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 6: Battle of the Swords and Pearls!}

"What did you just say?!" Asher and the others screamed in shock and anger as Johnny and Yosaku gave them the terrible news of what Nami had done.

"Are you for real, dude?!"

"Is this like a dream or a nightmare or something?!"

"Nami ran off with the Going Merry?!"

"Why would she even do that?!"

"And without me?!"

"This is crazy!"

"What exactly happened?!" Asher, Cottontail, Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, Jack, and Zoro exclaimed in unison as Johnny and Yosaku were quick to explain what was going on.

"Everything happened so suddenly. A few minutes ago, we were wondering what was going on in the Baratie, so we asked Big Sis Nami if we should investigate or help out or whatever."

"But, randomly, Nami asked us to turn around since she wanted to change her clothes. We were embarrassed and surprised by what she said but we complied with her wishes and were DEFINITELY not planning to turn around to see her naked body," Johnny says with a blush as Yosaku nodded with a nervous look on his face.

"But then disaster struck when Big Sis Nami suddenly pushed us overboard. We thought that she was just doing some kind of weird prank on us, but when we asked what the hell she was doing, Big Sis Nami said and I quote, 'What I'm doing? I'm doing business, of course. Use your heads, guys, I'm a Thief who only targets Pirates and my next score is this ship and all of the treasure inside. I never said anything about becoming a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, I was just traveling with them. Nothing more, nothing less, and even though I only spent a short time with Asher and the others, I sure had a lot of fun. Make sure to tell them that if we're linked by fate, we'll meet again.', and after that, Big Sis Nami left with the Going Merry."

"We're so sorry that we let her take the ship!" Johnny yelled apologetically as an angry Zoro punched the side of the Baratie in his anger.

"Damn it! She just had to make a bad situation even worse!" Zoro screamed with a snarl as he gritted his teeth furiously.

"I can't believe that Nami would just betray her Pirate Crew like that!" A pissed-off Jack exclaimed with a growl as he clenched his fists.

"That heartless thief took the ship that Kaya graciously gave us!" Usopp screamed with a glare and clenched teeth as Sanji took out a cigarette and smoked it as he turned around to walk away since it wasn't any of his business about what happened.

"I can't believe that she would betray us like this!" Cottontail shouted while hissing angrily and scratching the surface with his claws as he then glanced over at Asher, who remained frozen in place with a heartbroken and stunned look on his face as his Pet tilted his head worriedly. "Uh, Asher, are you okay-,"

"Hold up! I can see it! It's the Going Merry!" Luffy suddenly yelled, gaining everyone's attention as they turned to the Ruberman and saw him pointing at the ocean as the Gang spotted the image of the Going Merry sailing away from the Baratie. "Johnny, Yosaku, where's your ship?" Luffy asked demandidly as Asher and the others wondered why he wasn't freaking out about Nami betraying them.

"We still have it, but-,"

"Zoro, Usopp, leave right away! Fetch Nami using their ship! Asher, Cottontail, and I will stay here with Jack!" Luffy ordered as Zoro sighed heavily and rubbed his green hair as he shook his head.

"Forgot about it. Let her keep the ship. Promise me, that woman is more trouble than she's worth." Zoro says before being cut off by Asher as he pulls out his shuriken and aims it at his neck with a cold glare on his face.

"Are you defying your Captain?"

"Asher-,"

"No one in the crew can deny a Captain's Orders. Luffy ordered you and Usopp to fetch Nami, so that is what you will do." Asher stated with a serious tone as Luffy nodded.

"I won't accept anyone but her as our Navigator," Luffy stated matter-of-factly a stoic Zoro glanced between him and Asher before sighing heavily as he nodded.

"Fine, fine, I will do it. What a pain-in-the-ass Captain you are." Zoro said with a glare as Luffy grinned while a satisfied Asher lowered his shuriken and put it away as we then fast-forwarded in time real quick, and we see Johnny and Yosaku pulling up to the Group in their boat as Usopp mounted onto it and Zoro was about to follow after him, but stopped as he turned to the Trio. "Wait a minute, why do you want to stay here with Asher and the Rat?"

"Asher and I can't go until our debt to the Baratie is repaid." Luffy stated firmly as Asher nodded while gesturing at Cottontail.

"And Cottontail needs to stay and help us if Luffy and I end up falling into the ocean by accident during our battle," Asher added in as Zoro nodded with a glare on his face.

"Understood, but be careful. The situation here isn't normal." Zoro says with the Boys nodding grimly as Jack secretly wonders why Luffy and Asher want to have Nami back after her betrayal, but wisely keeps his mouth shut.

"W-What?"

"What's going on?"

"The ship's been split in three!"

"Look! Over there!"

"It's him! Don Krieg! It's that man! The man who destroyed our fleet!" Various Don Krieg Pirates screamed while hanging for dear life on the wreckage of their ship as they pointed ahead, and Don Krieg, who was standing on the deck of his ship, walked over to slam his foot onto the railings with a furious expression on his face.

"That son of a bitch! He's come this far to kill us?!" A disbelieving Don Krieg asked as Zoro turned his head and gritted his teeth angrily at the sight of Dracule Mihawk as he clenched his fists.

"It's him...the man that I've been searching for all of my life...the man that I am destined to kill...Dracule Mihawk." Zoro says with a deadly serious glare, and his heart beat rapidly as the spirit of an older Kuina appeared and placed her hand on his shoulder as Asher and the others looked stunned by what he said.

{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!}

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk? That's the guy who instantly sank Krieg's fleet of 50 ships, which should've withstood the Grand Line?" Patty says while standing near Zeff and Random Cook as Sanji goes over to stand beside them while still smoking his cigar. "And he just destroyed another one of Krieg's Ships, but he looks no different from any other ordinary person! And he doesn't seem to be armed with anything special!"

"He carries his weapon on his back," Zeff stated bluntly as Patty and the others turned to him in shock.

"No way, you can't mean?!"

"He destroyed that huge ship with that sword?!"

"He's the Master Swordsman, Hawk-Eye Mihawk," Zeff says with a harsh glare as he crosses his arms. "The man who stands above all other Swordsmen in the world," Zeff says as Zoro, who was visibly trembling with anticipation and excitement, gulped nervously as his heart beat harder.

"I never thought I'd be able to meet him so soon. It's finally...time to fulfill my promise...and fulfill my destiny." Zoro thought to himself with a wide smirk on his face as he unsheathed one of his swords.

"Bastard! Why did you attack us?!" One of Don Krieg's Pirates asked Hawk-Eye furiously as he turned to him boredly.

"You disturbed my nap, but after I got a mission from a certain someone, I decided to continue attacking you guys to kill time." Dracule Mihawk stated bluntly while clasping his hands together as all of the Don Krieg Pirates stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You bastard!" The Don Krieg Pirate exclaimed while taking out a gun as he fired multiple bullets at Hawk-Eyes, who merely took out his Yoru Sword and deflected the bullets away with the tip of his sword as they harmlessly bounced off into the ocean. "W-What?! I missed?! I'm sure I was right on target!"

