Luffy laughed as he watched the blond guy beat up the marine who'd tried to sink their ship earlier. Served the bastard right. "I love this place!" The food was yummy, the people who worked there were funny, and the stupid marine got beat up by a swirly eyebrowed person and an old guy with a tall hat, an awesome mustache, and a peg leg.
"Lieutenant Fullbody! It's an emergency! Forgive me sir! But! He's escaped from the ship's prison! The underling of pirate Krieg has escaped! It took seven of us just to capture him in the first place, but now he's gone!"
"That's impossible! He shouldn't have even had the strength to move! He was on the verge of death when we captured him three days ago! Not to mention he hasn't had a single scrap of food since then!"
Everyone in the restaurant started freaking out, and Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "What're they so worked up about?" Nobody got a chance to answer him before the marine who'd run inside screaming about someone escaping was shot in the back. All the customers started screaming, but the cooks who were fighting didn't seem worried. "Who's that? A pirate?" He kept eating as he watched the guy walk forward and sat at an empty table, resting one of his feet on top.
"Anything will do…just bring me some food…this place is a restaurant right?!" He was weak, but Luffy could tell this guy was strong. He reminded him of Zoro when his crewmate was tied up in that plaza. He absently kept eating what he could reach as he watched one of the cooks talk to the pirate. The pirate pulled the pistol he'd used to kill the marine and placed it against the cooks forehead. In response, the cook clasped his hands together and slammed then down onto the pirates head, breaking the chair in the process.
"He's pretty strong." All the customers started cheering as the cook yelled at the pirate to get out if he didn't have money while kicking him in the stomach. Luffy barely noticed the marine who'd tried to sink his ship crawling out the front door. He slowly stopped eating as he stared at the pirate on the ground. He grabbed a roll and headed towards where he'd seen the cook drag the pirate out.
Luffy hopped onto the railing of the upper deck, about to jump down to the pirate when the swirly eyed guy from earlier came out with a plate of food and a glass of water, setting them down in front of the starving man before sitting nearby. "Eat." He hopped back onto the upper deck and leaned against the railing as he watched the pirate gobble down the food, tears streaming from his eyes.
"I don't know what to say…I've never had such delicious food…in my entire life! I'm so grateful! I thought…I was going to die! I thought it was all over for me!"
The eyebrow guy grinned. "It's damn good, right?"
Luffy rested his chin on the railing. "Looks like I found a good cook!" He bit into the roll he'd brought with him, finishing it in two bites. Swallowing, he called out to the two below. "Lucky! You got some food! You were almost about to die before! Hey cook! Join my crew will ya? Be the cook for my pirate ship!" He laughed at the looks on their faces and happily jumped down, sitting on the railing next to the cook.
"You're a pirate?" The swirly browed male slowly blew out a stream of smoke. "You'd better not try anything funny in this restaurant. The owner of this place used to be the cook of a pretty infamous pirate crew."
"Oh? That old man used to be a pirate?" No wonder he was so awesome.
"This restaurant's like a treasure to that damn geezer, and the rest of the cooks who came to work here out of their admiration for that geezer are all hot-blooded enough and crude enough to be pirates." Luffy knew he liked this restaurant for a reason! "But it's quite appropriate considering all the pirates that frequent around these parts."
"Not a quiet moment in this place, eh?" Luffy laughed.
"Yeah, but it's daily routine for us. There've even been some guests lately who come to see the pirates and the cooks duke it out. Thanks to that, all the waiters got scared and ran away."
"Whatever. Hey, join my crew!" This guy seemed pretty strong – like Zoro – and he was a cook who fed someone starving even though they didn't have money. He was a good guy, and Luffy wanted him for his crew!
"I'll have to refuse your offer. I've got my own reason to keep working here."
Luffy frowned. "No." He wanted this cook for his crew! Besides, Luffy couldn't think of any reason the cook could give to stay that could make him give up. "I refuse!"
"W-What?"
"I refuse your refusal! You're a good cook so we'll be pirates together!"
"At least hear me out…"
"Fine then. What's your reason?"
"No need to tell you."
"But you just told me to hear you out!"
"All I meant was that you should hear other people's opinions when talking! Don't make me chop you up, you damn strawhat-wearing shithead!"
"What did you say?! Don't you dare insult my strawhat or I'll send you flying!" Good cook or not, nobody insulted his strawhat.
"Sorry to cut into your conversation but…"
Luffy turned to glare at the previously starving pirate. "What is it?!"
"My name's Gin. I'm a member of the Krieg pirates. So you said you're a pirate? Can I ask what your objective is?"
Luffy grinned. "I'm going to find the One Piece, which is why I'll go to the grand line!" He'd promised Shanks after all. He'd also promised Rayleigh to meet up again on Sabaody.
"If you're looking for a cook, I'm assuming you don't have very many people on your crew yet, right?"
Luffy nodded, pointing towards the cook. "With him, that makes five!" He ignored the cook's angry Don't count me.
