Hey, guys! Welcome to the new chapter of Bomb's Away! I hope you guys will enjoy the chapter...oh, and I don't own anything except for my OCs as the OCs Jack Sparrow and Jake belong entirely to 9655.
NOW LET'S GET ON WITH THE STORY!
{Bombs Away!-Season 1, Episode 5: Welcome to the Baratie!}
"Whew, this is heavy." Luffy says as we see him carrying around a large wooden box marked 'Cannonballs Create' and climbing up a set of stairs leading to the upper deck of the Going Merry as he spotted Asher doing some push-ups on the ground while sweating and grunting as he did so with Nami discretely checking him out as she laid down on a lawn chair and was reading some magazines as Usopp sat behind her and was organizing his ammo as Zoro was lying down on the ground near them, catching some Zs with Cottontail sleeping on top of his stomach as Luffy dropped the crate on top of Asher by accident, not really hurt him but it did annoy the Bombman as he glared up at his Captain.
"What the hell, Luffy?! Get this fucking thing off of me!" An annoyed Asher screamed while pushing the wooden crate off of him as it crashed down onto the ground, alerting the crew (Minus a still sleeping Zoro and Cottontail) as they turned to them.
"What is that?" Nami asked while placing her magazine down on her chair as Luffy grinned at her.
"I found these in the Storage Room," Luffy says as, after Asher and Usopp got up from the floor, the Straw Hats walked over to glance down at the crate of cannonballs in shock.
"Whoa, aren't those cannonballs?" A surprised Nami asked as Luffy nodded while pointing over at a nearby cannon.
"I figured we could practice using our hard-earned cannon." Luffy says as Asher gasps and beams as he gains starry eyes.
"Oh, ho, ho, sweet! I always wanted to use these things!" An excited Asher yelled as Usopp grinned slyly and reached over to place his hand on his shoulder as he laughed mockingly.
"He, he, sweet, naive Asher. I'm sorry, but while you may be the Ship's Bodyguard, I think it's best that you leave the canning to me." Usopp says while glancing up at the sky as he starts rubbing his chin. "Ah, this brings back memories. I remember when I was three years old and jumped on a traveling cannonball that traveled halfway around the world." Usopp says with his nose growing big as Asher gives him a deadpanned look while Luffy bluntly ignores what he said and walks over to stare down at his cannon with a bewildered look on his face.
"How do you use this thing?"
"HEY LISTEN!"
"Yo, Asher, do you think your old man gave you any tips on how to use a cannon?" Luffy asked Asher, once again ignoring a disbelieving Usopp as the Bombman shook his head.
"Nope, he never taught me how to use a cannon since we never had one," Asher says with a shrug while briefly taking off his shirt to rub his face with it as Nami couldn't help but blush at the sight of his muscular body. "Besides, I'm a Bombman so having a cannon around is kind of redundant since I can just toss the cannonballs at our enemies' ship and have it be explosive," Asher says while putting on the shirt again as Luffy and Nami pouted, but for different reasons.
"Awww, but I wanted to use our cannon...yo, Zoro, do you know how to use this thing?" Luffy asked Zoro, who merely continued sleeping with Cottontail and was having a flashback of his time growing up and training to become a Master Swordsman with his rival and secret Crush Kuina, who died from 'falling down the stairs', although Zoro later learned that she actually committed suicide due to being unable to cope that a Woman could never become a true swordsman.
"Seriously? Asleep again?" An amused Asher asked as Luffy grumbled.
"He's no fun."
"Hey, Luffy, if we go a little south, there are these reefs and that would be a perfect place for some target practice," Nami suggested after taking a good look at her map as Luffy turned to her with an excited grin on his face.
"Really? Let's go, let's go!" Luffy cheered as the others nodded, and we then fast forward in time as we see the Going Merry floating near a bunch of giant reefs, and Usoop can be seen loading up one of the cannonballs into his cannon as Asher clapped his hands over the fuse, lighting it as a grinning Luffy aimed his cannon at one of the reefs and fired the cannonball into the air...but it ended up missing its target by a huge mile as it falls down into the ocean harmlessly. "Awww, man, that was way off the mark!"
"I told you to aim a little to the left," Asher says scoldingly as a question mark appears above Luffy's head and glances down at his hands.
"Which way is left again?"
"Are you serious, Captain?" A shocked Asher asked as Luffy glared at him.
"Shhhhh, be quiet, I'm trying to remember the song that Big Sis Makino taught me to remember my left and my right," Luffy says while closing his eyes and begins humming a song under his breath as Asher sweatdrops.
"Why did we let Luffy use the cannon again?"
"Hey! What the hell is going on over there?" Zoro asked while he and Cottontail woke up from their nap due to how loud the cannon was as they glared at the group.
"Seriously, I was trying to get my beauty sleep!"
"Sorry for waking you guys up. Luffy, Usopp, and I are breaking in our new cannon, but so far, it's not going so well." Asher says as Usopp smirked smugly again and pointed at himself.
"Like I said, let the expert aim the thing," Usopp says as Luffy and Asher sigh heavily but nod as they walk over to load up and ignite the cannon again as the Lying Sniper goes over to aim the cannon. "Judging from the flying distance of the last one, this should do it! Fire!" Usopp exclaimed just as his cannon fired a cannonball that flew over to directly hit a reef, shattering it apart as everyone, except for a bored Zoro and Cottontail, looked amazed by what he did.
"Amazing! You hit it with one shot!"
"Goddamn, not gonna lie, that's actually impressive, Usopp!" Luffy and Asher complimented as Usopp was shocked that he was able to hit the reef, but then composed himself as he laughed heartedly.
"Ha, ha, thanks for the compliments, body, but, of course, when it comes to aiming, I know everything!"
"Except aiming for the truth," Cottontail says snarkily as Zoro snorts...but then pales in comical horror as he realizes that he can now speak rat.
"He, he, he, well, in that case, you will be our Sniper!" Luffy exclaimed as, instead of looking happy or exhilarated by the news, Usopp looked shocked.
"What? I don't get to be the Captain?!"
"No, I'm still the Captain!"
"Heh, alright, I will humor you for now, but the second you do something cowardly, I'm taking your post," Usopp says with a condescending tone as Asher grinned cockily.
"So, you will never become Captain of the Straw Hats, huh?"
"Yep...wait, hey!" An annoyed Usopp yelled as everyone laughed amusedly, and we then fast forward in time as we see the Straw Hats having some lunch at the Helm with everyone sitting around on the table as Cottontail can be seen squatting on the support beam and munching on the banana, but unlike him, no one was able to properly eat their meals due to them being unable to get some supplies after dealing with the Golden Pirates, other than Gonzo giving them some pity food as Nami spotted this and frowned concernedly as she coughed to get everyone's attention.
"So, Luffy, I never got to ask, but how many people are you planning to recruit into the crew? Because I doubt that you are going to recruit every single strong person you meet." Nami says with a half-serious/half-joking tone as Luffy beams and nods.
"Heh, well, I always wanted to have a loyal crew of...twenty people. Yeah, that should do, not counting the pets obviously. Although I always wanted my crew to have a pet bird." Luffy hummed to himself curiously as Zoro hummed a bit.
"Hmmm, twenty people, huh? A bit small for a true Pirate Crew but the Going Merry isn't quite big enough to accommodate more than that, so I guess that will do for now." Zoro says with a nod as Asher nods with a smirk.
"Yep, we're going to need a lot of people if we are going to call ourselves proper pirates and I think twenty is enough. Any positions that you want to find first, Captain? Like a cook or a Doctor?" Asher asked curiously as Nami grinned slyly.
"Oh, guys, we don't need to get a cook. Each of you just has to pay me 12,000 Berries per day and I will do the cooking. Plus, not to mention some extra Berries if you guys want extra." Nami says with an innocent devilish grin on her face as the Boy stares at her in stunned horror and shock.
"She's evil incarnate," Cottontail whispered to himself nervously while getting down from the ceiling as he crawled over to lay on Asher's lap.
"No, no, guys, the position that I'm thinking of is the most important one that any decent Pirate Crew should have...a Musician!" Luffy exclaimed with a big grin on his face as everyone couldn't help but groan loudly at what he said in annoyance.
"Are you an idiot?!"
"What the hell do you think we are doing here?!"
"Luffy, I think getting a Cook or a Doctor on our crew takes top priority above all else right about now..."
"I thought you were actually saying something constructive for once!"
"Be serious, Luffy!" Zoro, Nami, Asher, Usopp, and Cottontail exclaimed in unison as Luffy pouted.
"But we're Pirates and Pirates sing a lot, didn't you know?" Luffy asked as everyone gave him blank glares, but before they could say anything, a loud ruckus could be seen from outside of the Helm.
"COME ON OUT, YOU DAMN PIRATES!" A male voice rang out as everyone grew tense, and Luffy was about to get up from his chair but was stopped by Asher as he stood up from his chair with Cottontail flying up to land on his shoulder as the Bombman decided to do his Bodyguard Duties and made his way out of the Helm to see a guy with a sword standing below him.
Standing before them is a 5'6-feet-tall, 23-year-old Man with black eyes, short black hair, thin black eyebrows, a small nose, a black tattoo on his left cheek that reads 'Sea' in Japanese, a sharp chin, a muscularly yet slim build, Somewhat Tan Skin, and his outfit consists of a pair of black sunglasses, a long-sleeved blue hooded opened jacket, a sleeveless purple shirt underneath, a watch on his left wrist, a brown belt with a golden belt buckle as it held his heated sword, long tan pants, and a pair of dark gray boots. His name is Johnny, Yosaku's Old Friend and a Pirate Bounty Hunter as he and his friend used to be Bounty Hunting Partners with Roronoa Zoro.
"Who are you and why are you attacking us?" Asher asked with a cold glare, and Cottontail hissed threateningly as Johnny glared back at him in determination and bitter rage.
"Shut up! It doesn't matter who I am, you fucking Pirate!" Johnny screamed while jumping up to try and slice Asher in half, only for Cottontail to leap up into the air and morph himself into a giant warhammer as he hardened himself and Asher reached up to grab him as the Bombman proceeded to whack a surprise Johnny away.
"Hey, guys, how many of them are there?" Zoro asked while he and Luffy continued sitting at their table, enjoying their lunch as Nami and Usopp could be seen watching the battle through the window on the door.
"Uh, there's only one," Nami responded while wincing as she and Usopp spotted Asher leaping over to deliver a mighty kick down Johnny's chest that sent him crashing down into the ground.
"Oh, then Asher can handle that guy by himself with no problems," Luffy says with a grin as we cue back over to Asher, who landed on the ground and let go of Cottontail, who morphed himself to normal and then flew over to collide against a grunting Johnny as his body then expanded and covered up the Pirate Bounty Hunter completely as Johnny struggled to escape from Cottontail's grasp, especially since he hardened himself.
"Alright, dude, you are defeated, so do you mind explaining why you are attacking us again?" Asher asked with crossed arms as Jonny gritted his teeth in anger, and frustration and somberness.
"Over the years, I have lost count of all of the Pirate Heads that we had collected, but now you guys think that you can just kill my partner?!"
"...Errr, what? We didn't kill anyone, dude, but even if we did, that sucks and I feel sorry for you. However, I can't let what you did slide, so I'm just going to have my Pet throw you overboard. Cottontail, if you will." Asher says as Cottontail nods and begins levitating a panicking Johnny up from the ground as he begins slowly floating towards the edge of the deck and is about to throw him overboard, only to stop as Zoro comes out of the helm.
"Johnny? Don't tell me that's you."
"Hey! Who the hell is saying my name as if they know me or something?!" A glaring Johnny asked while turning his head to see a bewildered Zoro standing a few feet away from him as he gasped in shock. "Big Bro, Zoro?!
"Johnny, so it is you," Zoro says with a smirk as he then raises an eyebrow at him. "Hey, wait, where's Yosaku? Isn't he with you?"
"Wait, hold on, Zoro know who this doofus is?" Asher asked with a heavily confused look on his face as Cottontail chattered curiously.
"Come over here, Big Bro Zoro! It's horrible! Yosaku is sick!" A panicking Johnny yelled as, after Cottontail set him back down on the deck upon the First Mate's strict orders and morphed himself back to normal, the Bounty Hunter then led Zoro over to the edge of the Going Merry and pointed down at his own smaller boat, which held a sick-looking pale face man with bloody bandages wrapped around his midsection as he groaned in pain.
Standing before them is a 5'6-feet-tall, 24-year-old Man with black eyes, a shaven head, thin black eyebrows, a small nose, a sharp chin, a muscularly yet slim build, Light Skin, and his outfit consists of a red headgear, a long-sleeved open green coat, a short-sleeved black shirt underneath, a brown belt with a silver belt buckle as it held his heated sword, plaid yellow boxer shorts, and a pair of dark brown boots. His name is Yosaku, Johnny's Old Friend and a Pirate Bounty Hunter as he and his friend used to be Bounty Hunting Partners with Roronoa Zoro.
"He's been sick!" Johnny yelled while crying endless tears as Zoro placed his hand on his shoulder to comfort him and gave Asher a look as he sighed heavily and commanded Cottontail to go down and fetch Yosaku while he got the other members of their Crew.
{Bombs Away-Season 1 Theme Song!}
Wealth, fame, power
Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates,
Attained this and everything else the world had to offer,
And his dying words drove countless souls to the seas
At Loguetown, we see the King of Pirates himself, Captain Gold Roger, currently wearing shackles and kneeling down in a large stadium with two Marines standing beside him with a couple of swords in their arms as a huge crowd of people could be seen standing in front of them and were screaming at Roger to reveal where he had hidden all of the treasure and wealth that he had accumulated over the years as the King of Pirates heard this and, even though he was going to get executed soon, couldn't help but grin widely with excitement and glee.
"Oh, you all want my treasure?! You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place! Now you just have to find it~!" Captain Gold Roger exclaimed with a loud, joyful laugh.
These words lured men to the Grand Line
In pursuit of dreams greater than they've ever dared to imagine
This is the time known as 'The Great Pirate Era!'
Once the King of Pirates was executed, hundreds of Pirates immediately boarded their ships and set their sails as they all quickly sailed off into the dangerous ocean and began making their way to the Grand Line to find the Legendary One Piece as this officially issued, 'The Great Pirate Era!'.
Come aboard and bring along
All your hopes and dreams
Together, we will find everything
That we're looking for!
ONE PIECE!
Sharing an excited and determined grin, Luffy and Asher can be seen running up a hill as the Bombman then kneeled down and allowed the Rubberman to leap up to land on his back as Asher created a huge explosion underneath his legs, and it propelled them up into the air as the Boys cheered loudly and numerous visions of all of the current members of the Straw Pirates appeared in front of them as a glaring and malnourished Zoro can be seen tied up against a post in Shells Town, a panting and panicking Nami can be seen running away from Three of Buggy's Henchmen in Orange Town, and a purring Cottontail eating a couple of mushrooms on the Island of Rare Animals.
A smirking Usopp crossed his arms as he stood on top of a tall cliff in Syrup Village with Kaya standing beside him and wrapped her arms around him as the wind blew their hair away, a stoic Sanji walked through the Baratie while smoking a cigarette and carrying around a dish filled with food as he could be seen serving the food to Jack and a glaring Gin can be seen standing in the background as the Krieg Pirates' Flag can be seen waving behind him, Akira can be seen sitting on the chair and was being served food by a smiling Nojiko in Cocoyasi Village, and a giggling Apis flew through the air while being morphed into the form of a Dragon as she soared through Warship Island.
After the visions were done, the Future Pirate King and the Future Strongest Man In The World then perked up as they spotted the Going Merry sailing through the seas, and a laughing Luffy grabbed onto Asher's body as he then stretched his free arm to wrap over to latch onto the Straw Hat Pirates' Flag and they propelled themselves forwards with the Duo laughing joyfully as they crashed right into the Going Merry's Deck.
Compass left behind
It'll only slow us down
Your heart will be your guide
Raise the sails and take the helm
The Going Merry can be seen sailing through the treacherous ocean of the East Blue with numerous Sea Kings swimming past it as huge waves of water rang out, and the Straw Hat Pirates can be seen either staring at them in awe, cheering loudly, or panicking as they continued sailing through the ocean.
