Disclaimer: All the characters herein, with the exception of some random extras, are the intellectual property of Eiichiro Oda and all the companies involved with publishing and production of the One Piece manga and anime. I just twisted 'em a bit.
Spoilers/Warnings: This story will eventually encompass the entire first season of the anime, which is up to about halfway through volume 11 of the manga, just so you know. This is an AU, so many things have been changed/altered/warped to suit my needs. Also, there is some language and violence.
Pairing: None. However, I like subtext, so you can probably find hints of just about anything, if you look for it.
Dedication: To the OP at the fanforall at LJ, for requesting a cowboy AU and spawning this in my brain. Many thanks to Dandy Wonderous for beta-ing and her ingenious "Sanji's full name insertion point" suggestion. Ingenious!
A/N: Name order for all characters has been westernized. Don't like it? Tough cookies! I do not claim to be an expert on anything involving gun fighting, the old west, or the cavalry. I did some very basic research for some of this, but I probably got lots of stuff wrong. Humor me! As I am sure you are aware, many One Piece characters do not have last names. All surnames assigned by me were given for a reason! See the end notes for further details.
Part 11- Things Set in Motion
Sanji led the prisoner to a small porch off the back of the restaurant and gestured for him to sit.
"Wait here a moment," he stated, before disappearing back into the kitchen. He was gone only a few moments before he returned with a steaming bowl of stew. The prisoner's mouth watered at the delicious scent wafting toward him and his stomach growled loudly, but he narrowed his eyes and turned his face away, arms crossed.
"I don't have any way to pay for it, and I won't take charity or pity."
"Suit yourself." Sanji set the bowl down next to him, anyway. "This bowl was going to have to be set aside at any rate, since they're preparing to start a new potful." The stranger's stomach rumbled again. An echoing gurgle could be heard from around the corner, but Sanji chose to ignore the familiar face that was spying on them. Finally, the prisoner's hand reached hesitantly for the bowl. The first few bites were rather reserved, but soon the man was shoveling the hot meal into his mouth as fast as he could.
"Thank you," he mumbled quietly, after the bowl had literally been licked clean.
"Bloody fantastic, eh?" Sanji smiled to himself, pulling a cigarette from an inside pocket and lighting it with a match. "I developed that recipe myself."
There were a few moments of surprisingly comfortable silence.
"So," Sanji asked casually, "how did you wind up a prisoner of the cavalry?"
"It's not important," the man replied shortly. Then he seemed to regret his outburst, and his expression softened again. "I'm just glad they didn't catch the rest of my gang. We'd never have been able to put up a fight after what we went through out there... That desert was Hell itself! And that gunman..." He trailed off, shuddering.
"Tell me more about the desert," an eager voice chirped. Luffy had given up on hiding around the corner. "I'm heading that way with my gang."
The prisoner laughed humorlessly. "Don't be a fool, boy. A kid like you couldn't possibly last out there. The desert seems to go on forever. We thought we were prepared, but we couldn't even last a week! Trust me when I tell you, you're better off staying away."
"Oh, I believe that it's rough out there," Luffy replied, still grinning madly, "but that's why I wanna go!"
"You're crazy," the man scoffed, but he couldn't help the small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. He heaved himself to his feet with a grunt. "Thanks again for the food..." the prisoner trailed off questioningly.
"Sanji," the chef supplied. "Sanji Gerard."
"I won't forget your kindness to me. I have to be heading back to my boss. Our group was in sorry shape when I left."
"I've got an old pack-mule you can take, so you don't have to walk," Sanji offered. "He's more or less useless to me. Some trader left him as a tip."
The stranger argued that he couldn't possibly take anything more from him, but Sanji insisted.
"I hope that someday I may be able to return the favor," he called back to them as he rode away. "My name might help you in certain places. Tell them you're a friend of Gin."
As they watched him disappear in the distance, Luffy clapped a hand on the chef's shoulder.
"Boy, you sure are a nice guy!"
