Hey everyone, and welcome to my One Piece fanfiction. Before we get started, let me tell you that I didn't mean to take so long to update, I just spent a few weeks out of the country and so being able to write stuff down was harder than I was expecting, but I'll make an effort to not take so long to post a chapter again.

Now, this chapter will cover all the remaining content of the Baratie arc, and I hope that you all enjoy the changes from the canon I bring to the story in this chapter.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. One Piece is owned by Funimation, Eiichiro Oda, Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV. Please support the official release.

"Pirate" Regular speech.

"Pirate" Thoughts.

Finger Pistol Attack names.

(Pirate) Words said previously.

"PIRATE!" Shouting speech.

[Pirate!] people talking at the same time.

"Pirate" people talking over communication.

Zoro's Vow And A New Crewmate

—…

Don Krieg's galleon split into three pieces as all of his men on board were screaming and were sent flailing off the ruined vessel. Light and the others were more concerned about their ship and had pulled Johnny and Yosaku out of the ocean after they were thrown off the Going Merry, which Nami had sailed away with.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY?!" Usopp demeaned hysterically at them.

"What do you mean Nami stole the ship?!" Light questioned them in disbelief.

"How did this happen?! You guys were supposed to be guarding the ship?!" Silk angrily reminded them.

"I need a straight answer! Now, what happened!?" Zoro interrogated them with a vein on his brow bulging.

"Well…" Yosaku started while gasping for air. "It all happened in only a few minutes…"

Moments before this happened…

Nami was staring at a stack of wanted posters, but her attention was on one poster in particular.

"Hey! What's the matter, Big Sis?" The voice of Yosaku got her attention as one-half of the bounty-hunting duo came up with a smile on his face.

"I don't really mean to pry or anything, but whatcha looking at?" Yosaku wondered.

"Oh, well, it's nothing, really!" Nami lied with a smile.

"Nice!" Johnny grinned as he saw the bounty she was currently looking at. "Now that's a big bounty, Pirate. I gotta say, I'm impressed. But Big Sis, I think you're aiming a bit too high going after Arlong. I'm not kidding; the guy's really bad news. He was playing it cool and laying low for a while and staying out of sight."

"But these days, that maniac is causing all sorts of trouble." Yosaku mentioned. "It's kinda tough walking away from a 20 million beri bounty, though."

"That guy is so powerful that there is the slightest, tiniest chance we could lose and both die." Johnny stated.

"Big Sis Nami?" Yosaku wondered as he and Johnny turned around and found Nami laying a t-shirt on the ship's railing. Nami turned around and gave the duo a bashful look as she yanked on the collar of her shirt.

"Hey, would you guys mind turning around while I change into something more comfortable?" Nami suggested with a blush.

"Y-Yeah, sure!" Yosaku stammered with a tinge on his cheeks. "I don't mind!"

"Changing?" Johnny's demeanor matched his partner's. "Like right now?"

"It's so hot~" Nami added with a wink as Johnny and Yosaku both spun around.

"Yeah, you're hot!" They both exclaimed. "Uh, it's hot!" They quickly corrected as they kept their focus on the open ocean as Nami 'changed' behind them.

"Have you ever met a woman who's that daring?" Johnny wondered.

"What do you say we turn and see if she's done yet?" Yosaku added.

"Good idea!" Johnny nodded.

The two turned to sneak-a-peek but were soon shoved off the Going Merry by Nami. The duo surfaced from the water with looks of surprise on their faces as Nami faced away from them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Johnny questioned. Nami spun around and gave a trademark smile.

"I'm doing business, of course!" Nami explained. "Use your heads, guys! I'm a thief who only targets Pirates, and my next score is this ship! I never said anything about being a member of this crew. I was just traveling with them, nothing more." She leaned back and let her bangs cover her eyes. "Even though I only spent a short time with Light and the gang, I still had a lot of fun. Make sure to tell them that I said…." She waved as she walked away. "If it's truly meant to be, I'll see them real soon!"

Nami began to walk off and turned from the floating bounty-hunting duo.

"Hey!" Yosaku shook his fist as the two were swept away by a small wave as the Going Merry sailed off.

"We're gonna be in so much trouble!" Johnny cried.

"Our only job was to look after the ship, and you're making us fail miserably!" Yosaku shouted. They were then caught up in the big wave that was created by Don Krieg's wrecked Pirate Ship.

Present time…

"After saying that, she ran away!" Johnny stated as he bowed with his partner.

"Sorry…" Yosaku murmured.

Zoro lost his temper. He punched the side of the restaurant. "Dammit!" He yelled. "She just had to make a bad situation worse!"

Usopp was looking angrier than they had seen him. "The heartless thief!" He yelled. "Kaya gave us that ship!"

"That woman." Silk was seething with frustration as she gritted her teeth angrily. "Of all the times to act like a common thief, she chose now?!" She yelled.

"Guys, guys, look!" Light jumped up onto the railing and searched over the sea until he caught a glimpse of the ship in the distance and called out. "The Going Merry! I can still see it!" He turned towards Yosaku and Johnny. "Your boat is still here, right? Where is it?"

"We have it moored to the restaurant." Yosaku said at once.

"Everyone, come on!" Light ordered, turning to them all. "We need to hurry up and go after Nami!"

"Calm down." Zoro stated as if he could care less. "Let her keep the ship. Trust me, that woman's way more trouble than she's worth."

"Are you kidding?!" Silk clearly didn't agree with that option. "Even if you're right, are you forgetting that everything we own is still on that ship? Not to mention we obviously can't keep sailing without a ship to begin!" She logically argued before narrowing her eyes. "Besides, there is no way we can just let her steal from us and get away with it like it's nothing. I'm not going to just let this go."

"That's right. The Going Merry is our ship!" Usopp loudly insisted. "We can't just sit back and let it be taken right from under our noses!"

Zoro threw them an exasperated look before turning towards Light for the verdict. "What's it gonna be, Captain?"

"I get where you're coming from, Zoro, but I'm in agreement with Silk and Usopp." Light said decidedly. "We need to get back our ship, also—" Light looked at him seriously. "There's something I want to ask Nami personally."

Now Zoro threw Light an aggravated look. For a moment, there was a nasty moment of thinking that he would actually refuse… But he then sighed.

"Fine! I'll do it!" Zoro snapped in frustration, though it was clear that he wasn't happy about it. "You're one high-maintenance Captain. You know that?"

Light grinned widely. "You knew that when you joined me."

He didn't say anything else as they waited for Johnny and Yosaku to get their boat and bring it back.

[The ship's ready for action, Big Bro Zoro!] They yelled together, once again, showing that these two were really two peas in a pod.

"Oh yeah, what about the restaurant?" Zoro reminded them of the issue at hand.

Light looked back at the wreckage of the Galleon. "We're just preparing the boat for now. Let's wait before we sail off."

"But if we wait too long, it might be too late." Usopp urgently reminded them. "The Going Merry is already pretty far gone."

"Even so, we can't just desert these guys after we promised to help them." Light reasoned, honestly. "The situation here could get really bad really fast."

"Then let's keep our guard up." Zoro shrugged just as they heard shouts coming from the floating pieces of the remains of Krieg's ship.

"Over there! It's that man!" A Krieg Pirate shouted.

"He came back!" Another one added.

"DON KRIEG! THE MAN WHO DESTROYED OUR FLEET IS BACK!" Someone's voice screamed out above all the others. "WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?!"

That got everyone—Zoro's especially, attention. They were all focused on a boat that was sailing toward them… As soon as they saw it, even Zeff's cool disappeared as he watched and looked up, his eyes wide. "That man is…?"

And there, through the dust from the attack that destroyed the ship, the form of a single man slowly appeared. Zoro was shaking, sweat pouring down his face. On a small raft that was lit with several candles with eerily green flames—That looked as though something to fetch you from the netherworld. Some of them shivered at the sight of it… But their eyes were drawn directly to the man sitting in the boat.

He was a tall and lean man with a short beard, mustache, and sideburns that pointed upwards. His clothing was made of a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume and a long, open black coat with no shirt underneath, with red, flower-patterned sleeves and collar. There was a small, golden cross-shaped necklace hanging around his neck and a large, black sword on his back. It had a beautifully curved black blade, in the shape of a cross, with a golden handguard decorated by blue and green jewels, and a hilt wrapped in bandages, with a particularly big jewel at its edge.

But underneath the hat, they could see his eyes… Cold yellow eyes that resembled a hawk that was hunting its prey.

The Krieg Pirates were all so full of fear that they couldn't move and were shaking in their boots as Mihawk sailed by them.

"That psycho followed us back here!"

"He's gonna kill us all!"

"The man I've been looking for." Zoro confessed as he watched his rival sail closer. "Hawk-Eye Mihawk…"

"So that's… Mihawk." Light said seriously. He could sense it. He could sense the power inside Mihawk… One look was all he needed to sense just how dangerous this man was. "His power is off the charts. I've never seen anyone but Shanks who radiated this kind of strength."

"Yeah, the Greatest Swordsman." Zoro said as he kept his eyes trailing on him. Zeff, Patty, and Carne were only a little ways away, and they were talking about him as well.

"That's gotta be the guy who destroyed Krieg's fleet." Patty said nervously. "He sunk 50 battleships out on the Grand Line all by himself."

"Looks like he came back to finish the job." Carne said anxiously. "But is that all he wants?"

"Wait a minute." Another chef said from behind them. "He looks like any ordinary man. He doesn't even look like he has any special weapons with him."

"He carries his weapon on his back." Zeff explained, and they stared at him in disbelief.

"That's impossible!" Patty cried out in incredulity.

"He couldn't have destroyed a Galleon like that using nothing but a sword!" Carne cried in agreement.

Zeff just stood there with his arms folded. "Hawk-Eye Mihawk is a true master. He is without a doubt the greatest swordsman in the world."

Here, Zoro couldn't disagree with that as he looked at his sworn adversary. He was looking nervous but excited at the same time… "I never thought that I would meet him so soon." A wild grin appeared as he put his hand on the white blade. He was gonna fight… He was willing to fight Mihawk for his title… Or die trying… "The time has come for me to fulfill my promise."

The Krieg Pirates all cowering away from the sight of it, staring with expressions of the utmost terror.

"You… You monster!" One of the Krieg Pirates yelled in a trembling voice. "Why are you doing this to us?! What the hell did we ever do to you!?"

Mihawk glanced up at him in an uninterested way as if speaking was a waste of energy. "Just killing time."

"Bastard!" Another Pirate cried out as he pulled out a pair of pistols and shot at him. But with the grace of a swan, he handled his Sword in such a way that Zoro knew it couldn't harm even a baby; but he twisted his wrist very slightly… And just like that, the two bullets were deflected, and their courses were changed.

Everyone stared at him.

"That was amazing… But terrifying…" Silk whispered softly, being one of the few who realized what had just happened. "He barely moved, but he managed to stop bullets without even trying."

"Such grace and speed…." Light said in a hushed tone. "That Sword must weigh a tone, but it's like he's swinging around a feather. Which is saying nothing of that monstrous procession and control he's got going for him."

"W-what, I missed!?" The Pirate cried out, not believing it. "But I aim straight for him!"

"He diverted it." Said Zoro's voice, suddenly appearing behind the Pirate and making him jump. "He changed the course of the bullet using the tip of his Sword."

"That can't be!" He said in disbelief as Zoro coolly walked passed them all, one hand on his Swords, which caught the attention of the other Pirates. "Hold on, who do you think you are?"

"He's got three Swords! It couldn't be…?" Another Pirate gasped, looking up to his face.

But Zoro didn't pay them any attention as he turned his full attention to Hawk-Eye. "I've never seen a Sword handled so gently or with such grace." He said truthfully.

Hawk-Eye's eyes looked over at him without even turning his head as he casually replied. "There is no strength in Swordplay based on force."

"Did you also use that Sword to slice up this ship?" He continued on, though it was clear from the wild, excited look on his face that he already knew the answer.

"I did." Mihawk answered as if telling him that what he did was something that anyone could do.

"Then it's true…" He exclaimed, still looking like a child who was promised a big treat. "You're the best!"

Light looked at him sombrely, knowing what was about to happen and knowing all he could do now was accept it. "Time for the moment of truth."

Zoro spoke again as he went to his black bandana and untied it from his arm. "I set sail for only one reason: To meet you."

"And what is your goal?" Mihawk asked with only a slight trace of curiosity in his tone.

"To beat you!" Zoro exclaimed, still grinning wildly as he tied his bandana on.

Mihawk smirked at him. "How foolish."

Zoro pulled out the white blade and declared. "You got spare time! So let's do this!"

The Krieg Pirates, as well as all the cooks, suddenly realized who Zoro was.

"No way? It's him, Roronoa Zoro—Zoro The Three-Sword Style!" One of the Pirates gasped.

"It is?" Another mumbled fearfully, not wanting to believe it.

Don Krieg was watching the two with great interest. "Really? It's the Pirate Hunter?" He said gruffly.

On the Baratie's edge, Sanji heard what he just said and was stunned by that. "He's a what?"

Just then, Usopp was yelling at Light. "Hey, Captain! We better hurry, come on! The Going Merry is about to sail right out of sight!"

"Usopp…" Silk spoke without looking at him. "Be quiet for a moment."

Surprisingly enough, Light didn't even look at him as he watched Zoro and Mihawk size each other up. Or rather, Zoro size Mihawk up… Hawk-Eye didn't even seem troubled. It wasn't just him, though. Silk and Zeff kept their complete attention on the two Swordsman who was in the middle of a staredown.

"A fight?" Mihawk asked him, with a tone that clearly said that he wanted to make sure that he heard right. "You're a weak, pitiful creature."

You blinked. You would've suddenly thought that Mihawk teleported over to face Zoro. But the few witnesses, who were able to keep up, saw the graceful leap from the boat to the remains of what had once been a ship.

"If you are, in fact, a competent Swordsman." Mihawk said in a skeptical tone as if he highly doubted it. "You should see the disparity in our abilities before we even cross Swords. I must ask you, why have you challenged me?" Hawk-Eye went on. "Could it be your courage? Or is it simply your ignorance?"

"My ambition drives me!" Zoro was grinning as he declared that. And as he took out his Swords, he added. "Also, I made a promise to a dearly departed friend that I intend to keep."

Patty gulped, feeling the pressure of the incoming fight he was about to witness. "The Greatest Swordsman in the World going up against Roronoa Zoro—Two Masters of Swordplay. What kind of a fight is this gonna turn out to be?"

"There isn't a person alive who can beat Big Bro!" Yosaku yelled from the boat as he and Johnny began cheering. "He's already the best in the world!"

Light was just watching with that same look on his face… Like he knew how this would all end. But… Then again… He supposed that it was clear from the start how this fight would end.

Light was only calm and collected here on the outside. Inwardly, he was really upset by this whole situation. It was clear that he wanted to put a stop to all of this, but he kept his mouth shut, and he knew why. He knew that he had to honor the promise he made to Zoro about not standing in his way.

At the same time, Mihawk took the little golden cross that was around his neck and revealed that it was actually hiding a short knife that looked more like cutting someone's toenails than fighting.

Zoro had already narrowed his eyes, realizing that he was being mocked when Mihawk held up the knife. "Funny. What do you think you're gonna do with that?" He demanded.

"It'll be more than enough. After all, you wouldn't kill a fly with a cannon, would you?" Mihawk asked him coolly, "You may have quite the reputation in the East Blue. But that doesn't mean much to me. This sea is by far the weakest of the four." He sighed a little before he said. "Unfortunately, I don't carry any blades smaller than this one." He talked like apologizing to him that this knife was too big for him to handle.

Zoro was clearly showing anger at those words. "I've had just enough of your attitude!" He snarled, and he actually bit down on the Sword with such force that he ended up chipping off a piece of tooth. But he didn't care as he charged at him recklessly. "NOW YOU DIE!"

"You have no idea how big the world really is…." Mihawk said almost forebodingly as he held up the little knife.

Oni Giri!

Zoro yelled as he struck, but to everyone's amazement, Hawk-Eye didn't just catch the attack, but he stopped all three Swords dead in mid-strike.

Silk and Usopp both choked on their breath. It was hard to believe that a monster like Zoro could've been stopped so easily.

"W-what the…?" Zoro gasped when he tried to move forward—But nothing budged.

"Damn…" Light whispered worriedly from where he stood but didn't do anything else as he could only stand by and watch.

"What?! Big Bro's Oni Giri was stopped?!" Johnny yelled incredulously.

"But that's crazy!" Yosaku shouted, also in disbelief. "That attack never fails to stop an enemy! What's going on here?!"

Zoro himself didn't have an answer. The truth was… He had been pushing hard against that knife, but Mihawk hadn't budged an inch. He could feel that strength and power behind all that, even with a pocket knife… And that frightened him. He just realized that as well as he fought—His eyes wide—Not believing what was happening. "I can't move my Swords? What has he done? No one's been able to defend against that technique, and he stopped it with a pocket knife? No… Th-This can't be happening… He can't be this much better than me—There's no way our skills are this far apart!"

Finally, either through a sudden burst of strength or Mihawk simply grew bored, he broke free.

"Aahhhhhh! I am not that far behind the World's Strongest!" He yelled as he attacked again, but this time no longer as calm or collected as he usually was in battle. It was here that they could fully see that Mihawk shook Zoro to the core.

He now began to swing at Hawk-Eye viciously with his Swords. But Mihawk barely had to defend himself as he parried each swing or merely stepped lightly out of the way—So he didn't even get a scratch on him.

Zoro threw caution to the wind and just started swinging the Swords around wildly, no longer caring if he hit anything at all. It was a complete breakdown of style and now just the assault of a madman.

"He's just waving his Swords around. That's hardly swordsmanship." Silk whispered worriedly as Mihawk stepped to the side and caused Zoro to fall to the deck, panting hard.

"You're just toying with him, right?!" Yosaku screamed, his eyes wide. "Fight for real, Big Bro!"

"Big Bro!" Added Johnny, sounding close to openly sobbing.

But it was clear from the look on Zoro's face that he was past listening. "You can't be that much better than me!" He yelled, shaking with rage—And seeing the expressionless look on Mihawk's face just seemed to even angrier.

Again, he got up and began to violently attack. There was no skill or plan here, just vicious slashes. Using the dagger to block another attack, Mihawk stated. "Such ferocious swordplay."

It was true. He wasn't thinking anymore—He was giving in to his anger. Light moved to the side to get a closer look so others couldn't see the angry look on his face. Part of Light wanted to call him to stop fighting, but he stayed put.

Using his mouth, Zoro moved his Sword up to strike, but Hawk-Eye stopped it, creating a shockwave from the strength that both Swordsmen created.

"How can he defend against Zoro's Three-Sword style with such a small knife!?" One of the Krieg Pirates yelled in astonishment.

"He's even more of a monster with a blade than even the great Zoro!" Another cried. The swings were so quick that all they could see were flashes of light.

Zoro's thoughts started to race as he kept attacking. "I did not devote my entire life to Swordsmanship to be dispatched by a toy like this!"

As Zoro lunged forward, Mihawk moved and then hit the back of Zoro's neck with the side of his hand. They watched Zoro's eyes roll into the back of his head, and they knew that he was fighting to stay conscious after an attack like that.

"To become the World's Strongest!" Zoro inwardly shouted. He was already getting back up, though now dazed from that last attack. "I will defeat this man… For her…" He was exhausted as he marched forward, trying again, but he was so slow and worn out that even a weak Swordsman could've easily stepped out of the way. With nothing to hit, he fell forward again, gasping for air as he lay there—With Mihawk looking down at him—but there was something different in his gaze this time. Curiosity perhaps.

"What is it then?" Mihawk suddenly asked. "What weight do you carry upon your shoulders? Speak up, weak one!"

Johnny and Yosaku were both ready to defend Zoro for that insult.

"How dare you call him weak?" Yosaku cried, his hand on his Sword. "You'll pay for that!"

"We'll teach you a lesson!" Johnny added, and with screams, they jumped—Ready to get in the fight, but Light wouldn't allow it.

Without saying a word, he reached his arms out to grab them by the scruffs of their necks. He then held them both down as he kept his attention on Zoro. But right now, his mood was unreadable as his eyes were covered by his Straw Hat. He watched as Zoro was back up on his feet.

He was still looking angry, although it was clear that he was far from giving up. "No, I won't lose!" He declared. "I refuse to be defeated!"

Just then, out of nowhere, Zoro's concentration was taken out of the fight when he suddenly felt something heavy collide with the back of his head.

"Gah!" Zoro was taken off guard as this caused him to gasp, causing the Sword he held with his teeth to fall from his jaw and onto the floor beneath while Zoro himself also tripped and fell forward, landing on one knee.