That legendary place
That the end of the map reveals
Is only legendary
'Till someone proves it real
Zooming into the Going Merry, we see Nami drawing maps inside of her room, a glaring Zoro and Gin sparring with each other on the main deck, Jack sailing the Going Merry, Usopp fixing up the damages done to the ship, a blushing and heart-eyed Sanji serving some food that he had cooked to a smiling and bashful Kaya, Akira washing the deck with the help of some mop and soap, a grinning Luffy residing on his usual seat (The Going Merry's Sheep Figurehead) to enjoy the beautiful day, and a smirking Asher could be seen riding around on the masthead with Apis riding around on his shoulders, and the Duo went starry-eyed at the sight of the amazing journey laid before them as Cottontail can be seen flying ahead of them.
Through it all, through all the troubled times
Through the heartache and through the pain
Know that I will be there to stand by you
Just like I know you'll stand by me
Narrowing his eyes furiously, Zoro gripped his three swords tightly and swung them around as he was able to slash away a group of charging Pirates, a glaring Gin twirled his tonfa around and spun around elegantly as he was able to whack away various Pirates, a calm and collected Sanji smoke his cigarette as a horde of Pirates surrounded him and aimed their swords at him as he swiftly got down in a handstand and twirled around as the blonde-haired simp was able to kick them all away, Jack opened up his mouth and fired a huge torrent of hot flame-like energy at a group of charging and menacing evil Pirates and sends them flying away with the help of a large fiery explosion as Cottontail flew by and hardened himself as he proceeds to trip every single one of the burned and flaming Pirates out of the Going Merry.
Crouching down, a grunting Akira then jumped up into the air and began slashing and punching every Pirates that he saw, a gleeful Kaya can be seen running around at high speeds to knock away every single Pirates that was in her sight before she began running around in a circle and created a huge gust of wind that blew them out of the Going Merry and splashed down into the ocean, a giggling Apis dodged and weaved to avoid all of the incoming swords slashes as she then jumped up into the air and ran her hands across a nearby flying Cottontail as she was able to absorb his DNA and morphed herself into a Winged Cotton Lemur as Apis hardened herself and twirled around as she fires multiple white spikes that pierced through the Pirates' bodies.
Crouching down, a grunting Akira then jumped up into the air and began slashing and punching every Pirates that he saw, a gleeful Kaya can be seen running around at high speeds to knock away every single Pirates that was in her sight before she began running around in a circle and created a huge gust of wind that blew them out of the Going Merry and splashed down into the ocean, a giggling Apis dodged and weaved to avoid all of the incoming swords slashes as she then jumped up into the air and ran her hands across a nearby flying Cottontail as she was able to absorb his DNA and morphed herself into a Winged Cotton Lemur as Apis hardened herself and twirled around as she fires multiple white spikes that pierced through the Pirates' bodies.
So come aboard and bring along
All your hopes and dreams
Together, we will find everything
That we're looking for
Multiple vast images of all of the Incoming Arc Villains appeared as we see Iron Mace Alvida, Axe-Hand Morgan, Buggy the Star Clown, Kuro of a Hundred Plans, Eldoraggo, Foul-Play Krieg, Arlong the Saw, Garp the Fist, Smoker the White Hunter, Bear King, and Eric the Whirlwind as all of the Straw Hat Pirates Villains posed menacingly and scowled stoically.
There's always room for you
If you wanna be my friend
We are, we are, on the cruise
WE ARE!
After arriving near the Grand Line, Luffy can be seen sitting at his usual favorite seat in the Going Merry with Asher standing behind him as Nami wraps her arms around him and places her head on his shoulder as an annoyed Zoro stands near them on their right with Cottontail residing on top of his mossy head as Gin can be seen resting on the edge of the boat lazily, Usopp stood beside the Lovebirds on their left, and Sanji stands beside him as he smoked a cigarette and sighed heavily with Jack smiling widely and enjoying the sea breeze as Kaya stood behind them and smiled warmly while holding Apis and Akira in her arms as the logo of the story appeared in front of the readers.
{Bombs Away-Season 1 Theme Song Over!}
"I don't know what's going on with him." A worried Johnny says as we fast forward in time, and we see him and the Straw Hats standing around Yosaku, who lies down on the ground as he heaves and moans in pain. "A few days ago, he was healthy and full of life, and now? He keeps getting pale and constantly fainting. I have no idea what's causing it." A heartbroken and frantic Johnny said as Asher and Nami shared a look and nodded as they turned around to walk towards the Kitchen. "His teeth keep falling out and his old wound opened up and started bleeding. It just keeps getting worse and worse and I don't know what to do, so I thought why don't we just rest on a little island, but then a cannonball came flying from this ship."
"...We're very sorry!" Luffy and Usopp screamed in unison with pale and guilty looks on their faces as they bowed to a crying Johnny.
"I'm sorry, but sorry isn't good enough!" Johnny snapped at him before putting on a somber frown as he turned to a stoic Zoro. "Big Bro, give it to me straight...is he going to die?"
"Oh, calm down, you big baby, he is going to live." A deadpanned Asher says while walking back onto the scene with Nami as they held a bunch of limes in their hands.
"Wait, he is?!" A shocked yet exhilarated Johnny asked as Asher nodded just as he and Nami bent down towards Yosaku as they squeezed on their limes and began squirting its juices all over the Pirate Bounty Hunter's body.
"He's got scurvy," Nami stated bluntly as the Straw Hats, minus her, Asher, and Cottontail, gasped in pure shock. "Thankfully, you brought him over to us just in time. He should recover in a few days."
"Are you sure, Big Sis Nami?"
"Don't call me that. It sounds so dumb." Nami says with an annoyed glare as Asher turns to the Crew.
"My Old Man taught me about Scurvy. In the past, it was an incurable disease that plagued Sailors, but now? It's just a minor problem, caused by the lack of Vitamin C."
"Exactly, back in the old days, ships couldn't carry enough fresh fruit to avoid it, but we know better now, and as I said before, your friend will be fine in two days, three days tops," Nami said as Luffy and Usopp stared at her and Asher in shock and awe.
"Whoa, you guys are so smart! Just like a doctor!
"I've always known you two were smart!"
"...ARE YOU GUYS FUCKING SERIOUS?! HOW COULD YOU ALL NOT KNOW ABOUT SCURVY!? IT'S ONE OF THE FEW BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE SEA THAT ANY SAILOR, PIRATE, MARINE, OR WHATEVER SHOULD KNOW!" Asher and Nami exclaimed in unison with white teeth and a fiery aura as Luffy and Usopp winced fearfully.
"Awww, look at them, they are even screaming the same thing. They are so adorable." Zoro teased as Cottontail nodded with an impish grin on his face while lying on Zoro's shoulders.
"Yo, Asher, can I be the ring bearer at your wedding with Nami?"
"WE'RE NOT ADORABLE/SHUT UP, COTTONTAIL!" Nami and Asher creamed in union with large blushes on their faces just as Yosaku suddenly sat up from the ground and took a deep breath as he beamed and leaped off from the floor as a crying and relieved Johnny ran over to interlock arms with him as they began cheering and dancing.
"Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! All of the nutrients cured me/Yosaku! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!"
"THERE'S NO WAY THAT YOU CAN RECOVER THAT FAST! SIT BACK DOWN, ASSHOLE! YOU NEED TO REST!" Asher and Nami screeched in unison with their heads turning into chibi and growing with their rage as the Pirate Bounty Hunters then stopped cheering and dancing as they turned to the Straw Hat and posed menacingly as they scowled.
"Pardon us for not introducing ourselves. Our name is Johnny and Yosaku, and together, we are the Pirate Hunter Duo."
"Oh, so that's how you know these guys. Since you told us that you used to be a Pirate Hunter." A more calmed down Asher says while turning to Zoro as he nods and turns to smirk at Johnny and Yosaku.
"Small world. I never expected to see you guys here."
"Heh, well if you are surprised..." Johnny started.
"...we never imagined that the famous Pirate Hunter Zoro eventually becomes a Pirate himself." Yosaku finished as Zoro snorted amusedly.
"Tell me about it," Zoro says while reaching up to shake hands with his old friends, only for a groaning Yosaku to look sick yet again as he crashes down onto the ground, unconscious.
"...Well, shit," Asher says with a wince as a concerned Johnny goes over to check on him.
"Hmph, let this be a lesson for us," Nami says with a glare and crossed arms as Zoro nods.
"Yeah, these kinds of things can happen on a long trip."
"Especially since we don't have much room for food on this ship." A wincing Usopp says as Nami narrows her eyes seriously.
"Speaking of which, we should get somebody who'd know about this dietary business," Nami says as Luffy listens to what they said stoically...but then grins widely as he chuckles.
"Welp, I know what type of Crewmate we should find next! We need to find a Sea Cook!"
"HEY! CAN YOU MOTHERFUCKERS COME AND HELP ME WITH YOSAKU!" A pissed-off Johnny yelled while struggling to carry around Yosaku as Zoro rolled his eyes a bit but went over to help him dragging the unconscious man onto the helm just as a cannonball struck the Going Merry as everyone yelped in surprise when the ship shook around.
"What the hell?! What's going on?!" A surprised Asher asked as he and the others quickly turned around to run up to the upper deck of the Going Merry as Nami narrowed her eyes and gasped sharply as she spotted a huge Marine Ship slowly sailing towards them as it continuously shoots numerous cannonballs at them.
"It's the Marines! We are under attack!" Nami yelled as Luffy grinned excitedly.
"Oh, yes! Our first Marine Attack! Cottontail, telescope now!" Luffy ordered as Cottontail nodded and flew off before returning a few seconds later while holding a golden telescope as he flew over to drop it down into his Captain's hands, and said person use it to peer through the telescope as Luffy's grin fell flat and a look of shock appeared on his face as he spotted Three People standing on the front of the boat.
One of the Marines is a 9'5-feet-tall, 76-year-old Man with blue eyes as there was a scar over his left eye, spiked-up gray hair, thin gray eyebrows, a big nose, a sharp chin with a gray beard, Tan Skin, a tall broad-chested muscular build, and his outfit consists of a Marine Uniform with two special golden/blue shoulder pads and a green/white dog mask over his head. His name is Monkey D. Garp AKA Garp the Fist, an extremely famous and powerful Marine Vice Admiral as he is the father of Monkey D. Dragon, paternal grandfather of Monkey D. Luffy, and the adoptive grandfather of Portgas D. Ace.
The second of the Marines is a 5'6-feet-tall-, 16-year-old Boy with black eyes, shoulder-length kobi pink hair, thin black eyebrows, a big nose, a sharp chin, Light Skin, a short slim build, and his outfit consists of a Marine Uniform as well as a pair of black round-framed glasses. His name is Koby, a Marine Cadet who is being trained under Garp.
The Third of the Marines is a 5'10-feet-tall, 20-year-old Man with black eyes, awkwardly chopped up short light blonde hair, thin black eyebrows, a big nose, a distinctive cleft chin, Light Skin, a tall lanky build, and his outfit consists of a Marine Uniform with a black strap that held his sword. His name is Helmeppo, the son of ex-Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, and a Marine Cadet who is being trained under Garp.
"Grandpa?"
"GRANDPA?!" Asher and the others asked with shocked looks on their faces as they turned over to a stunned Luffy just as the Marines shot another cannonball that flew over to collide against their ship, knocking them all down into the ground as they groaned.
"Is everyone okay?" Asher asked worriedly as he and the others got up from the floor.
"Oh, yeah, peachy...EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT THE FUCKING MARINES ARE SHOOTING AT US! CHEESE IT!" A panicking Cottontail yelled while turning around as he took off into the air and tried to fly away to safety, only for a stray cannonball to nearly hit him as he doubled back around. "NEVERMIND! TAKE COVER!" Cottontail screamed while flying over to collide against Nami's shirt as he crawled inside of her chest and hid between her large breasts as Nami blushed heavily at this in anger and embarrassment.
"HEY! GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE, YOU LITTLE RAT!" Nami shouted while trying to reach in and grab Cottontail as a glaring Luffy grew serious.
"Straw Hats! Assemble! Let's take out the Marines!"
"Uh, how about we don't and say we did?" Usopp asked nervously as Nami nodded with a worried look on her face as she was able to finally take Cottontail out of her breasts and gripped his tail tightly as she began slamming him against the deck repeatedly.
"Yeah, this is dangerous, Luffy, let's just sail as fast as we can?"
"What? And run away like little pussies? Hell no!" Asher screamed with a glare as Luffy nodded in agreement.
"He's right! We can't run from the Marines, so here's the plan! Usopp, fire back at them! Asher! Cover for him! Nami! Stop playing around with Cottontail and trim that sail thingy! Let's sink their ship! Cottontail! Draw out their cannonfire!" Luffy ordered as the Straw Hats nodded solemnly while Nami frowned disapprovingly.
"We don't have time! They are stealing our wind! If they pull up alongside us, we're finished!"
"You are the Navigator, think of something!" Luffy ordered as Nami grumbled but hummed thoughtfully as an alarmed Zoro came out of the helm.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
"No time for questions! Just sheet in and hard to port!" Nami ordered while rushing over to the steering wheel of the ship as Zoro raised an eyebrow confusedly, but after one good look at the Marine Ship made him realize the severity of the situation and nodded as he ran off to do his job and Luffy quickly went off to find the crate of cannonballs while Usopp prepared the cannon as a glaring Asher pulled out his shurikens and infused them with a pink aura as he began tossing them into the air, creating multiple explosions that distracted and alarmed the Marines as Cottontail flew up into the air and started zigzagging through the skies, forcing the Marines to try and shoot down the Straw Hats' Pet as Cottontail either used his small size to avoid the incoming cannonballs or allowed them to harmlessly pass through his body.
"Fire!" Usopp shouted as, after Luffy loaded up the cannonball into the cannon, he then fired it, and it flew through the air to impact against the Marine Ship, enticing a laugh out of Luffy as he continued loading up the cannonball as fast as he could while Asher threw more and more explosion shurikens that confused the Marines due to them thinking they were cannonballs as Cottontail helped distract the marines and Nami and Zoro were hard at work to have the Going Merry be able to do a quick getaway as the fight suddenly went to a halt as a sharp static noise rang out.
"PIRATE VESSEL!" Garp screamed while speaking into a Transponder Snail from his Marine Ship as the Straw Hats glanced over at them. "BY THE ORDER OF THE MARINES, LOWER YOUR SAILS AND SURRENDER TO MY AUTHORITY!" Garp shouted as Luffy flinched, remembering his past as, whenever he tried to make his own Pirate Ship, his Grandpa always showed up to destroy them and grew furious as Luffy REFUSED to let his Grandpa destroy his Pirate Ship again and took a deep breath as his head grew to comical size and turned chibi as it grew to be 50-feet-tall.
"NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" Luffy exclaimed high into the heavens with Asher and the others wincing at his loud yell as they then glanced over at the Marine Ship and watched in shock as a glaring Garp went over to pick up two cannonballs and proceeds to freaking toss them into the air as they soared over to the Going Merry, intending to hit the crew as Luffy and Asher shared a stoic look as they nodded and stepped forward.
"Gomu Gomu No...Balloon..." Luffy trailed off as he breathed in a huge gust of wind, and his body was inflated like a balloon just as one of the cannonballs collided against his stomach, and it got stretched backwards.
"Bomu Bomu No...Blastwave..." Asher trailed off while running forward as he reached the edge of the Going Merry's Deck and used his superhuman strength to jump high into the air as the Bombman launched himself directly towards the incoming second cannonball.
"...Throwback!" Luffy exclaimed as he then retracted himself and sent the cannonball flying forward at high speeds as the Rubberman swiftly morphed his body back to normal.
"...Punch!" Asher exclaimed while throwing a powerful punch across the cannonball as he created a huge explosion that sent it flying backwards, and both cannonballs flew over towards the Marine Ship as Garp, Koby, and Helmeppo watched in stunned shock as one of the cannonballs collided against the main sail, easily breaking it and caused it to crash down into a group of screaming Marine Soldiers as the other cannonball collided against the underside of the ship, making a big hole on it and it started getting spewed with water as, while Koby and Helmeppo looked understandably surprised and worried, Garp couldn't help but laugh manically with a pissed-off expression on his face as he turned over to grin at the Straw Hats.
"Atta boy."
"Whoo-hoo! Way to go, guys!" Usopp cheered with even Nami looking amazed by what they did as Cottontail quickly flew down to grab his Master before he fell down into the ocean and flew him back to land inside of the Going Merry as a smirking Luffy turned to Nami.
"Nami! Get us out of here!" Luffy commanded as Nami nodded and looked around as she spotted a huge white fog forming near them, and an idea popped into her head as the orange-haired woman proceeded to sail the Going Merry over to disappear into the fog with Garp watching them go in frustration and anger as the Marines were unable to follow after them due to the damages done to their ship.