"You don't seem to be a bad guy, so let me give you a piece of advice. Give up, on going to the grand line. You're still-"
"No." Gin stared up at him, surprised. Luffy gave the other pirate a hard stare. "I made a promise to someone I greatly respect. I'm going to the grand line."
Gin opened and closed his mouth a few times before nodding. "I can tell there's no talking you out of this. I just wanted to warn you. You're free to do what you want. It's not like I have the right to stop that. And Sanji, thank you so much for the food. You're my savior. That meal was really the best I've ever had. Would it be alright to come here to eat again?"
Sanji grinned. "Sure, anytime." Luffy watched as Sanji gave Gin a ship to leave on. He glanced up towards the upper deck when he sensed someone, grinning at the cool old man.
Laughing lightly, he put his hands behind his head and made his way back inside. "Thanks for the food Sanji! Don't get caught again, okay Gin?"
Sanji frowned. "I'm the assistant head chef of this place. So just what do you mean exactly when you say that I'm not needed?!"
Zeff crossed his arms, leaning against one of the chairs. "You cause too much trouble with the guests, and if they happen to be female, you drool all over them. You also can't cook a decent meal to save your life. You're just unnecessary baggage, holding this restaurant down. And as you probably know, none of the other cooks want you here. So whether it be a pirate or something else, it's just better for you to get the hell out of my shop."
Nami watched as the two argued. Obviously the head chef wanted Sanji to leave, but she wondered if it really was for those reasons. Sanji had brought them their food – he'd even specially prepared some dishes for her – and they were all delicious. While she could attest to him drooling over females, she'd only seen him attack one customer and that was because the customer had caused a scene and was trying to ruin the restaurant.
"So that's what you wanted to say to me all along, you damn geezer?!" Sanji walked forward and grabbed the front of the head chef's uniform. "Ignoring all your other comments, if there's one thing I won't stand for, it's someone insulting my cooking! No matter what you say, I'm staying here! Got that?!"
Luffy grabbed a plate in each hand, moving behind her. Following his lead, she, Usopp, and Zoro grabbed what plates they could just in time for Sanji to be thrown into their table. "How dare you grab the collar of the head chef!"
"Damn it…" Sanji sat up, glaring at the head chef. "You can try to chase me out all you want! But I'll continue to be a cook here, you hear?! Until the day you die, at the very least!"
The head chef turned and started walking away. "I ain't dying. I'll live for another hundred years."
"Pretty mouthy for a damn geezer, aren't you?!"
Nami watched as Luffy put the plates in his hand on an empty table and walked over to Sanji, a big grin on his face. "Alright! He gave you permission. Now we can be pirates-"
"As if!" Nami smiled happily as Sanji set a wine glass in front of her, pouring her a drink. "Forgive me for that ruckus just now. As an apology, please enjoy this fruit Macedonia, and this glass of grand Marnier."
"Oh, thank you so much!" She grinned at him. "You're so nice!"
Usopp frowned. "What about us?! This is gender discrimination! I'll sue, you crazy-love cook!"
Nami happily dug in as Sanji and Usopp argued. "I already gave you some tea! You could at least say a word of thanks for that, punk!"
"What?! You wanna start something, is that it?! I ain't gonna go easy on you! Get him Zoro!"
"Get him yourself." Nami glared at Luffy who was drooling over her special dessert but rolled her eyes and flicked part of it towards him, giggling as he caught it in his mouth out of the air.
Usopp pointed towards his empty plates. "You haven't even cleared away my plates."
"That's because you still have mushrooms left! Finish it!"
"I left them on purpose because I hate mushrooms. I was poisoned by one when I was a kid."
"Well this one ain't poisoned so eat up long-nose!"
Nami rolled her eyes before schooling her face into her best puppy eyes. "Please don't fight just because of me."
Sanji instantly turned away from Usopp. "Anything for you, miss!"
"Just who the hell's fighting for you?!"
Nami put one hand on Sanji's cheek. "By the way, Mr. Cook."
"Yes?"
"The food here's just a tad too expensive for me."
"Then it shall be free of charge to you miss!"
Nami hugged him, grinning. "Thank you so much!" She stuck her tongue out at Usopp as Sanji told him he still had to pay. As he left, she turned to Luffy. "So, that's they cook you want?"
Luffy grinned and nodded. "I've decided that he'll be our cook." Luffy's grin widened, which Nami hadn't thought possible. "The cool old peg leg guy even said he can join us!" Nami wondered if the cook would actually join them. Sanji had seemed insistent that he wasn't going to leave. She bit the inside of her cheek when Luffy looked away, wondering why she cared if he joined or not. She was going to leave anyway. She'd never actually joined the crew in the first place.
"Pirates hurt you?" Nami closed her eyes and leaned her head on her hand. "You look like I do when I think about the people who destroyed my hometown." Luffy would understand. He would probably try and help her, but that was why she had to go. She was getting attached, and no matter how strong he was, she didn't think he could match up to Arlong and the other fishmen. She was jerked out of her thoughts when a hand landed on her shoulder. She looked up and forced a smile at Luffy. He wasn't smiling, and his eyes were worried. "You okay?" His voice was softer than she'd heard it before. It was hard to keep her smile up.
