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One Piece - Freedom

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East Blue Arc

Chapter 9 : Determination! Death Is Just An Excuse To Run Away!

0o0o0 Northern East Blue - Baratie 0o0o0

"It's massive!" Ussop stared up in horror at the massive galleon that seemed to eclipse the Baratie.

"It can't be! Has he really come back!?" Johnny exclaimed as he looked at the Jolly Roger that adorned the tattered sails. A skull with two hour glasses between the crossed bones told the bounty hunter just whose galleon he was staring at.

"If even he can't last in the Grand Line, who can?" Yosaku questioned in disbelief.

"Hmm… was this your prey, Mihawk?" Luffy asked as he looked at the damaged ship, which seemed to be just barely afloat, making note of the perfectly slashed cuts that littered the hull. A shadowed movement caught Luffy's eye. "Johnny, Yosaku, arm yourselves and guard the infirmary. Don't let anyone near it until I give the all clear. I don't think they're here for a bite to eat."

"Er… right, let's go Yosaku!" Johnny rushed back to the Going Merry where his and Yosaku's swords were stowed.

"Right!" Yosaku took off after his partner.

"You really think we need to fight?" Ussop asked, unsure of the situation. "This day just keeps getting worse! Of all the pirates to show up now… they say Don Krieg is the undisputed ruler of East Blue! Can Luffy really fight a guy like that? I know he has his devil fruit but… is it enough?"

"Ussop." Luffy's call snapped the marksman out of his stupor. "You're the son of the greatest sniper in all the world. You're going to be the head gunner to the future King of the Pirates! There's no need to fear the head of a snake that already had its body cut off. Two of our crew are depending on you to protect them. Most importantly… I believe in you."

Ussop gasped as Luffy's words sunk in. "Does he really have that much faith in me already? I know he forced the Black Cat pirates to go easy on me… can I really fight real pirates on my own?"

"Remember your promise to Kaya, it's too early to die now." Luffy then turned and left, heading for the main entrance of the Baratie.

"My… promise?"

"No matter how long it takes, no matter where I go, I promise that I'm going to come back and tell you about every adventure we go on. And every bit of it will be nothing but the truth."

The creaking of the massive ship coming to a halt snapped Ussop out of his thoughts and back to the situation at hand. "Why the hell did I agree to this journey? W-wait for me Luffy!" Ussop turned and ran after his captain.

Rushing his way through the Baratie, back to the main dining hall, Ussop ran right into the brick wall otherwise known as Luffy's back, crushing his nose in the process.

Paying no heed to the gunner rolling on the ground in agony behind him, Luffy took in the sight of the Baratie's chefs standing off against two weary looking men, one in grey clothing with a grey and blue bandana that covered his forehead, the other in a dark overcoat with a multitude of bandages covering his body. The thick gold infused armor that lay underneath his shirt didn't escape Luffy's notice as it reflected the lights of the dining hall. "They both look ready to keel over and die. Though I think anyone would if a Warlord was pursuing you."

"Water… food… anything. We have money… tons of money… I can't even recall the last time I ate. Please… give me some water and food…" The man in armor pleaded, being held up by the other man whose face grimaced in shame.

The chefs all began to murmur amongst themselves, not expecting to see the mighty Don Krieg so demur and defeated.

"Is that really him? The guy that conquered the East Blue?"

"What the hell happened to them on the Grand Line?"

"He shows neither dignity nor force. Is he really that Don Krieg, Commodore of the grand pirate fleet?" Patty pondered as he took in Krieg's appearance.

Luffy's eye caught a slight movement from the side of the room, and saw Sanji casually making his way into the kitchen. His attention was brought back to Don Krieg who suddenly fell to the floor in exhaustion.

"Don Krieg!" the man who'd been helping him cried out. Swallowing his pride he addressed the chefs. "Please! We're not here to fight! Can't you see he's starving! We're all starving! We barely have the energy to sit up, let alone stand! All of us will die if we don't eat soon! Please, at the very least, feed the captain! Together we can make for an island and find food for the others! Just please don't let him die like this!"

The man stared into the uncaring and untrusting eyes of the chefs, and despair began to settle in.

"Dwuhahahaha! This is good! It's a riot to see the infamous rogue Don Krieg like this!" Patty boasted, unmoved by the man's plea.

"We have money! We're customers! Bring us food and you'll all be rich enough to be kings!" The man argued. "Wasn't that the reason you refused to serve me last time!"

"Money you say? Don't be ridiculous! Do you not realize the terror that guy at your feet has brought upon the entire East Blue? Oi, one of you contact the Navy right away! They'll never get a better opportunity than this!"

"What!?" The man couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"There's no need to feed him a single scrap of day-old bread! He's at his absolute weakest right now, we should be able to keep him under arrest until the Navy comes."

"He's right! We don't know what that guy will do once he's got his energy back," one of the chefs agreed. "I bet he'll attack this restaurant straight away."

"That guy destroyed whole towns from what I've heard, no way am I feeding him."

"This is what he gets for everything he's done!"

"I won't do anything…" Krieg spoke up, as he pushed himself to his hands and knees. "I… won't do… anything. Once I eat, I promise I'll leave quietly." He then promptly bowed to the chefs. "So please, help me."

"Don Krieg, please stop! A man like you shouldn't beg! Please don't do something so disgraceful!" Krieg's underling begged, shame filling him as he witnessed his captain's lowest moment.

"Anything… please… I'll take leftovers… even your spoiled goods… anything…"

Luffy heard the kitchen door open, but kept his eyes on the pleading pirate.

"Ha! Are you trying to gain our symp-" Patty's face became indented with a black shoe, as he flew back and hit the brick spiral staircase that led to the second floor.

"Don't stand in the way when I'm serving food," Sanji grumbled as he made his way to the two pirates.

"Wha- Sanji!" Carne stared in disbelief at the sous chef's actions.

"What is he doing!?"

"Somebody stop him!"

"S-Sanji…" Krieg's crewmate couldn't help the overwhelming feeling of gratitude.

"Here, Gin. Let him eat it." Sanji placed a bowl of fried rice and a jug of water before the two pirates.

"Sanji…" Gin just continued to stare at the cook, unable to understand the other man, as Don Krieg began to shovel the hot meal into his mouth.

"Thank you…" was all Krieg managed in between mouthfuls.

Carne ran forward, shoving his fellow chefs out of the way, pointing accusingly at Sanji. "Sanji! Take that food away right now! Do you realize what kind of man he is!? He's the man who's called the East Blue Ruler, the foul player Krieg! It started in a prison. He pretended to be a marine soldier and took over a Navy ship by killing a senior officer on the ship. That's how he declared himself a pirate. He sometimes raised the Navy flag and entered into harbors in order to attack the town and passenger ships. He also raised a white flag and then attacked enemy ships. He did anything to continue winning. That's how he got to where he is now!"

"So he plays dirty…" Luffy noted as he continued to watch the other pirate eat, unimpressed.

"His real strength is overwhelming as well. Leaving after eating? That's not an option with him! We can't let that man live! For society's sake, just let him starve to death!"

Krieg had moved on to the jug of water and began gulping it down in a frenzy. Finishing it off he slammed it down before jumping to his feet. "GWUAH!"

Sanji barely had time to react as he was closed lined by the pirate and slammed onto his back.

Gin's eyes widened as he watched his Don attack the one man willing to help them.

Krieg snarled at the blond chef, uncaring for the empathy given to him.

"Damnit!" Carne cried out, helpless to help his sous chef.

Snapping out of his stupor, Gin addressed Krieg. "This isn't what we agreed on Don Krieg! I brought you here under the condition that you wouldn't touch this restaurant! That man helped us when no one else would-" Gin cried out in agony as Krieg roughly grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet.

"Yeah, that was delicious," Krieg then squeezed Gin's shoulder until a cracking noise resounded throughout the restaurant. "I feel alive again." He then threw his underling down on the ground.

The chefs all stared in fear as what they feared the most unfolded before their very eyes.

Krieg looked around the dining hall with an almost crazed expression before grinning to himself. "This is a good restaurant. I'll be taking this ship."

Sanji struggled to lean up, blood dripping off his chin. "So… that's what you want."

"My ship has been reduced to a wreck, I'm in need of a new one. You'll get off this ship after you take care of what I tell you to do."

Gin clutched his shoulder in agony. "Don… this isn't what you promised."

Krieg ignored him before he thumbed back at the entrance to the restaurant. "I have about 100 of my underlings still alive on my ship. They're weak with hunger and severe injuries. You'll first prepare 100 meals and water for them. I'm sure as we speak a number have died of starvation. Bring them here immediately."

"Are you telling us to revive your pirates for you…" Carne couldn't help the angry outburst. "Just for you to turn on us!? We refuse!"

"Refuse?" Krieg's grin turned into a frown. "You seem to have the wrong impression. I'm not placing an order. I'm giving you orders. It doesn't matter who you are, no one defies me!"

All of the chefs shifted uncomfortably under the angry gaze of Krieg.

"Sanji…" the blond cook barely heard his name before looking over at Gin. "Sanji… I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen…"

"What happened, oh my head, eh… no. Sanji what the hell did you do!" Patty woozily stood up, his eyes widening at the sight of a revitalized Don Krieg.

Sanji said nothing as he struggled to his feet, before he turned on his heels and made for the kitchens.

"Sanji! Where do you think you're going!?" Patty pressed, getting the blond to stop.

Sanji looked at the chef, wiping the blood from his mouth. "To the kitchen. I have a hundred meals to prepare."

"What!?" All of the chefs shouted in unison, not believing what they were hearing.

Luffy continued to watch the scene playout, his hat shadowing his eyes.

Krieg couldn't help but smile. "That's the way it should be." He almost felt mirthful at the sight of the chefs pulling out hidden pistols and pointing them at the blond chef.

"Are you Krieg's spy, Sanji!?" One of the chefs demanded.

"We're not letting you into the kitchen!"

"We're done with your crazy behavior!"

Sanji looked at all of them before he spread his arms out. "Do it."

The action took them by surprise.

