BROTHER ON BOARD
Bluejay Blaze - Is that a dad joke? It just seemed like the sort of casual response Sanji would give to Fullbody's 'devious' ploy.
Syluk - Thanks for pointing that out. It's fixed. Vivi and Sabo are going to have a rocky relationship due to her bloodline. It's going to be up to Vivi to prove to Sabo that she isn't just another snobby elitist princess. You'll actually get a taste of Sabo's 'anger issues' in the next chapter. When you finish reading this one I'm pretty sure you'll know what triggers it. Heeheehee 'triggers' Sabo. Gun Pun. Now that can of worms has been opened. Beware future Gun Puns - the deranged second cousin of the Skull Joke.
Juliedoo - I'm glad I got you laughing. That's why I'm writing this. There will be serious moments but I'm mainly trying to make this a lighthearted fun story. I'd count it as a win if I got you to laugh just once. If I'm making you laugh a lot then my story is serving its purpose and I've accomplished what I set out to do. Yay!
Fairy of the Friz - Trust the Love Cook to understand love... even in an extremely weird scenario like this one. I think at this point everyone can see how much Sabo cares for Bonnie. The ones that truly understand his love like Luffy, Usopp and now Sanji will realize that Bonnie being a rifle doesn't matter at all to Sabo.
lostdog200 - You're the one that's taken the time to review my story four times now. So thank you. I'll respond to anyone that takes the time to review my story. Signed in or not. And when the day comes that I receive my first flame telling me to go burn in hell for wasting everyone's time with a romance between a human and a gun, I'll respond to that too. And not to nitpick, but isn't 'Awwwww' the proper response to something adorable? To me, 'Aaaaaahhh' sounds like you're screaming. Anyway, see/read you next week! Same time, same place!
psychopathonadiet -Thanks! I'm doing my best to shake things up little by little and make the story interesting. Does this mean I can put you down as the newest member of the Bonnie Anne fan club? We're slowly but surely gaining members. I may actually post a roster on my profile at some point.
rasEnshur1KEn - Wow! Color me flattered. I set out to capture the zany humor from One Piece while adding my own bit of silliness to it and it looks like I managed it. Thanks! There will be romance other than SaBonnie. But One Piece is a really, really, really long series so it's going to be a slow burn. Hang in there, we'll get to it eventually. Bonnie eating a Zoan Devil Fruit... that's a really interesting idea that warrants consideration. Instead of Sabo eating the fruit Bonnie would have it and fully take on a life of her own. It would also fit the pattern of each of the ASL brothers having a different class of Devil Fruit even though Sabo didn't 'technically' eat it. I'll have to keep an eye out for a usable fruit.
Guest - It would be funny to have both Bonnie Anne and Wado Ichimonji 'eat' a Devil Fruit and take on a life and rivalry of their own. But as you said the problem with that is Zoro. He cares about his sword but he doesn't have Sabo's insane level of dedication to his weapon. I don't think he'd want to do anything to mess with his/Kuina's sword. However, as I mentioned to rasEnshur1KEn, the idea of feeding Bonnie a Zoan Devil Fruit intrigues me. The first step to making that possible is to have Sabo learn about the process. I guess we know which Officer Agent Sabo's going to be facing in Alabasta.
sarahgri99 - Sabo the official businessman/negotiator aka the Quartermaster. You probably didn't realize how badly Luffy needed one until I put Sabo into the story. I figured that since the rest of the Straw Hats were just going to be sitting around doing nothing while Luffy worked at the Baratie then I could put them to use and share the load. Now one year is broken down to three months each. Not nearly as daunting. But thanks to Luffy, the Straw Hats are still going to get away in just three days. Think of all the kingdoms that would've been destroyed if Luffy was stuck at the Baratie and lost his main character ability to be at the right place at the right time to conveniently stop a villain's evil plan just as its finally coming into fruition.
Also, I think I'm going to stick with SaBonnie for the official ship name. I know One Piece ships usually just have one syllable of the couples' names. But fusing names together to create a celebrity couple name isn't unheard of either. Take Brat Pitt and Angelina Jolie's 'Brangelina' for example. So SaBonnie doesn't seem weird to me. But that's just me being neurotic. Feel free to call the SaboxBonnie ship whatever you want. P.S. I refer to One Piece pairings as 'ships' because there are pirates involved.