"It deviated," Zoro stated ominously while suddenly appearing behind the Don Krieg Pirates on the deck as they turned to him in shock. "He gently changed the course of the bullets using the tip of his sword," Zoro says just as Hawk-Eye put away his sword as the green-haired man stepped forward to confront his One-Sided Rival. "I've never seen such graceful skill before. You moved your sword with such gentleness and precision that it's astounding."

"A sword with power alone is not powerful. There is no strength in swordplay based solely on force alone. If it were, every idiot with a sword and arms can be a Swordsman." Dracule says with a cold tone as Zoro stares at him thoughtfully before pointing over at Yoru and then at the wreckage of Don Krieg's Ship.

"Did you use that sword to slice up this ship as well?"

"I did."

"I see...it's clear now...you really are the strongest, huh? I've been sailing the seas for only one reason to face you."

"Interesting, and what's your goal?" Hawk-Eye asked as Zoro grinned with strength and determination.

"To kill you and become the World's Greatest Swordsman," Zoro says while taking off his bandana as he wraps it around his head.

"Hmph, how foolish," Hawk-Eye says with a smirk and a laugh as Zoro smirks back and unsheathes one of his swords and aims it at him.

"You've got time to spare, don't you? Let's duel, shall we?"

"Wait a minute...three swords...don't tell me that's the 'Three Swords-Style Roronoa Zoro'? The infamous Pirate Bounty Hunter?" Don Krieg asked with a glare and crossed arms as Sanji did a double take at what he heard.

"He's a what?!"

"Hey, this isn't going good, Luffy! Things are getting worse! The Going Merry will be out of sight soon!" Usopp yelled to Luffy, who ignored him as he, Asher, and Cottontail continued watching the incoming duel closely.

"A Duel? Hmph, how pitiful, weakling," Dracule insulted with a harsh glare as he turned to Zoro and, suddenly, appeared beside him with an unnatural amount of speed that seemed godly as the green-haired swordsman turned to him in slight shock and apprehension. "If you really were a competent swordsman, you should've been able to judge the difference in our strengths without drawing your sword. I must ask you, why did you challenge me? Is it your courage or ignorance that causes you to turn your sword on me?"

"None of the above, it's my own ambition that drives me!" Zoro exclaimed while putting his sword in his mouth as the green-haired man unsheathed the second and third swords in his arsenal as he glared at Mihawk. "And for a promise to my fallen lover."

"The world's greatest swordsman Hawk Eye Mihawk vs Pirate Hunter Zoro. What kind of fight will it turn out to be?" Patty asked curiously and worriedly as Johnny and Yosaku grinned widely.

"No one can win against Big Bro Zoro!"

"Big Bro Zoro is the best!"

"Hey, Asher," Jack says while turning to Asher as Cottontail lies on his shoulder. "Zoro...is not going to win, huh?" Jack asked with a knowing tone, realizing that Zoro had no chance of victory against someone who easily sliced up 50 Ships with nothing but his sword and would most likely suffer a fatal defeat as Asher nodded grimly.

"He won't."

"Ah...we can't stop him, huh?"

"Nope," Asher stated matter-of-factly with a hard glare as Jack sighed heavily but nodded as Hawk-Eye reached up to grab his golden cross necklace and unsheathed it to reveal that it was a small pocket knife as Zoro glared at this angrily.

"Hey now, what's the meaning of this? What are you supposed to do with that? I came here for a Sword Duel."

"I don't hunt Rabbits with a cannon. Even if you are a swordsman who's earned a bit of a name for himself, this is the East Blue, the weakest of the four oceans, so your reputation and strength mean nothing to me now. Unfortunately, I'm carrying nothing smaller than this." Hawk-Eye says with a taunting fake sympathetic tone while holding up his pocket knife as Zoro glares at him in frustration and anger.

"Quit mocking me! I'm no Rabbit!"

"That remains to be seen," Hawk-Eye says while getting into a fighting pose as he holds out his pocket knife, and Zoro bites into his sword in determination with the Spirit of Kuina briefly appearing before him as he runs forward.

"Just don't regret it when you die!"

"Tch, you are basically just a big fish in a small pond, you have no idea how big the world is," Hawk-Eye says with a scoff and rolls his eyes as Zoro nears him.

"Three Swords Style: Oni...Giri!" Zoro exclaimed while doing a three-way simultaneous slashing attack as he crossed his two swords across his chest and placed the blade in his mouth horizontally behind them and Zoro approached his target at high speeds as he tried to slash Mihawk, only for him to easily block his attacks by using his pocket knife as, while Zoro struggled to push forward, Hawk-Eye just stood there with an indifferent look on his face.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled worriedly as Asher and Jack gritted their teeth but said nothing as Johnny and Yosaku gasped in pure shock.

"What?! Big Bro Zoro's Oni Giri was stopped?!"

"But that's crazy! That technique always worked 100% of the time! What in the world happened?!"

"I can't move! What just happened? No one could avoid this technique before, but just with his pocket knife-Wait a minute...is that a motherfucking plastic toy sword?!" A stunned Zoro thought to himself in shock upon further the pocket knife and realized that it was made of plastic as he was gobsmacked by this revelation. "My greatest technique was stopped by a toy pocket knife?! Is this really happening? Is our strength really this far apart?" Zoro thought to himself incredulously before growing angry as he began swiping his swords at him repeatedly, but Mihawk merely avoided all of the sword swipes with ease before catching all of his three blades again as he pushed him back and the force of his push sends Zoro flying back as he crashed down into the ground with a pained grunt.

"You're strong, but as I said before, force alone won't make you a true swordsman," Mihawk said with a deadly serious glare as Zoro got up from the floor and growled furiously as he ran over to begin swiping his swords at him with Dracule deciding not to even move from his spot this time and merely continued blocking all of his attacks with a bored look on his face.

"We can't possibly be this far away!" Zoro shouted in denial and worry as Mihawk tilted his head at him in mocking curiosity while blocking his sword swipes as he wasn't even paying attention to the fight or taking it that seriously for that matter.

"You are like a little frog croaking in a well. Croak, Croak, Croak." Mihawk says while sliding underneath Zoro's sword swipe as he then jammed his pocket knife over to poke his sides, irritating him as Zoro tried to swipe at him with one of his swords, only for Dracule to reach up to grab his arm and aim his sword away from him as an enraged Zoro tried to slice him with his other sword, only for Mihawk to yank him forward with his arm and kicked his chest hard enough that it sent the Former Pirate Hunter skidding backwards, but as able to keep his balance by digging his swords into the ground as he panted heavily. "Such unrestrained skill."

"He's taking on all of Zoro's three swords-style attacks with just that toy sword!"

