…uh yeah. This is kinda late… but hey a nice long chapter to compensate! Yeah I might have made this chapter twice as long as usual…
Disclaimer: I own nothing. But I do owe you guys an apology for this late chapter. SORRY!
Four. It's only been four days. Four motherfucking days of seeing the clumsy teen break nearly half of their dishes, constantly eat the customers' food, getting orders mixed up and not even feel the slightest bit guilty. Sanji swore if he had to take another day of customers and the chefs complaining to him about that dumb straw hat idiot, someone will die a horrible and painful death of being continuously stabbed by the bluntest butter knife he can find along with a good kicking that will definitely leave behind stains on his shoes. Who gives a shit if he ruins his shoes? Zeff ruined his own before.
What is the Old Man thinking, still keeping him here? This idiot hasn't paid back a single beri of his debt. In fact, he did the opposite. He's increasing his debt and my headaches. Sanji thought, murderous intent oozing out of him as he viciously scrubbed at the stubborn stain at the bottom of a pot.
"Sanji~ I'm bored~"
Ah yes, how could he forget? One of his bigger and definitely his most annoying problem. Forget breaking plates and mixing up customers' orders, that was just the tip of the iceberg, this is by far worse. Luffy had apparently decided since Sanji won't join his little pirate crew, he's going to latch onto the chef until he does. Quite literally.
"Sanji~ I'm hungry~"
"You're only saying you're hungry because you're bored!" Sanji damn near screeched at the human rubber backpack. "If you're bored go and do some work to take your mind off of it!"
"But Sanji~ work is even more boring and then I'll get even hungrier~"
"I don't give a shit! You're bothering my work!" Sanji began to struggle against the rubber arms again. But like always, his attempts ended in vain and the teen still has his arms and legs wrapped securely around Sanji's neck and waist. "Let go of me!"
"Then join my crew!" Luffy exclaimed. It was the same response that Sanji heard over and over again for the past four days. Vice versa his answer will always stay the same as well.
"No! Let go of me damn it!" Sanji shouted in the teen's face. The rubber bastard didn't even flinch. He just stared intently at Sanji's mouth with sparkling eyes, clearly wanting to see Sanji's teeth again. Sanji's vein throbbed and his headache intensified. One other thing the younger man kept bugging Sanji about was his teeth. At least the younger male didn't stretch open his mouth again like last time just to see them. It was nice that someone actually liked his teeth and Sanji could still feel himself smiling at the thought of it but still; it would be appreciated if the teen had even the slightest sense of personal space. If lovely Nami wasn't there to give a good powerful punch to the idiot's head than Sanji had a feeling the guy would even sleep on his bed with him, all the while still latching onto him like some damn koala.
Sanji fumed and gave up on cleaning the pot, he doesn't have enough patience for it today, and walked outside for a much needed smoke break. At least the guy didn't complain about his smoking so there's that. Though it would be nice not having to give a constant piggyback ride to the child-like adult.
It was a relatively calm and quiet but it was extremely foggy. It was one of those calm days that are meant to be disrupted. Sanji felt uneasy, as he stared at the calm waters and fog he couldn't help the passing thought that something big was going to happen. Luffy stayed silent as well, if it weren't for the random shift every now and then Sanji would have completely forgotten he was carrying the pirate captain.
"What is that?" Luffy suddenly asked at a normal noise level for once and pointed out into the middle of the fog.
Sanji looked in the direction of Luffy's pointed finger and squinted slightly before widening his eyes. Sure enough he could see a slightly darker patch of fog and it was huge and highly resembled a ship, as it came closer towards the restaurant Sanji could see a flag flapping against the wind. It was black and had a white skull on it and it sure as hell did not resemble a marine flag. Pirate ship then. Great, Sanji jinxed them, good going idiot. Soon the ship stopped right in front of the Baratie, dwarfing the small floating restaurant with its huge and immense size. However, the ship looked like it could have seen better days, that's for sure. It looked like it could fall apart any second.
Sanji swore. Now that he could see the flag in better detail, he could see that it was a skull with two hour glasses beside either side of the jolly roger. Don Krieg Pirates.
Sanji quickly made his way back inside the restaurant, ignoring the calls of confusion from Luffy asking why he was in such a hurry. He could already hear the screams and frantic murmurs of the others on the ship. Looks like they saw it too.
"That ship was huge! Looks like Gin came back to repay you." Luffy smiled down at Sanji, having also seen the flag.
"I don't think that's the case…" Sanji muttered and just as he made his way into the restaurant the front doors of the restaurant slammed opened. The whole place was silent, as they stared at a huge staggering form being supported by a significantly smaller form that Sanji recognised as Gin.
The much larger man had to be none other than Don Krieg himself. He was a huge man, towering well over everyone present and dwarfing Gin, who was supporting him. Yet despite his impressive build, the man looked so weak he could barely stand. He was wounded, covered in bandages in various places and he looked like he was having trouble breathing if the wheezing noises were anything to hint by.
This is Don Krieg? The dreadful pirate that everyone feared? He didn't look that threatening. No, he looked like…
"He looks like he's hungry." Luffy stated the obvious. Sanji stayed silent.
"Please…" Don Krieg finally spoke barely speaking over a whisper, taking in gasps of air between his sentences. "Can…I have some food…and water? If it's money I have it… as much as you want… just please…"
Kreig took in a deep wheezing breath. "I don't know how long it's been since the last time I've eaten…please…"
With that Don Krieg's knee buckled. Don Krieg, a feared pirate, collapsed onto the floor out of sheer exhaustion and starvation. Despite Gin's best efforts, Don Krieg could no longer stand up.