"I-I'm fine. Just…just a little tired." She'd been with Luffy long enough to know he would fall for every lie told and walk into every trap. Looking at his face then, however, she could tell he didn't believe her.
Her smile twitched, and there was silence for a while. Finally, Luffy squeezed her shoulder. "I know you hate pirates, but you're my friend. If you ever need help, you can ask." Anything she was going to say got caught in her throat at the stare Luffy leveled at her. "I made a promise to protect the people I care about, and a promise is something you only make when you're prepared to die to see it through."
Nami's lower lip trembled slightly. Her voice cracked a little as she whispered. "I don't want you to die."
Luffy smiled. "I'm strong Nami." The statement was simple, but for some reason she believed it wholeheartedly. It filled her with confidence. Every moment she spent with Luffy and the others made it harder to leave. They made her feel safe for the first time since Bellemere had died.
Sanji was steadily growing more annoyed. It had been two days now, and the strawhat wearing pirate was not giving up. He kept asking Sanji to join every day, not listening to his refusals. Even the old man was telling him to get his ass moving and join them. The only upside to them not having left yet was the fact there was a beautiful young woman with them. Sanji made sure to bring her the finest food, and gift her with desserts he'd lovingly prepared paired with the finest of wines.
He looked up from where he was refilling one of the lovely customers wine glass, frowning at the sound of breaking glass. All the customers near the windows were staring outside in shock and fear. "I-It's Don Krieg's ship! A skull with two hourglasses at its side to threaten their enemies…there's no doubt about it! That's Kreig's ship!"
"Why is it here?!"
Patty and the other idiots who like to call themselves chefs started freaking out. He let out a stream of smoke at the sight of the ship. It was in shambles. Sanji wasn't sure how it was even still floating. "To turn a gigantic galleon of that size into that sad shape…that's no work of humans. They must've been caught up in some natural disaster." The one Sanji had been in all those years ago flashed through his mind. It had sunk his ship and the geezers, and they hadn't been small.
He turned towards the door when it opened, lips tugging down into a frown at the sight of Gin supporting a large man. Sanji could tell he was as starved as Gin had been a few days ago. "Sorry for intruding…but could I have some water…and food? If it's money you want…I've got plenty." For someone said to be the strongest in the East Blue to be reduced to this state. Sanji wondered what had happened.
The man collapsed, and Gin knelt by his side. "Don Krieg! I'm begging you! Please give him food and water! Please save my captain! He'll die at this rate!" Patty laughed at the sight, and Sanji felt anger burn in his chest. Nobody should starve like this, no matter who it was. This was nothing to laugh about. "We have money this time! We're paying customers!" Patty ignored Gin's desperate pleas and yelled for someone to call the marines while telling the other cooks not to feed him. Sanji grit his teeth. It was a chef's job to feed people. It didn't matter who they were or what they'd done. It wasn't right to let a starving person go hungry.
Sanji slipped into the kitchen while the commotion was going on and started preparing some food. Pirate or not, paying or not, Sanji would feed him. Piling a large serving onto a plate, he grabbed it and one of the bottles of wine. He moved back towards the dining area, frowning at how Patty was still blocking them from entering. "Move it Patty." Rather than give him time to move, Sanji spun and kicked the sorry excuse for a chef out of the way. Kreig was on his hands and knees, head bowed to the ground. "Here Gin. Give him this."
"Sanji!" Kreig had tears in his eyes as he forewent the spoon and used his hands to shovel the food into his mouth while thanking him. It was disgusting, but Sanji wasn't going to tell that to a starving man.
"Hey Sanji! Take that food back this instant! Do you have any idea what kind of man he is?! The ruler of the East Blue, the King of Deceptions! That's Don Kreig for you! He started out by disguising as a marine after escaping from prison! He then killed the marine officer in charge of the ship and took it over! That's how he became a pirate! Since then, he's attacked ports, towns, and other ships by hanging a marine flag, and when attacking his enemies, he hands a white flag to attack them by surprise! He's a man who'll stoop to anything in order to win! And that's how he made his way to the top! His strength ain't no exaggeration either! You really think he'll leave after eating?! That's utterly impossible for him! Letting a demon like him starve to death is for the good of this world!"
Sanji disagreed. No matter how evil someone was, they didn't deserve to be starved. Before he could knock some sense into the terrible chef, Kreig's arm shot out and slammed into his neck, throwing him back into the restaurant. "D-Don Krieg! This is different from what you promised! I guided you here because you promised not to harm this restaurant! Not only that, that man is our savior!" Sanji coughed, tasting blood on his tongue, and slowly looked up.
Krieg's hand shot out and he grasped Gin's shoulder, causing a cry of pain. "That was a great meal! I feel like I'm back to my normal self again!"
"So he reveals his fangs at last." Sanji grimaced at the pain, but it wasn't near as bad as the kicks he'd gotten from the geezer over the years.
"Nice restaurant you've got here. I'll take it."