Everyone was surprised at what just happened. Silk, Usopp, Yosaku, Johnny, Sanji, Zeff, and even Mihawk were thrown off and taken aback at what they just saw as Zoro slowly turned around to see that what hit him was a small piece of dirt wood that belonged to the wreckage of Krieg's ship—Thrown at him by none other than Light.

"Captain?" Zoro muttered in complete disbelief.

There were so many thoughts whirling in his mind right now. Light had just interfered, and Zoro wanted to tell him off for that, but the look on Light's face wasn't one that liked like he was worried about him. It seemed more like a look of contempt and impatience.

Before Zoro could say anything, Light spoke first. "Did that wake you up?"

Zoro's eyes widened when he heard that. Light's tone and expression were currently something he had never seen from his Captain, but he didn't have to ask what he meant as Light continued.

"I thought your goal was to be the World's Greatest Swordsman. Isn't that what you bragged about to me on the day we met?" Light reminded him, narrowing his eyes. "And yet, here you are, fighting while acting like you've never used a Sword your whole life. Is this how you always pictured yourself fighting Hawk-Eye? Or did you forget, using three Swords isn't the same as using Three-Sword style?"

This time, Zoro's eyes widened as he felt a sense of realization goes through him. Those last words were the same ones that Zoro often said to others whenever they belittled his Three-Sword Style, and now they were being thrown back at him. This momentary halt seemed to quell the raging fire that was burning in Zoro, his madness seemed to calm, and sense returned to him.

"What the hell am I doing?" Zoro thought to himself with mild self-reproach. "Getting bent out of shape like that, I must be worse than an amateur."

Zoro then picked up his Swords and stood up before nodding toward Light. "Thanks, Captain." He placed his third Sword in his jaw again. "I needed that."

Light smirked in satisfaction. Sanji just looked confused at them and voiced his thoughts. "What was that about? It's not like a pep talk is going to change anything."

"You're wrong." Zeff argued, causing Sanji to look at him while Zeff kept watching the fight. "His eyes, they're different from a moment again."

Zoro glared at Mihawk again, this time more controlled as he said. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but don't worry. There won't be any more interruptions?!"

With that, he charged forward, his body disappearing to most of those around him, his Swords flashing out in an intricate display of Sword work that was completely different from anything he had shown up to this point—Three-Sword style against the tiny knife in Hawk-Eye's hands.

Oni Giri!

For his part, once again, Hawk-Eye blocked the attacks with seeming ease, though his brow furrowed as he felt more weight behind the attack this time around, as though Zoro had suddenly leveled up in power.

"Interesting, the weight behind his Swords seems to have increased all of a sudden." Hawk-Eye thought, a new sense of interest entering his mind. "Let's see if there's any more to him."

With that, Hawk-Eye began to bat aside Zoro's attack, almost getting through Zoro's defenses in a millisecond. But Zoro stepped back quickly, dodging to one side and off the portion of the shattered ship they were currently fighting on.

Zoro closed the distance to press the attack again, knowing he would be at a disadvantage on defense—Not that it did much to affect the difference in skill.

Bull-Needles!

Zoro used the two Swords in his hands to aim a cross-slash at Hawk-Eye, but it was once again blocked by the knife. Zoro wasn't done, though, as he used his third Sword to aim a horizontal slash at Hawk-Eye's neck. Hawk-Eye saw this coming from a mile away and pivoted to the side, using his footwork to move past Zoro and appear behind him like it was the easiest thing in the world. Zoro quietly moved back to distance himself from his foe to avoid being attacked from behind.

"Good, you're using technique now." Hawk-Eye noticed, stoically evaluating him. "And the unnecessary movements from before have lessened as well."

"Heh, what does that matter to you." Zoro snarled, preparing to go again.

Zoro continued to unleash his Three-Sword style on Hawk-Eye. Even though he still couldn't get through his small knife, everyone—Even amateurs could see it. Zoro's moves were different from before. He was focused, razor-sharp, and showcasing everything his Swordsmanship was worth. It was still apparent that he was outclassed, yet it felt like he didn't care anymore.

"I don't get it. How's he moving so much better than before?" Sanji wondered, unable to make sense of it.

"Sometimes, a good blow to the head is all you need to snap yourself out of it." Zeff answered with a knowing expression. "Once you have a clear view of your ambitions right in front of you, you can't let yourself be weighed down by doubts or hesitation. What you're seeing is the kind of strength only someone who is willing to put everything on the line for his dream can achieve."

Sanji processed those words, part of him felt like he could understand, but he couldn't find any words to respond to Zeff's speech. All he could do was continue to watch as the battle continued.

Tatsumaki!

Zoro brought all three of his Swords together to unleash one of his strongest attacks. He put all of his strength into it. The attack, capable of taking out dozens, created a small tornado along with it as Hawk-Eye held out his knife to block the full weight of Zoro's technique.

Hawk-Eye could have easily dodged it, but at this point, his Pride is what drove him to block or deflect anything Zoro threw at him, and he wouldn't dishonor himself by attempting to avoid an attack he's fully capable of stopping. Stepping slightly backward while putting all of his weight on his back foot as he thrust his little dagger forward, he caught the long-range attack on the blade, which shattered under the impact.

CRACK!

Despite the vast difference in their abilities, Hawk-Eye had still blocked an uncountable number of Sword strikes from Zoro's blades using only a minimal-sized knife. All of that damage was bound to build up until the tiny blade eventually couldn't withstand the pressure anymore, and so it broke.

"He did it!" Usopp cheered in amazement. "He fully broke through that knife!"

[All right! Big Bro!] Yosaku and Johnny celebrated with joy.

"Don't celebrate yet." Light told them forebodingly.

Usopp turned to him, wondering why he wasn't happier at Zoro's accomplishment as Silk spoke. "Did you forget? All he did was break the smallest blade he was carrying. Hawk-Eye still isn't taking this seriously."

While the three of them paled after being reminded of that fact, Zoro kept his mind focused as he was under no illusions that he was anywhere close to victory despite having shattered Hawk-Eye's knife.

"Feel like taking this more seriously now?" Zoro asked, steeling his resolve for whatever was to come next.

Hawk-Eye looked down at the shattered remains of the blade of his small knife that rested at his feet.

"I must admit that I underestimated you." Hawk-Eye placed the top section of his cross-necklace back over the broken blade and put it away. "However, don't make the mistake of assuming your odds of victory have changed, weak one."

Hawk-Eye reached into his pocket again, and this time, he brought out another knife. This time, it looked like a kitchen knife that's length made it seem perfect for chopping vegetables.

"A kitchen knife?" Sanji blinked.

"Damn him; he's still not taking Zoro seriously." Usopp cursed with frustration.

This time, Zoro didn't feel angered or insulted by the blade in his adversary's hand. He was well aware that any blade, regardless of size or weight, is a deadly weapon in the hands of Hawk-Eye Mihawk.

"I'll shatter every blade you have on you until you bring out your real Sword." Zoro promised him, not arrogant but assured.

"I'm afraid you won't have the opportunity." Hawk-Eye pointed his new knife at Zoro and narrowed his eyes. "I'm ending this now."

His declaration was made by someone who fully believed they could end this duel whenever they so chose, and of course, he could. Mihawk didn't say a word as he watched him cross his three blades.

Tiger…

Zoro's mind reached a state of complete concretization. This was where he could hear his own heart beating as the rest of the world faded away. It was as if he had grown deaf to everything except for the pounding in his ears of his own heartbeat…

He also remembered the words that had come back to him at this moment:

(That's fine by me. Besides, if you weren't at least the World's Greatest, you wouldn't be capable of joining me to the end of our journey.)

Why had he suddenly thought about what Light said? But he had barely finished finishing the attack when Mihawk rushed forward and impaled him with the small blade… Just right above his heart.

He could have pierced his heart and ended it right there, but… Mihawk wanted him to at least answer his question before he killed him. Having such master control over a blade, he knew that Hawk-Eye could've easily gutted him like a fish, but the fact that he was still breathing proved that he held back until he got a chance to speak to him again.

"You are defeated, yet won't step back. Why not?" Mihawk asked as if wondering what he would do now.

"I don't know." Zoro answered honestly as blood trailed from his mouth and ran down the side of his face to stain his shirt. "But… I will not run. Even if I retreat a single step, I'd be shattering the promises I made. I can't run. I would lose my honor. You see, without that, there'd be nothing left for me here!"

"That's what defeat is." Mihawk stated simply.

But Zoro merely answered. "Then I won't accept defeat."

"Then you'll die." Mihawk pointed out coldly.

Looking at him dead in the eyes, he said without a trace of hesitation or regret in his voice. "I'D RATHER DIE THAN GIVE UP!"

"A strong heart indeed." Hawk-Eye was giving him a new look of respect as he pulled his knife out of his chest. "He chooses death before defeat." He stepped back and re-pocketed his knife before he made a demand. "Sir, state your name."

Moving his Swords into an almost triangle shape, he proclaimed. "I am… Roronoa Zoro!"

Mihawk reached behind his head to grab the Black Sword strapped to his back. "I'll remember it!" He informed him. "No one like you has come around in quite some time—Strong one. So as a Swordsman's courtesy." Mihawk finished, showing off the bright gleam of the Sword as he brought it swinging around. "I'll use the World's Strongest Black Sword to defeat you!"

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Zoro said as he prepared for their final face-off.

"Look! He took it out!" One of the Pirates said fearfully.

"That's the Sword that sliced up the ship." Another one stated fearfully.

"So, this is it." Zoro thought as he prepared the most powerful technique he currently had. "Will I be the World's Strongest or death?"

The anticipation really set in as Light clenched his fists due to feeling the pressure. Usopp's eyes only opened wide, and Johnny and Yosaku shook in worry for their old friend. Silk felt the sweat pouring down her face as she waited for Zoro and Mihawk to strike their final blows on each other.

"Enough, Big Bro!" Johnny pleaded. "Stop it! Please!"

Three-Sword Style Secret Technique...!

Zoro thrust his arms out and spun both Swords like windmills in each hand as Mihawk dashed at him.

"FALL!" Mihawk yelled.

Three-Thousand Worlds!

Mihawk charged. Zoro and Mihawk sliced each other. At first, no one could see what happened. It looked as though Hawk-Eye merely ran past him—The two froze where they stood… And then…

SHATTER!

The two katanas in Zoro's hands suddenly shattered into pieces as two bloody cuts opened around his sides. Only the white Sword in his mouth remained as Zoro fell to his knees in defeat. Everyone who knew him couldn't believe it… They had never seen him lose in such a way… It wasn't even close.

This ended in his utter defeat.

"I've lost. Never in my life did I imagine that I'd lose." Without saying a word, Zoro carefully put his last Sword back in its sheath as Mihawk raised his blade up to finish him off. "So, this is the power of the Greatest In The World." But before he could finish the attack, Zoro spun around and stood up, his arms wide and his white Sword still in one hand.

Even Mihawk looked startled at that and asked him. "But why?"

Raising his head so that they could see the dark smile on his face, he answered simply. "Scars on the back are a Swordsman's shame."

Hawk-Eye returned the grin. "Fine." He answered. And with a single slash, he cleaved open a massive diagonal cut across Zoro's entire chest. For a second, there wasn't anything… But then blood cascaded out so that the witnesses all felt green at the sight of it. Unable to stand any longer, Zoro's body slowly fell back to the sea.

"ZORO!" Silk screamed in horror as Light couldn't sit still any longer and jumped forward, leaping towards the spot where Hawk-Eye stood.

"You shouldn't rush these things, young man." Mihawk informed him coolly as Zoro's body fell.

"ZORO!" Usopp screamed out, unable to believe what he was seeing.

[BIG BRO!] Both Johnny and Yosaku yelled, a fountain of tears falling from their eyes.

Sanji's expression was one of complete disbelief and what felt like anger. He was angry that he couldn't understand what motivated Zoro's actions. "Why?!"

(I devoted my entire life to becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman. It was my choice, so I'm the only one who gets to call me stupid.)

"He's insane. His opponent was way out of his league. How this fight would end was clear from the start, why choose death?" Finally, he yelled out loud. "DON'T BE STUPID!" Sanji screamed out just as Zoro fell into the sea. "GIVE UP YOUR AMBITIONS AND LIVE!"

Light landed on the section of the broken ship that was used for the battle and was only centimeters away from Hawk-Eye, but he didn't even acknowledge his presence as Light thrust both of his arms into the ocean's surface beneath him—On the same spot that Zoro fell in moments ago, and miraculously, he lifted his bloodied body out of the sea, holding him by the collar of his shirt.

Somehow, even on the brink of death, Zoro still had his white-hilted Sword. It was held in his grip, and his body instinctively refused to let go.

"Thank goodness I made it." Light thought, more urgently than he had ever been in years, as he turned to the others. "HE'S STILL BREATHING!"

[What?!] Yosaku and Johnny cried out in both disbelief and pure relief.

"Are you serious?!" Usopp couldn't keep up with everything.

Fortunately, Silk could as she turned to the three of them and gave instructions. "Hurry up and get some medical supplies! We need to treat those injuries quickly!"

"Right!" Johnny ran to do it so fast you'd think it was his life on the line.

"We're on it!" Yosaku was right behind him.

"Usopp!" Light lifted Zoro and threw him to the boat Usopp was on. "Catch!"

"Aaahhhhh!" Usopp screamed in terror at seeing Zoro's body being thrown through the air before he caught him, relieved beyond belief before he snapped at Light. "ARE YOU INSANE!? YOU CAN'T THROW A FATALLY INJURED PERSON LIKE THAT!"

"Hurry up! Those injuries look serious!" Light yelled, not responding to Usopp's outburst.

"Are you that young warrior's comrade?" Mihawk questioned calmly when Light turned to face him with a glare. "I'm impressed with you for not interfering."

"He waited his whole life for the chance to fight you." Light said, still glaring. It wasn't a vengeful glare but just one of animosity for cutting down his Nakama. "If I interfered, even if it meant saving his life, his life as a Swordsman would have been finished."

"That's an astute observation, but there's no reason to threat." Hawk-Eye informed him calmly. "Your friend will live."

Light once again turned around to see that Johnny and Yosaku had already pulled him into their boat, and they were preparing to treat his wounds.

"Big Bro! Say something, please!" Yosaku begged as Zoro lay on the floorboards lifelessly for a moment.

"Zoro?" Light exclaimed anxiously. At hearing his name, Zoro suddenly came back to life and began to cough up water and blood.

"Zoro!" Silk called back again worriedly as the four of them gathered around Zoro, and Usopp opened up a first aid kit to begin attempting to treat his injuries.

"It's still far too early for you to die, strong one." Mihawk said as he folded his arms and proclaimed loudly. "My name is Hawk-Eye Mihawk! You're strong, but there is still much for you to learn! No matter how many years it takes, I will hold this title as the Greatest in the World and wait for you! Until that day, you must hone your skills! Then, SEEK ME OUT! RORONOA ZORO!"

Owner Zeff had stood there the whole time with that composed expression. "Not just anyone can earn the regard of Hawk-Eye Mihawk." He said, and there was also a tone of respect in his voice.

"He's awake!" Usopp's voice suddenly called out, and they all looked to the boat. "He's regaining consciousness!" He declared as Zoro continued to cough up blood and seawater. Johnny and Yosaku were trying to get him to say something as Silk called out his name worriedly.

Gasping for breath, Zoro proved that he was far from dead as he lifted his white katana into the air, the sun gleaming on the silver blade. "Captain… Can you hear me…?" He gasped out so hoarsely that they could hardly make out the words.

"I hear you!" Light shouted, and they were all wondering just what he was gonna say.

And what he said next got them all robbed of all breath.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you." He gasped out, breathing hard as if every word was painful. "I know you need nothing less than the Greatest Swordsman in the world."

Light's eyes widened, and he stood there, completely taken aback by what Zoro was saying.

"I've let you down. Please forgive me. But now, I think I truly understand what you meant back then… When you said that there was a difference between being the Strongest and being the Greatest…." Zoro was suddenly coughing up more blood and water as the four around him tried to get him to stop. But he kept going on, ignoring their advice as he declared for them all to hear. "That's why… I solemnly swear… From this moment forward… That I will never lose again!"

And to their amazement, he was sounding choked up—Like he was crying.

"Until the day comes…" He went on, struggling for air. "When I defeat him and take his title."

Mihawk smirked at that as if he was privately looking forward to seeing him try.

But then Zoro finally called out. "I will never, NEVER be defeated! Is that ok? KING OF THE PIRATES?!"

There was silence at that, and Light took a breather before he decided it was his turn to speak. "I'll hold you to that. In exchange, I want you to hear this…"

This time Zoro was curious as to what he was going to say as he lowered his Sword. He wanted to look up at him but was in too much pain to lift his head.

"If that is what you swear, then from this moment on, I solemnly swear this—" Light declared with the same emotion as Zoro from a moment ago. "Until the day comes when I've claimed the One Piece and stand as the peerless, unrivaled Pirate King, I will never let anyone defeat me, regardless of their name, flag, or ambitions. As long as I am your Captain, I WILL NEVER LOSE!"

Zoro coughed again but smirked widely and uttered. "Then it's a deal… No more losing for either of us."

That was all he said, but there was something said between Captain and First Mate that the others were having trouble figuring out the words to describe. But Zoro knew what it was. This was more than just a promise. It was a vow—A blood oath, one that the two of them would carry for the rest of their lives. Two men who desired to be the Greatest—Brought together by a twist of fate. Even so, in the short time they've known each other, they have a deeper understanding of each other than some people who have known each for years. And this was the day when both of them carved a new promise into their hearts, a promise that they would die before they broke.

Mihawk seemed pleased also as he turned to face Light. "You're a good team. Tell me, is it true? Is that truly what you aspire to achieve?"

"That's right." Light said with no hesitation. "And I will make it a reality."

Again, Mihawk smiled. "Your ambitions are even loftier than your friend's." He informed him. "That's quite the task."

Now Light smirked at him. "You'll find I'm up to the task." He informed him before staring directly into his eyes. "If you don't believe me—Let me demonstrate!"

ZIIN!

Hawk-Eye was taken entirely by surprise as he felt a power he thought he'd never see here in the weakest ocean in the world—The power of Haki—Color of the Supreme King.

Light unleashed his Haki at Mihawk as though it was a horizontal geyser. It was a concentrated wave of his willpower focused solely on the Swordsman in front of him, and since no one was behind Hawk-Eye, no one else fell under the weight of the King's power.

That said, the burst of Haki was having a substantial effect on the atmosphere around them. Behind Hawk-Eye, the waves of Haki were tearing through the ocean in a straight line as though a blast of condensed wind was slicing through the surface of the water. Also, all around them, the large floor of wreckage they stood on was rocking violently like a miniature tornado was taking form and blowing everything away.

All the cooks and Pirates either had to hold onto something or move back to stop themselves from being blown away. Zoro, Silk, and Usopp were only slightly affected due to the fact that this wasn't the first time they had witnessed Light let loose this incredible power. Even though they still didn't actually understand it, Yosaku and Johnny were utterly lost and shell-shocked.

Sanji was still by the front of the restaurant and was holding a hand over his head to shield himself from all the wind pressure blowing around while he was watching Light with disbelief.

"What the hell is that?!" Sanji breathed out loudly.

"The true power of the Grand Line." Zeff answered stoically.

"What?" Sanji looked at him.

Among everyone there, Owner Zeff was the only person who seemed as though the Haki wasn't affecting him at all. He stood tall but had an expression of complete seriousness as he never let his gaze leave the sight of Light's back.

"Out there on the Grand Line, you'll find people who are unbelievable all over the place, but even if they are few in numbers, there are those who have the power to end a fight without lifting a finger." Zeff spoke as though he remembered something. "They're in a Class of their own."

"Are you kidding me?!" Sanji sounded like he couldn't believe it. "There are monsters like that out there, and he's one of them!?"

Zeff narrowed his eyes before smiling a little. "Make no mistake, if he wanted it, we'd all be dead before we even knew what happened."

For a moment, everyone was quiet as Light slowly began to reign in his Haki, letting it all fade as the atmosphere around them calmed down, quite literally like the ocean after a storm had passed. Now Light and Hawk-Eye merely shared each other down and gave him a confident expression while Hawk-Eye was evaluating him with the same newfound respect he gave Zoro.

Mihawk then smirked at Light. "I see. I know who you are."

"You do?" Light was expecting him to elaborate.

"Years ago, Shanks used to tell me these old stories about a boy he met in the East Blue. He said that he held tremendous power and unimaginable potential." He explained his expression showed that he was enjoying this encounter. "I already suspected it was you the moment I saw your Straw Hat, but seeing the power you hold at your disposal shows, without a doubt, you're everything he said you were—Mighty one."