"He was starving," Sanji mumbled, mind elsewhere. "I know what that's like, and I could never leave another soul in that state. Ever."
"How would you like to come be the cook for my gang?" Luffy asked brightly. "We need a good cook, and I like you."
"What?" Sanji asked incredulously, thoughts snapping back to the present. "My job is here, at the Baratie! Now, get your worthless hide back inside and start repaying your debt!"
Several days passed, but nothing involving Luffy could be said to happen uneventfully. Fortunately for the would be outlaw, most patrons were more amused than angry when their meals arrived incorrect, late, or with a few choice bits missing. He was equally disastrous in the kitchen: breaking dishes, knocking things over, and constantly trying to sneak samples of the cooking.
Meanwhile, the other members of Luffy's "gang" were beginning to go a little stir-crazy. They had taken up more or less permanent residence at the table in the back corner. Usopp and Zoro had quickly exhausted every card game that either knew, and had begun inventing their own. Nami had been happily milking Sanji's woman-worshipping nature for all it was worth, of course, but even she was becoming bored. She glanced over to the boys.
"What are you two playing now?" Whatever it was, it looked complicated, somehow involving more than one deck of cards as well as pencil and paper and a battered set of dice.
"It's called, 'A Game Nami Won't Want to Play Because It Doesn't Involve Gambling, So She Can't Take Our Money,'" Zoro grumbled around the pencil he held clenched in his teeth. Nami rolled her eyes.
"I never said I wanted to play!" Honestly! Win three straight games of poker with these people and you were banned for life! "I was just curious..."
"It's actually called, 'Far-pok-chuck-a-luck-monte,'" Usopp explained. "It's a combination of several other games. Want me to explain the rules?"
"Um, no, that's okay," Nami declined, slightly overwhelmed by the odd name and the almost indecipherable scribbling on Zoro's piece of paper. "I think I'll just watch. Who's winning?"
"I have no idea," Usopp admitted sheepishly.
"Don't look at me, either." Zoro shrugged.
A man burst through the front door, a horrified look on his face.
"D-Don Krieg," he gasped between panting breaths, "he's headed this way!"
There was a brief, stunned silence before panic broke out. Most of the guests were torn between wanting to flee and fear of going outside. Somehow, through all of the clamor, the sound of boots on the porch outside could still be heard, and the room fell back into a breathless hush. The broken window had been boarded over, but shadows of passing figures briefly blocked out the light shining between the planks.
A familiar man entered the room, another person leaning heavily against him, one arm slung across his shoulders.
"Gin," Sanji remarked casually, emerging from the kitchen. "Back so soon?"
"This is my boss, Don Krieg. Please, help him," Gin pleaded. "I have money this time!"
"Don't do it," one of the other cooks snarled, though his knees were quaking. "He'll kill us all!"
Every person in the room had heard stories of the ruthless Krieg. People began inching their way toward the back door.
"Please," Krieg rasped, falling to his knees, "at least let me have some water."
Sanji turned toward the kitchen and the protesting cook placed a hand on his shoulder. Sanji shrugged off the hand with an angry glare and disappeared through the doorway. When he reemerged, he had a glass of water and a large bowl of soup.
"I'm fetching the owner," the other cook announced, before scrambling from the room.
Zoro dropped one hand down to his hip before clenching his fist, remembering the no weapons policy of the restaurant. His guns were outside with the rest of their gear.
"Be ready," he addressed Nami and Usopp without ever taking his eyes from the scene in front of him. "I've got a feeling things are going to get ugly."
"Hey, everybody." Luffy ambled over to his friends, having just been released from post lunch rush dish duty. "What's going on?" Nami pointed to Krieg.
"See for yourself."
Krieg finished the last of his soup and pulled himself to his feet. In a surprisingly swift movement for a man who appeared so weak moments before, the outlaw lunged forward and grabbed Sanji by the throat, lifting him off the ground.
"Thank you," Krieg sneered mockingly, before tossing the chef into a nearby table. "This is a pretty nice place you have here," he noted, glancing around appraisingly. "Looks like you cooks are doing pretty well for yourselves."
