Gills chap 6
Yay, an update! Thank you for your support and reviews to ma story! *starts crying ugly tears and snot* I d-don't deserve such wonderful people! *cries even more*
…I don't really have anything else to say other than sorry for being an ass who doesn't update enough. Also please don't hurt me.
Disclaimer: I don't own- oh you get the idea, I own nothing. NOTHING ya hear me?!
"This should end everything right?" Gin asked, quiet voice ringing clearly in Sanji's head.
Sanji stared coolly back at Gin, puffing away at a cigarette.
"Even if he was a great pirate, now he's only an ordinary chef. Blasting his head off will be simple." Gin stated, poking the gun forcefully into Zeff's head, further proving his point. A bead of sweat trailed its way down the pirate's cheek. "You don't want to see him get hurt right, Sanji-san?"
Gin lifted his head with pleading eyes that only Sanji saw. "Please, just listen to me and get off this ship. That way no one will get hurt."
Sanji tilted his head back and sighed out swirls of smoke, feeling tendrils of fire licking at his feet and legs as the chef stared at the blue sky above him. Feeling Gin's anxious eyes on him, waiting for the chef's next move. Sanji snapped his head forward and locked his eye dead on his target.
"DROP DEAD." Sanji hissed and disappeared without a trace. Gin started and looked around frantically, gun temporarily leaving Zeff's head. Luffy blinked. Dark eyes of a predator shined behind Gin. Chance.
Gin felt a shiver run down his back, jerking out of the way as Sanji's foot slammed down. Narrowly missing getting a smashed skull, Gin jumped as far away from the impending danger as possible, with wide eyes and a racing heart, losing his hold on Zeff.
Gin's heart was racing as his fellow crewmates stared at him curiously. He gulped and turned. Black soulless eyes stared at him hungrily, oozing out murderous intent. Gin was suddenly bought back to the seventh day of travelling the Grandline, he couldn't move, he could only stare back, helpless. A prey that was trapped by a predator. That undeniable shock of fear. Those eyes. However, as it soon as came, the eyes turned back into the normal strange humanlike eye of a shark that belonged to a half-human. Same blank look with only a hint of curiosity and wariness. However, the black eyes from before will haunt Gin for the rest of his life.
Sanji stood silently beside Zeff, as the old man picked himself up, eyes shadowed by a curtain of gold. Zeff didn't say anything, only grunting and picking himself up.
"Finally acting like your age, Old Geezer?" Sanji asked, breathing out toxic smoke.
"The one who should be acting my age is you with how much you smoke." Zeff grumbled straightening his hat, "Eggplant. The floor."
Ah. Sanji looked down at the sizzling burn marks on the wooden floor with dismay. God damnit.
"Oi, Gin." Krieg growled out. "What the hell was that? Why didn't you kill Red Leg Zeff?"
"D-Don Krieg… I-" Gin stammered.
"GIN!"
Said man visibly tensed at the livid scream of his name. Gin's heartbeat rate was slowly going down as he turned to face the furious black haired teen.
"What the hell?!" Luffy screamed, fury flashing brilliantly in brown eyes. What normally was a happy childish face is now contorted in an angry snarl. "Sanji saved you! What are you doing?!"
Gin didn't even get to open his mouth when someone else answered for him.
"What is he doing?" Don Krieg asked rhetorically, throwing his head back and laughing. "Being a Don Krieg Pirate of course! He's my right hand man! Between his captain and some measly freak of nature chef it's obvious who he'll choose!"
Sanji spared a glance at Gin. The man seems to collected himself again and was now calmly standing in an upright position. Sanji frowned. That composure…
Sanji glanced at the fallen double pistol gun at his feet. With a look of distaste, the young chef easily kicked it between the railings of the ship, the gun falling uselessly into the ocean. Oh he knew what pirates like Gin were like alright. Some weird twisted form of absolute loyalty to their captain no matter how degrading the captain may be. Many formed from fear, resentment, pain; hateful feelings. But those feelings are powerful, over time those feelings will only grow stronger, more passionate. Sanji knew many people who were good example of this. He could never really understand them either.