"If you want to stop me, then do it! You think I don't know that he's a piece of shit? I know that much… But that doesn't matter to me. It doesn't matter at all. What happens after we feed them… that's too much of a bother to think about. I'm a cook. No more. No less. If someone's hungry, I'll feed them. That's all. It's fine for a cook to be that way, don't you think?"

The cooks all hesitated, their pistols feeling immensely heavy in their hands.

Sanji suddenly lurched forward onto the ground as he was struck from behind.

"The hell with that! Somebody restrain him!" Patty ordered, before addressing the downed cook. "Sanji, you sometimes feed customers I drive away at the back door. I'm not going to say who's right or who's wrong, but this time, it's your mistake. I'm not going to stand by and let you do as you please this time." Patty then strutted over to a cupboard located under the spiral staircase where he proceeded to pull out a cannon that looked like a shellfish. "I'll protect this restaurant. Fortunately, we only have one enemy to fight. Even if it's Don Krieg, what can he do against all of us? This is a sea restaurant where pirates come and go every day. We're fully prepared to serve any kind of customer!"

"That's…" Sanji watched Patty aim the cannon at Krieg.

"Are you full now, Don Krieg? How about for dessert you have iron!?" Patty fired the cannon without warning.

Krieg had no time to dodge as the cannon ball landed squarely in the middle of his chest and exploded.

The hall filled with smoke as the ship was rocked from the proceeding explosion.

"Don!" Gin called out, blown away from where he was laying.

As the smoke cleared and the dust began to settle, Patty raised the cannon in triumph. "I might've broken the doors. Owner's gonna yell at me again."

"You did it to protect the restaurant. It's a small price to pay," Carne assured.

"And what're you gonna do about those on the ship? Shoot them as well?" Sanji asked, annoyed at Patty's reckless action.

"Who knows? Maybe we'll spread butter on the ship and stir-fry it." Patty almost chuckled, knowing the starving pirates on Krieg's ship wouldn't be able to protect themselves.

"That's not enough…" Luffy mumbled to himself.

"Huh? What's not enough?" Ussop asked, having stayed hidden behind Luffy thus far, not wanting to garner the attention of Don Krieg.

"That'll taste better than this, right? You damn cook!" Krieg's voice resounded throughout the restaurant, becoming visible again, an angry expression on his face.

"No way…" Patty couldn't believe what he was seeing.

His shirt blown away, Krieg stood completely unharmed, his golden armor having protected him from the explosion. Now visible were dual shoulder pads and golden arm bracers. "You should've let that blondie do as I ordered! Now you all have to pay!" The shoulder pads opened up to reveal hidden guns on Krieg's shoulders, the armor plates on his waist also pulled back to reveal more guns, and he drew two pistols from his coat.

The cooks stood no chance as Krieg opened fire.

Bullets and blood filled the air as the cooks were all shot mercilessly.

Krieg closed his plates, hiding his hidden guns once again, as he announced himself. "I'm Don Krieg! Anyone that defies me, dies! I'm the strongest! Steel arms that are stronger than anyone's! A wootz steel-made body that is harder than anyone's! I have all sorts of built-in weapons throughout my body! A 50 ship fleet of 5000 men! I've won all battles in the past! I am a man fit to be called Don! When I tell you to prepare food all you have to do is obediently follow orders! Don't defy me!"

SLAM

The restaurant fell silent as a massive bag was placed in front of Krieg.

"That should be roughly 100 meals. Take it to your ship and feed your men." Zeff stood before Krieg, his brow furrowed in irritation.

"Owner Zeff!" The cooks that were able to called out, shocked that Zeff would do such a ridiculous thing.

"So that's your decision…" Luffy continued to watch as he dropped the few stray bullets that flew at him and Ussop.

"Z-Zeff?" Krieg couldn't help the shiver of fear that ran down his spine, for however brief it was.

Not saying a word Zeff turned and hobbled away.

"Owner… how could you?"

"What are you thinking Owner!? If we revive his men, they'll be able to completely take over this ship!"

Zeff stopped abruptly, "If they have the will to fight, that is. Right, defeated warrior of the Grand Line?" Zeff turned and looked at Krieg accusingly.

Krieg merely had a dumbfounded look on his face.

"He's… a defeated warrior of the Grand Line?" The cooks all looked at Krieg with a confused look.

"Then… even the ruler of the East Blue couldn't tame that wild sea?" Carne questioned, genuinely shocked at the revelation. "Even with a fleet of 50 ships…"

"You… you must be Red Leg Zeff!" Krieg shouted, confident the man before him was the once legendary Red Leg Zeff. "So you're alive after all… the infamous pirate cook that was second to none!"

"So what if I'm alive? It's got nothing to do with you. All I am now is a cook." Zeff waved off his former moniker, not caring to hear it.

"Heh hahahaha! Put that way, it almost sounds nice. All you are is a cook now… more like all you can be is a cook!" Krieg pointed out Zeff's peg leg. "Red Leg Zeff was a master of kicks who never used his hands in battle. I heard that his strong legs could crush bedrock and leave footprints in steel. And Red Leg referred to your boots, which would be covered in the blood from your victims. However you no longer have that precious leg anymore. The rumors were vicious over that accident at sea. I wouldn't be surprised if you're now unable to fight, after losing one of your legs."

"So what if I can't fight? I can cook just fine so long as I have these hands. What're you trying to say? Just come right out and say it!"

"Heh. Red Leg Zeff. You're the man that once entered the Grand Line and came back unhurt. There should be a logbook with the full year of your journey chronicled in it. You're going to give me that log!" Krieg demanded, pounding his chest with his right arm to emphasize his point as his armor reverberated throughout the hall.

"The owner's been to the Grand Line!" Ussop said in awe from behind Luffy, who was still silently letting Zeff handle the situation.

"My logbook, huh? Indeed, I have it with me. But I'm not going to give it to you. That logbook is the pride of all the crewmen that I traveled with. It's too precious to give to you, it'd be nothing but a waste in your hands," Zeff said defiantly.

"Then I'll take it by force!" Krieg clasped his fist in the air, pissed at Zeff's defiance. "It's true that I disgracefully ran from the Grand Line. Regardless, I'm still Don Krieg, the strongest man to ever sail! I had the power, the forces, as well as ambition to cross that sea! The only regrettable thing I lacked was information. I just simply didn't know things about that sea and that's it. I'll take that logbook and learn what I didn't know, and from that information I'll rebuild my fleet and become the man that seizes the One Piece! And then at last I'll stand on top in this Great Pira- GUAH!" Krieg's eyes bulged out of his eye sockets as pain emanated from his abdomen.

He didn't even get the chance to comprehend what just hit him before he was sent flying out of the dining hall, skidding across the still deployed Fin Deck and then finally crashing into the ocean of the East Blue.

"Mah… I didn't think I'd send him that far." Luffy, now standing where Krieg had been, smiled as he righted himself out of the fighting stance he'd flashed into existence with. "You'd think he'd be prepared for such a slow attack like that if he's going to seize One Piece… not that it matters. I'm the man that's going to find One Piece."

Silence fell over the main hall as all of the chef's looked at Luffy in awe.

"He… He sent Don Krieg flying with a single punch."

"I didn't even see him move…"

"Just who is that kid anyway?" Patty pondered aloud, just now realizing how much Zeff had gone out of his way for the boy wearing the straw hat.

"You don't know Patty?"

"Oh yeah, that was just before you and Carne were hired on."

"Man that was one hell of a party, oi, chore boy, tell those Red-Hair pirates to come by again! I haven't partied like that since!"

"Red-Hair pirates…?" Both Carne and Patty looked at each other in confusion.

"Hmmph, it would behoove you two to pay more attention to the news. Three years ago a big pirate group from the Grand Line took a holiday here in the East Blue. The Baratie was one of their stops to celebrate one of their crew's birthdays. The kid that just sent the supposed ruler of East Blue flying out of my restaurant, was a pirate apprentice to that group. What's even more shocking is that six months later, that same pirate group got caught up in a big incident involving the World Government and one of the pirate emperors, Kaidou," Zeff explained to the ignorant chefs. "Out of that incident the balance of power in the world shifted as the leader of that pirate crew was declared the fourth pirate emperor for his intervention, and the Yonkou were born. Out of the numerous things to happen following that incident, what no one expected to happen, was a bounty of $250,000,000 bellis was given to a 15 year old boy, the pirate apprentice turned commander of the Red-Hair pirates."

The eyes of all the chefs bulged at the revelation of how much the smirking teen in front them was worth. Sanji had stopped trying to light a fresh cigarette as he looked at Luffy. "Chore boy's worth how much!?"

"You need to update your info, Big-Hat Owner, I don't sail for Shanks anymore! After all, I can't become King of the Pirates if I'm tied to an emperor! Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed, "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Captain of the Straw-hat Pirates!"

"Don't screw with me!" Gin suddenly yelled out as he shakily stood up. "How? How can a kid like you blow away Don Krieg like that? Worth $250,000,000 bellis? For a teenager!? Not even the Don is worth that much and he's pillaged, plundered, and killed his way across the East Blue for over ten years! And you expect me to believe a kid like you has sailed in that graveyard? We were there for seven days before the mighty Krieg Fleet was completely destroyed!"

"S-seven days?" Carne resigned himself to just being overwhelmed with shocking information as he let his brain accept that a fleet of 50 ships could be destroyed in such a short amount of time.

"It had to be a fleet of the same size or even bigger to have taken on so many ships at once. Perhaps the marines couldn't ignore such a big show of force from pirates or something?" Patty tried to reason as he too tried to comprehend how fast the Krieg fleet had been destroyed.

"It was a single man right?" Gin's eyes became haunted at the question as he looked up at Luffy, and couldn't help but feel like he was looking in a mirror. The boy was smiling, but there was an air about him, Gin couldn't quite describe it, but it was familiar. A sense of dread and fear, the look of a man that had been defeated. It was the same feeling he got from his remaining crew, and even the Don. "He's, he's really been to the Grand Line… and yet he still has a silly dream like the One Piece and being King of the Pirates?"