"It's been hard work," Zeff remarked as he entered. "I don't appreciate anyone trying to ruin it."
"Too bad, old man," Krieg scoffed. "I have a few more men nearby who aren't doing so well. I'm coming back here just before sunset. Everybody who knows what's good for them will be gone, and you'll leave me everything in this hole that's worth anything, as well as a supply of rations."
"We're not leaving," Sanji stated firmly. He stood from the wreckage of the table and brushed off his suit.
"Then you'll die," Krieg shrugged.
"Boss," Gin looked stunned, "why are you doing this? They helped us, even knowing who you were! Can't we just move on and leave them be?"
"I made up my mind, Gin," Krieg glared at his subordinate, "and it's not your place to question me!" He headed for the door, looking back over his shoulder. "Just in case any of you doubt how serious I am, I've got a little farewell for you..."
Sanji walked over to the window and squinted between two boards. He watched Krieg approach a large horse laden with heavy saddle bags. The outlaw removed a large item from the animal and Sanji paled.
"Everyone get down, now!"
People dove to the ground and hid behind whatever they could find. Zoro didn't need to be told twice, either. He knocked their table onto its side, and, grabbing Nami's wrist and Usopp's belt buckle, he hauled them to the floor. Luffy was still staring at the window with a puzzled frown. The gunman snagged his ankle and dragged him behind the makeshift cover just as bullets began flying. They tore through the boards on the window, peppering the walls and shattering everything left on any still standing tables.
"A gatling gun?" Usopp asked incredulously. "Where did he get one of those?"
As soon as the firing stopped, people scrambled for all the exits. When the dust settled, the only ones left in the room were the cooks and most of Luffy's group.
"Is everybody alright?" Usopp wondered as he checked himself over.
"Where did Nami go?" Luffy looked all around.
"She must have headed out the back with everyone else," Zoro deduced. Then his eyes went wide as he saw a familiar wagon rush past the once again gaping hole of the window. "Oriented to make a quick escape," he mumbled before rushing outside, Luffy and Usopp close behind.
Krieg and Gin were long gone, and so were Nami and their wagon. She had left behind only the horses and a few personal items, including clothing, Zoro and Luffy's guns, and Usopp's slingshot.
"Dammit!" Zoro kicked a pile of clothing. "That no good thief!"
"You and Usopp should take the horses and go bring her back," Luffy decided. "I'm staying here, but I'll catch up to you."
"Bring her back?" Zoro's eye twitched. "Why would we want her back?"
"She's our friend," Luffy stated simply. He and Zoro locked eyes for a few tense moments.
"You're crazy, you know that?" Zoro looked away first. "For the record, I think this is a bad idea."
"Probably," Luffy grinned.
"Hey look, someone's coming!" Usopp pointed into the distance, where a lone figure on a horse could be seen approaching at a leisurely pace. "You don't think Krieg's coming back already?"
Zoro squinted at the rider. He looked briefly surprised, before his face set in a look of determination. Usopp recognized it as the expression Zoro had shown during the fighting at the Bar K. Zoro stooped to arm himself.
"That's not Krieg," he announced, standing to make final adjustments to his gun belt. "That's Hawkeye Mihawk."
End Notes:
Sanji's name origin is as follows: There was a train robber named Eugene Bunch who used the alias "Captain J. F. Gerard" while on jobs. He was always polite and never took handbags from the ladies. Tell me that doesn't sound like Sanji as an outlaw! Capt. Gerard = Mr. Prince! Sanji Bunch sounds horrible, but Sanji Gerard is quite nice, I think.
Far-pok-chuck-a-luck-monte: Please do not ask me how to play, just know it's a mash-up of games played in the old west. Those being faro, poker, chuck-a-luck, and three-card-monte. I'm guessing the paper and pencil were for keeping score, not that it helped! XD
Krieg having access to a gatling gun is almost plausible, as they were around during this period. I doubt anyone had a personal gatling gun, but, if anybody did, Krieg would certainly have one!