BROTHER ON BOARD
A/N: I posted this chapter a little earlier than normal to celebrate Sabo's birthday.
psychopathonadiet - Sorry about making your family think you're crazy. But if your penname is 'psychopathonadiet' it probably comes with the territory and as I've shown in this story being crazy practically makes you a Straw Hat. So good for you! Also, welcome to the Bonnie Anne Fan Club. It's now official and I've even posted a roster on my profile page. Anyone else that's reading this that would like to join the Bonnie Anne Fan Club feel free to send a review or a PM and I'll add you to the list.
Syluk - Yes. When Sabo discovers that Nami kidnapped Bonnie that's going to be what triggers his anger outburst. You'll see it midway through this chapter. And yes, you opened the Gun Pun can of worms with your last review that prompted my first 'trigger' joke. Now expect me to fire them off whenever I can.
Bluejay Blaze - And the poor girl didn't even do it on purpose. Now she's going to have Sabo's wrath focused on her which will make her business back home much more difficult.
Avatoa - She unknowingly just shot herself in the foot.
Fairy of the Friz - Nami's going to be leading a rage storm straight to Arlong Park. A safety warning should be issued for all sane people to remain indoors and as far away from the enraged crazy pirate as possible.
rasEnshur1KEn - In canon Nami only had 93 million berries. But in MY version Luffy didn't leave behind half of Buggy's treasure and Nami got an extra five million berries. Add in the treasure she just stole from Don Krieg and she's got 103 million berries. More than enough to fulfill her end of her deal with Arlong. That means ol' Saw Tooth is going to have to play dirty if he wants to keep his precious pet navigator. I'll get this out of the way now: Sabo is going to be fighting Choo. I agree with you about Usopp's moment being one of the strongest in the arc and is a defining moment for him. I'd never completely steal that from him. But he can have that moment against any fishman. It doesn't have to be Choo. Usopp will still have his moment but in the meantime, Sabo and Choo will be facing off in a true battle of the shooters.
sarahgri99 - Wait until you see Nami's reaction once she realizes what she's done. She might not be a member of the Bonnie Anne Fan Club but she does know how insanely dedicated Sabo is to his girlfriend. See you next week!
Guest - NAAAAMIIIII! WHHHYYYY? Actually... we all already know why... But will Sabo discover the reason before he rains vengeance down upon the unfortunate thief?
lostdog200 - No worries. Writing out screams, laughter and different sound effects is tricky work. I've had help with my 'action sounds' from the translated manga. Also I'm a Sagittarius.
Mikila94 - Yeah... Sabo's gonna be pissed. Last week's big discussion in this section was actually the opposite - feeding the rifle the Dog Dog Fruit Model: Kitsune so it could take on a life of its own. I don't want to spoil anything so I'll just say this: there's a reason the motto for the Bonnie Anne Fan Club is "She's not just a gun."
TheHeartsPath - I think that one of the main things that sets this Sabo story apart from the other ones you mentioned actually is that 'eh... relationship' with Bonnie Anne. Sabo's strange quirk gives him a crazy-weirdness factor that helps him blend in with the crazy-weird Straw Hats better but at the same time gives him a uniqueness that makes him an interesting new(ish) character to read about. It also blends in an extra dose of my own humor with an already very funny series. Add in the gradual changes that I'm slowly making to canon and you've got my story in a bullet-shell.
Transformers g1's-Prime - But heroes get more meat and celebratory banquets while pirates get run out of town. I never see Luffy complaining during the big end-of-arc feasts from canon. I doubt he'd be too upset with there being more of them due to the Straw Hats' better PR. I plan for Sabo to fight some of the more prominent shooters from the series. Those are the types of opponents that would actually challenge him. Pairing up a long distance fighter against a close to mid-range fighter gives a distinct advantage to the distance fighter. They can just gun down their opponent before they get close enough to do damage. That's why Sabo has made it through all the fights unscathed so far. But when he goes up against the likes of Choo, Mr 4 and Wiper who are all distance fighters as well that's when you're going to see what Sabo's truly capable of.
Mihawk-
Sabo, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji were on the Dreadnaught Saber attempting to convince Krieg's crew not to attack the Baratie while Luffy kept their Captain occupied. But then the previously starving pirates dropped a bombshell.
"Did you say 'eyes like a hawk'?" Zoro demanded. "What did he look like? Did he use a sword?"
"I don't like to think about him!"
"I don't know what he used to sink our ships! I don't wanna know! If I never see that bastard again it'll be too soon!"
"Lucky… I'll never forget those horrible eyes! They were sharp and yellowed. Angled just like a hawk's."
"That could've been Hawk Eye…" Zoro realized.
