I'm back from my trip! Woohoo! Thank you for your well wishes, I got back and nearly started crying because of the kind words. I hope you all enjoy the second part of the Protect Baratie chapter! I worked really hard on it even though I had almost 10 people leaning over my shoulders asking what I was working on during down time.
Big shout out to all of my reviewers! I love you guys! Thank you so much to Hikary Sanoko, Yugioh Luva Girl, ubermarine, KarouUchiha, jadecraze, ZoLuFanGirl98, Hina714, DarkArtist1080. and all of my guest reviewers.
In answer to some questions:
I will definitely continue to and beyond the Alabasta arc if I have any say in it. I'm so looking forward to her as I consider Vivi a member of the crew, and Ace's appearance in Alalbasta is a definite motivator. I'm am going to love writing the overprotective big brother.
Bellamy and the Mock Island area is going to be very difficult for Zoro cause I'm not going to have them hold back on Luffy just cause she's a girl. Expect jealousy, yelling, and death threats!
I will have Lucci at least partially hit on Luffy probably but the Enies Lobby arc is a ways off and so I'm honestly not sure exactly how I'll write everything until it's sitting right in front of me. We shall both just have to wait and see how it turns out.
To the guest with the sister, I am so sorry for your loss. I don't know when I'll need another name for a person in the story but as soon as I do I will use your sister's. Maia is a beautiful name and I would be honored to use it.
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Ok! Without further ado, please enjoy the new chapter and look forward to the confrontation between Zoro and Mihawk next chapter along with the first part of Luffy's revelation.
One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda!
Protect Baratie
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Gin remained in the same spot that Krieg had left him in, clutching at his bruised shoulder and staring down at the ground, a defeated expression on his face. The atmosphere in the restaurant around him was tense as the chefs quietly argued amongst themselves, trying to decide whether or not they would stay and fight. Many were having difficulty, obviously they didn't want to die but at the same time the Baratie was a home to them, a place where they were accepted, a treasure. Gin bit his lip, trying to stop his lip from quivering. He hadn't wanted this; none of it.
"I'm sorry, Sanji." He finally said, drawing the attention of the other people in the room. "I never would've imagine that things would turn out this way..." Sanji had been staring at the floor but glanced up at Gin at the dark-haired man's words, giving the man a pitying look.
"I don't need an apology from the likes of you, fool!" Sanji and the others turned in shock to stare at Zeff, who was watching Gin with a calm expression, appearing as if he was unconcerned with the looming threat of Krieg and his men. "We are but cooks in this establishment. We'll feed anybody who comes along." Gin's eyes widened slightly, surprised that the Head chef of the restaurant was taking Sanji's side, even the blond chef in question looked slightly surprised. Zeff just huffed slightly but was interrupted by an angry Patty.
"Owner!" The chef shouted, clutching his spear. "Why are you siding with Sanji? What's going on here?"
"Yeah!" Another chef chimed in. "This is all his fault!"
One by one the other chefs chimed in, voices overlapping each other as they continued to blame the blond chef, going as far as to say that Sanji didn't care about anyone.
A chef jabbed his finger in Sanji's direction, glaring at the young man who had returned to staring at the ground. "He's going to destroy your precious restaurant!"
Zeff had had enough. "YOU FOOLS! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" The middle-aged chef's face was a mask of fury and rage and he made sure to make eye contact with every other chef in the room, wanting to get his point across. All of them flinched back, shocked by the head-chef's outburst; even Gin was surprised. When Zeff's gaze reached Sanji his expression softened somewhat, taking in the sight of the teenage boy looking so small and worn-out. He softened his tone and continued to talk, keeping Sanji in his line of sight.
"None have any idea what's like to be on brink of starvation…to have no food no water on the open ocean. There's no way you could possibly understand what a terrifying prospect that is, it's the most difficult situation a man could ever face!" As Zeff spoke, Sanji pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket, his hands shaking, and quickly lit it before taking a drag of the bitter nicotine. The old chef knew that it had become a habit of the blond man's; whenever he was nervous or uncomfortable he immediately reached for the cigarettes and the numb feeling they brought. It was especially bad whenever someone brought up Sanji's past.
"W-what do you mean, Head-Chef?" Patty asked, lowering his weapon and watching the restaurant's owner with a slightly confused look. Zeff didn't show any sign that he had heard Patty's question; didn't even turn to acknowledge the other chef, he just continued to talk in a quiet and calm voice.