"That's a monster superior to monsters!" One of Don Krieg Pirates yelled as Zoro ran forward while getting down on his knees as he skidded forward and tried to slash off Mihawk's feet, only for him to simply move to the side to avoid the attack as an annoyed Zoro got up from the floor and tried to slice at him relentlessly with swords, but Dracule merely dodged all of the attacks yet again and reached up to grab both his arms to twist him around and caused Zoro to lose his balance as Mihawk then swiped his toy sword at him without even looking at Zoro as it caused a small yet powerful shockwave that blew the green swordsman backwards and crashes against the wall of the deck as a small yet deadly cut appeared on his neck, drawing blood as a shocked Zoro realized that Dracule could've easily sliced off his head there, but didn't as he was further disturbed to realize that Mihawk was about to cut off his head from his body with a freaking toy PLASTIC sword.

"I didn't come all this way to lose against this toy!" Zoro thought to himself with a glare as the Spirit of Kuina appeared beside him, and the green-haired man lowered his head as he gritted his teeth. "I can't break my promise to Kuina! I need to kill him and become the World's Greatest Swordsman!"

"Hey, while you are busy monologuing in your head about how it's impossible that our strength is that far apart and that you have to defeat me, I have to say, you have now only seen a tiny fraction of the true power in the Grand Line. Tell me, how much effort are you putting in your fight right now?"

"100%," Zoro says sincerely while struggling to stand as Miwhak hums amusedly.

"Intriguing, I'm putting in less than 0% effort right now, Little Rabbit," Mihawk stated bluntly just as an exhausted Zoro ran over to try and slice him, but missed as Dracule moved to the side and Zoro lost his balance as he crashed down into the ground. "Strange, you know how futile it is to defeat me at your current power level, and yet you continue to wish to fight me. What do you bear on your shoulders? What do you desire once you've obtained power? Speak up, weakling!"

"Hey! Who are you calling a weakling, you damn bastard!?" An angry Yosaku yelled as he and Johnny pulled out their swords.

"I'll teach you a thing or two!" Johnny shouted as he and Yosaku were about to run forward but were stopped by Luffy as he held out his arm and stretched them forward to latch onto the Pirate Hunter Duo by their shoulders and forced them to sit down. "Don't interfere!"

"But-," Yosaku says before yelping in surprise as Asher pulls out one of his shurikens and aims it at his throat as Jack merely grabs Cottontail, who morphed himself into the shape of a sword and aims him at Johnny's throat.

"If you dare to interfere, I will kill you. You are trying to stop Zoro's Dream." Asher said with a stoic glare as Jack nodded.

"Yeah, besides, if Zoro isn't able to defeat Mihawk, then you two won't stand a chance against him," Jack stated matter-of-factly as the Pirate Hunter Duo gritted their teeth in frustration and fear.

"Luffy...Asher...Jack...Cottontail..." A stunned Usopp trailed off as a groaning Zoro was able to get up from the floor and glared at Mihawk angrily as he clenched his swords tightly and ran over to Mihawk to swing his swords at him relentlessly, only for Dracule to once again block his sword swipes and knocked him back with ease.

"He's quite persistent," Mihawk says to Asher and the others as Jack snorts and nods.

"You have no idea," Jack says as an enraged Zoro charges forward to swing his swords at him relentlessly, only for Dracule to once again block his sword swipes and knock him back with ease. "He's actually a really nice guy after you get to know him."

"I doubt that."

"Son of a bitch, I got you this time!" Zoro exclaimed while running forward yet again as he put his two swords over his mouth blade, and the aura of a tiger's head appeared behind him as a grim expression appeared on his face. "Three Swords Style...Tora...Gari!" Zoro exclaimed while swinging forth a forward descending slash at Mihawk, who merely sped forward and stabbed Zoro directly in the chest while being nearly centimeters close to piercing his heart as everyone gasped in shock and horror.

"You want to know what death tastes like?" Mihawk asked stoically but then blinked in surprise when he spotted a wounded yet stoic Zoro glaring at him without taking a step back from the lethal wound as Dracule raised an eyebrow. "Are you just going to let me pierce your heart? Why don't you step back?"

"I don't know...I'm not sure why myself..." Zoro says, oddly calmly as he spewed out blood. "But if I were to take even one step back, I believe that all those important oaths, promises, and many other deals 'til now, will all go to waste and I'll never be able to return before you ever again."

"Yes, and that's called 'losing',"

"That's why I can't step back," Zoro says as Mihawk's eyes widen in surprise.

"Even if it means death?" Dracule asked curiously as Zoro grinned.

"Death may be better!"

"Huh, what a strong heart and will. Preferring death over defeat." Mihawk thought to himself before stepping backwards as he eyed him stoically and put away his toy pocket knife as Dracule put on his cross necklace again. "Kid, announce your name."

"I...am...Roronoa Zoro!"

"I'll remember that!" Mihawk shouted while reaching behind him to grab his Yoru Sword as he held it in front of him. "It's been a while since I've seen such strong will! As a reward, a gesture to a fellow swordsman, I will wield my 'Yoru' sword, the most powerful sword in the world, to end your life!"

"Thank you. I appreciate your offer." Zoro says while holding two of his swords at an angle against each other and rotating them rapidly as he then runs towards Mihawk at full speed to create momentum with the Spirit of Kuina appeared running beside him as the World's Strongest Swordsman merely got into a fighting stance while holding out his Yoru Sword.

"Three Sword Style...Secret Technique: Three Thousand Worlds!" Zoro exclaimed while charging over to slice up his foe with full speed and power with all three of his swords at once as he landed behind Mihawk, who was no worse to wear as all was silent, but then two of Zoro's swords were sliced up to pieces and a large slash appeared on his chest, spewing out a gallon of blood as the green-haired man dropped his destroyed swords and grabbed his only working one, which was Kuina's sword as he sheathed it. "...I lost...losing wasn't something I'd ever imagine possible...so this is what it is to possess the greatest power in the world?" Zoro thought to himself somberly and in awe as he then turned around and gripped his sole sword tightly as the green-haired man held out his arms.

"What now?"

"Scars on the back are a Swordsman's shame..."

"Well said," Mihawk says with a grin as he proceeds to slash across Zoro's chest with his Yoru Sword, drawing in a bigger spew of blood as he screams in pain and agony.

"ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Luffy, Asher, Cottontail, Usopp, Jack, Yosaku, and Johnny exclaimed in shock and horror as Mihawk gave Zoro a stoic glare.

"Don't rush your death, young lad." Mihawk says as a stunned Sanji trembles.

"Why? He's crazy! His opponent is the real World's Strongest! How it'd turn out was clear from the start! He should give up his ambition rather than die like an idiot!" Sanji thought to himself with a glare as he growled. "Don't be stupid, man! Give up your ambition and live!" Sanji yelled just as Zoro blacked out and fell backwards into the ocean.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Luffy screamed in rage while rearing back his arm as he then sent his fist flying forward, and it flew towards Mihawk, who merely stood to the side as Luffy latched onto the railing behind him. "You bastard!" Luffy exclaimed while retracting his arm and flung himself forward with a growling Asher producing a big explosion underneath his feet to launch himself forward as Cottontail morphed himself to normal and flew out of Jack's arm with a vengeful glare on his face.

