kid be, let him grow and become a rival but the brat disrespected him, damaged his operation and stole from him. That won't do and Krieg wanted to see the kid suffer before his death.
First he tried to goad the strawhat to attack first before any deals so he could get more from his subordinates, sure a couple of ships were good but there was nothing on the deal about supplies and manpower. The kid didn't fall for it and Krieg felt he shouldn't be surprised since his opponent needed to be at least smart enough to see simple ruses for what they were, that was the only way that explained his moves to always undermine Krieg's.
Lucky for him there was a really easy way to get more supplies and some ships from this, less ships than if he fought but supplies were worth more anyway, "Peluce call the captains of all ships to the main vessel…. we have a meeting to do."
The ship being used to lead the fleet was nothing special, only the jolly rogers of the Krieg's pirates standed out on the former transport ship but it had space to accommodate all the thirty captains with a small stage to make the 'admiral' make his speech.
Krieg stands tall, his armor was polished and he had his smile still on his face "TODAY WE HAVE A CHANCE OF A LIFETIME! THE MAN THAT HAS TRIED TO TAKE DOWN THE MIGHTY KRIEG'S PIRATES HAVE DARED TO DEMAND OUR SURRENDER!" Not incorrect but not completely true. "THE ENEMY IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! WE WILL BEAT AND TAKE ALL THAT IS DESERVELY OURS!"
The captains celebrated and Krieg was happy with the opportunity to crush his last challenger. He didn't need to fight fair, he is a pirate with greater numbers than his enemies, all he has to do is take what he wants and be done with it.
"CELEBRATE! FOR TONIGHT WE SHALL TAKE DOWN THE STRAWHAT!" And so food was brought by the cooks and the small party began, Krieg mingled with his men for a bit, they have made enough raids at night to know what will be needed later. Even if this one would be on a bigger scale.
"Don," Peluce approached him while he drank some rum, he made a signal that they should speak in private and off they went to one of the storerooms, "are you sure of this?"
"What are you insinuating?" Depending on the answer…
"You could have just killed the kid." That was acceptable. "Why risk all in one assault?"
"We need supplies and manpower," Krieg explained his reasons while picking a bottle, he felt really thirsty at the moment, "If he had attacked me we could have demanded but now we must take them."
"We won't have manpower anyway, none will want to follow you if you kill their very much beloved leader." He didn't disagree with the part of the supplies.
"I thought about changing the terms of the bet and accepting but that would have been too easy."
"We could use easy-"
"NOT FOR US! FOR HIM!" Krieg drank a lot from the bottle, wine poorly aged but would do, "HE...!" Taking a breath Kriegs pretends to be calm, it would be bad if the others noticed his anger, the true reason for the attack. "He dared to ruin my plans and to stand in the way of my ambition. To dare to claim HE of all people would be King of the Pirates…. I want him to pay and suffer, to see his men die around him and only after he begs for death is that I will give it to him."
It was a self serving goal in the short term but the pirate didn't care at that point, he had all afternoon to rest and at night he would kill his hated foe. That was all that mattered to him.
He waited a few seconds for Peluce to say something, that was his job after all, pointing defects on the plan and telling him how to fix them…. the commander stayed quiet for a bit, thinking, in Krieg's opinion, on his strategy, he knew it was a harsh one but the plan was a good one, direct, and simple.
They had the numbers and time to change their positions, their enemy may be 'boxing them' but a strong enough push can break the cage and cause a lot of damage in a high value target like the main giant galleon where their leader is. Once he caught the kid as his prisoner together with his galleon he can take his time to torture the brat while draining his fleet(maybe even his kingdom) with the promise of returning their hero. He can bet that the World Government won't interfere if he gets in that kind of position.
"I will need to change the position of most of our ships and move the ones carrying our supplies from the middle to the more open side just in case," already the plan was being improved and Krieg nods to the foresight, while he captures his enemy, Peluce secures what they already had. "Is that all?"
"Yes, go, eat and rest. Tonight there will be blood." Once the other pirate left, Krieg picked some other bottles and moved to the party, they ate and drank the rest of the morning leaving later to rest for the night and going to his private room.