Gin gulped as he confirmed the question. "Yeah. It was a single swordsman. It took us a while to figure it out, but all of our ships, one by one, were being sunk by one man. It didn't matter how many cannons were fired or pistols shot at him, nothing we did slowed him down for even a moment. If not for the storm that had suddenly hit… it doesn't matter. We were no match for that man. But that happened on the 7th day. From the moment we entered the Grand Line all our navigating equipment stopped working, we kept getting turned around even when we were going in a straight line, and the weather would change at the drop of hat! That sea is cursed! If you've really been to that graveyard kid, I would think you'd know better than to ever return there!"

The hall once again fell silent over Gin's revelation of how treacherous the Grand Line is. That is until Luffy's laughter shattered the silence.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Oi! What's so funny!? Our misfortunes are not something to laugh about! If not for my state I'd kill you right now! We weren't supposed to be swallowed up by that sea! We had everything needed to conquer it! If only we'd known… we'd have never set foot in that cursed place!" Gin clutched his head as the traumas he'd suffered through replayed in his mind.

Luffy struggled to contain his laughter, taking a moment to recompose himself. "Sorry, sorry! It's just I find it funny that out of 50 ships and what was it? 3000 men or something? Not a single one of you bothered to learn anything about the Grand Line before going? What are you guys, stupid or something? It isn't cursed, you just can't sail it like you do in the Blues. Geez and to think the Navy would send Mihawk after a fleet that was doomed from the start."

"What… did you just say?" Gin felt the world shrink around him.

"I said, the Navy sent one man to destroy your entire fleet. The world's greatest swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, who all work for the Navy. If you hadn't brought so many pirates with you, the Navy probably would've let you be, and you probably would've found an island that could've told you about logposes and how to correctly sail the Grand Line without getting lost the entire time. But I am curious… what's your next excuse Don Krieg?" Luffy turned his attention back to the main entrance to see a huffing and dripping wet Don Krieg, rage in his eyes.

"Boy… if you want to live past the next 10 seconds you'll start telling me everything you know about the Grand Line right now," Krieg ground out as he pulled out his pistols and opened up his armor to reveal his hidden guns and aimed them all at Luffy.

"And I'll give you 10 seconds to put those away before I kick your ass from here to the New World. As of now, you're still theirs to deal with," Luffy thumbed at Zeff and the cooks, "Not mine. But piss me off and I won't apologize for taking over."

"Insolent brat! You think this is some game!? It's true that 5000 men were wiped out in a single week in that devilish sea! But I'll return there and finish what I started! Once I have the necessary information and this restaurant ship nothing will stop me! I'm a real pirate not a kid spreading false rumors so he can play pirate! Now die!" Krieg began to unload his arsenal of lead into Luffy, who made no attempt to dodge any of the bullets being fired at him.

"Chore boy!" The chefs watched in horror as Luffy was shot to death.

"Luffy!" Ussop cried out from his hiding place.

"What are you doing chore boy? What's the point of dying here?" Sanji threw his cigarette to the side as he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Damnit! At least try to dodge!"

Krieg continued to fire until his guns had no ammo that didn't mean he wasn't still trying to fire his guns.

Because still standing, as if the numerous shots fired into his body had no effect, before him was the smirking teen. "That it?"

"What the hell are you?" Krieg asked, still pulling the triggers of his pistols to no effect.

Luffy couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from him, "Shishi, I'm a real pirate, not some coward that has to hide behind armor and an armada too weak to take on one man."

"Bastard! If guns won't work then-" Krieg was cut off as the large sack of food was sent flying at him. Forced to catch it, Krieg looked over to see Zeff lowering his peg leg.

"You've wasted enough time already! Take the food and feed your men!" Zeff gruffed out, "You can finish your spitting match after that."

"Owner!" the chefs cried out incredulously.

"Heh, don't think I won't. This is your one chance to jump ship now, anyone that's still on this ship when my men come will be given no quarter. Except you boy. We'll settle our dispute about who the real pirate is over your corpse." Krieg threw the bag of food over his shoulder and stormed out of the main hall and back to his barely floating galleon.

"I'll be waiting," Luffy promised as he watched the pirate leave.

"That was a pretty shitty thing to make us worry like that chore boy," Sanji said as he kicked a fallen over table upright and sat on top of it. He then pulled out a new cigarette and lit it. "You owe me a cigarette by the way."

"Sorry, sorry, I just wanted to illustrate a point is all." Luffy rubbed the back of his head. "Cowards like him just piss me off."

"I'm sorry Sanji! I didn't want any of this to happen! The Don promised we would just come for the food and leave. I didn't mean to spit on your kindness," Gin began to apologize. "I just wanted to save the Don's life."

"Hmph, you've got nothing to apologize for underling. Each cook here acted as he felt was right. That's all." Zeff dismissed the apology, knowing Sanji didn't care for the groveling.

"Owner! Are you saying you agree with what Sanji did? If not for him we wouldn't be waiting for a pirate raid to begin any moment!" Patty decried, pointing at the smoking Sous Chef.

"I agree! He's responsible for everything that happens from here on out!"

"He's the reason all of this is happening! Your restaurant is going to be destroyed and turned into a pirate vessel and it's all because of him!"

"Shut up, you idiots!" Zeff shouted, causing all of the chefs to back down. "Do any of you have any idea what it's like to starve? To waste away until there's only skin and bone left? Losing food and water on the open ocean… Do you know how terrifying it is!? How hard it is!?"

"What… what are you talking about, Owner?" Patty asked cautiously.

"The difference between Sanji and all of you is whether you know those truths or not. Tch. If you have time to blame who's responsible, leave this restaurant from the back already!"

The chefs became quiet as resolve began to fill each of them.

"Heh, I'll stay and fight. No way could I bear it if I simply ran away. I ain't got nowhere to go anyway." Patty grimaced.

"I'll stay, too! This place is all I've got. Like hell I'm going to let some damn pirates take it without a fight!"

"I feel the same! Most of us are just strays with nowhere else to go. This restaurant gave us a chance no one else would. Don Krieg and his pirates can go to hell!"

Gin watched as one by one the chefs all armed themselves with various weapons from pistols to absurdly large cutlery. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. "What do you all think you're doing? Are you really going to risk your lives for one ship? You saw the Don take that cannon shot head on and it did nothing to him!"

"Oi, Gin!" Gin's attention was brought to Sanji. "Let me tell you something. Feeding someone who's hungry is my morality. But those pirates who'll be rushing us will be plunderers with full bellies. I don't want to hear you complaining even when I beat up your fellow pirates. If someone's trying to take over this restaurant, even if it's you, I'll kill them without hesitation! Got that?"

"Ha! What a flip flop way to live. Letting him live and now killing him? You're hopeless, Sanji," Patty jabbed.

"Shut up, you damn cook." Sanji rolled his eyes.

"Shishishi, that's the spirit, Sanji." Luffy slung an arm around the blond cook's shoulders. "If you want to make it in the Grand Line, then you have to be true to yourself."

Sanji shook off the pirate. "How many times do I have to say it? I'm not joining your crew."

"Um, not to interrupt," Ussop cut in, "but Krieg and his men are boarding the Baratie now! And they look pretty mean!"

"Well then, let's not be ungracious hosts and keep them waiting. It seems we have customers; go serve them our best course," Zeff menacingly chuckled out.

"Yes, Owner!" The chefs then all began to march outside.

"Damnit! None of you have to die over this!" Gin cried out as he watched them all leave to face off against his crew. "...This isn't what I wanted."

"That's the difference between you and them." Gin looked up to see Luffy standing next to him. "They won't let death be an excuse for running away. This ship means more to them than their own lives. Your group is the one that should run." Luffy then filed out whilst also calling for Ussop. "Let's make sure none of them die, Ussop!"

"R-right!" Ussop followed, the last to leave Gin alone.

0o0o0 Baratie - Fin Deck 0o0o0

"Listen up men! As long as we get a hold of this restaurant the Grand Line is nothing to be scared of!" Krieg declared to his men. "We'll be able to get closer and make even more surprise attacks on enemy ships far more effectively than pretending to be marine ships or raising the white flag of surrender."

All of Krieg's men couldn't help the sweat drops forming on the back of their heads as they looked at the weird design of the Baratie. It certainly wasn't menacing with the massive fish head at the bow of the ship.

"It's true that no one would think we were pirates with a vessel like that…"

"But, Don… even if we enter the Grand Line again using that ship, if we come across someone like that swordsman we won't-"

Bang!

Krieg immediately shot the pirate trying to reason with him. The man fell over dead.

"Are you all still afraid of someone like that? Huh!?"

"No!" His men all responded as Krieg waved his pistol around.

"You really think an ordinary man could cut up a ship like that? That's probably the power of a devil fruit. While most of society thinks them to be myth, the Grand Line is crawling with them. That man must've used a power like that to cut up all of our ships. A mere parlor trick to most pirates on the Grand Line." Krieg watched as the Chefs began to pile out of the restaurant and outside to face them. Among them he saw Zeff. "That man, Red Leg Zeff, is a man who traversed the Grand Line for more than a year. He must have developed a way to deal with men like that swordsman who've eaten devil fruits. And those methods must be written in his logbook. And if we're really lucky, so is information on the One Piece.

"I see! That's our Don!"

"So if we get our hands on that logbook and utilize that ship, we'll be able to conquer the Grand Line in no time!"

"We'll be the ones to find that legendary One Piece!"

"Let's go! We're taking over this restaurant!" Krieg declared as his men roared, ready for battle.

"Yeah!" Krieg's men charged forward.

On the other side of the deck the chef's braced themselves.

"Let's show these bastards why we're known as the fighting chefs of the sea!" Patty yelled out.

"For the Baratie!" The chefs charged forward and the two sides met in the middle.

It wasn't long for blood to start spilling across the deck and over the side into the ocean. On either side pirates and chefs alike were shot or stabbed as the battle for the floating restaurant commenced.

Sanji was kicking his way through the enemy, doing his best to reduce the overwhelming number of pirates compared to chefs. Krieg's men were clearly still recovering from their ordeal but that didn't stop numbers from counting. It didn't take long for them to become wary of facing off against him though, even running from him to try to outnumber the other chefs. "Bastards, don't you run from me!"

Elsewhere, Patty and Carne were back to back, swinging their weapons at the pirates encircling them. They were effectively cut off from the other chefs. "Of course they're just like their cowardly Don! Too afraid to face us like men!" Patty taunted trying to goad the pirates to attack one at a time.