Sanji suddenly felt movement beside him and jolted. He quickly pushed Zeff out of the way, taking the blow, and flew across the deck, giving a grunt of pain when he slammed into the wall.
"Sanji!" the chefs and Luffy cried out. Zeff aimed a healthy glare at the bastard pearl man that had initiated the attack.
Fuck, I thought that guy was out. I was careless. Sanji coughed and spat out blood and several teeth, wincing when he felt the definite twinge of a broken rib. Several of them. Fuck.
"Your turn old man!" Pearl laughed manically and swung down a shield covered fist at the old chef's head.
"Owner!" Several chefs cried out.
Shit, Zeff…! Sanji struggled to stand up. Move old man!
"DIE!" Pearl screamed.
Zeff stared unblinking at the large man. With the shield only millimetres away from the already crooked nose, Zeff gave a slight shift in weight as he dropped down and slammed his good leg into the pearl man's stomach. It created a spectacular gong and cough of blood to erupt from the man's mouth.
"Pearl-san!" the group of pirates cried out in shock.
"Uwooo! How strong is that old man?!" Luffy exclaimed, incredibly impressed.
Sanji gave a small sigh. Geez.
"Shitty brats making an old man do all this work." Zeff grumbled, straightening and cracking his back. "I don't have the time nor energy."
"So you finally admitted that you're getting old are ya, Shitty Geezer? Why not make me head chef already?" Sanji called out.
"Shut your mouth Shitty Eggplant, I've already told you your never gonna be head chef under my watch, not for another 100 years!" Zeff scoffed, kicking the defeated 'Iron Wall Pearl' into a group of pirates, knocking them down along with the unconscious man.
"And I've always told you I would live a 1000!" Sanji called back, picking himself up and made his way back onto the battlefield. "You're not getting rid of me Shitty Geezer, not for a long time!"
"I've had enough!" Krieg suddenly screamed, catching everyone's attention. "Everyone, go take down those useless chefs and take the ship already!"
"…Did he finally lose his temper?" Luffy wondered, completely ignoring the group of pirates running at him.
"You mean he hasn't already?" Sanji asked rhetorically, lighting another cigarette.
Before Sanji could even shift his weight a sudden blur ran in between the two young men. Sanji stared in shock as Gin knocked out around half of the rampaging group of pirates with only a strange metal weapon. The second half of the pirates froze in shock staring in disbelief that one of their own began attacking them. Krieg was seething from his spot on a broken debris, watching the scene unfold.
"Gin, are you betraying me?" Krieg growled menacingly. The whole place was silent waiting for Gin's answer, the whole place seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the answer that will determine what hell is going to break loose.
"Forgive me Don Krieg but this man saved not only mine but your life as well. I owe more than my life to him. Seeing him die like this doesn't sit right with me. That's why…" Gin spoke clearly, eyes shadowed. Slowly the man lifted one of his metal weapons and pointed it directly at Sanji. The blond man only placed his cigarette back in his mouth at the threat. "May I request that I can kill this man myself?"
Sanji twitched. Gin turned his attention to the half-fishman.
"I wanted you leave unharmed, giving this ship to us was the easiest way… but that's not happening is it?" Gin asked, resigned.
"Hell no." Sanji snorted. "Even if you do get the ship by killing me, be sure to know that my spirit will still haunt you all for the rest of your lives and be ready to drag you all to Hell when you die."
"I see." Gin said. "Then I'm sorry Sanji-san. Looks like you're going to be haunting for a while."
"Good to know." Sanji replied. "Eat shit."
Sanji bore his eyes into Gin's but the man was looking anywhere but Sanji's own eyes. The half shark gave up and gave an unimpressed huff. Krieg was already smirking horribly.
"I see. Very well. Go show what the battling commander of the Don Krieg pirates can do." Krieg ordered.
Commander? Sanji observed the lanky body, not unlike his own. Hm.
"So you're actually strong?" Luffy asked Gin curiously.