Looking at it he remembers the one he had on the galleon, bigger and more accommodating to a man his high. Taking off his armor he lay in his bed to get some rest. He wished that he a woman or ten to make him company but he closes that train of thought in his mind. All that can come when he becomes King of the Pirates, all the riches, the women and everything else he fancies.
Until then everything that didn't help his goal was a distraction, he doesn't need distractions. He needs soldiers, resources and time. Soon he will have the One Piece, all he needs is to win this one fight, he may even spare the brat…. nah, he is killing him out of principle at that point.
After a few hours Krieg awakes again, refreshed and ready to his last fight in the East Blue. He dresses again in his armor and makes sure his guns are all filled and ready to be used. He didn't need to worry about the preparations of the ships or formations, he had the others to do that for him at this point.
Gone were the days of long planning and simple tricks, now it was all about strength and he is the strongest. He kept thinking that as he left his room to the rain, a storm had started while he slept. The clouds covered the sky in a way that not even the full moon could ease a sailor's burdens.
That was perfect, neither side could have guessed such weather and his pirates were good at attacking at night. He sees the lanterns being lit all over his ships, some were a bit distant but he had at least five close enough to not present risks but also to press and attack the strawhats.
"GET READY MAN! PARLEY IS OFFICIALLY OVER!" Shouts of courage and insults to his enemies were his answer as the man started to move, lanterns were used to mark the time of attack, positioned at a distance to signify all force ahead.
The wind was strong and the waves treacherous but they can use them, experience can compensate unpreparedness. Even if the storm came while he rested, his men knew his operation, the captain of his ship was a veteran in his fleet and was used to surprise ambushes…. maybe he will be made a commander after this, a replacement for the ones he lost.
He can't blame them for being defeated, it was not incompetence but their opponent that was too much for them, not that it means Krieg will shed any tears or try to save them or anything. If the 'admiral' finds them in some other place during his travels he may welcome them back if his good mood lasts until then.
The storm is growing stronger but he can still see some lights in the galleon that was stolen from him, he barely sees their other ships but it doesn't matter at that moment, he just needs to get that one, "SIR!" It was hard to hear the voice in the storm, "DO WE ATTACK NOW?"
"OF COURSE!" This was it, his true first step to conquest, "SEND THE SIGNAL! ALL SHIPS FORWARD TO THE GALLEON! WE SURROUND IT AND KILL ALL WHO RESIST!" The movement on the ship intensified to make sure the sails didn't rip apart with the strong wind and to keep the ship steady.
His surprise attack couldn't be more perfect. Did those fools really think he would wait for the next morning? He is winning now while they sleep the storm away. He is going to be Pirate King! He can almost taste it.
The waves were strong and the distance was considerable, their lights were few and most of their vision came from when lightning fell, the preparatives to the attack were simple really. The target was marked and watched during the afternoon. It didn't move from it's position, even when others did, it stayed at the front facing Krieg's ships with its figurehead always staring at him.
He is ready for some vengeance and can't wait-
The ship shakes, they have been hit. He looks around trying to find where the shot came from. Did they have a watcher to keep an eye on them? In the middle of the storm? How?
He sees a flash at the distance, cannons, it can only be cannons, right in front of them. The Saber was shooting, "START TO TURN!" He orders. "WE WERE SPOTTED! SHOT-!" He couldn't finish his orders before another shot almost took his head off, hitting the deck. That one came from the side and he looked around.
He starts to feel cold as he can see the shadows. Lots of them. At least more than a dozen that he could count…. HOW? "SEND A SIGNAL! ALL SHIPS OPEN FIRE!" It was not too late, they may be surrounded but their numbers-
"SIR! WE WERE SPLITTED!" WHAT? "WE…. AT LEAST HALF OF OUR FLEET IS MISSING!" He finally could hear the sound of cannonfire. The fight had begun and that was bad. Their main advantage is gone and they were surrounded by bigger numbers.
"WHERE IS PELUCE?"
…..
There is a saying about rats abandoning the ship or something like that but the fat pirate could care less. He could see a bad situation for what it was and Krieg had not earned himself any favors by being what he was: an idiot.