"Then you should know this, just as Zoro aims to someday defeat you. I plan on doing the same to Shanks." Light declared, proudly crossing his arms. "You, Shanks, Kaido, Whitebeard, I'll surpass all of you and stand at the pinnacle of all."

Once again, Mihawk seemed pleased by his words also as he turned and headed back to his boat. "You're an interesting one. I hope to see you again… Someday."

"Hey, Hawk-Eye!" Krieg yelled, jumping down to face him after being pretty much forgotten this whole time. "I was under the impression that you had come here to take my life." He said, sounding insulted, "Weren't you here to kill Don Krieg? Ruler of the East Blue?"

"The thought had crossed my mind." Hawk-Eye admitted, not even bothering to look at him. "But I've had enough fun for today, so I'm going home to get some rest."

Krieg cracked his neck as he said with a grin. "I don't care if you've had enough… I haven't even gotten started."

"Um, but sir…." A Krieg Pirate muttered while sweating fearfully.

"Maybe it's not a good idea to try to keep him here." Another spoke with tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

As Krieg's crew begged him to change his mind, Krieg suddenly revealed guns and miniature cannons from underneath his armor and attacked. "NOW IT'S TIME TO DIE!"

"He just won't learn, will he?" Mihawk asked in a bored way as his hand went back to his Sword—

BOOOOOOOM!

No one could see what happened to him, but when the smoke from the projectiles cleared, Mihawk was gone. Light had jumped over and landed on the railing of Baratie next to the rest of the crew, who was near the tiny boat.

"Ah damn, he escaped." Krieg cursed as though his life hadn't just been spared.

"Usopp." Light addressed him. "You guys get Zoro inside and treat his injuries completely." He smirked. "And while you're doing that, I'll finish taking out these Pirates."

"Roger that!" Usopp cried back with great enthusiasm. "Don't you worry about a thing! I'll make sure Zoro is back on his feet in no time! Make sure you beat those Pirates right away! And then…!" He grinned wider as he finished. "After you do, we'll go after Nami, get the Going Merry back, and… The six of us will set sail to the Grand Line!"

"Count on it." Light responded to his burst of courage before turning to Silk. "You stay and fight with me."

Silk confidently stood next to him and nodded. "Roger that, Captain."

The Krieg Pirates were getting ready to attack them again now that the threat was gone, and Usopp picked up Zoro with the help of Yosaku and Johnny as they made their way back inside the restaurant.

"All right, men, we ran into a little distraction from our plan, but the real fight starts now!" Don Krieg announced, still 100% confident that no one could stop them. "We're taking that ship!"

[Yes, Sir!] All of the Krieg Pirates responded.

Light went over to the front of the Baratie's entrance where Zeff, Sanji, and the rest of the cooks had gathered. Light and Silk, who was with him, stepped up to face Owner Zeff as Light spoke.

"Hey, old-timer." Light casually greeted him as though a fight wasn't about to happen. "Hope you don't mind, but we'll be joining you in this fight."

"Suit yourself." Zeff answered in a voice as if he couldn't care less. "So, kid." Zeff moved on to a topic he had more interest in. "You said you were gonna be King of the Pirates. Were you serious?"

"Of course I am." Light answered without a doubt in his mind. "Someone has to be the Pirate King, so I decided that it'll be me."

Zeff smirked. "I've seen a whole lot of Pirates in my day… But you're the first to state your desire so clearly and without a doubt."

"Well, there's a first time for everything." Light remarked. "What about you? You were a Pirate yourself back in the day. What was your dream?" Light finished asking curiously.

Zeff looked up at the sky to see a seagull soaring above and answered. "I do my best to forget about the past… I'm the owner of Baratie now, and that's quite enough for me."

But Sanji felt the usual pang of guilt in him when he heard those words and thought about how the old man lost his leg. He looked away slightly and had a sad expression on his own face.

Back with Krieg's men, Don Krieg continued riling up his men to attack the restaurant.

"Men!" Krieg yelled as he pointed at Baratie. "If we can capture that ship, the Grand Line will be ours for the taking!" He declared, honestly believing what he said. "No more pretending to be Marines or raising the white flag of surrender. None of our enemies will suspect that we're a threat with a ship like that!" He grinned evilly. "In that boat, it'll always be a sneak attack!"

"He's right. That boat would come in handy." One of the Krieg Pirates agreed.

"No one would think that Pirates were on such a ridiculous-looking ship." Another pointed out.

"Right, but Don, even if we enter the Grand Line again using that vessel, what if we come across someone like Hawk-Eye Mihawk again? Then what'll we do?" Another Pirate put himself at risk by saying anything that wasn't agreeing with Krieg.

BANG!

The result was the same as before. Krieg had a look of unbridled rage before he took out a gun and shot him in the chest. The others watched in horror as another one of their crewmates was shot and killed by their Captain as his body fell into the ocean and drowned.

"I really appreciate the input, sailor." Krieg said sarcastically as if warning the rest of them as he pointed his gun at them. "Anything else?"

"N-No!" One of them fearfully responded.

"Do you think an ordinary man could cut up a sailing ship like that!?" Krieg angrily questioned them. "That man probably has the power of the Devil Fruit." He predicted. "Although those with Devil Fruit powers are rare and legendary to us, I assure you, they are commonplace on the Grand Line. Mihawk must have used some strange power when he sliced our ship to ribbons. When we're on the Grand Line, those powers won't be special. They'll be considered normal."

He sounded sure of himself, but it seemed like he was just trying to make sense of things he didn't understand. He then looked forward and glared daggers at Owner Zeff, who he could see in the distance.

"That old geezer, Red-Foot Zeff, sailed those seas for a year. It stands to reason that he had strategies for dealing with those monsters." Krieg theorized confidently. "The techniques for surviving that parade of weirdos must be written in the old man's logbook, along with clues to the One Piece."

"I see. You're a genius." One of his men said, now fully convinced.

"All we have to do is get that logbook and the ship. Then we'll be able to find our way to the One Piece again." Another believed that it couldn't be easier.

"You hear that, boys!" Krieg addressed all of them loud enough that even the cooks could hear him. "Now, let's get to it! That restaurant will be ours!"

As the chefs heard the Pirates let out a battle cry to signal a fight was coming, Sanji walked over to the side and breathed out some smoke from his cigarette.

"This restaurant will be a battlefield…." Sanji muttered forebodingly, like he wanted to avoid that. He looked over to one of the cooks. "Go to the control room and open up the fins."

"What?" He gasped at that sudden order. "No! That's a bad idea. If we do that, we'll be giving the enemy a foothold."

"And that's just fine." Sanji replied, tapping the wall of the ship. "We gotta do whatever it takes to keep those guys out of this place. If they destroy the inside, then the old man will complain forever."

"Did you just say something, you brat?" Zeff gave him an annoyed side glance.

"Yeah, I said you're whiny." Sanji said it clearly without a care before turning back to the cook he was speaking to. "Now go."

"Yes, Sir!" The cook complied and ran to the control room.

Now that Krieg gave the command to attack, the Pirates roared as they charged forward to stampede toward the restaurant and attack the chefs. Light stepped on foot on top of the railing and smirked at the incoming enemies.

"I'll go first." Light proclaimed before he jumped forward.

The Krieg Pirates stopped and looked horrified at the sight of Light barrelling towards them in midair. Light launched himself over to them and was easily able to fight them all off—Just knocking them back with little effort as his arms flashed out at great speed so that he landed a hit on each one of them that sent them flying into the water.

Don Krieg looked incredibly angered at what Light had just done, while the cooks looked both impressed and amazed.

"Did you see that?! Go, kid!" One of the cooks cheered.

"What the heck's up with that guy?" One of the Pirates asked in shock.

"Yeah, he's crazy!" Another exclaimed, sounding intimidated.

"It's hard to believe. The Grand Line is crawling with guys like these?" Sanji asked, shaking his head.

"I doubt that." Silk argued with that statement. "Even on the Grand Line, I doubt there's anyone out there like him."

After Light knocked them all back while still in the air, he twisted his body around to display impressive midair control and aerodynamic skills before landing gracefully on the ruins of the mainmast from Don Krieg's flagship.

"Okay, now he's just showing off." Silk noticed. Not surprised, though.

"Sanji." Zeff's voice interrupted them as he addressed Sanji, who was still standing next to him. "Pay special attention to how this one fights." He said. "Don't take your eyes off him for a moment… Until this fight is over. Is that clear?"

While Sanji looked confused about why he would ask that of him, he did so all the same and looked at the sight of Light staring down at Don Krieg.

"Sanji! Here come the fins!"

After hearing the voice of that cook yelling from the control room, the whole restaurant began to shake. With a great rumbling noise, something was coming up from under the sea. The ship started to tremble, but the movements were sharp and condensed because it was because of the ship itself and not the waves. Slowly, two comprehensive platforms rose out from under the ship, snapping in place around the sides of Baratie. It created a wide, open area for standing.

Light whispered as he was impressed. "That old man really thought of everything."

Sanji walked forward onto the new foothold and stared down the Pirates across from him. "My cooks and I will never give up defending this place. Prepare to die."

"I see. Good plan bringing up all that extra decking genius." Krieg mockingly praised him. "Now we don't have to take the fight inside. I'd hate to damage my future ship. And make no mistake. It will be mine!"

"We will never let you have the restaurant!" A cook yelled defiantly at his claim.

"That's right! We mean business!" Patty's voice yelled though he wasn't on the deck.

"We're battle cooks now!" Carne yelled alongside him, wherever they were.

DON!

With another loud rumble, the giant ship head of the restaurant started to tremor. Now Patty and Carne revealed themselves as the front fish-shaped masthead detached from the ship, revealing itself to be a paddleboat.

"SET SAIL! Mackerel Head 1! The Baratie's secret weapon!" Patty declared while paddling.

"So, if you wanna live, I suggest running away now!" Carne warned them while paddling.

Silk turned to the port side to see the paddle boat and blinked. "…Um, interesting design choice?"

"Those idiots." Sanji said as he watched Patty and Carne paddle their way toward the galleon. The mouth of the boat opened, and three cannons stuck out.

"FIRE!" Patty cried.

KABOOM!

The cannons repeatedly fired at the broken galleon and the Pirates while the fish continued toward Krieg. The boat did not stop until they were directly in front of the armor-clad man. The mouth of the cannon was bigger than his head.

"Krieg! Say your prayers! Little did you know that the Sea Restaurant Baratie had such a powerful weapon just waiting to be unleashed!" Patty declared before preparing to fire again.

KABOOM!

The three cannons blasted at the armor-clad Krieg with such force that it looked like it was shooting light beams at the pirate. Then, to their surprise, the light deflected around its intended target. The smoke bloomed around Krieg, who had easily knocked away the cannonballs with just the palm of his hand.

The boat then came to a sudden halt that rocked the two who were driving it.

"What happened?!" Patty questioned loudly. "Did we bump into something?!"

"We're not moving!" Carne realized.

It turns out that Krieg was more than just some armor and pistols, however. He was able to stop the weapon with his bare hands and held the boat in place as if it was as light as a toy. He looked down with an expression that showed he was seething with anger.

"I am Don Krieg! The man who will rule the ocean!" Krieg proclaimed angrily, feeling as if he was being insulted.

Krieg then grabbed the paddle boat with both hands and shocked all the cooks watching as he started lifting the ship up. In a demonstration of superior strength, he lifted the boat completely out of the water and above his head.

"No way! He's so strong!" Patty cried out in horror and disbelief.

After lifting the boat up entirely in the air, Krieg mustered all the strength he had and actually threw it back towards the chefs. The boat sailed through the air and was on a course to smash into the restaurant.

"It's coming straight for us!" A cook cried out.

"The restaurant! Oh no!" Another cook thought they were doomed.

Thankfully they were safe as Sanji took care of it when he jumped up and stopped it in its tracks with a single kick. The fish head smashed into the fin and left the restaurant unscathed.

Krieg and his men were shocked, the cooks were amazed and relieved, Silk looked impressed, and Light and Owner Zeff both just had a small smile as though they knew he was capable of that.

"He's got legs of steel!" One of the Pirates commented in awe.

"He kicked back that crazy boat just like it was nothing." Another Pirate said with amazement.

"Very impressive." Don Krieg begrudgingly admitted.

"Sanji, good job!" One of the cooks praised him.

"That was a great kick." Silk acknowledged his skill.

Light looked pleased and said to himself. "Looks like he inherited the style of Red-Foot Zeff and made it his own."

With that taken care of, bursting out from the wreckage of the paddle boat were Patty and Carne, who looked pissed at Sanji for almost killing them.

"What's the deal?!" Patty snapped at him.

"Are you trying to crush your friends?!" Carne yelled as they ran up to him.

"Yeah, yeah." Sanji waved them off with boredom.

"Don't "yeah, yeah," us! You crazy fool!" Patty snapped at him again.

"Stop acting so cool!" Carne angrily pointed at him while Patty was growling at him. "You wouldn't be so smug if we'd been killed! You bucket of bag wash!"

"All right, ladies, you think you can wrap this up another time? We have business to attend to." A taunting voice addressed them.

It was then that the Krieg Pirates finally arrived on the fins and confronted the cooks, ready for a fight. The chefs glared back at the Pirates, just as ready for a fight. It started off as a stand-off until the cooks rushed in to fight—But they were no match for their sheer numbers. However, the worst part was listening to them brag about how strong they were. But the cooks refused to take it and still rose up to fight with all the strength they had.

Still, the cooks were easily tossed back towards the restaurant, and their backs slammed against the guard rails. "They're totally different from the ones we fought before." One of the cooks groaned.

"It's insulting to lump us in with that average riffraff. We are the great Krieg Pirates, and we're the absolute rulers of the East Blue!" One of the Pirates declared.

"Let it be known to all—That this garish boat already belongs to the great and powerful Krieg Pirates!" Krieg reiterated that notion.

"Do you even hear the nonsense you're spouting?" Silk scoffed at their baseless confidence. "The "great and powerful" Krieg Pirates have no ship, no fleet, and no honor to speak of. The likes of you couldn't dream of taking this ship."

"The woman knows what she's talking about." Sanji confidently agreed with her. "You and your cronies will never set foot in our restaurant."

"He's right, men!" Owner Zeff addressed the rest of the cooks.

Then Patty stepped forward to enter the fight. "You know what? I've been a cook all my life. I've worked at a lot of restaurants and have gotten fired from them all for scuffling and living hard." He confessed lightly.

Carne knew all this because he was there with him throughout all that and was the same. "And after years of wandering, we finally found a home here."

They both held up their weapons, and Patty proudly declared. "We like fighting and cooking, so this place is perfect for us."

They readied their giant utensils for battle, and Carne proudly declared. "That's right. There's no other place like this."

Finally, Sanji proudly declared. "You hear that?! Now that's true fighting spirit!"

"Committing ourselves to cooking fine cuisine, day in and day out, is a fierce battle. Compared to that, these Pirates are nothing!" Patty loudly proclaimed.

Patty and Carne were a lot stronger than the rest of them and were able to fight them off. Not only that, the fighting spirit these two displayed increased the morale of the rest of them, and all the fighting cooks came together to push back to Krieg Pirates to a standstill.

"Protect Owner Zeff!" Patty roared.

"Protect the restaurant!" Carne roared.

The fight was a statement, but it looked like the cooks were winning in terms of morale… At least until another one of Krieg's men appeared.

He appeared after gently swimming from the wreckage of their ship to the foothold where all the fighting was taking place, being as quiet as possible so that no one would notice his approach. That's what gave him the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on Patty. He cried out when he was suddenly hit by a small but powerful projectile that knocked him off his feet and hard onto the floor.

"Huh? What was that?" Carne questioned as everyone was surprised at seeing Patty get taken out.

He didn't have to find out as right he asked that question. A second projectile was fired and hit him just like it did Patty, knocking out Carne just the same.

They all looked in the direction that the projectile came from to see the man responsible. He was an enormous man that stood a full head taller than the other Pirates. On his front, he wore thick iron plates that covered his chest, his knees, and his elbows, and he even held two iron plates in his hands like a shield. Embedded in the center of each plate were large pearlescent stones. On his head, he wore a matching pearl hat.

The new arrival looked around at the rest of the Pirates and merely sighed at them. "Just what do you guys think you're doing?"

"I was about to ask him the same thing." Light muttered, staring at the questionable individual.

"Hahahaha! So, let's do this!" He challenged them mockingly. "But, before we begin, it's only fair I give you a warning. I am Pearl, the Invincible Shield!" He announced.

Owner Zeff ignored him and showed more concern for his employees. "Patty, Carne, are you two okay?"

"I'd say that pair is far from okay! Those two just experienced my Pearl Surprise! One of my signature punches! You bumbling pathetic idiot!" Pearl proudly proclaimed though it was clear that no one was impressed.

Sanji stepped forward and looked down at Patty.

"Just stay down, you guys." Sanji advised them before turning his attention to the Pirates. "I'm gonna teach these bozos a lesson."

The Krieg Pirates obviously didn't appreciate that taunt as they responded by angrily running towards him to attack. But as the Pirates charged him, he took them all out with a few kicks as he got into a handstand position while spinning his legs like a windmill, thus landing a kick on every enemy from every direction.

Pearl wasn't intimidated and merely mocked him about only fighting with his legs. "Ha! How very impudent of you to defeat them all using your kicks, am I to be impressed by that?"

"I'm a cook, remember?" Sanji demanded. "I couldn't do my job very well if I ruined my hands in battle." He held up a leg and finished. "So I'll be taking you down with my feet."

"Is that so?" Pearl's response was still filled with mockery. "I think not. I'm invincible, you see."

"Let's put that to the test then, shall we?" Silk suggested as she stepped forward beside Sanji. "Why don't I be your opponent."

"Please wait." Sanji spoke. His tone was much less rough when speaking to her. "I humbly ask you to let me handle this one. It's my job to defend the restaurant."

"Exactly, it's your job to defend the restaurant, so focus on that, also for focusing on the enemy, let me focus on that." Silk told him with a serious expression. "It's a Pirate's job to face another Pirate."

"Even so, I'd rather not make a lady fight in a battle while I'm capable of doing so myself." Sanji brought it up, hoping to convince her.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm not someone you need to be worried about." Silk just gave him a confident expression. "Don't worry. I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"Haha! It makes no difference to me who goes first. It'll just change the order of when you die!" Pearl taunted before he started bragging. "I can't be defeated. I've won all 61 of my battles completely and totally unscathed. It's quite remarkable, really. No one has ever shed a single drop of my blood in battle, no one." He continued on with no signs of stopping. "Now, do you realize my power?!"

"Oh, I realize it all right." Silk retorted indifferently. "I realize that you're someone who's never truly been in a fight."

Pearl's annoying confident expression turned to irritation at being insulted. "What was that?"

"Either that or you're delusional." Silk continued, not hiding how little she thought of him. "If in all your life, not one person has injured you, then you must have spent your whole life fighting small fry. That's hardly fighting. After all, even worms can feel mighty when all they ever do is fight dirt."

"How dare you, you insolent wench!" Pearl glared daggers at her and banged his two shields together. "If you want to see proof of my strength, then I'll give it to you in the form of your death. I may be a gentleman, but I'm not gentle, got it?"

Silk didn't even bother to dignify that with a response and looked down as she saw a small piece of wooden debris by her shoe. After deciding on something, she swung back her leg like she was preparing a kick.

Not noticing, Pearl continued with his self-gratifying monologue. "Even Battleships cannons don't work on me! I come out of any attack unharmed—"

BOINK!

Because he was so busy monologuing, Pearl didn't notice Silk kick the small piece of debris at his—At the moment—Unguarded face. As a result, the piece of wood boinked him on the nose with enough force to give the large man a minor nosebleed.

"Well, that's an end to him never dropping any blood." Light stated as he fought the urge to shake his head. "Really, this is getting pathetic."

"Mohji, the Nyaban Brothers, and now this." With half-closed eyes, Silk remembered the enemies she'd fought against lately. Despite being the top members of infamous Pirate crews, they—Just like the man standing before her seemed so disappointingly pitiful. "Why do I keep finding myself facing these punchlines?"

But as Pearl stared at the blood, his eyes widened, and he was shaking. The other Krieg pirates were all telling Pearl to stay calm, that it was only a nosebleed.

"…This isn't good." Krieg muttered angrily, knowing what was about to happen.

"These… These people aren't just mean… they're dangerous!" Pearl muttered, his face twitching horribly at that.

"So…" Sanji said slowly, looking around at everyone. "Wanna tell me why everyone's freaking out?"

Light appeared to be just as lost. "Maybe he has a blood phobia?"

Pearl was banging the two shields on his hands together, looking close to freaking out, screaming out. "Danger… Danger…"

"Calm down!" Don Krieg yelled at Pearl. "It's just a nosebleed! Don't lose your cool! Relax!"

