This chapter is about half the length of my normal chapters and I apologize for that and promise I will make it up to you next week with the other half of it. However, I am being dragged to a big family gathering for 6 days and I did not want to leave you guys without at least what I had already managed to finish between working 5 days a week, 10 hours a day. My job hates me I'll have no internet at the reunion but I promise to keep writing while I'm there!
I should have the rest of this chapter and the next one (to make up for this) up a few days after I get back so not this sunday but probably next sunday/monday ish.
A big thanks to KarouUchiha, jadecraze, vampirefreak4eterity, Kitsunegirl90, Hina714, Inviso-Bella, cutefangirl24, Wind, and all my anonymous reviewers! I love you guys.
Invisio-Bella - I'm following the manga and as of the newer chapters Sabo is alive but he will not come into the story at any point in the near future nor will I mention him until the point he is mentioned in the manga. Luffy's backstory isn't going to be for a long while but if I'm still writing at that time (I hope to be as I never want to give this up) then yes, I'll write out her history. Luffy's fight against Krieg will definitely show her badass side as I wanted the Syrup island to be more of a reveal for Zoro and this one will just be a full out fight.
Hina - I can't promise anything but I will definitely try to post more often. It kills me when I don't have time to write or I'm too tired to.
Entrance of Mihawk is coming up in the next week when I get the rest of this chapter posted so woohoo! Luffy's revelation is coming up really soon too. Part of it will be during Zoro's fight with Mihawk and the rest will be during the fight in Arlong Park.
One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!
Protect Baratie!
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The large bag containing enough food for 100 men remained untouched as the Head-chef of the Baratie, Zeff, continued to stare at Don Krieg with one eyebrow raised. The pirate commander was watching Zeff with a look that appeared close to shock and he gulped, his eyes wide.
"Z-Zeff, you say..?" His tone was shaky and Luffy just tilted her head, glancing back and forth between the two men. What was so special about the old man? Just his name had caused Don Krieg to freeze.
Zeff just smirked slightly and turned, walking slowly back towards the central staircase, his peg-leg clacking against the tile floor. The sound was loud in the quiet room, most of the remaining inhabitants watching the scene unfold before them silently. Around the restaurant, chefs that hadn't been hit as badly by Krieg's attack were helping the more injured people up and out of the line of fire. Eventually, one of the injured chefs broke the awkward silence that had settled over the dining room.
"What's the meaning of this? What are you thinking, Master Zeff?" A soft chorus of agreements rose up from many of the other chefs as another began to talk, having been encouraged by his fellows.
"If his crew gets better, they'll take over the restaurant!"
Zeff chuckled humorlessly. "That may be true. But only if they've got the guts."
The chefs stared incredulously at the owner of the restaurant, wondering what he meant by his previous statement but Zeff just turned to look back at Krieg from his place at the foot of the circular staircase and smirked.
"Isn't that right? Mr. Couldn't-Get-Through-The-Grand-Line?"
Krieg twitched slightly, his expression showing intense surprise before it morphed into one of shock.
"N-No way...!" One of the chefs mumbled, turning from looking at Head Chef Zeff to stare at Don Krieg in shock. The chefs of the Baratie were surprised to hear that even the ruler of the East Blue couldn't make it to the Grand Line despite the amount of people and ships he had at his command. "Even Don Krieg couldn't get through...?
"Even the King of the East Blue... with his 50 ship fleet couldn't get through?!" Carne let out a surprised whistle, trying to absorb the shocking news.
"The Grand Line?" Luffy's expression remained blank but her eyes were wide as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her. They were talking about the Grand Line. 'This guy's been to the Grand Line? But Gin said he didn't know anything about it. What gives?'
Her eyes moved to Gin who was still kneeling in front of Don Krieg, one hand braced against his forehead and his eyes clenched tight. It was as if he was trying to banish any thoughts about the horrid pirate's graveyard from his head. Even as Gin shook uncontrollably in front of him, Don Krieg kept his eyes on Zeff, staring at the middle-aged man as if he was a ghost.
