Chapter 9

Zoro vs Mihawk! Mew vs Mihawk! A solemn vow between swordsmen! The Straw Hats vs The Krieg Pirates?!

Or

Zoro gets beat the hell up by Mihawk, Mew gets pissed off by Mihawk, a new power is revealed and a bond is formed, Nami and Usopp give Luffy backup. The Going Merry isn't stolen?! Some of these things may or may not happen!

Krieg leaned on Gin for support as the last ship from Krieg's Fleet limped its way towards the floating restaurant, Baratie. Gin had described the restaurant in detail, a description that didn't match with what Krieg was currently seeing. Gin hadn't described a wide half circular wooden platform that had appeared on the side that his ship was presently headed towards after all.

Standing on the platform, as if they were waiting for Krieg's arrival, was a small crowd of people, only two of which looked like they could be chefs. The man in front could only be the rumored Zeff, who wore a ridiculously tall chef's hat that seemed to have been made out of fire. How that had happened and how Zeff wasn't catching on fire Krieg had no idea.

Standing to Zeff's right in a black waiter's outfit was a bored looking blonde man. This could only have been the chef that had been willing to feed Gin in the first place. Sanji if Krieg had bothered to remember the name correctly. As Krieg watched, Sanji pulled a cigarette from the front pocket of his coat. He then, rather than light it the usual way, brought it up to Zeff's hat. The cigarette caught alight instantly and had Krieg lifting an eyebrow.

Fire that burned and yet didn't burn? Already Krieg could think of several uses for such a thing. He still had the rest of the welcoming party to look over after all.

The group on Zeff's left was an eclectic bunch. In the lead was a young man with black hair mostly hidden beneath a yellow straw hat. He had on a red vest, and finally a pink scarf? Krieg had to take a second glance but that was definitely a pink scarf. Behind the man in front was a taller man with green hair, a girl with orange or red hair, and another guy with a long nose. Whatever, they weren't any kind of threat.

"Sooooooo, why are we waiting here again?" Luffy asked Zeff. The rubber man rocking back and forth on his wooden sandals as everyone waited for Krieg's ship to drop its anchor. Since they had been waiting for more than a minute the only thing that kept Luffy in place was the glare that Zeff occasionally fixed him with.

"As I've explained several times already, you are here because you still owe me for sending that cannonball into my restaurant. Your crew on the other hand is here because I asked them to be here." Zeff replied as he ceased to glare at Luffy. Instead he fixed his gaze on the approaching forms of Krieg and Gin. Krieg who was leaning all of his weight upon Gin.

"Food, me and my men need food. We have-'' The rest of Krieg's spiel was cut off as Zeff tossed a bulging sack of food onto the ground between them. A bag that had been hidden behind Zeff until that moment.

"Cut the shit Krieg. I know why you're really here. You want to take the Baratie and my journal about the Grand Line." Krieg stopped feigning weakness as he stared in surprise at Zeff. Gin wasn't much better with his jaw just hanging open. Equally as shocked were Luffy and the rest of his crew. The only person that wasn't surprised other than Zeff was Sanji, who hadn't even stopped smoking. But Zeff wasn't done with the surprises just yet.

"I'm going to make you a wager Krieg, your fed crew against the Straw Hats here. If you win you get the Baratie, my journal, and my services. If the Straw Hats win they get the journal, your ship, and your first mate agrees to join them. Oh, and Sanji joins the Straw Hats as their cook."

"WHAT?!" Everyone but Zeff shouted as they finished processing the man's wager. None was perhaps as loud however as Sanji happened to be.

"Have you completely lost your mind geezer?!" Sanji shouted. He grabbed the collar of Zeff's shirt and proceeded to shake him hard. Throughout the entire process Zeff's hat barely even budged let alone sway. Zeff cackling with laughter. Until someone else joined in.

"Gahahahahaha! You fool, I accept your offer, prepare yourselves to face the full might of my forces!" Krieg laughed in amusement just before he picked up the bulging bag of food. He turned on his heel and marched up the gangplank, leaving Gin to stand there in sort of a dazed state.

Gin opened his mouth as if about to say something then closed it again just as quickly. He remained standing there until Sanji walked over and dropped his hand on Gin's shoulder.

"Just don't worry about it for now. Let's just leave things for later. It'll all work out somehow."

Gin nodded stiffly before heading back to Krieg's ship. Where already the howls of bloodlust from recovered pirates could be heard.

While Krieg and his men were gorging themselves back to full strength, the group that had remained behind on the floating fighting platform had broken into smaller groups while they waited. Sanji and Zeff had gone off on their own. They were clearly in a deep conversation which had Sanji gesticulating wildly despite how quiet the two were.

Zoro had adopted a meditative pose and closed his eyes. It was hard to say if he was meditating or napping. Probably a bit of both. Johnny and Yosaku had gone back to the Merry for the moment, since they weren't part of the crew they weren't part of the fight. Usopp also briefly went back to the ship to fetch something. He returned with his toolbox and was presently working on a last minute project. Whenever Krieg's men let out a particularly bloodthirsty roar he would jump, pausing in his work.