"Just keep swinging away you damn cook! You'll tire out soon enough! Hahahaha-gah!" the taunting pirate's face suddenly exploded and a voice rang out over the battlefield.

"Gunpowder Star!" Up on the upper decks of the Baratie was Ussop, shooting down his arsenal on the unsuspecting pirates. He also felt safe knowing any pirate trying to get to him would have to go through Johnny and Yosaku first.

"Watch out, there's a sniper!" one of the pirates yelled, having spotted Ussop, who quickly ducked away to hide from a barrage of bullets being fired at him.

"Don't forget about us!" Carne and Patty yelled as they clobbered the pirates shooting at the Straw-hat's sniper.

"Long-nose, keep covering us! We won't let them shoot at you again!" Patty called out.

"R-right!" Ussop could feel his heart beating a mile a minute as that was the closest he'd come to death so far. "It's too early to die. It's too early to die. I won't die here!" Ussop chanted in his head as he fired off another shot of his sling. "Gunpowder Star!"

Down below at the entrance of the Baratie stood Luffy and Zeff surveying the battle. Every now and again Luffy would flicker in and out of existence as he would speed his way through the battlefield and prevent a chef from taking a fatal blow by taking down the offending pirate, who had no idea how he'd been knocked into the ocean or why it was so hard to breathe with a caved in chest.

"If you're going to continue doing that, you might as well take them all on yourself brat and save us the trouble," Zeff stated as Luffy flickered back to his side for the fifteenth time.

"Mah, I'm just giving a helping hand where needed. Besides… I've got no interest in the small fry." Luffy looked out across the deck to where Krieg was standing.

"Hmph, you almost have to feel bad for him. To have garnered the attention of a Warlord and a Yonkou's commander, he must have some pretty shit luck," Zeff chuckled as Luffy pouted.

"Oi! I'm my own captain now!" Luffy then flickered away once more.

"Not what your wanted poster says," Zeff countered as he watched Luffy punch another of Krieg's men off the Fin Deck.

"Not for much longer it won't!" Luffy exclaimed as he returned once more to Zeff's side. "It won't be much longer before the Navy will have to declare me my own pirate!"

"Oh and why is that brat?"

"Because I'm going to pick a fight with everyone standing in my way for the One Piece." Luffy couldn't help the shit eating grin on his face.

"Heh, that's why I like guys like you. Not afraid to say how it is." Zeff spotted Sanji heping two chefs out, kicking away their opponents. "I once told Red-Hair that I wouldn't report him missing if he took that dumbass with him when his lot was here last. Don't think I'll notice an annoying blond that always hits on my female customers missing after a big battle like this."

"Sorry, kidnapping isn't my thing." Luffy completely ignored the annoyed look Ussop shot down at him. "Besides, he has to want to come. He'll be of no use to me if he doesn't believe in the reason he's on my ship."

"Hah! So be it. But I have a feeling my little eggplant will finally desire to venture out on his own by the time this battle is over." That was when two cries drew the entire battle's attention to a newcomer.

"Gah!" Both Patty and Carne were sent flying into the railing of the Baratie's first deck.

"Just what are you guys doing?" a man wearing a massive circular ornate steel plate on both his front and back with a massive pearl in the middle asked. On the top his head was yet another massive pearl and all over his joints were smaller steel plates all with their own pearl fixed to their center. "Should you really be struggling against mere chefs? Hohahahaha! Unassailable! Hence invincible! When someone says, 'Pearl the Invincible Shield of the Krieg Pirates,' they mean me!"

"It's Pearl!" The pirates started cheering as one of the strongest members of the Krieg Pirates had managed to survive their ordeal from the Grand Line.

"Patty! Carne! Are you two alright?" Zeff called out to his two downed men.

"Of course they're not! Why? Because they took my killer punch, Pearl Surprise," Pearl gloated with a gleeful smile at the two hurt chefs.

"That's the Invincible Pearl for ya!" the pirates jeered.

"Now that Pearl's here we'll kill those damn chefs in no time!"

"Smash them go-gah!" The pirate was interrupted as his face was kicked into the deck by a black leg. Standing over the downed pirate was Sanji, an annoyed look on his face as he swiftly bent over and began to spin on his hands, kicking the other two pirates that had spoken out, taking them out as well.

Krieg took notice of the blond chef utilizing his legs to fight. "So Red Leg has a student. Good to know."

"Mere chefs are we? I'm gonna cut you in three, bastards!" Sanji declared, having spun his way back onto his feet, his right leg outstretched.

"Ha! How impudent of you to beat them only using kicks. Is that your policy?" Pearl asked.

"To cooks, hands are the most important. I can't have them hurt in battle." Sanji brought down his leg, as he shifted his weight to it and quickly raised his left. "I'll take you down with this leg as well."

"Take me down? That's impossible. I've won all 61 of my battles completely unharmed! I'm invincible! I've never shed blood in battle, not even a drop. Winning unharmed is the very proof of my pow-" Pearl was cut off by a black shoe being shoved into his face, blood flying from his face as he was flung onto his back.

"I"m sorry, was I supposed to wait for you to finish? This is a battle, not a speech contest!" Sanji pulled back his leg before pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. "Invincible my ass."

"Pearl!" The pirates called out, disbelief in their eyes as they watched the 'Invincible Pearl' struggling to his feet, fear in his eyes, and beyond that, was blood pouring out his eyes, nose, and mouth.

"Oh crap! Not blood!" The pirates started to sweat the more Pearl got to his feet.

"Pearl! Keep control of yourself! I'll kill you if you burn that ship down!" Krieg called out, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Dangerous! Th-th-th-these guys are dangerous!" Pearl grasped his face as absolute pain finally pushed past the adrenaline and he felt every inch of Sanji's sole across his face.

"They're acting strange." Luffy noted as all of the Krieg pirates started inching toward the edge of the Fin Deck, some even jumping into the ocean itself.

Pearl started banging the two steel plates in his hands together. "Danger! Danger! Danger!"

"Stop Pearl! We're going to kill them all for you, just don't set that ship on fire!"

Faster and faster did Pearl bang the plates together until every plate surrounding his body suddenly burst into flames. "Danger!"

"Crap! It's started! When Pearl gets upset, he bursts into flames!" One of the pirates shouted as he jumped into the water.

"Fire Pearls: Special treat!" Pear raised his arms out as flames spread across the deck lighting everything on fire, including both chefs and pirates.

"Pearl please stop! You're attacking us as well!" the unfortunate pirates that hadn't yet jumped off the deck cried as fire consumed them.

"Damnit! Water! Jump into the water!" the chefs that had gotten caught up in the inferno dove for the water, their tolerance for high heat as chefs allowing them to keep their calm unlike the pirates that were burning to death in panic.

"Burn! With this flame and the flame shield, you'll learn just how invincible I am!" Pearl gave a crazed roar as he watched everything around him burn away.

"Damnable idiot! Does he plan to burn down the ship!?" Krieg was forced to leave the deck because of the flames and had taken refuge back on his useless galeon.

"Like hell am I going to let this ship burn." Sanji, who had been dragging chefs away from the flames along with Luffy, glared at the wall of flames and the psychopath standing in the middle of them. "You son of a bitch!" Sanji leapt through the flames, a kick aimed at Pearl's head which was blocked by one of Pearl's steel plates that were still on fire.

"Sanji!" Carne called out as he watched the chef leap into the fire.

"Why is he always so reckless?" Patty couldn't help but feel useless, knowing the flames were reaching the point that even a chef couldn't tolerate.

"When even fierce animals would stay away from Fire Pearls…" Pearl was shocked that anyone would dare breach his wall of flames and attempt to attack him.

"I'd be a pretty shit cook if I was afraid of a few flames!" Sanji retorted.

"Tch, what a refined guy!" Pearl mocked.

"Here's a warning this time: Here I come!" Sanji elegantly somersaulted into the air as he launched a blindingly fast flurry of kicks at Pearl's face. "Mouton Shot!"

"Gah!" Pearl cried out as he was knocked back despite raising his pearl shields to guard in time.

"Tch, you're tougher than you look. Looks like I need to tenderize you some more," the blond mocked.

"You-! You'll pay! Fire Pearl Surprise!" The pirate began to lash out with flaming shield punches, which Sanji easily began to dodge. Everytime the cook did, though, the misses would either throw more fire onto the Fin deck or the shields would punch a hole in it.

"Damn this shitty pearl bastard," Sanji grimaced, before moving to intercept the wild attacks with his own.

"Fire Pearl Surprise!"

"Poitrine!"

The blond cook's legs shot out in succession, each stabbing kick clashing with Pearl's manic swings. Unfortunately, Sanji's shoes couldn't take the repeated burns and impacts, which made itself known as he planted his leg for another kick. The shoe gave out, causing the cook to flub his attack and lose his balance for a moment. "Shit-!"

Pearl immediately jumped on the opening. "Pearl Cymbals!" he triumphantly yelled out as he slammed his hand shields onto either side of Sanji's head.

The cook barely had time to get his hands up before the attack hit, the impact causing his consciousness to waver for a second and his arms to crack ominously. Blood dripping from his nose, Sanji glared at the gloating shield man.

"...No more mister nice cook," he spat out after a moment, before rushing forward. His leg whipped up into the air, slamming into the unprepared Pearl's neck. "Collier!" The attack drove the large man to the ground, where Sanji continued his onslaught. "Épaule Shoot!" Jumping into the air, he brought an axe kick down on Pearl's chest shield, the force of the blow cracking it and causing the Baratie to rock slightly.

"No way! He broke through Invincible Pearl's wall!" The pirates just behind Pearl in the water still had a clear view of the action and couldn't believe the blond cook was able to break through Pearl's defenses.

Breathing heavily as blood leaked from his mouth, Pearl fearfully stared at the chef in black as he stood above him. "What's with this cook? He's really crazy. How could he not be scared of my fire? More! I need more fire! I need to spread more Fire Pearls!" Pearl began ranting as he thrust his arms into the air, flinging a multitude of flaming pearls toward the Baratie.

"Watch out! The restaurant will catch fire!" The chefs panicked as the flaming projectiles began to rain down on them.

