DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT RAGNAR AND ALL VIKINGS IN THIS STORY! ONE PIECE BELONGS TO EICHIRO ODA, VIZ MANGA, TOEI ANIMATION AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT/CRUNCHYROLL LLC
Chapter 28: I Won't Die! Fierce Battle, Luffy Vs. Krieg!
The entirety of the wreckage permeated with the purple cloud of death. One didn't have to be a Zoan type Devil Fruit user to pick up the artificial synthesized toxins mixed with the familiar lethal herbs of nightshade, wolfsbane and hemlock. All those who made it inside the restaurant could do was wait it out for the gas cloud to dissipate. Yet for Nami, she was still utterly horrified. She didn't see Luffy don the gas mask she gave him before the doors closed. In her darkest hearts, she feared the worst.
"Ragnar…is he…?" She asked her quartermaster, hoping that the worst was not true.
"I'll go ahead and have a look," he told her, "My Devil Fruit did grant me enhanced sight, after all." Instantly, he began scanning outside the wreckage, trying to make out shapes in the purple gas that permeated the wreck, until finally his eyes widened…with delight. "He's got a gas mask on! Nami, he's alive!"
Upon hearing this, Nami couldn't help but let her tears fall as she gave a relieved smile. He did manage to survive this, after all! Her heart soared with relief. Usopp too was also relieved as he slumped down against the wall.
"Oh man! That was a close one!" He said with a sigh of relief, "I thought for sure we weren't gonna make it back there."
"Do you guys think that Sanji and Gin made it?" Ragnar asked.
"I hope they did," replied Nami, "But look! It's clearing!"
As the poison gas dissipated harmlessly into the atmosphere, Luffy removed his gas mask, but turned to a sight that horrified not just him, but all of his crew as well: The only other guy who wore a gas mask was…Sanji! Instantly, Luffy knew what happened.
Gin threw the boy his own gas mask just before the bomb went off, and was now suffering the effects of the poison. He sacrificed his own gas mask in order to save Sanji's life.
"Gin…this was your mask…you gave it to me…" Luffy muttered, then his eyes widened in horror as Gin fell, the man's body twitching from the poison. "Oh no! NO!" Instantly, he rushed over to Sanji, who caught Gin before the man could collapse, as the other Straw Hats followed once the doors opened, only to hear Krieg's sadistic laughter at the sight.
"What a fool! You would pay for a plate of food with your life!?" Krieg asked, "Ah well, maybe you'll learn from your mistake…when you're dead." He only cackled in sadistic delight, not even respecting the fact that Gin followed his orders in the end.
Gin lay on his back, breathing rapidly as the poison caused him to cough up gobs of blood. He knew he hadn't much longer to live, but he was willing to risk his life for the safety of Sanji.
"Don…Don…! Don Krieg…!" He groaned between breaths, blood seeping out of his nose and mouth.
"So…it seems that Don Krieg wasn't the man for you to follow," said Sanji, "Am I right, Gin?" He was truly sickened by the fact that a pirate captain would do something as sinister as killing off his own crew members. These were men who respected and revered him as a king! Who would take a musket ball for him! And Krieg just treated them as if they were pawns!
"It figures that you still feel for that scum!" Krieg mocked, "Anyone who loses focus and betrays my ship is worthless to me! They'll most likely do it again! Putting him out of his misery is an act of mercy to prevent him from further shaming himself and endangering my crew!"
"You DARE call what you did MERCY!?" Ragnar roared, seething with rage at Krieg, "You have no right to speak of mercy, you cruel niðingr! What you have done was driven by selfishness and anger, not mercy! You are no Pirate Fleet Admiral, Don Krieg! You, sir, are a leather boot full of shit, and you shame your crew and reputation - OATHBREAKER!" Those words the Viking spoke struck a chord with Krieg's men. They too were now disgusted by the sight. They remembered when Gin selflessly acted as a decoy when they fled the Grand Line, fooling Fullbody's Marines, and allowing his crewmates to escape. Now, their own captain killed him like a stray dog. The Norseman was right – this was not an act of mercy, it was cruelty.