Finally Luffy was still standing in the same spot that he had before Zeff had given Krieg food with his arms crossed. There was a certain resolute cast to his features that made it look like he had decided on something important. Mew carelessly draped over Luffy's shoulders. The Pokemon's eyes closed and its head limp.

"Hey Luffy."

Luffy turned to find Nami only a couple of feet away, fingers tugging nervously at the sleeve of her left arm. She had a conflicted expression on her face like she hadn't quite decided on what she was going to say. Mew opened its eyes and lifted its head to look at Nami.

"Nami! Do you need something?"

Nami looked between Luffy and Mew for a long moment. The conflicted expression dropped from her face, replaced by one of steely resolve.

"After we're finished here there's a place I want to go. It's kind of a personal matter but… I want you to defeat Arlong."

"Sure." Nami stared at Luffy, the casual and immediate agreement to her suggestion leaving her temporarily speechless. Nami glanced over at Mew, the pink Pokemon's response was to blink at her slowly. Nami felt the tension leave her body, Mew was going to help her.

Several miles away at Arlong Park dark storm clouds rolled in out of nowhere. Much to the surprise of everyone on the island. Cold raindrops fell to the earth as it first began to rain and then pour, driving most folks inside. Just outside of Arlong Park Hatchan shielded his eyes with one hand as he looked up at the sky.

"Strange, I didn't think it was supposed to start raining yet."

"Here you go. One Usopp custom prototype weapon."

Nami took the small bundle that Usopp had just offered her, unwrapping it to reveal the contents. Three equal lengths of pipe painted a soft blue, the ends of two of the pipes capped by a metal sphere about the size of a doorknob.

"It's pretty much a metal copy of your bo-staff just with added weight at the ends for more striking power. I've got ideas for things to add to it in the future but I don't have the supplies."

"For now it's perfect." Nami said sincerely as she snapped the staff together. She broke it apart and then snapped it together several more times until satisfied that it wouldn't be a problem in battle.

"Alright Zeff! Prepare to give everything you own to me!"

A shout from the figurehead of Krieg's ship had everyone on the platform looking up. Everyone except Zoro who didn't stir. Krieg stood on the figurehead of his ship looking down at the small group that stood in his path. He was flanked by a disgruntled looking Gin on one side, and by a man wearing a pair of giant silver gongs as armor and a massive pearl as a hat.

"Men! Atta-" Mew's head snapped up, eyes flashing pink as it fixed them at a point just beyond Krieg's ship.

The wind roared, pirates screamed in shock and fear, an immense spray of water reached up towards the sky, somewhere a massive piece of glass shattered, wood creaked as it was subjected to intense pressure before it exploded with a snap, and then the plop plop plop of objects impacting the surface of the water.

When things started to settle Krieg's ship was gone, reduced to kindling and scraps by a man in a floating coffin. A man that Zoro was now eagerly challenging to battle. A man known as the greatest swordsman in the world, Dracule Mihawk.

The battle, if one could call it that, was as brutal as it was swift. Mihawk toying with Zoro until the very end. When he finally granted Zoro the honor of facing Mihawk's actual blade instead of the tiny dagger that he had been using. Two of Zoro's blades shattered after the clash leaving him only with Wado. Zoro sheathed the sword as he turned to face his fate. Scars on a swordsman's back were marks of shame.

Mihawk obliged him. The mighty slash sent Zoro flying through the air. He would have landed in the water if the pink glow of Mew's Psychic hadn't caught him at the last second. Gently Mew guided Zoro to the platform and into the waiting arms of Johnny and Yosaku. They looked like they were going to say something just as the green glow of Mew's Recover washed over Zoro. The healing left a long scar across the front of his chest.

The pair of bounty hunters started to clean and dress Zoro's wounds. Zoro just staring up at the sky as they worked.

Mihawk sheathed his blade as Mew floated across the water until their faces were only inches apart. They stared at each other in silence before Mew drifted back several feet. Zoro took that moment to vow that as a swordsman and a member of Luffy's crew that he would never lose like this again. As if that had been some kind of signal Mihawk and Mew blurred and vanished.

The wreckage of the ship that they had formerly been standing on disintegrated as the pair reappeared some distance away on another piece. Mihawk had his sword drawn and held before him defensively. Mew meanwhile had produced a pair of identical swords out of nowhere that it carried in each hand.

The swords were almost as big as Mew was, double-edged as well. At the center of an intricate cross guard lay a pale gem that almost looked like it was an eye. Long light blue ribbons were attached to the bottom of each hilt, the ribbons wrapped around Mew's arms.

The pair seemed to disappear and reappear several times as they crossed blades. Each clash ended with the piece of wreckage that they alighted upon shattered into pieces. Shouts of horror came from the crew as Mew and Mihawk appeared on opposite sides of Merry's main mast.