"Captain!" Gin cried out, kneeling beside the man he gritted his teeth and looked up pleadingly. "Please, help my captain! He hasn't eaten for days! He's going to starve to death at this rate!"
Sanji gave a quick sweep of the room but he already knew the results. Everyone was staring disdainfully at the two pirates, not moving a single inch from their original spot. It was obvious no one was going to help. Gin seems to know that too as he looked around helplessly.
Sanji's had enough. He turned around and briskly began walking up the stairs, with Luffy still hanging off his shoulders. Sanji could feel the confused vibes coming from Luffy but the younger man didn't say anything and opted to remain silent. Sanji only continued to make his way into the kitchen, unconsciously rolling up his sleeves and slipping off his gloves.
Sanji made his way into the kitchen and picked up his favourite kitchen knife. As Sanji was cooking, he, along with Luffy, could hear the cries of various people, some indigent, some scornful and one pleading. Sanji could even hear the annoying laugh of Patty's.
Luffy for once was not trying to steal the food, instead just observed Sanji finishing off the dish. Sanji tipped the food into a large metal bowl, not caring for presentation and grabbed a bottle of water. As the two made their way down they found Don Krieg had already resorted to kneeling and begging. Patty stood in front of Sanji, staring in disbelief at the pirate.
Without warning Sanji lashed out and kicked Patty out of the way. Move Patty. Of course the other chef didn't hear his thoughts but he wasn't in Sanji's path anymore. Luffy only made a small noise of surprise.
"S-Sanji-san!" Gin exclaimed, looking up when he heard the crash of the large cook.
The blonde chef didn't answer, he just walked over and placed the gathered food and water in front of the collapsed pirate.
"Yo, Gin!" Luffy smiled over Sanji's shoulder, sunny attitude completely out of place. "We've got food for your captain!"
Gin didn't answer, only staring with wide eyes but Don Krieg wasted no time on chowing down on the offered food, giving out a muffled thanks and just shoving food into his mouth with his bare hands.
"Oi, Sanji!" A sudden shout cried out that Sanji recognised as Carne's voice. "Take that food away from him! Do you know what kind of person he is?!"
Like always Sanji just tuned Carne out, only vaguely catching bits and pieces of how horrible the starving man was. Starving. That was the only thing that mattered to Sanji at the moment. No matter who it was, whether they are pirate, marine or a normal person, as long as they were hungry and in need of food Sanji will give it them. Consequences for his actions can be dealt with in the future. All Sanji knew is that someone needed food and he was going to give it to them.
Suddenly, Don Krieg slammed the empty bottle of water down, cutting Carne off. Sanji barely had anytime to register when the pirate swung his arm back and slammed it into Sanji. Would've slammed into Sanji. Luffy had thought fast, getting his two feet on the ground and quickly dropped to the ground taking Sanji with him. It still hurt but it was better than taking a giant fist to the gut.
Don Krieg's eyes flashed with anger and swung his leg back for a kick. This time Sanji thought fast, bringing his leg up and blocked the incoming kick with his steel enforced shoes. It protected them, however the force behind the kick had caused the two to fly back.
"Gomu-Gomu no…" Luffy took in a deep breath. "Mini-Fuusen!"
Instead of colliding with the wall Sanji felt himself coming in contact a bouncy surface, harmlessly falling onto the floor with a slump. He stared at Luffy in slight shock. The guy wasn't kidding when he said balloon. Luffy had sucked in a good amount of air, causing him to look like a human balloon and was five times larger than his original size.
"You said mini, does that mean…?" Sanji mumbled, unsure.
"Yep! I can make myself much bigger!" Luffy smiled, letting the air out with a small whoosh.
The whole restaurant was silently staring in horror at the previously dying pirate. Finally, one woman screamed and it was like a chain reaction. Soon the whole entire restaurant was empty of fleeing customers and the only ones that remained were the chefs of the Baratie, the Don Krieg pirates and Luffy.
Gin was the first person to snap out of the shocked silence when Don Krieg attacked. "Isn't this different from what you promised, Krieg?! You said you wouldn't harm anyone and would leave quietly! This man saved our lives, why did you-argh!" Gin gave out a pained cry. Don Krieg had gripped the smaller man by his shoulder and was dangling him in the air with a painfully tight grip.
"Yeah, the food was good." Krieg tightened his hold on Gin. A sickening crack echoed across the room as Gin's shoulder was dislocated, causing a chocked garble to sound from the man. Krieg grinned nastily. "I feel revived."
"Kid." Krieg aimed his attention at Luffy. "Those are some pretty interesting abilities you've got there. Did you eat a devil fruit?"
"Yeah, the Gomu-Gomu fruit." Luffy answered, completely unconcerned that he just revealed his abilities to an enemy.
"Rubber person? Interesting." Krieg muttered.
If Don Krieg seemed intimidating before he was downright terrifying now. The man could now stand to his full height and was looking around the restaurant while growling lowly. The pirate captain scanned the room silently, his natural glare freezing anyone that came in contact with it. A small smirk made its way onto the feared pirates face and Don Krieg carelessly threw Gin to the ground. Gin only slumped onto the floor, like a puppet whose strings has been cut.
"This is a nice restaurant." Krieg stated with a sickening grin. "I'm taking it!"