"Hawk Eye?" Usopp repeated. "Who's that?"
"He's the man I've been looking for," Zoro answered. "Johnny said he came to the restaurant once."
"I've never seen a Hawk Eye at the Baratie," Sanji told him. "But Red Eyes came once. The bozo drank so much that his eyes turned red. Then the idiot went to light a cigarette and he ended up catching on fire and exploding. He scared away all the customers that night."
"Damn…" Zoro cursed, "That idiot got his information mixed up."
"Doesn't surprise me," Sabo supplied.
"Well if Hawk Eye is in the Grand Line then that's where I'm going," Zoro decided.
"YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO FIND THAT DEMON!?"
"The guys I'm after live in the Grand Line too," Sabo admitted, "Luffy wants to find the One Piece and that's rumored to be in the Grand Line well."
"DON'T GO THERE! TURN BACK!"
"Are you guys crazy!" Usopp exclaimed. "That place was too much for Krieg's crew! If we go there we could all die!"
"Yeah," Sabo agreed, "What better way for you to become a Brave Warrior than face that sea. As far as I'm concerned, the Grand Line is the Sea of Dreams."
"Idiots," Sanji scoffed. "You're all idiots that are rushing to your deaths."
"The only one that can call me an idiot is me," Zoro warned him, "Ever since I decided to become the World's Greatest Swordsman I threw away my attachment to life. I've always known that I could die in the pursuit. But that's up to me to find out."
"That goes for me too," Sabo chimed in.
"And a real man like me too!" Usopp blustered.
"What a load of crap," Sanji muttered.
"That's what sets us apart Sanji," Sabo told him. "We Straw Hats aren't afraid to do whatever it takes to achieve our dreams. You think we're idiots for risking everything to accomplish our goals. And that's why finding the All Blue will always be just a passing fancy for you."
Sanji glared at him.
"Now then," Sabo resolved as he turned back to the Krieg crew. "As we've just established, my crew and I are crazy. We're happily planning to head to the ocean where your fleet was destroyed. But before we do that, we're going to defend this restaurant. If you guys decide to aid your Captain in attacking, you'll be dealing with us and the cooks back on the restaurant."
"I'm the Pirate Hunter," Zoro stated as he reached down to his swords. "I can cut through a hundred men like they're tissue paper."
"And let me tell you something," Sanji said as he casually took a drag from his cigarette. "As a cook it's my job to feed anyone whose starving. But now you guys have been fed. So you have no room to complain when I bust your skulls in. Because if someone's gonna try and steal that ship… then I'll kill that person without a second thought. Got that?"
"AND!" Usopp chimed in, "We've got another FIFTY MEN waiting in the restaurant!"
The Krieg Pirates looked conflicted. They knew better than go disobey their Captain's orders but they also weren't eager to fight a bunch of insane pirates and cooks so that they can return to the place that killed the rest of their crew.
"So… let's settle this now," Sabo decided. "Is there anyone here that wants to take the restaurant? Speak up now so we can take you down and make an example out of you. Because if you cross us you guys won't have anything left when we're done with you. We'll beat your captain, destroy your crew, and wreck your ship."
"No one defies Don Krieg's orders."
Everyone turned to see a large black haired man with a pearl on his head and hard iron plates for armor.
"PEARL!"
Sabo looked back at the others, "So who wants this guy?"
"I'll take him," Sanji volunteered. "I'll show these pirates that fighting cooks are nothing to scoff at."
"If Don Krieg wants us to return to the Grand Line… then that's what we'll do," Pearl announced. "You may have saved us but we follow Don Krieg above all else. I'm not scared of fighting a bunch of cooks and some punks. I've never lost a single battle that I've been in. In fact, I've never even lost a single drop of blood. Not a single drop. You still think you can fight me?"
WHAM!
Luffy went flying out of the Dreadnaught Saber and crashed down on the wooden deck of the Baratie.
"I'M DON KRIEG!" Krieg roared from the hole in the wall of his ship. "I WON'T LOSE TO SOME AMATEUR PIRATE PEST WITH SOME FREAKISH POWERS! Bullets won't work on you… that's fine. Since I can't shoot you I'll just crush you and that deck!"
Krieg revealed a massive spike ball on a chain. "MORNING STAR STRIKE!" Krieg launched his latest weapon at Luffy.
"I said I'd protect this ship from you," Luffy said as he stretched his arms out behind him. "So I won't let you break anything! GUM GUM… BAZOOOKA!"
Luffy shot his arms forward and drove them into Krieg's spike ball.
WHAM!
The ball went flying away and swung up into the air over the side of the Dreadnaught Saber.
THWAK!
Pearl managed to raise one of the iron plates on his arm and blocked Sanji's first kick.
