Ash was thrilled to finally be able to stop rowing as she spotted the huge ship anchored up ahead. It had taken weeks due to storms and such, but the two had caught up to the battered ship they were chasing, taking refuge in a hidden cove.
"There, the stern," Mihawk said quietly. Ash glanced at him, and then looked at the back of the ship, seeing a small sailboat tied to the larger vessel. They watched the ship for some time, but saw no sign of the pirates that were undoubtedly aboard.
She steered the coffin boat down the shore from the cove, bringing it aground and securing it. They took some time to stretch out their stiffened muscles, and then made their way silently toward the cove. It took longer than she would have thought, but she finally reached the mouth of the cove and watched in irritation as the galleon sailed out and away.
Ash set her hands on her hips, and turned to glare at Mihawk. He merely smirked at her, and started walking back to where they had left their boat. She turned to follow, using the walk back to stretch and massage her arms, preparing to row once again.
The fog made visibility nearly impossible, yet Mihawk was quick to correct their heading whenever she veered off course, just as he had the entire chase. Once in a great while he would glance at something in his bag, but she didn't know what it was. Mostly he just sat, patiently waiting for her to catch up to the pirate ship, speaking only to alter their course.
Soon enough, she could see the huge outline and shadow of the galleon in the distance, and started closing in.
"Stop rowing now," he told her, and she was more than happy to obey. "Our chase ends here," he added as he stood, crossing his arms and gazing ahead.
Ash was unsure of what he was doing, but he gave no further clue. She moved to peer around his seat, and as the fog had burned away in the morning sun, she could see their target was moored to a smaller ship, that looked like… a fish.
"The Baratie," he said, answering her unspoken question. She looked up, seeing his back to her. How does he do that? she asked herself silently. Looking back to the ship, she wondered whose it was, and how he knew it.
"The sea restaurant," he answered her again, and she had a moment where she wondered if he could read her mind. She stopped and waited, thinking he may answer again, but there was only silence. She let out a sigh of relief.
After a few minutes, Ash decided to speak up. "So, we caught up to them, now what will we do?" she asked.
He turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. "You, will observe. Nothing more." His tone left no room for argument. "I… will finish what I started." He turned his gaze forward and took his seat. "Let's go," he said, and she obediently picked up the oar.
As they drew closer, Ash looked around, and while she couldn't see much, she could hear shouting. It was hard to make out anything specific, but that wasn't a good sign. Then she clearly heard a shout of "ATTACK!" ring out. Atop the galleon, men yelled, running towards the bow, using ropes to rappel down to the restaurant.
Mihawk stood quickly and glancing at her with a look of victory, unsheathed his sword and swung it in a complicated yet effortless move.
It took only a moment, but it was eerily quiet, and she could hear the soft sound of the sword being sheathed. The next moment there was a large crash as the galleon was now in three separate pieces and crashing into the water. She had no time to be impressed- it took all her skill and then some luck to stay afloat in the waves created by the huge sections of the ship falling into the water.
The pirates aboard the sinking vessel were screaming, swimming or hanging onto any part of their ship they could find. In contrast, the men aboard the sea restaurant simply stood on the deck, riding out the waves and looking like they had seen a ghost.
"Onward." The order was quiet, but she caught it and slipped the oar back into the water. They drew even closer, and she could hear the quiet gasps. His name was spoken, again and again, the water bringing the voices out to us so they sounded from all around the small boat.
Mihawk stayed completely still, as if he didn't hear it, but Ash knew that he did. He reveled in the power of his name, the fear and awe that it brought.
In that moment, she snickered quietly as she realized that his huge chair was hiding her from sight, creating an image of Mihawk gliding forward on a boat that seemed to move itself.
That image was gone as she heard someone cry, "Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?"
Mihawk turned his head with a smirk. "You ruined my nap" he said, causing many of the pirates to glare in anger. She paddled a little faster, trying to be invisible.