"Gez, what is that guy doing?" Sanji yelled in annoyance.

"Danger…! Danger…! DANGER!" Pearl screamed madly.

FLAME!

The reason behind his madness revealed itself as, after that last yell, Pearl set himself on fire. All the shields and armor around his body were set ablaze as all his crewmates started to freak out.

FIRE PEARLS SPECIAL TREAT!

Pearl unleashed a large number of flaming projectiles in every direction, not caring who he burned as a result. Pearl's attack set the ship and even his own crewmates on fire, and as the blaze spread, it created a sorta wall of fire around him to keep any potential attackers at bay.

"PERISH IN MY FLAMES!" Pearl roared like a man possessed. "WITH MY SHIELDS AND THIS INFERNO! I AM INVINCIBLE!"

"That moron!" Don Krieg cursed at his crewmate's attention. "We need that ship and gonna destroy it!"

The Krieg Pirates became even more afraid after they fully comprehended the situation they were in. "On no, we're either gonna burn or drown. He's destroying our only ship."

"This isn't good." Another Pirate spoke. "The restaurant's gonna catch fire."

"Not on my watch." Sanji was angered beyond belief at seeing the restaurant burning. Sanji couldn't take it anymore as he jumped high over the wall of flames. "You son of a bitch!" He landed a kick on one of the flaming shields.

Pearl looked horrified. "B-But these flames scare everyone away!" He screamed out, looking ready to cry.

"Well." Sanji answered, holding out his cigarette, looking like he didn't have a care in the world at that moment. "If I were scared of fire, I wouldn't be much of a cook!"

"Even if he were, that still wouldn't save you." Silk entered the circle as well, seemingly walking right through the wall of flames as though they didn't affect her as she drew her Sword. "After all, there are more dangerous things out there than some minor flames."

Pearl only became angrier at them. "I hate them. I hate that refined gentleman and that sharp-tongued woman!"

"May I?" Silk requested Sanji.

"Be my guest." Sanji complied.

With that, Silk dashed forward and aimed a straightforward thrust at the center of the large shield that covered Pearl's body. The strength behind her Sword was enough to knock Pearl off his feet and knock him flat on his back.

"Wow, she got him good." One of the Krieg Pirates gasped, not hiding his amazement.

"Yeah, she just broke through Pearl's invincible wall." Another one added.

But Pearl seemed to lose it completely as he got up and gripped his face when his bloody nose got worse, and tears started to form. "You stupid girl! You're totally insane! I'll…Kill…You!" He cursed, sounding almost insane himself. "Fire! Need more FIRE!"

FIRE PEARLS SPECIAL TREAT!

With that, he shot out flaming pearls, aiming them directly at the restaurant—determined to set it on fire too. The only thing standing in their way was Owner Zeff, who was still standing right in front of the main entrance.

"No! The whole boat's gonna burn!" One of the cooks cried out.

"If the flames get to the kitchen, the ship will explode!" Another chef yelled in horror.

Zeff showed no signs of moving as the flaming pearls were closing in on him, much to the horror of the rest of the cooks.

"Run, Owner Zeff! Get out of there! RUN!" One of them pleaded with him.

But Zeff showed no fear and didn't retreat an inch. When the pearls neared him, he stood on his one good leg and used the peg leg to give a swift kick, and the gust from that attack had actually put the fires out and caused them to drop to the deck harmlessly.

Everyone who had just witnessed that was obviously impressed in more ways than one. To be able to produce a kick with such speed and power that the wind alone could put out the flames—And with the use of a peg leg at that—It was undeniable proof that all the tales of the strength of Red-Foot Zeff were not exaggerated.

"What? No way?" Pearl gasped in disbelief. "He put out my fire pearls?"

"Fire pearls, eh?" Zeff scoffed at something so ridiculous. "That's kids' stuff."

"Impossible?! I don't believe it?!" One of the Krieg Pirates cried out in dismay. "Red-Foot Zeff is still just as strong as ever."

Light smirked at the old cook. "I wouldn't go that far, but he can still take care of himself, at least."

But with the fire still raging, Krieg had decided to take action.

"So, then it's finally come down to this, huh?" Krieg said to himself as he brought out a sizeable iron-spiked ball and chain. "I've got no choice. Smash the fins, or the boat burns."

Having made his decision, Krieg spun the ball with the chain before launching it. When he threw it, he aimed it directly over where Sanji, Silk, and Pearl were fighting, but with them all trapped by the fire, they had nowhere to go.

"Sanji! Watch out!" Patty called out.

"They can't escape!" One of the cooks paled. "They're surrounded by fire!"

Pearl screamed in terror at the incoming weapon, and Sanji stared up in horror at it as well. But Silk wasn't afraid, and just before it hit, she jumped up above the fire and saved Sanji by using the blunt end of her Sword to bat against the spiked ball and sending the ball flying back toward Krieg.

"She knocked that thing right back!" Sanji gasped in shock as she landed back beside him.

As she looked back, she could see that the spiked ball was flung into another broken mast, smashing it apart even further, and when it fell, it ended up breaking on Pearl's head, knocking him out and putting an end to the fire.

"Pearl is down!" One of the Pirates shouted. "And he's not gonna get up this time!"

[No! Pearl] Some of them called out to him.

Silk gave Don Krieg a smug expression as she placed a hand on her hip and addressed him. "Thanks for the assist, Krieg. I really appreciate it." She sarcastically taunted him.

Krieg looked like he had just about enough of all this and cracked his neck in annoyance. "You want something done right. You've got no choice but to do it yourself."

"Gah!"

However, the Krieg Pirates have not said their last word. While they were fighting, Gin had snuck up behind Zeff and was now holding him a gunpoint.

"The battle ends right here." Gin announced with a solemn but severe tone.

Everyone who heard the sound of Zeff's pained grunt turned to the restaurant and watched Gin holding Zeff down by stepping his foot on top of the old man's back, the double-barrel gun pointed at his head.

"Shoot him! Do it now!" Don Krieg loudly demanded impatiently. "All we have to do is kill the geezer! Then the restaurant will be ours!"

Silk narrowed her eyes at him. "Gin…" She whispered with frustration.

Light's expression was one that made it hard to tell what he was thinking as he merely stared at the cook being held at gunpoint and the Pirate standing over him.

"I don't care how much of an amazing Pirate he used to be. Now he's just a cook. I wouldn't have to break a sweat to kill this old fart." Contrary to his words, Gin's facial expression showed that this was the last thing he wanted to do. "I'll spare him, but you have to leave. Please, don't make this any harder, Sanji. Just leave, don't force me to kill both of you."

Gin's face and tone revealed the true nature of his emotions—Guilt and regret. He wanted nothing more than for them to just go with their lives, both Sanji and Zeff. Even though his Captain ordered them to steal the restaurant, he wanted nothing more than to do so in a way where no one had to die.

Unfortunately, Sanji had no intention of accepting those terms.

"Run away…?" Sanji blew out some more smoke before responding. "Not a chance!" His answer shocked Gin as Sanji turned his attention to Zeff. "You look even dumber at gunpoint, old man. What kind of example do you think you're setting for all the other cooks?" He scolded his boss.

Owner Zeff scoffed at Sanji's rebuke, not caring that his life was under threat. "I don't need a lecture from a brat like you."

"WOULD YOU STOP CALLING ME NAMES!" Sanji angrily snapped at Owner Zeff. "QUIT TREATING ME LIKE A KID!"

"What is wrong with those two?" Silk asked, upset by their conversation. "Do they not understand the situation they're in?"

Despite how they were acting, Sanji's following words proved he was taking things very seriously. "Gin, point that gun at me!"

Zeff, Gin, and Silk looked surprised at him after hearing that demand Gin asked. "Sanji, why you?"

"Someone's eager to die. Lucky for you, I'd be happy to oblige."

A familiar voice spoke out before Gin could get an answer to his question. To the surprise of most, Pearl revealed himself to be up on his feet again and ready for another round as he approached Sanji from behind.

"Allow me. It will be my pleasure to beat you to a bloody, lifeless pulp." Pearl had a vengeful expression as he raised one of his shields.

Absolutely Natural Pearl Surprise!

Pearl brought down his armored shield to smash it into Sanji's face. Sanji made no move to dodge or raise a leg to defend himself. However, before the blow struck, Silk knocked Sanji out of the way, and thus, she ended up taking the hit as she was slammed into the side of the restaurant.

"Silk!" Light screamed out as blood started dripping down from Silk's face.

"…Why?" Sanji looked horrified at seeing her get hurt from an attack aimed at him and called out to her. "Why did you take that blow?"

"Better question…" Silk slowly stood up and wiped her face before scowling at Sanji as though he was the one who did something wrong. "Why didn't you dodge that?! I know you could!"

"Because…" Sanji hissed to Silk, answering her question. "If I did, that rat over there would have pulled the trigger on Owner Zeff."

There was silence for a moment as that sunk in.

Gin tried to plead to just give up the restaurant again. "Why are you doing this? Just leave the restaurant peacefully, and no one gets hurt, please."

Gin was honest, and unlike Krieg, he would keep that promise. But Sanji just couldn't… He couldn't give it up…

"This restaurant is that old man's life!" Sanji declared from where he stood, lowering his head in guilt as he confessed. "I've already taken everything else that man holds dear…." Due to what he had done to Zeff in the past, he refused to make that old man give up another one of his treasures."His power… His dreams…? So while I'm around…." He then screamed out. "I'M NOT GONNA LET ANYTHING ELSE GET TAKEN FROM HIM!"

Zeff only appeared to be more upset by Sanji's declaration as Pearl continued his assault.

"BEHIND YOU!" Patty yelled, warning him.

Sanji was so preoccupied that he didn't notice Pearl, who took the opportunity for some payback and prepared to slam his shields into his head. But once again, Silk moved faster than him and pushed him aside to take the blow in his place as both shields slammed into her head, and blood was now pouring out of her mouth, ears, and nose.

"Silk!" Light yelled, his eyes reflecting anger now.

"Gugh!" Silk wasn't as physically durable as Light or Zoro, and so all this damage was really taking its toll. She fell onto the floor, barely able to stop herself from passing out.

"Stop!" Sanji pleaded, hating himself for allowing her to take such massive damage in his place. "Why are you doing this?! He was aiming for me!"

Silk gave him a pained grin as she looked up at him from the floor. "…The same reason you told Gin to aim his gun at you."

"What?" Sanji's eyes widened.

"You might think I'm crazy… But I know what it means to have something irreplaceable. This restaurant isn't just the old man's treasure, but yours too." Silk told him as she struggled to push herself up to her knees. "And if you have something so important to you that you're willing to put your life on the line to protect it, then I'll do the same…." She finished with a look of complete certainty. "That's the kind of person I am."

Sanji processed her words but honestly didn't know what to say. All he felt was a great number of complicated emotions swirling inside of him. "…You."

Gin also appeared shaken by her declaration and looked as though he wanted to think of a way to stop her. "No…. Just stay down."

"Haha!" Pearl, however, had no qualms about the situation and just kept enjoying himself. "That is so very altruistic of you! But this restaurant will be closing soon! And it'll open for business as a Pirate Ship!"

"ENOUGH!"

The roar of a beast resounded loudly, which captured the attention of everyone on the battlefield. With a dangerous look in his eyes, Light's shout was followed by his jumping in the air and raising his arm to bring down an attack.

"NO, DON'T!" Sanji screamed, also understanding what was about to happen. "GIN'LL SHOOT THE OLD MAN!"

But Light was no longer listening as he screamed out the top of his lung.

DOOOOOOOON!

And like that, his fist came slamming down from the sky so that when it landed on the fin, it was instantly smashed to pieces. With a dangerous, wild look in his eyes that was nothing like his normal, cheerful self as he finished his attack.

The world seemed to shake as his fist came down, and with a great booming sound, the shrapnel went flying every which way, and the ocean water came down like rain—Finally putting out all the flames that were burning around the wooden floor.

There was stunned silence for a moment as they tried to recover from what had just happened.

Light was now standing on one of the floating pieces, his face mostly hidden, but he was still calm—Having satiated his rage, Light now faced the Krieg Pirates with a wave of more controlled anger. But with fury on his face, Krieg loudly yelled. "YOU DARE DEFY ME! Gin! Blow his head off right now!"

Krieg ordered Gin to kill Zeff, except Gin seemed reluctant to do so.

"What are you waiting for?!" Krieg angrily demanded he obeys.

"But… He…" Gin looked down at Zeff, still hoping for an alternative. "He saved our lives when we were starving… He gave us food!"

Gin hoped to appeal to his Captain by reminding him of their debt, but his refusal to kill only angered Krieg further. He almost looked like he was losing his mind. "GIN! KILL HIM!"

"SHUT UP!" This time, Light yelled at Krieg, finally having had enough of his mad ranting. "If you wanna kill so badly, come over here and do it yourself." He practically dared him to try it.

Krieg wasn't the one who was upset, as Sanji was infuriated at Light for destroying a large portion of the restaurant. "Back off, Straw Hat. This isn't your fight."

"It just became my fight." Light told him without looking at him.

"What?" Sanji approached him.

"I may not be involved with this restaurant, but these guys have spilled the blood of my Nakama." Light informed him with a look in his eyes that showed he was absolutely serious. "Anyone who harms my crew will learn that there won't be an ocean in the world they can run to that'll keep them safe from me. I'm ending this now."

Silk looked at him through the blood around her eye and muttered quietly. "…Captain."

Sanji even got right up in Light's face. "You bastard, would you think for a second?" He demanded furiously. "If you go on a rampage right now, the old man will die!"

"And what's your alternate solution? Doing nothing?" Light asked back, not swayed by his argument. "If we don't fight back, we'll all die with the old man, and they'll take the ship. Is that what you want?"

"NO!" Sanji screamed at him. But apparently, Zeff could see where he was coming from. He even had a smirk on his face. It seemed that the old chef agreed with Light's way of thinking as well. But Sanji wasn't thinking about that. "This ship saved my life! I owe everything to her! But the old man is just as important, and I don't plan on losing either of them today. I will not let you gamble with his life!"

"You don't want him to die, but it's fine if you die?! Would you listen to yourself!" Light snapped and yelled out as he grabbed Sanji by his jacket and pulled him right into his face. "You don't repay a debt at the cost of your life; you repay it with your life! The old man saved you so that you could make something of the life he sacrificed everything to preserve! Letting yourself be killed will be the same as making everything he gave up be in vain!"

Sanji didn't say anything else as he thought about it all. His words resonated within him and silenced any rebuttal he may have had.

Light knew what he was talking about. After all, because of that simple mind of his, he can see past events that have taken place and realize just what needs to be done. That was a specialty of his.

Meanwhile, Pearl was laughing as he recaptured their attention. "Boys, there's no need to fight." He brushed off their debate. "Especially when there's nothing either of you can do. Not while there's a big gun pressed right up against the old man's chef's hat." He bragged.

Light released Sanji. "All right, I've run out of patience—" Light then shouted out. "USOPP!"

SLING!

A second after his yell, a clanking sound echoed as the gun in Gin's hand was knocked out of his hand and rolled away against the floorboards. No one saw what caused that or even what had happened until they saw a small lead projectile hit the floor next to Gin.

Gin was still thrown off by the suddenness of it all, but when he saw the projectile, he looked up towards the upper floor of the restaurant and saw the person responsible standing by the railing.

Usopp stood there proudly with his slingshot in hand, which he had just used to fire one of his marbles at the gun in Gin's, and demonstrated his superior sniping skills by knocking away from him and thus removing the threat to Zeff's life.

"That guy?" Sanji breathed out, surprised at what he had just seen.

"Usopp?" Silk noted with a smile, not hiding the fact that she was impressed.

"Nice shot, Usopp!" Light acknowledged his success.

"Ha! It's the job of the sniper to support the crew from long range!" Usopp said loudly enough for everyone to hear him. "Don't worry about Zoro. His wounds have closed up, so now he's resting!"

"Great! Now stay up there and cover us when we need it!" Light instructed him.

"Got it! Leave it to me!" Usopp gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up.

"Did you plan this in advance?" Silk asked him curiously.

"I told him that this would be a usual formation whenever we were in battle, but he decided for himself to join this fight." Light answered her. "Usopp's decisive when he wants to be."

"Well, the old man's out of harm's way, so I won't complain." Sanji said before turning his attention to Pearl. "In fact, this works out perfectly."

Don Krieg wasn't happy about any of this as he clenched his fists with frustration. "Damn that sniper… Gin, pick up that gun and kill Zeff! Hell, use your bare hands for all I care! Just kill him right now!"

Gin was starting to shake. He averted his eyes as a bit of sweat began to pour around his face. He watched Owner Zeff rise to his feet and stand up straight. The old man looked at him without saying a word, but Gin couldn't bear to look back at him. He was starting to feel crushed under the weight of wanting to fulfill his duty and obey his Captain but also wanting to remember his debt and not hurt the ones to who he owes his life. He didn't know what to do.

"Are you deaf!" Krieg impatiently screamed at him, not caring about his internal struggles. "Hurry up and kill him!"

"Hahaha! Please, rest assured, Don. I'll be happy to do it myself." Pearl offered, obviously having no reservations about doing so. "I'll kill these three and the old man without breaking a sweat."

"That mast must have really scrambled your brains if you honestly believe that." Sanji taunted him, now no longer worried about fighting back.

"Wait." Silk got between them and faced Pearl. "He's mine."

"What, you can't seriously?" Sanji didn't like that plan. "You took a really bad beating back there. You can't expect to fight in the shape that you're in."

"I might be hurt, but I'm not beaten." Silk wasn't backing as she reached for her Sword. "Please, let me finish what I started."

Sanji turned to Light. "Hey, talk some sense into her."

Silk also looked to Light. "Captain, let me do this. I couldn't forgive myself if I let be beaten by someone like that."

Light looked at the state she was in and contemplated what was the right decision before sighing. "Are you sure you can win this?"

"Absolutely." Silk said without a doubt.

"Fine, but your situation is different from Zoro's. If it looks like you're going to die, I'm stepping in, no arguments." Light told her decidedly.

"All right, I can accept that." Silk agreed to his terms.

With that, Silk unsheathed her Sword and stepped forward to confront Pearl, who faced her while full of confidence.

"Hahaha! You can barely walk straight, and yet you still want to face me. If you're so eager to die, then I have no qualms with assisting you!" Pearl bragged condescendingly.

"I'm sick of hearing you rattle on and on." Silk pointed the tip of her blade at him. "So, I'll be ending this with my next attack."

"Ha! Testy, aren't we? Your problem began when you decided to come up against the Krieg Pirates. Nothing can stop us." Pearl continued to boast before his shields together. "FIRE PEARL!" Once again, he ignited his shields with flames and charged at Silk madly. "Now you will burn!"

Silk bunt her legs slightly and held her Sword in a fencer stance as she waited for Pearl to get closer. Then, once he was in range, she used the springs in her body to launch her forward and thrust her Sword at the center of Pearl's body.

KATCHIN!

The attack landed, and the tip of her blade collided with the pearl in the middle of the shield armor that covered the front of Pearl's body. This caused an impact that sent Pearl skidding backward but still on his feet. However, Silk wasn't done as she once again closed the distance and thrust her Sword again.

Death Piercer!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Silk continuously thrust her Sword into Pearl's shield, always aiming for the same spot. After landing consecutive strikes at the large man, Silk jumped back and recreated the distance between the two of them and lowered her Sword.

Pearl just gave her a condescending smirk before laughing at her. "Was that supposed to accomplish something?! It doesn't matter how fast you are. Your brittle Sword will never put a dent in my invincible shield."

Silk returned his smirk with her own. "You might want to double-check that theory."

CRACK!

To his complete and utter disbelief, Pearl looked down when he heard a nearby breaking noise and saw a large crack in the center of his body armor. The crack spread throughout his armor until his giant body shield shattered to pieces and fell off his body, leaving him vulnerable.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Pearl cried out in horror and dismay. "What have you done to my invincible shield?!"

"I just gave it a few hits with my "brittle Sword"." Silk returned his previous taunt. "Looks like your shield wasn't as strong as your ego."

While watching from a distance, Usopp dissected the results. "I think I get it. She aimed for the exact same spot every time. All that damage piled up until the shield couldn't take it anymore and broke apart."

"Because she aimed for the center of the shield, the impact of the damage spread throughout the whole armored shell and caused the whole thing to shatter." Zeff inadvertently followed up on Usopp's deduction. "She succeeded because her aim was completely on point."

Light had a look of pride on his face as he added. "Silk procession and control with a Sword is as sharp as an archer who always hits the bullseye. She never misses her mark."

But Pearl apparently wasn't one to back down as he glared daggers at Silk and looked more willing to kill than ever. "You think I'll stop just because you broke my armor!?" He banged his two smaller shields together to ignite them for a third time. "I can still incinerate you with my Fire Pearls! So don't think—"

SLASH!