"What do you mean is he 'actually strong'?! Don't underestimate our commander! We're the Don Krieg pirates!" The still conscious group of pirates shouted in outrage.
"Yeah, so?" Luffy asked disinterestedly and picked his nose. Sanji gave him a light kick for that, grimacing slightly. Who still picks their nose? Gross.
"Do you know anything?! We're strongest pirates of East Blue!" the pirates screamed.
"Don't you mean the one with the most people?" Luffy stated impassively. That statement silenced the noisy men effectively, leaving them to only be able to fume silently like a dam about to burst.
"Looks like you hit them where it hurts." Sanji observed.
"Yup." Luffy agreed.
Immediately the pirates erupted in an angry outburst as they charged aimlessly at the passive aggressive duo.
"Stop."
At this the pirates were silenced once more as they stared at their captain in disbelief and opening their mouth in protest.
"When a man gets flustered when he's being called weak, it's proof that he recognizes that he is weak." Krieg stated calmly, sitting down with a mighty thump. "Let the outcome determine the weak and strong."
Krieg glared at his crew. "I'm still here. So stop making a fuss."
"A-Aye!" The crew answered back.
"Gin, you take out the cook." Krieg grinned maliciously. "Leave that brat to me."
"Understood, Don Krieg." Gin answered back and began spinning the strange weapon in hands, the weapon slowly emitting a strange whistling sound as it spun even faster.
Sanji gave out a smoke filled sigh and stared emotionlessly at the man in front of him. While Luffy was mocking Don Krieg, Sanji tapped his shoes experimentally and Gin shifted his weight.
Gin was first to move, surprising Sanji slightly with how fast the man was but the lean blonde was quick to counterattack, blocking the incoming steel ball to his head with his leg. Quickly cartwheeling away Sanji didn't take into account of how fast the other's man's recovery reflex was. A horrible mistake.
Sanji coughed up a mouthful of blood as Gin slammed his other weapon into Sanji's chest where he's taken the most damage. Several more broken ribs. It's getting difficult to breathe.
Gin slammed the bar of the weapon onto Sanji's neck, cutting off the oxygen into the chef's lungs, forcing the man down and trapping him. Sanji glared at the pirate. In this position, unless he could detach his head, Sanji was vulnerable.
"That's our battle commander for you." One of the small fry pirates muttered. "No matter how much his opponent pleaded for mercy he could always kill him without hesitation. A Devil-man. A man with no feelings."
Sanji's ears perked at that description of the man. The half fishman twitched slightly when he caught the look on Gin's face, hiding from everyone else but him, the man looked like he was… in pain. Sanji blew out the nicotine induced smoke through his nose calmly.
Gin smirked.
"Farewell." Gin said and swung his weapon, aiming for Sanji's head, ready to smash the man's skull in.
Sanji spat out his cigarette into Gin's face, blinding the man temporarily when the ashes got in his eyes. Sanji quickly swung himself up into a hand stand and slammed his foot down onto Gin's head, the power behind the kick forced the pirate to rebound his head off the ground painfully.
"What is this? Pity? Or mercy?" Sanji hissed out angrily.
Sanji attack wasn't enough to stop Gin. Sanji knew that very well, however his realisation was too late and was in no position to avoid it. He waited for the coming blow, gritting his teeth when it came. Both fell down with a pained grunt.
"Gin-san!" The pirates cried out in horror.
"Sanji!" One of the chef's cried out.
Sanji spat out another tooth and struggled to get up. Not enough…
Sanji shouted in pain. Gin has already recovered and was now knocking him around like a rag doll. 1… 2… 3… 4…
It wasn't until around the 8th hit Gin Sanji finally managed to counterattack and smacked his fot across the other's man's face. Sanji jumped away and glared at Gin. The pirate only smiled back and licked away the blood dribbling from his mouth.
Sanji need recovery time. The chef coughed and wheezed and assessed the terrible situation he was in. Damnit… can't gather the strength…
"Stop this already!" Sanji looked up, one of the newer recruits seemed to have snapped. "Why are you doing this to yourself?! You're going to die at this rate!"