Threatening the last commander was the last straw for the man and after almost suffocating Peluce started to make plans to leave. Krieg was good at playing with the greed of most of his crew, especially the captains, but there was a group that Gin was the one motivating and taking care so his precious captain later admiral hadn't to deal with, the common rank and file: the grunt.
Now that is a part of the fleet that barely saw the profits and suffered a lot because of the ambition of a certain man, a man they learned to hate when their commander was caught and their 'leader' did nothing to try and save him, worse, they were supposed to be a fleet and yet most operations were individual instead of using what made they dangerous in the first place: the fucking fleet.
He had enough, the simple pirates that just wanted to survive had enough and they were looking for an exit. They didn't know who to trust, Gin was not around anymore and Peluce was the one that talked with them and he dropped hints to any who would hear it.
Those that looked for him later became part of his crew, his only and not Krieg's, funny enough he managed to get a good chunk of the fleet and he could have just fought and tried to take over it by force. But that was an unnecessary risk, some were still on the fence, others with loyalty to him but didn't want to fight and Krieg could(would) kill him.
He knew Krieg's weapons, the guns and spear not even mentioning the poison, when taking all of those in consideration Krieg would not only win but he would also kill any of the traitors easily. Sure he would also criple himself but knowing Krieg he would go to the Grand Line anyway, that is just how single minded the man was.
There were plenty that disagreed with the plan of going to the Grand Line but there was little choice, it was either fight or flight, be against Krieg or the government and that was a problem.
So he just waited until something happened that he could use to his advantage, hard to do when you haven't patience but Peluce has been a pirate for fifteen years and at that point he learned a thing or two about piracy.
Really when put in perspective all you need to do was run, run from the government or your boss or your past crimes. He can't just run away in the middle of the trip, at least not with his new crew, the ones loyal to Krieg would see his ships strange movements and a fight would be inevitable.
But then a chance presented itself, the king Monkey D. Luffy came in person to deal with Krieg, first by attracting them to a parley and then calling for a fight to decide the fate of the pirate fleet.
The commander(former but he doesn't care) knew Krieg and while he watched the two leaders try to get the fight going on their terms he was watching the companions of the king. He saw how the orange haired girl was paying attention to the sky and the wind, how she was not worried.
All that and the reputation of Arlong's Bane gave Peluce enough insight to know that Krieg couldn't win that fight but then the parley was called to the next day….. Why? He didn't know but that gave him time, especially when Krieg said he planned to attack at night.
Fixing his hat Peluce fights off the sleep, Krieg told him to rest for the attack but he was not doing it, he used the time that Krieg was resting to try and move as many of his crew as possible to as many ships he could using excuses like the lack of cooks, doctor or something or another. It would be bad for his new crew to start with losing members for incompetence and since he was the last commander left all that he needed to do was kill any Krieg loyalist he couldn't get off the ships.
"YOU WON'T GET-" he shot the former captain of the ship, now that they were far away the guy started asking questions and with help of his crew the man was offered a chance which he denied and now he was going into the sea, at least he won't drown.
Now comes the hard part, he can't stay in the East, none of them can. If by some miracle Krieg survives he is coming after them for revenge, if the marines find them then they can be loted with Krieg by association and considering that a strong force of the marines was supposed to come and deal with the fleet there is only one solution that allowed them to go free…. an ironic one.
"SET COURSE TO THE REVERSE MOUNTAIN! WE ARE GOING FOR THE GRAND LINE!" The crew didn't cheer, they couldn't and no one there was to blame for this situation. They need to run and crossing for the other seas is impossible without some serious help that they don't have, the only sea that they can escape to is the Grand Line.
If he could have his way he wouldn't be getting anywhere near that ocean, he wasn't ambitious and he didn't want to be Pirate King or anything like that. With the full fleet he was confident enough to go but that is a distant memory at that point.
All he and his crew can do now is move forward to try and find better things. He had no bounty on his head and if Krieg is found them all will be for nothing.
At least he is optimistic he will never see his former boss ever again, afterall he was the commander and he made a point to adjust all the supplies he could.