"I'm the Iron Wall," Pearl taunted, "You can't hurt me!"
Suddenly, Krieg's morning star came flying over the edge of the ship and smashed into the main mast.
CRUNCH!
The mast snapped and fell forward… right on top of Pearl.
WHOMP!
Everyone stared in surprise as Pearl was driven down into the deck.
"Didn't see that coming," Sabo admitted.
"I… I'm bleeding…"
Pearl's armor had mostly protected him from the falling mast. But the impact had resulted in him banging his face into the plate on his arm. Now he had blood dripping out of his nose.
"PEARL! IT'S JUST A NOSE BLEED!" one of the Krieg Pirates tried to calm him down.
"YEAH! EVERYONE GETS THOSE! THEY'RE NOTHING!"
"THERE'S NO NEED TO GO WILD!"
"I'M IN DANGER!" Pearl shrieked as he started banging the plates on his arms together like cymbals. "DANGER! DANGER!"
FWOOOSH!
White flames suddenly ignited from Pearl's armor and covered his body. They quickly spread and formed a ring of fire around him.
"YOU CAN'T HURT ME NOW!" Pearl shouted. "YOU CAN'T EVEN TOUCH ME!"
SKISH!
Sanji jumped over the ring of fire and landed inside it right in front of Pearl.
"Don't be ridiculous," Sanji scolded him. "Who ever heard of a cook that's afraid of fire?"
"YOU… YOU… YOU'RE DANGEROUS!" Pearl hollered, "I'LL DESTROY YOU! I'LL—"
SLA-SLISH!
Pearl was cut off when a purple blade of what appeared to be air came down from overhead.
KRESH!
Pearl's invincible armor shattered and he stared down at his exposed body in surprise. "M-my armor..."
"PEARL!" the Krieg pirates that weren't gaping in shock suddenly shrieked.
"IMPOSSIBLE! THAT ARMOR CAN WITHSTAND ANYTHING!"
"How'd that get split?"
PLURT! Blood suddenly burst from a huge gash on Pearl chest. "AAAAAAHH!" The Krieg Pirates screamed in shock."Yeah... I should probably warn you guys," Sabo called out, "That armor didn't even stop that purple whatever-it-was. It went straight down into the deck. Your ship's about to split in half."
KREK-KREK-KREK!
The wooden deck under started to crack then it split opened.
KROOOOM!
The Dreadnaught Saber split in half and created a huge tidal wave as the two pieces began to sink.
Pearl had been unfortunate enough to be standing right where the split had formed and he dropped down through the hole, through the bisected ship and into the dark water underneath it.
Sploosh!
"WHAT'S GOING ON!?" Usopp shrieked as Krieg's galleon started to shake and sink.
"ABANDON SHIP!" Sabo called out. Usopp didn't need to be told twice, he led the away as the Straw Hats and Sanji felt the sinking galleon and returned to the Baratie.
"MY SHIP!" Krieg hollered as he hung onto the side of his last ship as it sunk into the water. "WHAT HAPPENED?"
"Hey guys!" Luffy called out as his crew joined him on the deck of the Baratie. "Did you do that?"
"No," Sabo admitted. He turned to look at Zoro and Snaji, "Did we?" They shook their heads. Sabo turned back to Luffy, "Nope. Wasn't us."
"I was just gonna say that we're getting really good at this ship-smashing-thing," Luffy said.
"ZORO-BRO! LUFFY-BRO!"
The Straw Hats turned to see Johnny and Yosaku come swimming towards them.
"What're you guys doing here?" Zoro asked. "Aren't you supposed to be watching the ship?"
"That's just it!" Yosaku exclaimed. "IT'S GONE!"
Sabo spun around and gave them a stare that could quiet a Sea King. "What was that?"
Everyone standing around Sabo inexplicably shivered at the cold chill in his voice.
"It was Nami!" Johnny told them. "She tricked us! She took the treasure and the ship and sailed off!"
"She… did what?" Luffy, Zoro, Usopp and Sanji all instinctively took a step away from Sabo as a most-likely imaginary dark blue aura started to flare around him.
The bounty hunters grabbed onto the edge of the Baratie.
"That thief took your ship and ran!" Johnny squeaked.
"She said it was just business," Yosaku added. "And that if you're truly meant to sail together that you'll meet again."
"Hey look!" Usopp pointed out. "I think I can still see the Merry!"
"NAAAMIIIII!" Sabo turned and screamed at the speck on the horizon.
He didn't notice Luffy as he lurched backwards or Zoro and Sanji as they staggered away from him or Usopp as he collapsed or Johnny and Yosaku as they fell off the Baratie just as they were climbing on.
