Everyone was speechless, nay, petrified at the sight of Mihawk's tiny vessel. As it came closer, one of the Krieg pirates asked what they did to him to deserve this.
"Just killing time." Mihawk answered.
"BASTARD!" yelled a pirate as he aimed his pistols and shot at Mihawk. Mihawk simply pulled out his black sword and, with almost no effort, deflected the bullets with the tip of his blade before resheathing it. "What? I missed? How?"
"He changed their course with the tip of his blade." Zoro said as he appeared behind the pirates. He walked forward while they eyed his three swords.
"Three swords? You can't be..."
"Never have I seen a sword handled so gently, or with such grace." Zoro said. Mihawk didn't move but turned his eyes to Zoro.
"Brute force isn't true strength in swordplay." Mihawk said.
"That same sword was used to cut this ship?" Zoro asked.
"Correct." Mihawk replied.
"Then it's true. You're the best." Zoro said. "I set out to sea for one purpose only. To meet you." he said as he untied the bandana from his arm.
"For what reason?" Mihawk asked.
"To defeat you." he said as he tied his bandana to his head.
"How foolish." Mihawk said with a smirk. Zoro unsheated Wado and pointed it at Hawk-Eye.
"You're not doing anything now. Let's go." he said. By now, all the pirates knew who he was.
"The pirate hunter eh?" Krieg said.
"He's a what?" Sanji asked, looking a bit surprised.
"You're a weak fool." Mihawk said before he lept over to the floating piece of ship that Zoro was standing on. "If you're a competent swordsman, you should understand the difference between us even before you drew your blade. Why do you challenge me? Bravery, or stupidity?"
"My dream!" Zoro said as he place Wado between his teeth and drew his two other swords. "That, and a promise I plan to fulfill." Patty began to speak about the clash between them, while Yosaku and Johnny cheered on about how Zoro was unbeatable and already the strongest. Luffy remained quiet as he knew how this would turn out. Mihawk then took the tiny golden cross from his neck and unsheathed the tiny blade inside, angering Zoro.
"What do you plan to do with that?" Zoro asked.
"This is more than enough. After all, you wouldn't kill a fly with a cannon, would you?" Hawk-Eye said before apologizing that he didn't have any blades smaller than that.
"You're gonna regret that." Zoro said as he ran toward Hawk-Eye. "DIE!"
"You have no idea how big the world is!" Mihawk said as Zoro charged.
"ONIGIRI!" he shouted as he brought his blades to strike. Luffy didn't react at all as Mihawk stopped all of Zoro's blades in mid-strike. "W-what?!" Zoro said through clenched teeth. He and everyone around were stunned at the sight.
"Big Bro Zoro's attack was stopped by Mihawk?" Johnny shouted.
"No way!" Yosaku yelled. "That attack's never failed before!"
'No way!' Zoro thought. 'I can't move my blades! How is this possible?!' he thought before he screamed out "I AM NOT THAT FAR BEHIND THE BEST!" And just like last time, he swung his swords wildly at Hawk-Eye, who parried and dogded each and every strike. Luffy watched as Johhny and Yosaku yelled out to him.
"You're just messing with him? Right Big Bro?" Yosaku asked, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Big Bro!" Johnny called out in tears.
"You cannot be that much better than me!" Zoro yelled as he attacked again.
"Such violent swordsmanship." Mihawk said as he blocked another attack. This continued on before Mihawk dodged an attack and, with the side of his hand, hit Zoro in the back of the neck, nearly rendering him unconcious. Zoro struggled to stay in the fight, even though he could barely see. He fumbled toward Mihawk in an attempt to attack, only for Mihawk to step out of the way for Zoro to fall. He lay there, gasping for breath, as Mihawk looked at him with a slightly curious gaze.
"What weight do you carry upon your shoulders weakling?"
"WEAKLING?!" Johnny and Yosaku shouted as they went for there swords, saying they'd teach him a lesson for speaking about Zoro that way. They were about to jump, but noticed a hand on their shoulders, keeping them from moving. They looked back to see it was Luffy keeping them in place.
"This is Zoro's fight." Luffy said as he kept a hardened stare at Zoro's fight. "Stay right where you are."