Zeff watched the pearls approach him and took a calm breath, crossed his arms, and lifted his peg leg.

"Owner watch out!"

In swift fashion, Zeff swiped his leg as a gust of wind burst forward and extinguished the flames long before the pellets fell harmlessly across the Baratie's deck.

The chefs looked at Zeff in awe as the owner of the restaurant gently set his peg leg back on the deck as if nothing had happened.

"My-my Fire Pearls…" Pearl began to tear up as he watched his precious pearls get extinguished before his very eyes.

"Something like that is child's play!" Zeff called out, unimpressed with the pitiful attack.

"To think Red Leg Zeff is still that strong even handicapped like that!? That's almost like a divine technique!" The pirates gawked as Pearl's attack was dealt with so easily.

"I didn't know you could do that! I'm impressed!" Luffy idolized, not having seen an air-cutter attack since he'd left the New World.

"Since it's come to this, I'll sink you all with the fins before the fire spreads to the ship!" Krieg had gone and retrieved one of his favored weapons, a massive spiked ball attached to a chain, and began to spin it above his head before throwing it down at the Fin Deck.

"Sanji watch out!" The chef's called out knowing Sanji wouldn't be able to see the attack coming.

Looking up he saw the spiked ball speeding at him, but looking around, he noticed the flames had completely encircled him, leaving him nowhere to escape to. "Shit!"

"Damn! He can't get out of the fire!"

"Bolt-Bolt Bazooka!" Sanji watched as Luffy materialized next to him, his arms stretched out behind him and glowing. Before he could ask what was happening, Luffy's arms shot forward with a thunderous boom, creating a powerful gust blowing out the flames and everything else, including Sanji who was sent flying into the ocean.

Lightning split the air and smashed into the spiked ball, sending it back to where it came from, crashing into the galleon and smashing its way through the weakened decks finally destroying it.

A massive wave formed from the sudden sinking of the massive ship, rocking the Baratie and threatening to sink it if its anchor wasn't raised quickly.

"You! Raise the anchor now!" Zeff pointed at one of the chefs still barely standing amidst the rocking back and forth, and gave the owner a questioning look. "Don't question it, just do it!"

The man quickly ran to the bow of the ship and began raising the anchor, which allowed the Baratie to drift with the wave rather than sink with it. It eventually rolled out from under them, and harmlessly passed.

Krieg, who had watched in horror as his attack was repelled with lightning of all things, had dived overboard and was now coughing up water on the remains of his galeon, the front half in pieces as the back remained intact, but slowly sinking.

"Anchor raised, Owner!" The chef returned and dutifully reported.

"Good, now go lower it before we drift too far."

"Wh-what!? But I just-"

"Just do it!"

"Yes, Owner!" The chef scrambled back to the bow and lowered the anchor, preventing the Baratie from drifting any further.

Sanji burst from the sea, gasping for air, still trying to figure out what had just happened. "What the hell was that?"

"What- What are you!? Monster! Devil! Only a devil could do something like that!" Pearl cried out in terror drawing all eyes to him.

Cowering on the deck with his steel plates completely extinguished, was Pearl, who was looking up at the straw-hat teen who was allowing arcs of electricity to reach out around him, striking the deck randomly with a terrifying pop as each arc completed its circuit.

"Pretty close actually. I ate the Bolt-Bolt Devil Fruit and became a lightning man!" Luffy shot a confident smirk over at Krieg who was giving him a frenzied look. "And I can assure you, this isn't some simple parlor trick."

Pearl's vision darkened as his head smashed against the deck, his face caught within Luffy's grasp. Luffy's entire arm began to glow a blinding yellow, save for his hand gripping Pearl's head. Despite the lack of a glow, Luffy's hand began to heat up as nearly 100,000 volts of electricity started to course through his arm, and Pearl's face began to blister from the intense heat radiating into his body. "Bolt-Bolt…"

"Danger! Danger! Dang-" Pearl helplessly cried out as he tried to smash his steel plates against Luffy's ribcage. It was to no avail though, as his injuries from Sanji's attacks left him unable to put any force into his blows.

"Hammer!"

In a flash of light, Pearl's body smashed through the deck and disappeared into the abyss below.

A stunned silence fell over the battlefield as every man that bore witness tried to understand what had just happened to the 'Invincible Pearl.'

Luffy stared down at the hole he'd created within the Fin Deck as water began to fill it and splash up onto the deck. "...Invincible my ass." Looking up and around him, Luffy called out to the remaining pirates. "If any of you still want to fight, your next opponent will be me."

None of the pirates moved an inch or said anything, too afraid to garner the attention of the lightning teen.

"What are you all gawking at!? So the boy has a fucking taser! Get out of the water and kill him!" Krieg roared, refusing to believe what his own eyes had seen.

"B-but Don! He's not holding a taser!" Krieg fired his pistol without even thinking, randomly in the direction he'd heard the comment.

Bang!

Flash!

A blinding light blitzed through the air and came to rest on one of the larger pieces of deck that once made up Krieg's flagship vessel.

Standing atop it was Luffy, throwing the freshly fired bullet up and down in his right hand. "I thought I said if you want to keep fighting, that I'd be your opponent from now on? You keep those guns pointed at me."

Krieg just silently glared as he threw his pistol away in anger, recognizing its uselessness. "So the myths are proved real. Then the Warlord Mihawk that crushed my fleet was also just using a devil fruit like you are now! If guns are this ineffective against such power, perhaps finding one of my own should be a top priority when I return to the Grand Line!"

"Heh, as if Mihawk would even waste time using a devil fruit's power on you weaklings. What he did to your fleet wasn't even a testament to his strength as a swordsman. The Navy probably could've sent someone like Hina the Black Cage after your group and she'd probably only lose a few men if that. I'm betting it was the numbers that forced them to send a Warlord after you, nothing else," Luffy taunted.

"Then what's your excuse for using your power against me, so called 'lightning man'!?" Krieg questioned.

"I'm not using it to stop you. I'm using it to stop him." Luffy pointed at the dripping wet Sanji, who'd just managed to crawl back onto the Fin Deck and up out of the ocean.

"What!?" Sanji yelled, confused as everyone else, as to why Luffy was pointing at him. "What the hell do you mean you're 'stopping' me!? Stopping me from doing what!?"

"I'm stopping you from throwing away your life, you idiot!" Luffy angrily yelled at the sous chef.

"Throwing away…? I wasn't throwing away anything, I was protecting the Baratie, you damn chore boy!"

"At what cost!?" Luffy accused. "At what cost were you willing to go to protect that ship?"

"The cost of my life! That ship is all I left Zeff after I stole his ability to be a pirate! It's my fault he lost his leg after he stupidly saved my pathetic life from drowning! If not for me, we wouldn't have been stuck on that damn rock for weeks, wasting away! He gave up all of the food to me to make sure I lasted longer than he did! In order to not starve and last as long as possible… he…" lone tears began to trail down Sanji's enraged face. "He cannibalized his own leg!"

The shocking revelation caused everyone to look over at the stoic Zeff, who said nothing as Sanji continued.

"85 days, we wasted away on that fucking rock. I didn't even know what he'd done for me. He just pushed a bag of food into my arms and told me to go on the other side and keep an eye out for a ship and to not talk to him until I saw one passing. 85 fucking days of starving. I did my best to make the food last as long as possible but I couldn't even make it go for 15. 85 goddamn days! When he forced me to the other side I saw he had a massive bag of rations and complained about getting so little. He just told me to suck it up and accept that he was older and needed more to keep his strength up. That fact drove me insane! For 85 fucking days I thought he'd had a massive supply of food and drink and there I was starving. I had nothing left. After 85 days I was nothing more than skin on bone, I could barely even open my eyes. All I had left was my chef's knife from the ship I was working on as an apprentice. It didn't even occur to me to end it all with it. I just didn't want to die on that godforsaken rock. I refused to die on that fucking rock! No. Instead I planned on killing that bastard pirate that got me stuck there in the first place! And if he finally killed me for trying then so be it! He should've just let me drown instead of forcing me through that hell!"

0o0o0 9 Years Ago - Somewhere In the Middle of The East Blue Ocean 0o0o0

Sanji huffed as he finally clawed his way over the crest of the massive rock formation jutting out of the ocean. It had taken him nearly an hour, but he'd succeeded and he could at last see Zeff, still sitting in the same spot he had been when Sanji had last seen the damn pirate.

After 85 days of wasting away in the hot sun, most of Sanji's muscle had withered away and much of his skeleton could be made out from beneath his now leathery skin. His chef's uniform was now nothing more than tatters, barely holding together by the stitching. In his right hand was his chef's knife, now rusted and corroded from the open ocean air. Even if stabbing the bastard pirate didn't work, at least he'd take the old man with him from tetanus.

That was when Sanji saw it. The very thing that haunted his nightmares, and plagued his starving stomach. The massive bag of rations, selfishly kept by a dying old man. It looked as if it hadn't even been touched the entire time they'd been here. "Just how much food did that old bastard keep for himself? It doesn't matter! Once he's dead, it'll all be mine!"

With renewed purpose, Sanji forced his exhausted body up and did his best to slide down the small ridge and confront his enemy once and for all.

Hearing the pitter patter of small feet, Zeff tiredly called out to the boy. "What did you come here for, little brat!?" Sanji came to a stop as Zeff addressed him. "Did you see a ship or something?"

Having nothing left to lose, Sanji shakily lifted his rusty blade up in front of him and declared his purpose. "I came to steal your food. If you think you can kill me, go ahead. I'll die if I don't eat anyway."

Deciding the old man probably couldn't stand anyway, Sanji beelined for the bag of rations, submitting to the whims of his starving stomach over the carefully laid plans of his mind. Being this close to food was too consuming for his hungry being.

Thrusting the knife into the bag, Sanji was blinded by the glitter of gold and jewelry that came spilling out all over the surface of the rock formation.

Sanji felt all hope leave his body as he stared at the inedible trinkets that most men would give everything for to even glance at once in their lives.

His knife, now broken, fell uselessly from his hands.

"Didn't I tell you that we wouldn't be in contact until we saw a ship?" Zeff cold-heartedly asked.