"The difference between all of you and Sanji is that he knows that feeling." Sanji took another drag and fought back the urge to sigh as the chefs around him began to glance among themselves before shooting him curious looks.
"What does he mean?"
"What does Sanji know about?"
On the central staircase, Zoro and Usopp calmly watched the scene in front of them, not fully understanding the whole story but able to grasp that the former Pirate Captain Zeff and the blond chef Sanji had some serious history between them. Luffy stood among the chefs, her thumbs shoved in the pockets of her apron as she stared at her new crew-mate. She knew that the old man's words were bothering Sanji and while she was curious, she didn't want to push him too much just yet. The raven-haired girl knew that he would tell her when he was ready, just as her first-mate Zoro had. Her gaze slid to the swordsman and sniper and she grinned before looking back at Zeff. She could just barely catch the twitch of his lips that indicated a small smile and he looked as if he was caught back in a memory. The distant look in his eyes eventually faded and he huffed slightly.
"Rather than just standing idle with petty talk, you'd all better leave this place now!" Everyone tensed up at Zeff's words, speechless that their boss expected them to just turn tail and run. Patty, however, just clenched his spear tighter and snapped.
"I'm staying right here to fight! I can't simply let them trample over me!"
"Me too!" Carne agreed, stepping up next to his partner-in-crime. There was no way in hell that he was going to allow Don Krieg to take the Baratie without a fight.
"This is where I work!" Another chef chimed in.
"I have no place to go to anyway."
"This is our restaurant and we will fight til the death!" One by one the remaining chefs began to grin and heft their weapons, readying themselves for the fight they knew was coming. Even though they were fighting the man known as the ruler of the East Blue, this was their home! Gin's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in shock as he watched the chefs around the restaurant. They were crazy, there was no other explanation for it. To think that they could take down Don Krieg, it was insane! He slammed both of his hands down onto the floor in an attempt to get their attention and began to yell, his words panicked.
"What are you doing?! Didn't you see how strong out leader is?! How strong Don Krieg is!" None of the chefs replied and many just gave Gin pitying looks. Words weren't needed between them. Everyone knew how strong Don Krieg was, they had all heard the stories and, yeah, they were scared. They would be stupid not to be scared but at the same time, this was their ship, their home. After a few seconds Sanji broke the silence, the blond chef pushing himself to his feet and making his way towards the kneeling brunette.
"Hey, Gin." He said, one hand shoved in his suit pocket while the other rested loosely by his side, still clutching his half smoked cigarette. "Feeding the hungry is what being a cook is all about. However..." Sanji stopped when his foot his the leg of a table that had been knocked over and his eyes narrowed angrily. The assistant head-chef slammed his foot down and flipped the table into the air before using his leg to right the table and sending it crashing loudly back onto the floor. He set himself gently on the edge of the table before continuing.
"Now that your captain's all filled up, he's nothing more than a plunderer. Whatever I do to your pals, don't come bitchin' at me." His eyes narrowed again and he glared at Gin with a look that could rival Zoro's scariest glare.
"I'll kill anybody who tries to take this restaurant! Even you! Got that?!"
Gin gulped, sweat dripping down his face as he continued to stare at the blond chef, utterly speechless. In that moment, Sanji scared him.
To Sanji's right, Patty hefted his spear over his shoulder and snorted, rolling his eyes. "Heh! You saved his life just to kill him off? You're so thoughtful, Sanji."
Sanji just scoffed and took a drag of his still lit cigarette, turning his head away from Patty in a semi-childish move of defiance. "Shut up, you fat-ass cook!"
Patty just mumbled back something about Sanji being hopeless which caused the blond to snap back and the two chefs quickly descended into a loud argument. Luffy watched the scene happily, laughing at the childish argument, her eyes twinkling with awe and amusement as she thought of how cool Sanji had been acting the past few minutes. Sure, he was foul-mouthed and silly, with weird curly eyebrows, but his cooking skills were legendary in her book and he had a heart of gold and the soul of a true pirate. Zoro saw Luffy's happy expression and narrowed his eyes slightly, a surge of jealousy flowing through his veins and causing his hands to clench slightly.
"Zoro!" Luffy called, grinning up at her first-mate and pointing over at Sanji. "Didn't I tell you he was something?" Zoro just frowned slightly, his eyes flicking over to the chef before he glanced back down at his captain.
