One Piece - Tales of the Pirate King
Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda. I am not Eiichiro Oda
Chapter 5 - The Baratie Ark, Part 1
Usopp would keep blushing and touching his lips hours after the Going Merry departed from Gecko Island. Not helped by Luffy, who'd look at him with the biggest smile possible as he giggled, clearly approving of the tanned boy's luck
Said smile was so large that it was starting to unnerve the crew, so Nami, in hopes of distracting the teens, called both boys of the crew: - "Luffy! Usopp! Could you help me for a moment?" - It was mostly to take the pair's mind from the kiss, really, and also because a pirate ship wasn't complete until it had its Jolly Roger
"We need to paint our flag, don't we?" - "Oh yeah!"
The first attempt from Luffy was… an unmitigated disaster, truth be told. The least said about it, the better, as, as explained by Zoro: - "Well, a pirate flag is supposed to cause fear and horror…" -
That it caused fear and horror from its own crew…
Sulking, Luffy almost agreed on the second flag, but recovered and bonked Usopp, who had sneakily painted his own flag, a skull with a long nose, a blue bandana, and over a crossed bone and slingshot, instead of the flag of the 'Straw Hat' pirates
Finally, to their captain's glee, the real flag was painted on the black flag and hoisted to its place, a simple grinning skull over crossbones, wearing a straw hat with a red band, much like Luffy's own. So satisfied with the result, Luffy outright ordered Usopp to paint the symbol on the sails, an order the tanned teen fulfilled with help of Zoro
Luffy, now, sat on his personal 'throne', the figurehead of the Going Merry, using his sticky powers to glue himself to it and not risk falling. He felt much more grown up now, as the captain of his own ship, and dressed to match, a red cardigan, closed, under his fancy red and gold coat, complemented by khaki pants, black shoes, and his ever-present straw hat
Much to his confusion, Nami also changed her shirt, and from where said clothes came from and where her old clothes ended were as much a mystery as her staff's hiding spot; she now wore a pink shirt with white linings
Usopp kept his outfit, since he was just now introduced, and so did Zoro, because he only had his one set of clothes, really, and was unwilling to borrow one from his captain. Then again, said captain was at least two sizes too small for the green-haired man
As they sailed towards their next destination, Luffy saw, from the corner of his eyes, a rock, in the middle of the sea, as he turned to watch it, one of the cannons of the Going Merry also entered his field of vision. Thus, his current idea: - "Hey, Usopp! Do you know how to use the cannons!?"
From his position on the deck, where he was tinkering with his pellets, Usopp scratched his head: - "Yeah, I know, why?"
"Can you teach me?" - "… Sure! Why the hell not?"
Why the hell not revealed himself a few hours later. For starters, as a demonstration, Usopp proceeded to snipe the rock with the very first shot, much to Luffy's pleasure and Usopp's own surprise; followed by a few minutes of carrying cannonballs and gunpowder and firing them over the sea, Luffy trying to hit the debris of the rock as it floated away
Then a sizable boat emerged from said debris, much to the pair's surprise, which turned into horror as they realized they had been firing at it, not helped by Zoro recognizing it from his own days as a bounty hunter
Thus, the 'Straw Hat' crew met Johnny and Yosaku, begging forgiveness for almost killing the pair, and by treating the ill Yosaku, who had been resting at the rock, much to the crew's shame and bad luck. At least they were forgiven, as the limes stored on the boat went into treating Yosaku, who was suffering from a severe case of scurvy
Johnny had tanned skin, a tattoo reading the kanji 'Umi' on his left cheek, short black hair, and sunglasses; he was dressed in a violet shirt under a blue jacket and off-white pants, with a sword with the blade broader the further away from the hilt resting at his waist
Yosaku was fair skinned, with a red headgear over his shaved head, a black shirt over a green coat, and plaid yellow shorts, and carried at his waist a sword practically identical to his partner
The pair was a team of bounty hunters, that at one point had Zoro as a member. The two still held great respect for him too, referring to him as 'Zoro-bro', which was why perhaps they accepted Luffy and Usopp's apology so easily
The lime juice that helped Yosaku recover from his sorry state also helped, the pair thus referring as the crew as 'bros' or, in Nami's case, 'sis', much to the ginger's annoyance
"Shows the importance of culinary on the sea, I suppose" - Remarked Usopp, after the entire confrontation died up, and the crew plus guests started to relax, getting a hum from Luffy
"I've decided" - He said: - "We need a cook. Hey, Johnny! Know a place where we can find a cook?"