Sanji just stared at the glittering coin. "It's nothing but treasure…"

"It's perplexing that we can't eat despite having so much money," Zeff added, showing for the first time emotion beyond cold indifference, as subtle anger carried his tired words.

Sanji just stood there huffing in exhaustion as he tried to understand what this meant. "This bag… it has nothing… but treasure in it."

Zeff continued to sit in silent indifference.

The last dregs of adrenaline surged Sanji forward, grabbing the pirate's worn coat and began doing his best to shake the man violently. "What's the meaning of this!? Where's your food!? You can't tell me you haven't eaten anything all this time!? You were supposed to have food! Damnit, say something! ANYTH-!" Sanji angrily moved his way to Zeff's front to force the man to finally look at him and froze.

Lying just before the withering old man were the skeletal remains of a foot and part of a leg, virtually picked clean of any meat or flesh that once surrounded it.

A light flapping of cloth drew Sanji's attention to the man's right leg.

Torn and caked in dried blood, was the remains of Zeff's pants, tied off just below the kneecap.

"It became lame in my attempt to rescue you. I didn't have much use for it anymore anyway. It's almost funny. After all the men I've killed with it… and that's all that remains."

Sanji fell back in shock at what Zeff was telling him. "But… why? What about the food? Did you give me all the food you had?"

"That's right."

"But without that leg, you can't be a pirate any more! Why would you give that up for me!?" Sanji could feel the sting of tears in his eyes, but none fell from his dried up body.

"I suppose I did."

"But why!? I didn't ask for your help! You had no reason to be kind to me! Tell me why! Why!?" the frail boy demanded.

Zeff said nothing for a moment, before he gave a tired sigh as he gazed out at the open ocean. "Because you… you have the same dream as me."

Sanji's eyes widened as he recalled declaring he'd find the 'All Blue' when the pirate sitting before him had beaten him to pulp whilst raiding the cruise ship he was apprenticing on.

"The All Blue… But even your men said it doesn't exist…"

"Of course it does!" Zeff defiantly declared. Off in the distance, just peeking over the horizon line were the very top masts of a ship. The very thing he'd been holding on to see. "When the time comes, head to the Grand Line. If the All Blue exists, it surely exists there."

More and more of the ship climbed its way over the horizon as brilliant white sails slowly came into view. "As you said, I can't be a pirate any longer," Zeff was no longer able to hold his body upright, and fell onto his back. This was fine. The brat would survive. This hell, this purgatory, had been worth it.

"Oi! Don't die on me old man!" Sanji panicked as he scrambled to the dying man's side. "Don't just do as you please and die now!"

"I wonder…" Zeff decided there was a little more to say, he couldn't leave the brat despising the very thing that had fascinated them both. "I wonder how many people died cursing the sea… cursing the grandness of it all…? I've experienced crises like this where I couldn't eat. And every time I wished that there was a restaurant in the middle of the sea."

"Restaurant?" Sanji took to absorbing every word the old man was saying. After all… any one of them could be his last.

"Yeah. I was thinking… that if I made it off this rock alive, I'd open up a restaurant as my final purpose in life…"

"Then it's decided! I'll help you do that. So don't die!"

"Ha! What an impossible thing for a weak little brat like you!" Zeff couldn't help the taunt that escaped his lips. Looking at the little eggplant in his blurring vision, all he could see was the virtual skeleton of the young boy.

"Then I'll become strong too! So… don't die!" Once more Sanji felt the agonizing pain of tears that couldn't flow as the old man closed his eyes and became silent.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

The tolling bells of a shipping vessel disturbed the crashing waves as the shouts of men resounded across the rock formation and the two dying survivors.

Tears finally fell across the boy's face as after 85 days of hell, at long last, he'd managed to survive.

0o0o0 Present Day 0o0o0

"That fucking geezer gave up everything so that I could live. I can't repay his kindness unless I risk my life for him, too! I vowed that I'd make his dream a reality and ensure that there would always be a restaurant in the middle of the sea for any unfortunate soul that found themselves lost in it! So that no one would ever experience that hell like he and I did ever again!"

"Sanji…" The chef's all stared at their sous chef with new eyes. Not a single one of them had ever been told the harrowing tale of how the Owner and the blond had met, just that Sanji was the Owner's adopted son.

"Damn fool…" Zeff muttered under his breath.

Luffy ground his teeth in anger, at what he'd just heard. Sparks arc'd off his body as he flew across the waves and decks, Sanji his sole focus. "You stupid idiot!" Luffy left Sanji with no capability to dodge the heavy handed fist that sent him flying into the side of the Baratie.

"Sanji!" The chefs cried out, Patty and Carne rushing to his side as they tried to help him up, only to be pushed aside by the now angry Sanji as he stood up and began stomping toward Luffy.

"What the hell is your problem!? Is this because I won't join your stupid crew? Huh!? It's absolutely none of your business what I choose to do! And if you have a problem with how I protect what I care most about-"

"That's not it at all! I have no issue with someone protecting what matters most to them! But what you're doing isn't that!"

"And what is it that I'm doing huh? You fucking chore boy!"

"You're wasting everything he's given you!" Luffy yelled, pointing just behind Sanji and at Zeff.

The fight in Sanji instantly disappeared as Luffy continued to berate him.

"He gave up his leg, the food, his ability to be a pirate, all so that you could live! So you could fulfill both of your dreams! Dying to repay a kindness like that is just spitting on all of the sacrifices he's made for you!" Luffy held nothing back in his criticism of the sous chef. "So stop doing reckless shit already and fight to live!"

"..." Sanji said nothing as Luffy's words sunk in.

"What moving words, in fact, I believe I'm properly motivated now!" Krieg interjected, once more drawing attention to himself. The eyes of the pirates widened as they saw Krieg's left arm outstretched, his left pauldron now held in his hand and the mouth of the Jolly Roger adorning it opened.

"Don! Not that!"

"MH5! Quickly, get your masks on!"

"If you don't still have a mask, dive when it fires!"

"I should've just done this from the start! But I was feeling merciful because of the meal, giving all of you ample time to scurry off of my new ship. I wonder, Lightning man, if even a devil fruit user can survive a gas bomb? Everyone on that ship not wearing a mask will die as they choke on the corrosive fumes!"

Luffy's eyes filled with rage as his thoughts turned to the injured Zoro and unconscious Nami within the ship. "Bastard."

"Hahahaha! That's a good look for you! I'd almost believe you're an actual pirate!" Krieg laughed as the chips finally appeared to be in his corner.

"Don Krieg!"

Up on the second deck, overlooking the battlefield, was Gin.

"I was beginning to wonder where you were! What's taken you so long to join us!? It doesn't matter, put your mask on and kill as many of them as you can once I fire the MH5!" Krieg ordered.

"Don, you need to stop this! Why are we attacking the only group of people that have ever helped us? If not for them each and every last one of us would still be starving! Tell me, Don Krieg, why do I have to kill the only man that has ever truly shown me kindness my entire life!? Don! I have followed every order without question. I have no regrets over the things we've done all these years. And I swear to follow every order from here on out but just this once… can't we let it go!?" Tears welled in Gin's eyes as he waited for Krieg's answer.

"Gin…" Sanji stared up at the man he'd saved from hunger days ago and couldn't help but pity him.

"Let it go…?" Krieg felt an insurmountable rage boil within him. "I COULD NEVER LET IT GO! GIN! How dare you lecture me! You are to follow orders only! That's all you're good for! The only reason I made you my Chief Battle Commander was because you were the best at following orders! Not once have you ever shown that I'd need to dispose of you! Not once. Until now." Krieg's right pauldron flew open as a shot was fired, aimed directly at Gin.

The bullet sailed through the air as Gin closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He'd given orders to his captain and had disobeyed his standing orders to overtake this ship. But he didn't regret begging the Don to spare these men's lives. After all… he owed them his life. At least the debt would be settled.

The bullet sailed through the air until it lodged itself within the walls of the Baratie.

"Idiot." Gin's eyes flew open as he suddenly found himself on the chef's side of the Fin Deck standing next to Sanji.

Walking away from him, toward Don Krieg, was Luffy, arcs of electricity flowing off of him as he cracked his knuckles.

"Wha-what just happened?" Gin tried to understand how he was standing before the chefs instead of dying from his Don's shot.

"It seems he's taken a liking to you," Zeff gruffed out. "You louts should sit down from here on out and watch."

"But Owner, what about the MH5!? That madman Krieg will fire it any moment! We need to get as far away from here as possible! We can't beat a gas attack like that!" Patty exclaimed, running up to the owner of the Baratie and trying to pick him up to move him to safety.

"Heh! If he fires it we're all dead anyway. All we can do is rely on him." Zeff batted Patty away as he nodded toward Luffy.

"But Owner-!" the chefs tried to

"Would all of you shut-up!? The old man is right. The only safe place is the ocean and if we jump into it that'll give those bastards the advantage. All we can do is rely on chore boy," Sanji interrupted as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "That was a ballsy thing to do, turning on your boss like that," Sanji addressed Gin.

"I owe you my life. That's all…"

"Right."

Krieg felt his veins pulse with rage as Luffy came to a stop at the edge of the Fin deck, just a small distance of water between the two pirates. "You're starting to become quite the thorn in my side boy!"

"I plan on being much more than that," Luffy said with a frown on his face.

"I don't know why you bothered saving that ingrate's life! Now he's going to suffer with the rest of them! It would've been more-"

"Either fire your stupid bomb or don't! Stop wasting both our time with small talk! Just get on with it already."

"Grrr! Fine! You hear that you shit cooks!? The suffering you're about to endure is all-"

SMACK!

Water exploded in Luffy's wake as he shot across it and ripped the pauldron from Krieg's hand and tossed it into the water.

"How!?-Gwah!" Krieg's eyes bulged as Luffy uppercut his jaw, lifting the larger man into the air before a kick sent him sailing across the water and crashing into the still sinking back half of his galleon.

"Don!" The pirates all pulled their masks off as they watched the remains of their former flagship explode in dust and water.

The chefs watched with dumbfounded looks as Luffy had easily disarmed the Ruler of East Blue and sent him flying.