"Whatever." He mumbled, instantly regretting his tone when Luffy's smile dropped slightly. Luffy stared up at Zoro, wondering what was bothering her first-mate. She wanted Zoro to like who she picked for her crew, he was her first-mate after all, and his opinion mattered to her. Sanji was strong, she had thought that maybe he and Zoro could train together. Before Luffy could open her mouth to ask what was wrong, Usopp interrupted her, the sniper kneeling down so her could hide more behind the central staircase railing.
"Who cares about him now?" Usopp cried, eyes darting around the restaurant worriedly. "Let's just get the hell out of here!"
Zoro sighed and glanced over at Usopp, annoyed. "Calm down." He turned back to Luffy and tried to give the girl a reassuring grin, directing his next words towards the raven-haired girl. "Even though he's Krieg, he's all battered up." Luffy's grin widened again but Zoro raised a hand in warning. "Still, Luffy... Be careful."
The she-pirate nodded, her grin slowly slipping off her face as she remembered something that Gin had told her on her first day working as a waitress. "Hm? Gin!" She turned her head to look at the kneeling Brunette, tilting her head curiously when the man looked back up at her.
"You said once before that you knew nothing about the Grand Line, right? But you have been there, haven't you?"
Her question caused Sanji, Patty, and many of the others in the room to look at Gin in surprise. Sanji remembered that day on the dock when Gin had said that he didn't know about the Grand Line.
'I don't know anything about it... I don't understand anything about it... nothing at all... that's why it's so scary.'
Gin had said all that but yet, just a few minutes ago, Krieg had said that they had been to the Grand Line, had traveled those seas and been defeated in seven days. Sanji frowned slightly, wondering why Gin had lied about it.
The brunette's skin had paled, the dark circles under his eyes becoming even more visible and he gulped. His eyes flicked back and forth around the room as memories assaulted him, memories that he wished were nothing but a bad dream. They replayed themselves over and over in his head, reminding him of the horrors that he had endured in those seven days.
"The truth is I don't know anything," Gin muttered quietly, staring at the ground as he continued to relieve those traumatizing memories. "What happened on the Grand Line that seventh day... was it a dream...? Or reality...? It's still fresh in my mind..." With every word he spoke his body began to shake more, his face breaking out in a cold sweat and his eyes as wide as saucers.
"It was unbelievable..." A flash of piercing golden eyes flashed through his memory and the brunette pirate flinched back violently, one hand coming up to press against his eyes as he tried to banish the images flickering through his mind. "Just one man... Destroyed a whole fleet of 50 ships!"
His last words were practically shouted and they echoed around the mostly empty restaurant, shocking everyone. Patty and Carne's faces were pale, their eyes wide with shock and their mouths dropped open in disbelief. Even Sanji looked surprised, his teeth clenched together and his eyes wide with surprise. The idea that one man could take out an entire fleet of trained men was insane, no normal person could do that.
"WHAT?!"
One of Zoro's hands dropped to his katana, his expression mirroring Sanji's and his eyes darted down to Luffy worriedly. The raven-haired girl's mouth had dropped open and she was staring at Gin, a disbelieving expression on her face. She was surprised but most of her was excited, the idea that there were people that were that strong, strong enough to destroy so many ships, it was insane. She couldn't wait to go!
"It all happened so suddenly," Gin's tired voice broke through her thoughts and Luffy forced herself to focus back on the conversation at hand. "He showed up out of nowhere and started sinking our ships, one after the other. If a storm hadn't come along, our maiden ship would've been destroyed too." Gin flinches sharply, seeing a flash of lightning so clearly in his mind, it was as if he was still there. The cooks around him watched Gin's trembling form with varying expressions of surprise, shock, and disbelief.
"I have no idea how many of my mate's ships survived. But it was too scary for me to accept it all. I don't want to even think about what had happened! That man... His stare pierces through you, like the eyes of a hawk!
Zoro let out a gasp of shock and leaned forward, both hands clutching the railing in front of him so hard his knuckles turned white. Next to him, Usopp, who had calmed down slightly and was listening to Gin's story with a curious expression on his face turned to look at Zoro oddly.
"What?" Luffy heard Zoro's gasp and glanced back at her swordsman, tilting her head curiously as she stared at his unsettled expression.
"Zoro?" She asked, wondering what had shaken her swordsman so much.