"You... You're Red-Foot Zeff!"Zeff turned more to face Don Krieg, watching the man with an almost uninterested expression. Krieg's shocked expression faded into a more relaxed one, a sinister smirk coming to his face.
"So you're still alive, eh? The cook-cum-captain, one of the greatest pirates in history." Sanji straightened up slightly from his place on the floor at Krieg's words, that the man knew of his mentor's past was a surprise that the blond chef hadn't been expecting. His eyes slid to the side so that he could see Zeff's reaction to Krieg's statement but his mentor looked completely calm.
The chef turned to fully face Don Krieg, his body taking on a relaxed stance. "I'm alive, so what? It's not your concern." Zeff raised one hand and swept his arm out to gesture at the restaurant. "As you see, I make my living as a cook now."
Krieg began to laugh as if Zeff had told a funny joke, the sound loud in the mostly empty restaurant.
"That's a nice way of saying it." Don Krieg's eyes darted down to the wooden leg that was taking the place of where Zeff's right leg should have been and he smirked cruelly. "But from the look of things, it's not that you chose to be a cook, but it's the only thing you're able to do."
His cruel grin turned into a more serious and grim expression as he continued to talk. "I've heard the stories of Red-Foot Zeff. He's an expert at fighting without his hands. His legs are so strong, they can break rocks, or even leave a footprint on iron. He earned the name Red-Foot from his shoes, dyed red with the blood of his enemies."
The chefs in the restaurant listed to Don Krieg's tale with rapt attention. Some of them had heard of Red-Foot Zeff but most of the chefs couldn't reconcile their image of the famous pirate with the Head-Chef that they had worked for for so long. Krieg just rolled his eyes and scoffed, as if the story he had just told had been a load of garbage.
"But it seems that you've lost that ever-so-previous leg of yours." His lips curled up into a cocky smirk. "I heard a rumor a while ago... how unlucky for you to have had such an accident at sea. Now that your greatest weapon has been sacrificed to the sea, you're defenseless and you can no longer do battle."
Zeff noticed Sanji flinch out of the corner of his eye, the young chef going pale at Krieg's words and he shook his head with a sigh. It seemed that the kid still felt that he was responsible for what had happened all those years ago.
"Why would I need to fight?" Zeff said calmly, knowing that he needed to say something before the stupid eggplant started to feel even more guilty. "I don't need my feet to cook, as long as I have a pair of hands. Just cough out what you really want to say, enough chit chat." Zeff knew that Krieg was just playing with him and he was getting a little fed up with it.
Don Krieg grinned, looking amused. "Red-Foot Zeff... you're a man who has sailed the waters of the Grand Line and returned alive. You must have kept a journal of that voyage... Hand it over! NOW!" Just like everything else that he had said so far, Krieg's words were not a request. Krieg gestured to himself with one hand, his words and expression confident because he knew that Zeff wouldn't be able to stand against him. Once, the man had been a feared pirate that could have put even him to shame but now, with one leg missing, Krieg believed that he had the upper hand.
Zeff just scoffed, frowning at Krieg's demand but turned when he heard an enthusiastic shout to his right.
"Not bad old man!" Luffy cheered. "So you've been to the Grand Line, too?" The raven-haired girl was staring at Zeff with a bright and happy expression on her face, watching the older man excitedly, as if she was fighting the urge to start dancing.
"kinda..." Zeff chuckled, the soft smile that had been forming on his face vanishing when he turned to look back at Don Krieg. "Indeed, I have the journal, but I'm not going to give it to you."
Krieg's smug smirk faded into a scowl and he clenched his teeth together angrily as Zeff continued.
"That journal isn't just mine, it's the pride of my entire crew. It's far too valuable for the likes of you."
Krieg snarled, glaring at Zeff as he clenched his hand into a fist in front of his face, the movement showing his determination. "Then, I'll have to seize it from you. True, I couldn't get through the Grand Line. But behold, for I am Don Krieg, the greatest! I was strong enough to make it through. I had enough men, enough ambition..." Sanji and the others listened to him rant silently, watching as the man's voice got louder and louder as he continued to talk. "The only thing I lacked was information. That's the only reason why I failed. I must have that journal! And organize another pirate fleet to get that One Piece! Then, I'll become the Pirate King!"