As Nami declared her approval of the idea, remarking that nutrition was indeed important for one's health, the tanned bounty hunter, after thinking, nodded: - "Yeah! Close to here is the Baratie, a… special~ restaurant; you should be able to find a sea cook there"
"Yosh! Then, Nami! Straight ahead to the Baratie!"
"And Zoro!" - And as the crew moved to their posts, Johnny approached the swordsman and spoke: - "It is just rumours, but some say that 'Hawk-Eyes' himself sometimes appear there"
The single signal that Zoro heard that was the widening of eyes, who soon returned to normal. Nodding, the green-haired man moved to his position, helping Usopp with the sails, as the guests ensured everything was tied up
One thing that Johnny didn't mention, on purpose, was that the Baratie was a floating restaurant
The ship was massive; and needed to be, to serve as many clients as possible. Painted a blue-green colour and with a fish figurehead slash front-piece, it was a beautiful creature, if slightly unusual, due to the position of the masts, at each tip of the ship
So distracted they were by the beauty in front of them, that they didn't even realize the other massive ship besides their little caravel, until the captain of said ship hailed them: - "Halt!"
The crew turned to face a pink haired man, wearing a white pinstriped suit over a blue shirt, a scar under his right eye, and what appeared to be knuckle dusters literally screwed to his knuckles: - "I am lieutenant 'Iron Fist' Fullbody of the marines! I demand you to identify yourself and the flag you fly under!"
"I'm 'Straw Hat' Luffy" - Answered calmly the crew's captain: - "Captain of the 'Straw Hat' pirates. We don't want conflict" - But they weren't afraid of ending one
With his eyes wandering to each member of the crew, they stopped over the guests, Johnny and Yosaku, who he recognized as bounty hunters that delivered some bounties: - "And you? What are you doing here? Captured, were you? Weaklings"
"Excuse me?" - "Who are you calling weakling!?" - And both of them jumped over to fight. Both of them were sent back, a punch each
"As I'm off-duty, I'd simply let you go, but your ship is an eyesore" - Declared Fullbody, making the crew as one frown: - "Men! Sink it!"
The men tried to prepare a cannon on the deck of Fullbody's ship, but were simply knocked out by two pellets coming from Usopp. Luffy also showed his displeasure, jumping over the ship and spinning to deliver a devastating kick that almost broke Fullbody's guard
The wind picked up, and Merry started to accelerate, being a much lighter and smaller ship, so Luffy, frowning, spoke silently: - "Don't you dare try again" - Before jumping over back to his ship, which was slowly going further away: - "So, how much 'till we reach the Baratie?"
"At the speed we're going? Some twenty minutes, Luffy" - Answered Nami
"Fine; I'll stay in the back then, in case the marines are insane enough to fire at us"
"Eh, Luffy-bro, aren't you pirates? What marine wouldn't fire?" - Pointed out Johnny, confused
Luffy, in turn, pointed at the rapidly approaching Baratie: - "A marine who wouldn't risk hitting an innocent ship" - He explained, the rest of the crew then realizing that a missed shot had the chances of hitting the floating restaurant
Reaching the Baratie, the crew and guest's eyes shined and mouths watered, even Nami forgetting manners for a moment to droll at the heavenly smells coming from the restaurant. The gang soon entered and were guided by one of the chefs to a table for six; by the time they were being served, Fullbody also entered the establishment, and was served alongside a beautiful young lady, in what appeared to be a date
They were the centre of attention of the restaurant, Fullbody a well-known and very respected marine in the area, and his date a beautiful blonde with red lipstick and dress, the couple clearly infatuated with each other and acting as such
Then the lieutenant tried to show off, making a guess about the wine; it backfired, as the waiter, who turned out to actually be the sous-chef of the Baratie, said he was wrong, much to the hidden laugher of everyone watching. To make matters worse, an insect appeared on Fullbody's soup, much to his loud annoyance and Luffy's confusion, who had seen him stomp on the bug: - "Waiter! What is this bug doing on my soup!?"
If he didn't want the insect on his soup, why smash and put it there?