"W-what?" Carne asked, shocked.
So that's why you came. Sanji clenched his fist and bit right through his ruined cigarette, mustering up his best glare at the large man.
"My ship's ruined. I want a new one. Leave after you've gathered all of your things." Krieg demanded. While everyone was still shocked silent Krieg pointed back in the direction of his ruined ship. "I have about 100 men still alive on that ship. All of them are starving and injured. If you know what's best for you, go prepare enough food for 100 men. Some have already died from starvation."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Carne cried out. "Why would we feed a bunch of pirates that's going to attack us later on?! We refuse!"
"Refuse? I think you misunderstood me." Krieg raised an eyebrow. "I'm not ordering; this is an order."
"Sanji-san, I'm sorry." Gin called out, catching Sanji's attention. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
As the rest of the chefs were still shocked, Sanji slowly got up and began walking towards the stairs. Luffy looked up at him curiously and the rest of the chefs seems to have noticed as well.
"Hey Sanji!" one of the chefs cried out. "Where are you going?!"
Sanji stared back coolly and lifted his hands. "The kitchen. I need to prepare food for 100 men."
Cries of shock were heard from all over the room. Luffy stared in confusion along with Gin. Krieg only observed the scene with a scowl.
As Sanji began to make his way up to the kitchen he came face to face with 3-meter-long utensils. Sanji didn't even blink. He just calmly lighted up another death stick.
"We won't let you." A slightly older chef growled at him. "We've had enough of your nonsense, at this rate you're going to destroy the restaurant!"
The blonde sous-chef gave each chef an even glare and stayed still, a small plan slowly formulating in his head. He smiled mockingly and pressed his neck to one of the giant knives. The chef that was holding onto it gave a jolt and moved back, preventing Sanji from cutting his neck. Sanji's glare softened slightly. I knew it.
"Do it." Sanji spoke quietly. The cooks gave slight gasps of surprise. Sanji talked to them. Most can't even remember the last time Sanji had spoken other than the slight outburst of anger he had four days ago. Their weapons lowered slightly and they straightened a bit from their attack stance.
Sanji lifted his arms up in offering and bared his neck. "If you want to stop me, stop me." Sanji spoke more audibly this time. The chefs could only stare back in silence, it's like their roles has been switched; with Sanji doing the talking while the chefs stayed silent.
"I'm well aware that he is a feared pirate and a snake." Sanji continued, back facing Krieg who was beginning to smirk triumphantly, figuring out what Sanji was going to heed to his order but at the same time completely wrong with his assumption. Sanji inspected the dots on the ceiling to distract himself from speaking so much. "But that's not my business, feeding a hungry person is. I don't care what happens after their meal, it can be dealt with later. There are 100 men that are starving, some might have died as we speak. I am a chef that feeds people when they're hungry. Nothing more, nothing less."
Sanji stared ahead, eyes locked onto the stairs that would lead to the kitchen. "For a chef, isn't that enough?"
Sanji suddenly felt a sharp pain to the back of his head. He gave a slight grunt of pain and fell down. Only one person Sanji knew could hit that hard.
"Patty!" Carne cried out, always being the one that was more gentle with Sanji of the two. That wasn't saying much though. Not at all from a normal person's view.
"Sanji, you've always given food to the customers I've kicked out." Patty stated coldly, ignoring Carne and began walking towards the bottom of the stairs. "Don't think I haven't noticed, I'm not as dumb as you think."
Patty opened the small storage door under the staircase and began shuffling around. "I don't care who's wrong or who's right, but I do know I can't let anything happen to this restaurant."
"Oi, Don Krieg." Patty called out, his large build hiding whatever he has in his hands. "You know, pirates some to this floating restaurant everyday so we have to be prepared."
Don Krieg's face twitched.
Patty looked over his shoulder. "I hope you enjoyed your meal Krieg-san. How would you like…"
Patty suddenly turned around, armed with a large shrimp shaped bazooka. "Some metal for dessert?!"
"Syrup Meatball!" Patty cried out and pulled the trigger. A deafening boom sounded and it was like the world went in slow motion. Sanji's eyes widened as the missile rapidly approached the unmoving pirate.
The moment the missile had reached Krieg and evening louder boom sounded, blasting apart the front door from the sheer force. Smoke filled the restaurant and spilled though the open windows, covering the entirety of the ship in a smoke screen.
"Don!" Gin cried out, still gripping his arm and glared at Patty. With a determined grunt he forced his arm back in placed, giving only a small groan of pain.
"I think broke the door." Patty stated nonchalantly. "Owner's going to be mad."
"It's fine, you were protecting the restaurant." One of the chefs reassured.
Sanji stayed silent. Idiots, all of them. He's not dead yet.
"What are we going to do with the rest of the pirates on the ship?" Carne asked.
"I dunno, maybe we should butter up the ship and cook it!" Patty laughed, hefting the large weapon onto his shoulder.
"That sounds delicious… Stupid Cook." A very unwelcome and familiar voice sounded out from the clearing smoke. The chefs stepped back in shock. There stood Krieg, clad in an enormous armour and pointing some very dangerous looking machine guns at the chefs.
"Giving me such an awful dessert, how can you call yourselves chefs, huh?!" With a last cry of rage, Krieg unleashed an onslaught of bullets. Cries of pain were heard throughout the restaurant. Some chefs were heavily injured however, thanks to their past experiences, no one had died.