"Wait! Guys!" A worried Jack yelled before growing serious as he ran forward. "Zoan Mystic-Ryu Ryu no Mi Model: Human/Beast-Slifer Form!" Jack exclaimed while using his Devil Fruit Powers to transform into his Human-Beast Silver the Sky Dragon Form and took off into the air after the others.

Standing before them is Jack in his Human-Beast Slifer Form as he is 9'4-feet-tall and resembles a humanoid red-skinned and black-bellied dragon with spikes running down his body and his head has two mouths with the bottom jaw of the smaller top set is part of the top jaw of the larger set and the last tooth at each cheek is larger than the others as his head is crested with four spikes protruding horizontally, and two larger ones from the back of the head curving vertically; a sapphire is nestled at the front of his crest, has a pair of bat-like wings on his back with two thumb claws, and his tail crest is shaped in a similar manner, but with a single flattened spike at the tip rather than two spikes as he also has long five-clawed limbs with three-toed feet.

"What the hell is that?!"

"One of those kid stretched like rubber!"

"And one of those kids produced an explosion with their feet!"

"And that guy transformed into some kind of Dragon/Human Hybrid!"

"Those kids got to have Devil Fruits, right?!" Numerous Fighting Cooks exclaimed with Don Krieg staring at the Trio curiously as Luffy flew over to Mihawk, who merely stood to the side and allowed Luffy to crash down into the deck behind him as he then raised his arms and grabbed an airborne Asher as he tossed him over to land in Jack's arms with said person flying over to check on Luffy and set the Bombman down as Dracule then raised his arm again and coated it with a low-level Armament-Type Haki, causing his arm to be covered with a black spiritual energy piece of armor around his arm as Mihawk reached up to grab Cottontail by his neck and said person was shocked to see him unable to phase out of his grip as Asher's Pet struggled to escape.

"Are you four the young swordsman's comrades? Thank you for watching over him, and not interfering. That is a bit impressive." Mihawk says while tossing a struggling Cottontail over to Asher, who grabs him as he and Luffy glare at Dracule as they are about to attack him but are stopped by Jack.

"Wait, guys, don't try to fight him!"

"You should listen to your friend. Besides, rest assured, that man's still alive." Dracule says while turning around as the Group turned their heads and were relieved to see Johnny and Yoskau resurfacing from out of the ocean with a knocked-out Zoro, who was covered in blood and had two large slash marks on his chest that formed into a giant 'X' as the Pirate Hunter Duo swam over to their boat and Usopp was quick to run over to grab Zoro by his armpits.

"Hey, quickly get him on the ship! We need to get him out of the water!" Usopp yelled urgently while struggling to lift Zoro as Johnny and Yosaku helped him out by raising the swordsman up into the air and the Lying Sniper was able to pull him up into the boat with Zoro's Friends climbing after him as they surrounded the injured green-haired man. "Here's some medicine! Apply it quickly!"

"It's still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk! Find your true self, learn about your world, and become stronger! No matter how long it will take, even if decades will pass by, I will await you in my strongest form! Surpass this sword! Surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!" Dracule Haw-Eye Mihawk exclaimed passionately as Zeff sorted amusedly with crossed arms.

"To think that kid got Hawk Eye Mihawk to declare such words..."

"Monkey D. Luffy, what is your goal?" Mihawk asked while turning to Luffy as he glared up at him.

"I'm going to become King of the Pirates," Luffy stated matter-of-factly as Dracule tilted his head intriguingly.

"King of the Pirates, eh?" That's much more of a treacherous path than even defeating me."

"I don't care. It's what I'm going to do." Luffy says with a glare as Dracule hums.

"Maybe you will," Dracule said with a cold glare as he then turned to the other two and couldn't help but find them both familiar as he narrowed his eyes. "You two, tell me your names and your goals."

"Willis D. Asher, and I'm going to become the strongest man in the world."

"And I'm Sparrow D. Jack, and I'm going to become a legend," Jack says as Dracule hums curiously.

"Oh, really? Ambiguous goals, but I like it. This world could use a few more wild cards."

"He's alive! He just lost consciousness!" A relieved Usopp yelled as he, Johnny, and Yosaku were relieved to see a groaning Zoro waking up from his unconscious state and barfing out blood as he winced.

"Big Bro!"

"Big Bro, say something!" Johnny yelled while he and Yosaku teared up as a heavily injured Zoro ignored them and took off his bandana as he reached over to grab his sword and held it up into the air as the green-haired man placed his free hand on his head.

"Luffy, can you hear me?!"

"Yeah!"

"I'm...sorry for disappointing you! I know that you need nothing less than the greatest Swordsman in the world!" Zoro shouted while panting heavily with the Spirit of Kuina appearing and sitting on her knees behind him as a stunned Luffy and the others listened on closely. "I let you down! Please forgive me! If I don't become the greatest swordsman in the world, you'd be in a dilemma now, right? Well, I solemnly swear, from this moment forward, that I will never lose again! And, should I do, I give you full permission to kill me, Asher! You hear me? Until the fateful day when I fulfill my destiny, kill Dracule Mihawk, and claim his title as the greatest swordsman in the world, I will never lose again! Is that okay?! King of the Pirates!" Zoro exclaimed into the heavens with heaving tears running down his face and trembling in his self-loathing, defeat, and pain as Luffy grinned widely and chuckled.

"Yep!"

"Heh, well said, Zoro, well said," Asher says while smiling proudly as Cottontail laid on his shoulder and purred as Jack chuckled.

"You guys are an awesome, crew," Jack says as Luffy and Asher nod before doing a double take as they gasp in shock at the sight of him.

"Whoa! Jack! Since when did you turn into a Dragon Man?!"

"That's so cool!

"YOU TWO IDIOTS JUST NOW NOTICED?!" An annoyed Jack screamed as Dracule smirked amusedly.

"Awesome crew, indeed. Well, this was fun, but I think it's time that I take my leave." Mihawk says while turning around as he is about to leave, but then-

"Hold on there, Hawk-Eye!" Don Krieg screamed, causing Dracule to stop in his tracks, but didn't turn to him as he frowned. "I was under the impression that you were here to take my life?! Weren't you going to try and kill Don Krieg?! Ruler of the East Blue?!"

"Why would I want to kill the equivalent of a big kid playing king at a playground?"

"What?! How dare you-,"

"I'm done," Mihawk stated bluntly, surprising Don Krieg as he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry but what?"

"I'm done fighting you and your pathetic crew. I'm bored. You're boring me." Dracule says while turning to glare at him coldly. "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going back to my home to continue with my nap," Mihawk says, shocking Don Krieg even more as he then grows furious and unloads all of his weapons from his armor as Don Krieg begins firing all of his projectiles at Dracule, who briefly considered killing him...before shrugging as he simply appeared back in his chair boat and sailed away casually as the bullets and cannonballs collided against the spot from where Dracule used to be standing on and produced a huge explosion that sends all of the screaming Don Krieg Pirates flying away as, thankfully, Jack can be seen flying out of the explosion with Cottontail flying after him as he held onto Luffy and Asher by using his feet.