Zoro heard Luffy's quiet call of his name but he didn't let himself look over to her. He kept his gaze focused on Gin, his eyes narrowed. "What did you say?" There was only one man who could fit that description.
"That man..." Gin looked up to see that Zeff had been the one who spoken, the middle-aged man calmly staring at the kneeling brunette with his arms crossed over his chest. "He must be the man known as Hawk-Eye's.
"What?" Gin breathed, staring at Zeff fearfully.
"The fact that you noticed his eyes, leads me to believe that it was him. It all sounds like something he would do." Zeff nodded with finality and on the central staircase Zoro felt his heart pound against his ribcage. His muscles clenched and his chest tightened but he managed to force out two words.
"Hawk-Eyes Mihawk!"
Luffy had kept her eyes on Zoro through Zeff's little description, watching as Zoro tensed more and more until she thought that her swordsman might snap. The raven-haired girl had to admit that she was a little worried. Zoro was always the calm one in her crew, to see him in such a state was unusual.
"You know that guy, Zoro?" She asked, pulling the green-haired teen's gaze to her. Zoro stared at Luffy for a few seconds, letting her worried brown eyes and the soft frown on her face calm him. Her words allowed him to take a deep breath and he exhaled shakily before replying.
"Yeah, Lu. That's the man I've been looking for. He's the whole reason I set out to sea." Luffy nodded slightly, the edges of her lips pulling up into a grin and her chest swelling slightly with anticipation. Zoro had told her of his dream, the promise he had shared with Kuina and that golden-eyed man was the finish line for that promise. The she-pirate was excited. Just like her dream of finding the One Piece, Zoro's dream would be found on the Grand Line as well. She couldn't wait to go.
'Zoro will be the World's Greatest Swordsman and I'll be there to see him do it!'
On the other side of the restaurant, Sanji settled more of his weight onto the table he had righted and took a drag of his cigarette before speaking. "Maybe he had some kind of grudge to settle with you guys."
"Not that I know of. We've never even met him before!" Gin exclaimed, shaking his head.
Zeff let his crossed arms drop to his side calmly. "Perhaps you disturbed his nap."
"Stop the bullshit!" Gin leaned forward, his voice cracking and looking close to breaking down at Zeff's words. "Why in the world would he destroy our fleet just for that?" The head-chef just chuckled and grinned slightly at Gin's intense reaction.
"Don't get so worked up. I'm just making assumptions. Stuff like that happens on the Grand Line."
"Just what kind of place is that?" Usopp's voice shook almost as much as his legs as he stared down at Zeff, already afraid of the danger he knew awaited on that cursed sea.
Zoro had since calmed down from the revelation of who had wiped out Don Krieg's fleet, mostly in thanks to Luffy and he looked over at Usopp. "A place where anything can happen." Zoro's calm response caused Usopp to start crying, the long-nosed teen wanting nothing to do with a place that dangerous. After a few seconds, Usopp remembered who was actually in charge of choosing their destinations and turned his gaze to their straw-hat captain.
"Hey Luffy! Stop this right now! We can't go there! Luffy?!" When Usopp didn't get a response he frowned, watching the girl worriedly. Luffy was turned away from them and her shoulders were shaking almost as much as his legs but not a single sound came from the raven-haired girl. He blinked curiously, wondering if she was ok while, next to him, Zoro was also watching the she-pirate. His expression was blank but the small frown on his face proved that he was slightly worried. His captain typically wasn't one for holding in her emotions and he wished he could see her face so he knew what she was thinking. Zoro had always been able to read Luffy easily and not knowing was making him a little tense.
"Hey, Luffy?" Usopp asked again, hoping that the female captain had finally come to the conclusion that the Grand Line was way too dangerous of a place to go. The sniper quickly realized how wrong he was in his assumption when Luffy began to laugh loudly, clenching her fingers and pumping her fists into the air as she spun in an energetic circle.
"Gah! I'm so pumped up! This is going to be such a blast!" The raven-haired girl was grinning manically, her bright and happy expression causing Zoro to start grinning as well. He really should start expecting an abnormal reaction from his captain from now on. Luffy constantly proved that she was not a normal girl, no matter what she wore.
Usopp, on the other hand, did not look so amused. "You need to get the concept of 'danger' into your thick skull!" He shouted, glaring down at the celebrating girl.