He didn't see the ten cooks that suddenly tripped in the Baratie or Zeff as he coughed in surprise and headed for the front door, "I haven't felt rage like that since the Grand Line."
He definitely didn't notice the thirty pirates that suddenly fainted over on the remains of Krieg's ship.
"YOU'VE STOLEN FROM THE WRONG PIRATE! DON'T THINK FOR ONE SECOND THAT YOU CAN JUST KIDNAP MY GIRLFRIEND AND GET AWAY WITH IT! I'M COMING FOR YOU AND THERE'S GONNA BE HELL TO PAY!"
"Wow… so that's what rage tastes like," Sanji remarked.
"Sabo…" Luffy placed his hand on his brother's shoulder and the dark imaginary aura faded.
Sabo looked down at Johnny and Yosaku. "Get your ship. Now."
"YES SIR!" the bounty hunters shrieked and swam off again.
"This is what happens when we recruit a pirate thief onto our pirate crew!" Sabo snarled.
"I thought getting Nami as our navigator was your idea?" Luffy reminded him. "You met her first."
"WELL NOW I'M REGRETTING IT!" Sabo snapped.
"But maybe she had a reason for doing it?" Luffy suggested. "She's our Nakama."
"The fact that she just stole the Going Merry and kidnapped Bonnie says otherwise," Sabo said.
"SHE IS OUR NAKAMA!" Luffy insisted. "NAMI'S OUR NAVIGATOR AND NO ONE ELSE! SHE DESERVES A CHANCE TO EXPLAIN HERSELF!"
The two brothers stared at each other for a moment in what appeared to be a test of wills. But as usual, Luffy's will was unyielding.
"Fine," Sabo eventually conceded. "Once I chase her down, rescue Bonnie and recover the Merry then I'll give her a chance to explain."
"I… I'll come with you!" Usopp said as he stepped up behind Sabo, "Because I wanna help get the Merry and Bonnie back… not because I'm scared of the Krieg Pirates."
"So you're just going to abandon the restaurant then?" Sanji challenged him.
"The old man tore up the contract keeping us here," Sabo pointed out. "And I'm leaving to rescue someone that's very dear to my heart. Surely, you can understand that."
"Sabo and Usopp are the only ones leaving," Luffy told Sanji. "You've still got me and Zoro. The three of us will be enough to handle what's left of those pirates."
"I don't like it," Sanji admitted, "But fine. You two had better not get in my way."
"Here's our ship, Sa-bro!" Johnny called out as he and Yosaku returned with their boat and finally manged to climb onto the deck.
Sabo didn't waste any time and jumped on.
"Hee hee," Usopp chuckled as he followed him on. "Sabro..."
"Luffy, I'll trust you and Zoro to handle things here," Sabo said. "Don't forget to recruit Sanji as our Ship's Cook."
Sanji rolled his eyes but everyone ignored him.
"Right," Luffy agreed, "And you guys find Nami and recover Bonnie and the Going Merry."
"Then once we're all together again we'll head for the Grand Line," Usopp resolved.
Sabo and Usopp quickly sailed off on Johnny and Yosaku's skiff.
"Did any of you idiots stop to think about how you'd find them again?" Sanji inquired.
Luffy's eyes bugged out, "OH CRAP! We don't know where they're going!"
"How're we supposed to get our ship back?" Johnny wondered.
"We can't follow them now!" Yosaku realized.
"Speak for yourselves," Zoro said as he pulled out a wanted poster. "I'm not sure where she's heading but I'm pretty sure I know who she's going to."
"What's going on out here?" They all turned to see Zeff standing in the doorway.
"Geezer, half our new employees just split," Sanji stated.
"The deal was that Straw Hat would beat Krieg," Zeff pointed out. "If he can do that, I'll still hold up my end of the agreement."
"No problem," Luffy said. "I got my crew into this mess. I'll get us out of it."
"Good," Zeff replied, "But right now we've got more pressing matters to deal with. Your pirate pal inside told us about the man who sank their fleet. I'm pretty sure it was old 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk. And from the looks of things he was the one that split the galleon just now."
Zoro whirled around to face the Head Chef, "WHAT?"
Zeff pointed at a small boat that had appeared at the edge of the wreckage that had once been Krieg's Dreadnaught Saber. "It's him."
"CAPTAIN! IT'S HIM!" one of the Krieg pirates shrieked. "IT'S THE MAN WHO DESTROYED OUR FLEET! HE'S FOLLOWED US HERE FROM THE GRAND LINE! HE'S COME TO FINISH THE JOB AND KILL US ALL!"
"It… it's can't be… is that…" Zoro sputtered as he stared at the small coffin-shaped sail boat and its lone occupant.