"How's the ship looking?" Nami asked as we fast forward in time, and we see the Going Merry still sailing through the fog as a grunting Usopp could be seen trying to fix up the damage done by the Marines in the main deck while Asher and Zoro walked up to the upper decks to talk with Nami as Cottontail laid on his master's shoulders and the Bounty Pirate Hunters Duo were still at the Helm as Luffy was nowhere in sight.
"Well, Cottontail has done a flyby and told us that thankfully no major damages has been done to the ship. Usopp should be able to patch up the small damages easily once we dock somewhere." Asher explained as Zoro nodded.
"And the only damage up here is the broken railing that Usopp is currently fixing and a big hole in the sails although Asher and I fixed it. This situation could've been a lot worse if we didn't act fast enough."
"True that. Also, Cottontail flew away for a bit and reported that there aren't any Marines coming after us, thankfully." Asher says as Nami purses her lips and nods.
"Makes sense with the damages that you and Luffy caused to their ship, but right now, we have a bit of a problem. We need to find a place to lay low and wait out any reinforcements that they will send after us, but my charts are useless in this damn fog." Nami cursed while glancing down at her charts as Asher placed his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, enticing a blush out of her as Cottontail looked around confusedly and shrieked.
"What did he say?" Usopp asked curiously while not turning to look at his Crew as he was busy with repairs.
"Cottontail asked where the hell is Luffy and why isn't here strategizing with us," Asher explained as Nami merely pointed forward.
"He's at his 'Favorite Captain Seat' as he calls it."
"Really? Still? Damn, he's been there since we escaped from the Marines." A surprised Asher says as Nami frowns.
"Well, somebody needs to talk to him. About this and that other thing."
"What other thing?" Zoro asked in bewilderment as Nami rolled her eyes with a scoff.
"Oh, gee, I wonder, maybe it's the fact that Luffy's Grandfather is the Vice-Admiral of the Marines?!"
"Oh, yeah, that, you see, I was barely here for a week, so I don't really know the guy that well to talk to him about his family," Usopp says awkwardly as Cottontail nodded in agreement.
"Yep, not touching that subject with a ten-foot poll."
"It doesn't seem that big of a deals," Zoro stated bluntly with a shrug as Asher glared at everyone.
"Come on, guys, we're Luffy's Crew and we need someone to talk to him about what's going on."
"Alright, then, let's nominate you," Zoro says, surprising Asher as he gasped at him.
"What?! Why me?!"
"Because you and the rat are the fifth and sixth oldest members of the Crew. Nami is busy steering the ship and I don't talk feelings, so it's gotta be you."
"Hmph, this more seems to be the job befitting the First Mate, but whatever," Asher grumbled while turning around to walk away as he turned around to walk away and eventually made it to the front of the ship as the Bombman spotted a stoic Luffy sitting on the figurehead of the Going Merry, starting off into the white fog as he held his Straw Hat. "Yo, Luffy, what's up?"
"Good."
"Cool...so about your Grandfather."
"Don't wanna talk about it," Luffy stated bluntly as Asher frowned and sighed heavily as Cottontail flew off his shoulder to land on the railing of the ship.
"Look, Luffy, I can tell that this seems to be personal, but-,"
"Shut up."
"Luffy, come on, I'm just trying to look after my Captain..." Asher says before trailing off as he, Luffy, and Cottontail perked up and begin sniffing the air as the Trio turned to each other.
"Guys, do you smell that?"
"Definitely/Yep." Asher and Cottontail stated in unison as, after Luffy jumped down from his favorite seat, they ran over to meet up with the rest of their Crew.
"Guy, guys, guys, Asher, Cottontail, and I smell something delicious!" Luffy yelled excitedly as Nami and the others raised an eyebrow at him incredulously.
"Really? Because I smell nothing." Nami said as Cottontail sniffled and purred in delight.
"There is something delicious on the breeze."
"Yeah, it smells like butter." Asher started.
"Soy sauce." Cottontail continued.
"And meat." Luffy finished with drool coming out of his mouth as Zoro winced.
"Uh oh, it finally happened, they got brain damage."
"More so than usual?" Nami asked with a joking tone as Usopp sighed heavily and turned to his Captain.
"Look, Luffy, playing follow the smell with you and the others is fun and all, but we really got to get out of this fog."
"I know, but we smell food, which means that there's someone somewhere is cooking," Luffy says with his grin stretching farther as we then fast forward in time and we see the Going Merry sailing through the white fog with Luffy sitting at his favorite seat while Asher and Cottontail stood behind them from the railings as they all began sniffling deeply. "Alright, Nami, go five degrees starboard!"
"No, no, Luffy, it's actually three degrees back to port!" Asher yelled as Cottontail screeched. "And THEN do a five-degree starboard!"
"Right, sorry!" Luffy yelled out apologetically as a faraway Nami rolled her eyes with a scoff.
"Add food to the equation and suddenly they know how to navigate," Nami grumbled with an irritated tone while following their instructions as Zoro spotted something in the distance that made him narrow his eyes.
"Wait, what is that?" Zoro asked, causing the Straw Hats to look to where he was staring and noticed a glowing light in the distance. "Is that land?"
"Can't be. There aren't any islands anywhere near here." Nami says just as the Going Merry sailed out of the white fog as they were stunned to see a giant fancy-looking ship docked on the ocean and it was oval-shaped with the normal masts but had a fish as a front-piece/head as it had six upper floors with a huge dock placed in front of it as there was a bunch of ships docked nearby and many people can be seen coming in and out of the boat as there was a big sign that reads, 'WELCOME TO THE BARATIE!'
"Baratie? What's that?" Asher asked curiously as, before anyone could react, a door was opened, and Johnny could be seen walking out of the Helm as he gaped in shock at the sight of the Baratie.
"Oh, wow, the Baratie?! What are we doing here?!"
"Wait, you know about this place, Johnny?" A curious Zoro asked as an excited Johnny ran up to him.
"Yep, I do. This place is crazy. You see the Baraite is a restaurant on a ship that sails close to the Grandline. I heard you guys are trying to look for a cook, right? Well, this is the place that you are looking for." Johnny says with a sly smirk as the Straw Hats perked up at what he said gleefully.
"Well, I know what we are going to do...let's eat and find a Cook for our Crew!" Luffy exclaimed in joyboy-I mean, joy while jumping out of the Going Merry to land down on the docks as Asher and the others followed after him as they made their way to the Baratie with Johnny choosing to stay behind to watch over the Going Merry and Yosaku as the Straw Hats entered the building and were immediately greeted by what seems to be a Fishman Host as he greeted them with a warm smile.
"Welcome to Baratie. How can I help you?"
"Hi! Where do we eat?" Luffy asked cheerfully as the Fishman Host tilted his head at them curiously.
"Do you have a reservation, sir?"
"Why? Do we need one?" Asher asked curiously as the Fishman Host gave him an apologetic frown.
"We're very full today. I could put you on the waiting list. It's three weeks out."
"Uh, maybe you want to check your book again. You wouldn't want to turn away the Future King of the Pirates, would you?" Usopp asked with a smug grin while walking over to wrap his arm around Luffy's shoulders as he pointed at him. "His name is Monkey D. Luffy. Perhaps you've heard of him?"
"Ah, well, in that case, we'll find a table." The Fishman Host says with a sarcastic tone as Luffy and Usopp beamed happily and shared a high five as they then walked off with Asher and Zoro laughing amusedly as Cottontail facepalmed and Nami rolled her eyes as she walked up to the Host.
"You'll have to excuse them. They're idiots." Nami says while reaching into her pocket to pull out a wad of Berry as the Fishman Host perks up at this excitedly.
"Of course. Right this way, ma'am, but I have to ask that gentleman to leave his Pet...whatever he is outside. Our restaurant as a strict 'No Pet' Policy."
"Awww, what? Bullshit. Either Cottontail eats with us or not at all." Asher said with a glare as he hugged a whimpering Cottontail, and Nami rolled her eyes as she once again handed another wad of Berry over to the Fishman Host, who smirked widely as he nodded.
"Well, in that case, just make sure to hide your pet and we won't have any problems," The Fishman Host says as Asher nods and turns to Cottontail, who grumbles but morphs into the shape of a scarf as he wraps himself around his Master's neck.
"Thank you for the help, Nami."
"You're welcome...but you do know that you owe me Berries, right? With interest, of course." Nami said with a wink, causing Asher's jaw to drop in hock as Zoro laughed, and the Straw Hats then made their way down to the Dining Room, which resembled a huge three-floor fancy room filled with red carpeting floors and fancy tables with loud elegant music ranging out as various people in fancy attire can be seen mingling or eating their food as the Fishman Host lead them all way to a large circle booth and Luffy, Usopp, and Asher outright leaped up high into the air and landed on the booth as they crawled over to their seats while giggling like the children they are as an annoyed Zoro tried to follow after them, but realized that he can't sit properly in the booth with his swords and decided to merely sat down on the edge of one side of the table as a blushing and embarrassed Nami went over to it down next to Asher.
"Here are your menus. Your waiter will be with you shortly." The Fishman Host says while handing all of the Straw Hats their own Menus as he then makes his way back over to his post and, after making sure that the coast is clear, Asher had Cottontail slithered off from his body and land between him and Nami as he morphed back to his normal form but made sure to be hidden from outside view as meanwhile, at the Baratie Kitchen, we see a blonde-haired man cooking a rather delicious-looking dish named a 'True Bluefin Saute' and finished it with a proud smirk on his face as a tall dark skinned man walked by and spotted the dish as he gave him an annoyed look.
One of the Chefs is a 5'10-feet-tall, 19-year-old Man with gray-blue eyes, shoulder-length blond hair which he keeps brushed over the left side of his face, distinctive black eyebrows that both form a spiral but at different ends as his right eyebrow forms a spiral at the outer end while his left eyebrow forms a spiral at the inner end, a small nose, a sharp chin with a black light beard, Light Skin, a tall slim muscular build, long legs, and his outfit consists of a long-sleeved black double-breasted jacket with golden buttons, a black tie, a long-sleeved buttoned-up turquoise shirt underneath, long black pants, and a pair of black shoes. His name is Vinsmoke Sanji, the third son and fourth Child of the Vinsmoke Family, the Adoptive Son of Red Leg Zeff, and the Sous Chef of the Baratie as his dream is to find the rumored Chef's Paradise, the All Blue.
The Second Chef is a 6'8-feet-tall, 27-year-old Man with brown eyes, black hair formed in an elaborate goatee around his chin with the top half being completely shaven, thick black eyebrows, a big pointy nose, prominent lips, a sharp chin, somewhat oversized forearms with two heart tattoos on his left upper arm, Tan Skin, a highly tall muscular top-heavy build, and his outfit consists of a white braided hachimaki headband, an earring in his right ear, a pink ascot wrapped around his neck, a dark double-breasted navy blue shirt, a white apron wrapped around his waist, navy blue shorts, and a pair of brown boots. His name is Patty, one of the main cooks at the Baratie.
"Get a move on. You're slowing the line, Sanji." Patty scolded as Sanji waved him off boredly.
"Gotta wait for the sauce to cool."
"Oh hell no, I didn't see this on tonight's menu," Patty says with a glare while walking past Sanji to clean the dishes as said person rolls his eyes in annoyance.
"It's called imagination, Patty. Wouldn't expect you to understand."
"Wanna take this outside?"
"Oh, are you asking me to dance?" An amused Sanji asked while reaching over to grab his dish as he then turned around and started walking over to the dining cart as Patty watched him go with an angry glare on his face. "Because I kind of had my eye on that blonde at table eight who is dining with that pink-haired dillweed."
"Hey, you better keep your eye on the menu. Whatever the hell that is, boss man ain't gonna like it." Patty warned with Sanji ignoring him as he walked over to place his dish on the dining kart and was about to go over to continue kicking, but stopped as the Headchef appeared with a very pissed-off look on his face.
The Head Chef is a 6'2-feet-tall, 65-year-old Man with sapphire blue eyes, short blonde hair, thin blonde eyebrows, a big pointy nose, a considerably long blonde mustache that is kept into two huge long braids, a sharp chin with a small blonde beard, Wrinkled Light Skin, a tall muscular build, his right leg was completely mining as it was replaced with a peg leg, and his outfit consists of an extra-tall white toque, a white Chef's Uniform, a blue ascot, a white apron wrapped around his waist, and a single black boot. His name is 'Red Leg' Zeff, the Head Chef and owner of the Baratie, Sanji's Adoptive Father, and the Former Captain of the Cook Pirates.
"Aye, aye, aye, aye! What the hell is this?!" Zeff asked with a glare as Sanji turned to him.
"I call it a True Bluefin Saute. It's elephant tuna, seared asparagus, in a sweet soy reduction."
"Oh, is that so? Well, I call it crap." Zeff says while grabbing the dish as he proceeds to place it on top of a giant pile of dishes. "The day Baratie serves a dish like that, little eggplant, is the day that hell freezes over."
"Ugh, if I gotta sling one more prime rib medium-well, I am going to drop dead of boredom, you old shitbag!" Sanji shouted as an annoyed Zeff slammed his fist onto the table.
"It's what we serve!"
"It's an insult to the meat!"
"You don't like cooking our menu? Fine. 'Cause I'll be more than delighted to give you other work elsewhere. In fact, you are off the line of cooks. Now get out there and wait tables. Go and serve some wine at table eight. Move." Zeff ordered as Sanji rolled his eyes, but nodded as he reached over to grab a bottle of wine and proceeded to make his way out of the kitchen as Sanji entered the Dining Room and made his way over to table #8 as Sanji took out a cigarette and began smoking it as he walked past a table from which two being can be seen sitting on it as Sanji arrived at the table and spotted a pink-haired Marine known as 'Lieutenant Fullbody' and his gorgeous blonde-haired date as the blonde-haired man began serving the customers their wine as they took sips of them and Fullbody grinned slyly as he turned to Sanji.
One of the beings sitting at a nearby table is a 6'4-feet-tall, 30-year-old Man with red eyes, short black hair, a small nose, a sharp chin, Light Skin, a large scar on his back, a tall muscular slim build, and his outfit consists of a high-collared black cape wrapped around his shoulders, a long-sleeved white shirt underneath, long black pants, and a pair of black shoes. His name is Sparrow D. Jack.
The second of the beings sitting at a nearby table is a large purple kuja snake with large blue spots running down his body as the underside of his body is pale red with thin horizontal black lines across it, a horned skull with a couple of cracks on top of his head and has red hair jutting out from the back of the skull. His name is Jake, Jack's Pet Kuja Snake.
"Waiter, hold on, this flavor is so exquisite," Fullbody says while taking a big whiff of his vine as he perks up. "This fragrance...it's the fragrance of Mitqueo City, in the north. A bit sour, and a bit spicy. This wine is Wurzburger Stein, right, Waiter?" Fullbody asked with an arrogant look on his face as Sanji stared down at him with a deadpanned frown on his face.
"That's...damn wrong, sir. You were not even close." Sanji stated bluntly, causing Fullbody's jaw to drop in shock as Jack, the Customers, and his Date began laughing. "Your soup's getting cold. Please enjoy it while it's still hot." Sanji said while placing a spoon on a still-stunned Fullbody's hand as he gestured down at the soup. "By the way, I'm not a Waiter. I'm Sanji, the Sous Chef. All the waiters ran away after what happened yesterday."
"Hey, what the hell's going on here? I'm sure that I requested the owner to serve us that wine when I made a reservation." Fullbody thought to himself with a glare while glancing over at Sanji, who made his way over to the Straw Hat Crew as they were also laughing loudly at Sanji putting that Marine in his place.
"Nice job, dude." Asher complimented as Sanji couldn't help but grin amusedly and nodded.
"Thanks...oh, and welcome to our shitty restaurant where the only thing worse than the ambiance is the food. My name is Sanji. What can I get for you?"
"One of everything, please," Luffy says with a big grin on his face while eyeing Sanji up and down curiously as said person blinks slowly at what he said.
"Errr, okay, any drinks? One of our signature cocktails to help you choke down your meal?"
"Giving us the hard sell, huh?" A bemused Nami says while rubbing Cottontail's head as he laid on her lap, and Sanji turns to her as, usually, he would've immediately taken the weird-looking animal out of Baratie quickly before he spread diseases and germ to the food, but wasn't able to do so due to getting distracted by Nami's beauty.