The mast started to tilt towards one side just before the pair vanished once more. It started to fall towards the Baratie before suddenly righting back up, the green sparkles of Recover visible as the split wood mended itself. The crew now shouting in relief.

Mihawk appeared on his floating coffin boat and slashed Yoru downward. A massive sword wave splitting the water as it sped towards the wreckage where Mew had just appeared. Both of Mew's crossed blades slashed down and a gigantic blinding sword of sunlight crashed into the sword wave.

Water hissed as it flash boiled into steam, creating a foggy cloud that creeped outwards until all that was visible of the combatants was the eerie fires of the floating coffin. Silence fell across the battlefield as people tried to peer into the fog, desperate to see something. Finally Mihawk spoke, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

"Very well. We will see what comes of this experiment.

Roranora Zoro! See that you don't die until we meet again!"

A breeze whipped up out of nowhere and started to drive the fog away. When it cleared Mihawk and his coffin were gone and Mew had flown back over to the crew. Ribbons snapped as they unwound from around Mew's arms and the pink creature let go of the hilts. Instead of falling however the swords floated in the air, almost as if they were waiting.

Mew gave the crossed blades a nudge with its tail and the swords bobbed through the air before stopping in front of Zoro. Zoro stared at the swords before he fixed Mew with an unreadable expression, one that was matched by Mew's completely blank expression.

After the longest staring contest that has ever occurred Zoro nodded. Something clearly had been decided on. He reached out and grasped the hilts of both swords, holding them like he would have his regular swords. The ribbons wrapped around his arms up to the elbows, the forked tips stabbing into the muscles of his arms. The ribbons and the swords drinking his blood like a pair of blood starved leeches.

Zoro's jaw tensed as his teeth ground together. A growl slipped out of him as he flexed the muscles in his arm, struggling for dominance against the swords. The sword's will was nothing when compared to Zoro's however, and after a minute the forked tips of the ribbons pulled free from his arms. Then the swords started to glow and change.

The blades lengthened and as they did they gained a slight curve as well. One side of the double edged blade lost its edge leaving only a single sharp edge. Ornate brass colored crossguard shrank and slimmed down even as the hilts grew longer as well. The light finally faded allowing one to see the exact details of the transformation.

The broad bladed identical short swords had become a pair of near identical katanas. The blades themselves had a faint wavy pattern that went all the way down the length of the blade. The crossguard was a dark purple gemstone with a fiery red cat's eye at its center, flanked on either side by a half loop of iron. It was the color of the hilt and tassel that set the swords apart from each other. The one in Zoro's right hand was the same color of green as his hair while the one in his left was as black as his bandanna.

Mew held up a red rectangular object about the size of a postcard with a gleaming gem in the upper left hand corner. The object emitted a mechanical but pleasant sounding voice at the same time as the eyes in the center of the crossguard blinked.

"Pairobla. The Swordsman's Vow Pokemon."

Whatever else the object was going to say was drowned out by the roar of confusion from the Straw Hat Crew, and a roar of rage from Krieg as he burst out of the pile of timbers he had been buried under.

"What in the hell is going on?!"

Pokedex entry

Pairobla, The Swordsman's Vow Pokemon

Height: 2ft 4 inches, Weight 6lb

An alternate evolution of Honedge that replaces Doublade. Unique to the Blue Seas region, this Pokemon was created by Mew to help Zoro uphold his vow. How it will grow and what powers this Pokemon has are as yet unknown.

Ability: ?

Moves: ?

Meanwhile

Alvida gracefully took a seat in the chair across from Buggy, a desk with paper scattered across it between them. She waited quietly as the clown poured alcohol into a pair of glasses. One glass was placed in front of her and another in front of Buggy as he sat down. Neither one touched them as Alvida fixed her gaze on him.

"I've waited long enough Buggy, why aren't we going to attack the pirate that beat me?"

"You've seen one of my Buggy Balls in action right?"

Alvida raised an eyebrow at the apparent non sequitur but still responded. "I don't see why it matters but yes. I've seen what they can do."

She noted that Buggy's hand trembled slightly as he grabbed his glass. He raised it to his lips before slamming the entire thing back in one gulp. Only then did he respond.

"That pink thing with Strawhat, called Mew, you've seen it as well?"

She nodded vaguely recalling the pink creature that had been with the Strawhat.

"That thing, and I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it myself, can at a whim produce a blast of energy at least twice the size of my Buggy Balls explosions."

Alvida stared at Buggy as if he was crazy. She hadn't known him for all that long but she was positive that he wasn't lying.

"Is it really that powerful?"

"More powerful. During the brief time it was around me it also demonstrated the ability to Transform into…" Buggy trailed off with a confused look on his face.

"The ability to Transform, transform, Transform. I can feel the capitalization there, freaky." Buggy said slowly before looking down at his empty glass and Alvida's suddenly empty one.

"More drink?"

"Yes!"