His words rang through the silent restaurant, his tone overfilling with confidence and determination. In his mind, he would become the most powerful pirate in the world, the one to beat all others, and nothing would stop him from fulfilling his ambition... Nothing, except for a small girl in a straw-hat that was glaring fiercely at the other pirate.
Luffy quickly stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of Don Krieg, her eyes shadowed by her hat. "Hold on there, bud!" She shouted, raising her hand and pointing her finger at him, not looking the least bit afraid or intimidated. "I'm the one who will find the One Piece, and I'm going to become the first ever Queen of the Pirates!"
Most of the chefs were taken aback by the tiny girl's brave words and confident stance. She looked like she wasn't the least bit worried and even Sanji was watching her with a surprised expression. That she had said that to Don Krieg of all people was the most shocking thing.
"It's the waitress!"
Patty was the first to recover, from his shock and he took a couple of steps towards her, brandishing his pitchfork weapon. "Hey, get out of here waitress! You're no match for him!"
Luffy just giggled, a confident smirk visible on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I can't do that. Leaving things as they are." She had such a self-confident aura surrounding her that even Zeff was surprised.
'I may have been right about this lass. She really is different.'
Don Krieg just watched Luffy silently for a few seconds as if he wasn't sure that he heard her right before he began to laugh, a barking loud laugh that caused him to brace one hand against his chest for support.
"YOU?! A little girl like you could never survive the Grand Line. Hell, you wouldn't even survive a single minute in that sea of hell! I'll pretend I didn't hear that little bout of crazy if you just run along, sweetheart."
"You don't have to pretend," Luffy shot back quickly, her words sharp like a knife. "I don't care what dangers lie there or that you couldn't get through. I was just announcing the truth." Her statement earned gasps from most of the chefs still in the restaurant but Krieg's scowl just intensified at her words.
"This is no game." He muttered darkly.
Luffy just returned his scowl with another smirk. "Of course it isn't. I'll be the one who'll get through the Grand Line!"
Krieg snapped, his expression one of pure fury and he leaned forward and raised one clenched fist, shaking with rage. "That's not funny, you stupid brat! It may have just been a lack of information, but my entire fleet of five thousand men were defeated in just seven days!" At Krieg's feet, Gin had grasped his head between his hands and was shaking uncontrollably, the memories of that week driving him into a panic even as Krieg continued to rant.
"What makes you think you can make it?!"
"Sev... seven days?!" Patty gasped, his eyes wide and his teeth clenched in shock.
"Krieg's men only lasted seven days?" Carne was also in shock and his eyes darted between Krieg and the traumatized man kneeling in front of him. "What could've happened to them?" Patty and Crane had heard of the horrors of the Grand Line from people who had been lucky to return alive but neither of them could imagine the horrors that Don Krieg and his crew had gone through.
Luffy, though, didn't flinch or frown. She just continued to stare at Krieg with a calm and almost relaxed expression, one that seemed to anger the pirate captain even further.
"Unfortunately, I don't find your remark to be very amusing," He snarled, his tone sarcastic.
"If you insist, shall I kill you off right now?" Krieg's expression had settled into one of slight annoyance, as if there was a bug in front of him that he wasn't in the mood to deal with.
Luffy just grinned and raised one fist in a challenging manner, her other hand bracing against her bicep. "If you think you're up to it." The she-pirate stepped back into her fighting stance, her bright grin still present on her face.
"Cocky little bitch, aren't you?" Krieg smirked then, his eyes sweeping over Luffy's frame before settling on her face. His eyes narrowed at her confident grin but he kept up the appearance of his calm smirk. "If you're as powerful as you say you are then you would be best suited to a position at my side."
Krieg's grin widened and he held out a hand towards Luffy. "What do you say, little girl? You want to be Pirate Queen? Join my crew and I guarantee, when I conquer the Grand Line I'll make you my very own Pirate Queen."