The sous-chef might not be aware of that, but he was clearly fed up with the lieutenant's constant mistake: - "If I were to guess, the backstroke" - And much more laugher issued
"He's funny" - Remarked Luffy, grinning, paying attention to the cook. Blond hair, and black formal suit and shoes; not much more could be guessed, since his back was turned to the crew
Fullbody disagreed. Loudly
People screamed as the lieutenant crushed the table, his plate shattering upon impacting the floor; angry, the man stood up, demanding respect. The sous-chef was less than amused with the tantrum, remarking that just removing the bug would have made the soup edible
Fullbody further remarked he was a paying customer, and the cook's answer was to ask if he could eat money. The marine raised his fists, and~
"Goddammit Sanji! Boss! Sanji just killed another customer!" - Was promptly trounced, the cook bending over and performing a picture perfect vertical split, and crushing Fullbody's face with a single kick, before standing back like normal and holding the man's collar, preventing him from falling and, more importantly, ensuring Sanji could glare at him
"A-are you nuts! I-I'll sink- I'll sink this damn place!" - Damned Fullbody, making the fulminating glare from Sanji, somehow, become more severe
"Then I can't let you get out of here" - Releasing the marine, Sanji moved to kick the man now on the ground, but was stopped, other cooks rushing from the kitchen to hold him back
In the middle to the chaos, just to make it worse, a bleeding marine appeared at the door: - "L-lieutenant! T-the prisoner escaped! He a-already took down six men!"
Amidst the fearful mutterings, Fullbody, baffled, exclaimed: - "B-but we've been starving him since we caught him, three days ago!" - As he spoke, a fiery aura surrounded Sanji, but no one remarked on that: - "H-how could he escape!?"
"I-I don't know sir! I'm so-" - The apology was interrupted by a gunshot. Dressed in an open grey jacket with red serpents on each side over a green shirt, matching grey pants, red earrings, and a grey bandanna with blue stripes; his face was scruffy, with a slight moustache and beard and dark rings around his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for much more than the three days he spent as prisoner
Fullbody was now truly scared, a fear he hadn't even after being beaten by Sanji: - "I-Is t-that t-the power of one of Krieg's men" - He spoke drawing fearful mutters from the patrons
"Who?" - Asked quietly Luffy, receiving the answer from Yosaku: - "Krieg, also known as 'Foul Play' Krieg and 'the Pirate Fleet Admiral' Krieg"
"He's said to have a fleet of fifty ships under his command, and can easily be considered the strongest pirate of the East Blue, if only through sheer numbers" - Continued Johnny
The man… was easily defeated; Luffy was left scratching his head, when, after revealing himself penniless and threatening him with a gun, Patty, a shaved and muscular cook dressed in a navy shirt and shorts of the same colour, with a pink ascot, white apron, white rope around his heads, and two hearts tattooed on his left arm, simply smashed the man aside, punted him a little, and threw him away like old trash
Then Luffy saw the sous-chef, who already had his interest, wander into the kitchen with his eyes firmly where the man was dumped. An idea formed on the straw hat covered head, and he stood up, excusing himself to his crew
Luffy couldn't contain his grin, his suspicions correct
The sous-chef, Sanji, had gone to the kitchen and prepared a plate full of simple, but filling rice, just what a man needed after starving for gods knew how long
And Gin, as he discovered was the man's name while eavesdropping, ate everything, crying in happiness and thankful for the meal. The old owner of the establishment, a blond man in a traditional cook's uniform with a magnificently tall hat and with an equally magnificent moustache, appeared, Sanji didn't hesitate to discard all proof that the man might have eaten there without paying
That was when Luffy revealed himself, jumping up to speak with the head of the restaurant: - "Hey"
"Hey yourself. What are you doing here?"
"You're the boss of the restaurant, right? What do I need to get the blond down there as my cook?"
"What?" - Said blond clearly heard the request
"You request the sous-chef service, that's it" - "Nononono, I meant, I want him for my ship"
"You request the sous-chef service, that's it" - Repeated the head-chef: - "My chefs only quit or are fired; and if they quit, it was because they wanted to"
"Really? Woohoo! Hey, Sanji! Join my crew!" - Declared Luffy, making Sanji blink, as Luffy himself blinked in turn
Sanji's face was… mostly normal, if with one side covered; the curly eyebrow on the exposed left side, resembling a target, however, was anything but. And the young man wondered how did the boy, who was at the top of the ship, disappeared and reappeared in front of him so fast
"What!?"