"Did you use that sword to slice up this ship?" They were almost to the Baratie when the voice rang out.
Mihawk and Ash both turned to the young man-with green hair?- standing in front of everyone else.
"I did," Mihawk replied.
"So it's true," he said, awed. "You're the best, the reason I set sail… to meet you."
Mihawk wasn't impressed. "And your goal?" he questioned.
"To BEAT you" the guy declared. Ash could sense Mihawk was intrigued, as he continued speaking with him. If not, he would have simply ignored him.
She watched as the green haired man pulled one of his three swords out and pointed it at Mihawk. "Not smart," she muttered, as she rolled her eyes. Her cheeks grew hot as she realized he had heard her, his eyes pierced hers as he scowled at her.
Mihawk leaped from the boat, and spoke with the man, mocking him in his ignorance and angering him as was his way of sizing up a competitor. Ash turned from the men, and started rowing the boat to bring it next to the Baratie. She hopped up from the small vessel, and sat on the deck of the larger ship, keeping her feet inside the coffin boat so that it would stay put.
She watched the duel, seeing her own training from a new perspective. She was suddenly glad that there was no audience during her own training. She grimaced along with the others when Mihawk buried his small knife into the other man's torso.
Ash glanced at the younger man, but her gaze returned to Mihawk. He had a look in his eye that she hadn't seen in some time now. She watched as he pulled out his sword, knowing that the end of the fight drew near. The men struck out at each other, and she felt pity as two of the younger man's swords broke.
She was as shocked as Mihawk when the green haired man gripped his prized sword and held his arms wide in surrender. Mihawk grinned and struck, and the young man's blood flew as he fell into the water.
From behind her there were screams of "ZORO!" and a few men jumped into the water after their friend. She gaped along with everyone else as a guy behind her stretched his arm across the water and went barreling over to Mihawk, crashing into a piece of wreckage as Mihawk stepped aside.
The men in the water hauled up the defeated swordsman, and Mihawk called out to him. Ash sat, transfixed, as he spoke of the path that Zoro must walk in order to face him again, as he asked the young man to seek him out.
Her feelings were erratic as she listened to Zoro swear to his captain that he would never lose again. I can't believe his guts, could he really believe that there was no one else out there capable of besting him? And how would he go about it? Fighting everyone he came across?
She was pulled from her thoughts as Mihawk landed in his boat. She stood on the dock and faced him, unsure of what to say or do as he leaned towards her.
"Stay here," he said, quietly enough to ensure no one else could hear. "You must see this through to the end. I will return for you." With that, he put his foot on the deck and shoved off, taking his seat as the boat moved away.
Everyone watched as Don Krieg tried to pick a fight with him, and Ash smirked as Mihawk shrugged him off as one would an insect. She watched Mihawk disappear from sight, then gaped as she realized that no one had been rowing. Her brain began to hurt as she tried to explain it to herself, but had no answer.
"Men! We're taking the ship!" Don Krieg shouted.
"Hey Pops!" the stretchable guy said, though Ash couldn't tell who exactly he was speaking to. "If I take care of these pirates, can I stop doing chores?"
Ash was standing still on the end of the deck under an archway, staring at the water where Mihawk had gone.
"Pardon me, mademoiselle, but will you come with me please?" the voice was very close, causing her to whirl around and step back instinctively. That step put her foot on the edge of the platform where she stood, and she over balanced and began to fall.
A hand gripped hers quickly, pulling her back even as she felt an arm circle around her waist. Within moments of speaking, she was suddenly in a man's arms after being ready to fall into the water. Blinking rapidly, she tried to clear her head.
"Watch your step, my princess. It would be a tragedy to have your beauty drenched by the sea," She gaped at him as he spoke, her cheeks heating at this words. He was young, early twenties perhaps, and didn't look like he belonged with either the cooks or the pirates.