Sanji only stayed by Gin's side, just barely able to control his rage while Patty, Carne and Zeff made it out of the restaurant. Now was the time for action.
"Patty! Carne! Get the medical kit! Quick!" He shouted.
"Are you nuts!?" Patty asked, "It's for food poisoning! I don't think it's gonna work on gas, Sanji!"
"I don't care! We have to try!"
"Quickly, put the mask on him!" Zeff ordered, "It has the antidote needed to detoxify the gas in his lungs. Then bring him upstairs and let him breathe. It's his only chance for his survival!" Immediately, Sanji grabbed the gas mask he once wore, and placed it over Gin's face.
"Patty, Carne! Hurry!" He shouted, then looked to Ragnar, Nami and Usopp, "Please, I need you to help too!" Ragnar and Usopp immediately nodded and got to either side, but Nami only stood stock still, her gaze fixed at Luffy.
"Uh…guys? It's Luffy…" she only said, eyes wide with shock. Luffy was now shaking with anger, his fists tightening into balls. Instantly she knew this foreboding feel. It was just like with Buggy the Clown at Orange Town, and Captain Kuro on the slopes of Gecko Island…but now? This time it was far worse.
"Don't you dare die on me, Gin!" Luffy growled, "You can't let someone like him beat you, so STICK AROUND! 'CUZ I'M GONNA PRY THAT ARMOR CLEAN OFF HIS BODY!"
"You can't win…" Gin groaned, still weakened from the poison, but even he could see that Luffy wasn't going to take this lying down.
"Wait, hold on!" Sanji protested, grabbing Luffy's wrist, "Attacking him head on is exactly what he wants! He's strongest that way!"
"I'm not afraid of him," Luffy replied, then charged straight at Krieg, "GO AHEAD AND HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT, SCUMBAG!"
"You foolish boy! When you let your anger get the better of you, you're an easier target!" Krieg mocked, as he only grinned menacingly. "You're only running towards one thing, Monkey boy," he then threw those same explosive shells into the water, "…and that is YOUR FUNERAL!"
"My funeral!?" Luffy asked, not even attempting to get clear of the explosion, or avoid the spikes that were being shot straight at him in a rapid-fire volley. The captain let the spikes hit him in the left waist, his shoulder, and his thigh. Yet still, he kept running, much to everyone's disbelief, save those of his crew. Luffy jumped straight up and stretched his right arm behind him, which turned cast iron black once more, right as Don Krieg unleashed a secondary cape underneath his right pauldron, and this one was equipped with fist-sized spikes, like the quills of a porcupine! Yet still, Luffy wasn't deterred as he made his move. "GUM-GUM….PISTOOOOOOOLLLL!" He yelled, smashing his face right onto the spikes of the cape, and into Krieg's face. Against all odds, Luffy managed to hit Don Krieg! Everyone looked on in either shock or amazement as Krieg fell onto the deck face first.
This was the sight of a lifetime! Never before had Don Krieg, ruler of the East Blue, been defeated before, and yet now, this boy definitely was winning! Ragnar, Nami and Usopp were all looking on in awe.
"I knew he could do it!" A voice exclaimed, and Ragnar turned to find that Zoro finally made it aboard to watch the fight, with Johnny and Yosaku nearby, armed with their own dadao swords and spare shields.
"Zoro! Are you well?" the Viking asked.
"Don't worry, Big Bro Ragnar!" Johnny called out, "He's doin' fine for now!"
"Yeah, we only just wanna let him see Big Bro Luffy kick Krieg's ass!" Yosaku added.
"Understood! May Eir grant you a swift recovery!" Ragnar called out, glad to know that Zoro was taking it easy for this round. Even he knew that Zoro's duel with Dracule Mihawk was bound to put him out of action for a while, at least till he got the scar looked at by a doctor.
Luffy only looked down at Krieg as his arms returned to normal skin tones, then one by one, he pulled out the spikes in his body.