"Apologies, madam, I didn't see you there. Would you care for an apéritif to start? We have several rare Micqueot vintages in stock, or perhaps you'd like a glass of Umeshu? You know, something sweet for someone sweet." Sanji flirted with a wink as Luffy and Usopp were bewildered by what he was doing as Nami, Zoro, and Cottontail didn't look impressed as Asher looked a tad annoyed.
"Is there something wrong with your eye?" Nami asked dryly as Sanji flashed her an award-winning smile.
"Just blinded by your beauty."
"Waiter, can I get a beer and something for my friends?" Zoro asked while coughing as Usopp perked up.
"Make that two beers."
"Three as well as a glass of orange juice," Asher says as Luffy, who was eating all of the breadsticks, raised his hand.
"And a glass of milk."
"Three beers, and two glasses of orange and milk. And, uh, for madam?" Sanji asked while not even glancing at the Boys as he wrote down their order.
"Water."
"Still, sparkling, mineral? With ice or without? Cubed or crushed-,"
"Regular water in a regular glass. Thanks." An irritated Nami said with a glare as Sanji nodded while winking at her as he then turned around to walk away, and Asher could be seen glaring at him bitterly as Luffy continued chowing down at his breadsticks with Cottontail swiping a few of them as Zoro and Usopp slowly turned to give Nami teasing grins. "What?"
"Nothing. Madam. Forgive my rude behavior, madam. Would madam prefer her water in a crystal glass, or would a golden bowl be more madam's style?" Zoro asked while speaking like Sanji as Usopp snorted and laughed.
"Nami's got a boyfriend~,"
"Ugh, you guys are the worst," Nami says with a pout as Zoro and Usopp laugh as we then fast forward in time and we see everyone finishing their delicious meal as all of them are moaning in delight.
"Man, I can't eat another bite, but it's so good." Usopp moaned as Asher nodded in agreement.
"You said it, my friend, you said it."
"I never knew food could taste this delicious," Cottontail said with a grin.
"I'm not gonna be hungry for a week." Nami whimpered as Luffy glanced over everyone curiously.
"Should we order dessert?"
"I already got mine," Zoro says while holding up his beer bottle as Luffy nods but then perks up as an idea pops into his head.
"Oh, that reminds me. We should make a toast. Come on. Grab your glasses." Luffy says while grabbing his drink as Asher and the others do the same, including Cottontail. "To the best crew sailing on the sea and to our victory! Yeah!" Luffy cheered while he and the others clinked their drink together and chugged them as Jack could be seen giving the Crew a curious look while eating his steak and mashed potatoes as he also drank some rum.
"No, I'm sorry. What victory exactly?" Nami asked with a raised eyebrow as Luffy laughed heartedly.
"Against the Marines. Our very first battle and we crushed them."
"Hell yeah, we did," Asher says while sharing a fist bump with Luffy as Nami gives them a disbelieving look.
"Okay, I don't know how many naval battles you guys have been part of-,"
"Two dozen, at the very least," Usopp added while drinking his beer.
"But that was dangerous. If we were unprepared or uncoordinated, we could've ended up at the bottom of the sea." Nami says as Asher gives her a confused look.
"But we didn't. We won."
"Yeah, Luffy and Asher saved us," Cottontail added as Nami sighed heavily and rubbed her temples.
"Okay, are we really going to ignore the elephant in the room right now?" Nami asked in disbelief as she then turned to glare at Luffy. "You didn't think to mention your Grandfather was a Marine? And not just any Marine, a Vice-Admiral. I don't know about you, but I didn't sign up for that."
"You raided a Marine base. Of course that'll make you a target." Zoro says with a bewildered glare as Asher nods.
"Yeah, plus, we are Pirates, we will get attacked by Powerful Marines anyway, it's no big deal," Asher says just as Sanji appears as he walks over to place the Straw Hats' Bill in front of a surprised Luffy.
"Your bill, sir," Sanji says as Luffy composes himself and gives his Crew a reassuring look as he then reaches over to grab the bill and writes something down on it as the Future King of the Pirate then hands it back over to Sanji.
"Ah, thank you, my good man," Luffy says with a big smile on his face as Sanji takes one good look at the bill and gains a blank frown as he rolls his eyes.
"No, sir. Thank you." Sanji says dryly while turning around to walk away as Luffy then turns back to Nami.
"Look, I'm not saying it's good that the Marines are on our tail, but we showed them that they can't just roll over us. This crew, our crew, can handle anything."
"WHO THE HELL IS MONKEY D. LUFFY?!" A really pissed-off Zeff exclaimed while bursting out of the kitchen as Sanji had just handed him the Straw Hats' Bill.
"Right here." An oblivious smiling Luffy says as a steaming Zeff stomps over to him.
"You seem to be confused about the rules of the house, but Baratie doesn't offer credit. You eat, you pay."
"No, no, no, I think you're confused," Luffy says while speaking to Zeff as if he was in the wrong as said person streamed with anger. "The meal has already been paid for. I just haven't given you the money yet."
"Yeah, and how's that?" Zeff asked sarcastically as Luffy grinned widely.
"You can add it to my treasure tab."
"And what, pray tell, is that?"
"Heh, well, I may not look like a big deal yet, but you're talking with the Future King of the Pirates, and as soon as I find the One Piece, I'm gonna come back, pay this bill in full, and with interest," Luffy says, speaking sincerely as Zeff chuckled bemusedly with a big thick mark on his head as he cracked his knuckles.
"I got a better idea," Zeff says while reaching over to grab a shocked Luffy and begin dragging him away.
"...Uh...isn't anyone going to go after him?" Asher asked worriedly as he was rewarded with blank looks and innocent whistles. "...Fuck you guys, for real." A very annoyed Asher says while standing up from his seat as he reaches over to grab a startled Cottontail by his tail and begins dragging away with him while ignoring his protests.
"You, Mr. Future-King-of-the-Pirates, are gonna be my new chore boy," Zeff says while dragging a pouting Luffy into the Kitchen as Asher and Cottontail, who morphed into a scarf and wrapped himself around his Master's neck again, followed after them. "You're gonna pay off your debt doing chores."
"Okay, I can do that," Luffy says with a shrug as Asher nods.
"Yes, sir, whatever you need Luffy to do, he will do it."
"Heh, good to know because you remember that meal that you two had with your friends? That's one year's worth of chores."
"...Except that." A stunned and horrified Asher says as Luffy's jaw drops in shock.
"What?! I have to work here for a whole year?!"
"Exactly," Zeff says as a nervously sweating Asher steps forward.
"Wait, sir, I have a question, what if I also offered to help pay off our debt? How much time will be reduced in Luffy's Punishment?" Asher asked with Luffy being surprised by his Bodyguard's offer as he smiled at him gratefully.
"Hmmm, well, in that case, I guess that I can lighten his sentence for half a year," Zeff says with a glaring Luffy huffing as he holds up one finger. "And what does that mean?"
"Asher and I can only work for one week."
"A week? Yeah, get real." Zeff says with a scoff as Luffy holds up another finger.
"Two weeks!"
"Hey now, you ate a year's worth of food. Do you think you can make up for that in just two weeks?" Zeff asked incredulously as Asher raised his hand.
"What about three weeks?"
"...DON'T BE SUCH A FUCKING IDIOT!" Zeff screamed while twirling around as he proceeded to give both boys multiple strong and fast kicks all over their bodies, knocking them down onto the ground as they groaned in pain.
"Grrr, that's it! No deal!" Luffy exclaimed after he and Asher got up from the floor as the Head Chef of the Baratie gave him a curious stoic look. "I've patiently waited and trained ten long years to become a Pirate, so I'm not going to waste another year stuck in this restaurant!"
"And I waited for nearly 15 years to become a Pirate and now that I have a chance to become one, I'm not going to let that go to be a stupid chore boy," Asher says as Luffy nods with a serious glare on his face.
"Okay, I decided that I will get you to let me off the hook in a week. That's my decision."
"Are you really in that much of a hurry? Well, if you value your time so much, then allow me to offer you an alternative solution." Zeff says while walking over to slam his peg leg against both Luffy and Asher's legs, causing them to wince in pain as the Head Chef glares down at them ominously. "If you want to pay off your debt, both of you will need to cut off one of your legs," Zeff says with an evil grin as the Boys stare at him in shock and horror, but then Asher perks up as he reaches up to grab Cottontail and hold him in front of him as his Pet morphs back to normal.
"Okay, how about cutting off our leg, why not cut off both Cottontail's legs?"
"Asher, what are you doing?!" An angry and surprised Luffy asked as Asher turned to wink at him reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Luffy, Cottontail can regenerate himself from fatal injury. Once Zeff cuts off his legs, we will leave and find the others before leaving, and Cottontail will simply regrow his legs back at the ship."
"Oh, that sounds like a great idea, Asher." A grinning Luffy praised as Asher nodded while Zeff couldn't help but glare down at the Trio hatefully as a huge thick mark appeared on his face.
"...WHY THE FUCK DID YOU BRING A DAMN RAT INTO MY RESTAURANT! ESPECIALLY IN MY GODDAMN KITCHEN!" Zeff exclaimed while twirling around again as he began kicking all over Asher, Luffy, and Cottontail's bodies as they yelped and screamed in pain as, back at the Dining Room, we see a still pissed-off Fullbody sulking while slurping up his soup as his Date happily eat her meal and, before they could react, a cockroach appeared as the Marine spotted it and grinned slyly as he proceeds to kill it with his boot before bending down to grab the dead bug as Fullbody then placed it on his soup and coughed a bit as he puts on a fake angry look.
"Waiter! Oh, Waiter! Get over here!" Fullbody ordered, causing Sanji to stop at his tracks as he was planning to go to another nearby table and frowned disapprovingly as the Sous Chef of the Baratie turned to the Marine.
"Didn't I tell you that I'm not a Waiter?" An annoyed Sanji asked before noticing Fullbody's date as he grinned at her suavely. "But you've certainly got good taste when it comes to your company. How about it, Miss? Would you care to ditch this loser and have some wine with me?" Sanji asked while reaching over to place his hand on the blonde-haired lady's hand as she blushed and giggled sheepishly as an annoyed Fullbody slammed his fist into the table.
"Hey! Does this restaurant serve Bug Soup to its customers?!"
"Bug Soup?"
"That's right. What is this bug doing in my soup?" Fullbody asked hotly while pointing down at the dead bug in his soup as Sanji glanced down at it with a sly grin on his face.
"Enjoying a delicious swim, I imagine." Sanji quipped as the blonde-haired woman, the Straw Hats, Jack, and everyone else began laughing as a furious Fullbody stood up from his chair and proceeded to slam his fist through the table, shattering apart as Sanji swiftly came over to shield his date from the flying debris.
"Don't you dare fucking mock me!" Fullbody exclaimed as Sanji slowly turned to glance down at the destroyed meal and bent down as he placed his hand on the discarded soup.
"If you'd just pick the bug out, it would've been edible. I spent three full days and nights making this soup for you and you wasted it..."
"Should you have such an arrogant tone towards your customers?" Fullbody asked smugly while slamming his boot down on Sanji's hand as it didn't seem to hurt him whatsoever. "I'm the customer! A customer who paid you money!"
"Please, stop it, Fullbody, don't hurt him!" The worried blonde-haired woman says while going over to try and stop her date, only for Fullbody to backhand her away as she crashes down onto the floor and whimpers as she holds her bruised cheek.
"...Can your money fill your stomach?
"What?"
"I said, 'Can money fill your stomach!?'" Sanji asked with a rageful glare while twirling around as, for the next 20 minutes, he began kicking the ever-living shit out of Fullbody with no one willing to help him due to him hitting an innocent woman as, once he was done, Sanji could be seen holding up an incredibly injured and bruised and bleeding Fullbody by his neck with ease. "Don't...you ever..waste...food...around me...ever...again. At sea, provoking a cook is the same as committing suicide. Remember that."
"Man, I can't hold it any longer!" A Man yelled while running down a hallway in the Baratie on the Third Floor as he tried to go over and open the door to the bathroom but stopped as Patty's voice could be seen inside of the bathroom.
"...Serving customers! That is 'love'! And 'love' means 'restaurant'! Only love makes a restaurant! The customers are Gods! Service, service, and more service! And the very foundation of service is a heartfelt greeting! Hello and welcome, you damn crooks! Please enjoy yourselves! But no entry for the poor! Here's 10,000 berries! Keep the change!" Patty exclaimed before coming out of the bathroom as the Man stumbled back in shock. "Alright! I took a healthy dump, and I'm in excellent shape again today!" Patty shouted before noticing the trembling and scared Man and gave him a creepy ass smile.
"Oh, hello there, and welcome, you damn crook! That's our service motto around here!" Patty yelled with a hearty laugh as he turned around to walk away and climbed down to the first floor as the Cook was about to go back to the Kitchen, only to stop as he noticed that Sanji was ONCE AGAIN beating up another customer. "Oh, no! A customer is in danger! Goddamn it, Sanji, what're you doing to our customer?! Can't you see he's a Marine Lieutenant?!" A pissed-off Patty shouted while storming over to the Duo as Sanji ignored him and continued glaring up at a battered and beat-up Fullbody.
"Gotta problem, you crappy cook? Don't talk to me that way!"
"A crappy cook like you has no right to call me crappy?!" Patty asked as he loomed over Sanji and the Straw Hats, Jack, and the Customers couldn't help but watch this fight going on curiously. "Restaurants can't exist without customers! They are our lifeblood, so we can't hurt them the way that you seem to keep doing for years!"
"He deserved it," Sanji stated with a cold glare as he tightened his grip on Fullbody's neck. "Customer or not, it's no different. This guy not only ruined our dishes and treated our food carelessly, but he also insulted its chef! That's why I thought I should teach him a lesson!" Sanji yelled while letting go of Fullbody as he crashed down onto the ground.
"Sanji..." The blonde-haired woman says while staring at him in admiration as a large blush appears on his face.
"Damn, this restaurant is awesome. A lunch and a show? Sign me up." Usopp says as Nami nodded in agreement while Zoro simply drinks his booze as Jack heard them and couldn't help but agree with that man as it was mighty satisfying seeing Sanji beat the crap out of that corrupted Marine.
"Ugh, what kind of restaurant is this?" Fullbody asked with a pained glare as he coughed out blood. "Do you treat all your customers this way? How does it even stay in business? I'll destroy it! I'll destroy your precious little restaurant! I'll contact my superiors right now!"
"I guess that means I can't let you leave this place alive," Sanji says with a threatening tone as he takes a big whiff of his cigarette and tosses it into a now nervous and sacred Fullbody's face as the Sous Chef of the Baratie then calmly walks over to try and kill the Marine, only to be stopped by Patty and the other nearby cooks as they all ran over to grab him.
"Sous Chef Sanji, stop it!"
"Let go of me! He started it!" Sanji screamed while struggling to break out of their grip as the whimpering Fullbody crawled backwards, and a wet spot began appearing on the front of his pants as he stained the floor with his piss.
"Stop it! Stop fighting, Sanji!"
"Just who in the hell do you think you are?! Huh?! I fucking hate arrogant assholes who think they are such big shots that they can do whatever they want! Those type of people seriously pisses me off! Especially those who dare and hit a beautiful lady! You are not such a big shot now, are you?! Are you?!" A truly furious Sanji screamed with Fullbody shedding tears as, before anyone could react, a screaming Luffy, Asher, and Cottontail could be seen getting kicked out of the kitchen through the wall as they crashed down onto the ground.
"Whoa, for an old guy, he sure can kick." A surprised Asher says before squealing in disgust and horror as he noticed that Luffy's butt was aiming at his face. "Gross! Luffy, get your butt out of my face!"
"Well, get your face out of my butt!"
"How about both of you can get the fuck off of me?!" An annoyed Cottontail screeched while being squished underneath the Boys as they quickly got off of him, and a glaring Zeff came out of the kitchen as one of the Cooks turned to him.
"B-Boss? What's going on?" The Cooks asked as Zeff took one glance at the hole in the wall and gritted his teeth angrily as he then pointed over at the Boys.
"Damn it, see what you did?! You broke my wall! It's all your fault!"
"What?! How is that our fault?! You were the one who kicked us through a fucking wall!" Asher asked angrily as Zeff glared at them with white eyes and a thick mark on his head.
"Because you brought in a rat into my restaurant!"
"He's not a rat! He's a Cottontail and he's a valuable member of the Crew! He has the same right to be here just like we do!" Luffy shot back furiously.
"Not in my fucking restaurant, you little shitbird!"
"Boss! Can you stop messing around and help us with your problem child?! Sanji's gone crazy again!" One of the Cooks restraining a still furious Sanji yelled as Zeff turned to glare at his Adopted Son.