Sanji went silent. Flashes of that time appeared unwilling in the forefront of Sanji's mind. A stormy night. A raid from pirates. An insolent brat. The Rock. No food. Missing leg. The hollowness. The kindness. All Bl…
"Why?" Sanji asked rhetorically and began to scream. "Because this restaurant is that Old Fart's dream! He gave everything up for me! His freedom, his reputation, his power, his own god damn leg! The least I could do is protect his dream!"
Sanji cut himself off as he started to cough up more blood violently. Not from his injuries but from the misuse of his voice. His voice was horribly cracked, raising the volume had ripped his weak vocal chords that have rarely been used. More blood began to dribble from his mouth, creating small waterfalls of red down pale skin. However, Sanji wasn't finished.
"That shitty old man placed his life on the line to save mine!" Sanji continued to scream, blood and spittle flying out of his mouth along with his words, his warbled screams the only thing in the utter silence. "If I don't place my own life on the line how can I ever repay the old fart?!"
"Gomu Gomu no…" A familiar shout rang out into the shocked silence. Sanji looked up and stared with wide eyes when he saw the stretched up leg. A quick estimate made Sanji realise with outrage what the target was. Stop!
"Axe!" Luffy screamed furiously and his stretched leg flew down at an alarming speed. Sanji and Gin fell back down at the impact as a column of water shot up, differing with staring in anger or in shock at the young pirate captain.
As the waves dissipated Sanji looked around him. The kick from the that bastard waiter boy had managed to completely demolish the Fin. The only thing remained of the deck were broken floating parts of the deck.
Sanji made his way over and bunched the teen's shirt into his fist.
"What the hell do you think you're doing to this ship?!" Sanji croaked out furiously.
"Sink it." Luffy replied. "I'm sinking it."
"What?!" Sanji was dumb folded at the unexpected straightforward answer.
"If I destroy this ship they can't get what they want." Luffy replied, gesturing to the pirates as if trying to further prove his point. Immediately screams of outrage and anger rang out at the dumb solution.
"Don't you know the immense amount of debt I have for this place?!" Sanji exclaimed along with the shouts.
"So you going to die for it?" Luffy asked, annoyed. "Are you stupid?"
Luffy slapped Sanji's hand off his shirt and shouted in the blonde's face. "Dying isn't paying him back!"
"He placed his life on the line to save yours!" Luffy gave a small huff at the irony. "Throwing away the life that he saved isn't paying him back! Doing that is only something that a weak person would do!"
"What makes you thinking I'm throwing my life away?!" Sanji asked angrily. "I'm just placing my life on the line like the Old Fart! What else do you suggest?!
"Not to die." Luffy answered back in a matter of fact tone.
Why this bastard… Sanji fumed, feeling a vein pop. Spotting Gin reminded him he still has a fight. Ugh I don't have time for this…
With that Sanji quickly pushed Luffy out of the way and ran towards a frozen Gin, giving a rather painful surprise of kicking the man once again in the head. Sanji clenched his teeth in pain and swung his other leg down giving double hit to the still recovering man.
Gin fell down with a pained grunt but Sanji was worse off. He couldn't hear anything, only registering pain. It felt like he's broken every single rib and more. Sanji gasped against the pounding in his head as he struggled to stand up again. Halfway into a crouch he started coughing, the force behind it caused him to fall down again, spitting out blood and teeth.
Fuck I can't go on like this… I need to think of something otherwi-
"ARGH!" Sanji screamed out when a blunt weapon once again smashed against his battered ribs. Rolling along what's left of the Fin, Sanji ended up on his back panting, trying to subside the pain. Sanji cracked opened his scrunched up eyes and glared up at Gin. The man was now towering above him, legs and feet locking the blond man in place with his weapons looming above Sanji, the bar of one of the pirate's weapon pressed onto Sanji's neck, keeping him down.
Already Sanji was thinking of solutions of escaping, however all solutions included him to be in better shape than having every single rib broken. He could scream and spit but with his battered body all scenarios end with his skull and brain splattered across the broken Fin and the already blood soaked weapon hanging above him. He was completely trapped.