"So…is this my funeral…or yours!?" He asked angrily, "You can't kill me…with these little spikes! It's gonna…take more than this…to kill me!" He only jeered at Krieg as every single spike fell harmlessly to the ground, the holes closing up quickly on Luffy's body, "You're gonna have to try harder than this…if you ever wanna beat me!" Then he grinned confidently at his opponent, grabbing a fallen cutlass, "Because I don't think it's time for me to die right now!" Now the fight was truly on, and Luffy was just getting started.
At the Baratie, Sanji only clutched his ribs, slumped down on the railing of the entrance, with Zeff standing nearby, along with Nami, Ragnar and Usopp.
"One thing's definitely true," said Sanji, "That guy is insane!"
"I've seen one or two men like him before," said Zeff, which caught everyone's attention, "Stubborn kids who'd rather die than run from a fight once it's started. I'm glad he's on our side, because guys like that are hell to fight. I don't care if he wins or loses anymore. I consider it an honor just to be able to watch him!"
"Indeed, Zeff. It's an honor to be at Luffy's side," said Ragnar, grinning with pride, "Because that, right there, is the man who's going to someday be King of the Pirates!"
Meanwhile aboard the upper deck of the kitchen level, Patty and Carne were doing their best to help Gin recover from the effects of the MH-5 poison.
"Hey man, are you alright?" Patty asked, "C'mon try to breathe. Get some air."
"You want a pillow, or maybe some water?" Carne asked, terrified of the prospect of Gin dying. Yet the pirate gave no response, only breathing rapidly as the poison was still in his system.
"Y'know what, I make a great banana pudding," said Patty, "Want some?"
"You idiot!" Carne told his peer, "We don't want him to choke to death on one of your culinary disasters!"
"Better that than the runs he'd get from stomaching one of your raunchy meat pies!"
"Hey! The reason I won't feed him one of my meat pies is because after one bite, you think he'd died and gone to heaven."
Gin only coughed up another gob of blood and continued breathing as Patty helped him sit up.
"Don…Don…Don Krieg!" He groaned, wondering what the situation down below was like, and how Luffy was fairing.
Back on the site of the wreckage, many of Krieg's men were just floating and treading water, waiting for signs of their captain to come to. Much to the pirates' relief, Krieg was very much alive and well, but he only glared at Luffy.
"So…boy, it's not your funeral, is it? Too bad…" Krieg groaned as he slowly rose to his feet, "Because one of us has got to go, and since I'm already here…I'd really like to PAY MY RESPECTS!" Then he shoved his left pauldron right into Luffy's torso, firing a cannonball right into his chest. "Go to Hell!"
"YOU FIRST!" Luffy roared back, having jumped out of the blast radius, and used his left foot to hamstring Krieg by the shoulder, pinning him onto his back as the boy's leg stretched back to normal. All the Krieg Pirates were flabbergasted at the very sight, Don Krieg suffered another fall! What was this boy!?
Yet the Straw Hats only looked on with excitement.
"Kick his ass, Luffy!" Usopp yelled.
"Go for it, Luffy!" Nami added.
"How is this possible!?" One of the pirates asked, "This is really gonna ruin his reputation!"
"SHUT UP MAGGOTS! DO NOT DOUBT ME!" Krieg yelled at his men, then he slammed his two pauldrons together, and pulled a handle on one of them, which expanded into a long telescopic shaft, and from the two pauldrons now emerged a pointed narrow blade. Now, armed with a spear, Krieg slashed down at Luffy, and the force caused a literal explosion, sending wood and water flying in all directions.
All those who watched from the Baratie looked on in awe and shock.
"What was that thing?!" Sanji asked.
"It's a spear!" Nami remarked, "But it's not like mine…"
"You're right, this is another one of his insane inventions," Ragnar surmised, "And it looks like this spear is primed to explode on impact as well."
"Finally! It's the Mighty Battle Spear!" One of the pirates exclaimed, in awe at the sight of such a fearsome weapon.
"An exploding spear!? He's got something like that!?" Luffy asked as he hid behind the base of the Dreadnought Sabre's mast, all as Krieg tossed his fur-trimmed coat off his shoulders, letting it fly towards the remains of the fin.