Five ships focused on food and water and every single one carrying most of the gunpowder.
…..
"SIR! WE ARE OUT OF GUNPOWDER!" This can't be happening to him. Don Krieg can't help but think that in a loop. He was played. Who played him was a matter of debate but he was undoubtedly played by someone.
His ships had enough for a few shots but after that there was nothing they could do, they were surrounded and dead in the water with their enemies shooting at them. He could see what was left of his fleet sinking one by one, his men were desperate.
"DON! DON! WHAT SHOULD WE DO?" "WE GONNA DIE!WE GONNA DIE!WE GONNA DIE!" "QUICK MOVE THE-" The last one was interrupted by a cannonball taking his head off.
Krieg never had been in this position, using his tricks, his numbers and lack of morals he always had the upper hand, ALWAYS! But now he is stuck, there is little ammunition for the cannons, and most of his ships are going silent by the minute, the enemy wouldn't be able to see even a banner of surrender.
He has to run and fast, "TURN THE SHIP! WE HAVE TO RETREAT!" He shouts but nobody hears him, everyone entered in a state of panic at that point trying to save themselves but the storm was making the sea too dangerous to just dive in.
Finally the facts start to sink in: He can't escape, his ship is being destroyed and he has been betrayed.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" He screams in rage just before his ship explodes, the wood not being able to resist the waves and the water anymore as it breaks in the storm.
…..
Luffy likes to fight, to put his skills and abilities to the test against strong opponents and he was ready to take down Krieg if the guy had accepted his challenge. He didn't and Nami called for another day for the man to think, Luffy could live with that, they had time.
The problem was what Krieg would do with the free time, Luffy hoped the pirate would wait and then fight him the next day but everyone else said that the man would attack during the night, Luffy wasn't sure but he stayed awake just in case.
The storm came as Nami predicted, if Krieg tried to break the parley then he would have to move during the storm, there was also a chance that the pirate fleet would try to escape but during the rain Luffy and others saw the lights from lanterns moving in their direction. When the storm started the Strawhat ships positioned themselves to defend against that kind of push and all that Krieg managed to do was move himself to the slaughter.
Luffy didn't sleep that night, he felt sad for all that died because Krieg was an idiot coward. By the sunrise all the pirate ships had been sunk, only the wreckage was left of them. "START LOOKING FOR SURVIVORS!" Luffy ordered and everyone started to move.
"Think we will find any?" Asked Zoro, he also didn't like how all had ended by the scowl on his face.
"Hope so…. nobody deserves to die like this," Luffy was bothered how all that ended.
"It is the pirate life," Zoro said but Luffy stayed quiet.
"HEY!" They hear Nami call as she approaches, "Look at the island." And they did, noticing that there were plenty of people there dragging themselves out of the ocean to the rock where the white flag was, including….
"We're going there, leave the search for the others." Luffy orders and the Saber starts to move, the marines must have seen this since their main ship started to follow as well making the two biggest vessels move to the small piece of land.
"If I tell you to let us handle this…. will you listen?" Smoker asked and Luffy looked him in the eye.
"Nope." Then turned to look at the survivors while his ship got closer.
Finally reaching the small island, Luffy jumped followed by Nami, Zoro, Sanji and Smoker, from the marines captain Hina and some of her crew started to move closer to the pirate. The nearly drowned men looked completely defeated, there was no fight in most of them and all but one was either on their back, sited or face on the ground.
The one standing was their leader, Don Krieg himself, the man looked calm but not because he wasn't angry, Luffy could see in his eyes, there was plenty of anger left in him but it was not practical at that moment, either that or he was using it to focus on escaping. "I ACCEPT!" The former 'admiral' shouts to all and even the unconscious men suddenly raise their heads to look at him, "You and me, one on one!"
"He is kidding right?" Nami asked there was just silence, some also didn't believe Krieg's declaration others just didn't know what to say.
"Sure." The king said.
"Wait a moment, why are you even entertaining that idea?" It was Smoker who asked but there were plenty ready to question the same, "He is beaten, we won! Lets just arrest him and get this over with."