Not feeling like waiting for him to finish, Silk dashed forth and appeared in front of Pearl in an instant before slashing her Sword and cutting him diagonally through his torso, making the large man freeze and become completely silent as his wound started bleeding.

"Without your armor, you're just a big target." Silk told him with a cool, emotionless expression as she sheathed her Sword. "And there's nothing easier for me to cut."

With that, Pearl's eyes no longer reflected any consciousness in them, and like a tree that was chopped down in the woods, his body keeled over and collapsed on the floor of the fin, letting everyone know that the Krieg Pirate was defeated.

"No way… I don't believe it?" One of the Krieg Pirates muttered in shock.

"Pearl lost? That's crazy?" Another Pirate voiced his thoughts.

"That girl's unbelievable?" One of the cooks voiced his amazement.

"She beat one of Krieg's men. That's incredible." Another cook praised her.

Sanji had a look of recognition and respect. "She really is something. I shouldn't have doubted her."

Usopp also looked pleased after seeing her victory and said to himself. "That was amazing, Silk."

Silk slowly walked back over to Light. Now that the fight was over, she wasn't trying to fight through her injuries anymore, and it was clear that she was still hurting from the beating she had taken earlier. When she reached Light, she looked up at him.

"How are you feeling?" Light asked casually.

"If it's all the same to you—I think I'll sit out the rest of this fight." Silk responded, also casually.

"Fair is fair." Light accepted her request. "You've done your part. We'll handle the rest."

Silk nodded and walked over to the restaurant, and leaned against the wall before sitting down easily to let herself rest a bit. Krieg was angered by the turn of events that were taking place as nothing was going the way he demanded them to, and this led him to start yelling again. "Gin! Enough messing around! Kill the old man! DO IT!"

Gin's eyes were shadowed out as he didn't respond to Krieg's command. Even though Zeff was only a few feet away from him, Gi made no move to attack and possibly kill him. Instead, after having come to a decision, Gin moved forward and stepped onto the fins as he brought out his primary weapons—A unique pair of tonfa weighted with metal spheres at the ends.

"I'm sorry, Don Krieg, but I can't do that." Gin said seriously as he now confronted Light and Sanji.

"What?!" Krieg was so angry that a vein was bulging on his forehead. "Gin! You are disobeying an order from your Captain!"

"I know, I'm sorry, Don Krieg, but he saved our lives. I can't kill him. Not like this." Gin insisted graciously. "He deserves better. He deserves to face death standing up. But, I promise you, he'll still die by my hands." He assured him while tapping on of the tonfa over his shoulder.

Now Krieg just appeared to be fed up. "Oh great, my Chief Commander has now completely lost his marbles."

Meanwhile, Patty and Carne went over to Owner Zeff now that he was free and checked to see if he was all right.

"You just hang in there, Owner Zeff." Patty said with care.

"Are you alright, Boss?" Carne asked with concern.

Sanji, for the moment, seemed satisfied that Zeff appeared to be doing okay before turning his attention back to Gin. "He's their Chief Commander?"

"It's not too surprising." Light admitted, sizing up Gin. "For the start, it was obvious that he stood out compared to the rest of them."

"Sanji, look, I'm just following orders." Gin said, sounding remorseful. "I don't want to ruin this ship, but I think it's too late for that."

"Maybe." Sanji said to him darkly. "But… If you think you're gonna get to this restaurant without killing me, then you got another thing coming."

"Sounds fair." Gin said, lifting his weapon on his shoulder. "Then it'll be an absolute pleasure to kill you… My good friend."

"Geez, that's comforting." Sanji said as he lit a cigarette. "Asshole."

"You as well, Kid." Gin added, looking over at Light.

Light looked at him indifferently, but he didn't seem worried at all. "I appreciate the warning, my friend. But I'm not afraid of any Krieg Pirate."

Gin was looking annoyed as the rest of Krieg's crew were all angry and were shrieking out insults and death threats—Just outraged he had the gall to say something like that.

"We are the Krieg Pirates, the Strongest in East Blue!" One of the Pirates declared without a doubt in his mind.

Light looked at them all as if pitying them and said with a smile. "You were. But your fleet has already been destroyed, the only ship you had left already sank, and your numbers are less than 2% of what they used to be. Right now, you're weaker than an average Pirate crew."

There was nothing but silence—All the Pirates grinding their teeth, looking like they wanted to dismiss it, yet at the same time, they couldn't declare that it was a lie.

"Oh, that had to hurt." Silk said, but she couldn't stop the grin as she tried not to laugh.

Usopp, on the other hand, cringed when he saw the enraged expressions on the enemy that his Captain caused. "I really wish he wouldn't provoke the enemy like that."

"Oh boy." Sanji said. "Now you really pissed 'em off."

"Well, they aren't denying it." Light answered back.

It was funny seeing how angry the most feared Pirates in the East Blue were getting with a few words. In fact, the Krieg Pirates saw this as unforgivable, and they started to rush in, ready to try and prove themselves. However, they are immediately stopped by Krieg. "HOLD YOUR PLACE!"

"But, Don Krieg…" One of them wanted to argue.

"You only prove his point when you lose control or whine like little babies." Don Krieg stated in a composed manner as he sat down. "Do you see me trembling with anger? Only the weak react to mere words. Don Krieg's Pirates run from no man!"

[Yes, Sir!] They all responded.

"Except Hawk-Eye." Light inwardly pointed out the hole in that statement.

"Gin!" Krieg addressed his subordinate. "It's your job to take care of that cook. I'll handle the loudmouth brat. That runt is all mine."

Gin shifted his gaze over to Sanji. "I understand, yes, Don Krieg."

"Hey, kid." Now Krieg addressed Light. "You can try whatever you have against me, but I've seen it all before and have never been defeated by such trickery." He promised him with a murderous gaze. "When you experience the full force that conquered the entire East Blue, then you'll understand the meaning of power."

"You're the one who doesn't understand." Light glared back at him with his predatory gaze. "You're a weak man who hides behind an illusion of strength, but even when the truth is spelled right in front of you, you choose to run away from it, just like a coward."

Krieg didn't follow the mantra that he had just told his crew as he became angered by those words. "The impudence."

"You say you've never been defeated, but you were defeated by Mihawk. You say you don't run away, but you ran away from the Grand Line. You act like you're the Strongest, but all you ever do is make excuses for yourself." Light didn't hold back on stating the hard facts. "And to top it all off, you actually believe that all it takes to survive the Grand Line a second time is just having a book."

"Fool, don't underestimate the importance of information. Once I have that logbook, the unknown will become known." Don Krieg confidently proclaimed. "Once I know what's out there, overcoming the mysteries of the Grand Line will be well within my grasp."

"And what about your crew? Just how many of them died the first time, and how many of them will if your assumptions end up being wrong." Light questioned him coldly. "Are you saying you don't care that you'll potentially be leading them into another massacre?"

"My subordinates know exactly what it means to be a Krieg Pirate." Don Krieg said with a dangerous grin. "All they need to do is loyally follow my orders. If they end up dying along the way, it just means they were too weak."

"You're half right. It's a fundamental truth in the world of Pirates that a crew must obey their Captain. Loyalty is definitely a must." Light relented that clause before narrowing his eyes. "But don't get it twisted. Loyalty is a two-way road. Just as the crew is loyal to the Captain, the Captain must also answer them with his own loyalty. And he does that by doing whatever it is in his power to keep them alive. Preserving the life of the crew is the duty of the Captain."

"Hahahahaha! The duty of the Captain! Don't be an idiot!" Krieg completely dismissed that notion. "A Captain's only job is to command the absolute obedience of his crew. And my crew will obey any order I happen to give them. Even if I tell them to die for me, they'll do it." He said ruthlessly with a dark expression. "And if they don't, I'll simply kill them myself."

The rest of the Krieg Pirates silently processed those words while they did indeed take pride in being members of the most powerful crew in East Blue. Hearing it for themselves that their lives were expected to be nothing but fodder for the whims or benefits of their Captain wasn't pleasant or something they wanted to hear. But even if they didn't want to agree with that notion, none of them dared to voice any grievances as they were more than aware that Krieg would have no issue in killing anyone who said anything similar to a complaint—Seeing as he had already done so more than once today, nobody wanted to be the next example. Even Gin wasn't completely alright with Krieg's proclamations.

The others had no issues with showing their dissatisfaction. However, Usopp looked at him, especially upset. "That jerk, that's just like what Kuro said. They both have no right to call themselves Captains."

Silk frowned at Krieg as well. "It's like we're a magnet for scumbags. Lately, that's all we ever run into."

Now that he was done monologuing, Krieg gave Gin one last look. "Gin, end him."

Gin didn't respond but faced Sanji and readied himself to begin their death match. "I'm sorry, Sanji, but I can't be defeated."

"Yeah, go ahead, tell yourself that." Sanji drawled, not intimidated.

Gin started spinning his tonfa like a flail before charging headlong at Sanji. Sanji kept his hands in his pockets as he waited for Gin to enter within range. Once he did, Sanji kicked a straight looping kick at Gin, but the Pirate dodged with a well-timed step back, making the kick harmlessly hit nothing.

Gin followed up by bringing down his tonfa's heavy sphere upon the spot Sanji stood on. This time, it was Sanji who dodged by jumping in the air as the tonfa smashed into the floor, smashing the wood into splinters.

Gin lifted his tonfa out of the wreckage of the floor, and now both combatants were in the air as Sanji moved to launch a flying roundhouse kick at Gin's head, which Gin dodged by twirling his body in midair until his back was parallel to the floor, and the kick went over his head.

Gin's impressive midair body control didn't stop there as he reached out his arm to slam one of his tonfas into Sanji's neck, pinning him down onto the deck, flat on his back and unable to break free.

"I warned you, but you just wouldn't listen, would you?" Gin looked down at him with the smile of a demon as he raised his second tonfa and started spinning it in preparation to end the fight. "And now… It's time for you to accept defeat."

The Krieg Pirates cheered with joy and excitement at seeing the Chief Commander in position to make the kill while the cooks looked worried and afraid that they were about to witness one of their own be killed. Light had his usual poker face and didn't show any emotions. For someone who was apparently about to be killed, Sanji was unusually calm as he merely smoked more of his cigarette and made no attempt to struggle.

Gin felt he spun his tonfa enough to generate the power to make the kill and brought it down towards Sanji's skull. "DIE!"

Sanji responded at the last second and spat out his cigarette at Gin, catching him right between the eyes and thus momentarily messing up his concentration, which allowed Sanji to break free from being pinned to the floor and by the skin of his teeth, dodge the descending tonfa as it smashed into the floor where his head was a moment ago.

Sanji followed up on this opportunity by holding his body up in a handstand right beside Gin before he brought down a kick onto the top of Gin's head that hit him like a hammer—Knocking his head to the floor with so much force that it bounced and rocked the Pirate significantly.

But Gin wasn't going to let that go unpunished and kept enough of his wits to execute a counterattack. He did so by swinging his tonfa at Sanji and successfully landing a hit, bludgeoning him on his unguarded midsection.

Both men took a hard hit after that exchange, and the result was mutual destruction as both Sanji and Gin painfully collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud. Gin laid on his back while Sanji was on his front. Neither one of them moved for a bit, and it was a wonder if either of them were even still conscious.

Both the cooks and the Pirates were shocked at what they were seeing. The Pirates more so as they chattered amongst each other.

"That cook kicked Gin in the head!" One of them exclaimed.

"Yeah, I can't believe it. Do you think he's still alive?"

"Enough!" Don Krieg silenced them all. "After all this time, you should know a hell of a lot better than that, you idiots." He reprimanded them. "There's a reason I trust him above any of my other Pirate crew: Gin is always a coolheaded, cold-hearted demon, and he never quits!"

As if to immediately prove that statement correct, Gin rose to his feet, and he wasn't alone as Sanji also started to lift himself up. Both of them appeared to be mildly damaged by nothing too concerning for either of them.

Sanji gave him a confident smirk. "Well, that wasn't too bad, Chief Commander." He said sarcastically. "Let me know when you're ready to really fight."

Gin responded with his own demonic smirk as he licked some of the blood leaking from his lips. Now, both of them were ready to go again.

Gin started swinging his tonfa again before he attacked again. He missed as Sanji did a handstand and kicked Gin in the back. Gin stumbled forward a bit but held his ground as he looked back at Sanji. He tightened his grip on his weapons as he narrowed his eyes before spinning them again. He charged and aimed his balled tonfa at Sanji's head. Sanji jumped back but found out too late that it was a ruse as Gin used the momentum to aim his other tonfa at Sanji's side, nailing him in the ribs. Sanji was coughing up blood but managed to stay on his feet.

"Shit." Sanji thought. "Another attack like that, and I'm screwed."

"Why couldn't you just stay down, Sanji?" Gin thought. "If you had, I wouldn't have to kill you." He sighed before he spun his weapon again, determined to end this.

"Finish him off, Gin!" Krieg ordered. Gin's eyes were covered in shadow before he charged at Sanji. He swung downward, aiming for Sanji's legs to secure victory. Light looked at the fight to see how it ended. Gin attacked but missed and left himself open to Sanji. Everyone was shocked except Light, who just smiled under his hat. At the last second, Gin twisted his hand slightly and deliberately missed. Sanji took this chance to swing around and put everything he had into one final kick into the back of Gin's head. Gin's head smacked into the deck before his eyes turned white and blood spurt from his mouth.

"Don Krieg." Gin thought as he slowly fell to the deck. "I'm sorry...No one ever showed me any kindness...I can't do it. I can't kill him." He then fell to the deck, half-conscious and bleeding as his weapons fell from his hands. He struggled to get back up but only succeeded in turning over and lying on his back. Everyone was stunned by Gin's defeat, and Gin had tears falling down his face. Not for losing, but because he couldn't live with himself if he killed Sanji.

"No way." A Pirate mumbled.

"Gin was… Defeated?" Another asked. It was silent for a moment, but that ended when the chefs cheered.

Light smiled while the Krieg Pirates couldn't help but stare in shock. Krieg's eyes were shadowed as veins started sticking out of his neck and on his forehead.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, GIN?!" Krieg bellowed, shutting everyone up. Gin turned an eye toward Krieg from where he lay. "LOSING TO A COOK?! HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE US LIKE THIS!" Other Pirates were yelling as well.

"Come on, Gin! Get up!" One of them yelled out.

"You can't lose to that cook!" Another one added.

"Don Krieg." Gin muttered as his sight blurred in and out of focus on his Captain. He then looked over at Sanji, who was also bloody but standing over him. He then looked at Light, who was smiling.

"You're the Chief Commander of the Krieg Pirates! How could one guy beat you?!" A Pirate shouted out. Gin's eyes shot open at that statement, but not from anger. He stared wide-eyed at the sky for a few moments as the others finally stopped yelling.

"Well?!" Krieg shouted. "What do you have to say for yourself?!" Everyone was quiet, waiting to hear what Gin had to say. It felt like forever before a sound came from Gin as he trembled. It was faint at first, but slowly the sound grew. Gin… Was laughing. Everyone stared, completely gobsmacked, at hearing Gin laugh as he lay defeated.

"Is he laughing?" One of the cooks asked, just as stunned as everyone else. Krieg was grinding his teeth at this act.

"What's so funny, Gin?!" He shouted. Gin's laughter died down, but a smile was left on his face as he stared at the sky.

"I'm sorry." He said. "It's just that I asked myself the same question." Everyone looked at him, confused, before he continued. "When Hawk-Eye destroyed the fleet, I asked myself, 'How could one man beat all of us?' I didn't understand it at all, but then, even since the Grand Line, I haven't been able to understand anything really." Gin said wistfully. "It almost feels like we never left. Nothing makes sense. Everything I knew felt like a lie, and everything around me felt like a dream. I didn't understand any of it."

"No."

A voice spoke out that caught the attention of everyone else, and Gin turned his head to see that the one who spoke was Light, who stepped forward to address him.

"I'd say that isn't true, Gin." Light continued. "You might think you don't understand, but the way I see it, you've always known. You just didn't know how to piece it all together."

"What are you talking about?" Gin asked, not moving from where he lay.

"Let's start with the fight." Light held up a finger. "At first, it looked like you and Sanji were about even, and it could have gone either way between you two, so why did you end up losing."

"What are you saying?!" Patty shouted out to join the conversation. "It's obvious. It's because his last attack missed."

"It didn't miss." Sanji immediately corrected him. "His hit didn't land because Gin hesitated at the end. He didn't hit me on purpose."

Everyone was completely taken aback by this new revelation. Gin himself was also wide-eyed while looking at Sanji. "…You knew?"

"Yeah." Sanji sneered at him with irritation. "That's why I kicked you extra hard at the end. If that was supposed to be pity, then I don't want it."

"GIN! THAT HAD BETTER BE A LIE!" Krieg was now close to blowing a gasket. "YOU PURPOSELY LET YOURSELF BE DEFEATED?! DEFYING MY ORDERS?!"

Gin didn't look at Krieg and just trembled his head as he was coming to terms with his decision. "I know that when we started, I fully intended on killing him. I wanted to follow your orders. But, this time, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't kill the man I owed my life to."

"But, who says that's the wrong decision?" Light asked out.

"Huh?" Gin looked back at Light.

"You keep talking like you've done something wrong, but why is it wrong not to want to kill someone you're indebted to?" Light continued. "It's natural not to want that."

"But it is wrong. I disobeyed my Captain, and therefore I betrayed him." Gin pointed out.

"But if you had killed him, you would have betrayed yourself." Light informed him.

Not just Gin but a few others who heard him were now thrown off by what Light had just said. Not knowing how to respond, they stayed silent as Light went on.

"What you seem to have forgotten is that before you were a Krieg Pirate, you were your own man, and that means you have the ability to make your own decisions based on your own will." Light proclaimed with seriousness. "The way I see it, every man does the things he does because he believes they are right, even without anyone telling them to do so."

"That's not true. Everything I've ever done has only been by the order of Don Krieg!" Gin denied his claim seriously enough to sit up.

"Then why didn't you kill Zeff or Sanji?" Light pointed out.

Gin froze at that statement. It was like he was suddenly hit by a realization.

"You did whatever he told you until now because you always felt that the decisions he made were the right ones, and so you never noticed the difference." Light explained. "But now, when what you thought was right was different from what he told you to do, you chose to go with your own decision even if it meant defying him. Why do you think that is?"

"I don't know?" Gin muttered while looking down.

"Yes, you do." Light argued without a doubt. "You've always known. You just couldn't piece it together."

"But I've never felt this way before. How can I know?!" Gin looked like someone who desperately wanted to know the truth.

"It's because everyone in this world is different, and we all have different definitions of what's right, and personally, I believe that doing what we feel is right is the essence of being a Pirate." Light said with complete certainty. "We all became Pirates because we wanted to be free, free to decide for ourselves how we wanted to live, and that includes doing what we believe is right."

Gin seemed affected by his words as if he was shaken up and still had a question that he had to ask. "But… How can you know what decisions are the right ones?"

"It's simple. The right decisions are the ones we make without hesitating." Light answered him as though he's always known the answer. "If you're about to do something, but you feel yourself hesitating, you feel bad about doing it, and you know you'll regret it afterward, then it's clear that it's the wrong choice, but when you have no regrets in the choices you made and know beyond a doubt that it's what you wanted to do, then there's no denying that it was the right call for you to make."

"…When you… Don't hesitate…." Gin whispered to himself with wide eyes.

"You know why you chose not to kill either of them and why you didn't want to destroy this restaurant." Light finished off. "Because no matter what Krieg or anyone else said, the choices you decided for yourself were right were the ones you yourself decided to follow. You already did."

Now Gin was blown away, it was like he was being told that almost everything he believed wasn't true, or that he's been living his whole life with a veil over his eyes that obscured his vision for so long, and only now was it staring to lift, allowing him to see more clearly.

"GIN!"

His sudden revelation was interrupted when Krieg shouted his name with frustration. Gin looked toward his Captain, but it was evident that his mind was still occupied by Light's words.

"Enough with sitting around and listening to speeches. Hurry up and kill them already!" Don Krieg angrily commanded. "If you can still move, then get up and kill him! Don't you even think of holding back again, or you'll suffer for it!"

Gin made no move to stand up, and instead, he stayed on the floor as his eyes were shadowed out. He contemplated his next move before he looked up and asked.

"Don, I have to know, do you truly plan on going back to the Grand Line?" Gin asked seriously.

"Huh? Of course, I do!" Krieg answered right away. "I'm going to conquer it!"

"Even though our whole fleet was destroyed and our whole crew was nearly wiped out?" Gin reminded him.