Pippalina - You're right about the lack of levels in Zoan Fruit. I don't Sabo to go too far into Chopper's territory. However, rasEnshur1KEn had the really cool idea of 'feeding' Bonnie the Zoan-type Devil Fruit. Sabo would then be associated with a Zoan Fruit and could 'technically' complete the ASL Bros/fruit classes pattern. This would also leave Sabo open to eating another fruit further down the line. If I use a Zoan Fruit for Bonnie I'm definitely going to go with a Kitsu Kitsu no Mi/Fox Fox Fruit (or would it be Inu Inu no Mi Model: Kitsune/Dog Dog Fruit Model: Fox). I think that would be a cool tribute to the original Bonnie Anne character from Pirate 101 since the Advanced Wheel Lock Rifle with added scope and custom revolving action is the weapon she uses when she's promoted to Fox Sniper.
Pipedream - I know what you mean about characters being 'untouchable'. The last thing I want if for Sabo to come across as an OP Gary Stu. The only one who has actually even hit Sabo during a battle was Bonnie! A major part of that is the result of Sabo being a distance fighter. Sabo guns down most of his enemies before they can even reach him and he ends up leaving battles unscathed. But as the story progresses the enemies will get stronger and Sabo will begin to be physically challenged. No one has really shaken Sabo mentally either. But Sabo does have some major triggers (heehee Gun Pun), the main one being elitism: people that think they're better than everyone else because of their bloodline. I'm sure you can think of a few One Piece villains that have that kind of personality. Those will be the ones to set Sabo off. I just ask that you give me time. Remember, we're still in the East Blue which is like the kiddie pool compared to the Grand Line. As for the music, I think it would be difficult to search through a slew of dubs/translations to find lyrics that I'm looking for when I already know a song that has the words I need.
A Reader - I'm glad to know that my story resonated with you enough to motivate you to actually write a review. Also, THANKS FOR WRITING MY 100TH REVIEW!
Stormy Vixen - I'm glad you like Bonnie. You can probably tell that I'm having a blast writing the SaBonnie relationship. Thanks for reviewing!
EquinoxKnight01 - If you got to this point... thanks for reading and thanks for the reviews!
Krieg-
Two days later, the Straw Hats were still working at the Baratie, despite Luffy's best efforts. The rubber pirate broke practically everything that he came in contact with but Head Chef Zeff refused to fire him. It seemed like the more Luffy broke the more determined Zeff became to keep him at the Baratie for his full three-month sentence.
Zoro and Usopp's repair supplies had arrived. Zoro had traded his swords for a saw and was cutting away the jagged edges from the holes in the wall so they'd have a more manageable hole to repair.
"Day three…" Sabo muttered as he climbed out from the men's quarters in the Going Merry and stood on the deck.
Nami was the only one on the deck of the Going Merry, "Late start?"
"Bonnie wasn't feeling well today," Sabo told her. "I bought her back here so she can have a lie in." Nami rolled her eyes. "Hey… what's that?" Sabo pointed to a speck on the horizon.
Nami squinted. "It looks like a ship. And it's a pretty big one too. It's coming this way."
The ship got closer and it became clear that it wasn't just 'pretty big'. The ship was an enormous galleon that towered over the Baratie and was easily three times the size of the three-story fish-themed restaurant.
"That flag… those hourglasses…" Sabo noted as he eyed the Jolly Roger which featured a skull and crossbones with red hourglasses hanging between the ends of the bones. "That's Don Krieg's ship."
"You suddenly know who that is?" Nami asked.
"After meeting Gin, I did my research," Sabo informed her. "Turns out one of the cooks, Carne, knows all the pirate legends in the East Blue. Don Krieg is one of the most notorious pirates in this ocean with a bounty of seventeen million berries. His crew is enormous. He's got an armada of fifty ships and five thousand men." He motioned to the snarling Sabre-tooth Tiger figurehead. "That one is Krieg's flagship galleon the Dreadnaught Saber. A pretty bad-ass name for a ship, if you ask me."
"Well it looks like its seen better days," Nami observed.
The Dreadnaught Saber boasted numerous massive sails but they were all worn, torn and frayed. The ship's massive sides were marred with numerous scratches and puncture holes. Krieg's ship looked like it had gotten off on the losing end of a fight with a horrible storm.
"I'm no Pirate Thief," Sabo admitted, "But if I was, I'd definitely rob that ship."
"Are you cra—wait, yeah you are," Nami realized. "You just said he has five thousand men! It's not a crew of two dozen men like the Black Cat Pirates or a bunch of circus idiots like Buggy's crew! This Krieg-guy sounds like the real deal. I'm not risking my life to steal from him."