"I told you so! This is the real Krieg, and now he's gonna take over our ship!" Sanji spit out the blood in his mouth and sat up, taking out another cigarette and lighting it. Asshole he may be, Sanji still didn't regret feeding him.
All the customers ran out to the ship they'd arrived on in order to escape as Krieg kept talking. "My ship's all worn out, so I've been wanting a new one. Once my business is done with you, I'll have you get off of this ship. Right now I have around a hundred subordinates on my ship, and they're all starving and critically wounded. So prepare enough water and food to feed all one hundred of my men. There are a few who've already starved to death, so make it quick."
He got to his feet as Gin apologized. If some of the men had starved to death, that meant the rest weren't far behind. He needed to get started. Patty glared at him. "Sanji you bastard! It's because of you we're in this – where do you think you're going?!"
"To the kitchen. I have one hundred meals to prepare." He stopped when every other shitty cook surrounded him, pistols aimed at his head.
"Wo the hell do you think you are Sanji? Krieg's secret agent or something? We ain't gonna let you take a step in the kitchen. We've had enough of you you're insane and reckless actions!"
Taking another drag of his cigarette, he spread his arms wide. "Fine, stop me if you wish. Go ahead, shoot. I know that they're nothing but scum who aren't worth a dime saving…" He grinned slightly, "But to me, none of that matters. Thinking about the consequences of feeding a person, it's all such a big hassle." He looked at the cooks surrounding him, grin falling and frown replacing it. "A cook should freely be able to feed anyone who's starving. Isn't that ideal?!"
A blow to the back of his head had him crashing to the ground. He was barely able to sit up before two of the cooks grabbed his arms and held him there. Patty pointed at him with a glare. "Sanji! I know you feed the customers I chase away from time to time, and I'm not going to say who was right and who was wrong for all those times." So the poor excuse for a cook wasn't a complete failure as a chef. "But this time, it's all your fault! So don't you dare do any more unnecessary things! I'll protect this restaurant myself!" He took it back. Feeding starving people wasn't unnecessary. "Fortunately, we only have Don Krieg alone to deal with. Just what can he do against all of us?!" Patty hoisted one of the larger guns – more like a miniature cannon really – onto his shoulder, aiming it at Krieg. "This is the Baratie, the restaurant that deals with all sorts of pirates on a daily basis. We're more than prepared to handle any customer that might come! I'm you're finished with your meal, how about having an iron dessert?!" He fired the mini cannon. "Indigestion meatball cannon!"
It was a direct hit. Patty lowered the cannon with a sigh. "Damn it, I ended up destroying the entrance. The owner's gonna have my head for this."
One of the other chefs waved him off, saying it was fine since he was just protecting the place. Sanji looked over at Patty. "What're you planning on doing with his underlings on the ship?"
The crappy cook smirked. "Well…maybe we oughta butter up his ship and roast it with fire?" Sanji's frown deepened.
Before he could speak up, Krieg stood up from the rubble. "That's the best dessert you've got you lousy cook?!" Well, Sanji agreed with the lousy cook part. "Serving that pile of crap for dessert…this is the worst restaurant I've ever been to." The shirt Kreig had been wearing was gone now, leaving the gold armor he was wearing beneath it exposed for all to see.
Patty grabbed one of their pitchforks, prompting the rest of the chefs to do the same, and ran at Krieg. "That bastard and his fancy steel armor! Get him!" Idiots. What did they think pitchforks would do against armor that could withstand a cannon? Rather than brush their attacks off like Sanji expected him to, Krieg pulled out two pistols, his armor opening up to reveal even more guns, and shot at the cooks rushing towards him. Sanji's eyes widened and his cigarette fell to the floor as his mouth did the same. That was way too many guns for one person to have!
"You damn worms think you can defy me?! I'm the strongest! This steel arm, more powerful than that of anyone! This body of steel, tougher than anyone else's! And this diamond fist that can pulverize anything! My entire body is a finely tuned weapon! I'm the fleet admiral of fifty ships and the commander of five thousand men! I've won every single battle I've been in! There is no other man more worthy of the title Don than I am! So if I tell you to prepare the food for my men, then you shut up and do it! Nobody goes against Don Krieg!"
There was silence as the geezer threw down a large bag at the end of Krieg's rant. "There's enough food here for a hundred people. So hurry up and bring it to your men." Of course the geezer wait until now to get involved. The old shit probably finished preparing all that food when Patty had fired the cannon. He should have just stuffed the food into the bag and been done with it, but the geezer probably went and put them in individually.
"Sir! How could you give them the food! Just what's the meaning of this?!
"Once those pirates on that ship recover, they'll take over our restaurant!"
The geezer didn't bother turning to face the crappy cooks. "That's only if, they still have any fighting spirit left at all." The old man stared at Krieg. "Isn't that right, defeated warriors of the grand line?"
"W-What?! Don Krieg defeated?!"
"The strongest man of the East blue! The pirate fleet admiral of fifty ships!"
"Even he was utterly defeated by the grand line?!" Gin put his head in his hands, tears falling from his eyes. He was probably thinking about what they'd been through.