"Now what? Hiding, are we? Play it your way, boy," Krieg chuckled, "My mighty battle spear isn't like the one that girl of yours wields. When this thing thrusts into you, it won't just pierce your flesh…YOU'LL BE BLOWN TO KINGDOM COME!" Then he raised the spear, and smashed the remains of the stern of his own galleon, sending Luffy flying back.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Not the water! Not the water!" Luffy muttered as he caught a wrecked piece of the galleon, his arms stretching as he came to a stop and pulled back to the flotsam. "That spear's something else, it explodes every time he hits anything!" Luffy then tried to get up, but was unable to move his legs. "What the Hell?! My knees!"
"You look tired," Krieg said mockingly, "What a shame. I guess you should've saved a little more energy, boy."
From afar, those gathered only watched as Luffy was suddenly unable to move.
"He's lost too much blood," said Sanji, "He can't fight for much longer!"
"Oh no! Luffy! Finish this up quickly!" Nami shouted.
Ragnar only listened to what the Krieg Pirates were saying as gossip about that spear their captain wielded.
"There isn't a weapon as powerful in the East Blue than the Mighty Battle Spear!"
"Don Krieg is the only one strong enough to wield that thing, since the harder he strikes with it, the bigger the explosion he causes. Anyone else would just be completely destroyed by their own pathetic attempt."
"Yeah, he's only able to do that because he's the only one strong enough to swing a spear that weighs more than a ton."
Krieg only kept swinging at Luffy, but each time the Straw Hats' Captain dodged every hit from the tip, or the exploding pauldrons, all while trying to maintain his footing, and not fall into the sea below. It reached a point where Luffy jumped in midair, right into Krieg's line of sight.
"NOW, YOU'RE DEAD, YOU STUPID MONKEY!" Krieg bellowed as he thrust his spear.
"Luffy! Get outta there!" Nami screamed, but she soon was agape at what everyone else saw. Luffy was hanging from the spear's shaft, totally unharmed!
"Phew! That was a close one," Luffy muttered, coiling around the shaft like a snake on a tree branch. Yet Krige was only further enraged. How dare he be made a mockery out of by some young boy with Devil Fruit powers!? He needed to set an example! He was king of the East Blue, and he would not tolerate this farce one little bit!
"YOU'RE JUST A PEST, AND DESERVE TO BE CRUSHED LIKE ONE!" Krieg roared, his patience reaching its end as he held the spear upright and brought it down hard on the wreckage, sending Luffy flying in midair once more. As soon as he was in range once more, he saw his opponent thrust that spear right at him again, but now both Luffy's arms turned that black hue and he punched both ends of the blade with his fists. The battle spear exploded right in his face.
Nami held her breath in shock. She could only look on as Luffy fell onto his back, his body now charred from the force of the blast.
'C'mon Luffy! Don't you dare die on me…!' she thought, looking for any signs of life in that boy, he had to keep going, for her sake.
Luffy only got up weakly to his feet. Even taking such damage, he was still determined to face Krieg and expel him from this part of the sea. He only remembered seeing Nami cry four days earlier. The sight of his navigator in tears drove him on. He had to win this fight, so that he could make Arlong pay for Nami's suffering!
"So, you're still alive?" Krieg asked, "Good, because I'm not finished with you! If you hadn't been so foolish, I would've killed you so swift, but now that you've really pissed me off…I'll ensure you suffer a slow, painful death!"
Back aboard the Baratie proper, Sanji, Zeff, and the other Straw Hats only watched on as the fight progressed even further. This fight was just the stuff for the sagas! Usopp immediately took out a sketchpad from his satchel and began drawing what he saw, while Zoro, Nami and Ragnar, all looked on, the latter two clutching their weapons in case Luffy had to tap out.
"Dammit…there's just no possible way that guy can take much more of a beating," said Sanji, "That spear of Krieg's is just way too powerful!"
"No, Sanji. You're wrong," said Zeff, his eyes focused on the fight, "Even with a hundred thousand more weapons, that boy can still bring Krieg to his knees, because he does not know fear."
Krieg once more swung right towards Luffy, who only tried blocking it with his fists, only for the weapon to explode in his face once more, sending his charred body flying back from the blast.