"Too bad," Sabo said, "Looks like this would be the perfect time to do it. I doubt the crew's in any better condition than that eyesore of a ship. Otherwise, they would've started repairing it." Sabo shrugged. "Anyway, I should probably get to the restaurant. I doubt there are any pretty girls on that ship so Sanji's gonna make me wait on them."
Sabo turned to leave but spotted Johnny and Yosaku on their ship, "Hey guys, you mind keeping an eye on the Merry? With these pirates around you can never be too careful."
"Sure thing, Sabo-bro!" Johnny replied.
"Sabo-bro?" Yosaku repeated. "That sounds weird."
"I'll think of something else then," Johnny assured him.
"Yeah, don't hurt yourselves," Sabo advised. "Just keep an eye on the ship."
Nami stared after Sabo as he left the Merry and slipped into the Baratie through the back door. "I almost have all the money I need…" she mused to herself as she cast her gaze back up at the ravaged galleon. "Maybe… it'll be worth a look…"
"Wow, what a sad-looking ship," Usopp remarked as he and Zoro stared through the hole in the Baratie's roof at the Dreadnaught Saber. "I almost feel sorry for those guys."
"They might cause trouble…" Zoro commented. "Maybe we should slip downstairs to make sure everything's okay."
"Why did I know you were going to say that?" Usopp groaned.
All twenty-three cooks on the Baratie staff had left the kitchen and gathered down in the dining room upon seeing the Dreadnaught Sabre approach.
"Do you think Gin came back to thank you?" Luffy asked Sanji.
"Not likely," Sanji replied.
"That ship… is in complete shambles," Zeff remarked.
"To do that kind of damage to ship…" Sanji noted, "That's not the work of a mere human. They must've been caught in some kind of natural disaster."
The front door swung open. Gin had indeed returned but he was supporting a much larger man who looked like he was as starved as Gin had been when he'd visited the ocean restaurant.
"So that's Don Krieg," Sanji noted.
"I guess I'll have to seat them," Sabo resolved as he came up behind him.
Sanji turned to stare at him, "When did you get here?"
"I didn't leave," Sabo lied as he slipped off his blue coat and top hat which clearly gave away the fact that he'd just arrived, "I've been here the whole time."
"Sorry for intruding…." Don Krieg spoke. "But could you spare some food and water? If it's money you want… I've got plenty…"
"Right then, welcome to the Baratie, Mr. Krieg," Sabo greeted the infamous pirate. He threw Krieg's other arm over his shoulder. "Let's get you to a table." Together with Gin, Sabo guided Don Krieg to a table in the middle of the restaurant and got him seated. "Today's specials are sautéed blue salmon which was freshly caught this morning and a prime cut of steak. I should warn you though, Carne's in charge of the meat dish today. He tends to char everything so if you order that I'd suggest asking for one stage rarer than you actually want."
"Ooooo! They both sound great! I'll have both of 'em!" Luffy announced.
"You don't get to eat yet!" Sanji scolded him.
"HEY! DON'T DISS MY COOKING, NEW GUY!" a brown haired cook with stubbly beard shouted.
"Hmph, cheeky blonde brats," Zeff muttered.
Everyone else in the Baratie was shocked speechless by the fact that Sabo was treating the infamous 'Pirate Admiral' Don Krieg like a regular customer.
"Since you look like you're starving," Sabo continued, "I'll give you a menu so you can pick an appetizer that we can get to you right away." Sabo placed a menu on the table in front of Don Krieg. "While you look at that I'll get you some water."
Sabo turned to go but Patty grabbed him by the back of his vest and held him back. "Just what do ya think yer doin', new guy?"
"Waiting on a customer," Sabo replied. "That's my job, isn't it?"
"That ain't no customer!" Patty insisted. "That's Don Krieg!"
"But this time we've got money!" Gin protested.
"WE'RE NOT GIVIN' THIS SCUMBAG A DROP O' WATER!" Patty sneered. "THE ONLY THING WE'LL DO HERE IS CALL THE MARINES SO HE CAN BE ARRESTED!"
"Please… please…" Krieg pleaded. "I'm so hungry… anything…"
"Look, he's starving," Sabo pointed out.
"PLEASE! IF YOU DON'T FEED HIM HE'LL DIE!" Gin begged.
"If he's gonna starve then I say let him do it!" Patty exclaimed. "The world'll be better off! If we give him even a scrap of food the first thing this dog'll do is turn on our restaurant!"