Luffy then went into captain mode, sitting cross-legged in the rails: - "I, Monkey D. Luffy, would like you, Sanji, to join the 'Straw Hat' pirate crew as the ship's cook"
"So, what do I need to convince you?" - It didn't stop Luffy from grinning like a loon, however, as he waited for the answer
Sanji blinked again, bemused with the attention: - "… Why me?" - Then he though better, waving a hand in front of him: - "Don't answer that; I'd still answer no"
"Oh, come on! You're a good cook, and you cooked for Gin just because he needed" - Sanji and Gin flinched, and both looked up at the head-chef, who just kept gazing at the encounter: - "Either you come with us now or I'll stay here 'till I can convince you later"
"Excuse me" - Interrupted Krieg's man, raising his hand: - "But I have to ask; if you're in search of a cook, your crew isn't quite big, right? What is your objective? Your plans"
"Counting him-" - "Oi!" - "-We have five people, and what else would be a true pirate's objective?" - Answered Luffy with a grin
"I'm going to be the Pirate King"
Shivers went down Gin's spine. Shivers went down everyone's spine, really: - "With such surety, I couldn't convince you to think otherwise, right? Your funeral" - He muttered, making Luffy laugh. The boy with the straw hat outright guffawed when the grey wearing man turned to the formal blond beside him, and wished him good luck, much to Sanji's exasperation
"S-so, shi~, so, I'll be with my crew Sanji! We'll talk more later!"
"O-oi, you monkey!" - But it was too late, Luffy already returning inside, leaving Sanji behind with the Krieg's man, even the head-chef having disappeared. Even Gin soon departed, taking a life boat and sailing away, and leaving Sanji alone with his cigarette
With a sigh, he decided to just ignore everything. The restaurant was full, and the food wouldn't prepare itself
The very same day, Luffy kept his word. As the restaurant was shooing the clientele to close its doors, the captain of the crew sneaked his way in, much to the cooks' annoyance, especially Sanji's
The entire week, the boy with the straw hat would request the sous-chef special, and every day, he'd use the opportunity to chat with the blond, who was unable to resist answering. Luffy quickly deduced that, like Nami, something about his home kept him firmly anchored, even though Sanji actually liked them and would agree to come with them, if not for said anchor
Not even Nami pouting cutely could convince him!
Through he couldn't deduce what. Zeff, the head-chef, was rude and kept calling Sanji 'Eggplant', and every else seemed to dislike the blond, for he was an unrepentant flirt, speaking sweet nothings to every young lady that appeared. It was all appearance, though, reminding him somewhat of himself and Garp, a love expressed through kicks. At least no one was younger than ten years-old…
At least the food was good, so said entire week wasn't a complete waste. And it was about to get more exciting
The crew was inside, eating and laughing as Usopp sulked. He was aware he was the weakest of the crew, but to be weaker than Nami brought a frown that he couldn't quite explain
"Take it as motivation to get stronger, Usopp, shishishi" - Said Luffy, noting he hadn't even poked his food: - "Say, what is all the commotion?"
Said commotion was caused by a massive warship approaching the Baratie, a ship with the skull and crossbones with an hourglass on each side of the skull. Said ship looked like it went through a hurricane and into a mountain, though
"T-t-t-that's t-t-the D-Dreadnaught S-Sabre!" - Somebody shouted: - "T-t-that's K-Krieg's f-f-flagship!" - Somebody else commented
Fear gripped the establishment, even as the people realized the state of the ship, many fearing Krieg came for revenge for the mistreatment of his crewmember. At least, most people were gone, with a smattering of drunken and reckless guests, the 'Straw Hat' pirates and the cooks of the Baratie remaining, the others departing, taking their ships and running away as far as possible
Speaking of ships, Luffy reminded himself that the Merry was completely defenceless: - "Nami and Usopp, take the Merry and keep watch from afar, and prepare to bombard if needed. Zoro will signal you"
"Yes, Luffy" - Answered the crew
To the surprise of many, Krieg himself appeared, slamming the door open, being carried by Gin in person. Krieg was a tall and muscular man, and had short grey hair with prominent sideburns, and a gauze wrapped around his head; he was dressed in a yellow shirt with black horseshoe spots, under a big black fur-lined cloak, alongside lavender pants and black shoes
And he was starving. He was begging for food, for him and his men, which most of the cooks refused; even Gin's claim that they had money and his 'Don' bowing down on his knees didn't move the cooks, who much preferred to call the marines and just sink whatever remained of the crew in their derelict ship