"Is he the one that split the galleon?" Sanji asked. "I don't even see a weapon on him."
"His weapon's on his back," Zeff stated. "That's him alright, 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk, the Greatest Swordsman in the World."
"WAIT!" Luffy shouted in alarm, "SABO AND USOPP ARE HEADED RIGHT TOWARDS HIM!"
Usopp hid behind Sabo as they pulled even with Mihawk's tiny one-man coffin-shaped boat. It had a single black sail that was currently rolled up and a candle with a green flame at the front. The World's Greatest Swordsman was occupying the lone seat.
"Good day to you, sir," Sabo greeted the swordsman.
"…" Mihawk said nothing to acknowledge the greeting but he looked up which gave Sabo and Usopp a glimpse at his yellow hawk-like eyes that had previously been hidden underneath his fancy, feathered, wide-brimmed black hat.
"I take it you're the one that split the galleon," Sabo noted. Mihawk simply nodded. "And you're the one that downed their entire fleet back in the Grand Line?" Mihawk nodded again. "Good job." Sabo flashed Mihawk a thumbs up that the swordsman didn't even acknowledge. "We were actually on that ship negotiating with the crew when you cut it. This mook with iron plates for armor challenged us. He went on claiming that he was invincible and never spilled a single drop of blood in all the battles he's ever been in. Then the mast fell on him and he got a nosebleed. He started freaking out and nearly burned the ship down. But then your purple whatever-it-was flew down out of nowhere and cut through this armor like it was nothing! Hahaha! The entire crew nearly crapped themselves! It was priceless! You should've seen the looks on their faces! Then the ship split and we got the hell outta here."
"..." Mihawk still hadn't spoken but a smile had spread across his face at Sabo's amusing rendition of the unintended consequences of his actions.
"Did you actually sail all the way here from the Grand Line in that tiny boat?" Usopp spoke up.
Mihawk nodded.
"WHOA!" Usopp gasped. "THAT IS SO COOL! You must be really strong!"
"Yeah, bad-ass," Sabo agreed. "Well, we have no quarrel with you, sir, so we'll leave you to your business while we continue ours. Although I should warn you that my brother called dibs on Don Krieg. If you're here to finish what you started back in the Grand Line then by all means finish off the crew. But we've got some big stakes on our Captain beating the armored blowhard."
"..." Mihawk's eyes narrowed as he turned his full attention to the strange blonde that had presumed as much as to tell him what to do.
Sabo either didn't notice Mihawk's ire or chose to ignore it and gave the World's Greatest Swordsman a jaunty wave. "LATER!"
Mihawk's eyes remained locked on the skiff as it sailed passed him while he drew closer to the remains of Krieg's sinking ship.
"Who was that guy?" Usopp whispered to Sabo.
"Beats me," Sabo replied which caused Mihawk's yellow eyes to narrow in annoyance, "He's probably a swordsman from the Grand Line. I'm not really concerned with that sort of that stuff so it makes no difference to me."
Mihawk reached back to the jewel encrusted gold cross guard on his back but one of Krieg's men suddenly called out and interrupted him.
"YOU BASTARD! WHY DO YOU KEEP TORMENTING US!?"
Mihawk looked away from Sabo and Usopp and turned to the man and answered simply, "To kill time."
"YOU MONSTER!" the man hollered as he drew two pistols and opened fire.
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!
In one graceful motion, Mihawk drew the sword on his back. The katana blade was massive, nearly six feet long and was pitch black. The shower of bullets sailed harmlessly passed him.
"IT MISSED!"
"No… he deflected them," Zoro said as he stood on the edge of the deck behind the Krieg Pirates.
Mihawk looked back and saw that the brief distraction had given Sabo and Usopp enough time to get away. He decided to write the two ignorant pirates off as insignificant and turned his focus to the people that knew and feared him.
"The same thing would happen if you shot another hundred times," Zoro continued, "He deflected them all with just the tip of his sword. I've never seen such graceful movements."
"A sword without grace is just a metal bar," Mihawk remarked as drew near.
"And you used that same sword to cut the ship," Zoro noted.
"Of course," Mihawk acknowledged.
"Then it's true," Zoro realized, "You are the Greatest. I set sail just to find you…"
"What for?" Mihawk asked.
"To defeat you!" Zoro replied as he tied on his bandana and drew his three swords. "You said you're looking to kill time… then let's have a duel."
"Three swords…" a Krieg pirate gasped. "This guy really is the 'Pirate Hunter'!"
Mihawk climbed out of his one man boat onto one part of the deck of Krieg's mostly sunken galleon. Krieg and what remained of his crew were clustered together on the other half of the ship. The two decks resembled two platforms bobbing in the water and were now all that remained of the Dreadnaught Saber.