"Do as I say!" Krieg shouted. "I'm the strongest man there is! No one disobeys me! When I ask for food you get me some!"
…he sounds like a child… Sanji thought as the oh-so-feared pirate continued to ramble. A familiar clunking noise caught Sanji's attention and he looked up to see Zeff walking down with a large bag. Sanji moved out the older chef's way, staying completely silent.
"Here is enough food to feed 100 men." Zeff dumped the bag in front of Krieg. The pirate became silent, face going back to its neutral expression.
"Owner Zeff!" The rest of the chefs cried out in disbelief.
"Z-Zeff?" Krieg's eyes widened before smirking. "I see, so you're still alive huh?"
"It would be rather concerning right now if I wasn't. Go feed your men." Zeff grumbled and levelled Krieg with one of his famous glares. Krieg only laughed, unaffected by the older man at all.
"I've heard of you. You were known for being both the captain and chef of your ship and was considered one the greatest pirates at that time. Red Leg Zeff." Kreig grinned maliciously. "The pirate who specializes in no hands combat. His feet were known to destroy boulders and leave dents in iron, always stained red from the blood of his enemies, earning him his nickname."
Krieg stared at Zeff's peg leg in disdain. "I heard that you lost your leg in an accident. I never would've thought it was true. Now that you've lost that oh-so-precious leg of yours you can no longer fight anymore."
Sanji flinched.
"But this is great!" Krieg laughed. "Once a great pirate that was feared by many is now only a measly chef on a failing restaurant!"
With that Kreig threw his head back and laughed. It was a horrible sound filled with mockery and malice. Sanji could feel that awful laugh filling his head as he clenched his hands into fists.
"While I may have been captain of a notorious pirate ship but my first job will always be chef. As long as I have my two hands to cook I couldn't care less if I had one or two peg legs." Zeff emphasized his words by holding out his hands, worn from many years of working in the kitchen but still intact and strong as a youth's. Zeff's words soothed Sanji a bit but the usual linger of guilt was still there. "Besides, should I be hearing words like that from someone who travelled to the Grand Line and ran back here with his tail between his legs? Mr I-Couldn't-Conquer-The-Grand-Line?"
Kreig immediately stopped laughing and gave a harsh glare to the older man. "What did you say?!"
"No way! Even Kreig couldn't conquer the Grand Line?!" One of the chef's cried out in shock. Sanji narrowed his vision on Gin. The man had been still for nearly the whole exchange, however now he was trembling all over and had his head in his hands, as if trying to ward of unseeable demons. What kind of place is that ocean?
Krieg growled. "True, I didn't get through the Grand Line, but behold for am I not Don Krieg, the greatest?! I was strong enough to make it through. I had enough men, enough ambition…the only thing I lacked was knowledge and information. That was the only reason why I failed."
"Red Leg Zeff, I know for a fact that you're the only man who's come back alive from the Grand Line. You must have kept a journal of your journeys and voyages of the Grand Line. So hand it over!" Kreig cried out, banging his fist against his armour.
"Oh, Old man! You've been to the Grand Line?!" Luffy asked impressed and in awe.
"Kinda." Zeff replied, mind filled with flashbacks of a storm, sinking ships and one bratty kid.
"Indeed I do have a journal; however, it's not only mine but the rest of my crewmates as well." Zeff spoke towards Krieg. "It is far too valuable to be handed to the likes of you."
Kreig scowled. "Then I just take it forcibly. Once I have that journal I will make another pirate fleet and set sail to find the One Piece. Then I'll become the next Pirate King!"
Zeff glared, unimpressed at the large pirate but stared curiously when the straw hat boy walked in front of him.
"Hold it right there!" The kid cried out, pointing accusingly at the pirate. "The one who's going to the be the Pirate King will be me!"
Luffy's outburst had caused the previously silent restaurant into a sudden uproar. "Waiter boy!" "Get out of here!" "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
Sanji only widened his eyes.
"Waiter boy what are you thinking?! You're no match for him!" Patty cried out in disbelief.
"I can't do that. Leaving things as the way they are." Luffy replied with a big grin.
"What did you say, boy?" Kreig asked threateningly. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that…"
"You don't have to." Luffy shrugged, completely calm. "I'm just stating the facts."
"I'm the one who's going to travel through the Grand Line and find the One Piece!" Luffy stated boldly.
Kreig eyes gleamed dangerously. "This is not funny brat! It may have been lack of information but a fleet of 5000 men were defeated in just seven days. Do you think this is a game?!"
"Of course not. What, do you think it is? Are you an idiot?" Luffy replied confused, completely oblivious to the shocked and terrified expressions of everyone else present. Kreig only grew more furious if the multiple veins popping on his forehead said anything.
"Sorry, but you're type of humour is the type that I hate the most." Kreig gritted out. "How about I just kill you here and now?"
"Nah, I'd rather kick your butt." Luffy grinned and lowered into a battle stance.
Krieg's blood pressure spiked. "Fine if you want to die so badly…"
The pirate's shoulder blades rolled back to reveal two large and menacing machine guns. The moment they came into view, the rest of the chefs immediately began to scramble away, already experiencing how deadly they can be.
"Starting a fight Luffy? Mind if I join?" A voice called out above caught Sanji's attention from the menacing barrels of the guns. He looked up and saw the green haired man and long nosed man from before.
Sanji frowned. That guy's knees a shaking pretty badly, I can hear his knees knocking all the way down here.