Luffy grinned, however, as Sanji, again, approached and gave another plate of filling rice, much to the shock of his fellows: - "S-Sanji! Take that plate away from him! Fast, before-"
Luffy frowned, as Carne, a brown-haired chef with brown hair, unshaved face, the usual clothes and black sunglasses, shouted, and blinked in shock as he understood the warning, Krieg thanking Sanji by clotheslining him, launching the blond into the central staircase of the Baratie
"'D-Don'! What, gah!" - Even Gin was shocked, the man questioning his boss and simply being backhanded away, said boss uncaring for his underling
"T-that fiend" - Muttered Carne: - "He's like that. First a marine, who killed his own boss and deserted, then formed a fleet of fifty ships and over five thousand men, using dirty tricks like flying white flags and throwing poisonous bombs over villages"
"'Foul-Play' Krieg; worthy of the title" - Spat Patty: - "Sanji always had a soft heart. I? I'm a cook of the Baratie, and I have something special for… troublesome customers"
And from a hidden compartment, forced open by Sanji's body, who already was standing up and lighting a cigarette, Patty pulled a massive gun, shaped like a shrimp, of all things: - "Meatball Special!" - He shouted, firing the weapon, the explosion drawing shouts and screams of surprise as it demolished the entrance of the Baratie
"The boss will be angry that I broke the doors" - Muttered Patty, the other chefs saying it wouldn't matter, since he did got Krieg
He didn't
With a roar, Krieg revealed himself amidst the smokescreen, saying the 'desserts' sucked, and opening several hatches on what was revealed to be armour hidden under his now destroyed shirt, his cloak serving as cape. From said hatches, many weapons poked out, and with a movement from his fingers, all fired, the chefs diving to evade, many being wounded, even if they were only scratches, the remaining customers finally gaining back their sense and running away too
Once again, the 'Don' demanded that the cooks prepared a meal for his men, one hundred starving on the remnants of the Dreadnaught Sabre. The cooks once again denied, well aware that only them could save the pirates, and unwilling to serve him, many pre-emptively pointing guns and polearms at Sanji to stop him from going to the kitchen
He didn't need to. Zeff himself descended the broken stairs, carrying a massive sack, which he proclaimed was enough food to feed the one hundred men. Then Krieg revealed who Zeff was: 'Red-Leg' Zeff, called such because his kicks left him bathed in his enemies' blood
Luffy could understand why such a man would stop being a pirate, considering he had a peg-leg now; Krieg further revealed that the head-chef sailed through the Grand Line for one year, and probably had a way to defeat even fearsome Devil Fruits, which he would keep in a log or journal
Zeff, surprisingly enough, confirmed he had a journal of his time of the Grand Line, but rebuffed the request of the 'Don' of handing it over alongside the ship, the head-chef outright demanding that Krieg be gone at once after receiving the food. Said request was also ignored, Krieg promising that he'd return after feeding his men and would take the ship by force
"Very well. Patty! Carne! To your positions! Someone raise the fins of the ship! All to your places man, take your weapons or escape while you can!" - Declared Zeff, his men declaring the Baratie their home and answering with a roar of their own, taking what looked like eating utensils at the end of long shafts
"B-boss, why raise the fins? Wouldn't that just give the pirates more space to fight?" - "Yes, but then the restaurant itself will be left alone"
As the fins, massive wooden platforms built under the ship, rose into position besides the main body of the Baratie, the cooks and the two remaining 'Straw Hats' awaited in position, face-to-face with Krieg's ruined ship
Said ship was promptly cut in half in front of them, just as Krieg's pirates started to exult
"What the hell now!?" - "'Don'! 'Don' Krieg! He followed us! The 'Hawk-Eyed Man' followed us!"
Eyes widened, Zoro's particularly, as they heard the call from the Dreadnaught Sabre, the ship split in two, falling down almost perfectly in two places
"Who?" - Luffy, of course, had no idea of who 'Hawk-Eyes' was
"Dracule Mihawk, 'the Hawk-Eyes', 'the Greatest Swordsman in the World'" - Answered Zoro, starting to sweat: - "And my objective"
AN: There's a damn good reason for why it took so long. First, I'm on vacation at the moment, away from home, and everyday going to a different place, so less time to write. Case in point, today I spent on Hot Park on Goiânia
The second~