"Hey, Sanji!" Zeff screamed, getting Sanji's attention as he turned to scowl at him stoically. "Don't tell me that you are going on another rampage in my restaurant again, you ingrate?"
"Shut up, old fart!"
"What?! Who do you think you're talking to?! You wanna destroy my restaurant?! You insolent boy!" Zeff shouted while raising his peg leg to deliver a mighty kick across Sanji's face as this seemed to amuse and satisfy Fullbody. "You too! Get your fucking ass out of my restaurant!" Zeff screamed while twirling around to deliver a mighty kick across Fullbody's face, sending him flying through the Dining Room and crashed near the staircase leading to the Entrance/Exit of the room as he whimpered in pain.
"What's wrong with this freaking restaurant? Even the owner's gone nuts! Just looking at them, they look and act like a real Pirate Crew!"
"How could you deny our motto that the customer is God?!" An angry Patty exclaimed at Sanji, who scoffed as he took out another cigarette and began smoking it.
"The only godly customers are only those the ones who can stand your cooking!"
"Patty, Sanji! If you wanna fight, don't go doing it in front of our customers! Fight in the designated fighting area level five!" Zeff ordered as both Sanji and Patty fumed at each other.
"Are these people really Chefs?" Fullbody asked himself incredulously just as a random Marine Soldier ran into the dining room with the Fishman Host following after him as they appeared at the top of the stairs.
"L-Lieutenant! Lieutenant Fullbody! We've got a problem!"
"I'm sorry, sir, I tried to stop him but he persisted." The Fishman Host says to Zeff apologetically as he and the others glance up at him curiously.
"This restaurant sure is lively," Luffy says as Asher and the others nodded in agreement.
"The Pirate Krieg's Henchman has escaped!"
"What?!" A shocked Fullbody asked as the Marine Soldier lowered his head and trembled with blood leaking down from his head.
"Well, sir, we already lost seven of our men and the only thing we wanted out of him was a lead on the rest of the Krieg Pirates!"
"Impossible! When we captured him three days ago, he was about to starve to death! And we haven't fed him yet, have we?! Where the hell did he find the strength?!"
"The dreaded Don Krieg Pirates?" A curious Jack asked while standing up from his table with Jake staying behind as he went over to stand behind Asher and the others to watch the scene carefully. "Aren't they the ones who are said to be the strongest and most fiercest pirates in the East Blue?"
"Wait, really?" Asher asked while turning to Jack, who nodded as, before anyone could react, the Marine Shoulder was suddenly shot dead, and everyone gasped in shock as they turned over to see what seemed to be a highly starved and injured man leaning against the doorway with a smoking gun in his hand as he panted heavily.
Standing before them is a 6'1-feet-tall, 25-year-old Man with black eyes that are surrounded by dark rings, short scruffy black hair, thin black eyebrows, a big pointy nose, a sharp chin with slight stubble, Dark Tan Skin, a tall lanky yet muscular build, and his outfit consists of a gray headband with blue stripes, two golden round earrings, a long-sleeved high-collared open gray-white jacket lined with twin red sea-serpent designs, a short-sleeved green underneath, long gray trousers, and a pair of brown boots. His name is Gin the 'Man-Demon', a Pirate and the Combat Commander of the Krieg Pirates.
"Another customer has arrived," Patty says stoically as Zeff huffs and rolls his eyes with a scoff.
"He'd better not cause any more trouble in my restaurant," Zeff says with a glare as Gin stalks past a nervous Fishman Host and makes his way downstairs as the Pirate Commander walks over to sit down on an empty table and leans back against his chair as he propped up his feet with Asher and the others giving them curious looks as Gin glared at Sanji and the other Cooks.
"I don't care what it is just bring me some damn food. This is a restaurant, isn't it?"
"Hello, and welcome, you damn crook." Patty says while walking over to place his hands over his lap with a big creepy-ass smile on his face as the customers were confused on why they were trying to serve Gin.
"I'll only say it once more, so listen up. Bring me something to eat and make it quick."
"That cook is going to get us killed!" Fullbody yelled worriedly as the customers whimpered in fear.
"Ugh, Sir, I'm terribly sorry, Sir, but might I be so bold as to inquire on how you're going to be paying for your meal? You don't seem to have any money on you." Patty says with Gin staring at him coldly as he then wordlessly aims his gun at him.
"Is a bullet okay?"
"So I take it that you don't have any money, huh? Good to know and you might as well drop that gun."
"Oh, why's that?" Gun asked before yelping in surprise as Patty snatched away his gun and aimed it at his own head as he pressed the trigger, and everyone winced, expecting to see brain matter and blood on the floor as they were all then surprised to see that Patty was still alive.
"...BECAUSE IF YOU HAD ANY BULLETS, YOU WOULD'VE SHOT OUR FISHMAN HOST, YOU DRAMN CROOK!" Patty exclaimed while tossing away the gun as he then raised his arms and proceeded to slam his giant fists down at a shocked Gin, also destroying the table as well as everyone was amazed by what he did.
"Grrr, dumbass Patty! He broke another table!" A pissed-off Zeff yelled with his arms crossed as everyone cheered loudly.
"If you can't pay up, you're not a customer and you can't eat." Patty says with a moaning Gin getting up from the floor as he then held his growling stomach in pain. "Ah, your stomach's growling there, isn't it, you filthy pirate?"
"Ugh, that was a fart, you jerk. Now listen, get me something to eat now!"
"WE'RE NOT GETTING YOU ANYTHING, SO BEAT IT!" Patty yelled while going over to beat the ever-living shit out of Gin as, unknown to everyone, Sanji could be seen turning around and walking away towards the Kitchen as Zeff was able to spot this and sighed knowingly as he shakes his head.
"I can't take it anymore! I don't want anything to do with this kind of restaurant! I-I'll never come here again!" Fullbody yelled while turning around to crawl away like a little pussy as his date watched him go and rolled her eyes as she mentally praised her smart thinking and having her boat sail alongside the Marine Ship since she knows that Fullbody will ditch her.
"Alright, everybody! Please, continue with your meal!" Patty says as, after he finishes beating up Gin, he proceeds to give the customers a small courtesy, getting a huge reaction as the only ones not cheering are the Straw Hats and Jack. "Now, please get lost, you damn crook!" Patty yelled as, after grabbing an injured and bleeding Gin and hoisting him over his shoulder, he made his way through the Kitchen and walked past Sanji while wondering why he was cooking as Patty decided to ignore that and merely went through the backdoor of the Kitchen to dump Gin's sorry ass into the back docks of the Baratie from where they are delivered food and such. "And never come back," Patty says while dusting off his hands as he then turns around to walk back into the Baratie.
"Damn him...how dare he? If I wasn't so weak from hunger, I would've been able to easily kill him and eat inside," Gin says to himself with a fierce glare, not knowing that Sanji walked out of the Baratie while carrying around a plate filled with steaming delicious Seafood Risotto as Asher, Luffy, and Cottontail could be seen spying on them through the back door as Jack can be seen spying on the scene from the edge of the dock since it's connected to the main dock.
"Eat up," Sanji says while going over to place the plate of Seafood Risotto in front of Gin, who blinks in surprise as the blonde-haired man goes over to sit down in front of him and lights up another cigarette, and smokes it.
"Shut up and take this away. I won't accept charity." Gin says with a glare as Sanji narrows his eyes down at him stoically.
"Stop acting so tough, just eat it already. To me, any hungry person is a customer. I don't care what anyone in the Baratie says." Sanji said curtly as Asher and the others were surprised by his kindness.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not a customer. I-I can't pay for it."
"...It's amazing how beautiful yet cruel this ocean can be," Sanji said while taking another whiff of his cigarette as he then glanced up at the clear blue sky. "It's almost a death sentence to lose your food or water out here. How difficult it is to survive. I know how it feels to go hungry out in the sea more than anyone." Sanji says coldly with his words seeming to hit Gin as he trembles and glances down at his food as the Pirate Commander struggles to not go over and eat it. "I don't care if you wanna die with dignity, but if you eat up, you'd be able to look forward to a new tomorrow, won't you?" Sanji asked as Gin bit his lip and teared up as he gulped and went over to begin happily eating his Seafood Risotto as he started shedding tears.
"I-I'm sorry! It's so delicious! I thought I was gonna die! I've never had such a good meal in my whole life! Thank you!" Gin sobbed while eating his food as Sanji grinned widely and continued smoking as a smiling Asher glanced over at an excited Luffy.
"So, Captain, did we find our Cook or what?"
"And how," Luffy says as he and the others walk out of the Baratie as they walked over to them. "Hey, aren't you lucky? If he hadn't given you something to eat, it'd be all over for you by now. So, anyway, Mr. Cook, care to join us? You'll be the chef on our Pirate Ship!"
"Huh?!" A shocked Sanji asked while dropping his cigar as he and Gin stared at the Boys in surprise.
"Pirate Ship? So are you guys Pirates or something?" Jack asked curiously while walking onto the scene as Asher and the others turned to him.
"He, he, yep, who are you?" Luffy asked curiously as Asher snapped his fingers in realization and pointed at him.
"Wait, I remember you, aren't you the guy from earlier?"
"Yep, the name's Sparrow D. Jack. This is my pet Kuja Snake, Jake." Jack says while gesturing at Jake, who lies on his shoulder as Luffy grins.
"Yo, I'm Monkey D. Luffy."
"And I'm Asher, and this is my pet Cottontail," Asher says while gesturing at Cottontail as he then pauses a bit. "Wait a minute, how did you have your pet eat with you in the Baratie?"
"Oh, I bribed the host."
"Heh, nice," Cottontail says as we then fast forward in time, and we see the Gang hanging out on the dock as Gin continues eating his meal.
"So, you guys are Pirates, huh? I knew that Straw Hat seemed familiar. You guys are the Straw Hat Pirates, huh?" Jack asked as Luffy perked up.
"Yep, how did you know?"
"You guys are getting kind of famous in the East Blue. You know with taken down Axe-Hand Morgn, Buggy the Clown, Kuro, the Golden Pirates, etc." Jack said while counting down his fingers as Sanji hummed and took a whiff of his cigarette.
"So, that's why Old Man decided to have you guys work for us since you guys were willing to dine and dash."
"Hey, we weren't going to do that," Asher says with a pout as Luffy nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I would've paid them with my Treasure Tab.'
"Well, whatever, you guys just better not do anything else to this place," Sanji says as he looks away. "The Head Chef here was once a Chef on a notorious Pirate Ship."
"What? That Old Guy is a Pirate?" A surprised Asher asked as Sanji nodded.
"Yep, to that old fart, this restaurant is worth more than any treasure in the sea, and those cooks who came after his fame were once fierce pirates, which helps since Pirates are always coming and going to this place."
"Yeah, I noticed that. Never a dull moment in this place, huh?" An amused Luffy asked as Sanji took a whiff of his cigarette and shrugged.
"Well, the pirates in these parts often come to this place."
"It's not bad. I'm used to it. Recently, though, most of the people only come to watch the cooks and pirates brawl, but thanks to that, it scares away all of the part-time waiters."
"Oh, that explains why that Old Guy wants us to work here for a year." A surprised Asher says as Cottontail chirped in agreement.
"Hey, join us." Luffy outright ordered Sanji, who frowned as he glared at him.
"I refuse. I have my reasons for why I must remain here."
"No way! I refuse!"
"A-About what?" A bewildered Sanji asked as Luffy glared back at him with a huff.
"It's very simple! I refuse your refusal!"
"That...doesn't make sense," Jack stated with half-lid eyes as Asher turned to shrug at him.
"It's just how he is. You will get used to it." Asher stated matter-of-factly as Cottontail went off to talk with Jake.
"You're a good cook, so come with me, and let's be Pirates together!"
"Grrr, hey now, you listen to me! I can't leave no matter what?!"
"So, what's the reason?" Luffy asked as Asher nodded.
"Yeah, while you don't hate this place, it's clearly obvious that you are not happy being here, so what gives?" Asher asked with crossed arms as Sanji huffed and glared at them.
"I don't need to tell you two! We just met!"
"Eh?! Didn't you say you wanted us to listen to you?!"
"I meant that you must accept my decision! You'd better watch out or I'll gut you like a fish, you straw hat bastard! And maybe I will have that fluffy rat as tonight's dinner!" Sanji yelled.
"What did you say?! Don't you dare insult my hat unless you're picking a fight, you bastard!/Hey! No one insults my Captain and gets away with it! And if you even lay a finger on Cottontail and I will blow you to kingdomcome!" Luffy and Asher screamed angrily as they and Sanji glared at each other in irritation as Jack laughed amusedly.
"Heh, I'm starting to like you guys more and more," Jack says as Gin raises his hand with a big sweatdrop on his head.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm part of the Krieg Pirates crew. The name's Gin. You guys are Pirates, right?" Gin asked Luffy and Asher, who calmed down as they nodded. "So, what are your goals?"
"Oh, to become the strongest man in the world," Asher stated confidently.
"I'm aiming for the One Piece. Pretty soon, my Crew and I are heading for the Grand Line." Luffy says, shocking everyone but Asher and Cottontail as Gin then composes himself and gives the Future King of the Pirates a serious glare.
"Well, given that you're looking for a cook, it seems you only have a few members for your Crew, right?"
"Yep, he's the seventh member," Luffy says while pointing over at Sanji as said person turns to glare at him angrily.
"Why the hell are you counting me in?! And why seventh?! Shouldn't it be only six...wait...are you also counting that dumb rat?!"
"I'M NOT A DUMB RAT, YOU PERVERTED COOK!" Cottontail screeched angrily as he waved his fist at Sanji.
"Look, since you all seem like good people, let me give you a piece of advice. You'd better not go to the Grand Line. You're still young. There's no need to rush. Remember, the Grand Line is only a small part of the world's vast oceans. If you wanna be a real Pirates, there are many less intimidating places to explore."
"Oh, I see," Luffy says, not taking his warning seriously as Asher tilts his head at him curiously.
"Hey, you seem to know a lot about the Grand Line, sir," Asher says as Gin frowns and shakes his head as he then cradles his head.
"No...I don't know anything about it...I don't understand anything about it...that's exactly why I fear it..."
"Are you really a Crew Member of the Krieg Pirates? Man, I didn't think he'd hire such chickens." Jack says as a curious Luffy turns to him.
"Who's Don Krieg?"
"I was wondering that one myself," Cottontail says as Jack turns to Luffy.
"Don Krieg is one of the strongest, fiercest, and most evil Pirates in this part of the ocean, not counting Arlong the Saw, obviously. You see Don Krieg's grip of fear reaches far and wide."
"Yeah, I heard that he commands over 50 Pirate Captains and has one of the largest pirate fleets ever seen."
"Indeed. Don Krieg's extraordinary fleet of ships has more than 5000 pirates. Don Krieg is truly a monster." Jack says as, instead of looking scared, Luffy and Asher look excited by what they said.
"So cool~," Luffy and Asher said in unison as Sanji and Jack facepalmed at what they said while Gin shook his head with a heavy sigh as we then fast forward in time, and after finishing his meal and having seconds from Sanji, Gin could be seen standing on top of a small raft, ready to head back to the sea to find his Crew.
"So long then." A now full and more alive-looking Gin says as Luffy and Asher could be seen sitting on the edge of the docks with Cottontail lying on his Master's shoulder as Sanji and Jack stood behind them with Jake lying on his Master's shoulder.
"See ya, but just you know, we're still going to the Grand Line."
"Yep, nothing will stop us," Asher stated matter-of-factly with Cottontail chirping in agreement as Gin blinked in surprise before chuckling as he shook his head.
"I know, do whatever you want. We're strangers, so I've got no right stopping you. I just thought that I should warn you." Gin says with Asher and the boys looking appreciative of what he said as Gin then turns over to smile at Sanji warmly. "And Sanji? Thank you very much. You saved my life and I owe you for that. The food you gave me was the most delicious thing I have ever eaten in my life. Is it okay if I come back again someday?"
"Anytime," Sanji says with a smirk while taking a whiff of his cigarette as a glaring Zeff suddenly stormed out of the Baratie through the backdoor.
"Hey, Chore Boys, there you are! You need to start working! And bring over that rat of yours! We could use some emergency food..." Zeff says before spotting an empty plate on the floor and spotting Sanji and the others standing near Gin's boat as he narrows his eyes.
"Get going, Gin," Sanji stated curtly while smoking his cigarette as the Man Demon turned to give him an apologetic look.
"I'm so sorry, Sanji. You're gonna get in trouble for letting me eat for free."