"W-we don't have to i-if you w-want." The guy called out with false bravado, his stuttering voice giving away how terrified he actually is. Sanji sweat dropped. I know your scared but can't you do a better job at hiding it?
"Zoro, Usopp, you dropped by!" Luffy called out in surprise. "It's fine, you can sit down and watch."
"I-I see." Usopp continued to stammer and ramble. "Well if you d-don't need us than n-nothing else to do! I-I'll help you if you still need it!"
You're digging your own grave. Sanji thought, unimpressed. Seems like Zoro had the same thought as well, knocking Usopp completely of his feet.
"Shut up and stay still." Zoro grumbled.
Suddenly Krieg began to laugh. "Those are your men? Are they all you have?"
"What are you talking about? There's still two more!" Luffy frowned and help up two fingers to emphasise his point.
Stop counting me, damn it! Sanji screamed in his head, sending his best death glare towards the teen.
Krieg scowled and retracted his guns, surprising the people one the ship. "I'll take care of you guys later. Right now I need to feed my men."
Kreig hefted the huge bag of food onto his shoulder. "All I want is the journal and this ship. If you still want your lives, then leave before I come back. However, of you really want say goodbye to this world, it'll be a pain but I'll send you there!"
With that he exited the restaurant, his coat billowing behind him.
As soon as Don Kreig left, Gin bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Sanji-san. I never would have thought things would have turned out this way…"
"I don't need apologies from you, fool!" Zeff suddenly interjected. "We're only cooks on this ship. We feed anyone who comes along."
"Owner!" Patty protested. "Why are you siding with Sanji? He's the reason why we're in this mess!"
Cries of agreement from the other chefs sounded out. "That's right!" "It's his fault!" "He's the reason this restaurant is going to be ruined!"
"Shut yer shitty traps, you stupid eggplants!" Zeff screamed out, silencing all protests. "Do you know how horrible it is to nearly starve to death? What's it like to feel your body eating away at your insides because it has nothing else to gain energy from? You don't know the first thing about how terrifying it is to be out in this vast sea with no food or water and how terrible that feeling is. The difference between you and Sanji is that he's experienced that feeling!"
As Zeff was screaming Sanji felt the familiar pang of hunger. With a grit of his teeth he quickly lit a cigarette and took a deep drag feeling the familiar toxin calm himself. As he moved the cigarette towards his mouth again he stopped. The death stick was trembling. It only took a second for Sanji to figure out that his hands were shaking. Sanji gave a humourless huff and crushed the cigarette. Covering his eye his hand, ruffling his fringe slightly, Sanji smiled to himself bitterly. He made a slight growl at how weak he was being and clenched his hands together to stop them from trembling. A cook's hands should never shake.
As the confused murmurs rang out Zoro spared a glance at the mute cook and was just in time to see the blonde clench his gloved fists tightly. A small flicker of emotion gleamed in Zoro's eye before it went back to being a blank glass pane.
"Instead of dilly-dallying here all day, leave already!" Zeff suddenly called out, efficiently silencing the chefs one again. "Well? What are you waiting for?"
"I'm staying here to fight!" Patty exclaimed with confidence, breaking the tense silence. "I'm won't let them just trample all over me!"
"Me too! This is where I work and I have no other place to go! I'm staying right here to fight!" Another chef cried out. Soon familiar cries emitted from the other chefs, as they picked themselves up and readied their weapons.
"Stop this nonsense!" Gin shouted, shocked and in disbelief at the reckless cooks. "Did you not see how strong our captain is? Going up against him means a sure death!"
Hmph. Sanji got up and began walking over towards the kneeling pirate. Like a wave, the other chefs parted and cleared a pathway for him. Either that or get kicked in the face was a lesson that they learned a long time ago.
Sanji gave a cursory glance at one of the fallen tables and after checking there was no damage he gently placed one a polished dress shoe on the leg. With one small flick of the ankle, the table flipped back up with Sanji steadying it in one smooth move. It was like the man defied gravity itself.
After patting off non-existent dust Sanji made his way over to Gin and leaned down until his mouth was right next to Gin's ear.
"A cook's job is to feed the hungry, however…" Sanji gripped Gin's shoulder threateningly. "Now that your captain's full he's nothing more than a nuisance that will meet the sole of my foot."
"Don't come crying if I mess up one of your pals. I won't let anything take away this restaurant whether it's human or not." Sanji growled softly, gaze darkening considerably. "That includes you, Gin."
It was only after Gin gave an audible gulp and Sanji saw a dead of sweat drop down the other man's chin did the blonde chef leave the man alone, satisfied that he got his message across.
"You're such a kind soul, threatening to kill the man who you saved." Patty snorted when Sanji made his way back. The young prodigy chef only flipped the man off.
"See, didn't I tell you he was something!" Luffy exclaimed happily, pointing in the direction of Sanji.
"Who cares about him right now, we need to get out of here!" Usopp wailed down at his captain.
"Calm down, even if he is Don Krieg he's all battered up right now." Zoro interjected, casually leaning against the wall. He stared at the blond chef that caught his attention since their first introduction with even more interest and gave Luffy a pointed look. If he noticed the guy said nothing, attention already moving onto Gin.
"Oi, Gin, you said you knew nothing about the Grand Line, right?" Luffy's question made the pirate look up. "But you have been there, right?"