"But with all this talk, now my destination will really be the Grand Line." Zoro chuckled softly before pushing himself back from the railing and leaning back against the brick center of the circular staircase. He had planned to follow Luffy anyway, there was no way he would leave the raven-haired girl, not now, but to learn that his final goal, his dream, was on that sea as well... Now he was excited.
Next to him, Usopp turned his glare from Luffy to look at the swordsman with tears streaking down his face. He had been naively hoping that Zoro would try and talk Luffy out of this madness but the first-mate looked just as excited as the captain.
"That man..." Zoro continued, allowing his eyes to fall shut, the grin still on his face. "I can definitely meet him there!"
He snapped his eyes open quickly and allowed himself to stare off into the distance, preparing himself mentally.
Sanji's eyes narrowed and he stared up at the swordsman, his expression one of annoyance. The man that Gin was so afraid of, that had destroyed that entire fleet, and the green-haired idiot wanted to meet him.
"Are you a moron?" He snorted, rolling his eyes when Zoro glanced down at him. Sanji turned away after catching Zoro's gaze, looking back to where Gin was still kneeling. "Guys like you are too eager to die."
"That's right."
Zoro's calm response caused Sanji to glance back at him, hie expression blank but inside he was curious. Zoro continued, his arms crossed over his chest.
"But it's none of your business. When I decided to become the World's Greatest Swordsman, I threw away the rest of my life. I'm the only one who can say that I'm an idiot." Zoro's eyes flicked to the side and took in the sight of Luffy grinning happily up at him.
'Well, not the only one.'
"Me too! Me too!" Luffy cheered, raising one hand and shaking it happily. "Nothing's going to stop me from reaching my dream either! Right, Zoro?!"
The green-haired teen smirked and nodded his head once, the movement sharp. "Right, Lu."
Sanji smiled over at the cheerful girl, her energy almost contagious. "I'd love to support you in your dream, Luffyko-chan! So bright and beautiful, shining like the sun on a beautiful summers day." As Sanji continued to praise Luffy, hearts in his eyes, Zoro glared down at the blond chef, his eyes narrowing into slits. The few chefs who noticed the swordsman's glare were instantly reminded of the phrase 'if looks could kill'. They knew if it was true then their assistant head-chef would have burst into flames a while ago.
Usopp, not wanting to be left out, made his own declaration as well. "Yeah, me too! It's only natural for a future Warrior of the Sea." Still annoyed with Sanji's flirting, Zoro grabbed one of his swords and smacked Usopp in the head with the end of the sheathe, his expression one of exasperation.
"Cut the lying, stupid."
"Tch, fools." Sanji muttered, being pulled out of his lovestruck mentality at Usopp's words. To his right, he missed his mentor Zeff watching him, a small but honest smile coming to the man's face. It was something that he hadn't done in a long time, but seeing this small group of young people willing to pursue their dreams to the death filled him with a joy he thought he had forgotten.
"Hey, hey!" Patty yelled, drawing everyone's attention over to the thuggish looking chef.
"Don't you bastards realize what's going on here? Don Krieg's ship is right in front of this restaurant! Do all your talking only after we get out of this mess!"
Around him, many of the chefs glanced down at their feet, embarrassed that they had completely forgotten the true threat waiting for them.
Meanwhile, Don's Krieg had returned to his ship with the bag filled with 100 meals, a wide and sinister smile on his face as he watched his remaining men dig into the pile of food. The Krieg pirates tore into the food like wild animals, shoving plates of fried rice in their mouths by the handful. Some had turkey legs held in both hands, taking bites until their mouths were overflowing while others had just taken to grabbing fruit and trying to eat it whole, peel and all. A few men had shoved their heads into the barrel of water that Krieg had procured and were gulping it down until their bellies spilled over their pants.
Once their bellies were full, the pirates began to cheer, pumping their fists in the air as they rejoiced in the feeling of being truly alive once again.
"Yahoo! We're alive! It's like a dream. We've finally escaped from that nightmare! We're back from the pirate graveyard, safe and sound!"
From his seat at the rear of the partially destroyed ship, Krieg began to grin, his head pillowed in one large hand. He was pleased to see his crew appeared to be once again ready to resume their days of pillaging and destruction.
"That's right," He smirked, his expression smug. "Now that we've recuperated, we can head back to the Grand Line."
The cheers immediately died down, the smiles slipping from the pirate's faces as a grim silence fell over them. Krieg lifted his head and sat up straighter, his own smirk leaving his face as he surveyed his remaining crew.