Krieg's eyes widened as he stared at the geezer. "You're…red-leg Zeff!" The pirate huffed. "So you were alive. The peerless captain and cook of his own pirate crew."
"So what if I'm alive? It's got nothing to do with you. As you can see, I'm living as a mere cook now." Sanji snorted quietly. He may not call himself a pirate anymore, but the geezer wasn't some mere cook.
"Interesting to hear it put that way, but from the way I see it, you're not living as a cook by choice, but because that's the only thing you can do." Sanji frowned, gritting his teeth as he recalled how the old man had retired from piracy. "With the way you are now, you can't wear your infamous red shoes. To speak of red-leg Zeff, is to speak of the master of kicking who refused to stain his hands in battle! The pirate whose destructive kicks could pulverize bedrock and leave a clear imprint even on steel!" Sanji was willing to bed the geezer could still do it if he wanted to, but even if he couldn't, his kicks still hurt like hell. "Your nickname red-leg refers to your legs that would be dyed in the blood of your enemies after a fight." Or the blood of young boys whose cooking wasn't up to his standards or who talked back. "Though I've heard from rumors that you died during a shipwreck, it seems that you've managed to survive, though at the cost of one of your precious legs. With one of your legs gone, you shouldn't be able to fight anymore." Like the shitty geezer would let a missing leg stop him from beating the shit out of anyone who made him angry.
"I may not be able to fight anymore," fucking liar, "but I can still cook as long as I have these hands. But just what are you getting at exactly?"
"Red-leg Zeff, you're a man who once braved the waters of the devil's hideout, the grand line itself! Not only that, you returned without injury. You must've kept a long during your time in the grand line. So what I'm getting as it…Hand over that log to me!"
"You are certainly correct to assume that I kept a log, and I indeed have it to this day. But I won't hand it over to you. That log is the pride of me and my men who bravely ventured the grand line together. It's much too valuable to give to the likes of you!"
"Then I'll just steal it from you! It's true that I came back defeated from the grand line, but even so, I'm still the mighty Don Krieg! That ocean shrouded by darkness, the mention of which alone cause weak men to tremble in their boots! I had enough power to conquer that sea! Enough man power! Enough ambition! The only think I lacked was information! That was my only flaw! I simple did not know enough…which is why I'll steal your travel log and this ship!"
This guy just loved hearing himself talk, didn't he? The rest of the crappy cooks in this place yelled at him about how they refused to let that happen, but he just kept going. "Silence! The difference in strength between you and I is clear as night and day! I even proved it to you just now! Don't you dare forget that I'm the strongest! Once I obtain Zeff's travel log, I'll reassemble my pirate fleet, and find the one piece to become the greatest pirate of this era!"
"I'm the one who'll become the pirate king." Sanji blinked in surprise as Krieg turned. The annoying strawhat brat who wouldn't stop bugging him the past two days was standing there, arms crossed and frown on his face.
Krieg wasn't impressed. "Did you say something, little brat? I'll be nice enough to let your comment just now slide…" The kid's frown deepened and Sanji felt himself shiver and sweat at the same time. It was getting harder to breathe. Everyone was affected, but Krieg seemed to be having the hardest time. He fell to his knees as the kid walked forward, hat shadowing his eyes as he glared at the pirate.
"It doesn't matter if you believe me or not, but I will be the pirate king."
"Need a hand?" Sanji looked behind the kid and saw the green haired man, the long-nosed kid, and the beautiful young lady standing behind him, none of them looking worried.
The strawhat did didn't bother turning around. "It's fine. Go grab us a seat." The three nodded and headed inside while the kid grabbed Krieg by the neck of his armor. "They gave you your food, so take it and get out. I'm hungry and you're in the way." He tossed the larger man outside like he weighed nothing, shoving the bag of food towards Gin on his way to his friends.
"You damn brat!" Krieg jumped to his feet and pulled out all his guns, pointing them at the kid. He didn't get a chance to fire, as Gin ran in front of him.
"Don Krieg, please! If we don't get this food to the ship our men will die!" Sanji grinned. He knew he liked Gin. Unfortunately, the one he called captain didn't care and brutally slammed him to the side, blood coming out of Gin's mouth. He aimed his guns at the strawhat kid again, but Sanji's eyes widened again when he saw the kid was gone. He was just there.
"Where did he…" His question was answered when Krieg was sent crashing to the ground hard enough to splinter the floor, the kid standing above him with his back to everyone else.
"A captain is supposed to protect his crew." The kids voice was soft, but the steel underlying it was enough to make a shudder run up his spine. He turned towards Gin, who was sitting up and staring at the scene like he couldn't understand what was happening. "Take the food back to your ship."
"D-Don…Krieg…" Gin didn't seem to know what to say besides that. He slowly stood up and took the bag of food, reaching for his captain as well, only for the kid to grab his wrist.
"Take the food and leave."
"My captain-!"