Gin's eyes shadowed and he looked every bit like a man who has faced his most feared nightmares and worse. "It's the truth that I don't know anything. What happened on the seventh day on the Grand Line, I don't even know if it was a dream or a reality… but just one man… defeated over 50 fleets!"
"WHAT?!" The whole entire crowd shouted in horror. Just one man defeated 50 ships?! That was impossible!
"If that storm hadn't come along our main ship would have perished along with the others, even now I still don't know how many have died or survived. I don't even want to remember it!" Gin gripped at his headband, trembling from head to toe. "Those eyes… they were like a hawk's!"
At the man's words Zoro lost all of his calm demeanour and leaned over the railing of the stares. "What did you just say?!"
"…I believe the man you speak of is known as Hawk Eyes." Zeff spoke up. "Your description of his eyes are a dead giveaway, sounds like something he could do."
"Hawk Eyes…" Zoro spoke in disbelief, the metal gripped in his fist waning a little. Luffy looked up curiously at his first mate.
"You know this guy, Zoro?" Luffy asked. Like a rubber band that's been snapped Zoro went back to his calm state from before.
"That's man I've been looking for. He's the reason why I set sail." Zoro answered, taking in deep breathes and closed his eyes. Luffy gave a small hum in understanding.
"What did you do that made him this angry?" Luffy asked Gin, frowing slightly. "Did you steal his meat or something?"
For a short moment Gin was dumb folded, while the rest of the restaurant just stared in disbelief at the sheer stupidity of the suggestion.
"Maybe you interrupted his nap?" Zeff suggested and now the chefs aimed their stares at the founder of the Baratie with even more disbelief.
"Bullshit!" Gin cried out on outrage. "He destroyed 50 pirate fleets!"
"I was only saying a suggestion." Zeff pointed out. More like the truth. "Stuff like this happens all the time on the Grand Line. You just had really bad luck and timing that's all."
"What kind of place is that?" Usopped mumbled, putout.
"A place where anything can happen." Zoro answered. With that Usopp began to cry rivers down his face.
"Luffy! Please we can't go there!" Usopp cried before staring down at his silent captain in confusion. "Luffy?"
"Whoo! I'm pumped! I was hoping Grand Line would have things like this!" Luffy shouted in excitement, pumping his fist into the air with a huge smile on his face.
"Care about your safety a bit more!" Usopp cried out in despair.
"Well, now I know for sure my destination is the Grand Line." Zoro gave a wicked grin, completely ignoring Usopps whimpers. "I'm going to meet that man there."
Sanji gave them all unimpressed stares and huffed with slight annoyance. These are the types of people who are eager to die. Morons.
Zeff's moustache twitched slightly, seeing the expression on the eggplant's face. It was the perfect unimpressed face. Probably thinking they were all morons or idiots most likely, but there was a slight hint of... longing. Zeff gave himself a small smirk. So there's still hope for you, huh? Shitty Eggplant.
"Hey, do you know the situation we're in right now?!" Patty asked, for once being slightly rational. "Don Krieg's ship is right outside! Talk after we're out of this mess!"
Sanji blew out a cloud of smoke from a freshly lit cigarette and he watched with half lidded eyes, as the tendrils of smoke disappeared into the sea breeze. A heavy clump of boots caught his attention but he made no acknowledgement to the swordsman that now stood beside him. as Sanji slowly worked his way through his cancer stick, a surprisingly comfortable silence settled between the two. His fringe hiding his shifting eye, Sanji glanced over at the swordsman. He had that look. The one that Sanji and the Old Man gets when they talk about…
Sanji turned his head away slightly and watched as the spent cigarette fall into the ocean. The previously lit cherry extinguished immediately the moment it made contact with the salty blue waters. Fire against water. It's obvious who wins.
"Why don't you talk?" Zoro broke the silence. Sanji glanced over but returned his attention to the inky depths. After a moment of silence Sanji took out his pen and and notepad and wrote something down.
-I don't see how it's your business, Algae Brain.-
Zoro frowned trying to decipher the cursive script, causing Sanji to snort slightly at the dumb face he was making. When Zoro finally finished he immediately scowled at Sanji.
"You sure are rude for someone who caters to people every day, Curlybrow." Zoro sneered.
Sanji felt his temper flare and he immediately began scribbling away.
-Better than a moron who jumps headfirst into death. Both you and your crewmates are, chasing after impossible dreams. You might as well just have a neon sign stuck to your forehead saying you're a fool.-
Zoro folded his arms and levelled Sanji with a healthy glare. "I'd rather go out with a bang than whither my life away. When I decided to become the greatest swordsman in the world I have already threw away my life."
Zoro stood up straight from where he was leaning against the railing and walked right into Sanji's space. "The only one who's allowed to call me a fool is me."
Sanji twitched slightly at the determined gleam in the green-brown eyes. It was a look he was familiar with however, he just looked off to the side with a tch and made his way back into the restaurant, leaving a rather smug swordsman against the railing.
Zoro smirked. Unknown to Sanji, when Zoro looked into the strange eye he saw a small spark. Luffy, despite being an airhead, choses his crewmates for a reason. That small spark just proved that statement even more. Zoro placed his hand over his white sword out of habit and followed the blond chef inside.
As the Strawhat Pirates and the chefs of the Baratie prepared for battle, a large boom sounded out, shaking the ship, ripping cries of surprise and fright from their mouths. Sanji looked out the window and a small sound of shock escaped his lips. The giant ship that was a good ten times larger than the Baratie has been destroyed clean in half. Sanji stared in shock, not even noticing the stumbles and tables crashing around the ship, caused by the aftershock of the destroying of the other ship. Sanji jumped into action when the cook beside him screamed in his ear to get someone to lift the anchor. Immediately Sanji jumped up and ran outside on the railing to see the ship falling apart taking along some pirates with it.