Luffy's grin faded slightly and she glared over at Don Krieg before shaking her head, looking almost exasperated. "Weren't you listening?" She asked, staring at Krieg as if he was crazy. "I said I'd find the One Piece. Not you! I'm going to be the Queen of the Pirates and the King. I'll be the top pirate in this whole era! I'm not joining your crew, I have my own!"
Luffy's confident smirk returned and she rested her hands against her hips, waiting for the pirate general's reply.
"Very well then," Krieg snarled, clenching his hands into fists as veins appeared on his forehead. "I'll crush that rebellious spirit of yours until you're just an obedient little shell!"
Krieg's gold shoulder plates lifted up, revealing two large guns on each side that he aimed directly at the grinning she-pirate. The chefs around Luffy flinched back and even Patty and Carne eyed Krieg with a look close to panic.
"Luffyko-chan!" Sanji tried to force himself to his feet, wanting to put himself between the temporary waitress and Krieg in an effort to protect her but his body still wasn't cooperating with him.
Luffy shifted back into her fighting stance, silently waiting for Krieg to make the first move. Krieg's eyes shifted to the side and focused in one Zeff who was standing calmly behind the straw-hat wearing girl, content to just watch the events unfold in front of him. His eyes narrowed and eventually returned to Luffy but before Krieg could make a move he was interrupted by a loud clanking sound.
Everyone's gaze was drawn to the central staircase where they stared in shock as Zoro descended halfway down the stairs, Usopp following slowly behind him. Zoro's hand was resting on the hilt of his white sword, ready to draw the blade at a moments notice and he was glaring darkly down at Krieg, the man's earlier words echoing through his head.
'That bastard. She will be no one's Queen, Luffy WILL be the Pirate Queen on her own. I will make sure of that!' Zoro was barely able to hold back the fury that raced through his veins and he gritted his teeth before smirking slightly.
"Starting a brawl, Lu?" He asked, appearing calm and relaxed but inside he was boiling. He wanted Krieg's head for the way that man had dared to talk to Luffy. "Need a hand?"
Slightly behind Zoro, Usopp had his hands on his hips and his head held high, trying to appear brave, but his legs were shaking so hard you could hear it through the restaurant. He obviously hadn't wanted to come in the first place but had been cajoled by Zoro and was now trying to act like the Brave Warrior of the Sea he claimed to be. "I-If you don't need help, th-that's ok too." The teen said shakily.
"Zoro! Usopp!" A happy smile came to the she-pirate's face and she grinned brightly up at her crewmates. "You dropped by!" Luffy had been expecting Zoro to stop by at some point during the day but Don Krieg showing up had pushed the thought from her mind. Seeing that Usopp had joined her swordsman made Luffy giggle. She knew Usopp could be a coward but he had still come to the middle of the fight and that made her happy.
"It's ok," She continued, giving the both of them a thumbs up. "Just sit and watch. I can handle this."
Zoro's stance relaxed slightly at her calm words and he removed his hand from the hilt of his katana, trusting in his captain. If Luffy said that she could handle it then he would wait. However, the swordsman continued to glare down at the pirate general who had dared to demean his captain. Even if Luffy beat him, Zoro would still kick the purple haired man's ass himself.
"Oh, okay... That's too bad then... If you don't need us, there's nothing we can do about that." Usopp started to babble, trying to cover up the fact that he was afraid of Don Krieg and his crew. "I-I'll help ya, if you still need it! G-Good luck!" Zoro rolled his eyes, having finally had enough of the long-nosed teens blabbering and elbowed Usopp roughly in the stomach. His hit caused Usopp to stumble back into the central pillar, the air having been knocked from his lungs.
"What the hell was that for, Zoro?!" Usopp gasped, panting heavily as he leaned against the central pillar.
"Shut up and stay still, long-nos." Zoro snapped back, returning his gaze to Luffy.
Don Krieg just watched the two bickering teens in front of him, a smirk coming to his face before he began to laugh loudly.
Luffy's smile faded slightly and she turned away from watching Zoro to glare back at Don Krieg.
"Are those men your crew? They look pathetic. Are they all you've got with you?"
"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked, smirking as she raised one hand and curled it into a fist. "Don't you dare underestimate my crew! Besides, I have two more!"