"Of course a weak fool like you would challenge me," Mihawk commented. "Any competent swordsman would realize the difference in our skill without even needing to cross swords. I must ask why you even bothered to challenge me? Does it come from courage or are you simply ignorant?"
"It comes from ambition," Zoro answered, "and a promise to a friend."
"I don't believe it! The World's Greatest Swordsman facing off against the Pirate Hunter!"
"Is that carpenter really fighting the World's Greatest Swordsman?" Patty asked as he and the other Baratie cooks came up behind Zeff to see what the commotion was about.
"It seems so," Zeff confirmed, "Kids these days. They have no patience."
"I never thought that I'd find you this soon," Zoro admitted.
"Still a waste of time if you ask me," Mihawk retorted.
"There's no way that guy can beat Zoro-bro!" Yosaku boasted as he and Johnny stood behind Luffy.
Mihawk removed the cross from his neck and pulled off the bottom to reveal a tiny dagger with a blade that was no bigger than his middle finger.
"What're you gonna do with that toy?" Zoro asked. "Open a letter."
"I like to be practical," Mihawk said. "I'd never hunt a rabbit with a cannon and I'd never use my real sword to defeat a pest like you. You may have a reputation here in the East Blue. But this is the weakest of the world's oceans. This toy will be more than enough to dispatch you."
"You're gonna choke on those words," Zoro warned him as he charged. "CAUSE I'M ABOUT TO RAM THEM DOWN YOUR THROAT!"
"You're just a tiny frog in a pond," Mihawk scoffed, "You have no idea how big the world really is."
"ONI GIRI!"
Mihawk raised his dagger and jabbed it forward to meet Zoro's three swords.
KLANG!
"No way!" Zoro gasped as his eyes widened in shock when he saw Mihawk holding all three of his swords at bay with just the tip of his tiny dagger.
"ZORO!" Luffy exclaimed.
"That was Zoro-bro's Oni Giri attack!" Johnny realized.
"That move never fails!" Yosaku cried out in alarm.
"I can't move forward even an inch!" Zoro realized. "That attack's never been stopped before but he did it with that toothpick! WE CAN'T BE THIS FAR APART!" "RAAAAH!"
Zoro lashed out wildly with all three of his swords but Mihawk casually batted them aside with dagger.
Klang-klang-klink-KLANG!
Kuina flashed in front of Zoro's eyes as he continued his unrelenting but ineffective assault. "I didn't train all this time just to lose to some stupid toy! I TRAINED TO WIN! I TRAINED TO BEAT THIS MAN!"
"Such ferocity," Mihawk observed, "What could a weakling like you be fighting so hard to accomplish?"
"TAKE THAT BACK!" Johnny roared.
"ZORO-BRO'S NOT WEAK!" Yosaku shouted.
The bounty hunter duo made to leap off Baratie deck to help Zoro but Luffy held them back.
"Stay out of Zoro's duel," Luffy ordered them with a grim expression.
Zoro wound up for a big swing but Mihawk easily side-stepped it.
THUMP!
Zoro tumbled passed MIhawk but quickly sprang back up.
"TORA GARI!" Zoro lunged at Mihawk looking to use the technique that had put down the Nyabans.
Mihawk once again jabbed his dagger forward to meet one of Zoro's techniques. But this time it went straight through Zoro's swords, straight through Zoro's guard and straight into his chest.
CHUNK!
"BRO!" Johnny and Yosaku cried out as they saw him hanging off of Mihawk's dagger.
"…" Mihawk stared silently at Zoro as he continued to hang off of his dagger. His upstart opponent showed absolutely no sign of retreating even though a dagger was buried three inches into his chest. "Do you want me to cut your heart out? Why don't you step back?"
"I… to be honest… I don't even know…" Zoro confessed, "But I get this feeling that if I step back now… if I retreat for even an instant… everything that I've fought for will be for nothing and I'll lose an important part of myself in doing so."
"Yes, that's called defeat," Mihawk informed him.
"Then that's exactly why I can't step back," Zoro told him.
"Even if it means you'll die?" Mihawk asked.
"I prefer death to defeat," Zoro replied.
Mihawk blinked then pulled his dagger back. "Boy, speak your name."
"Roronoa Zoro."
"I'll remember it," Mihawk assured him, "It's been a long time since I've seen resolve as strong as yours." Mihawk put his dagger away then reached behind him and drew his black sword. "As a swordsman's courtesy I'll end this duel using my black sword… the Strongest Sword in the World."
"Mihawk must think that kid's something special," Zeff remarked. "He's not toying with him anymore. He's treating him like a worthy opponent."