"Merry! We need to check on Merry!" A familiar cry caught Sanji's attention and he looked over, seeing the long nose stumbling along with his ship mates in tow.
"Nami, Johnny, Yosaku! Where are you?" Zoro called out.
"ANIKI!" Tearful cries rang out and Sanji looked over the railing curiously and was surprised to see two weird men floating in the water with tears running down their faces.
"Yosaku, Johnny! Are you alright?" Luffy exclaimed appearing beside Sanji.
"Where's the ship? What happened to Nami?" Zoro appeared on Sanji's other side, the name of his goddess immediately catching his attention as he looked down urgently at the two weird men.
"She's… I'm sorry aniki! She left and took all the treasure and the ship with her!" The one with sunglasses and a tattoo cried.
"W-WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" The three newbie pirates cried out in shock. Only Sanji remained calm but he gained a sad look. Of course she stole from them, she's a thief who steals from pirates. But from what she told him before Sanji thought…
Ma Chaton, when are you going to stop doing this to yourself? Sanji thought sadly.
Soon both men were hauled out of the ocean, dripping wet and catching their breath back. When they finished recounting the whole story Zoro punched the wall.
"Damn, she took advantage of us!" Zoro growled in fury. Sanji clenched his teeth.
"That ship was a gift from Kaya!" Usopp growled along with him. Sanji nearly bit his tongue.
"Hey I can see it! It's the Going Merry!" Luffy exclaimed looking out into the distance. "Johnny, Yosaku, you still have your ship right?"
"Well yeah." One of the Weird Duo replied.
"Ok, Zoro, Usopp I want you to go after her and bring her back." Luffy ordered, acting the most captain like since Sanji's met him.
"Just leave it." Zoro muttered darkly. "There's no need to go after that woman."
Sanji felt his hackles rise and he glared in anger at the green haired man. If this how you talk of her then you deserve to be stolen from. You don't even know half of what's she's been through. Scum like you are not worthy of her high words about you!
"No! I only want her as my navigator!" A childish cry broke Sanji from his angry thoughts and he stared up in surprise at the young pirate captain. Zoro only stared back at his captain before sighing and slapping his hand against his forehead.
"Fine. What a pain-in-the-ass captain." Zoro groaned and Usopp's shoulders slumped as if he long had given up on fighting against anything that Luffy says. Sanji only stared in surprise before a small smile tugged at his lips.
Soon the Weird Duo bought their smaller ship towards the Baratie. Zoro glanced back at Luffy.
"Oi, Luffy you coming?" He asked.
"Nope. I still need to finish off some business here!" Luffy answered hand dragging his hat over his eyes.
"Fine." Zoro answered back but just as he was about to board the small ship he froze and looked to the side. Sanji could see his pupils dilating and sweat beginning to drip down his face. frowning Sanji looked to see what caused the normally stoic swordsman to still and his eyes widened.
Sailing right through the cleared pathway where the ships' been split in half was a small coffin sized boat with one lone man sitting in it, leaning casually against a giant cross.
"Zoro? Who the heck is that?" Luffy asked confused, also noticing the change in behaviour of his first mate.
"That's the man I've been searching for. Hawk Eyes Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world." Zoro gained a feral grin.
Sanji could see a pirate shouting angrily at the calm man and bit back whatever noise of shock he was going to make when the pirate shot at the swordsman however what Sanji thought was a giant cross was actually a giant black sword. What surprised him even more is seeing Zoro already on one half of a sunken ship.
Sanji, being too far to hear what they were talking about only observed the scene with shocked silence when the younger swordsman wrapped a dark green bandanna around his head and unsheathed his swords, clamping the white between his teeth. It honestly looked ridiculous seeing someone trying to fight with three swords but somehow the man looked damn near demonic.
After a few exchanges between the two swordsmen Sanji saw the greatest swordsman bring out the smallest dagger he's ever seen in his life and seeing the obvious tensing of Zoro the man was planning on fighting with that. Even not being a swordsman himself, Sanji could feel himself getting agitated at how much the man was looking down on Zoro. Not a second later the green haired man charged, all three swords drawn out and advanced quickly towards the other unmoving swordsman.
*clang*
Sanji stared in shocked silence along with everyone else. Three fully sized words that were wielded with obvious great swordsmanship were stopped. All three of them stopped by one small little dagger. Zoro was frozen stiff. Soon an onslaught of attacks were issued by Zoro. One after another, each one was either swiftly dodged or blocked by the small toy.
No way. there's got to be a limit of the differences in skill! Sanji thought observing the fight with wide eyes. But the difference is obvious… it's like a giant against a small baby.
As Zoro issued a final attack the other swordsman finally took offense. Breaking completely through the other man's attack the green haired man was stabbed right near the heart. It was like time had stopped. After a few moments Mihawk stepped back and withdrew his small toy sword.
"Kid, announce your name!" Sanji heard faintly.
As Zoro positioned himself into an attack stance the greatest swordsman in the world drew the giant sword that was resting on his back.
"Roronoa Zoro!" Sanji heard the man cry out before spinning his swords rapidly as Mihawk charged with impressive speed. A split second later both men stopped. All were holding their breath to see who had won. Pirate Hunter Zoro or Hawk Eyes Mihawk?