He was wearing a dark suit and tie, with a blue striped button down. His blond hair was only slightly shorter than her own, and hung down blocking one eye completely. He seemed to be suave, but his eager voice and beaming smile betrayed the notion.
"This restaurant is about to be a battlefield," he continued, maneuvering her to her feet and guiding her towards the others still holding onto her hand, with his other arm around her waist. "If you would kindly stand by the old man, I'll ensure that no harm will reach you," he said.
He stopped in front of an older man with a taller hat than Ash had ever seen. He looked at the younger man and growled out "Let go of the girl Sanji."
Sanji gave the older man an angry look, but released her, taking a moment before retracting his arms to ensure that she was steady. His demeanor changed from night to day as he looked from the man back at her. "As the geezer said, my name is Sanji and I am the sous chef here at the Baratie. And your name is…?" he asked sweetly.
"Ashley," she answered, unable to stop blushing. Most guys I knew back home treated me like one of the guys. I had never been called a princess before in my entire life, even dad called me his warrior. She realized she was totally unprepared for dealing with Sanji.
"Miss Ashley," he gushed with an odd smile. "This is Chef Zeff, he owns the restaurant." He looked away hearing his name being called. "Excuse me please," he said, walking over to the other cooks.
Ash looked up at Chef Zeff, taking in his pegged leg, and his braided mustache. He was sizing her up as well, so she said the first thing that came to her mind.
"I love your mustache," she said, then gaped as his cheeks turned pink. It was so adorable that she was immediately taken with him.
"Master Mihawk asked that I observe this fight to its finish," she said. "Would it be all right if I stayed here with you, to watch?"
"Master…?" He cocked an eyebrow at the term. She nodded, embarrassed at the thought of what it might sound like to others. "He is teaching me how to defend myself," she added, and saw him nod at the explanation.
"And how did you and Hawkeye get involved with the pirates?" he asked with a smirk.
Ash grinned. "Never interrupt Master Mihawk's lessons," she stated, making him laugh. He nodded to the empty space on his left, and she moved to stand beside him.
Sanji returned then, smiling at Ash, and she smiled in return. Before he could speak, the young stretchable man bullet-ed out from the restaurant doors, flying over the water and taking out a large group of pirates. Zeff's gaze stayed on the younger man.
"Sanji," Zeff said, and Sanji turned his head to look at him. "Pay attention to how he fights. Don't miss a moment."
Ash kept her place next to Chef Zeff, mimicking his pose- arms across their chests- and together they observed the melee without speaking.
She took in everything she could, looking left and right, her gaze being drawn from the shouts of the cooks and pirates alike. She still didn't know the dark-haired guy's name, but everyone referred to him as "chore boy", so his words earlier with Chef Zeff made more sense now.
Sanji was by far the most skilled fighter of those protecting the restaurant. In fact, most of the others simply watched him take out the pirates, rather than engaging them. Even the chore boy was enjoying the show as he hung from a mast that was sticking out above the water.
A large man with shields worn as safety gear emerged onto the deck. He called himself Pearl, and she snickered as the chore boy came flying back to the ship, accidentally hitting the back of Pearl's head causing him to face plant on the shield connected to his hand.
His anger was expected, but he took it to a whole new level as he screamed and started everything around him on fire to try to scare the fighters away from him. He and Sanji were soon surrounded by a circle of flames. Don Krieg used this time to try to enter the fight, sending a huge mace on a chain straight for Sanji.
Just in time, the chore boy jumped through the flames in front of Sanji, and sent it sailing back. Ash's awe turned to a wince as she saw him running around, trying to put out the fire on his clothes.
She suddenly let out a noise that sounded like "hyuk!" as an arm wrapped around her throat pulling her against someone at the same time a shotgun hit Chef Zeff in the back, pitching him forward onto the deck. The man holding her put his foot on Zeff's back and said, "this fight, is over."