"Isn't fit to be called that. He put his pride before his crew. You said they were dying and he still refused to leave." The kid held up a fist, jabbing his thumb towards the geezer. "The restaurant will hand him in and collect on his bounty." The kid crossed his arms and cut off whatever Gin was about to say. "Are you going to stay here and let your crewmates die like he did?"
Gin grit his teeth, glaring at the strawhat kid. He looked away after a few seconds, heading for the door. "I'll be back for my captain."
Sanji couldn't believe it. This kid was so scrawny, but he was able to bring Krieg to his knees, lift him like he weighed nothing – even with that heavy armor – and laid him out with one punch. When Gin was gone, the kid turned towards them with a wide grin on his face. "I'm hungry! Old guy, make us some food!" Before anyone could say anything, the kid inexplicably raised his foot and brought it down on Krieg's head, sending the man's top half through the flooring. He happily walked over to his crew, ignoring all the gaping cooks, and getting a glare from the green haired male – although he was smiling, so the effect was ruined – who said, "Stop hogging all the action."
The long-nosed guy shook his head. "I don't mind if you hog it all."
The kid laughed. "Sorry."
The beautiful young woman was scowling. "We should be the ones to turn in his bounty! Do you know how much he's worth?"
"They need it to rebuild what that guy broke though!"
"So we can give them what they need and take the rest for ourselves! Seventeen million! They don't need that much for repairs! Even just one million beli would be more than enough to cover the repairs and your food bill."
"Get back to work!" The geezer's shout made him – and the rest of the shitty cooks – jump. "We still have customers, so stop standing there like idiots and get back to work!"
The rest of the cooks took a second before they moved back towards the kitchen, still a little dazed from the events. Sanji stood up and slowly moved towards the small group laughing together. They all seemed so close. He wondered how long they'd been sailing together. The strawhat kid turned to him with a blinding smile, and Sanji sighed tiredly. "Ready to join my crew?"
"For the last time, I'm not joining your crew."
The kid's face fell and the other three actually glared at him. Normally the kid would refuse his refusal or laugh it off. This was different. And why the hell were the others mad at him? He'd been refusing for the past two days! "Forget about him Luffy, he's probably a shit cook anyway." Sanji's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.
"What did you say?"
The bastard smirked. "I said your cooking probably sucks. That's why you're never in the kitchen, isn't it?" This asshole was asking for a beating.
"Okay." Sanji frowned at the strawhat kid's quiet voice. "I get it. You don't wanna join. I give up."
There was a tug at the back of his collar and he turned, expecting to find the geezer or one of the chefs, but instead there was nothing. He frowned and turned further, eyes widening at the sight of a long arm trailing from the kid to the back of his collar. There was no way this kid's arm was that long. "What the hell?!" He pulled on the hand, but only wound up choking himself. "What are you?!"
The other three at his table laughed while Luffy used his free hand to stretch out his cheek way further than any normal human could. "I ate a devil fruit, and now I'm a rubber man!"
"Let go of me damn it!"
"Not until you join my crew!"
Sanji kicked the teen as hard as he could, annoyed when the little shit just laughed it off. "You just said you'd given up!"
"I changed my mind!" Before Sanji could say anything, Luffy let go and he and the green haired bastard stood up, turning towards the door with serious expressions on their faces. Frowning, Sanji turned as well, but didn't see anything. He opened his mouth to ask, but the restaurant suddenly surged and he went sprawling.
"What the hell was that?!" Jumping to his feet, he ran outside along with the others and his jaw dropped at the sight of Krieg's ship broken in half and sinking. The men on board were either holding on for dear life or jumping – some falling – overboard.
"RAISE THE ANCHOR! OR THIS SHIP'S GONNA GET DRAGGED UNDER!" The geezer's voice was ringing out from inside, with the rest of the cooks yelling back in answer. Sanji glanced to the side as the old man came to stand next to him. "That man is…" Sanji frowned at the muttered words but didn't get a chance to question it as the crew on the ship started shouting something about the man who destroyed their fleet.
"He's…the one who sank a fleet of fifty ships?!" Patty sounded both awed and scared.
"Then…then he's the one who destroyed Krieg's ship just now?!"
"He looks like any normal guy…and it doesn't seem like he's carrying any special weapon."
The geezer crossed his arms. "If you're looking for his weapon, then it's on his back." Sanji's eyes widened as he looked at the man in the small boat. He'd destroyed that huge ship with just one sword? "That 'Hawk-eyed' man is a renowned swordsman. More renowned than any other swordsman in this world. Hawk-eyes Mihawk."
Zoro felt his heart race as he watched Mihawk deflect the bullets. He barely had grasp of haki, but even he could tell this guy was strong. Strong enough to cut a huge ship in half with one swing. Strong enough to sail alone in one tiny ship. Strong enough to be known as the world greatest swordsman.
Stronger than Zoro was now.
He gripped his swords, hands shaking. He'd searched the entire East Blue for this man and was headed for the grand line to search for him as well, but here he was. This was the man he had promised to surpass. This was his goal. He might never get another chance if he let Mihawk get away here.