"A minor setback. Once I have the old man's logbook, I won't make the same mistakes I did before." Krieg said with confidence. "With the right information, sailing the Grand Line will be a simple matter.

Gin narrowed at that answer. "Just one more question—What if we run into someone like Hawk-Eye again, and your information isn't enough? You said before that you don't care how many of us die. Were you serious?"

"Of course I was!" Krieg didn't even need to think about it and answered with complete cruelty. "Everyone here is just another tool at my disposal as I achieve my rightful place as ruler of the seas. If some of my cronies die, I'll just find more! The weak are always the first to die in favor of the strong, so why should I bother caring about them!"

His tyrannical rant seemed to satisfy Gin as he let out a sigh and looked down at the floor before thinking back to everything he had said. After apparently having come to a decision, Gin spoke.

"I fully understand now. No, it's like he said; I may have already known but just couldn't accept it." Gin softly confessed. "But I get it. It's all so clear."

"What's so clear?" Krieg asked in annoyance.

"Everything." Gin said as he struggled but finally managed to stand up. "Why we lost as bad as we did to Hawk-Eye." He looked at Light. "Why that kid doesn't fear us." He then looked at Sanji. "And why Sanji here beat me." Everyone looked at each other, totally lost at what Gin was saying. Gin looked to the sky again before he sighed. "It's Because… We're weak." Gin said.

Krieg's eyes widened and were bloodshot, while all the Pirates had their mouths hanging open in pure shock. The chefs were equally stunned except Zeff, who smiled as well while some of the Pirates found their voices.

"What do you mean 'We're weak', Gin?" One of them yelled.

"How hard did that cook kick you?!" Another Pirate asked.

"We're the Krieg pirates! We're the strongest in the East Blue!" A third one proclaimed.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Krieg shouted so loud that he was on the verge of tearing his own throat. "WHAT EXACTLY MAKES US 'WEAK' THEN?! TELL ME GIN!"

"Everything, think about it. We couldn't make it on the Grand Line because we were too weak and we were too weak to stop Hawk-Eye. All we could do was run away with our tails between our legs, and even after we came back to East Blue, we still kept losing our crew, Pearl, and me too." Gin pointed out, unashamed at what he was saying. "The strong win, and we haven't won against anyone. What reason for that could there be other than the fact that we're weak?"

Everyone was lost as Krieg had finally had enough.

"SILENCE!" He screeched. "Did you forget who we are? We're the Krieg Pirates! All we'll need is that logbook of Zeff's, and the Grand Line is in the bag!"

"No." Gin said. His smiled dropped as he stared at Krieg. "Even with that logbook, nothing will change. I always believed that, but I just never spoke against you…." The other Pirates couldn't believe what they were hearing. The most loyal of their crew disagreed with their Captain. "And that taught me something—It's that I was always the weakest of us all."

Not many understood what he meant by that and just became confused as Usopp murmured. "What's he talking about? He's one of the strongest guys I've seen?"

"How can he possibly be the weakest?" Patty wondered, also confused.

"He couldn't have fought Sanji like that if that were true." Carne added.

"You idiots." Zeff silenced them, being one of the few who did understand. "Just keep listening. Maybe you'll learn something."

"All this time, I followed you because I thought I was loyal to you, but that wasn't true at all. What I had wasn't loyalty." Gin continued.

"Then what was it? What if not loyalty motivated you to follow my orders?" Krieg asked, still having a threatening gaze.

"Dependence." Gin answered without a doubt. "For so long, I've been unable to decide for myself what I should do, I never knew what the right choice was, and it was so much easier to just let someone else decide for me, so I just looked for the Strongest guy in the room and let him decide everything." He finally understood himself. "I need you to be the Strongest so that I could hold onto that worldview and anything that disproved that, I tried to ignore it. I ran away from the truth because I was too weak to face it, but now I can see it for sure."

"Are you a fool?! I am the Strongest!" Don Krieg loudly insisted. "That has always been the truth!"

"You're wrong." Gin didn't hesitate to disagree with him. "Just today, I've seen several people stronger than you, and they all taught me something—Real strength isn't just about victory and defeat, but being able to face strong and peerless challenges without fear and having the resolve to risk your life for the sake of your goals."

Gin looked out at the ocean. Even though it was impossible to actually see it, he thought of the Grand Line that was far away in the distance. The look of fear he always had when remembering the Grand Line was no longer there. Instead, he looked calm and relieved.

"I've been afraid of the Grand Line for so long now, but I was too weak to admit my fears or to admit anything really." Gin then looked back at them. "But now, I can say this without certainty. This restaurant, and Sanji, and the old man, we're all alive because of them, and to honor that debt, I refuse to kill them!"

Light smiled with joy at how the outcome of all this. "He finally came to a decision."

"Good for him." Sanji said with a sarcastic smile. "Just wish he could have decided all that before he tenderized my ribs."

"Gin!" Don Krieg bellowed. "Do you understand what you are saying?! You have betrayed your Captain and your ship!"

"Yes, you may be right, but even so…" Gin looked straight at him with a gentle smile. "I won't betray myself."

"You little son of a bitch!" Krieg yelled furiously as he stood up. "You think you can defy my orders and then just stand there smiling about it?!"

Gin could say nothing as he had already expected that this would be the outcome.

"It's pathetic. Morality, sympathy, weaknesses I never expected to see from you!" Krieg yelled. "You are not my Chef Commander anymore!" Krieg continued to yell as he grabbed part of his armor and pointed it directly at the three of them. "Pirates?" He called to his crew. "Step aside." Just then, the skull on the shield opened its mouth to reveal the nozzle of a miniature cannon.

At the sight of it, Gin gasped in horror. "No, not the gas!" He cried.

All the other Pirates freaked out as well. "He's gonna use the MH5!"

"We're all gonna die!" A Pirate cried out in terror.

"Where's my mask?" Another one scrambled around.

"What's that?" Usopp cried anxiously. "I'm guessing it's bad?!"

"MH5, I think I've heard that it's a deadly Poison Gas?" Silk answered him from nearby.

"Poison Gas?!" Usopp screamed out in terror as he fell to the floor with his hands over his head.

"The only thing that matters in a battle is who ends up winning." Krieg stated before he smirked. "Even if more has got to die! Poison Gas is just a means to an end. Victory is all that decides what's right and what's wrong! If you're dead, no one's gonna hear you complain anyway."

The Pirates all fished masks out of nowhere and covered their faces as Krieg continued.

"When you don't hesitate to do unspeakable, horrible things…." Krieg stated, grinning ever wider. "That is true power."

Light's face was cold, and he was sickened at that thought. He glanced over to see Gin pulling out his own mask.

"Might as well throw that gas mask away!" Krieg ordered. "You're no longer worthy to be a Krieg Pirate."

Gin looked down at his mask and thought back.

(You have nothing to apologize for, sailor. Every cook at this restaurant did what he thought was right. That's all there is to say about that.)

(But… I will not run. Even if I retreat a single step, I'd be shattering the promises I made. I can't run. I would lose my honor. You see, without that, there'd be nothing left for me here!)

( The way I see it, every man does the things he does because he believes they are correct, even without anyone telling them to do so.)

Gin kept his head down. "You're right. I betrayed you, so I am no longer worthy of being a Krieg Pirate."

Krieg laughed again, making them all angry enough to want to shut him up. "So, you remembered your place?" He demanded.

"But—" Gin interrupted him before he could go any further and smiled again. "Since I'm no longer a Krieg Pirate, I don't have to follow your orders anymore. So, there's nothing stopping me from doing this."

With that, as a final act of defiance, he placed his mask over his face. An action that made Light smirk and made Krieg rage.

"You pathetic scum!" Krieg put on his own mask and prepared to fire as everyone who didn't have a mask was panicking in fear for their lives. "Fine then! If that's what you want, then go ahead and save yourself from the gas! After I kill the rest of them! I'll take my time in teaching you the consequences of—"

CRUNCH!

"You know what your problem is? You ramble on too long."

Krieg and everyone there did a double-take at what had just happened. During the time Gin and Krieg were exchanging words, Light moved in to reach Krieg without him noticing and stood right in front of him. He then reached out and grabbed the nozzle before tearing it out with his bare hand with minimal effort.

"What's he doing?" One of the Pirates asked, barely believing his eyes.

Light wasn't done as once the nozzle was out of the way. He forcefully dug his hand into the opening of the cannon before he grabbed something inside and ripped it out. Revealing it to be the bombshell that was filled with Poison Gas, which Light held up like a like prize.

But he didn't stay like that for long as before anyone could get a single word in. Light turned, and with a grunt, he threw the bomb off towards the ocean a far distance away. After being hurled miles away, the bombshell fell and hit the ocean, where it sank and submerged underwater without detonating.

With that done, everyone slowly came to terms with the fact that the threat of the Poison Gas was gone, and they were now trying to come to terms with what Light had just done.

"No way, he just ripped out the bombshell?" One of the Pirates breathed out, removing his mask.

"That was close. I thought we were goners." A cook breathed out in relief.

"I really wish he'd tell us that he was planning on doing something like that. I was scared out of my mind back there." Usopp tiredly complained.

"Man, he's the craziest man I've ever met." Sanji commented.

"I wonder how many times I'm going to be shocked today?" Gin commented as well.

"Heh, sometimes I think he does this on purpose." Silk joked lightly.

Back to Light and Krieg. Don Krieg was practically seeing red after what Light had done to his MH5 launcher. He was grinding his teeth while putting his shield back on his shoulder before giving Light a death glare.

"I hope you aren't expecting a quick death after that." He said with an ice-cold tone.

"Hey, if you had just pulled the trigger instead of monologuing, I might be dead by now." Light pointed out while shrugging his arms. "Guess some people just love hearing themselves talk." He finished before thinking. "Though, I guess I'm not one to talk."

"You damn brat!" Krieg yelled as he threw a punch at Light, which he dodged by moving back to create some distance between them. "I've had just about enough of you."

"Then, let's settle it already." Light suggested scathingly. "In case you haven't noticed, we're the only ones left who haven't fought. So let's go and finally put an end to all this."

"Ha! You have chosen death by trying to challenge me." Krieg took out his spike machine gun again and prepared to shoot at Light. "Now, boy. You will witness the true power of Don Krieg!"

"Dodge it!" Gin yelled in warning.

"Get out of them!" Sanji voiced his concern as well.

Light, however, didn't heed their warnings and instead stood his ground as Krieg readily pulled the trigger and unleashed his hail of long, metal, green-color spikes. But Light didn't do anything in response other than raise his hands in front of his body.

And for what was becoming a regular thing today, Light surprised almost everyone watching. Before the spikes could make contact with his body, Light's hands flashed out all around him as he systematically caught every individual spike with his hands before batting them away.

His amazing hand speed and coordination were so fine-tuned and on-point that it was like he could see the spikes moving in slow motion for all the good they were doing.

It wasn't long until Krieg was out of ammunition and stopped firing, as he was also among those who were shocked at what Light had just accomplished.

He now stood there with a large number of metal spikes littered all over the wooden floor as he gave Krieg a smug look. "My turn."

Light leaped into the air with his arm pulled back as he readied a punch. Realizing that he was going to try and attack, Krieg revealed a robe made of dangerous spikes to deter any attacks.

"Come on! Just try it!" Krieg gleefully dared him.

"The spikes!" One of the Krieg Pirates cheered.

"He's got no place to hit." Sanji grimaced.

But Light wasn't deterred as right before his attack hit. He landed back on the floor just a step away from Don Krieg, and instead of punching, he reached out his arm and grabbed hold of the spiked robe before tearing it apart like it was made of paper.

"What?!" Krieg gasped in disbelief.

Light didn't give him much opportunity to do anything else as right after he tore open the spiked robe, Krieg was now wide open, and Light capitalized on that by using his other arm to punch him right in his armored stomach.

The force of his punch echoed through his body armor, and he lifted his feet off the ground before he fell back down and hit the floor like a dropped dumbbell. Light looked none worse for wear.

The cooks and the Pirates who were watching all reacted right away at the unbelievable sight they had all just become witnesses of.

"Don Krieg is down! That punk got him!" One of the Pirates shouted in horror.

"What is that kid anyway?" Another Pirate questioned with dismay.

"He tore apart that metal robe like it was nothing." A cook noted with shock.

"It's like he's got claws for fingers or something." Another cook theorized.

The Krieg Pirates noticed that Don Krieg hadn't moved since he got knocked down, and one of them whispered. "This is insane."

"I've never seen him get hit in any kind of fight, ever." One of them admitted. "He clawed right through that porcupine cape and punched him right in the gut."

"I… I can't believe it." Another Pirate uttered fearfully.

Light just stood over Krieg without, as if he was waiting for him to get back up. "So, was the true power of Don Krieg?" He asked almost mockingly. "Because if you were trying to show me you're powerless, that was already established a while ago."

Sanji and Gin moved back next to the front entrance where Zeff was so that they could watch. While sitting there, Gin spoke. "I think this… This might be the first time I've ever seen him get knocked down."

"That guy, I think he's as strong as he is nuts."

Zeff smirked down at him before he said. "I'm glad he's with us 'cause guys like that are hell to fight." Zeff said conversationally. "I don't care if he wins or loses." Zeff finished. "I consider it an honor just to be able to watch him."

They both watched Light closely as Gin thought. "Me too."

For what felt like the longest time, Krieg still hadn't gotten up from the floor or even moved, for that matter, and some of them were starting to wonder if he was ever going to get up.

One of the cooks whispered. "I hope he's dead."

"Hey, Silk?" Usopp climbed down from the upper deck to stand beside Silk as he whispered to her. "Do you think it's… You know, over?"

"I doubt it." Silk shook her head. "The Captain didn't put that much strength behind that punch."

Light stared Krieg down until he was finally able to stand up again.

"So, boy… You still don't comprehend my power? Too bad…" Krieg snarled from where he lay and slowly began to lift himself up. "Because one of us has got to go. And since you don't want to learn your lesson… I'll just have to show you the hard way!" He charged Light and slammed one of his shields at point black. "GO TO HELL!" He screamed as he fired a miniature explosion.

But Light easily jumped to avoid it and grabbed his hand on Krieg's shoulder when he jumped over him—Knocking him down twice in under a minute. This time, Krieg hit the floor headfirst.

"Too slow!" Light shouted out as the bulky armor hit the platform with a resounding thud.

Meanwhile, this creates severe anguish amongst his crew members, as Krieg has always come out of a battle unscathed. It was the first time they had ever seen Krieg being knocked down, and they were all wondering if he wasn't invincible after all.

"This can't be happening!" One of his crewmates grimaced. "He's taken another fall."

"But… But how?" Another asked, wishing it wasn't true. "I've never seen anyone hit him because they're usually dead before they get close enough?"

"The fact is—He might not actually be invincible…." One of them gulped at the mere thought of that before shouting. "What the Hell are you?!"

Patty was among those who were surprised but also impressed. "Look at that. The kid's pretty good."

"Yeah, no kidding." Carne nodded, not knowing what else he could say.

"Yeah! Go, Captain!" Usopp cheered enthusiastically. "You got this! He doesn't stand a chance!"

Silk also seemed pleased at the way the fight was going. "It's as one-sided as I was expecting."

"That punk is fighting with Don Krieg as if he were the same strength." One of the Pirates complained.

"This can't be real. It's like I'm watching my own nightmare." Another one uttered dramatically.

"He's supposed to be truly invincible. If he gets beaten by this kid, his reputation will be completely—"

However, when one crewmate began to believe that Light might just be stronger than Krieg, that got his attention. "SHUT UP, MAGGOTS! NEVER DOUBT ME!" Krieg screamed before combining his shoulder plates together and pulling down a retractable hilt from the bottom while the head of a blade popped out from the top. Now, Krieg held up his latest weapon, which took the form of a spear.

The Krieg Pirates were finally rejoicing as they saw Krieg's secret weapon as he discarded his cape. In contrast, Light wondered out loud about the spear.

"Judging by their reactions, I'm guessing this is his trademark weapon?" Light guessed, more curious than worried.

Krieg gave him an answer by bragging once again. "My Mighty Battle Spear!" He boasted. "It's different from any other! When this thing hits you, you won't just be wounded and failing… YOU'LL BE BLOWN STRAIGHT INTO HELL!"

BOOOOM!

After that explanation, Krieg swung his spear onto the floor Light stood on and created a wide-range explosion. Continuing the battle, the surrounding wreckage was eventually reduced to sunken rubble, with both combatants having very little room to move on. Krieg swung it again, Light escaped the blast and was flying over the ocean, but luckily, he saw one of the floating platforms and landed on it to give him a foothold.

"What the Hell is that spear?" Sanji asked with dismay.

"That's Don Krieg's most dangerous weapon." Gin said as he narrowed his eyes. "It explodes upon impact and gets stronger depending on how hard you swing it." This worried Sanji, but Zeff remained neutral. "It weighs a ton because when he had it built, he wanted to make it so that he'd be the only one strong enough to wield it. Anyone else could barely lift the thing."

"I've never in my life seen a more stunning weapon than the Mighty Battle Spear." One of the Pirates admitted with renewed faith.

"There's no one else who has the strength to use such a weapon. That's exactly why Don Krieg is the most dangerous man in the East Blue." Another proclaimed without a doubt.

Light hopped over to the section of wreckage that Krieg was on to continue with their bout. Krieg continues his assault on Light, who was dodging with an effort so minimal it looked like he was playing. On and on, Light was being attacked and was forced to only dodge until he figured he had dodged enough. He was able to keep it up for a while until Light once again moved out of his reach and smiled casually at him.

"Now that's just sad—A grown man who still plays with toys." Light said with a mixture of pity and ridicule. "Here, I'll show you what a real weapon looks like."

Right then, Light brought his patented pocket knife out of his sleeve and brought up to fight with it. Krieg only looked at it for a moment before he laughed.

"Hahahahaha! Are you that much of an idiot, or has the fear of death made you lose your mind?!" Krieg mocked him as he brandished his spear. "You can't possibly expect to challenge my Mighty Battle Spear with that trashy, pitiful excuse for a knife!"

"Hawk-Eye already demonstrated that the caliber of weapons means little when there's an absolute gap between the ones holding them." Light reminded him with confidence. "You should be honored that I'm even using my lucky knife against the likes of you."

Krieg's amusement turned to aggravation at being insulted and disrespected once again as he raised his spear. "You'll need a lifetime's worth of luck to survive when I'm through with you!"

Fully enraged, Krieg slams the spear into the ground, creating a smokescreen between him and Light. Krieg proceeded to charge through the smoke and ram the spear at Light, who charged at Krieg as well while swinging his knife. When the two met in the middle, the blades of both their weapons collided, creating another large explosion.

BOOOOOM!

The explosion shook the section they were standing in and kicked up the tides a bit. After a few seconds, the smoke cleared, and the two combatants were standing past each other as though they had merely sailed past each other.

No sooner did the smoke clear did the result of the clash reveal itself. The tip of the spear broke off as it was knocked away from the spear and splashed into the ocean, much to Krieg's confusion and horror.

"My Great Battle Spear!" Krieg yelled in disbelief. "What the hell did you do?"

Light grinned at him as he re-sleeved his knife. "I just showed you the difference between a true weapon and a toy."

Even those who witnessed Hawk-Eye practically dispatch Zoro's Three Swords with a slightly smaller knife than Light's. They mostly chalked that up to Mihawk being a monster from the Grand Line. Seeing Light accomplish a similar feat was something none of them expected—Besides his crew.

"All right!" Usopp cheered. "He broke the spear!"

Silk smiled sarcastically. "At this point, he's just having fun."

"This is terrible…." A Krieg Pirate whispered.

"He just shattered the Mighty Battle Spear?" Another Krieg uttered, not believing what he was seeing.

"He really just beat that huge spear with a pocket knife?" Sanji was also taken aback.

"Never, not even once, have I seen someone get the better of him when he was using that weapon." Gin confessed, also shocked. Even though he wasn't loyal to Krieg anymore, it was still an unbelievable sight that he could hardly fathom.

"There is no doubt that Krieg and his Pirates are strong," Zeff spoke out, getting their attention as he watched Light, looking as though he was watching a scene he didn't want to miss a moment of. "But that boy has something they'll never have. Krieg may have more Pirates at his command than anyone else before him… He may have terrible weapons of mass destruction to everything in his path… But he will never have that kid's heart."

Krieg threw away the remains of his spear as Light stared him down. Light tapped his foot on the floor to show his disregard.

"I know it's a long shot, but do you feel like giving up yet?" Light asked lightheartedly.

"Keep dreaming!" Krieg replied, not hindered at all by the loss of his best weapon. "You don't stand a chance, boy!" He yelled down. "Real power comes from deadly weapons! They're the source of true strength!" He sneered. "See, only the strong are meant to live! And that's me!"