"It's just one of those days where crazy shit happens and you can do nothing but accept it…" Carne was unable to close his jaw.

"Y-yeah…" Patty was feeling the same.

"Is that all you have, Don Krieg!?" Luffy yelled out, watching the wreck with a critical eye.

"NOT EVEN CLOSE!" Krieg burst his way out blood spitting out of his mouth, a sandal shaped imprint embedded deep into his armor.

"Good." Krieg whipped around, swinging his arm to punch the insolent brat, only to feel a sideways force as he once more found himself flying above his wrecked ship. This time he came to a sudden stop via Luffy's leg as he was kicked into a larger piece of destroyed deck.

"Gah!" Krieg coughed up blood as cracks began to splinter across his armor, originating from the sandal imprint.

"What's the matter, Ruler of East Blue? Can't you keep up with such slow speeds?" Luffy's cold voice resounded from above the downed don.

"SHUT UP!" Angrily twisting, Krieg thrust his arm before Luffy as he engaged his hidden flamethrower, the flames roaring forth and engulfing everything in its path. "That's right you bastard burn!"

Luffy's form was engulfed in flames, disappearing from view.

"Luffy!" Ussop cried out from his hiding spot, as he watched his captain be incinerated.

"Chore boy!" The chefs couldn't believe that the jubilant pirate apprentice turned captain was gone, just like that.

"Go Don! Burn that bastard!"

"Hahahahaha! That's what he gets for messing with the Krieg Pirates!"

"Chore boy…" Sanji looked on, unsure how to feel. Numb? Scared? Angry? All three perhaps? Either way, after everything that had happened on this insane day for this to be how it turned out… "I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BECOME KING OF THE PIRATES!?"

"Sanji…" Gin had turned from the roaring flames, his heart warring with itself as he knew he should be on his Don's side but couldn't stop the overwhelming guilt building within himself. The boy's death in of itself wasn't the issue. He simply just wanted to repay the kindness shown to him for once in his life and knew that dream died with Straw-hat as there would be no one left to defy his Don.

"Hmph, I don't know what you louts are all simpering about. You can't burn lightning you idiots." Zeff crossed his arms with a huff, rolling his eyes at the lack of understanding of what they were all witnessing.

"But Owner, no one could survive that!" Patty pointed at the flames still spewing from Krieg's arm.

"Heh, that fire isn't even hot enough to make a hot coco! Besides… to a logia… this is nothing." Zeff said cryptically.

"Logia…?" Patty and Carne both looked at each other, neither knowing what the word meant.

"Just shut up and watch," was all Zeff said.

Krieg could only laugh as the wannabe brat burned alive in front of him. "Hahahahahahaha! Is that enough for you!? Huh? Hahahahahaha! Remember this! I am Don Krieg, the strongest man! I am the man that will conquer the Grand Line and-"

A hand burst from the flames, reaching out and grabbing hold of Krieg's wrist, crushing the flamethrower and subsequently his arm.

"Gwah!" Krieg cried out as pain tore its way through his body, his eyes widening as the flames died out revealing a completely unharmed Luffy, staring down at him with a neutral expression. "How!? How aren't you burned at all!? Th-that flamethrower reaches 3000 degrees, there should be nothing left- grr, nothing left of you!" Krieg winced in pain as the pressure on his wrist and forearm continued to increase.

"Is that all?" Luffy continued to squeeze on the man's arm, the cracking of bone resounding in the air.

"Gah! It's not! Eat this!" Krieg pulled out yet another hidden pistol with his left hand and fired it, aiming for Luffy's head, the bullet piercing through his left eye and out the back. Krieg attempted to smile only to immediately stop as it wasn't blood and brain matter that came flying out but electricity. He gasped in horror as he looked through the hole in the boy's head and saw it begin to rapidly close, arcs of lightning spewing out from the 'wound' and all throughout. "Wha-what the hell are you?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, a lightning man, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed.

0o0o0 Northern East Blue - Baratie, a few minutes ago 0o0o0

The Baratie rocked as a violent wave rolled under it, creaking as it was pulled against its anchor, forcing the ship to begin to tip.

The violent rocking is what shocked Nami upright. "Nojiko!" the navigator shouted as she frantically looked around, not familiar with her surroundings and shouting as the ship continued to rock and shake. "What's happening?"

Suddenly the rocking came to a stop as the ship seemed to smoothly ride the wave beneath as it rolled out from beneath it and then came to a stop. Muffled shouting pierced through the walls as Nami tentatively got out of the bed she'd been left on, her gaze fixated on a site that she never thought she'd ever see.

Lying in a disheveled bed was Zoro, bloodsoaked wrappings tightly bound to his chest, unmoving. Next to his head was a small piece of black fabric.

Hesitantly she approached him. "What's going on? What happened-" Nami's eyes widened as her memory started to kick in. "You didn't… you moron! Of course this is what would happen if you fight someone like that!" Nami shouted as tears fell onto the bloody sheets. "What is it with men and their damn pride!"

Thunder boomed as the Baratie shook.

Nami looked around, still unsure of what was happening. "What the hell is-" her vision blurred as she finally saw them.

Lying on two separate beds was a woman with blue-hair, tribal tattoos blazoned across her shoulders and down her right arm, and a man in tattered brown clothing, bandages wrapping his entire body.

"..." Nami numbly shuffled to them, before dropping to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself in grief. "Why!? Why are both of you here!? I paid that bastard! I paid him and he never breaks his deals with money! So why are you here!? I'm so close to paying the rest off! Why!?" She screamed, hot tears running down her face, but her questions were met only with silence. Her right hand tightened around her upper left arm, digging her nails into her flesh as the hidden tattoo felt like it was burning the skin it was imprinted in.

"Bellemere… it hurts so much… this damn brand! Why can't this nightmare end already? I'm so scared… mama…" Nami looked up at her sister and surrogate father figure. "…if they're here… what about you?"

"Dying to repay a kindness like that is just spitting on all of the sacrifices he's made for you! So stop doing reckless shit already and fight to live!"

Nami's eyes widened as Luffy's voice boomed throughout the room. His voice reverberated around her, almost like a comforting blanket as she slowly loosened her grip on her left arm. She slowly turned her head toward the slightly ajar port window as more voices shouted and poured into the room, however she paid them no heed, only caring for his voice.

Luffy's grin faded away as his features took a serious tone. "You shouldn't underestimate pirates, with a half-assed resolve like that." And just like that his grin returned.

"And what kind of resolve should I have then? The same kind as a pirate? To murder defenseless women and children and leave nothing but destruction and misery in my wake? I've been fine the past eight years robbing every pirate in the East Blue, I think I'll be fine robbing pirates in the Grand Line." Nami once again turned to leave.

"Then bet your life on it." Once again she stopped in her tracks. "If I take down Buggy the Clown, you become my navigator and you can have all of his treasure. If I don't, you're free to do as you wish."

Luffy's voice became all she could hear in her head as she recalled the bet she'd made with him. "That's right I… I'm his navigator… I lost that bet… so why does it hurt so much?" Her left shoulder once again flared in agony, reminding her who she truly belonged to.

The truth hung over her like a looming mountain.

It hurt so much because she could never honor that bet.

She could never be his navigator.

Because she was already someone else's.

She could hear the horrible laughter that had haunted her for nearly half her life.

"Shahaha! Nami, from now on this is where you'll draw me all sorts of maps. If you do a good enough job I may just let you see her sooner than promised. If not, well I'm sure that little blue-haired brat would love to have a… permanent… visit with your precious Bellemere. Now get to work! Shahahahahahaha!"

"Why can't I be free? Why do I have to hate what I love so much? Why can't I protect the people I care about!?" Nami sobbed as she felt like that little girl that had had her entire life stolen from her all over again.

"Then bet your life on it."

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed.

Looking back at the unconscious forms on the beds, Nami stood up and gave them a weak smile. "Nojiko, Gen… Bellemere… is it ok if I'm selfish and bet it all away?"

0o0o0 Northern East Blue - Wreck of the Krieg Pirate's Flagship 0o0o0

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, a lightning man, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared, his arm raised, glowing a light blue as he stared down at the terrified ruler of East Blue. "Bolt-Bolt!"

Krieg roared in anger as he tried in vain to wrench his broken wrist free from Luffy's iron-clad grip. "Let go! I'm ordering you to let go! I'm Don Krieg! The strongest man! I can't be defeated-"

"Pistol!"

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed.

Krieg felt the wooden remains of his flagship slam against his side as the force of the impact splintered and destroyed the platform he was on long before he was able to comprehend the punch that tore through his body.

His wootz-steel armor shattered and fell away as electricity coursed through him, desperately seeking out an opposite charge to connect with. On and on it went, seeming to be a lifetime as his body was electrocuted by the high-voltage attack. It continued long after he lost consciousness.

Don Krieg laid a defeated man upon the remains of his own flagship.

The Krieg pirates stared in disbelief at the site of their don lying unconscious before the unassuming lightning pirate. None of them were able to give voice to their shock.

The chefs on the other hand stared dumbfounded at Luffy before realization shot across them. "He did it… Chore Boy actually did it… HE DID IT! CHORE BOY TOOK DOWN DON KRIEG!" The chefs rejoiced, crying out as they took in the sight of the so-called East Blue's Ruler's broken form.

Meanwhile, Ussop laid spread eagle on the roof, bawling his eyes out. "It was sho SHCAAAARY, wahhh!"

"Heh, told you lightning can't be burnt." Zeff gave a cocky smile, knowing his restaurant was now safe with Krieg's defeat. The cowardly pirates were only following orders out of fear for their own lives, they had no reason to fight, lest they too wished to learn what lightning tasted like.

"Don…" Gin pulled the band from around his head as tears fell from his eyes. "Why couldn't you have listened to me Don?"

"Because he didn't trust you," Zeff answered. "He trusted no one, not even himself, hiding behind fancy armor and cheap tricks to win his battles. But when faced with a guy like that-" Zeff nodded at Luffy who had flashed his way back onto the Fin Deck, "-faith in the men you've surrounded yourself with is all you have. You guys were doomed the moment you entered the Grand Line, because Chore Boy and Mihawk are just two of the thousands of monsters lurking in that sea. You had no cause beyond the pitiful greed of one man. If you want to traverse it, then you need something more than simple thoughts of gold and treasure."