But he could clearly tell this man was stronger than him. He didn't know by how much, but he knew if he fought the world's greatest as he was now, he would lose. Even still…
Zoro looked over at Luffy. His captain seemed to know what he was thinking. Luffy's face was neutral, but his hands were clenched tightly on his biceps and his jaw was tense. He nodded slightly, and Zoro remembered what he'd told his captain when he'd agreed to join. If Luffy ever stood in the way of his dream, he'd have him apologize at the end of his sword. So even though his captain didn't want him to, he wasn't going to stop him. Zoro felt immense gratitude and respect for his captain in that moment. He gave Luffy a grin. "Once you get that shitty cook to join us, let's head to the grand line."
Luffy's grin was as bright as normal, and Zoro couldn't help but feel confidence rush through him. Even if he lost here, he wouldn't die. He turned and headed towards the destroyed ship, coming to a stop in front of Mihawk's small boat. "I've never seen such graceful movements."
Mihawk sheathed his sword, barely paying him any attention. He didn't see Zoro as a threat at all. "A sword without grace is no strong sword."
"You cut this ship as well with that sword?"
"Indeed."
Zoro grinned, sweat forming slightly at the aftermath of the powerful display. "No wonder…you really are the strongest." Taking his bandana off his arm, he started to tie it around his head. "I set said to meet you!"
Mihawk stared at him from the corner of his eyes. "What do you aim for?"
Tightening the knot, he answered. "To be the strongest." Pulling out one of his swords, he aimed it at the man before him. "You said you're free, right? So let's have a duel."
"Pitiful weakling." Mihawk jumped from his small boat to the ruined deck Zoro was on. "If you're a competent swordsman by any means, then I can demonstrate the clear difference in strength between you and I without needing to cross blades at all. But still, you dare to challenge me. Does your bravery come from conviction, or from ignorance?"
"It comes from my ambition, and a promise to a friend." Zoro pull out the Wado Ichimonji and put it in his mouth before pulling out his third. "To be honest, I never thought I'd be able to meet you so early on."
"A waste, if you ask me." Mihawk pulled off his necklace and pulled off the bottom of the cross, revealing a dagger. "Though you may be a swordsman of renown, this is the East Blue, the weakest of the four seas that are separated by the red line and the grand line. Unfortunately, I do not have a blade small than this one at the moment." Zoro felt a blow to his pride, yet he refused to back down. He needed to do this. He needed to see how he stacked up against the world's greatest – to see how far he'd come and how much further he needed to go.
He didn't respond, getting into his stance and crossing his arms over his chest. "Oni…giri!" His eyes widened as Mihawk stopped his attack in one go, right as his three swords crossed. He put all his strength into the attack, yet Mihawk barely seemed to break a sweat as he kept his swords from moving an inch – and he was only holding the dagger with three fingers!
Pulling back far enough to free his blades, Zoro narrowed his eyes. The gap between then was much bigger than he'd anticipated. Anger welled up inside him. He'd trained so hard, yet he was still this far behind?! Taking a breath, he concentrated solely on Mihawk before moving forward to attack once again. Mihawk blocked or dodged every strike, pushing him back each time he came forward.
"What burdens you so? What do you still desire at the extent of your strength weakling?" Zoro climbed back to his feet once more, getting back to his feet.
"Tora…" He moved forward, eyes widening as the dagger plunged into his chest. Blinking, Zoro broke his technique and moved the katana in his right hand to block the strike. Mihawk's eyes widened slightly when his dagger met steel instead of flesh. A spark of interest entered his eyes and Zoro grinned around the hilt of the Wado Ichimonji.
"It seems you do possesses at least some skill, weakling. Surely you can tell the difference between us. Why do you still fight, knowing you cannot beat me?"
Zoro readied for another attack as he answered. "I swore a promise that I would one day become the world's greatest swordsman."
"That day is not today."
"Even still, I get the feeling that if I didn't take this chance, the promise that I made would be irreversibly broken, and I'd never be able to return to where I'm standing right now."
"Even if it means you die?"
"I'd much rather die!" His captain said it before. A promise is something you make only when you're willing to die to see it through. Zoro would rather die to see the promise he made fulfilled than lose this chance.
Mihawk returned the dagger to its sheath and placed it back around his neck. "Tell me your name."
"Roronoa Zoro." He held the katana in his left hand at a downwards angle, placing his right hand on top.
"I shall remember it, for your strength is not oft seen in this world." Zoro's grin widened as Mihawk pulled out the blade on his back. "To pay my respect to you as a fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my black sword, the world's strongest sword." Mihawk charged.
"Three sword style secret technique…" He spun the katanas in his hands. "Sanzen Sekai!" The two katana he held shattered at Mihawk's swing. Zoro dropped the hilts and sheathed the Wado Ichimonji, glad it was still intact. Mihawk readied for the final strike, and Zoro turned to face him, spreading his arms wide. He grinned at the shocked look on the other's face. "A wound on one's back is the shame of a swordsman."
Mihawk looked pleased. "Splendid." He slashed with his sword, cutting Zoro from his left shoulder down to his right hip. Blood splattered from his mouth and the pain was worse than any he'd encountered, yet he prided himself on not screaming. He fell backwards, grip on the Wado Ichimonji loosening as the world turned black.