Luffy raised two fingers, grinning brightly as she thought about how she had just managed to get her newest crew member.
"Luffyko-chan, I already told you that I can't become a part of your crew right now" Sanji remined gently before he sighed, rubbing two fingers against his forehead in exasperation as he shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. He could never truly be annoyed with the angelic Luffyko-chan, but she definitely was a stubborn one.
Krieg's amused smirk faded and he began to scowl again, his eyes sliding away from Luffy's grinning frame so he could take a sneak glance at Zeff. The middle-aged man continued to stand slightly behind and to the right of the waitress, appearing completely calm and relaxed. Don Krieg appeared to come to some sort of decision at that moment and lowered the guns in his shoulders, allowing the shoulder plates to settle back down.
"I'll take care of you guys later." Krieg said, causing Luffy to stare at him curiously, her hand still up with her two fingers raised. "Right now, I need to feed my men."
He lifted the large bag of food up and threw it over his shoulders before turning slightly and preparing to leave. "For those who don't wish to die, you'd better not be here when I return."
Many of the chefs perked up, surprised that the infamous Don Krieg was offering them a chance to escape with their lives. Was it a trick or was he serious? Krieg continued to talk, ignoring the mutterings of the chefs.
"The only things I want are the journal, this ship, and that woman," He jabbed a finger in Luffy's direction causing the raven-haired girl to grin cheekily. Glaring at the girl's expression Don Krieg turned and began to make his way out of the open door. He paused before he completely exited the restaurant and said in a low, threatening tone. "However, if you really want to throw your lives away, I'll have to go out of my way, but I'll be happy to send you to the bottom of the ocean!And you, girl" He pointed back at Luffy. "Don't you go running away from our fight. I will track you down and drag you back!"
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving the people still in the restaurant to wonder what was in store for them.
Meanwhile, back on the deck of the Going Merry, Yosaku and Johnny continued to stare at the Baratie from their hiding spot at the stern of the ship.
"It's gotten kinda quiet..." Yosaku muttered, his expression slightly worried.
"Big Bro Zoro went to check things out." Johnny added.
"He just went to see Big Sis Luffyko."
Both the bounty hunters began to giggle, knowing that the latter had been the real reason that Big Bro Zoro had wanted to go to the Baratie.
"Still," Johnny continued, frowning thoughtfully. "You think something happened? You really think everything will be okay?"
"How would I know..." Yosaku sighed, still watching the restaurant.
"Hey, Big Sis Nami!" Johnny called, turning to look at the very back of the ship where Nami stood, leaning against the railing and staring down at a piece of paper in her hands. "Should we go check it out too?"
Nami didn't reply, just continued to gaze at the small scrap of paper with a dazed and almost zoned out expression.
"Big sis?"
Before Johnny could call her name again, Yosaku lost his balance above him and fell, sending both men crashing to the deck of the ship with a loud clang. They clutched at their heads, having smacked them together in the fall, and whined in pain but still Nami didn't so much as even flinch at the noise.
"Big Sis Nami?" Yosaku asked, noticing what Johnny had just a few seconds ago, that something was bothering the orangette. "Are you ok?"
Nami finally seemed to hear him and stiffened slightly before turning to look at the two bounty hunters, forcing an embarrassed grin to her face.
"Oh, what's up?" She asked, giggling nervously as she completely faced the two men, sliding the piece of paper behind her back so that Johnny and Yosaku couldn't see what it was. "Anything the matter?"
Johnny frowned and squinted at the paper. It looked like it was a wanted poster but he couldn't see anything other than the outline and the 'TED' of the Wanted portion. He and Yosaku turned to look at each other curiously, wondering why Nami would bother to hide a wanted poster from them. They were bounty hunters, after all. Neither knew that they would soon learn the reason that the orangette had hid the poster, and why she was so nervous.
Again, I apologize that this is only about half the length of my usual chapters but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyway. I followed some of your advice and made Krieg kind of a creep which made writing Zoro fun but Luffy'll kick his ass soon.
Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll have the rest of this chapter and the next one up not this coming week but the next week!
Til then guys!