Luffy walked forward to stand far from his allies in a way nobody else would get in the fight, "You win and you get a ship, some supplies and go do whatever. I win, you are going to stay put, no tricks, no trying to run away or else if I have to deal with you again you won't be walking away at all…. deal?"
"Deal." The big man also moved, he had lost his cape and just had his armor on him as far as Luffy could see.
"Luffy please explain before I send you flying." Demanded Nami.
"He was betrayed," Luffy said in a calm voice, "so I am giving him the chance to go down with some pride."
"'Pride'?" Smoker said before anyone else could even process what he meant, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT MAN DID?"
"Yes, but I am not him." Luffy stated, and that quieted most protesters, Hina got closer to Smoker and the smokeman just looked perplexed.
"Let him fight," said Zoro with Tashigi, Shinzo and others finally making their way from the Saber. "Won't make any difference in the end."
"He could lose," Hina felt she should point that out.
"Nah," Sanji lit a cigarette and relaxed, "he got this."
Everybody just decided to watch as the fighters entered in position, "Don't blame me if I kill you." Krieg said, still looking really calm.
"No problem." Luffy didn't even enter in a fight position yet, "I need to train my kicks anyway."
A few seconds passed and nobody moved, there was some tension in the air but Luffy was just calm, feeling that the fight was already over. Faster than anyone expected Krieg pulls out guns from his sides and some of his armor opens to reveal more pistols but when he tries to shoot nothing comes out.
"Even I know that gunpowder goes bad when wet," Luffy comments and the pirate starts to look mad again, pulling out one of his shoulder pads he turns it to Luffy almost to use it like a shield. It opens a small hole and looks like Krieg was trying to do something but nothing happens again, "Need some help?"
Veins started to bulge in Krieg's forehead while he tried the same to the other shoulder pad and nothing happened again, finally he combined both and a spear was in his hand, the pirate nods, "Most of my weapons got ruined but I still have my spear." He was…. calm again, not really calm but his rage was off. Like a fire that burned everything too soon and now was just suffocating.
"Good." Luffy starts to get in position, unlike his more normal fighting form with his hands up this one had them down with his legs in a running position, "Ready?"
"You will regret challenging Don Krieg." Luffy didn't know if it was false bravado or a last ditch effort for the men's pride that made him declare that. Luffy pitied him a bit but not enough to compensate for all the awful things that the guy did.
The pirate charged and once again Luffy once again felt the need to comment "You are really slow… you know that right?" Krieg tried to use his spear like a hammer and Luffy dodged to the side. Chasing the strawhat, Krieg tries to pierce him just to Luffy to jump in the spear. Balancing himself, Luffy looks at Krieg, "Do you even know how to use that?"
He wasn't trying to make the man angry but he was succeeding in it. Krieg was attacking using his spears but not using his blade, the guy had nothing on Shinzo, there was no focus other than to hit Luffy. Dude didn't use the rest of the spear right or at least turned it to hit Luffy with anything other than the big shield part.
"STAY STILL!" Now Luffy pitted the guy but not that much to the point of giving him a free hit, the pirate was just bad.
"Can you stop using your spear like a hammer?" Luffy may not care that much about it outside the fight but Shinzo was watching and the man did care by the ugly face he was making. "You should use your whole body more too." He just finished his sentence when he was forced to duck and roll to avoid the pirate some more.
"We sure that guy was dangerous?" Someone asked, maybe a marine cause Luffy didn't recognize the voice but Luffy could see Krieg getting mad again, the fires of his rage coming back because of his wounded pride.
But rage didn't change the result when the user just does the same thing again and again, it was getting to the point that Luffy was growing bored with his latest opponent. Finally he moves left to dodge another attack from above and spins around throwing a kick at Krieg's face, throwing the tall pirate back and breaking some teeth.
The pirate gets up slowly "HOW?!" He demands to know, his anger still there giving him strength, "HOW CAN A WIMP LIKE YOU BE THIS STRONG? YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO SIT IN A THRONE AND DO NOTHING OR JOIN THE MARINES AND BE WORTHLESS! HOW CAN YOU BEAT ME?"