He came to on the deck of a boat, gasping for breath as he spat out a combination of water and blood. "I am Dracule Mihawk! It is much too early for you to die! Know thy self! Know they world! And become strong Roronoa! No matter how many months or years pass by, I shall stand here at the top of the world and wait for you! SO FORGE ON AHEAD WITH THAT FIERCE CONVICTION AND TRY TO SURPASS MY SWORD! SURPASS ME, RORONOA!"
Zoro grinned slightly. He wasn't going to die. Not today. Grasping for the Wado Ichimonji, he unsheathed it and held it aloft. "L-Luffy." He hated how weak his voice sounded. "C…can you hear me?" He waited for the confirmation before continuing. "Sorry for worrying you…I know…that if I don't become…the world's strongest swordsman…it will only…embarrass you…" He coughed up more blood, gritting his teeth at the new wave of pain before continuing. "I'm never going to lose again! Until the day I fight him and win…I promise to never lose again! Any problems? Pirate king?!"
Nami stared at the money for Krieg's bounty for a few moments, still in disbelief that it was real. Added to what she'd taken from the Buggy pirates and from the Black Cat pirates, and added all that to what she already had, and it was more than enough to buy back her village. Eight years. Eight years she'd been forced to draw maps for him and his crew. Eight years of pain and suffering. Eight years since Bellemere had died.
It was finally coming to an end. She'd been worried when Gin had come back for his captain once Mihawk had left after nearly killing Zoro. She didn't know what the idiot had been thinking, challenging the world's greatest swordsman like that. The man had sliced a Galleon in half for heaven's sake. She'd been mad at Luffy for refusing to stop them, but he'd just quietly told her Zoro was trying to fulfil a promise. She knew how seriously Luffy took promises and hadn't been able to say anything else about it.
It had taken another day before the marines had shown up for Krieg. They'd handed over the money to Zeff, who'd tossed it to Luffy, saying he'd been the one to take Krieg down, so it was his. Luffy had taken out a stack and tossed that to Zeff for the damages as well as their tab and given the rest to her.
She felt tears running down her cheeks as she clutched the money. She could finally be free. "Nami?"
Wiping her eyes, she looked up at Luffy and Usopp's worried faces with a wide smile. "Thank you!" She wiped her eyes and looked towards the strawhatted teen. "Luffy…can we make a detour before we head to the grand line?"
He frowned in confusion, tilting his head a little. "Sure? Where're we going?"
Holding the briefcase in one hand, she reached up and covered her left shoulder where Arlong's tattoo was. The second she handed over the money she was getting rid of it. "I have some business to take care of at home first."
Not sure how I feel about Zoro and Mihawk's duel. Zoro needed it to happen in order to get stronger, but since I had him awaken his observation haki (even though it's still weak and needs more training) he could tell Mihawk was strong. I know he knew Mihawk was strong, but in the manga and anime he didn't realize how far behind he was. In this, with haki (which I'm still working on getting down, so if it's wrong then oh well) he can truly sense how strong Mihawk is. There's a difference between knowing something and really knowing something. And even still, Zoro couldn't tell how much stronger Mihawk was compared to him, just that he was, indeed, stronger. I also really like the dialogue between them, so I wanted to keep it similar, but since Zoro had to go and block the strike aimed at his heart, I had to improvise a bit.
And Nami's still here! She still hasn't told them what's going on, but she's trusting Luffy for now, and it got her Krieg's bounty (well, most of it), which helps her reach her goal of one million. In the manga she says she only needs seven million more, and now she has a little over sixteen million, which puts her over her goal.
Unfortunately, this was not the original plan, so I don't know what to do with Arlong. I have an idea, but we'll see if it plays out like that. And Sanji still hasn't agreed to join yet.
As for the first part with Nami and Luffy, no I'm not going to pair them together. I'm not writing any pairings for this story. If you interpret it that way, go right ahead, but just not nothing gonna happen in this story. What I will say, however, is that there will be more physical affection between the crew in my story. Why? Because I can. I like the idea of Luffy being physically affectionate with the people he cares about, more so now that there aren't as many left (though that number is happily growing as he adds crewmates). And I might be wrong, but I've always thought that Luffy's been pretty in tune with other people's emotions. Don't know why, but I'm making it so in this story, which is why he notices when something's wrong with Nami. If Usopp and Zoro overhear their conversation, they don't say a word. They know it's private.
But man, this chapter was long. And Krieg talks a lot. I also like Gin, so no MH5 or whatever to nearly kill him. As for what happened to him in this story - Luffy knocked him out and sent him and whatever pirates survived Mihawk drifting out on a ship (with food, courtesy of Sanji). I don't know how people turn in bounties in One Piece, but I'm gonna pretend Zeff calls the marines and they come with the seventeen million and only pay it once they confirm it really is Krieg.
That's it for now. Let me know what you thought and any questions you might have! Thanks for reading!
~Akirafanatic