"Ghin! Kill the geezer, and the ship is ours!" Don Krieg shouted in triumph.
No one moved, and in front of the them, only Sanji and the chore boy stood among flame and debris staring angrily at the man with the gun.
"Hostages?" chore boy yelled. "That's fighting dirty!"
"I'll spare them," the man holding Ash said. "But you have to leave. We are taking this ship, so don't make this any harder than it is. Just go," he said quietly.
Sanji looked down at Zeff. "I can't believe you let this happen to Miss Ashley," he said, the outrage apparent in his voice.
"What did you say, brat?" Zeff shot back.
"I can't do that Ghin," Sanji said, looking back at the man holding onto her. "You should get your grubby hands off Miss Ashley, before I kill you."
Ash was so shocked, her mouth fell open. Apparently it wasn't only Mihawk who threatened death for minor infractions, she thought. Though, if I were being honest, my stomach has been fluttering since he said that.
Pearl used the situation to attack Sanji again, though he refused to fight back for fear that Gin would use his shotgun. Chore boy and the other cooks, and even Ghin tried to talk him into fighting or giving up but Sanji just took each hit. After a nasty hit to the face, he fell forward and laid there for a moment.
They were all shocked as he began to get back to his feet, and Ghin called out, "Why are you doing this? Just stay down!"
Sanji smiled, and lit a cigarette. "The old man lost everything because of me. I won't let him lose this restaurant! And I'd rather die than see Miss Ashley harmed!" he yelled.
"No!" Ash yelled, at the same time the chore boy did. The others turned to him, watching in awe as his leg stretched up straight into the sky. He brought it slamming back with a yell of "GUM GUM BATTLE AXE!" destroying the lower platform he stood on.
"He destroyed the fin!" someone yelled.
"Ghin, blow his head off!" Don Krieg shouted. Ghin hesitated and Krieg shouted again. "Do it, do it now! Do not defy me!"
"What's your problem?" the chore boy asked Krieg. "I haven't sunk it, yet."
"What!?" Sanji fumed, striding over and grabbing his shirt. "That's what your planning?" He leaned in. "This ship saved my life, so don't even think about it, Straw Hat!"
The boy in the straw hat, pushed Sanji's hand away and grabbed his suit coat in return. "So, what? You'll repay that debt by dying? Are you stupid?"
"Boys, boys" Pearl called out. "There's no reason for friends to fight. You'll BOTH die!" He let out a battle cry and came running for them. Ash let out an "oof!" as Ghin pushed her to the ground next to Zeff. Sanji and Chore boy glanced back, then turned the other direction at the sound of steel against steel. Ghin had rushed forward, pulling out a pair of tonfa and struck Pearl's armor, breaking it to pieces.
Pirates and cooks alike watched the fight between Sanji and Ghin, each blow seeming like the last that each man could take. Ash felt like she could hardly breathe, seeing Sanji spit out blood, holding his ribs. They went at each other again and she focused on them, tuning out the cheering around her. She gasped as in the end, Ghin stood over Sanji, his hand at Sanji's throat.
This is all my fault, Ash thought in despair. If I had just let Master destroy these pirates, none of this would be happening! Her tears started to fall down her face.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to Zeff. He was utterly calm, and she gained hope from that fact. She couldn't see how Sanji would escape, but if Zeff believed, then so did she. To her shock, Ghin announced that he refused to kill Sanji. Ash turned to Zeff in surprise, and saw the same look across the man's face.
Then she became angry, hearing Don Krieg demean and berate his commander, and inwardly cheering at chore boy's declaration that he would kick Krieg's butt.
This was the fight I had stayed to observe, after all. Ash felt like she couldn't afford to blink. She needed to know what Mihawk was trying to teach her, though she felt she had already learned so much. If all pirates were like the Krieg pirates, it was no wonder why Mihawk would attack first. And if this was to be expected by this world, my sisters and I had to change in ways I was not sure we were truly capable of.