"Usopp!" Luffy screamed, getting Usopp's attention as he glanced up at him and the others. "Get going! I'll leave Nami to you!"

"Got it!" An exhilarated Usopp shouted while standing up to his full height as he held Luffy's dropped Straw Hat. "Zoro and I will definitely get Nami back! You just have to get that cook to join us and possibly that Dragon Guy too! And then, on the Going Merry, we will finally set sail to the Grand Line!" Usopp yelled while tossing up Luffy's Straw Hat into the air as said person used his stretchy arm to catch it and reeled it back over to land on his head.

"Yeah, let's do it!"

"Alright, Men, we ran into some interference, but the real fight has just begun! Let's get that ship!" Don Krieg exclaimed as all of his Pirates cheered in agreement, and Asher perked up upon getting an idea as he glanced down at Zeff.

"Hey, Old Man Zeff, if we kill Don Krieg and his Men, would that be able to satisfy our debt and we can leave?"

"Do as you please," Zeff said with a shrug and crossed arms as the Boys grinned savagely. "If I really let you two work here for a year, I might as well let Don Krieg and his Men take the Baratie anyway," Zeff stated bluntly as Luffy and Asher chuckled amusedly while Cottontail grinned as Jack rolled his eyes playfully. "So, Luffy, right? You said that you were going to become King of the Pirates, right? Are you serious about that?"

"Well, yeah, of course! I WILL become King of the Pirates someday!"

"Heh, I see a whole lot of Pirates in my day who talk beyond their strength, but I rarely see someone who says it so confidently," Zeff said with a smirk as Jack turned to him.

"We heard from Sanji that you were once a very strong pirate, right?"

"Yes."

"Does that also mean that you wanted to become King of the Pirates too?" Asher asked curiously as Zeff shrugged.

"I do my best to forget about the past. I'm the Owner of the Baratie now, and that's enough for me."

"Men! As long as we have that ship, we don't need to fear the Grand Line anymore!" Don Krieg exclaimed with a glare as he pointed over at the Baratie. "This is better than disguising as a Marine Ship or giving up by waving a white flag! That ship will make it easier to get near the enemy and make a raid! It's perfect for carrying out deceptive tactics!"

"But Don, even if we go to the Grand Line in that boat, what will happen if we meet someone like Hawk-Eye Mihawk again? Then what would we do-," One of Don Krieg's Pirates says before yelping in pain and surprise as a pissed-off Don Krieg pulls out a pistol and shoots him through the heart, killing him as all of the Pirates scream in shock and horror.

"I really appreciate the input, sailor. Anything else, huh?!" A glaring Don Krieg asked while aiming his gun at the others as they trembled in nervousness and fear. "What are you still afraid of?! Do you think that a normal person can split a ship in one stroke with a freaking sword?! That Man clearly had the power of a Devil Fruit! According to legend, there are lots of people in the Grand Line who possess the power of the Devil Fruits! Although, in the East Blue, Devil Fruits are considered rare and legendary to us, I assure you that they are commonplace in the Grand Line!"

"Like Mihawk, who must have used a special power to cut the ship apart! When we are in the Grand Line, those powers won't be special! Even those trio of freaks will be considered normal! However, Red Leg Zeff has been there for a whole year! I can only guess that Zeff has used some kind of strategy to confront those monsters! A strategy that he should have written down in the Journal that he possesses! Also, information about One Piece might be included!"

"I see!"

"You're so great, Don Krieg!"

"With that ship and the Journal, we will have the opportunity to get One Piece!" Various Don Krieg Pirates say as their Captain smirks widely and nods.

"Do you understand now, men? Let's go and steal the ship!"

"The restaurant will become a battlefield," Sanji says while taking a whiff of his cigar as he sighs heavily and turns to one of the Fighting Cooks. "Go to the Control Room and open up the 'Fin'."

"Eh! Open up the 'Fin'?! That's a terrible idea! If we do that, we will be giving the enemy a foothold!" Fishman Host yelled worriedly as Cottontail turned to him.

"Well, what? Do you want to take the fight inside of the restaurant in an enclosed space?" Cottontail asked incredulously as Asher nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, besides, Luffy, Jack, and I have Devil Fruits. We can't fight properly without having some ground to stand on." Asher says as he, Luffy, and Cottontail had heard about the 'Fin' a few days ago.

"Besides, we can't let the inner part of the restaurant become a battlefield," Sanji says, not understanding that Cottontail pretty much said the same thing as he continued smoking his cigarette. "If we fight inside, The old geezer will never shut up."

"Did you say something, you little shit?" Zeff asked with an annoyed glare as Sanji glared back at him.

"Yeah, I said you never shut up!" Sanji yelled as Fishman Host bit his lip nervously but turned around to run into the Baratie as Don Krieg's Pirates charged forward.

"Finally, some action! Toss us, Cottontail!" Asher commended as Cottontail nodded and tossed the Boys forward as Jack flew after them.

"Gomu Gomu No...Giant Scythe!" Luffy exclaimed while stretching out his arms as he proceeded to clothesline many Don Krieg Pirates into the ocean.

"Bomu Bomu No...Bombs Away!" Asher exclaimed while reaching behind him to pull out a bunch of shurikens as he infused his explosive pink energy into them and tossed them forward as they flew over to collide against multiple Don Krieg Pirates and caused several explosions to occur that sends them blasting off into the ocean.

"Zoan Mystic-Ryu Ryu No...Thunder Force!" Jack exclaimed while opening up his first mouth as he generated a big ball of yellow energy inside of it before firing a big torrent of hot flame-like energy blast that collided against the Don Krieg Pirates and sent them flying back with the help of a huge fiery explosion.

"Did you see that?!

"Way to go! Chore Boys!"

"What the hell are they!?" Various Fighting Cooks shouted as Cottontail flew over to catch his Master by his shoulders while Jack flew over to catch Luffy as they shared a laugh.

"I can't believe it...in the Grand Line, there are many of these kinds of people?" A stunned Sanji asked as a stoic Zeff turned to him.

"Sanji. Watch carefully how they fight. Watch them until the battle finishes." Zeff ordered with a look of utter seriousness as Sanji frowned but nodded as the Group turned over to Don Krieg.

"So, let me get this straight, you are attacking the restaurant that gave you food? I got no choice but to beat some manners into you!"

"You are planning to use this ship to help you with your pathetic trick? I will be glad to kill a useless piece of shit of a pirate like you!"

"And attacking and killing your own crew? You are a disgrace of a Captain, so I have to destroy you!"

"I don't have a reason to fight you, but I will anyway." Luffy, Asher, Jack, and Cottontail exclaimed as Don Krieg couldn't help but laugh amusedly.

"So, you three actually want to fight on the water when there's little foothold? A bald move for those with Devil Fruit Powers. I mean, none of you can swim, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't give a shit because I can blow people up. Seriously, what's the big deal about losing your ability to swim when you get awesome superpowers?" Asher asked with a smirk as Jack turned to him.

"Well, what happens when you start drowning in the ocean?"