Everyone was looking at Luffy who just tilts his head a bit before answering, "Because you suck!"
"THAT IS NOT AN ANSWER!"
"IT IS!"
"IT ISN'T!"
"IT IS!"
"CAN YOU TWO JUST FIGHT AND WITHOUT REPEATING YESTERDAY?" Called Nami, at that point she just wanted everything to be over with, "LUFFY….JUST EXPLAIN!"
"Okay," Luffy looks at Krieg straight in his eyes, "you don't care about your crew, for their dreams or goals. To you the only important person is you. That is why you don't care about the code, if they didn't betray you there are no problems…. but that is the problem. I learned as a king that if I have people that I can trust around me, with their goals in the same direction as my own, we would reach them eventually." He raises his arm and points to Krieg, "You are here, fighting for yourself and no one else, so no one is getting up to fight for you either."
There were at least forty pirates on the beach, every single one of them was loyal to Krieg in a form or another and yet not a single one stood to fight with him. Krieg insured his challenge and nobody is supporting or even calling for him to win.
In contrast Luffy knows that if he asked he could have almost anyone on his fleet to fight for him with little to no hesitation. Damn he was sure even the marines like Smoker, Hina and Tashigi would jump at the chance of taking care of Krieg for good because of the bad reputation the pirate had.
It was written on his face that Krieg didn't believe him, "IN THE END THE ONLY PERSON YOU CAN COUNT ON IS YOURSELF!" With that declaration he charged once again ready to use his spear as a hammer, he is truly enraged now with all the fury he had lost coming back to try and deny Luffy's existence but that rage is leaving him open, overextended and Luffy could easily counter but he chose not to.
Instead Luffy raises his leg to block the spear with the use of Haki the weapon breaks apart easily to the shock of the pirates, "Your strength…. is all superficial!" Spinning he launches a kick using the same leg that had blocked the spear to hit Krieg in the chest "OX IMPACT!"
The armor is destroyed with the attack, inspired by his training with Nami, and Krieg is launched so far that he ends in the sea. For a time everyone stayed quiet.
"If no one gets him he will drown." Luffy's comment made the marines move to arrest the pirates, none fought off their captors and were escorted to the marine ship.
"Hina thinks his majesty was reckless." Hina was the first one to comment about the fight, "Was there a point to all that?"
"I needed to train…. and they aren't going to give you any troubles anymore." The last he said mentioning the pirates.
"Because you broke Krieg?" Smoker was the one asking that.
"No," Luffy covered his eyes with his hat and started moving towards the Saber, "It is because they now understand…. they were never a real crew to begin with."
A leader who didn't care about his followers, said followers were divided to the point half of them left and the rest was caught by surprise by it. Luffy was done with these pirates, they were not like Shanks or how he wanted to be, even Arlong was more considerate with his crew.
"So… where now your majesty?" Nami asked and part of him wanted to say Grand Line but that was not the time yet… besides he doesn't even have his own ship yet.
"Home."
…..
Smoker was smoking his cigars while writing his report, he was in a marine ship going back to Loguetown with the other marines and he had the, arguably, most important report to write. Sure, Hina's report is going to explore the strategy and the meat of the battle but Smoker was privy of a piece of information that can make or break the new kingdom…. the king wants to be a pirate. Not only that but the King of the Pirates of all things.
Monkey D. Luffy was dangerous in a lot of levels, he was the king of a new and powerful kingdom, he had more land than anyone else besides the World Government itself, he had a grateful population that was willing to fight for him that is connected without the squabbles of multiple kings and the man himself was strong.
He didn't know if Garp gave the guy some training or the man himself found some way to get stronger but Smoker could tell that it was not because of a devil fruit, he sparred with Luffy for a bit and his jitte had no effect. To be realistic for a second, Smoker thinks he can beat Luffy in a one on one fight, unless Luffy had some seastone weapon he didn't know about then the logia user will find no troubles in a confrontation.
But the real issue would be the kingdom itself, if their king is threatened, a king that is loved and has given them all much prosperity….. things would get ugly and fast if the government just tried to arrest the man.