"Huh? What's with that look?" He asked, calmly. One brave man spoke up, his expression poorly concealing his fear even as his voice shook.
"W... we're going back there again?"
Don Krieg glared over at his subordinate and before anyone could blink, he had pulled a gun from his sash and shot the man in the chest. It was an instant kill shot and the rest of the crew watched, horrified, as the man toppled to the side, dropping to the ground with a thud. Everyone cringed and slowly turned to look over at their captain, watching him fearfully. Krieg just glared right back at them, his expression dark with anger.
"Anybody else objecting?"
The remaining crew glanced among themselves, silently communicating before they all began to cheer again, pumping their fists in the air. They had all come to the conclusion that it was better to follow their captain's lead if they wanted to survive past today. None of them knew that they would soon be getting a very unwelcome visitor.
Krieg pushed himself to his feet, his fists clenched at his sides and his face set in a determined expression.
"First, we're dumping this battered ship. Then we attack the restaurant." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder and continued. "Our opponents are a bunch of punk cooks. They shouldn't be any real threat. NOW, ATTACK!"
With his final shouted command, the Krieg pirates quickly grabbed their weapons and charged back towards the restaurant with a furious roar.
Inside the restaurant, the chefs had heard the loud battle cry and quickly readied themselves.
"Here they come! I can hear them!" One chef yelled, clutching his makeshift spear.
"We won't let them through!"
In the middle of the group of chefs, Sanji took another drag of his cigarette, his other hands shoved into his pocket.
"'Coz this ship is our restaurant!"
Luffy watched the door with rapt attention, her expression calm as the sounds of shouting got louder. On the stairs above her, Zoro also appeared calm, his arms once again crossed over his chest. Usopp was the only one that appeared panicked but he hadn't moved from his place at the railing.
Krieg's crew reached the edge of their broken down ship and quickly began to repel down the side, shouting insults as they went.
"Run in fear, you cooks!"
Only a few men had made it off of the ship and onto the Baratie's dock when suddenly a loud ching of metal striking wood echoed through the air. Two long lines appeared horizontally on Krieg's large ship, splitting it almost perfectly into three sections. The men still on the large galleon turned, trying to find the source of the sound, their eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. Krieg's eyes widened and he turned his head, seeing a small boat slowly nearing the wrecked galleon, a single man sitting calmly in the center of the tiny craft.
Before he could say anything, the ship split, water rushing up through the large cracks that had mysteriously appeared mere seconds ago. The three, now separate, sections of the ship began to tilt, sinking slowly into the water around them as Krieg's remaining crew struggled to stay standing on the deck.
The chefs staring at the open doors of the Baratie gasped in shock, not quite believing what they were seeing. On the staircase, Usopp was having a mild panic attack and even Zoro was tense, his eyes wide and his teeth clenched.
"What?!" Luffy shouted, leaning forward as if she wanted to get a closer look. Both Zeff and Sanji looked as shocked as she did, standing frozen with wide eyes and open mouths.
"What the hell was that?" Krieg shouted, grabbing onto one of the railings in an effort to stay upright on the rocking ship.
"Don Krieg!" One crew member yelled, crawling on his knees across the deck as it tilted more and more. All around him, people began to slide down the now vertical wooden deck and into the water below. "The ship... has been split in half!"
"Split in half?" Krieg's eyes widened even more, veins appearing on his face and his teeth bared in a snarl. "My biggest ship... No way! That's impossible!"
As the destroyed galleon began to sink beneath the surface, the waves it created began to slam against the Baratie, throwing everyone inside off balance. The floating restaurant shook violently, causing many people to lose their footing even as chairs and tables slid back and forth around them.
"Go hoist the anchor!" Zeff shouted, turning and pointing to one of the chefs closest to the back door. "Or our ship'll get pulled under with them!"
"Yes, Boss!" The man quickly turned and, using his 6ft pole weapon as a crutch, dragged himself across the rocking surface and through the door.
Luffy herself wasn't immune to the disorientation that the rocking caused and let out a shriek of surprise as she lost her footing and fell back onto her ass with a wince. Zoro heard his captain's little shout of alarm and quickly jumped over the railing and off of the stairs, landing on the main floor in a crouch before quickly making his way over to the raven-haired girl's side.
"Caught off guard by a simple wave, Lu?" He teased, resting one hand bracingly against her back while the other moved to grip one of her wrists so he could help Luffy back onto her feet.