"Please…" Krieg croaked. "I won't! I promise! I'll withdraw peacefully! I beg you! Anything… water… broth… the uh…." Krieg glanced down at the menu and added hopefully, "House Special Stir Fry?"
"That comes with a side of rice," Sabo informed him. "You want white or brown?"
"Brown," Krieg requested.
Sanji nodded and left the room.
"WE'RE NOT FEEDING HIM AND THAT'S FINAL!" Patty roared.
Sabo folded his arms across his chest. "You know, it's that kind of attitude that makes me wonder how this place gets any customers. Sanji regularly pisses off the guys with the girlfriends, you kick out the pirates that can't pay, and now you're refusing service to a pirate who can pay?"
"This guy's no mere pirate!" Patty insisted. "He's as dirty as they come! There'll never be a better time to arrest this bum!"
"Sounds like someone forgot the first rule of the Baratie," Sabo noted.
"Outta the way, Patty."
THWAK!
Sanji foot collided with the side of Patty's face and sent the Fry Cook flying. The Sous Chef placed two dishes down in front of Don Krieg, "Here then. House Special Stir Fry with brown rice."
Krieg dove into the meal. He didn't even bother with silverware. He just grabbed the food off of his plate and out of the bowl and shoveled it into his mouth.
Sabo dropped some napkins next to Krieg. "If you're gonna eat like that you'll need some extra napkins." He casually poured water into a cup and placed it down behind Krieg's dish. "Enjoy."
"SANJI! TAKE THAT FOOD AWAY FROM HIM!" Carne shouted. "You don't understand what you're doing! That's 'Foul Play' Krieg! He started out by breaking out of prison and disguising himself as a marine! He used that disguise to kill a Marine Captain then used that ship to attack innocent towns! He flies the white flag then opens fire! There's no low that he won't stoop to! LETTING A DEMON LIKE THAT STARVE TO DEATH IS FOR THE GOOD OF THE WORLD!"
Don Krieg suddenly surged up out of his chair then lunged forward and hit Sanji and Sabo with a big double clothesline.
WHA-WHAM!
The cook and waiter went flying then skidded across the room.
"DON KRIEG! YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN'T!" Gin cried out. "I guided you here under the condition that you wouldn't harm the restaurant! We both owe our lives to Sanji!"
Krieg grabbed Gin's shoulder and squeezed.
"AAAUUUGHH!" Gin howled in pain and dropped to the ground.
Don Krieg calmly fished into his cloak pocket. "That was a great meal. My strength is returning already. I feel like my old self again." Krieg pulled out a coin and tossed it across the room onto Sabo. "There's your tip, waiter." Don Krieg looked up and grinned. "Nice restaurant… I'll take it."
Don Krieg's menacing words cleared the restaurant in an instant. The customers ran out of the dining room with their meals forgotten. They quickly boarded the ships that they had come in and fled. No one had any interest in being caught in the middle of a confrontation between the infamous Don Krieg and the fighting cooks of the Baratie. Soon only the Baratie staff and their new hires remained.
"My old ship's a wreck," Don Kreig stated as he stood over Gin. "After I finish my business with you cooks, I'll take this ship as my new one. But first, I've got a hundred men starving back on my ship. You'll prepare one hundred meals for me to bring to them."
"SEE!" Carne called out as he pointed accusingly at Sanji and Sabo while they slowly sat up.
"A hundred berries?" Sabo questioned as he picked up the coin Krieg tossed at him. "Cheap bastard." Sabo looked over at Sanji. "Now can we kick his ass?"
"Not yet," Sanji said as he stood up. "First, we've got a hundred meals to prepare."
CLICK!
Sanji suddenly found all the cooks pointing their guns at him.
"Are you Krieg's agent, Sanji?" one of the cooks accused him.
"No, I'm just a cook," Sanji announced. "Shoot me if you want. But it's always going to be my job to feed people that are hungry. It doesn't matter who they are. Pirates, Marines, beautiful women or those obnoxious pricks that come with them, if they come into this restaurant they'll be fed."
"Whoa! Cool!" Luffy gasped.
"First rule of the Baratie…" Sabo remarked.
"Sanji, I know that ya feed the pirates that I chase off sometimes," Patty admitted, "And I'm not gonna argue over who's right or wrong. That's the past. But this time, I know I'm right! Krieg said he's gonna try 'n' take this restaurant. If you feed his men yer supplin' him with the way ter do just that!" Patty turned and glared at Krieg. "THIS RESTAURANT MEANS THE WORLD TO US! YER NOT TAKIN' IT!"