"Eh, Cottontail will save me. No big deal." Asher says with a shrug just as the Baratie begins shaking as the Fishman is able to summon the 'Fins' and two giant wooden platforms rise up from both sides of the restaurant ship and push back all of the Don Krieg Pirates that were in the ocean as they yelped in surprise.

"Whoa! That's so cool! A platform just appeared outta nowhere!"

"Why don't we fight to our hearts' content, Pirates?" Sanji asked while walking into the platform suavely as he glared at them coldly. "But I promise that if you set one foot onto the platforms, it's your death sentence."

"I see. You set up that battlefield so that the restaurant itself won't be damaged. That works for us too since that ship is going to be ours."

"Don't you ever think about having this restaurant!"

"Yeah! Don't underestimate us!"

"We are fighting cooks!" Various Fighting Cooks yelled just as the fish figurehead detached itself from the Baratie and landed in the ocean with three cannons popping out of the mouth as Patty and Random Fighting Cook can be seen piloting the vessel.

"Let's go! Baratie's Sea Weapon, 'Mackerel Head #1'!"

"Those who are afraid to die, grab your shoes and run!"

"What is that thing?" A disbelieving Don Krieg asked as Asher gasped in shock.

"Whoa! That is so cool! I love this place!" Asher screamed just as Cottontail and Jack flew them away from the battlefield as Patty and Random Fighting Cook piloted the Mackerel Head #1 over to Don Krieg and began opening fire cannonballs at him as the rest of the Fighting Cook cheered loudly, not knowing that Don Krieg wasn't hurt at all by their attack as he simply reached over to grab the nozzle of one of the cannons on the Mackerel Head #1.

"I...am...Don Krieg! The man who will conquer the world's oceans!"

"I've told you before that I'll be the one to do that!" Luffy yelled with a glare as Don Krieg ignored him and quickly used his Superhuman Strength to reach over and grab the mouth of the Mackerel Head #1 as he lifted it up into the air.

"I don't have time to play these games!" Don Krieg exclaimed while tossing the Mackerel Head #1 behind him as it flew straight towards the Baratie with everyone panicking and worrying about this, but Sanji simply flicked his burnt-up cigarette into the ocean before leaping up high into the air as he delivered a mighty kick at it that ends the Mackerel Head #1 into the ocean, surprising everyone as Sanji landed back down on the ground.

"What a kick!"

"He just kicked away that strange ship thing!"

"Not bad!"

"That was awesome!"

"Was that kick technique?!" Luffy, Cottontail, Jack, Asher, and Don Krieg shouted in unison as we see a gasping and shocked Patty and Random Fighting Cook resurfacing from the water as they then swam over to get back onto the wooden platform of the Baratie and ran over to glare into a stoic Sanji's eyes.

"Sanji! You bastard!"

"You tryin' to kill your own people!?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Whaddya mean, 'Yeah, yeah'?! I'll cook you like an octopus!"

"You nearly lost us a powerful weapon, you Italian Spaghetti!" Sanji and the Fighting Cooks argued as, before anyone could react, more and more of Don Krieg's Pirates boarded the platforms of the Baratie.

"Do you really think that you all have time to crack jokes, Cooks?"

"Get them!" One of the Fighting Cooks shouted as he and the others went over to fight against Don Krieg's Pirates, only for them to be easily beaten the fuck up and were sent crashing back as Sanji and Zeff looked annoyed by this.

"Even though you carry weapons, Cooks will always be Cooks. There's a large difference between us. Go do your cooking in some kitchen on the mainland.

"Hey, why are you losing so easily?!/Is that what you call fighting cooks?!" Random Fighting Cook and Patty asked angrily as one of the Fighting Cooks wiped away the blood from his mouth.

"They are strong, completely different than the Pirates we've fought before!" Fighting Cook says as one of the Don Krieg Pirates laughed mockingly.

"Don't compare us with those useless pirates! We are Krieg's Pirates, the king of East Blue! Announce it! Tell everybody that this ship belongs to the Krieg Pirates!"

"Forget it! You won't step one foot inside here!" Sanji screamed with a glare as Zeff nodded with crossed arms.

"He's exactly right, men!"

"Heh, you know, we've been cooks for more than ten years, and we've been in 300 restaurants," Patty says, deciding to do his own monologue as everyone turns to him. "During those days, We'd be fired every time we started a fight."

"Then finally, we arrived at this place. Here we can fight and cook as much as we want. There's isn't another great restaurant for us like this!"

"That's right. Understand that, Krieg?" Sanji asked with a grin while reaching behind him to pull out another cigarette and lit it up as he began smoking it.

"Every day preparing meals is like a battle. These guys are nothing compared to those days, right?!" Zeff asked with a scowl on his face as Patty and the Fighting Cooks nodded as they ran over to begin fighting and killing the Don Krieg Pirates before them as, unknown to them, a man could be seen swimming over to them, jumped up and landed on the wooden platforms, drawing everyone's attention as they turned to him.

Standing before them is a 7'10-feet-tall, 23-year-old Man with black eyes, short red hair, thin red eyebrows, a big pointy nose, a sharp chin, Light Skin, an extremely tall fat stout build, and his outfit consists of a giant pearl hat, two large iron plates covering his front and backside, small iron plates with large pearls embedded in them on his elbows and knees, a sleeveless yellow shirt, a blue sash wrapped around his waist, long dark red pants, and a pair of brown shoes with steel cleets as he also carried around a pair of small iron plates with large pearls embedded in them. His name is Pearl the Iron Wall, the commander of the Krieg Pirates' Second Unit.

"Wait, what is-Arrrrgggghhhhhh!" Patty says before yelping in pain as Pearl fires two pearls at him and Random Fighting Cook, hurting them as they crash down onto the ground.

"Just what do you guys think you are doing?"

"Who's that?" Luffy asked curiously as Asher shrugged.

"Don't know, but he looks weak as fuck." Asher says, hating when people wear armor in battle since it just means that they are scared to fight as themselves.

"Ha, ha, ha! Unassilable! Hench invincible! Let's do this, but before we begin, it's only fair that I give you a warning. I'm Pearl the Iron Wall!"

"Patty, Carne, are you two okay?" Zeff asked Patty and the person known as 'Carne' as Pearl laughed amusedly.

"How could they be okay?! They were defeated by my killing punch, 'Pearl's Surprise'!" Pearl yelled as one of the Don Krieg Pirates went over to bend down to Patty's level and tried to grab his knife, only to be stopped by Patty as Sanji calmly walked over to the Pirate and, without hesitation, twirled around to deliver a powerful kick across the Don Krieg Pirate's head, sending it flying off his body and his headless body crashed down into the ground while gushing out blood as Sanji turned to glare at everyone furiously.

"A kitchen knife is the soul of a cook! An outsider doesn't deserve to touch a cook's knife!"

"Sanji..." Patty groaned as Sanji glanced down at him and gave him a reassuring look.

"Hold on to your knife and lay there. I'll finish these guys off."