"So this is how it ends…" Zoro thought to himself as he held his swords out in front of him and started to spin them. "One last attack. I'll either become the World's Greatest Swordsman… or I'll die."
"FALL!" Mihawk shouted as he charged at Zoro with his massive black sword ready.
"Santoryu Ougi…" Zoro intoned. An all-or-nothing attack called for his secret technique. "SANZEN SEKAI!"
KRESH!
Mihawk met Zoro's attack head on and cut straight through Zoro's swords into his chest.
"I lost… I'm no match for him…" Zoro realized. "So this is the strength of the World's Greatest."
The defeat stung but Zoro wouldn't allow that to tarnish his pride. He stood back up and turned to face Mihawk with his arms out.
"What are you…" Mihawk started to ask.
"Wounds on the back are a swordsman's shame."
Mihawk smiled widely. "Magnificent."
SLASH!
"ZOOOOOROOOOOOO!" Luffy screamed as he watched his swordsman get cut down.
"Don't be so quick to rush to death, young one," Mihawk whispered as Zoro dropped off the deck into the water.
"BRO!" Johnny and Yosaku cried out as they dove into the water to save him.
"Even the Pirate Hunter was no match for a monster from the Grand Line!" a Krieg Pirate exclaimed.
Sanji scowled, "IT'S EASY! JUST THROW AWAY YOUR STUPID DREAM!"
"DAAAAMN YOOOOOOUUU!" Luffy hollered as he shot his rubber arm at Mihawk. The swordsman easily evaded it but Luffy used the missed attack to grab onto the railing behind him.
WOING!
Luffy rocketed towards Mihawk with his fist drawn back.
"He's using those freakish Devil Fruit Powers again!" Krieg growled.
SWISH!
Mihawk easily avoided Luffy's telegraphed and Luffy crashed head-first through the railing of the deck.
"You must be his comrade," Mihawk noted as he looked back at Luffy, "You did well to allow him to fight his own battle. Don't worry. I left him alive."
"BRO! SPEAK TO US!" Johnny and Yosaku broke the surface with Zoro and his sole remaining sword.
Patty and Carne rushed forward and helped the two bounty hunters pulled Zoro up onto the fin deck of the Baratie.
"UUGGHH!" Zoro took a wheezing gasp of breath, proving to everyone that he was still alive.
Mihawk turned and called out to Zoro, "My name is Dracule Mihawk. It is too soon for you to die, young warrior. You're strong but you still have a lot to learn. See the world, grow stronger, Roronoa. I don't care how long it takes, I will stand here at the top of the world and wait for you. Forge ahead and grow stronger then, when you're ready, SEEK ME OUT! STRIVE TO SURPASS ME, RORONOA!"
"Zoro-bro! Speak to us!" Yosaku pleaded.
"Not just anyone can earn the respect of Hawk Eye Mihawk," Zeff remarked.
Mihawk turned to Luffy, "You, boy, what do you seek?"
"To be King of the Pirates."
Mihawk grinned, "That will be hard to accomplish. Even harder than beating me."
"That doesn't matter!" Luffy snapped, "I'm gonna do it anyway!"
"So you will," Mihawk remarked.
"SANJI! Is Zoro alive?"
The cook looked down where Johnny, Yosaku, Patty and Carne were crowded around Zoro.
"Looks like it," Sanji confirmed, "But there's blood everywhere."
Sanji watched as Zoro reached up with one of his hands and seemingly grabbed for something. He looked down and spotted Zoro's remaining sword and handed it to the defeated swordsman.
Zoro took Wado Ichimonji and raised it up into the air. "L-Luffy…" Zoro groaned. "Can you hear me?"
"Yeah," Luffy answered him.
"Sorry to disappoint you…" Zoro apologized. "I know… that you expect only the Greatest Swordsman in the World on your crew… I let you down… forgive me…"
"Bro, stop talking," Johnny urged him.
"NEVER AGAIN!" Zoro shouted. "I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN! FROM NOW UNTIL I BEAT THAT MAN TO BECOME THE WORLD'S GREATEST SWORDSMAN! I SWEAR TO NEVER LOSE AGAIN! ANY PROBLEM WITH THAT, KING OF THE PIRATES?"
"Shishishi," Luffy laughed, "Nope."
"They make a good team," Mihawk remarked as he turned to leave. "Maybe I'll see you again sometime in the future."
"Hey Hawk Eye!" Don Krieg called out. "Didn't you come here for my head? The head of the infamous 'Pirate Admiral' Don Krieg?"
"That was originally my plan, yes," Mihawk replied, "But I've had enough fun." Mihawk's mind flashed back to an annoying blonde. "And I believe someone else has already claimed your head. Now I think I'll return to my nap."