"Most of the cooks here were too rough and got kicked out of their other restaurants," Carne continued, "This is the only place that would take us! We're won't give up the Baratie to the likes of you."
Krieg shook his head, "You seem to misunderstand me. I'm not asking for this ship… I'M ORDERING YOU TO GIVE IT TO ME! NO ONE DISOBEYS MY ORDERS!"
"ORDER UP THEN!" Everyone turned to see a recovered Patty holding a cannon that looked like a lobster. "YEH'VE HAD YER MEAL! NOW HERE'S YER DESSERT! MEATBALL OF DOOM!"
KA-BOOOOM!
Patty blasted Krieg and blew him backwards through the door.
"Damn, I busted the door," Patty noted, "The Head Chef'll have my head. Oh well, small price to pay fer bein' rid o' that scum."
"Where'd that old guy go anyway?" Sabo wondered. Head Chef Zeff had vanished at some point after Krieg had made his order for a hundred meals.
"What about his ship and starving crew?" Sanji asked.
"Butter it up and roast it!" Patty replied. "If his men 're half as starved as he is they won't put up any fight at all!"
"Is that really the best dessert you've got?" The cloud of smoke by the door cleared to reveal Don Krieg standing there completely unharmed. The reason for his condition was most likely the gold body arm that had been revealed now that his cloak was torn off. "If you serve that weak crap for dessert then it's probably a good thing I'm putting this restaurant out of business."
"THAT BASTARD'S WEARIN' BODY ARMOR!" Patty exclaimed as he picked up a pitchfork, "GET 'IM!"
The other cooks drew their chef's knives and charged across the dining room at Krieg.
"IMPUDENT FOOLS!" Krieg roared. The shoulder pads and side panels on his body armor folded back to reveal gun barrels. Two pistols slid out of Krieg's arm guards into his hands and he opened fired.
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!
The charging cooks went flying backwards. "YOU WORMS THINK YOU CAN DEFY ME? I'M THE STRONGEST THERE IS! This indestructible Wootz Steel Armor makes me invincible! And these diamond encrusted gauntlets can crush anything! My entire body is an unstoppable lethal weapon! I have a fleet of fifty ships and command five thousand men! I've never lost a battle! If anyone has the right to be called 'Don', IT'S ME! SO WHEN I TELL YOU TO GIVE ME YOUR SHIP, YOU'LL SHUT UP AND DO IT! NO ONE DEFIES ME!"
"Here." Head Chef Zeff placed a massive sack of food in front of Krieg. "One hundred meals. Take them to your men."
"HEAD CHEF ZEFF!" The cooks shouted in alarm.
"How could you give them food?" Carne exclaimed. "They'll just come and attack the restaurant!"
"That's only if they have any fighting spirit left," Zeff replied. He smirked at Krieg. "isn't that right, defeated warriors of the Grand Line?"
"You're… 'Red Leg' Zeff…" Krieg realized as his eyes widened in surprise.
"I can't ever tell Sabo… but he was totally right," Nami thought out loud as she stepped over yet another starving and helpless Krieg Pirate. Most of the crew was unconscious. Some had even starved to death. The ones that weren't either were in no condition to chase her let alone stop her. "This is probably the easiest score I've ever had."
Nami stopped when she came to large door with a metal knob that made it look like a vault. "I bet that's the treasure hold."
Nami carefully eyed the large man that was slumped against the wall in front of the door. He was tall with dark hair and for some reason wore an outfit that consisted of two huge, round, metal pearl-encrusted plates. He also wore a helmet on his head that looked like a giant pearl.
"Is that a real pearl?" Nami wondered as she stared at the large man's helmet. She couldn't help herself and reached out and give it a quick flick. "Nope. Just plated." Nami shook her head and looked passed the man at the vault like door he was propped up against. "Let's get to the reason I came here…"
The master thief made quick work of cracking the vault door and slipped inside.
KA-CHING!
"Whoa!" Nami gasped as berri signs appeared in her eyes. The walls of the vault were line with chests that were filled with gold and money-filled bags. "This is way more than I need! There's gotta be something like twenty million berries in here!"
Nami made her way through the vault and took the bags of paper money. "I can't afford to get greedy. There's no way I can carry all this by myself. I'll just take what I need and get out of here. Then I can finally put this eight year nightmare behind me…"
Nami eventually left the vault with a large sack containing five money bags slung over her shoulders. "Five million berries. This should do it. Now I just need to get back to the ship and get out of here."