The she-pirate chuckled slightly, grinning up at her first-mate before a hard look came to her eyes and she stared back out the open doors.
"Zoro, the ship!" She quickly pushed herself out of Zoro's hold and ran towards the open doors.
The green-haired swordsman quickly followed her, cursing slightly under his breath. "Dammit, She's right. This is bad. Nami, Yosaku and Johnny are still on our ship!"
"Damn it!" We may already be too late!" Usopp had heard Luffy's shout and quickly moved to follow his crew mates. He was not insane, there was no way that he was jumping off of the stairs like some crazy love-struck swordsman had and instead made his way quickly but carefully down the circular stairs.
Luffy slid to a stop on the deck as she cleared the restaurant's shelter and was finally able to get a good look at the remains of Krieg's galleon. Behind her, Zoro and Usopp had also come to a halt, their gazes drawn to the sinking ship. The big thing that caught Luffy's eye was that the cuts in the ship were clean, as if it were a loaf of bread sliced with a knife.
"Big bro! Big bro!"
"Big sis! Big sis!"
Luffy was pulled from her examination by shouts from Johnny and Yosaku echoing off to her right and she quickly turned and ran, frowning when she saw the two bounty hunters swimming towards her.
"Yosaku! Johnny!" She yelled worriedly, leaning over the Baratie's railing so that she could get a good look at them. "Are you guys ok? Why are you in the water? Where's the ship? What happened to Nami? Is she ok? Here, grab on!"
The she-pirate moved to stretch her arm out, wanting to help the two out of the water but was stopped by Zoro's hand latching onto her wrist.
"Wait, Lu." He instructed, moving his other arm to wrap around her waist. "The ship is rocking too much. You're going to lose your balance and fall in. We'll get them a rope."
"Wait, Big bro!" Johnny yelled as Zoro turned to do just what he had said and the swordsman froze before turning to look back down at the two bounty hunters in the water, his eyebrow raised and his expression suspicious.
"I'm sorry Big sis Luffyko!" Yosaku said, taking over. "She left! Big sis Nami..."
"She took off with all the treasure!" Johnny finished, tears in his eyes.
Luffy just blinked a few times, the words taking a few seconds to sink in. She wasn't the only one either, both Zoro and Usopp were staring down at Johnny blankly before identical looks of shock came over each of their faces.
"W-What did you just say?!" All three shouted.
Near the open entrance doors, Zeff had finally stepped onto the main deck to get a better look at the sliced galleon now that the Baratie had stopped rocking as much and as he surveyed the destroyed ship a otherworldly green glow caught his eye. He turned his head, finally noticing the small boat adorned with three candles that glowed with green fire and the man that sat calmly in the center of the ship. One of the man's legs was crossed over the other and his hands rested calmly in his lap, his face shadowed by the brim of his hat.
Zeff's eyes began to widen with shock, his mouth dropping open slightly as he recognized the man slowly drawing closer to the Baratie. "It's him."
Those two quiet words caused Zoro to look up from the water and glance over at the middle-aged chef, catching the shocked and almost awe-struck tone of the man's voice. He followed Zeff's gaze and his own eyes widened, his face paling drastically.
On the center part of the destroyed galleon, Don Krieg had also taken notice of the man and a cold sweat broke out on his face as he began to shake, hands clutching at the railing in an effort to keep himself steady on the tilted deck.
"That son of a bitch..." He muttered darkly, eyes focused on the man, the man who had single-handedly destroyed his entire fleet. "He followed us!"
As the small boat neared, those watching it were able to tell that it had been designed in the shape of a coffin, it's singular center mast resembling a large crucifix. Though the man sitting against the mast appeared calm and utterly relaxed, he exuded a dark and ominous presence, one that sent a cold chill down Zoro's spine. His heart was pounding louder and louder in his chest and he could hear the blood rushing in his ears as the coffin boat sailed ever closer.
"It can't be... He is... Hawk-Eye's."
Oh man! Here we go. I've already got half of the next chapter written, I just need to finish and start editing. But man am I looking forward to it!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the little bits of ZoLu I tried to add in. It's difficult sometimes when an episode is more focused on the other characters and there are only a few scenes of Zoro and Luffy in the whole episode but I work with what I have. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I finish it, hopefully next week but I want it to be perfect so it might take a little bit more time. Two weeks at the most!
Til next chapter!