Smoker spent time with other members of the kingdom, both from and out of the company and he knew that for sure their king is loved. The marine captain can see why, he is honest, surprisingly humble and always thinking of others…. to a point. Also he hates being called a hero, Smoker even heard a 'plan' to supposedly steal all treasures of the East and hide them in some kind of magical cave.
More than once Smoker thought about speaking with the guy and getting to the bottom of 'why' he wanted to be pirate king, he had plenty of chances while they traveled together after the whole Krieg debacle, but he hesitated. If he digged too deep there would be no choice but to report to HQ and he wanted to avoid that.
There is a big difference between war among kingdoms and war against the World Government, add to the fact that pretty much the East was the opponent and the number of casualties is too much for him to think about it.
He wanted to rip his hair out at this point, there are two options at the table for him, he could either include the inclinations of the monarch in his report and get ready for a war or he could omit them and hope to god that the king decides to stay a king of the people instead of a criminal. He had been a king for less than a year, so there is hope.
A knock on his door takes away his attention to his dilemma, "Enter!" He calls.
Tashigi finds herself in his temporary office "Sir!" She salutes, "The numbers are officially in! We suffered no casualties!" That was excellent news.
"Good job Tashigi! Go tell our men that when we reach Loguetown they have the week to rest." The other marines were not his problem but HQ will probably give them some kind of reward.
"It was nothing sir! It was thanks to King Luffy's strategist that we managed to win this great victory."
Calling the blonde strategist is a bit of a stretch but the man knew how to plan. When asked how he got so good at it(Hina was the one asking and with his personality the chances of lying were close to zero) he said that most of his life was in a kitchen and that helped….. how Smoker doesn't know but further investigation would be needed. Add that to a girl that can pretty much predict climate changes and a fleet loyal enough to basically move in the blind and you have the perfect setup for a trap.
"Captain? Is there something wrong?" Should he tell her?
"What would you do if you knew someone that wanted to become a pirate?"
The girl stopped breathing for a second "Why-why do you a-ask?" Strange.
"I may have heard something about someone and I wanted your opinion." Smoker avoided saying who, he doesn't need rumors running around.
"Well…. they technically haven't committed any crimes yet right?" That was a great question.
"No, they didn't." He was innocent of any crimes as far as Smoker knew. Since when justice cares about possibilities? If it was the case of what could be then all the marines should just put a gun on their own heads in the argument that they may one day might they be criminals as well. "You are right Tashigi, until a crime is committed they are innocent and should be treated as such." The young woman smiled a little at the comment.
"Right! Besides If the do become criminals then we lock them away until they become good and productive members of society!" Smoker was impressed by the passion that she put in her words and couldn't help but smile.
"That is right, that is the duty of a marine, protect the innocent and punish the guilty," he was happy and found his resolution, after dismissing Tashigi he came back to his report. "Whatever he plans, whatever he wants, he can change, stop or just don't do it. People grow and dreams change." He gets up and goes to leave his office, "Besides, if he ever becomes a pirate then I will hunt him."
The report was sent, telling that the Flowers and Fruits Kingdom was full of capable people and with their help Krieg was put away for good.
…..
Before anything else thank you all for the comments and the feedback. They are always appreciated, especially because officially 'A Fruitless Start' reached 100 favorites(cue to the epic music). I thank you all for the support.
On comments there was one from bloodshark that I won't be able to comment on every detail without giving spoilers but they guessed some stuff, congrats. About Morgan, I would have made a comment on it in Water 7 when we eventually got there but stuff may be different enough that I wouldn't get the chance so here is what happened with the guy: Because of the Arlong mess he is still in the Shell's Town jail. Why? Bureaucracy! The marines had to deal with so much stuff in the last year in the East that there was no one in position to process the guy. He was not one of Arlong's, he was a small fish and had a completely different set of circumstances that made it hard to just solve it.
'But how?' I can hear someone asking and it's quite simple…. there are only den den mushis for long distance communication and all the focus of the marines on the East was to fix the Arlong mess resulting in the one uninvolved being left for later….. and again with Krieg…. and again because there was no one there to properly transport the guy without mixing him with people that were know allies to pirates and could kill him. The WG may be ruthless but paperwork is a sane man's bane.