Don Krieg had just revealed the Head Chef Zeff was once the former pirate captain 'Red Leg' Zeff. He was once famous for his deadly kicks that often left his legs colored by his opponent's blood. Equally impressive was the fact that 'Red Leg' Zeff had spent a year in the Grand Line and had returned alive. Rumors said that Zeff had died in a storm but it appeared that he had only lost one of his famous legs and retired to become a cook.
Despite being defeated by the Grand Line, Don Krieg wasn't done with the world's most dangerous and most mysterious ocean. He wanted Zeff log from his time in the Grand Line. Zeff had point blank refused to hand it over stating that it was a sentimental memento the time he'd spent there with his Nakama.
"I had enough power to conquer that sea!" Krieg insisted, "I had enough manpower, enough ambition! The only thing I lacked was information. So since you won't hand over your log… I'll just steal it from you along with this restaurant! Then I'll reassemble my fleet and return to the Grand Line where I'll find the One Piece treasure and become King of the Pirates!"
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" Don Krieg turned and stared at Luffy for the first time. "If anyone in this room is gonna be King of the Pirates… it's me!"
"Chore Boy! Stand down!" Carne warned him.
"No way!" Luffy refused. "I'm not backing down from this!"
"You want to take that back, brat?" Krieg growled.
"Nope, I said what I meant," Luffy insisted, "I'm gonna be Pirate King. Not you."
"Luffy! You shouldn't be picking a fight with Don Krieg!"
"Shut up. No one asked you."
Luffy turned to see Usopp and Zoro seated at a table in the corner while Sabo was sitting on it.
"Getting into a fight, Luffy?" Zoro asked. "I'll lend a hand."
"Fifteen million, sixteen million, now seventeen," Sabo remarked, "It would make sense for us to take down the lousy tipper."
"Don't worry guys," Luffy told them, "I can handle this."
"HAHAHAHA!" Krieg laughed. "Is that your crew?"
"That's not all!" Luffy protested, "I've got three more! Two people and a rifle!"
Sanji blinked. "Did you just count me?"
"Did he just count a rifle?" a cook questioned.
"DON'T JOKE WITH ME, YOU LITTLE PUNK!" Krieg roared, "EVEN MY MIGHTY FLEET OF FIFTY SHIPS AND FIVE THOUSAND MEN WAS DECIMATED BY THAT SEA IN JUST SEVEN DAYS! ALL BECAUSE WE LACKED INFORMATION!"
"Or… because you suck as a pirate."
Krieg glared passed Luffy at Sabo. "WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN?"
"You're all bluster," Sabo stated as he slipped off the table and stepped up next to Luffy. "You talk like a big man when you're in your fancy booby-trapped armor… but take that away then what are you?"
"I AM THE 'DON' OF THE PIRATE ARMADA!" Krieg shouted.
"Ah-ah-ah, the cat's out of the bag now, Pirate Admiral," Sabo taunted with a wag of his finger, "You don't actually have a fleet anymore. It was all destroyed in just seven days. That sorry-looking ship outside and those hundred starving men are all that's left of your mighty armada. That's what happens when you rely on cheap tactics and fancy booby-trapped armor to win battles for you instead of actual strength. You're not a 'Don' anymore. Now you're just Mr. Krieg."
"YOU IMPUDENT LITTLE WRETCH!" Krieg hollered as the gun barrels reappeared in his armor.
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!
Luffy jumped in front of Sabo and took all of Krieg's bullets.
"CHORE BOY!" the cooks shouted.
WOING!
The bullets bounced off of Luffy's rubber body and went flying back at Krieg.
Ping-ping-ping-ping-ping!
The bullets bounced off of Krieg's armor as he stared at Luffy in surprise. "Devil Fruit Powers…"
"The Chore Boy's some kind of rubber monster!"
"Hey old man! I just had an idea!" Luffy called out. "I suck at chores. But one thing I'm really good at is fighting pirates. So how 'bout if I beat up this guy… then you'll let us go, right?"
"DON'T MOCK ME!" Krieg bellowed. "YOU MAY HAVE FREAKISH DEVIL FRUIT POWERS! BUT YOUR MOTLEY CREW COULD NEVER DEFEAT ME!"
"YOU WANNA BET?" Luffy hollered right back. "YOUR WEAK CREW COULD NEVER BEAT ME, MY FIVE NAKAMA AND MY RIFLE!"
"STOP COUNTING ME!" Sanji snapped.