"Faith…" Gin remained silent before turning to Sanji. "Sanji, I'm not sorry for bringing the Don here. I did what I had to, in order to save his life. I followed him because I thought that I'd found someone that truly believed in me and trusted me to lead his men in battle." Gin's body sagged slightly, before he let out a long breath. "...For so long, I've felt this great debt hanging over my head for what he'd done for me. I realize now it was just him manipulating me. You've shown me what a real life-debt is, giving me food when I was on the brink of starving to death without asking for anything in return… that is a debt I truly can never repay. So I won't." Sanji simply stared at the man, taking a drag on his freshly lit cigarette. "Instead I'm going to live, but this time… I'm going to live for myself." Gin looked up, eyes clear and strong. "It's crazy but… I want to return to the Grand Line and prove once and for all that I am a pirate to be feared, and men like the Warlords should think twice before attacking me or my men."

"Do as you please, you shitty bastard. Just remember this." Sanji adjusted his tie as he proudly declared, "This is the sea-faring restaurant Baratie, where the cooks fight! Return here if you dare!"

"Heh, what a frightening restaurant." Gin couldn't help the smile that graced his lips. He closed his eyes briefly, before they snapped open and he gave a side-eye to the blond chef. "I hate to ask, but is there a ship or boat I can have? If you haven't noticed, ours seems to have sunk."

Sanji took another drag on his cigarette as he considered it. "Ah, there's one you can have. Oi! Patty, Carne! Go get the boat we use for getting groceries!"

"Don't go giving our primary way of shopping to those guys!" Patty pointed at the floating pirates angrily.

"What'll we do for groceries if we give-" Carne was cut off as Sanji wheeled on them, an angry fire in his eyes.

"Just shut up and do it!"

Tears welled up in their eyes as they turned and ran to get the grocery boat. "You don't have to yell at us!"

"So you're going to head for the Grand Line!" Luffy appeared next to Gin and Sanji, a grin on his face as he dropped the exhausted Ussop at their feet.

"I am. The thought terrifies me… yet for some reason I also feel excited."

"I know the feeling! Just thinking about the Grand Line… I can't help but get excited! There are so many places to explore and see, I can't wait!" Luffy cut the other pirate off as he all but jumped up and down in excitement.

"But aren't you a Grand Line pirate? Surely you've seen a lot of it already?" The long nosed marksmen asked, having recovered and joined in the conversation.

"I am a Grand Line pirate but that's not necessarily how it works. See I was a member of a Yonko's crew so I spent most of my time in the New World, the second half of the Grand Line. So it's more accurate to say I'm a New World pirate. You and those guys, had you not dropped out, would be considered Paradise rookies. Essentially the weakest kind of crew on the Grand Line."

"Er New World? Paradise? Isn't it all just the Grand Line?"

"You guys really are rookies! Shishishi! I wouldn't worry about that at the moment."

"It seems there's still a lot to learn. Oi, you lot gather the men and prepare to depart!" Gin ordered the remnants of Krieg's crew as Patty and Carne came into view with the grocery boat.

"Gin! Who up and left you in charge!?" One of the pirates dissented, as others began to agree.

"Didn't Don Krieg say he was a traitor?"

"He didn't even help us fight!"

"Enough! I'm through with Don Krieg! His ambition was too big for what he was capable of! Instead of making sure we were fed and nursed back to full health, he demanded you fight and die for him without question! He held no regard for any of us. So listen carefully! If you feel you owe something to Don Krieg then by all means stay and help him escape. But you'll do it without me and without that boat." Gin pointed at the grocery boat. "Which means you'll have to take this ship if you want to sail out of here. And I don't think they will be too pleased about that." He then pointed at the chefs and then at Luffy. "Or him." The pirates collectively gulped at the sight of Luffy waving at them. "If, however, you're done with Don Krieg you're free to come with me and once we reach shore you can go your separate way. So make your choice! Either way, I'm leaving in 5 minutes."

"You heard the chief commander, up and out of the water boys, we're sailing out of here!" The pirates all scrambled back on deck and began to help Patty and Carne with the grocery boat as they all piled on and prepped the sail.

Gin, Luffy, Ussop and Sanji watched as the pirates collected their wounded and whatever supplies they could from the wreck of Krieg's flagship. "You don't mind if I don't return it do you?" Gin asked, turning to Sanji.

"Heh, just try it."

"And what about Don Krieg?" Luffy asked, noticing none of the pirates had yet to go and retrieve the man.

"What about him? The Krieg pirates are disbanded, he can rot over there for all I care." Gin strode over to the boat, the last of the former Krieg pirates to board, and hopped on.

"You would leave your biggest problem for us to deal with." Sanji took a long pull on his cigarette as Gin kicked the boat away from the Fin Deck.

"I figured Don Krieg caused this mess, it's only right he cleans it all up. Turn him in for his bounty and use the reward to repair this restaurant. It's the least we can do." The pirates hoisted the sail and began heading for the setting horizon.

"Gin! We'll meet again some day on the Grand Line!" Luffy waved as the boat slowly began to disappear from view.

"A New World pirate huh? What a terrifying kid," Gin muttered to himself, before turning his back to the shrinking restaurant and looked toward his future.

Sanji, Luffy, and Ussop stood out on the Fin Deck until the small boat vanished from sight.

"Guess that's that."

"Ah," Luffy simply replied.

"Say… Chor- Luffy. You spent all that time on the Grand Line… do you think All Blue exists?"

"That's that ocean where all the fish from all the blues can be found right?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm, couldn't say one way or the other."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. But if it does exist, it certainly exists there, somewhere in the New World."

"New World? You mentioned it before."

"It's the second half of the Grand Line, where the Yonko rule and every day is nothing like the last. It's where the real battle for the One Piece is taking place. If the All Blue exists, it'll be there."

"That's t-t-t-terrifying!" Ussop paled as his knees began to knock together.

"...emme… crew…" Sanji mumbled.

"Hmm?" Luffy tilted his head as he looked at Sanji with confusion.

"I said… let me join your crew." Sanji's face turned red as embarrassment washed over him. "If, you know, the offer is still open."

Luffy stared at the blond cook for a moment, before he started laughing. "Shishishishi! I knew you couldn't say no forever!"

"Oh no, not another one!" Ussop cried, as he imagined a devilish cook with a forked tongue fighting with a gorilla wielding three swords.

"Grr! Don't make me change my mind!" Sanji then promptly hit Luffy and Ussop over the head as his embarrassment reached an all new high. "If there's a chance that All Blue exists, then I have no choice but to head out and find it. After all, the old bastard entrusted his dream to me."

Luffy stood up and dusted off his shorts and adjusted his straw hat to his liking. "Heh, welcome aboard."

Zeff watched the three teens with a quiet smile. He was about to call for them to come in as the last rays of light began to vanish over the horizon, when the doors to the main hall opened and the orange-haired girl strode out.

"Luffy!" Nami called out getting the boys' attention.

"Oh! It's the goddess! I hope you were comfortable! Please allow me to make something for you to eat!" Sanji immediately bounded over to her, only to be immediately rejected.

"No thanks." Nami didn't even glance at the chef, her eyes locked on Luffy, as she continued walking toward him.

"Oh my heart!" Sanji dramatically swooned as he found even rejection from the beautiful girl wonderful.

"Oh Nami! You're up! I was so worried when you fainted all of a sudden! I immediately…" Ussop quieted himself as he noticed the unsure look on Nami's face as she came to a stop and she shifted uncomfortably, her right hand clutching her left shoulder.

Luffy stared at his navigator as she shifted about, her mouth opening and closing as she attempted to say something. The way she continuously clutched her shoulder, almost as if it was in pain, didn't escape his notice.

"Luffy… I… that is to say… I mean… we made that silly bet way back in Orange Town and I lost and then in Syrup Village you called me your friend and… I…" Nami stumbled over her words, her confidence waning as she forced herself to try and admit her eventual betrayal. "I… was very flattered you called me your friend… I've never really had one before you… you know being a pirate thief and all, hehe… which, I mean - I wasn't planning anything!" Nami put her hands up as she realized she brought up the fact that her profession was in fact stealing from pirates. She took a deep breath and pressed on. "Luffy that night, on the Going Merry, you told me we could talk and that you'd listen. I… have something I want to talk to you about. Just, not out here- eep!" Nami suddenly found herself face to face with Luffy, his eyes transfixed on her shoulder.

"Did something happen to your shoulder?" Nami's eyes widened as she saw Luffy reach to lift the pink sleeve hiding her dirty secret.

"No!" She instinctively slapped his hand away and turned to hide her shoulder from him. Fear settled in and what little courage she'd managed to well within herself slipped away. "You know what this was a dumb idea, just forget I said-"

"Don't be stupid! If you're hurt you need to tell us! Let me see your shoulder." Luffy blatantly ignored her as he pulled the girl into his torso and attempted to lift her sleeve once more. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how she could've been harmed. "If that idiot Krieg hurt you somehow I'm going to-"

"I'm not hurt! I'm fine, OK!? I just… I'm trying to figure out how to tell you the truth!" Nami angrily pushed herself out of his grasp, a rather arduous feat, before her hands flew up to her mouth as she realized what she'd said.

Luffy took in her shaking form. "The… truth?"

Shame crawled over her face as she looked away from him, her right hand once again clutching at her left shoulder. "...Not out here… please…" Tears fell onto the battered Fin Deck.

He stared at her, unsure of what to say, before nodding. "...Ok." He took a step forward and lifted his straw hat from atop his head and gently placed it on her head.

"This hat is my promise to Shanks and my greatest treasure. It means more to me than my own life."

Her eyes widened as she touched the brim of the hat, realizing the significance of Luffy giving her his most prized possession. "Luffy…" Nami looked back at him and saw his usual cheerful grin. The fear in her heart disappeared as she took comfort in the confident grin she'd become accustomed to the last few weeks since meeting the strange pirate from the Grand Line. Her courage restored, she slowly lifted her left sleeve revealing her dirty secret to the open air.

"Will you make a bet with me?"

0o0o0 To Be Continued 0o0o0

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