"Whatever," Sanji stated bluntly while going over to casually kick the plate and empty glass into the ocean as the Group were shocked by this. "Now they don't have any proof, or there's no reason for me to get in trouble, right?" Sanji asked with a grin as Gin looked flabbergasted by what he did, and Luffy, Asher, and Jack couldn't help but smirk a bit. "Don't get caught again, Gin!" Sanji yelled as, after Gin composed himself, he proceeded to put up his sail and began sailing away as the Man Demon proceeded to get down on his knees and bow to Sanji gratefully.
"Thank you, Chef Sanji. I won't forget your kindness." Gin says before he disappears as Zeff can't help but have a proud glint in his eyes as he then composes himself and glares at the Group.
"Sanji! Chore Boys! Get back to work, right now! Rat? I will allow you to stay just in case we run out of food and we need emergency food! Random Customer? Go back and eat your damn meal! The rules in the Baratie are simple! Don't waste food! Don't fight! And don't bring in animals! Let's go, go, go!" Zeff ordered as Asher and the others nodded as they all proceeded to enter the Baratie again and walked through the Kitchen as Luffy and his Crew wandered off with Jack and Jake doing the same as Sanji left the Kitchen to start taking orders again but stopped as he noticed Fullbody's Date standing next to the stairs and spotted him as she gave him a coy smile and reached up to grab her dress and briefly lowered it to show off her D-Cup Breasts to Sanji, whose nose started bleeding as the blonde-haired woman then gestured upwards and turned around to walk away while swaying her hips as Sanji grinned pervertedly and happily ran after her with his legs becoming noodles as he left behind a trail of blood behind him.
"Hey, guys!" A grinning Luffy exclaimed while appearing in the Kitchen with the others as he and Luffy wore white aprons wrapped around their waist as Cottontail, who stood on his Master's shoulder, wore a small white Chef's Hat. "I'm Luffy!"
"And I'm Asher, and this is my pet Cottontail!"
"As of today, we will be the new Chore Boys from now on! Nice to meet you all!" Luffy and Asher exclaimed in unison while wrapping their arms around each other as the Cooks ignored them and continued cooking for their customers as the Trio shrugged and separated to do their own thing as Luffy went over to sit down on a chair and began rocking on it while picking his nose boredly as Asher could be seen washing dishes and Cottontail stood on a table beside him as he was starting a pot full of chili that he had swiped earlier.
"Hey! Isn't Table 6's dessert ready yet?!"
"Who's in charge of it again?!"
"Wasn't it you?!"
"I'm busy as it is!"
"Yeah, 'coz you didn't pay any attention!"
"What did ye say? You wanna fight?!" All of the Cooks said in union before noticing what Luffy was doing as they turned to glare at him. "DON'T JUST STAND AROUND AND DO NOTHING! HELP YOUR FRIEND WASH THE DISHES!" The Cooks screamed in frustration and anger as Luffy shrugged and stood up from his chair to walk over to Asher.
"Alright, Captain, just like Nami and I do every day on the Going Merry, I will wash and you rinse, alright?"
"Sure," Luffy says as Asher begins washing the dishes and hands them over to the Future King of the Pirates to rinse as he gets a bit distracted by the conversation going on with the Cooks.
"Oi, where the hell is that Sanji bastard?!"
"He's out there entertaining the guests."
"Again?! It pisses me off that he's the Sous Chef to begin with!" A pissed-off Patty yelled as he was peeling off an onion. "I wish that Boss Zeff would just fire him already! He constantly flirts with all of the customers, takes constant smoke breaks, and hardly ever cooks what's on the freaking menu!"
"What can we do about it? He's been here longer than anybody else."
"Plus, he is the Boss's Kid." A Cook says as Patty fumes.
"Even with them being family and that bullshit, they don't even get along that much? Is he aiming to be Head Chef or something..." Patty said before trailing off as he got a good look at the Trio and grew severely angry at the sight of an oblivious Asher handing Luffy multiple clean plates and he kept dropping them into the ground distractedly as Cottontail dipped his hand into the chili and brought it up to his mouth to taste test it as a red-faced Patty stormed over to him. "Oi, Chore Boy! How many dishes have you broken?!"
"Huh?" A bewildered Asher asked before turning his head as he saw a huge pile of broken dishes placed beside them. "Luffy!"
"Oh, sorry, guys, I forgot to count," Luffy said apologetically as Patty gritted his teeth angrily.
"I wasn't being serious! And Other Chore Boy, why the fuck did you let your filthy pet cook the chili for Table 10th?! He's contaminating good food!" Patty yelled as Asher turned to smile at him reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Sir, Cottontail is very clean. I make sure to bathe him every day." Asher says just as Cottontail got inside the pot filled with chili and rolled around as he ended up crashing down into the ground, spilling the chili everywhere as Cottontil didn't seem to care and rolled around in the chili happily.
"Okay, that's it!" Patty screamed while going over to pick up Luffy and Asher in one hand and a chili-covered Cottontail in the other as he began dragging them away. "Why don't you two go out there into the Bar and Party Area in the back and take orders?! Just go and ask the customers what they want to eat! Think you two can do it?!" Patty asked as the Trio nodded. "Good, now get the fuck out of our kitchen!" Patty shouted while kicking the Trio out of the Kitchen as they flew through the doors and crashed down into the Dining Room as the Trio groaned in pain.
"Ugh, chores sure are tiring," Luffy says after he and the others get up from the floor as they then walk over to the bathroom to give a squirming and protesting Cottontail his much-needed bath as, after getting directions from the Fishman Host, the Boys are able to make their over to the Bar and Lounge Area of the Baratie, which is placed on the side of the ship as Luffy and Asher both hold notepads and pencils as Cottontail laid on his Master's shoulder. "I wonder if Koby got tired of all of this work too."
"Oh, he's your friend from the Marines, huh?" Asher asked curiously as Luffy nodded with a wide grin on his face.
"Yep, he's the first person I've met when I first journeyed to become a Pirate and I helped him escape from some fat sea cow and helped him become a Marine."
"Seriously? But won't that mean that you will become enemies in the future?" Asher asked worriedly as Luffy shrugged.
"Maybe, but Koby's Dream is to become a Marine. I can't get between that. Besides, we both agreed that when we meet each other again, we will be enemies, and I don't mind that." Luffy says sincerely with a smile as Asher's eyes widen in shock before smiling back as he nods and is about to ask something else, but then-
"Hey! Chore Boys! Over here!" Nami's voice rang out as the Trio turned their heads and were shocked to see the Straw Hat Pirates hanging around the lounge, drinking beer and martinis as Jack and Jake could be seen hanging out at the bar while eating their meals as the Trio stormed over to their Crew.
"What the fuck?! Guys, what are you doing?!" A shocked Asher asked as Usopp grinned slyly, feeling a little buzzed as he chugged down his beer mug.
"We heard that you two have to work here for a year because of our meal."
"Is it okay if we redraw our flag for the ship?" Zoro asked teasingly as Luffy's jaw dropped in surprise and anger.
"What the hell?! While Asher and I are working our asses off to pay our debt, you guys are here, living the good life and partying and drinking without us?! What kind of crew are you?!"
"The smart kind. In fact, why do I have to help you guys? I'm not the one who has to pay off the debt. I'm just the Crew's Pet." Cottontail says with a grin while flying over to land between Zoro and Usopp with the latter handing him another beer bug as he began chugging it down.
"YOU FUCKING TRAITORS!" Asher and Luffy exclaimed furiously with fiery eyes as Zoro shrugged.
"Hey, you are the Captain, Luffy, so you are the only one who needs to pay off our debt, and you chose to help Luffy, Asher, so that's on you," Zoro says with a smirk and a hearty laugh as the Boys glared at him.
"Man, they're noisy. They are definitely a part of Luffy's Crew." An annoyed Sanji says while walking into the Bar and Party Lounge with Fullbody's Date as he zipped up his pants, and the blonde-haired woman adjusted her dress and fixed up her hair as she had a satisfied look on her face and blew the Sous Chef of the Baratie a kiss as she then turned around to go over to the bar to get a drink and Sanji watched her go with a perverted smirk on his face but then paused as he took a good look at Nami again and blushed as the blonde-haired man quickly went over to their table and got down on his knees next to a surprised Nami as he pulled out a red rose from his jacket.
"Oh, Mother Ocean! Thank you for arranging this encounter today! Oh, my love!" Sanji says with a hearty blush as Nami looks a bit weirded out by what he said, Luffy and Cottontail look indifferent, Zoro and Usopp looked amused as Asher looks pissed off. "Go on, and laugh at me! I, who can't bear this torture of loving you from afar! Ever since my eyes first laid on you earlier, I tried to play it cool, but I can't bear it anymore! I'm now prepared to be a lowly Pirate or Devil if I'm with you! My heart's ready as can be, but, this is horrible! There's such a great obstacle between us!"
"Yeah me!" An angry Asher yelled while going over to kick Sanji away as he huffed. "She's clearly not interested in you, so get lost, you SIMP!"
"Oi, who the hell are you calling a SIMP, you one-eyed moron?!" An angry Sanji asked while getting up from the floor as he glared at him...but then gasped in shock as he spotted Nami blushing a bit from Asher defending her and letting out an agonized scream as Sanji cradled his heart. "Oh, no! It can't be, but it must! Her heart belongs to you! Clearly, you two are dating, so I can't go after such a maiden! Consider yourself lucky to have such a beauty as your girlfriend! I can't go after a Married Woman or one that is dating another man! It goes against my code!" A heartbroken Sanji says while crying endless tears as a shocked Asher blushed heavily.
"W-What?! Nami and I aren't dating! W-We are just friends!"
"Sure." Zoro, Usopp, and Cottontail say with disbelieving tones as Asher glared at them, but then yelped in surprise as an exhilarated Sanji proceeded to push him away.
"Oh, good! Then it means that I can happily court this young fair lady without feeling any guilt!"
"Grrr, she doesn't want to be with you, so get lost!" Asher yelled angrily while whirling around to face him as Sanji narrowed his eyes at him and scoffed as he took a whiff at his cigarette.
"Interesting, you clearly have feelings for her, and yet you haven't asked her out? Well, sorry, but I'm not gonna stand by and let this fair angel be without a man, so if you excuse me, I'm going to-,"
"Oi, Sanji! Are you trying to flirt with the customers again?!" A pissed-off Zeff says while storming into the Bar and Lounge Area as Sanji gritted his teeth angrily.
"Ha, ha, ha, someone is getting in trouble," Asher says childishly as Nami rolls her eyes and elbows him as she whispers at him to be nice.
"Look, I heard everything, why don't you just run off and be a Pirate just like them? We don't need you here anymore." Zeff says, shocking Sanji as he turns to face him furiously.
"Hey, you damn geezer! Aren't I the Sous Chef around here?! What's your crap of not needing me no more?"
"You always fight with our customers. You do nothing but flirt and have sex with any beautiful woman in sight, and you can't even cook a decent meal! You're nothing more than a burden to this restaurant! That's what I mean!" Zeff yelled as Sanji narrowed his eyes and bit into his cigarette harshly. "Also, the other Cooks don't like you anyway and avoid you like you were poison. Why don't you just become a Pirate or whatever you please? Why don't you just get the hell outta here!?"
"What's this crap? I didn't do shit and now you're blowing your head off, you damn geezer? I don't care about the rest of your excuses, but I'll never allow my cooking to be insulted! I don't care what the hell you're gonna say! I'm gonna stay right here as a Chef! If you don't like it, that's your problem!" Sanji screamed while going over to grab Zeff by the front of his shirt as he fumed.
"How dare you grab the collar of your very own boss?! You stupid eggplant!" Zeff screamed while grabbing Sanji by the front of his shirt and easily pulled him up into the air as he then tossed him over to land on the couch that the Straw Hats were lying on as Zoro and the others were quick to move out of the way before the Chef could hit them.
"Grrr, goddamn, old geezer, stop screwing around," Sanji says while getting up from the couch as he tossed away his cigar into the ocean. "No matter how hard you may try to kick me out, I'm gonna stay right here as a chef! 'Til the day you go to hell!"
"Dead? Ha! Don't make me laugh, eggplant! I won't die! I'll live another 100 years!" Zeff yelled while turning around to stalk away as Sanji clicked his teeth in annoyance.
"What a stubborn old man..."
"Isn't it great that he gave you his blessing? Now you can come with us." An excited Luffy says as Sanji turns to glare at him.
"Shut up!"
"Hey, I'm okay if he stays," Asher says with a grin as Sanji glares at him before turning to smile lovingly at Nami as he gains heart in his eyes
"Please pardon me for what has happened. As an apology, I've ordered you a Fruit Macedonia, my Princess." Sanji says while pulling out a Fruit Macedonia and pouring a glass of wine at Nami, who was a bit annoyed by him being a shameless flirt...but couldn't help but drool at his offering as she decided to humor him just this once...plus, Nami finds it extremely cute at how clearly jealous Asher is.
"Why, thank you. You're so kind."
"Grrr..." Asher say furiously while grinding his teeth as smoke ejected out of his hands.
"Hey, what's this?! Why are you not apologizing to us? I'll sue you, you love cook!"
"I've brought you some tea, isn't that enough? You should thank me, long nose," Sanji says curtly while tossing a bag of tea at Usopp, who fumed as he glared.
"What?! Picking a fight?! Oh, you are going to regret this...kick his ass, Asher!"
"With pleasure," Asher says while cracking his knuckles and creating multiple small explosions as he storms over to Sanji, who scoffs as he rolls his eyes.
"Oh, please, like I be afraid of a man who can't reveal his feelings to a woman he likes."
"Ooh, burn!" Cottontail yelled while riding on top of Zoro's head as he drank his beer mug.
"Well, at least I'm not an STD Ridden Simp with a horrible haircut!"
"Ooh, double burn!"
"Boys, boy, please, don't fight over me!" Nami says with a cutesy tone and a blush as Asher and Sanji glare at each other but huffed as they back off.
"Who said that we were fighting over you?!" A disbelieving and oblivious Usopp asked as Nami ignored him and gave Sanji a sad pout as she placed her hand on his chest.
"By the way, the food here's great, but it's a bit expensive for me."
"Of course, I won't make you pay. As long as you are here, the food is free." Sanji says with hearts for eyes and a blush as a thankful Nami hugs him. "You guys have to, though," Sanji says while glaring at the others as Asher gritted his teeth angrily.
"That's it!" Asher screamed while leaping over to tackle a grunting Sanji into the ground as they began fighting with Luffy and the others cheering them on as Nami placed her hand over her mouth and giggled with a blush as she found Asher's antics to be adorable.
"Man, it's already been five days." An annoyed Usopp says as we cue to several days later, and we see the Straw Hat Pirates, sans Luffy and Asher, hanging out on the Going Merry with Jack hanging around them as they were still hanging out at the Baratie. "I'm getting fed up with this place. How soon can we leave, ya think?"
"Beats me," Zoro says with a shrug as Cottontail lays beside him boredly.
"You don't think Luffy and Asher are really going to be stuck here for a year, do you?" A worried Usopp asked as Jack turned to shake his head at him.
"Not really as I heard that the Boys were planning to stay here for at least a week."
"A week, huh? Well, that's a bit acceptable, but still, I'm madly bored." Usopp says as Zoro glances over at Jack curiously.
"Oi, why are you still here and hanging around with us?"
"Oh, I'm just curious how this will play out," Jack says with a shrug as a snoring Jake sleeps near Cottontail. "Besides, there are worse places to be stuck in for a week."
"He's right," Nami says with a shrug while leaning against the railing as the Boys turn to her. "We got free food, a cozy atmosphere."
"You're the only one who gets free food around here!" An angry Zoro yelled before noticing the faraway look on her face as he narrowed his eyes at him. "Hey, are you still trying to look for the golden treasure that Woonan returned back or what?"
"Hmmm?" Nami asked curiously as Zoro sat up.
"You've been oddly quiet these last few days. This is the first time that you ever said anything, so what's up?"
"...Do you seriously don't think that what Luffy did is messed up?" Nami asked as Zoro shook his head.
"Not really, no. What happened to him in his past is none of our business. I mean, hell, I killed tons of Pirates but I don't go around flaunting it unless one of you asks about it. I'm more of a 'What Happens Now' Kind of Guy."
"Same," Usopp says with a shrug as Jack hums.
"Well, I will admit, while it is a surprise to hear that Luffy's Grandfather is a Vice Admiral of the Marines, you guys are Pirates, so Marines are going to go after you no matter what. Who cares who it is?"