"You cheeky little—" Krieg started to berate Luffy.
"GUM GUM PISTOL!"
POW!
Despite having his wootz steel armor to help him withstand the attack, Luffy's punch still sent Don Krieg flying out through the front door.
"I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!" Luffy shouted as he grabbed the doorway and launched himself out after Krieg. "GUM GUM ROCKET!"
WOING!
Luffy shot towards Krieg faster than the Pirate Admiral could react and drove his foot into his face.
THWAK!
Krieg went flying off the front deck and slammed through the side of his massive ship.
"HEY KID!" Zeff called out as Luffy landed in the doorway. Luffy turned to look at him. Zeff pulled out the Straw Hats' employment contract and tore it in half. "You've got a deal. You beat Krieg and you and your crew are free to go."
"You got it!" Luffy said as he flashed Zeff a thumbs up.
"Head Chef, you sure about this?" Patty asked.
"There won't be a restaurant if we keep him working as our Chore Boy for another eighty-eight days," Zeff reasoned, "And if he can't fight off Krieg there won't be a restaurant either. So we might as well put our faith in the Chore Boy and hope for the best."
"I don't suppose you could give him more deck to work with?" Sabo requested. "Luffy's Devil Fruit Powers don't work well with water."
"Comin' right up!" Carne agreed. He rushed out of the room and pulled a lever.
Chunk!
The Baratie suddenly started shaking.
"WHAT'S DOING ON?" Usopp shrieked.
"He's opening the fins," Patty answered.
SPLA-SPLOOSH!
The wooden fin underneath the Baratie restaurant split in half which caused the two wooden pieces to emerge from the water in the front and back of the Baratie. It wasn't much but the added fins created another twenty feet of deck on each side of the Baratie.
"WHOOOAAA! SO COOOOL!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran out onto the deck.
"That'll do," Sabo remarked. He went over to the large bag of food that Zeff had made for Krieg's men.
"What're you doing with that?" Sanji asked.
"I'm a waiter, aren't I?" Sabo replied. "I'll take this to Krieg's men and politely ask them not to attack this place." Sabo hefted the sack of food onto his shoulder then turned and called out to his Nakama. "Zoro, Usopp! You're with me. There's a hundred of them so I'll need back up just in case they refuse."
"Right," Zoro agreed while Usopp reluctantly followed him,
"Then I'm coming too," Sanji told Sabo. "Someone should be there to represent the restaurant."
"Heh," Zeff chuckled as Sabo, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji walked out the front door.
"What's so funny?" Patty asked him.
"Our little twerp's already joined those pirates," Zeff stated, "He just doesn't know it yet."
"Luffy!" Sabo called out as he led the others out of the Baratie. "We're gonna deliver this food. Wanna keep Mr. Krieg busy while we deal with his crew?"
"Sure thing!" Luffy agreed.
"I'LL JUST KILL YOU ALL NOW!" Krieg bellowed as he stood in the hole he'd made in the side of his galleon and unveiled his gun barrels again. He immediately opened fire on Sanji and the Straw Hats.
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!
Luffy jumped in front of the incoming bullets and took them all for his crew. "Geez you're dumb. I already showed you… THAT WON'T WORK ON ME!"
WOING!
Luffy snapped up straight and sent the bullets flying back at Krieg. Some hit his armor while the other embedded into the side of the Dreadnaught Saber all around him.
Luffy shot his arms out and grabbed onto the top railing of the Dreadnaught Saber and used his hold to rocket himself towards Krieg. "GUM GUM ROCKET!"
WOING!
Luffy let go of the ship and his arms recoiled as he flew through the air. He quickly stretched one arm behind him. It didn't stretch as far as his other techniques but he made up for it by twisting his arm like a corkscrew as it went. "GUM... GUM..."
"THAT'S NOT GONNA WORK!" Krieg snapped as he pulled one of the shoulder pads off of his armor and held it in front of him like a shield. "YOU'LL NEVER EVEN PUT SO MUCH AS A DENT IN MY ARMOR!"
"RIFLE!"
KER-WHAM!
Luffy slammed his spinning fist into Krieg's shield. The sheer force behind Luffy's punch blasted Krieg through the room he was in as well as the three rooms after it.
"And there's our opening," Sabo resolved. "Run for it!"
The four of them rushed across the fin and quickly boarded Krieg's ship. The pirates sprawled on the deck barely moved or acknowledged their presence.
"ATTENTION KRIEG PIRATES!" Sabo called out, "Lunch is served."