"And what would you know about true strength?" Light answered back. "It's not the number of weapons that matters, but the man who holds them." He went on. "A man and his fists can destroy a fleet. It's all how he uses it. It's courage, not weapons that will decide who wins." Light raised his fist. "From here on, they're all I need to take you down—These Knuckles 'o mine."

"Is that so? You honestly believe I don't have plenty of other weapons on hand?" Krieg told him, still under the belief that he was the stronger man. "You actually think you can take me using only your fists? You know, it sounds to me that this is some sort of pathetic attempt at a bluff."

"Unlike you, the strong have no need for bluffs." Light retorted with smugness.

"Just give up. Your defeat is imminent. You see when you defied me!" Krieg raised his voice as he went back on the attack. "YOU SIGNED YOUR OWN DEATH WARRANT!"

Krieg charged at Light, and Light just waited for him to arrive so he could counter him. But, just as Krieg got into mid-range, he stopped and pointed his arm at Light before shooting fire at him from a miniature flamethrower attached to his wrist.

"This guy's got a flamethrower too?!" Usopp cried out exasperatedly.

"How many weapons does that guy have?" Sanji yelled.

"Too many." Gin answered.

They didn't need to be concerned, though, as Light leaped through the flames with a single burn and swung down his hand on the flamethrower. With a strong chop down the middle, he crushed and destroyed the weapon, causing some flames to spill over around Krieg's wrist.

"Hope you don't mind broken toys 'cause pretty soon you'll have plenty of them." Light said confidently as he stepped back again.

Krieg didn't let him get far as the small bit of fire that got on him burned off one of his gloves. He then rushed at Light and swung his arm back to punch him with his diamond-fist gauntlet.

"Behold, a diamond fist that'll crush you into dust!" Krieg roared as he threw a wide punch at Light.

Not even able to graze him, Light sailed past Krieg, letting his punch miss only by a few inches, though this was for a reason. After his punch missed, Krieg looked at his hand again and noticed that the large diamond embedded in the back of his fist was gone.

"What?" Krieg was confused.

He then looked to his side where Light was standing and immediately realized what had happened when he saw the diamond in Light's hand as the young Pirate was examining the jewel in his hand.

"Huh? I wasn't sure at first, but this actually is a real diamond." Light marveled before putting it in his pocket. "Maybe I'll give it to a friend—You know, as a gift."

"Bastard…" Krieg cursed before he lifted up a broken mast and threw it at him. "How dare you! You'll die for insulting me!"

The mast reached Light in no time at all, but Light just swung his arm and batted the large segment away like it was nothing. "How many times have you sentenced me to death today? I lost count."

This time, Light didn't wait for him to attack and went on the offensive first. In an instant, he appeared right in front of Krieg and reached out to grab onto the chest plate of his armor with a vice grip.

"Ha! Just what do you think you're doing?!" Krieg mocked him for his attempted attack. "I'm wearing Wootz steel body armor. It can't be broken by anything you do!"

"Wanna bet?" Light retorted almost malevolently.

CRUNCH!

But then, he blinked in surprise when he heard the grinding noise of his golden armor cracking apart. This was perhaps the most surprised Krieg had been all day. Others who noticed it, too, were yelling in disbelief about it.

Light's fingers dug through Krieg's armor and pierced holes in them like miniature spears. After that, he brought his fingers closer together and pulled them back in order to completely rip a massive chunk of the armor off Krieg's body. He tore off enough armor to now leave Krieg's entire front torso unguarded, and Krieg's was practically trembling with disbelief.

"B-But… But how…?" Krieg uttered, close to having a mental breakdown.

"Because Krieg, as a soon-to-be-dead man once said: Only the strong are meant to leave, and that's me." Light finished with a dangerous, predatory smirk.

"He ripped through the wootz steel armor like it was made of cardboard?" One of the Pirates despaired.

"What kind of crazy monster is this guy?" Another one questioned, starting to fear for his own life.

"Just how strong can he really be?" Sanji wondered, now no longer so taken aback by Light's ability but still amazed.

"I'm starting to wonder if there's anything he can't do?" Gin wondered but had his doubts. "It's like he's superhuman or something."

Light still smirked while Krieg, for the first time, looked like someone who was aware that he was in danger. It took all the willpower and stubborn pride he had not to retreat a single step.

"Now then, I think it's time we put an end to this." Light proclaimed decidedly.

Krieg's eyes were shadowed out as he became angered by that declaration. "You're not the one who gets to decide that, boy." He argued, defiant to the end. "I'm the only one who can decide when this is over!"

He had one last hand to play with and took out two handfuls of miniature bombs that were ready to explode. Since Light was already within throwing distance of him, Krieg didn't bother saying any last insults and instead just threw them before Light could even see them.

But Sanji realized what those bombs were and screamed up at Light. "IT'S A TRAP! GET OUT!"

The bombs Krieg's dropped exploded and destroyed the rest of the battlefield. There wasn't anything left but splinters—The rocking waves put everyone in the water in danger, and they screamed as they struggled to stay afloat. Light was consumed entirely by the explosion, and some of those watching assumed the worst.

"Hahahaha! Get blown away!" Krieg's laughter echoed as he was wholly convinced of his victory. "Get it now?! Now one defeats Don Krieg! I AM INVINCIBLE!"

He kept laughing until the smoke started to clear, and from the dust, a figure was walking forward. Krieg's' laughter came to a halt when he saw Light walk away from the explosion completely unaffected like he was never hit with it to begin.

Krieg's horror-stricken expression was met with Light's smirk that he never stopped wearing. "That tickled."

"He's not even hurt?" Patty gasped in astonishment.

"Did he dodge the explosion?" Usopp guessed.

"No, but weak explosives like those are no trouble for the Captain." Silk corrected with pride.

"Remember what I said before? You spilled the blood of my crewmate, so nothing will save you from me. I believe I've made my point." Light spoke as he slowly approached Krieg, who made no move to stop him. "Now, like I said, I'm ending this."

Light cocked back his arm, planted his front foot on the floor to put his back into it, and swung his fist at Krieg. The punch was too fast for him to dodge but not so fast that he couldn't see it coming. All he could do was grimace as he was hit with a vicious haymaker right in the face.

Light's punch pushed Krieg's head and whole body down before smashing him into the floor with so much force it smashed a hole through the wooden floorboards. Light pulled his fist back and stepped back as he looked over his fallen enemy.

Krieg was lying on the floor with a large bruise over his cheek, blood leaking from his nose, and his eyes were rolled back into his head, showing that he was unconscious.

Don Krieg had been defeated.

Everything was quiet. Everyone needed a moment to fully take in what they had just witnessed. After a few seconds, things became nosy as the cooks started cheering while the Pirates despaired.

"No! Don Krieg's been defeated!" A Pirate lamented in horror.

"How could this have happened?!" Another Pirate was dismayed.

"He won! He really won!" Patty's eyes bulged in amazement.

"Oh wow!" Carne gasped with triumph. "I gotta be dreaming! That's Don Krieg we're talking about!"

"I know! Who'd of thought that kid had it in him?!"

"Was there ever a doubt!" Usopp raised his arms up in celebration.

"He certainly took his time with this one." Silk said lightly as she leaned back against the wall.

"Damn, he really pulled it off." Sanji marveled with a smile.

Zeff looked over at Gin, who hadn't said anything yet. "Are you done daydreaming, or is there something on your mind?"

"Don Krieg… Defeated." Gin quietly muttered, staring long and hard at the beaten form of the man who, before today, he called his Captain. "Never thought the day would come where I'd see this."

"Don! Get up!" A Pirate desperately called out.

"Please! Tell us it's an act!" Another one pleaded.

"What do we do now!" A third Pirate asked, afraid.

Gin stepped forward and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear him. "Leave!"

The Krieg Pirates all looked towards Gin. Being used to seeing him as an authority figure, they waited to hear what he had to say. "Commander?"

"The Krieg Pirates have lost today." Gin addressed all of them. "Now that Don Krieg has been defeated, you have no hope of stealing this ship or anything else from this restaurant. Your only option now is to leave this place."

"B-But, Commander…" One of them sounded unsure.

"I am no longer your Chief Commander." Gin reminded them. "In that regard, you're no longer obligated to follow my orders. But understand, if you still want to fight, you already know what you'll be up against."

The Krieg Pirates considered his ultimatum and realized that any further fighting would just be a losing battle. And thus, they decided to merely accept defeat and opted to leave the Baratie willingly. Only, they had a problem in the form of having no means of leaving, considering their lack of any ship.

Sanji shouted at Patty and Carne. "Hey, you guys! Give them the boat we use to go grocery shopping!"

"Come on! Are you stupid or something?!" Patty complained.

"Why do we have to give a perfectly good boat to a bunch of Pirates?!" Carne complained as well.

"And what's gonna happen to all our grocery shopping?!" Patty pointed out.

"Patty's right! Let 'em swim wherever they're going to!" Carne yelled unmercifully.

"GO GET THAT GROCERY BOAT NOW!" Sanji snapped, tired of their complaints.

Patty and Carne relented under his shout and turned away upset, like a pair of children who had just been told off by a grown-up.

"All right, fine." Carne whined as he walked away.

"Stop shouting." Patty whined as they went inside.

After they went away to retrieve the grocery boat, they returned and brought it over to the edge of the fin. It was the size of an ordinary dingy. Nonetheless, all the remaining members of the Krieg Pirates piled upon it, with a mountain of Pirates stacked on the boat, it was weighed down, and some feared it would sink.

Gin was the only one not on the boat. He stood on the fin with Light, Sanji, and Silk.

"So, what do you plan on doing now?" Light asked curiously.

"For now, I'll go with them until I reach the nearest shore. After that, I'll head on my own." Gin decided on his short-term plan.

"And what'll you do after that?" Sanji asked.

Gin looked out at the vast distance ocean. "I think… I want to head to the Grand Line."

His answer was clearly something none of them were expecting, given how, only earlier today, he would turn into a fearfully shivering mess at the mere mention of the Grand Line.

"By yourself?" Silk asked, perplexed.

"But you…?" Sanji didn't know what to say.

"That's where I wanna go after all this. It's the only thing I care about." Gin insisted in a tranquil manner. "It's silly, I know that, but it's my dream."

"Your dream?" Light repeated, noticing the fact that up to this moment, Gin had never once mentioned having a dream of his own.

"It's strange, I've lost everything I ever had today, my crew, my rank, and yet, I feel free somehow." Gin confessed, sounding at peace with himself. "Like, now I can finally start living on my own terms. And I want to do that on the Grand Line."

Gin then stepped over to the boat that was filled with the remaining Krieg's Pirates and prepared to step on before he gave them a last look.

"I'm grateful for all that you've done for me. I'll see you on the Grand Line." Gin told them with gratitude.

"Wait." Light said before Gin got on. "I have a proposal for you. If you're going to the Grand Line, why not come with us?" This got everyone's attention as they all stared at him.

[Huh?!] Sanji and the Cooks all said, while Zeff didn't look surprised, and Silk smiled and shrugged as though she expected this.

"If you still plan on being a Pirate, why not do so on my ship?" Light continued with his offer. "Going to the Grand Line will be difficult on your own. Your chances would be better with a crew, so why not join my crew? I'd love to have you join us on our adventure."

"Whoa! Hold on, kid!" Carne yelled. "After all the crap he put us through, you want him to join your crew just like that?!"

"You're asking me to join you?" Gin said in equal shock.

"I've known from the beginning that there was a big difference between you and all of the other Krieg Pirates. You have honor." Light informed him without a doubt. "Not only that, you're strong and dedicated, and you don't give up no matter what. That's everything I'd want in a crewmate. What do you say?"

Gin just stared at him before he looked back at the boat. Light kept a blank face as the wind gently blew threw. Gin placed a foot onto the edge of the boat before a smile crept onto his face, and he kicked it off to sail out without him.

"Once your heart is set, and you pursue all your dreams with every last fiber of what you are, you will never again feel lost, or hopeless, or afraid. I learned all that from you." Gin proclaimed without a doubt in his mind. "It would be my honor to set sail with you."

"All right!" Light made a fist in celebration.

"Looks like we have another crewmate." Silk noted, not upset by this new development. "We better go tell the others."

Silk then walked away and headed towards the entrance of the restaurant to go to where Zoro and the others were. Light followed her, but before Gin went with them, he turned around and gave a final look at the small boat that was sailing away with his former crew on it. With an emotionless expression, Sanji walked up beside him.

"You okay?" Sanji asked. "Not getting cold feet already, are you?"

"It's not that. I was just thinking." Gin assured him with a smile. "Why did I hesitate? What was I so worried about? When I think about it, I can't help but feel stupid."

"You are stupid." Sanji bluntly informed him with a smile. "So you'll fit right in with the rest of them."

Gin smiled back at that remark as the boat became smaller and drifted further away. Deciding that he had seen enough, Gin turned his back away and walked off as if it was a symbol of him leaving behind his past to walk forward toward his future.

Sanji stayed outside and stopped beside the entrance, which was right next to where Zeff was standing. Sanji took out another cigarette and started to smoke it. Owner Zeff knew he was thinking about something.

"Something on your mind?" Zeff asked him.

"Can I ask you something?" Sanji asked softly. "Before, when he unleashed that power on Hawk-Eye, and you called it "The true power of the Grand Line," was that from experience? I mean, have you met someone else who had that power?"

"Met…" Zeff muttered quietly, almost sounding amused as he looked up in remembrance. "Only once did I see someone who had that same power. It was an enemy I faced on the Grand Line."

"An enemy?" Sanji became interested.

"If there's one thing I'll never forget about my year-long voyage on the Grand Line, it's that encounter." Zeff said, sounding like he could remember it vividly. "That was easily the Strongest adversary I or any of my men had ever encountered."

"What did you do when you faced him.?" Sanji asked curiously.

Zeff smiled, and without any shame, he answered. "I ran."

Sanji almost tripped at how surprised he was by that answer. "You ran?"

"There was nothing else I could do. I knew I had no chance of winning that fight right away." Zeff admitted, completely believing that fact. "And when it comes down to a choice of fighting a losing battle that'll get you killed or escaping and ensuring that your crew survives, every Captain knows there's only one right answer."

"I see." Sanji breathed out a puff of smoke before he smiled. "I guess there's more to you than I realized. You're not just a stubborn old man."

Zeff watched him walk inside as he smiled back at him. "Give me a break. I'm not half as stubborn as you."

Later, after going back inside, Light, Silk, and Gin went to the third floor of the ship, which was where the living quarters were for the cooks as they entered a bedroom.

In this room was a minimal amount of furniture consisting of a single open window, a small table, a shelf, a nightstand, and a bed that was big enough for only a single person.

And right now, the person on the bed was Zoro. After being injured so severely, Yosaku and Johnny laid him on the bed, and now his entire upper body, from the waist to the neck, was wrapped up in bandages.

Usopp returned to him first, and so the three of them were gathered around the bed while Zoro rested on it as Light and the others entered the room.

"Big Bro Light!" Yosaku exclaimed.

"Big Bro Zoro, they're here." Johnny informed him.

"You awake, Zoro?" Light walked over to the bed.

"Yeah." Zoro spoke, standing more lively than you'd expect from someone whose torso was just cut open. "I take it the fight's over?"

"Yeah—You should have seen—Hey, what's he doing here?!" Usopp said he now noticed and pointed at Gin.

"Finally realized I was here, huh?" Gin said.

"Now that you mention it, why are you here?" Zoro asked, sitting up.

"I asked him to join us." Light said, earning confused looks from both of them. After a quick explanation, they both still stared.

"So you asked him to join?" Usopp asked, still confused.

"And he actually said yes?" Yosaku was perplexed as well.

"Well, whatever." Zoro quickly accepted this new information.

"Whatever?" Johnny was surprised by how nonchalant he was being. "But, aren't you surprised, Big Bro? This guy was Krieg's right-hand man?"

"And I was a Pirate Hunter until recently, remember?" Zoro pointed out, still being nonchalant. "Compared to that, this isn't that weird. Besides, he's already in, so quit making a big deal out of it."

"Gee, thanks for the warm welcome." Gin said sarcastically.

"Don't mention it." Zoro waved him off, also being sarcastic. "That's how we do things on this crew."

Usopp sighed, deciding to just accept it as well. "Oh well, guess there's no point worrying about it, really."

"Everyone." Silk spoke out, getting everyone's attention. "Listen, the fighting might be over, but now there's another issue we seriously need to address—Remember Nami?"

"Gah, that's right!" Usopp grimaced. "We still have to go after Nami and get the Going Merry back!"

"I guess it must have slipped our minds with everything that was going on." Light noted, not sounding concerned despite their situation.

"Uh…" Gin got their attention, being the only one out of the loop. "Mind explaining? Who's Nami, and what's the Going Merry?"

"Oh right, let me explain." Light began to explain the details of the personal matter that involved their crew that took place during the initial stages of Hawk-Eye's arrival.

"I see, so this girl robbed you blind and now has your ship." Gin summarized the explanation.

"The problem now is finding her." Usopp crossed his arms while vexed. "When this all started, she wasn't too far away, and we could have followed her, but with all that time gone by, she's long gone already. There's no way we'll be able to track her."

"Well, we have to think of something." Silk mused. "We already decided we were going to get back our ship."

"Even so, we don't have many options right now." Zoro reminded her. "Unless you have some ideas as to where she was going, I don't know what else we can do."

While all of them seemed stumped about what they could do about this predicament, Johnny stepped forward and raised his hand slightly before he talked.

"Uh, actually… I think we might have a clue as to where she is going." Johnny nervously admitted.

[Eh?!] They all gasped at him.

"And just how is that?!" Usopp questioned them.

"Well, before she left, we saw something that we think is a good indication of what she was planning."

"Tell me, how sure are you about this?" Light asked them seriously.

"We're pretty positive about this." Yosaku assured him before looking grim. "But, if we're right, she's likely heading somewhere that's really dangerous."

Usopp paled at that additional information. "Umm, could you please define how dangerous?"

"It doesn't matter." Zoro cut him off. "We have a lead now, so no matter where she's going, that's where we'll go."

"I second that motion." Silk said in agreement, making Usopp slump.

"So, what's our move, Captain?" Gin said, surprisingly not feeling awkward at calling someone else Captain. "Do we leave right away?"

"If you plan on going, you should get something to eat first." They all looked out the window to see Sanji standing on the other side, near the railing. "After all, nothing's worse than being hungry at sea."

"Sanji?" Gin addressed him.

"What are you doing here?" Zoro frowned at him.

"If you must know, this is my room you all happened to be crammed into." Sanji said expressionlessly. "I see you're all as lively as ever, though."

Light went over to the window and hopped over to join Sanji on the other side. "Mind if we talk?"

"Actually, I came here to talk to you." Sanji clarified.

Light nodded and turned to the others. "Give me a minute."

They all acknowledged his word and remained in the room as Light and Sanji walked along the deck, but they were a little bit away from the window, and Sanji leaned against the railing.

"Truthfully, I wanted to see how you were all doing, but I guess I didn't need to worry." Sanji started their conversation.

"Now that the restaurant is safe, we don't really have a reason to stay anymore." Light got to the point. "It's a bonus that we got a new crewmate in Gin, but…."

But Sanji already guessed what he was gonna say and beat him. "No, I'm not gonna run away with you to become a Pirate." He said to his disappointment. "I've got some unfinished business here. I'll stay until Owner Zeff acknowledges my skill."

"His word is that important to you?" Light said with interest.

"Yeah, it is." Sanji confessed before smiling softly at the ocean. "I can't just leave. These bozos don't know the first thing about how to run a restaurant. But still, I promised myself that one of these days, I'll go to the Grand Line."

Light looked out at the ocean as well. "I've learned in all my time sailing that there's no need to always be in a rush. A lot of people don't want to wait for someday, but personally, as long as I'm never bored, I don't mind waiting a little while."

"Speaking of waiting, I remember you saying you planned on meeting someone on the Grand Line." Sanji brought up a previous conversation topic. "I've been wondering, who is it? The person who's waiting for you?"

Light felt nostalgic as he answered. "It's my older brother."

Sanji looked up at him after that answer. "You have an older brother?"

Light held up two fingers. "Two, actually. Both of them set off before me and are on the Grand Line. The one I'm planning to meet is the oldest of us."

"Back up a bit. You have two older brothers who are out on the Grand Line right now?" Sanji questioned, finding it hard to believe, but he knew he wasn't lying. "Are they both Pirates?"

"Well, the older one is, besides it's not that odd. Every man in my family is on the Grand Line." Light explained nonchalantly. "My Grandfather, my Dad, and both of my brothers, it's kind of like a family tradition. I'm the only one left who's still here, but not for much longer."