"We won't be defeated by a bunch of useless cooks!" One of Don Krieg Pirates screamed while rushing over to attack him with his friends as Sanji suddenly appeared in the middle of them and got down into a handstand as he then twirled around and began kicking all of the Don Krieg's Pirates so hard that their bones and ribs break and Sanji's blood-stained boots smashed against their craniums so hard that they shattered, killing them instantly as their lifeless bodies were sent flying back.

"What do you mean by useless cooks?! I'll gut you like a fish!" Sanji threatened with a cold glare as Pearl laughed amusedly.

"Ha! How impudent you are to kill them using only your kicks! Are you so arrogant that you only kick them?! Is this your principle?!"

"A cook's hands are his life. I cannot injure them during battle, so I'll finish you with these feet." Sanji said while briefly raising one of his legs into the air as Pearl laughed heartedly.

"Finish me? I think not. I'm invincible, you see. In my last sixty-one battles, I have won them all COMPLETELY unharmed. I have never even spilled a single drop of blood in a battle. Not a single drop. This justifies how strong I am. I'm the strongest of the strongest."

"Strongest? Yeah, right, anyone who doesn't rely on their own strength is a weakling." Asher says with a glare as Jack nods with a huff.

"You said it, dude."

"Hey, you damn brats! If you look somewhere else, you'll get hurt!" Don Krieg screamed while pulling out a black spiked mace as he twirled it around, and tossed it over to the airborne Devil Fruit Users.

"Gomu Gomu No...Rubber Net!" Luffy exclaimed while entwining his fingers, making a net-like shape, and then stretched out his fingers, making a larger net as the spiked mace collided against it and bounced off as Jack reached up to chomp onto the chain with his first mouth and a smirking Asher reached up to touch the chain as he infused it with pink explosive energy.

"Even the Marine's cannons can't resist me. No attacks can hurt me-,"

"Bomu Bomu No...Explosive Mace Slamdown!" Asher exclaimed as, after the Gang flew back over to the Baratie, he used his Superhuman Strength to swing the spiked black mace down on top of Pearl's head, producing a big explosion that destroyed 1/3 of the wooden platform and sending all of the Remaining Krieg Pirates flying back into the ocean again.

"Man, that was close," Luffy says after Jack flies him down onto the wooden platform and dismounts him as Cottontail flies over to drop Asher onto the ground and lands on his shoulder.

"Good thinking with the mace." Cottontail complimented as Asher smirked and nodded.

"Whoa, you really did a number on him, Asher." Jack pointed out while pointing over at Pearl, who had resurfaced and climbed up onto the wooden platform with his pearl hat destroyed and the glass shards stuck into his face, causing it to bleed as his armor was cracked and his body was covered with third-degree burns and blood as Pearl's pupils shrunk in horror and shock as he started shaking.

"Ah, this isn't good." Don Krieg says with a knowing tone as all of the worried Don Krieg Pirates begin trying to comfort Pearl.

"What's with him? He's acting strange." Sanji says as Asher nods with a blank glare.

"Yeah, I mean, I know that I gave him severe injuries but you think the strongest of the Don Krieg's Pirates would have a little more of a pain tolerance than that."

"T-These people aren't just mean! T-They are dangerous!" Pearl screamed as he began slamming his pearl shields against each other while screaming in fear. "DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER! DANGER!" Pearl screamed while slamming his pearl shields against each other so hard that it caused friction sparks to ignite his body with a defensive layer of intensely hot blue flames, surprising everyone as they took a couple of steps back. "Fire Pearl...Special...Treat!" Pearl exclaimed while firing numerous small flaming pearls at everyone around him with Sanji and Luffy jumping out of the way of the attack as Cottontail simply made a big hole in his body to allow the flaming ball to go through him and Asher merely reached over to grab a flaming ball in his hand as he crushed it with a glare on his face as Jack merely tanked the attack with ease as the rest of the flaming balls impacted against the Don Krieg Pirates, setting them and the deck on fire as they ran around panickedly. "Burn! With this flame and the flame shield, I am invincible!"

"That idiot! Is he planning to burn the ship that we are going to steal?!" An annoyed Don Krieg asked just as Asher and the gang leaped through the flames to attack Pearl as the Bombman reached over to touch one of his pearl shields and infused it with his pink explosive energy as he then landed on his shoulders in a handstand and leaped off as a roaring Cottontail jumped through the flames after morphing himself to grow bigger and tiger-like as he hardened himself and ran over to collide against Pearl's stomach, causing him to stumble back as Jack flew through the air and slammed his tail against his chest, cracking his armor severely as Sanji appeared and twirled around to kick the explosive-infused pearl shield into Pearl, detonating it and caused a big explosion to occur that sends him flying away and crashed down into the ground as Sanji landed on the ground, unharmed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! MY FACE! MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!" Pearl screamed in mortification and horror as the right side of his face was completely blown off, revealing his muscles and skull underneath as Pearl gripped his head with a panicking and maniac look on his face. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND! MY FLAMES WOULD SCARE ANYONE AWAY! WHY AREN'T YOU ALL AFRAID?!"

"If I'm afraid of fire, then how can I call myself a cook?" Sanji asked with a smirk while lighting up his cigarette with the flames around him as he smoked it, cooly.

"I'm a Bombman, I can handle some pathetic flames," Asher stated with a scoff as Jack pointed at his scales.

"I'm tougher than I look."

"And, while fire is one of my weaknesses, I can protect myself by hardening my body," Cottontail explained with a cocky smirk.

"Damn it! What refined people they are!"

"Oh, and also, big guy, if you are going to get into a fight and rely solely on your armor, then don't forget to cover your face, idiot!" Luffy yelled while rearing back his arm and firing a Gomu Gomu Pistol at Pearl's face, breaking his nose as he stumbled backwards with a pained yelp before composing himself as he glared savagely.

"GRRRRRR, YOU STUPID COOK! YOU STUPID PIRATES! YOU ARE ALL TOTALLY INSANE AND EVIL! I WILL KILL YOU ALL! FIRE! I NEED MORE FIRE! FIRE PEARL...SPECIAL...TREAT!" Pearl exclaimed while firing numerous small flaming pearls into the air.

"Oh, no you fucking don't! Bomu Bomu No...Take Off!" Asher screamed while crouching down as he leaped up high into the air with the help of a big explosion underneath his feet and was able to catch two of the flaming pearls as well as a third one with his teeth.

"Black Leg Style...Flanchet!" Sanji yelled while running over to then leap up into the air to kick three flaming pearls at once.

"Gomu Gomu No...Blowhorn!" Luffy shouted while breathing in a huge gust of wind as his head was inflated like a balloon and briefly closed his mouth before opening it as he roared out a big gust of wind that blew back the majority of the flaming pearls.

"Cotton and Zoan Mystic-Ryu Ryu no...Super Teamwork Combo...Cotton Spiked Tail Whip!" Cottontail and Jack said in unison with Asher's pet going soft and wrapping himself around the Devil Fruit User's tail as he morphed himself into a spiked ball and Jack proceeded to smack Cottontail against the remaining flaming pearls, destroying them, but unfortunately, a few of them were able to survive as they started falling down straight towards the Baratie.