Suddenly two of Zoro's swords shattered and an arc of blood spurted from his torso. A few seconds of horrified silence passed when Zoro rose up and stood in front of Mihawk with his arms wide open. Sanji stared in mystified horror at the grin on the bleeding man's face. A second later the other swordsmen swung his sword down in a diagonal across Zoro's chest, Zoro made no move to defend himself. A giant arc of blood flew into the air.
"ZORO!" Luffy's scream was pure anger and anguish. The others weren't any better, the Weird Duo were full on wailing, with tears running down their cheeks. Usopp's naturally darker skin looked nearly pale as Sanji's, as he stared with wide eyes.
Sanji was shocked to the core. It was all he could do, staring with wide eyes as Zoro fell back into the ocean. When he heard the splash he snapped out of it and gritted his teeth together. He pushed his way through the startled chefs, discarded his shoes and jacket and dived into the ocean, taking a deep breath right before he smoothly disappeared under the blue surface. That idiot! That man is the world's greatest! The result was obvious from the start! Why? Why? WHY?! Why don't you just abandon your ambitions? It's simple!
Sanji looked around frantically among the floating debris before catching a flash of green from the corner of his eye. He snapped his head around and swam as fast as he could towards the quickly sinking man but abruptly stopped about a few metres away. Sanji looked in horror around him. The usual beautiful blue that Sanji loved with all his heart was stained red with the man's blood. His ocean was being stained, his home was being stained. Red. Eliminate. Destroy. EAT. Sanji's eyes dilated and he started to bare his teeth, his blood rushing in his ears as his more primal instincts took over. No! When Sanji realised what he was thinking he quickly banged his head on a nearby floating piece of wood, creating a small cut on his forehead as Sanji's own blood swelled and spilled into the ocean. Snap out of it!
Sanji quickly shook his head and swam closer towards the dying swordsman. The man was slowly growing unconscious and he wasn't breathing, mouth slightly open with small air bubbles escaping. Without thinking, Sanji crushed his lips against the other's and began blowing air into the green haired man's lungs.
Zoro was on the verge of passing out and all he could feel is pain. He could feel his vision blackening when he suddenly felt pressure on his lips and his mouth being pried open. Zoro stared as his vision began to focus and saw a soft gold. But then a few moments later his eyes widened when he realised the gold was actually the blonde chef's hair and Sanji had his mouth pressed against his own. Zoro was stunned but when Sanji continuously blew air into his lungs the swordsman quickly got the idea and took the air gratefully. The two stayed like that for a few more seconds, sharing the air before Sanji finally separated his lips from Zoro's and swam apart. Zoro found himself missing the close contact he had with the other man but quickly rid his head of those thoughts. There are much more pressing issues right now.
Sanji switched to gills but he kept the air in his mouth to fake that he was holding his breath. He already risked it by jumping into bloodstained water and now that he knew he could control himself he going to keep hiding his fishman parts to himself.
Sanji quickly wrapped his arms around the injured man's waist and began to swim upwards. The other tried to swim by himself but in the end he just kicked at the water feebly, the loss of blood draining on him.
"Pah!" The two broke the surface with a loud gasp from Zoro. As the injured swordsman greedily sucked in air, Sanji floated beside him with the other man's arm slung around his slender shoulders. When Zoro had finally caught his breath they slowly swam towards the Weird Duo, whom were desperately rowing the small ship towards them. When Sanji safely got Zoro onto the boat he looked over at the greatest swordsman in the world who was addressing the near unconscious Zoro.
"My name is Dracule Mihawk! Find your true self, learn more about the world and become stronger!" Mihawk exclaimed, Luffy standing quietly beside him. "No matter how long it will take I'll wait for you in my strongest form. Surpass this sword, surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!"
Sanji stared. He's been doing way too much of it lately but he couldn't help it, stupefied into silence byt the people who suddenly surround him.
"Aniki! He's ALIVE!" Cries of relief caught Sanji attention and he looked over at Zoro. The man, despite his injuries had lifted his white sword up in the air.
"Luffy, can you hear me?" Zoro shouted to the best of his ability.
"Yeah!" Luffy called back.
"Sorry for worrying you. If I don't become the world's greatest swordsman you'd be in a dilema, right?" Sanji noticed with shock the man was streaming tears down his face. He hacked up a mouthful of blood, ignoring the cries of the others he continued shouting.
"I will…I will never," Zoro brought his hand up against his face. "LOSE AGAIN!"
"Until I defeat him and become the world's greatest swordsman, I will never be defeated again!" Zoro continued to shout, Sanji kneeling beside him with shock clear in his black-blue eye. "Any problems with that, Pirate King!"
Sanji was dumb folded. The man had been nearly cleaved clean in half and lost. So why was he smiling?!
"None!" Luffy's answer caused Sanji to snap his head in the direction of the straw hat teen. The teen was also smiling. Sanji felt his brain short circuit.
What the hell are wrong with these people?!
Hahaha I'm dead *nurses sore hands and tired eyes before dropping dead*
*soul slips out of dead body* I hope you enjoyed that long chapter! I'm sorry this was late! *stares at dead body* I'll deal with that later.
I want challenge you guys to figure out what Sanji called Nami in his thoughts! And no cheating so no using google translate! The answer will be revealed next chapter!
Please leave a review!
-Kagu-chan