"Okay, you are not even a part of the Crew, so you are not a part of this conversation," Nami says with a glare as she huffs.
"Seriously, Nami, what's the big deal about this?" An annoyed Zoro asked as he was getting sick of her whining. "In case you haven't noticed, we've been making enemies everywhere we go. Luffy and I defeated a Corrupted Marine, and ever since you and the others met us, we've been dealing with Psycho Clowns, Killer Butlers, and Gold Obsessed Laser Firing Wackos. What's a Vice Admiral going to do to us?"
"No, you don't get it. I can't get caught. Not when I'm so close..." A worried Nami says before trailing off as she realizes that she almost said too much. "I...need to check on Yosaku," Nami says while turning around to walk towards the Helm as Zoro and the others watch her go suspiciously but don't have time to say anything as Luffy and Asher appear on the scene while holding a large trash bag as Usopp goes over to peer down from the edge of the Going Merry to glance down at the boys.
"Hey, Luffy, what are we still doing here?! Just hurry up and let's leave this place!"
"Just wait a little longer guys! There are only two days left! Once that's done, we are out of here!" Luffy yelled as Asher nodded with a glare.
"Yeah, besides, stop complaining already! We are the ones working hard to pay off our debt while you guys are either eating delicious food or partying around like animals!" Asher screamed as the Pets suddenly woke up, and Cottontail sat up straight as his ears twitched.
"Hey, what's wrong with Cottontail?" Jack asked curiously as, after Jake went over to wrap around his Master's shoulder, Cottontail flew over to land on the ledge of the Going Merry and turned his head as he began chirping, and Asher and Luffy slowly turned to glance over at where he is looking at as they could also sense that something is a miss and the Gang spotted what seems to be a giant broken ship sailing towards them as it has the flag for the Krieg Pirates.
"That ship's huge!" A stunned Asher says as Sanji, Patty, and a random Cook make their way out of the Baratie through the front entrance as they are flabbergasted and horrified by the sight of the ship.
"Holy shit! It's them! I recognize that flag anywhere! It turns brave men into chickens! That flag belongs to the King of East Blue! Don Krieg!" The Random Cook yelled while sweating bullets as a nervous Patty did the same. "I told you that this will happen! Now, are you going to get rid of those goons or what?!"
"This can't be real! He's the leader of a 5000 pirate ship fleet! Why's he coming all this way to avenge a single man?!"
"There's no mistake! He's really here!" The Random Cook yelled with a glare before they turned around to run back to the Baratie as a calm Sanji took out a cigarette and lit it up as he took a whiff of it.
"Uh, guys, don't panic, but I think that this is our cue to leave right now!" A worried Usopp shouted with Zoro and Jack getting alarmed as Cottontail flew down to land on his Master's shoulder.
"Hey, what's going on out here?" An annoyed Nami asked while walking out of the Helm as her face grew pale at the sight of Don Krieg's Pirate Ship. "Holy hell! What a huge galleon!"
"Whoa, you think that Gin guy's here to pay you back?" Luffy asked Sanji innocently as he, Asher, and Cottontail walked over to him.
"I doubt it, but it's strange. Looks like his ship's pretty much had it." Sanji says while pointing out how badly damaged the Pirate Ship was as Asher hums thoughtfully and narrows his eyes.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like it was attacked by another Pirate Ship. The damages are too directed. Like someone actively destroyed the ship with their bare hands."
"Huh, you are a lot more observant than I thought." A surprised Sanji says as Asher shrugs.
"I get that a lot."
"Hmmm, was the ship in the middle of a tornado or something?" Luffy asked curiously as Cottontail shook his head.
"Nah, as Asher said earlier, whatever the damage, it wasn't caused by any natural disasters that we know of."
"Ah, then maybe it was a tornado hurricane," Luffy says stupidly as Cottontail gives him a disbelieving look.
"Come on, Chore Boys and Emergency Food, let's get back into the restaurant," Sanji ordered as the others nodded and turned around to walk into the Baratie through the entrance.
"We should go in as well in case anything bad happens," Jack says the group nods, and Nami randomly volunteered to stay on the Going Merry with Johnny and Yosaku as the Boys wandered off and snuck into the Baratie through the back entrance as we cue to the inside of the Baratie and we see Asher, Cottontail, Luffy, Sanji, Zeff, Patty, the Fishman Host, and the other Cooks standing in front of the customers protectively as the doors were slammed opened and a stoic Gin can be seen carrying around a large injured and bloodied man as they made their way down the staircase and walked over to stand in front of the group.
Standing before them is an 8-feet-tall, 42-year-old Man with black eyes, clipped short purple-gray hair with distinctive sideburns and a thick layer of gauze wrapped around his scalp, thin purple-gray eyebrows, a big pointy nose, thick lips, a sharp chin, Pale Light Skin an extremely tall muscular build, and his outfit consists of a golden armor that has fur-lined elements that consist of a full-torso golden carapace, massive golden shoulder-plates that are each emblazoned with his Jolly Roger, a fur-lined coat over a yellow vest with black spots-like motifs, a big golden chain, a pair of golden arm-guards, a short-sleeved brown shirt underneath, a pair of fur-lined golden gloves, long light pink pants, and a pair of dark brown boots as he also held a golden gas mask inside of his armor. His name is 'Foul-Play' Don Krieg, the Admiral of the Krieg Pirates and an infamous pirate of the East Blue.
"...Please...can you give me water and something to eat? If it's money, I've got it. Lots of it. I don't know how long it's been since I've last eaten. Please give me water and something to eat. I'm begging you."
"W-What's wrong with him? He doesn't look very dreadful to me." The Random Cook says as Patty nodded in agreement.
"For real, he shows neither dignity nor force. Is this guy really the most dreadful pirate, Don Krieg? Legendary Commander of the Grand Pirate Fleet?"
"Huh, I guess that he's that hungry," Luffy says with Asher and Jack narrowing their eyes suspiciously as they hum.
"Hmmm, I don't know, this seems pretty...odd. With everything that we had heard from him, it seems bizarre that he acts this way."
"Ditto, something is wrong," Jack says as he and the others then notice Sanji turning around as he walks over to the Kitchen discretely.
"P-Please help him!" Gin begged just as a groaning Krieg lost his balance as he crashed down onto the ground. "Our Captain is on the brink of dying from starvation! If he doesn't get food soon, he'll die!"
"...So?" The Fishman Host asked with a raised eyebrow as Patty let out a hearty laugh and placed his hand on his hips.
"This is good! I haven't laughed this good in a long while! The infamous Don Krieg kneeling before us!"
"But we got money this time! We can pay! Aren't we customers here?!" Gin yelled as Patty scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Oh, please, do you really think I'm that stupid? In fact, instead of feeding him, we're going to call the Marines to get this useless ass sorry excuse of a Pirate off our property! But make sure that he doesn't croack on the red carpet! I just cleaned it!"
"What?!" A stunned Gin asked as Patty nodded while crossing his arms.
"He's at his weakest right now! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to arrest him or let that bastard die for good, and I'm not going to waste this opportunity by feeding him and helping him regain his strength back!"
"He's right! We don't know what would happen if he does get his energy back!"
"He's done so many awful things!"
"He deserves to be caught, even if he's starving!"
"In fact, the East Blue would be better off if he was dead!"
"Yeah! He's never done anything good in his life! He might even attack this boat if he gets better! We shouldn't even hand him a glass of water!" Various Customers and Cooks said in unison as a moaning Krieg got up from the floor and proceeded to kneel to them as Gin gave him a surprised look.
"I-I won't do anything. I promise that I'll leave quietly after I eat, so please h-help me. Have mercy."
"No! You are a king, Don Krieg, stop it! Please don't beg! How can you do such a humble act?! You are better than the common beggar! What about your pride?!" Gin asked as Don Krieg ignored him and continued bowing to the others.
"I promise...please...I'll even take the leftovers or anything..."
"Don..." Gin says while looking away with tears in his eyes as Patty scoffed and rolled his eyes.
"Oh bo fucking ho. What are you trying to do? Gain our sympathy? Get the fuck out of here with that bull-,"
"Hey, step aside, Patty," Sanji says while suddenly appearing behind Patty and held up a dish filled with delicious food in one hand and a bottle of water in the other as he then whirled around and delivered a mighty kick across the Cook's face, briefly knocking out a groaning Patty as he crashed down into the ground.
"Sanji?!" A shocked Gin says with Asher and the others being surprised by what he did and were even more surprised when Sanji casually walked over to place the dish in front of a moaning Don Krieg.
"Here, Gin, let him eat it."
"...Thank you, Sanji," A grateful Gin says with a smile as Don Krieg nods in agreement before he begins devouring Sanji's cooking with happy tears trailing down his face.
"No, you dimwit, take that food away from him right now!" One of the Cooks ordered with a hot glare as he pointed over at a stoic Sanji. "Don't you know what kind of person he is? He's the King of the East Blue, the sneakiest Pirate of 'em all! It all began in prison, the guy pretended to be one of the Marines, and when he decided to declare his Pirate Ambition, he took over a Marine Ship by killing a Senior Officer of the Ship! Sometimes he'd raise a Marine Flag and enter a harbor, then he'd attack the city and other docked ships, or he'd pretend to surrender, and then make surprise attacks! He'll do anything to win! That's how he got to where he is now!"
"What? So he's a pussy? Lame." Asher says with a bored tone as a curious Jack turns to him.
"Oh, how so?"
"Well, I don't mind playing dirty during battles, but the type of shit that he does? He's not playing dirty, he's acting like a goddamn pussy ass little bitchboy and I have no respect for him now." Asher said with a scowl as Cottontail chirped in agreement. "He's worse than Kuro. At least he didn't pull off any lame trick like that."
"He shouldn't be underestimated, even now! I mean, for real, Sanji, do you really think that he will leave once he finishes eating? Don't be so goddamn naive! How can we believe anything about what he says?! We'd be doing the world a favor if we gave this wretch up!"
"You're right."
"Wait, what-Oof!" Sanji says before grunting in surprise as Don Krieg suddenly stands up from the floor and delivers a powerful punch across Sanji's gut, which sends him flying away as he crashes down into the ground.
"Oh, and he attacks the people who generously feed him, huh? You are the epitome of disappointment, and to think that I got hard at the thought of fighting you." Asher says with a glare as Jack and Cottontail give him a bewildered look. "Don't judge me."
"S-Sanji!" A worried Gin yelled as all of the Customers quickly turned around to run away in fear as a few Cooks helped them out by leading them through the Kitchen to escape the Baratie through the back entrance. "Aren't you acting differently from what you promised, Don Krieg?! You promised that you'd never hurt these people, so I took you here! You gave me my word! Besides, that man saved our lives!" Gin screamed before Don Krieg suddenly reached over to grab his shoulder and lifted him up into the air as he took a deep breath and put on a sinister grin.
"Yeah, that was delicious. I feel re-energized." Don Krieg says while tightening his grip on Gin's body and dislocating his shoulder, causing him to scream in pain as Don Krieg then dumps him down into the ground carelessly. "Hmmm, you know what? This is a pretty good ship. I believe that I will take it."
"So that's why you came, huh?" A smirking Sanji says while shakingly getting up from the floor and having blood leaking down from his mouth as Patty woke up from his unconscious state and glanced over to see a re-energized Don Krieg standing there menacingly as he trembled in fear.
"As you can already see, my ship's ruined, so I wanted to have a nice new one. You'll get off this ship after you take care of what I tell you to do.
"Don Krieg, that's not what you promised!" A heartbroken Gin says while cradling his broken arm as Don Krieg ignores him and points behind him.
"There are about 100 men still alive on that ship. All of 'em starving and injured. If you value your lives, prepare food and water for 100 men. Some of 'em have already starved to death. Bring them over immediately."
"Are you telling us to revive our executioners?! Do you realize how stupid that sounds!? We won't aid them! We refuse!" The Random Cook exclaimed as Don Krieg narrowed his eyes at him threateningly.
"Refuse? Don't misunderstand. I'm not ordering food. I'm giving you an order. Nobody ever disobeys me."
"Sanji, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." An apologetic Gin says to Sanji as a pissed-off Patty turns to glare at said person.
"You son of a bitch! Look at what you've done!" Patty yelled as Sanji ignored him and simply ignored him as he started limping back over to the Kitchen. "Hey! Where do you think you are going?!"
"To the Kitchen. I've gotta prepare food for 100 men."
"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock and anger as Don Krieg grinned arrogantly.
"That's how it should be." Don Krieg say as, before Sanji could react, all of the Cooks aimed their weapons at him while circling around the Sous Chef of the Baratie.
"Tell us the truth, Sanji, are you really Krieg's spy in disguise?!"
"We can't let you go anywhere near that kitchen!"
"I've had enough of your nonsense!" All of the Cooks shouted as Sanji said nothing but raised his arms.
"Do it," Sanji says curtly, surprising the Cooks as he gives them all a cold and determined glare. "If you wanna stop me, do so. I'm aware. I know that he's a hopeless terrible ruthless man, but that's none of my business. I don't care. I don't care what happens after they have their meal. Not a care in the world. I'm a Chef. When people are hungry, I offer them food. Nothing more, nothing less. For a Chef, isn't that enough?" Sanji asked before suddenly getting knocked down by a glaring Patty as he huffed.
"Thanks for distracting him, boys," Patty says with a smirk as he then glares down at the blonde-haired man. "Sanji, you sometimes feed customers I drive away at the back dock, don't you? I don't care who's right or wrong, but I can't allow this to happen. I can't let you do as you please anymore. We'll protect this restaurant." Patty says while going over to the back of the restaurant as he opens it up to reveal a lobster-themed handheld cannonball launcher inside. "I'll protect this restaurant. Fortunately, we have a number on our side. Even if it's Don Krieg, What can he do against all of us? Pirates come to this floating restaurant every day. I'm always prepared for anything." Patty says while reaching over to grab the weapon as he then whirled it around to aim at a shocked Don Krieg.
"Did you enjoy your meal, Don Krieg? Because, since you've finished your meal, how about some metal for dessert?! Here comes the Meat Ball of Doom!" Patty exclaimed while pressing the trigger of his weapon and caused it to fire a cannonball that flew over to collide against a still Don Krieg as a large explosion occurred that destroyed nearly half of the Dinning Room. "Damn, I think I broke the Dinning Room again. The boss will be mad at me for that." Patty says with a nervous wince as one of the Cooks turns to him.
"It's okay. We're protecting this place. It's no major damage. We should be able to fix it in two months or so. A small price to pay."
"So, what are we gonna do about those people on Krieg's ship?" Sanji asked while getting up from the floor as Patty shrugged.
"I dunno. Why don't we just put some butter on their ship and cook it up? That sounds delicious."
"...Are you a Chef or a Comedian?" Don Krieg's voice rang out as the surprised Group glanced over at the fog and noticed that it dissipated to reveal an uninjured Don Krieg standing before them as all of his weapons popped out from his golden armor. "Now, die!" Don Krieg exclaimed while firing multiple rounds of bullets that collided against the Cooks' bodies, greatly injuring the majority of them but did not kill any of them due to Don Krieg making sure to aim for the non-vital areas of their bodies as the Cooks crashed down into the ground and were quickly tended by Patty, Sanji, and the Random Cook.
"That armor! It can shoot?!" A shocked Luffy asked as Asher, and Jack gritted their teeth angrily as Cottontail and Jake hissed as Gin held his head in guilt and horror at what his Captain did.
"You Cooks shouldn't have defied me! I'm the strongest man there is! These steel golden arms are stronger than anybody's! My super-alloy armor is tougher than anything! And I've got a Diamond Punch, which can destroy everything! An army of 5000 men! I've never lost a battle in my life! I'm the perfect person to claim the title of 'Don'! I ordered you to get the food ready! Now hurry up and do it! Nobody disobeys me!"
"Here's food for 100 men," Zeff says calmly while appearing out of the Kitchen randomly and held a bag filled with tons of food as he makes his way over to Don Krieg. "Now take it to your men right away," Zeff says while dropping the bag of food in front of Don Krieg, who gives him a shocked look as he gasps sharply.
"Z-Zeff?!"
"What's the meaning of this?!"
"What are you thinking?!"
"If his crew gets better, they'll take over the restaurant for sure!"
"That would be true...if they still have the will to fight. Isn't that right? Mr. Couldn't-Get-Through-The-Grand-Line?" Zeff asked with a stone-cold glare as Don Krieg lowered his head in shame and frustration.
"That can't be!"