"You bastard!" Krieg growled. "You may have had your fun but I sure haven't!"
"DON KRIEG!" one of Krieg's men cried. "If that man wants to leave… LET HIM!"
"NOW DIE!" Krieg yelled as he unveiled the gun barrels on his armor and opened fire on Mihawk.
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM!
"You never learn," Mihawk commented as he waved his sword and deflected the blasts. "Farewell."
SPLASH!
Don Krieg's missed shots hit the water and caused a huge explosion of water that hit Mihawk from view. But when it finally cleared… the World Greatest Swordsman had vanished.
"DAMN HIM!" Krieg growled then turned to his remaining men. "LISTEN UP! WE JUST LOST OUR LAST SHIP! SO WE'RER GOING TO ATTACK THAT RESTAURANT AND CLAIM IT AS OUR NEW ONE! No one will ever take that ship seriously! It'll be even better than flying the white flag! Once we have that ship, we can reform the fleet and return to the Grand Line!"
"Re-return?" one of Krieg's men stammered.
"You mean those guys were telling the truth?"
"You really want to go back there after what just happened?"
"Do we really have to attack the restaurant?
"Those guys saved all of our lives!"
"I don't wanna go back to the Grand Line!"
BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!
Ten pirates dropped to the deck. Some hadn't even protested but had been unfortunate enough to be standing with the group of objectors.
"ANYONE ELSE DISAGREE?" Krieg demanded.
"N-no sir!" Krieg's terrified crew stammered.
"That rubber freak has Devil Fruit Powers," Krieg stated, "I bet Hawk Eye does too. The Grand Line is full of Devil Fruit Powered freaks like them. 'Red Leg' Zeff spent a year in the Grand Line. He probably found some method of dealing with those freaks. The secret to surviving the Grand Line lies in that old man's log book. ALL THAT'S STANDING IN OUR WAY OF CONQUERING THE GRAND LINE IS A RUBBER PEST AND SOME COOKS! ARE YOU GOING TO LET THEM STOP YOU?"
"NO SIR!"
"ALL HAIL DON KRIEG!"
"You two, get that kid to the back deck," Zeff ordered Johnny and Yoskau. "Patty, Carne, go with them and try to treat his injuries."
"What? Head Chef! You can't afford to send away your two toughest fighters!" Patty protested.
"Please," Sanji scoffed, "You two clowns, our best fighters?" He motioned to himself and Luffy. "The best fighters here are me and the Chore Boy."
"If the Chore Boy wants me to let him and his friends go," Zeff said, "He's gotta earn it."
"Yes, Chef," Carne reluctantly agreed.
Johnny, Yosaku, Patty and Carne lifted Zoro up off the deck.
"DON'T SCREW THIS UP, SANJI!" Patty shouted as they carried Zoro into the dining room to the back deck.
"And here come the scavengers," Sanji noted as he eyed Krieg and his crew. He looked over at Luffy, "You up for this?"
"Those guys, no problem," Luffy assured him. "Actually... I'm not so good at counting but that doesn't look like a hundred pirates."
"It's less than sixty," Zeff informed him. "But they don't matter. I'll only let you go if you beat Don Krieg,"
"Right," Luffy said, "You got it, old man!"
"For a bunch of pirates they really weren't so bad," Nami remarked. "Maybe… after everything's over… maybe they'll let me sail with them again." Tears welled up in Nami's eyes. "I can't wait to be free… Bellemere…"
Nami looked back behind her at the friends she'd left behind and the shrunken speck that the Baratie had become. "Wait a minute..." Nami wiped the tears from her eyes and squinted at a tiny speck that she'd just noticed in between her and the restaurant.
Nami dashed across the Merry to the rear deck and pulled out a telescope. With it she was able to make out Johnny and Yosaku's small skiff as well as the two pirates that were on it. "Sabo and Usopp? They shouldn't be coming after me yet. They were supposed to be distracted by the battle. Why would they be..."
Nami trailed off when she was struck by a horrifying thought.
"Bonnie wasn't feeling well today," Sabo told her. "I bought her back here so she can have a lie in."
"No…" Nami gasped as she felt a sudden wave of dread. She ran down to the main deck and pulled open the flap to the men's quarters.
"No no no no no!" Nami chanted to herself as she climbed down the ladder into the room.
She stopped and stared in horror at Sabo's bunk and the rifle that was occupying it. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Yup, Sabo jumped the gun. (Gun Pun intended!) Now Zoro is still with Luffy and Sanji while Sabo and Usopp are going to be alone in dealing with the fishmen. I'll finish off the Baratie Arc next chapter then you can expect some big changes to the Arlong Park Arc.
Silver signing off