Krieg was laughing horribly. The sound was grating against Sanji's ears.
"Good job Gin! Finish him off!" Krieg ordered. Gin hesitated and stared down at Sanji with an indescribable emotion.
"B-but Don Krieg, this man saved our lives, the owner of the restaurant saved our men…" Gin spoke, on the verge of pleading.
"Now!" Krieg roared furiously.
Sanji saw the pirate's grip on his weapon tighten and stared curiously up at Gin. Sanji's eye stared into the other man's darker ones and raised an eyebrow in a silent question. Well? Do it.
Gin slowly raised his weapon, getting ready to swing, eyes shadowed. The blunt weapon was frozen in the air, a swing from that height would kill Sanji instantly but Gin didn't move. Not even an inch.
Clear liquid began to splatter on the dark wood and Sanji stared up with wide eyes.
Gin was crying. The salty liquid falling down in rivulets, mixing with the blood as Gin lowered his weapon harmlessly to the ground.
"Don Krieg!" Gin cried out, Sanji still staring up at the man in shock. "I have carried out every single one of your orders, I was so happy when you made me your battle commander. I'm going against everything my position wants me to be, but…"
Gin screamed into the sky. "I'm sorry but I just cannot kill this man!"
Kreig was silent as Gin continued his crying.
"This man saved our lives! He… he… was the first person to treat me with nothing but kindness." Gin started quietening down, tears starting to drip onto Sanji as well. Sanji didn't notice but he was staring up at Gin with mixed emotions, remembering the absolute gratitude the man had showed him.
"I'm sorry to request this but please… can we just leave this restaurant be?" Gin pleaded.
Krieg face morphed into complete anger.
"ARE YOU MOCKING ME?!" Krieg roared out furiously, shocking Gin. "First you refuse a direct order from me and now you're telling me what to do? Don't patronize me!"
Kreig lifted a huge golden shield, aiming towards the restaurant. A faint whirring was heard and the Jolly Roger decorating the shield opened its mouth, revealing a small canon hiding within the metal confines.
"Everyone step back." Kreig informed his crew, his subordinates looking up from their stupefied silence of Gin's outburst. "I'm going to use MH5."
Screams ripped themselves out of the pirates' mouths as they scrambled around franticly. Sanji stared at them in suspicion. All were panicking, some even having the nerve of cursing their own captain out. Sanji stared as all of the pirates bought out a gas mask. What…?
Gin was shocked.
"Don Krieg! Are you seriously going to use the poisonous gas?" Gin cried out desperately.
"Poison?!" The chefs cried out in shock. Immediately all began swimming away, Patty and Carne dragged Zeff inside the restaurant. Sanji stared in slight horrified silence. Poison gas... moth...
Gin slowly slipped out his own mask from his jacket.
"Gin, throw away your mask." Krieg ordered calmly and stared at his subordinate with disdain. "You're no longer one of mine anymore."
Gin froze. Luffy glared at the pirate captain with terrifying eyes.
"Bullshit! Gin don't listen to him!" Sanji cried out, not believing his own ears at the ridiculous order.
"…I have already betrayed my only objective as a member of the Don Krieg Pirates." Gin spoke quietly. "I showed my emotions, I couldn't kill a man so…"
Gin threw his mask into the ocean, shocking Sanji. "I need to accept the consequences of my actions!"
"You idiot!" Sanji shouted, staring in horror at the triumphant grin on Krieg's face. "Why are you doing this?!"
Sanji gazed into Gin's eyes. They looked defeated, tired, red from crying but there was one emotion that silenced Sanji.
They were filled with determination.
"Like hell I'm going to let you shoot that gas!" Luffy screamed and ran along the fallen mast towards Krieg with a war cry. The pirate only gave an unimpressed twitch of his eyebrow before another clunk was heard and thousands of sharp miniature missiles launched themselves at Luffy. The straw hat wearing teen skidded to a stop, making small sounds of frantic surprise, running back to safety.
Luffy glared at the smirking metal clad man.