"Shit! The restaurant is going to be set on fire!"

"If those fire pearls get into the kitchen, then the restaurant is finished!"

"Owner! Run away!" Various Fighting Cooks screamed as Zeff merely crossed his arm and raised his peg leg as he twirled around and threw a small yet powerful kick that sent a big gust of wind that easily snuffed out the flames from the pearls as they landed down on the ground harmlessly.

"Fire Pearls, eh? That's kids stuff!" Zeff yelled with a scoff as everyone stared at him in shock.

"He blew out the fire with the wind of his kick?!"

"How can that be!?"

"Is it that Red Leg Zeff still has his skills?" Various Don Krieg Pirates exclaimed as Asher and the others couldn't help but be impressed as Don Krieg narrowed his eyes with a glare.

"If that's how it is, then I'll sink you and your 'Fin' into the sea before the fire burns the restaurant!" Don Krieg says while twirling around his spiked black mace as he then tosses it over to the group with Asher spotting it and grins as an idea pops into his head and reaches behind him to pull out his shuriken as the Bombman then tosses it into the air and it flew over to cut through the chain connecting to the spiked black mace, separating it as it flew over to land in Asher's hands.

"Bomu Bomu No...Explosive Deathstrike!" Asher exclaimed while twirling around the spiked black mace by its chain as he then infused his explosive pink energy into it and grunted it as the Bombman swung his makeshift weapon over to collide it against Pearl's chest, causing a big explosion to occur that completely blew up Pearl's armor and injured him even more severely as he was sent flying backwards and crashed down into the ocean.

"Man, that guy was annoying. Thanks for getting rid of him, Asher." A thankful Sanji says as Don Krieg narrows his eyes with a glare and was about to step forward to put a stop to his madness, but then a loud pained grunt rang out as everyone turns around and is shocked to see Gin standing over a fallen Zeff's body as he aimed his shotgun at the back of his head.

"The battle ends here," Gin says with an ominous glare on his face as everyone grows tense.

"That's right, Gin! I knew that I could count on you! Shoot Red Leg Zeff! You only need to kill him and the restaurant is ours!" Don Krieg yelled with an evil laugh as everyone glared at Gin.

"Regardless of how great a man he was before, now he's just an ordinary chef. Blasting his head off is no problem now. You want to save this man, don't you, Sanji? So just heed my word and get off this ship. I don't wanna have to kill the both of you."

"...Leave this ship? Not a chance!" Sanji yelled with a defiant glare, surprising everyone as he took out another cigarette, and lit it up, and smoked it. "You look pathetic, you damn geezer. In that state, you can't order the cooks around to fight, can you?"

"I don't want to hear all this crap from a small eggplant."

"Who are you calling 'small eggplant', you damn bastard! Stop treating me like a kid!"

"Then stop acting like one!" Zeff shot back as Sanji fumed before glancing up at Gin as he pointed at his own heart.

"Gin, aim that pistol at me!"

"Are you a moron?! You'll get killed!" Luffy pointed out as Sanji shrugged.

"Maybe."

"Sanji, why you? Why are you doing this? If you'd just abandon this restaurant, everyone will be saved! It's that simple!" Gin yelled, not able to understand why he would do this as Sanji simply held out his arms to prepare for his death and had an extremely long flashback about how when he was 10 years old, he was working as a ship's cook on the orbit, but one day, Red Leg Zeff and his crew attacked the ship. However, both ships were caught in a sudden storm and sank as Zeff managed to save him from drowning before the storm tore the boats apart due to Sanji crying out his dream of finding the All Blue as, after the storm, the two were washed onto a rock outcropping, high above the sea.

Despite their good fortune, there was little food for them: a few rations had washed onto the rock with them, but there was no vegetation, no animals, and no way to reach the water to fish. Splitting up what little rations remained, Zeff ordered Sanji to sit at the other end of the island to look for a ship. Sanji protested that Zeff was keeping a large sack for himself, but Zeff brushed him off, saying that as an adult, his stomach was bigger. Days passed, and Sanji had no more food, but there was still no sign of a ship. Many weeks afterward, an emaciated Sanji decided to take a chance to kill Zeff for his food. He did not kill the old man, but when he slashed open the old man's sack in a fit of rage, he discovered that there was no food inside, only treasure. To his horror, he realized that Zeff had given him all the rations and had eaten his own leg to survive.

Zeff confessed that he often lacked food on the high seas and planned on opening a restaurant on the seas. Sanji, guilty of plotting to kill Zeff, agreed to help, but Zeff remarked that he was too weak. Soon after, a ship appeared, and they were spared from death. Because of this ordeal, Sanji pledged to never refuse food to a starving individual, no matter how evil or poor they may be as Sanji subsequently spent the next nine years working aboard the Baratie as its Sous-Chef, during which time he vastly improved his cooking under Zeff's tutelage while also developing tremendous physical abilities and his signature kicked-based martial arts style under the latter's guidance.

"This restaurant is that old man's treasure. I'm the one who took everything from that old fart. His power, and his dreams. That's why, now I don't want that damn geezer to lose anything, anymore!" Sanji screamed passionately as he scowled. "There's no way that I can repay the damn geezer for his kindness unless I risk my life for him too!"

"Why? Why do you continue fighting, Sanji? Just stay down." Gin pleaded as Sanji snorted with a big grin on his face.

"I'm afraid that I can't do that. That sounds a little bit too much like giving up." Sanji says as Luffy, Asher, and Jack share a furious look as they nod and step forward.

"GOMU GOMU NO..." Luffy trailed off while stretching one of his legs high into the air as it reached the heavens.

"BOMU BOMU NO..." Asher trailed off while crouching down as he then generated a big explosion underneath his feet that sent the Bombman flying up high into the air.

"ZOAN MYSTIC-RYU RYU NO..." Jack trailed off while opening up his second mouth as he generated a big ball of blue electric energy inside of it.

"NO, YOU IDIOTS! YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE GIN SHOOT ZEFF!"

"WHAT ARE THEY THINKING!"

"CHORE BOYS! CUSTOMER! STOP!"

"...BATTLE AXE!" Luffy exclaimed while bringing down his stretched-out leg as he crashed it down into the ground via a high-gravity stomp on the left wooden platform, destroying it completely as it sent everyone flying back.

"...COMBUSTIVE ROAR!" Asher exclaimed while cupping his hands around his mouth as he breathed into it and detonated it as the Bombman used his hands to enhance the best and sent a giant wave of explosive pink energy that collided against the right wooden platform as Asher destroyed it completely.

"...LIGHTNING BLAST!" Jack exclaimed while firing a big blue electric energy bean blast that collided against the side of the Baratie Building, causing a big explosion to occur as Don Krieg was stunned by what the Devil Fruit Users did.


And done. I hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I can't wait to write the next one. Also, Jack's Devil Fruit is a Mythical Zone Type Devil Fruit, and his Devil Fruit is NOT Kaidou's.

Anyway, as always, I will catch you all later.