"Too easy!" Krieg muttered, believing himself victorious at last, and began to walk away towards the direction of the Baratie. Yet then he noticed the smiles on the faces of the Straw Hats. They were not looking at him, but at something behind him. Krieg turned, and saw Luffy standing up on his feet once again. How was this even possible!? That boy was still going after the punishment he gave!? "I must admit, your resolve is impressive," he told Luffy, "And I speak the truth when I say that few men can impress me." This duel was now grueling down to the feeling of a death match. Either Krieg would emerge victorious and claim the Baratie for himself, or Luffy would be the first man to topple the reputation of the Pirate Fleet Admiral.
As the remaining Straw Hats watched, they could not help but feel pride for their captain. They all knew what Luffy was indeed capable of. If he could take down Captain Kuro, then he was certain to triumph against Don Krieg!
"Stand or fall, life or death," Zeff told Sanji, "In the struggle for your very existence, you cannot show even the slightest bit of fear, or you will die."
"Spoken like a true skald," complimented Ragnar.
"What are you talking about?" Sanji asked, utterly confused.
"That boy right there…" Zeff indicated, pointing to Luffy, "When he fights, he's not afraid of anything! Not even death!"
"That's Luffy for ya," said Zoro, leaning against the railing as he grinned confidently, "Once he sets his sights on something, he never gives up till he wins."
Krieg and Luffy only swung at each other once more, the former with his spear and the latter with his bare fists. Another explosion tore the wrecked galleon asunder, sending Luffy back once more, but the boy only emerged from the heap of wooden debris, and grinned confidently, punching Krieg's spear once more as he was sent flying into the air once again, falling flat on his face.
Zeff and the others only continued to watch on, awestruck by how hard Luffy was fighting.
"Is it all just sheer instinct, or is this part of some larger plan?" Zeff asked, smiling confidently, "We'll all know soon enough if he lives."
"A plan?" Sanji asked, "What kind?! Is he planning on killing himself!?"
"No, it's not so pessimistic as that," said Nami, "When Luffy fights…he gives it his all, no holding back."
Luffy only got up, struggling to get his footing, but ultimately standing on his two feet and grinning at an absolutely livid Krieg.
"You…You sunnova bitch!" Krieg growled, his eyes ready to pop out of his skull at this point. The chefs only cheered Luffy on with encouragement, and even Patty and Carne were watching on, helping Gin stand up so that he could see this duel play out. They all watched as Krieg wound up his spear for a blow, and charged straight at Luffy, "I'll say it again: TODAY IS YOUR FUNERAL! I AM INVINCIBLE!" With a single slash from the spear, Krieg struck Luffy once again, and again, another explosion sent him flying back.
"These kids are right, Sanji. Krieg and his men may be strong, but their captain has something that sets him apart from that grog blossom," Zeff told Sanji as they all looked on, and as the smoke cleared…Luffy was standing tall! "Krieg may have more pirates at his command than anyone else in the East Blue, he may have terrible weapons that kill anything and anyone in his way, but he will never have that boy's heart."
With those words, Sanji finally realized what Luffy's crewmates already knew: this battle was already decided. Krieg was finished!
"It's a miracle that kid stayed alive after so many explosions," Sanji muttered, "There's no way he could withstand those attacks!"
Luffy only stamped on the deck with his foot, and in that instant of a second, Krieg was shocked to find that the tip of his spear shattered like glass.
"WHAT!? NO! MY BATTLE SPEAR!" Krieg yelled, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO IT, STRAW HAT!?"
"I just punched the spearhead five times!" Luffy bluntly declared, "It looks tired. Maybe it deserves a rest!" Krieg only looked on in sheer anger and disbelief. He met some strong opponents in his career, but never before did anyone piss him off like Luffy could. "Now it's my turn, Krieg! I hope you're ready to give it all you got, because you chose to piss off the wrong guy! When I'm done with you here, you're gonna wish Mihawk killed you back in the Grand Line!"
Now everyone knew that this was the great moment! This battle for the Baratie was finally about to reach its climax. Krieg was done for!
A/N: And Luffy's alive! Huzzah! Don't worry, I had every intention of sparing him, since he has to become King of the Pirates, after all.