"What the hell is wrong with man? Using poison of all things." A chef muttered in horror. "That's just not human!"
Kreig smirked. "Anything is acceptable as long as you win."
"Poison gas." Krieg readied his own mask. "MH5!"
The missile was launched.
Luffy stretched out his arms and snatched two gas masks from two horrified pirates. "I'm borrowing these."
"Oi! Sanji! Gin!" Luffy cried out, throwing the two masks towards them. "Catch!"
"Now for mi- Ah! THEY'VE ALL SUBMERGED!" Luffy cried out franticly. Noticing the missile closing in he began to panic. "ARRGH! WHAT DO I DO?! WHAT DO I DO?!"
Sanji stared with wide eyes as Gin quickly threw the newly given mask towards Luffy, with only one remaining. Sanji's eyes narrowed when he realised what the man was going to do. Idiot!
If only breathing the gas would be lethal then… Sanji quickly snatched the remaining mask and smashed it into Gin's face, ignoring the strangled garble. He looked over at the rubber man hurriedly putting on the mask Gin threw away and quickly executed his 2 second plan.
"Oi, Waiter Boy!" Sanji cried out, catching the attention of Luffy. "Think fast!"
With that Sanji threw Gin towards Luffy, ignoring the pain that was caused by that simple action. Whether the idiot was caught or not Sanji didn't find out as he quickly dove into the ocean, just as the deadly gas missile explodes like some horrid firework of mass homicide miasma.
Sanji sighed as he switched to gills, welcoming the cool waters as it washed off the blood. After a few seconds Sanji gave out a long well deserved scream at how stupid humans of the world can be. Is simple quick thinking no longer a thing or is knowing information was no longer important for battle? He did not know how much of a smack in the face people needed to show that he isn't completely human. He has gills. He can breathe perfectly well underwater where the poison can't reach.
Sanji looked up and noted with satisfaction when his assumption was proven correct. Looks like the gas could only spread in the air and not seep into the water. However just to be sure Sanji swam towards where the other chefs were, with clean air.
"Sanji!" The chefs cried out in surprise when he submerged from the sea. Sanji held up a hand, silencing any questions the other chefs had.
"Not now." Sanji muttered softly. The chefs complied and remained silent as the youngest member of the Baratie watched the clearing gas with a calculated gaze. Sanji stared as an unlucky seagull fell to its death, landing lifelessly in the water. A few minutes of silence passed as the last of the gas evaporated into the air.
Sanji dove underwater once again, not even sparing a glance at the other chefs and swam back towards where Luffy and Gin were. He emgerged from the ocean and heaved himself up onto the broken deck. Sanji was satisfied to see Luffy firmly securing the gas mask onto a struggling Gin.
Luffy slowly removed the mask from his face cautiously. Once he was sure the last of the poison was gone he gave a sigh of relief.
"I thought I was going to die." Luffy breathed out, also releasing the mask from Gin's face.
The man moved himself into a crouch and bit his bottom lip. Feeling a weight on his back Gin snapped his head up, looking at a furious Sanji, tears falling relentlessly down the pirate's face.
"I'm… I'm sorry, Sanji-san" Gin choked out. "I never wanted this to happen."
Sanji stayed silent, leaving his hand on the shaking pirate's back and stared hatefully at the scowling pirate captain scum.
"It's fine Gin." Sanji breathed out, golden fringe shadowing his eyes. Sanji locked his eyes onto Krieg. Eerie black and blue eyes showed the clear promise that someone will die.
"You just chose the wrong person to follow."
You know, rewatching some old day One Piece episodes made me remember how Sanji and Luffy made the best savage team XD
Like majority of the time they were talking were throwing casual insults at the enemy and it was amazing.
That one single quote by Krieg talking about being called weak? I think that's the only thing him and I can agree on. Don't answer back to people talking trash about you. Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you angry, instead you can prove them wrong and kill them with kindness or be very passive aggressive like Sanji and Luffy :D
…also rewatching the old episodes make me want to cry because Gin's life seems like what Sanji's was until Zeff came along TT^TT
Till next time!
-Kagu-chan