Since we reached 100 favorites I wanted to do something special but I didn't know what. I tried to make this chapter longer but it got artificial so we ended where we are, I was going to drop 2 at once but real life didn't allow that(just this one took a lot from me because of work and my insonia didn't help either) and I don't want to just throw spoilers of this story around and lose some surprises that I have in store. Therefore I can only say THANK YOU ALL FOR THE SUPPORT.
Now onto the chapter itself…. Technically speaking the war against Krieg started after the bridge Tequila Wolf, with the pirate side getting weaker while Luffy's just grew in strength, Krieg was only a threat with his numbers but there was little sense to a guy like him use it all from the beginning, or in other words Krieg is not that smart or had no reasons to just use everything at once, you be the judge.
The problem with Krieg is that he is hyper focused on his goals, there are hundreds of things he needed to do but he found himself in a good position and decided to just jump through all the other details. Yes he had a huge fleet but the ships must not have been the best and he also(as he himself points out in the main story) lacked intel. That is Krieg's greatest flaw in general, overconfidence without reason or information.
Luffy when enters the Grand Line had with him the best fighter, the best cook, the best navigator and Usopp(technically the best sniper but even him didn't realized that yet) and all the time when someone offer him a suggestion Luffy listens even if he disagrees to a point, he also hears his crew out at almost every turn with some(few) exceptions.
Krieg wanted to go back right after he was Mihawked, like right after he got the Baratie. If he ended in Whisky Peak he was dead, falling for the bounty hunters trap easily in his arrogance, even Luffy falls for it but Zoro didn't, Nami didn't, because Luffy is surrounded by competent people he can TRUST. Krieg had only Gin as far as we know.
Speaking of trust, Peluce was going to betray Krieg for the get go, even though Don himself admitted that he was the opposite of Gin(I was trying to foreshadow that, did it work?) and that was the point, if the last commander left was not someone as loyal as Gin then Krieg is done and there was no coming back, he only escaped the marines because of Gin, the manga said it so it is fact. Peluce was made to be Gin's counterpart, the man that was loyal for convenience and would run the first sign of trouble and be given a chance.
The battle had two scenarios that could have been played out, one there would be no betrayal but Krieg would lose because Nami knew about the storm way in advance and they would use it to surround and sink Krieg the moment he tried to break the parley or Krieg would be betrayed and would have less condition to escape the trap, basically all it changed was how easy it was for the plan to work and how many Krieg would be able to kill, there was no reason to him to win anyway because Krieg is self destructing kind of character that is unable to see the forest for the trees. In case he accepted the fight…. even if he had his weapons this Luffy is fast enough and strong enough to one-hit KO the guy.
On the other hand Luffy knows he sucks a lot at planning, let me make this clear: this was NOT HIS PLAN. Sanji was the author(scene cut because of passing, couldn't find a good moment to put the plan in this or the previous chapter) with Nami's input…. and I can feel some roll their eyes at this but read One Piece again if you need because Sanji is crazy smart when there is no women around and Krieg looks like the type who would avoid have womens in his ship to 'avoid distractions' per say.
Sanji is a genius in plenty of points(Alabasta for exemple) and with ladies in danger on his side I have confidence he could come up with a plan, point it out to Luffy's approval, Nami would interject since she was the one to chose the location because the storms that happen in certain areas of the sea and then everyone would only have to be ready if Krieg tried to break their deal, the pirate that is famous and has a profile in the marines so they played supposing that 'FOUL PLAY' would do a foul play.
About the future of the story a fair warning, once we get to the Grand Line and even a bit before that a lot of familiar plots will show up, some will have small differences and others will have huge ones but please consider that all is planned even if not written…. until a certain point, kinda need more info about certain characters from Oda to get truly far here. For real the story changes completely depending on certain factors like who is the true Big Bad or what the One Piece is.
Questions? Thoughts? Please leave a comment and until next time.
Next Chapter: The Once And Future King