"Even the King of the East Blue with his 50 ship fleet and 5000 Men couldn't get through?!"
"...It is you, isn't it? You're Red Leg Zeff!" A shocked Don Krieg exclaimed as he then composed himself and glared at Zeff stoically. "So you're still alive, eh? The Cook-Cum-Captain, one of the greatest pirates in history who was also the Ship's Cook."
"I'm alive, so what? It's not your concern. As you see, I make my living as a cook. I choose to retire from Piracy and become a Chef."
"Heh, that's a nice way of saying it." Don Krieg says with a hearty laugh. "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. I've heard about Red Leg 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 Leg' from his shoes, dyed red with the blood of his enemies! But it seems that you've lost that ever-so-precious leg of yours. I heard a rumor that you had an accident while sailing. For you, losing a leg means you can no longer do battle."
"If you are done meat riding me, I want to ask, why would I need to fight? 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." Zeff says while rolling his eyes and crossing his arm with a scoff as Don Krieg sneers maliciously.
"Red Leg Zeff, I know that you're the only man who's come back alive from the Grand Line! You must have kept a journal of that voyage! Hand it over!"
"Now you are trying to cheat your way into the Grand Line? How much of a disappointment and cock tease can you be?!" A furious Asher asked as an amazed Luffy and Jack turned to Zeff.
"Not bad old man!"
"Whoah, so you've been to the Grand Line, too?" Jack as Zeff merely grunted while not looking at them as he glared at Don Krieg coldly.
"Well, I indeed have the journal of my voyage, but I'm not going to give it to you. That journal isn't just mine, it's the pride of my entire crew. It's far too valuable for the likes of you."
"Then, I'll have to seize it from you by force!" Don Krieg exclaimed as he narrowed his eyes. "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! 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 King of the Pirates and rule this great Pirate Era!"
"Okay, that's it!" Luffy exclaimed with a glare as he took his apron and handed it over to Asher, who took off his own apron and Cottontail's little chef hat as he used his Devil Fruit to produce a small explosion that destroyed them, and the Trio walked forward menacingly as Luffy pointed at a surprised Don Krieg. "The one who will become King of the Pirates will be me!"
"Hey, get out of here, Chore Boys! You two are no match for him!" Patty yelled worriedly as he was about to try and intervene but was stopped by a stoic Asher reaching behind him to pull out one of his shurikens and tossed it over to nearly hit Patty as it hit the wall behind him.
"Don't interfere. This is now a personal matter between my Captain and that pussy."
"What did you say?!" Don Krieg asked as Asher glared up at him.
"I'm just calling it as I see it."
"Hmmm, I'll pretend that I didn't hear that."
"Okay, I understand that if any more words come pouring out your cunt mouth, I'm going to eat every fucking chicken in this room." Jack sneered and insulted from the background as Don Krieg fumed in the background.
"Heh, nice one, Jack." Luffy complimented Jack as he then turned back to Don Krieg. "Anyway, I'm sorry, but my Bodyguard here is just announcing the simple truth," Luffy stated matter-of-factly as Don Krieg glared angrily.
"This isn't a game, kid."
"Of course, it isn't. I'll be the one who'll get to the Grand Line and conquer it because, unlike you, I'm not...how does Asher put it? Oh, yeah, a pussy."
"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, YOU LITTLE SHITS!" Don Krieg snapped as he glared down at them. "IT'S TRUE THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE INFORMATION, BUT EVEN A FLEET OF 5000 MEN WAS DEFEATED IN A WEEK! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN MAKE IT?!"
"One week!?" A stunned Patty exclaimed with his jaw dropped.
"Don Krieg's Men only lasted for seven days in the Grandline?!"
"What could've happened to them?!"
"I'm sorry, but your humor is the kind I hate most. If you insist, shall I kill you off right now? If you think you're up to it." Don Krieg said threateningly as Asher nodded.
"Go ahead if you can. We won't be beaten by a pussy." Asher says as Jack steps forward.
"You mind if I cut in?"
"Are you sure?" Asher asked curiously as Jack nodded.
"But you have heard of me?"
"Vaguely, yes," Asher responded as Jack gained a smirk and cracked his knuckles.
"Well, then you must know that I never back down from a fight." A determined Jack says as Luffy grins widely and nods.
"Yes, let's do this, guys," Luffy says as they are about to get into a fight, but stops as Zoro and Usopp, who have been there this whole time, watching the scene from the shadows, step forward.
"Want us to help, Luffy?"
"I-If you don't w-want us to h-help you, though, that's f-fine too," Usopp says with a nervous laugh as his legs tremble.
"Oh, hey, guys, appreciate the offer, but Jack, Asher, Cottontail, and I have got this. Just watch on from the background." Luffy ordered as Zoro nodded stoically while Usopp sighed in relief as Don Krieg couldn't help but laugh mockingly.
"Are those your men? Are they all you've got with you?"
"What're you talking about? There are two more, not counting Asher and Cottontai!"
"Hey, why do you keep counting me in?!" A pissed-off Sanji yelled at Luffy as Don Krieg took a look at Zeff, who gave him a menacing glare as he clicked his teeth in annoyance and went over to grab the bag filled with food.
"Tch, I'll take care of you guys later. Right now, I need to feed my men. For those who don't wish to die, you'd better not be here when I return. The only things I want are the journal and this ship. 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. Keep that in mind." Don Krieg says ominously as he turns around to make his way over to the staircase to get out of the Baratie.
"...It's gotten kinda quiet." A now revived and fully healthy Yosaku says as he and Johnny could be seen leaning against the railing of the Going Merry to stare at the Baratie curiously.
"Big Bro Zoro went in there. It should be all right."
"Yeah, I know...but what if it's not?"
"Hmmm...good point. Yo, Big Sis Nami, should we go and check it out too?" Johnny asked while turning to look at Nami, who was leaning against the railing of the Going Merry with a faraway look on her face. "Uh, Big Sis Nami? Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, is something wrong?" Nami asked with an innocent smile as Johnny and Yosaku shared suspicious looks as we then cue back to the Baratie, and we see a sobbing Gin bowing to Sanji.
"I'm so sorry, Sanji. I never would've imagined things to turn out this way."
"I don't need an apology from the likes of you, fool. We are but cooks in this establishment. We'll feed anybody who comes along." Zeff stated firmly as Patty and the Cooks gave him a shocked look.
"But Bos, why are you siding with Sanji?! What's going on here?!"
"Yeah! This is all his fault!"
"Yeah, Boss, thanks to your fucking kid, your precious restaurant is going to be destroyed!"
"Shut the hell up, you stupid eggplants!" Zeff snapped as he glared at the shocked Group furiously. "Have you ever had the experience of slowly and agonizingly starving yourself to death? Can you imagine how horrible it is? Having no food and water in this vast ocean? It's the most difficult situation that a man could ever face!"
"W-what do you mean, Boss?" Patty asked cluelessly as Zeff scoffed and crossed his arms.
"The difference between all of you and Sanji is that he knows that feeling! Now, rather than just standing idle with petty talk, you'd all better leave this place now and never come back!" Zeff screamed as Patty glared angrily and stepped forward.
"Well, I for one, am going to stay and fight! I can't simply let them trample all over me!"
"Me too! This is where I work!"
"I have no place to go to anyway, so I will stay!" Various Cooks screamed as Jack grinned slyly.
"And I will fight as long as there is rum!"
"Oh, we ran out of rum," Asher says with a wince as Jack pouted.
"But why is the rum gone?" Jack asked as Gin gave them all flabbergasted looks and grew angry with confusion as he proceeded to slam his fists into the ground.
"What are you all doing?! Didn't you see how strong our leader is? If you try to fight him, you will all end up-,"
"Hey, Gin." Sanji interrupted while taking out a cigarette as he lit it up and smoked it as the blonde-haired man stepped forward calmly. "Let me tell you something and you better listen up because I will only say this once. Feeding someone who is hungry is my sacred duty as a Chef, but..." Sanji trails off while walking over to a table as he easily tosses it up into the air with a small kick and slams his foot on top of it as Sanji takes a big whiff of his cigar. "...now that your Captain and his Crew are all fed, the Krieg Pirates are nothing more than a couple of plunderers. With a clean conscience, I can beat them all the fuck up or possibly even kill them, but whatever I do to your pals, don't come bitchin' at me. I'll kill anybody who tries to take this restaurant, including you, got that?" Sanji asked while glaring right into Gin's eyes coldly as said person gulped nervously.
"Heh, you are a real headcase, Sanji. You saved his life just to kill him off? You're so thoughtful."
"Shut up, you fat-ass cook."
"Didn't I tell you he was awesome?" Luffy asked the other excitedly as Asher and Jack nodded in agreement, Cottontail and Zoro looked indifferent as a panicking Usopp whimpered.
"Who cares about how awesome he is?! Let's just get the hell out of here!"
"Calm down there, guys," Zoro says as Asher and the others turn to him curiously. "Even though he's Don Krieg, he's all battered up."
"Hmmm..." A thoughtful Asher says as he then turns to Gin. "Yo, dude, I thought that you said that you knew nothing about the Grand Line, but since your Captain and his Crew were there, then that logically means that you were there too, right? So what gives?" Asher asked with a raised eyebrow as Gin sighed heavily and lowered his head somberly.
"Well, you see, the truth is that I don't know anything. What happened at the Grand Line on our seventh day is a strange day. Was it a dream or reality? Whatever it is, it's still fresh in my mind. It was unbelievable. Just one man destroyed a whole fleet of 50 ships."
"WHAT?!" Asher and the others, including Luffy and fucking Zoro, asked in pure shock as Gin nodded stoically.
"It all happened so suddenly. 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. I have no idea how many of my mates' 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 murderous hawk! His gaze alone felt like the cold hand of death!"
"What? What did you say?" A shocked Zoro asked as he, Jack, and Zeff recognized the description and power of that one man.
"That guy. He must be the man known as Hawk Eye." Zeff says as Jack nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. The fact that you noticed his heartless eyes, leads us to believe that it was him," Jack says as Zoro gritted his teeth and clenches his fits tightly.
"And the fact that he destroyed 50 Ship. It all sounds like something he would do." Zeff says as Zoro narrows his eyes in determination.
"Hawk-Eye Mihawk!"
"Eh, you know that guy, Zoro?" Luffy asked curiously as Zoro nodded stoically.
"That's the man I've been looking for. The one that I'm destined to one day kill. I sailed across the oceans in search of him."
"Whoa, heavy, but so cool." A starry-eyed Asher says as an annoyed Cottontail smacks him upside his head to remind him of the seriousness of the situation.
"Maybe he had some kind of grudge to settle with you guys," Sanji said to Gin as said person glared at him.
"We never did anything to him!"
"Perhaps you disturbed his nap or something," Zeff suggested as Gin rolled his eyes and scoffed.
"Stop the bullshit! Why in the world would he destroy our fleet just for that?!"
"Don't get so worked up. I'm just making assumptions." Zeff says with a chuckle as he crosses his arms. "Stuff like that happens in the Grand Line."
"Just what kind of place is that?" A nervous Usopp asked as Asher grinned widely.
"A place where anything can happen, which means a really fun place to visit," Asher said as a now scared Usopp turned to Luffy.
"Hey Luffy! Do we really have to go there?!"
"..."
"Uh, Luffy-,"
"THAT SOUNDS SO AWESOME! THIS IS GOING TO BE A BLAST!"
"Can't you be more concerned about your safety?!" A pissed-off Usopp asked as Cottontail lowered his head solemnly.
"Trust me, we're going to the Grand Line, even if it means we die. It's just how it is..."
"Finally, my life's goal will be achieved on the Grand Line. My Rival is somewhere out there and I'm gonna find him." A determined Zoro says as Sanji scoffed and turned to him.
"Are you guy morons? You must be those who are eager to die."
"That may be true, but it's none of your business. When I decided to become the greatest swordsman in the world, I threw away the rest of my life. I'm the only one who can say that I'm an idiot." Zoro said with a deadly serious glare as Asher nodded while stepping forward.
"Yeah, me too, I can't become the World's Strongest Man in the safest ocean in the East Blue! I will just be another pussy Pirate like Kuro and Don Krieg!"
"And I want to find the One Piece so I'm definitely going to the Grand Line!" Luffy yelled while raising his hand as Cottontail chirped.
"And I want to find out where my kind is and I can't do that by staying here!"
"As a man of the sea, same here! I will gladly go to the Grand Line too!" Ussopp shouted as an annoyed Zoro bonked him on the head with the sheath of his sword.
"Cut the lying."
"Tch, what nonsense..." Sanji says while clearly trying to not let what they said affect him as Zeff spotted this and can't help but smile warmly/knowingly.
"Enough!" Patty screamed, getting everyone's attention as he glared at them. "Don't you bastards realize what's going on here? Don Krieg's Ship is right in front of this restaurant! Do all the talking only after we get out of this mess!" Patty shouted just a bunch of war cries, and rapid footsteps rang out as everyone realized that the Krieg Pirates would attack them soon.
"Here they come!"
"I can hear them!"
"We won't let them through!"
"Because this ship is our restaurant!" All of the Cooks screamed in unison as they all ran forward with Asher and the others following after them as they all ran up the staircase and Fishman Host opened up the door for them as they made their way over to the docks...and were stunned to see Don Krieg's Ship getting sliced into three pieces, killing half of Don Krieg's Men as the ones that were able to miraculously survived either hang onto the railings of the ship or were thrown overboard to drown to death as the three pieces of the slashed up ship proceeds to sink down into the ocean, causing a huge tidal wave that rocked the Baratie and the Going Merry violently.
"Go hoist the anchor! Or our ship will get pulled under with them!" Zeff ordered one of the Cooks, who nodded as he turned around to run away.
"Wai...shit! Nami, Yosaku, and Johnny are still on our ship!" Zoro screamed as Asher felt a freezing sensation in his heart and a feeling of dread in his stomach.
"Nami!" A worried Asher screamed while the Straw Hats, Sanji, Jack, and Jake ran forward as Cottontail flew ahead to scout the scene and made his way over to where the Going Merry used to be docked at, only to see that it disappeared as Cottontail chirped concernedly but then perked up at the sight of Johnny and Yosaku submerged in the water as he flew down to grab them by the back of their shirts and grunted as Cottontail flew them out of the ocean and levitated them over to the docks, right in front of the Group as Cottontail dropped the Pirate Bounty Duo onto the floor.
"Yosaku! Johnny!"
"Are you guys okay?"
"Where's the ship?"
"What happened to Nami?" Zoro, Luffy Usopp, and Asher asked as Johnny and Yosaku teared up.
"I'm sorry, guys, I don't know how to say this, but Big Sis Nami pushed us into the ocean and left with the Going Merry and all of the treasure!"
"SHE DID WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Asher, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Cottontail, Sanji, and Jack exclaimed in unison in pure shock with their jaws dropped as Zeff turned to give them a curious look, but then felt a cold chill in his spine as he turned back around and his eyes widened in shock as Zeff gasped sharply.
"It's him," Zeff says as Zoro hears him and glances over to see the image of a man sailing towards them on what seems to be a boat/chair combo with a sail and had lit green torches planted around it as his piercing hellish gaze washes over the whole area.
Sailing before them is a 6'6-feet-tall, 41-year-old Man with strangely colored piercing yellow eyes that resemble a hawk's eyes, shoulder-length black hair with a pair of black sideburns that point upwards, thick black eyebrows, a small pointy nose with a black mustache that points upwards, a sharp chin with a short black beard, Pale Light Skin, a tall lean muscular build, and his outfit consists of a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large white plume, an opened black coat with a red velvet inside and red flower-patterned collar and sleeves, a golden crucifix pendant that hides a little dagger inside, a decorated brown belt with a golden belt buckle, long light purple pants, and a pair of overly large brown boots as he also carried around a huge black sword named 'Yoru' on his back. His name is Dracule 'Hawk Eye' Mihawk, a world-famous Pirate who holds the title of 'Strongest Swordsman in the World', and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea as he is also Zoro's Unofficial Rival.
"No! That fucking bastard! He followed us!" A panicking Don Krieg screamed while holding onto the remains of his destroyed ship for dear life as Zoro gritted his teeth and felt his heart throb madly as the spiritual image of an older Kuina appeared beside him and placed her hand over his hand as she and Zoro shared grim yet determined look.
"It's him. He's here... Hawk-Eye Mihawk!"
And done. I hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I can't wait to write the next one. Also, here is the Voice Actor for the OC:
Sparrow D. Jack's Voice Actor: Johnny Depp.
Anyway, as always, I will catch you all later.