Sanji stared at him for a moment before smoking more of his cigarette and decided to just take it all in stride. "I should have figured the family of a monster are also monsters."

"You got that right." Light agreed, not offended by that remark. "What about you? Got any family out there?"

"No." Sanji answered right away. "I've got no one like that. Before this ship, it's just been me and whoever I shared a kitchen with."

"I see." Light looked back at the restaurant and nodded. "Then, I guess your family's right here on this ship."

"Hmph, that's a way of putting it." Sanji offhandedly shrugged.

"It is a shame, though. We originally came here to find a cook to join us but never ended up finding one." Light lamented with disappointment.

"Sorry about that. It just isn't the right time. Not yet…" He said as they continued to look out at the sea for a moment before he said. "There is one place…." And without another word, he turned back to Light and asked, his face suddenly lighting up with exhilaration as he asked. "Say, have you ever heard of All Blue?"

"Can't say that I have." Light answered bluntly.

"You've got to be kidding me!?" Sanji asked, still never losing his smile. "That sea is a miracle!" Light's eyes widened as he went on and on about his dream of one day seeing the All Blue. "In the All Blue, there are fish from the East Blue, the West Blue, the North Blue, and the South Blue." He said breathlessly. "That one stretch of ocean has it all! To us cooks, it's a culinary dream come true! A place that fantastic has got to be on the Grand Line somewhere, right?"

Sanji didn't know what made him tell Light about his dream—Perhaps it was because he knew that Light wouldn't laugh at him or tell him that it was impossible. After all, both of their dreams were considered to be unattainable.

But unbeknownst to Sanji, Zeff was watching the whole thing with a small smile on his face, as if dreaming of the All Blue himself. "The little brat looks truly happy."

He just smiled as he watched his sous chef continue on for some time about his dreams of seeing the All Blue and what he would make once he got there. When Patty screamed out that lunch was served, the two decided to go down and get some as well.

The two of them headed down to the dining area, where the cooks had already begun to chow down. They looked around the room and realized they had moved all the tables and chairs that had been previously organized. Many of them were missing, and all the chairs set out already had someone sitting in them.

After they entered, the others came in after. Zoro led the pack while still bandaged up and now wearing a loose ocean-blue shirt with the front open.

"I can't believe you're walking around." Usopp said incredulously.

"What? I'm hungry." Zoro shrugged, not seeing the problem.

"That's not the point, Big Bro. You shouldn't be moving around while you're still injured." Johnny pointed out.

"If you wanted, we could have brought you some food while you stayed in bed." Yosaku offered him.

"Forget it. I got bored staying in bed for so long." Zoro brushed off their concerns.

"How are you not getting this?!" Usopp snapped at him. "You're not supposed to just leave because you're bored! That's not how you get better!"

"Usopp, just let it go." Silk told him tiredly. "The one consistent thing about Zoro is that he never follows conventional methods."

"I have no trouble believing that, considering his injuries would keep most people down for more than a year, and yet he looks full of life after just an hour." Gin noted, meshing well with the group already.

"Hey?" Sanji addressed the other cooks, noticing that there were no empty seats. "Oh good, they saved us some seats." He complained sarcastically.

"No chairs left for you." One of them said, not shy about being rude.

Another cook snickers at them. "Just sit on the floor and eat."

"Eh? This is a restaurant, you bastards, and how dare you make a lady sit on the floor while you're sitting comfortably in a chair?" Sanji snapped angrily at them. "I'll go get—"

"It's alright, Sanji." Silk stopped him by putting her hand on his shoulder. "It's not worth starting a fight. There are worse things than sitting on the floor."

Sanji still didn't like it, but if she was okay, then he reluctantly accepted it. "All right, fine."

After they all got their own helpings of food, all of them sat on the floor in a circle.

"Is it just me, or are they all acting weird for some reason?" Usopp noticed the attitude of the cooks.

"It is odd that a restaurant would run out of chairs." Silk noted.

"Well, that's nothing new, bunch of jerks." Sanji added jokingly.

"Who cares? Let's just eat." Zoro paid it no mind.

"Hey! What is this?! Who prepared the soup this morning?!" Patty suddenly called out from his seat.

Sanji shot a hand up into the air, and he smiled proudly at the cook. "Oh, I did!" He said. "The stuff is pretty good, huh? I think I really outdid myself!"

"Is that a joke?! I could barely hold this slope down!" Patty sputtered and wiped his mouth roughly with the back of his hand.

Sanji's face was the picture of boiling rage as he rushed to his feet. "I thought someone like you would like slope. It makes sense to me, seeing that's what pigs like."

"Ha! Just face it, Sanji, your soup sucks. It's disgusting!" Patty shot back and continued to spit in between his sentences.

"That soup is nothing sort of a delicacy." Sanji said while warning, walking up to him. "There's something wrong with your taste buds."

"Agh! That's gross!" Carne shouted soon after.

"I can't eat this!"

"Revolting!"

"This soup is horrible!"

Around the room, every cook slammed their spoons down and pushed their bowl of soup away from them. With each rejection, Sanji's face grew darker and darker.

"What the hell's going on, you bastards?!" He shouted.

"We're sick of the way you run things. You're a sham of a Sous Chef, and everybody knows it." Patty huffed.

"You can't just settle every little disagreement with violence!" Another cook added, acting like he was no different.

"If the food's bad, we're gonna say so." Another cook told him indelicately.

"What did you say?!" Sanji demanded.

Before anyone could say anything, a loud slurp cut through the room. They all turned to watch the old chef drink the soup, spoonful by spoonful. "Don't forget that we're seafaring cooks." He said in between bites. "So you better not waste one single drop of that soup."

While everyone stopped and waited for him to finish, the crew stayed on the floor and just kept watching to see how things would play out. While things were quiet, Usopp leaned over to Light and whispered.

"Hey, Captain… What's going on right now?" He asked, confused by everyone's behavior.

Light just looked at all the cooks like they were idiots. "Something unnecessary stupid."

Finally, when the last drop of soup was consumed from his bowl, Zeff set the spoon down on the table and got up from his seat. Everyone was waiting with bated breath to hear what the chef had to say about Sanji's soup. He paused for a moment before flinging the empty bowl onto the floor. It was so quiet in the room that the sound of the bowl smashing into pieces came out a lot more dramatic than it actually was.

"Geezer…" Sanij said through clenched teeth.

Zeff turned to his protege and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "That wretched little dish tasted like stewed garbage! If we ever serve that kind of trash here, we'd go out of business!"

"Are you really this stupid?!" Sanji seethed as he rushed over and grabbed the old chef by his blue ascot. "Just how is my soup any different from the stuff you make? How?!"

"You think they're the same?!" Zeff shouted. "Don't flatter yourself!"

THWACK!

All the cooks were stunned when the chef dealt a blow to Sanji across the face. Zeff had punched the cook. He didn't kick. The old chef held his fist in front of Sanji's face for emphasis.

"You think you can lecture on the art of cooking, do you?! Fat chance! I'm a man who has cooked on more seas than days that you've been alive!" He told him condescendingly as if he devalued everything about what made Sanji a chef.

Sanji narrowed his eyes, and his hand went to his bruised cheek. Just as he was about to say something in response, Light walked past him before any even noticed. He got up and went over to the dining table.

Without any hesitation, Light picked up the whole pot and brought it to his mouth before he started chugging the whole thing down. Everyone watched him guzzling down the soup nonstop until, after a bit, he lowered the pot, let out a gasp, and dropped it back on the table. It was now empty as he drank every last drop.

Light wiped his mouth and spoke. "…That was good."

Sanji's eyes were still wide, he wasn't angry more, but he couldn't really make sense of Light's sudden and random actions. It seemed to be the same for all the other cooks as they all just looked at him but didn't know what to say.

Say Light said the first word, looking directly at Zeff. "Sorry old man, but I didn't feel like playing along with your game."

Zeff sighed as though he somewhat expected this. "Damn it."

"Uh, could someone please explain what's going on?" Usopp couldn't follow this at all.

"Seriously, you guys, do you want to get out of telling the truth that badly?" Light questioned them as if they were being ridiculous. "Is being honest so hard that you'd rather jump through hoops and put on a performance than just come clean?"

"It's a little more complicated than that." Zeff told him while crossing his arms.

"What's complicated?" Sanji stepped forward and demanded. "Come on, geezer, what are you guys saying?"

"Ah, the hell with it." Zeff said, fed up with it all, and finally spoke the truth. "Sanji, I know you're an outstanding chef. Everyone here on the Baratie does." Zeff said, and Sanji felt a little taken aback at that. Not a single one of the other cooks disagreed, all of them nodding the same way and telling him what they all thought. Sanji was quiet, he never doubted his ability as a chef, but this might actually be the first time any of them acknowledged that. It was especially unbelievable to hear it from Owner Zeff.

"Wha? But I don't get it…." Yosaku said in confusion. "They all said…?"

"They were lying." Zoro immediately answered his quarry. "It wasn't that hard to notice."

"It was already skeptic the moment they said Sanji's cooking was bad." Gin shared his thoughts.

"And we've got the expert of lying right here." Silk gestures to Usopp. "So we're used to bad acting."

"Yeah…" Usopp agreed before he fully processed what she said. "Hey!" He was insulted but didn't let it be known that he never saw through the act.

"Ha! You hear that?" Patty said to Carne, looking close to laughing. "Even strangers could see through your bad acting."

"Oh, please." Carne laughed. "I bet they he figured it out 'cause of your bad acting!"

Patty laughed. "Come on; your acting was way worse than mine!"

"I don't get it." Sanji interrupted them, still looking at Zeff. "If you know I'm a great cook, why'd you put on the act?"

"Because you're a thick-skulled idiot that wouldn't listen to us if we tried to reason with you." He said bluntly, and then Zeff made a surprising request to Light. "Hey, kid… Listen. You were saying that you needed a cook for your ship, right? Well, this isn't something I wanna be asking anyone, but… Would you mind taking this little brat along with ya? Take him to the Grand Line." He smiled, "That would be best for him. The Grand Line is his dream."

Light didn't answer him and instead looked at Sanji as though saying it was his decision to make. "Well, Sanji, what's it going to be?"

Sanji smiled at that and muttered. "Geez, don't talk about me like I wasn't right here."

Sanji remembered the words that he himself spoke, how he wouldn't leave this restaurant until he heard Owner Zeff acknowledge his skills as a chef. And now that time has come, it was time for him to decide as well.

"Your dream is foolish." He said while Light just listened. "But then again… So is mine." Sanji looked up to the sky. "Now's as good a time as any. Why not start my quest right now?"

"Does that mean?" Light asked hopefully.

"Yeah. I'll be joining your little crew on your journey to be King of the Pirates. You hear me? I wanna be the cook on your ship!" They sized each other up as he finished. "Alright? Whadda say?"

Light had a wide smile on his face as he held out his hand to Sanji. "Yeah, absolutely." Sanji shook his hand and accepted his handshake. "Welcome to our crew."

[Alright!] Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny cheered and were all jumping around, dancing, and singing happily as Zoro just shrugged with acceptance. Silk was pleased that they succeeded in their goal of recruiting a cook, and Gin seemed fully on board with the idea of having Sanji as a crewmate. Sanji looked up at the cooks.

"Are you guys happy now or what?" He asked grumpily, but he was smirking when he saw their sour expressions. "Sorry, really. I'll leave now."

Patty snorted and crossed his arms with a huff. "Hmph! I don't like it. To tell you the truth, I was hoping to give you the boot from this restaurant personally. But it seems you don't have a problem with straight-up abandoning us."

"I'm especially sorry for making the lot of you resort to bad acting." Sanji told him.

"Hey! You don't get to call it bad, considering you fell for it!" Patty snapped at him.

"Whatever, you bunch of jerks." Sanji answered, now turning to glare at Zeff. "Was stomping on my pride the best plan you could come up with? Was it? You damn geezer."

"Every little thing has to be a fight with you!" Patty yelled, holding up a fist. "I'm sick-n-tired of it! Bring it on!"

But Zeff was holding Patty back as he looked at Sanji. "I have never liked children. As a matter of fact, I hate children. There wasn't a day passed that I didn't regret letting a useless little brat like you live, Sanji."

"Fine by me, you rotten old man." Sanji smirked back. "Enjoy the rest of your miserable life."

While they were having their staredown, Silk just sighed at them.

"After all that, I guess they couldn't resist having a last argument." She said, almost fed up with them.

"And in the end, they still aren't being honest." Light noted before shrugging. "Oh well, I suppose this is just what they're comfortable with."

With everything settled, the crew was now getting ready to depart.

They split into two groups. One of them prepared their boat to sail away. The other was gathering provisions from the kitchen for their travels.

Because Yosaku and Johnny's boat wasn't big enough by itself to fit all eight of them, they all planned to take another boat that belonged to Sanji. It was a bit bigger than their boat and even had an inside cabin deck in the middle where he could cook.

While the rest of them were in the boats, getting ready to depart, Light and Silk were in the kitchen, packing food in a large sack.

Sanji wasn't with either group as he told them that he was going to get his stuff and that he would meet up with them later. After they finished packing enough food, the two of them were ready to go until Zeff approached Light.

"Kid." Zeff addressed him.

"Hey, you here to see us off?" Light guessed casually.

"Would you like this?" Zeff didn't respond to his quip and offered him a book. It was a book that had the image of a pirate flag symbol on the front cover. Instead of the usual skull and crossbones, it was a duck wearing a chef hat, and the knife and fork replaced the crossbones. Beneath it was the word "Logbook" in rough letters. "It's my logbook, a detailed record of my one-year journey to the Grand Line."

They were all a little surprised when Zeff offered him his logbook, however. Silk voiced her surprise. "Really, you would have done anything to stop Krieg from having it, so why the change of heart?"

"That was a different matter, young lady." Zeff said, seeing no problem with his offer as he faced Light. "I know that you wouldn't abuse what's written in here, nor do wrong by yourself even with it. Unlike Krieg, you're a true Pirate."

Light kept his eyes on the book. "You sure? That book is the heart and soul of your old crew?"

"I'm a cook now, so I'm not going to be needing it anymore." Zeff told him without any doubt. "Besides, rather than just sitting on a shelf and collecting dust, I'd be happier if this old book got to traverse the Grand Line one more time."

Light came to a decision. "The last thing a want is a boring adventure, and having a record of the Grand Line would probably take some of the fun out of it." He paused for a moment before he smiled widely. "Luckily for me, that book only covers a single year." He then reached out and took the book in his hands. "And I plan on sailing the Grand Line for much longer than that, so I'll look forward to seeing all the things that aren't recorded in this book."

Zeff smirked at him with satisfaction. "I knew you'd say something like that."

Back in Sanji's room, Sanji was packing away all of his personal belongings, including a collection of kitchen knives, a suitcase of essentials, and a pack of cigarettes.

Once he had everything he needed, he looked at the nightstand next to his bed and stared at a picture of Sanji and Zeff when they first opened the restaurant. Sanji was a small child in the picture, and the only difference in Zeff was that his mustache was shorter and not braided.

Sanji didn't show it, but he felt a wave of nostalgia and many other emotions as he stared down at that picture. A picture of the day it all began—Baratie and his life as a cook.

Soon, everyone was on board one of the ships. Light, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku were on their own, while Zoro, Silk, and Gin were on Sanji's. They were waiting with all the other cooks outside on the fins—That was patched together rather sloppily.

"What is taking the cook so long?" Zoro asked impatiently.

"Yeah, Big Bro cook sure is taking a while." Yosaku noticed.

"Lay off, you guys." Silk scolded them. "It's his home. Let him take his time before leaving."

Finally, he appeared in the doorway with his knives in his case and a sack over his shoulder. He stood there for a minute in the doorway. As if realizing that this was all for real, he slowly walked forward. But Patty and Carne jumped him, ready to give him a beating… Of course, with two kicks, Sanji took them out.

"Really, guys, that was just dumb." A chef said to them as they bled on the deck, and Sanji continued on as if no one had interrupted him.

"Couldn't have said that better myself," Silk said exasperatedly as the others laughed. "Just what was the point of that?"

"Their way of sending him off?" Zoro suggested.

It was silent after that as Sanji walked with all the cooks on either side of him—Only the sounds of his footsteps and the waves could be heard. It was as if he was about to leave for a dangerous war and might never come back. Though thinking about it, that wasn't impossible. He reached the boat and said, without ever looking back, "Let's get going."

"Really, don't you want to say goodbye?" Gin asked, a little surprised.

But Sanji smiled as he said. "No, it's fine."

And with that, he was about to get in when Zeff called out behind him. "Sanji." He said from the upper balcony. "Take care of yourself, ok?"

Now Sanji was standing there frozen at those words. Even after all this time, those words seemed to have echoed inside him. Though those simple words wouldn't mean much to others—To Sanji, those words meant so much… Zeff, a man who usually belittled him one way or another, asked him to take care of himself.

He was fighting the tears but was quickly breaking down as an understanding smile appeared on Light's face.

"OWNER ZEEEEEFFFFFFF!" Sanji couldn't hold it in anymore as he screamed out, and to their astonishment, he spun around and fell to his knees, his forehead touching the Baratie's deck. He was so completely moved by what Zeff said that he just couldn't hold it in. "Thanks, you geezer! I'll never forget your kindness! I owe my life to you, old man… So thank you!"

But now tears had appeared in Zeff's eyes. Soon all the other chefs were crying as well, saying how much they were gonna miss him. There wasn't a dry eye around, and Sanji was smiling through his tears.

"You asshole~!" Patty cried tearfully. "I'm gonna miss you so much!"

"I'll miss you too!" Carne cried as well.

"Damn words." Zeff said, his eyes bloodshot as he rubbed them. "Real men should part without a word, let alone tears."

Those on the boats were affected by the emotional atmosphere as well—Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny were spilling tears as well. Gin was only slightly teary-eyed like Zeff bit smiled, happy for them; Silk didn't cry but felt emotional as well. This scene reminded her of her own send-off when she first left home. Zoro seemed the least emotional but still acknowledged that he was a pleasant scene.

Light unfurled the sails and signaled their departure. "SET SAIL!"

"I will see you again!" Sanji promised them as they drifted away. "I'll come back someday!"

The whole time the chefs waved him off, yelling they wished him good luck and that they would miss him. With an emotional Baratie behind, they watched them head off as the chefs waved him off even after he was out of their sight as Zeff had his head up high.

"As long as you sail with enough faith in yourself that you have no fear, not even of death, you will find the All Blue." Zeff's thoughts were filled with certainty. "I'm sure of it." He then spoke out loud at the rest of the cooks. "All right, men! Customers will be here soon! Get to work already!"

Meanwhile, at a quiet corner of the ocean, the Going Merry was sailing with Nami as its only passenger. After stealing the ship, she was miles away from Baratie ad currently heading towards a new destination.

The Going Merry sure was quiet as it was only Nami by herself on the ship. It wouldn't be long until she reached her destination, so she took this time to change her outfit. Nami wore a green tank top, tight dark-blue leggings that reached below her knees, and brown gladiator sandals.

Nami's mind kept going back to those guys. The ones that called her 'friend'. It made her sad to leave them like this. She stole the ship, so they must be angry with her. Even if they show up for the Going Merry, Nami will give it back to them, but she can't go with them. She can't go sailing the high seas with them. Just the thought of that brought tears to her eyes.

"They sure were nice people…" Nami spoke softly to herself. "But I wonder, well… I wonder if they'll let me join them again…?" The tears really started to come down. "I hope I see them again…." Nami bit her bottom lip and wrapped her arms around herself. "Free…I just want to be free… Bell-mère."

And that's the chapter. First of all, again, I regret that it took me so long to post this chapter, but now that I now realize how long it takes to finish a chapter that covers half an entire arc, especially in One Piece, for that reason, I'm going to stop doing that. Future chapters from this point will be short but won't take so long to finish and be posted, which I think is worth it,

Moving on, as you saw, there were several changes to the plot in this chapter. First, I added that little difference in Zoro's fight with Hawk-Eye because I always felt that he did so poorly because he lost his cool and went berserk. He could have done the bare minimum of breaking his knife if he were his usual self. And even though it didn't change the outcome, it left a better taste in my mouth.

I changed it so that half the crew didn't leave the restaurant to chase after Nami. The reason for that was that I preferred if the whole crew were together for a few things, and I also plan on adding changes to the next arc. But also, I wanted them to be together when Sanji and Gin joined the crew.

Speaking of which, that's right, I made Gin join the crew. I always felt that Gin had so much potential as a character, and his time in the story was too short-lived, so I changed that to have him become their newest member alongside Sanji. Plus, I've seen a few other stories where Gin joins the crew, and I couldn't resist doing it in mine.

Anyways thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. If you want more, leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite. If you want an earlier release, feel free to become a patron, and as always, have an awesome day.