Sabo tossed the sack onto the middle of the deck. It topped over onto its side then fell opened to reveal that it contained food.
The starving Krieg Pirates stared at the food for two seconds… before they dove at it and started eating.
"FOOOD!"
"WE'RE SAVED!"
"I would've settled for crackers and water… THIS IS AMAZING!"
"THIS IS WONDERFUL!"
"BEST I'VE EVER TASTED!"
"I THOUGHT I WAS A GONER!"
"THANK YOU, WHOEVER YOU ARE!"
"We're the Straw Hat Pirates," Sabo introduced them, "I'm Sabo the Quartermaster. These other two are our Bosun Roronoa Zoro the Pirate Hunter and our Master Gunner Usopp. This guy is Sanji, he works at the restaurant that provided you guys with that food. I was hoping that we could have a little talk while you guys eat."
Sabo casually sat down on the deck while Zoro and Sanji stood behind him and Usopp practically hid behind them.
The Krieg Pirates continued to eat but looked up at Sabo and the others. Their lives had just been saved so the very least they could do was listen to what the strange pirate had to say.
"We know that you're the most feared pirate crew from the East Blue," Sabo admitted, "But we came to bring you this food anyway. In exchange, we have one simple request: don't attack the restaurant."
"You saved the lives of everyone on this ship. Why would we attack our saviors?"
"Ah, that's the tricky part of this whole situation," Sabo told them. "Your Captain ordered us to turn the restaurant over to him. And we refused. He took exception to that and long story short, my Captain is currently fighting yours downstairs."
"No one refuses the Captain's orders…"
"He said as much back in the restaurant," Sabo replied. "But do you know what he plans to do with it? Your Captain wants to use the restaurant as his new ship so you can return to the Grand Line."
"B-b-back to the Grand Line?"
"Yes," Sabo confirmed, "He wants you to go back to the place where your fleet was decimated and thousands of your crewmates lost their lives. Does that sound like a good idea?"
"I don't wanna go back to that nightmare!"
"We barely survived that place!"
"Exactly," Sabo said. "I want you guys to really think about whether or not you want to go back there. Just for a minute forget about what Krieg wants and think about what you want. Do you want to return to that ocean so you can die like the rest of your crew?"
"I never wanna go back to that place!"
"That monster… he sank our entire fleet like they were toyas!"
"A m-monster?" Usopp repeated.
"Really? What was he like?" Sabo inquired.
"HE WAS A DEMON!"
"He came out of nowhere and attacked for no reason!"
"He just started sinking our ships one after another!"
"We only managed to escape because of a lucky storm that blew us away."
"We managed to make it back here but we've been starving ever since."
"I saw that monster in my nightmares! With those yellow eyes like a hawk!"
Zoro stiffened, "What was that?"
"Thanks for pulling me up," Nami said as she climbed back onto the Going Merry with her stolen loot from Krieg's Dreadnaught Saber.
"No problem, Nami-sis!" Johnny assured her.
"Look… I'm all wet from my swim," Nami pointed out as she motioned to her soaked t-shirt. "Would you guys mind turning around while I change?"
"OF COURSE!" Johnny and Yosaku chorused. The duo spun around and stared off the side of the ship.
"She's really changing…" Yosaku whispered conspiratorially to Johnny.
"I'm not gonna peak," Johnny insisted, "Unless… you are?"
"Maybe… maybe just a little one?" Yosaku suggested.
But before they could take their 'peak' Nami came from behind and shoved both men over the railing.
SPLASH!
The bounty hunters hit the water and sputtered loudly as the came back up.
"NAMI-SIS! WHAT'RE YOU DOING!?"
"Sorry guys!" Nami called down to them. "But I finally have all the money that I need so I can't afford to stick around anymore. Sabo was right. I was never actually a member of the crew. It was just a business relationship which I'm dissolving now. Tell the guys that if we're truly meant to sail together we'll meet again once I've gotten my affairs sorted out. It's not personal, it's just business."
The thief gave them a jaunty wave and cast off.
"SA-BRO TOLD US TO GUARD THE SHIP!" Johnny wailed. "NOW THAT WITCH STOLE IT!"
"Sa-bro?" Yosaku repeated.
"Just… business…" Nami repeated to herself as she sailed off with her stolen treasure, stolen ship… and something else.
The Pirate Thief had been in such a rush to leave with her latest score that she had completely forgotten about the rifle that was still lying in Sabo's bunk down in the men's quarters.
Nami, you done goofed.
Silver signing off