"I refuse," Zoro said as he stood up. "To be defeated!" He then readied his swords again as the world around him seemed to fade. All he could hear was his heartbeat. At that moment, Luffy's words played out in his head.
'Greatest Swordsman huh? Got it. And it suits me just fine. King of the Pirates should only have the best on his crew.'
"TIGER..." Zoro shouted before Hawk-Eye lunged forward, piercing Zoro's chest right above his heart. Zoro's arms fell as blood trickled out of his mouth.
"You've lost, yet you won't step back. Why?" Mihawk asked.
"Dunno." Zoro said. "But...I will not run! If I took so much as one step back, then I'd lose everything that made me what I am right now, including my pride. Without that, I'm nothing."
"That is defeat."
"I refuse defeat."
"Then you get death."
"I prefer death!" Zoro said without hesitation.
'Such strong conviction.' Mihawk thought before he pulled his knife from Zoro's chest and resheathed it. "State your name."
"My name...Roronoa Zoro." Zoro said as he pulled his swords up to make some sort of triangle.
"I'll remember it." Mihawk said as he pulled out his black sword. "It's been some time since someone as strong as you faced me. As a swordsman courtesy, I'll end you with the world's strongest black blade."
"I appreciate it." Zoro said as Johnny and Yosaku begged him to stop, which he ignored. 'This is it.' he thought. 'The greatest...or death.' He then began to spin his swords around in front of him. "Three Sword Style: Secret Technique."
"FALL!" Mihawk said as he dashed towards him.
"THREE THOUSAND WORLDS!" Zoro said as Mihawk ran past him. Both stayed motionless for a moment until the swords in Zoro's hands shattered and a slash came across his chest as he fell to his knees.
"BIG BRO!" screamed Johnny and Yosaku.
'I lost.' Zoro thought as he took his white sword from his mouth and resheated it. 'So this is the strength of the best.' He turned to face Mihawk and held his arms out wide.
"Hmm?" Mihawk said in confusion. Zoro mearly looked up with a smile.
"Wounds on the back are a swordsman's shame."
"Fine." Mihawk said with a smirk before he slashed at Zoro. All was calm, then blood erupted from Zoro's chest as he fell to the sea.
"ZOOOOROOOOOOO!" Luffy screamed as some of his haki escaped from him, causing a few around them to faint while the rest felt shivers down their spines. However, everyone thought it was from seeing the infamous Zoro being slashed open. Hawk-Eye could feel Luffy's Haki though as he motionlessly eyed Luffy.
'That power...something is strange about that kid.' Mihawk thought before he said that Zoro shouldn't rush these things. Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku screamed Zoro's name. Johnny and Yosaku dived for Zoro as Sanji stared.
'Why would he do something that stupid?' Sanji thought. 'He should've known he was outclassed. Why didn't he run?' "DON'T BE A FOOL! STOP DREAMING AND LIVE!" he shouted.
"You bastard!" Luffy said in a low tone as he shook. He knew this would happen, but the sight of Zoro being hurt brought back horrible memories of losing his friend to the marines all over again. He vanished before appearing next to Hawk-Eye with a deadly look in his eye. Everyone just stared at Luffy's disappearing, reappearing 'trick.'
'Conqueror's Haki...from a man in the East Blue?' thought Mihawk. 'Most definitely not an ordinary man.' "Are you the young warrior's comrade?" he asked Luffy. "I'm impressed with you for not interfering. Fear not, your friend is alive." Luffy calmed down at those words as he turned to look and see Johnny and Yosaku fish Zoro out of the water.
"Zoro!" Luffy called. Zoro coughed up blood as Johnny and Yosaku pulled him to a boat with Usopp waiting with some medicine.
"It is still far too early for you to die." Mihawk said. "My name is Dracule Mihawk! You're strong, but you still have a long way to go. No matter the years, I'll hold this title as the greatest swordsman and wait for you. Hone your skills until that day, then seek me out, RORONOA ZORO!" Everyone stared as Zeff said that not just anyone could earn Hawk-Eye's regards. Mihawk then turned to Luffy. "What is your goal boy?"
"To be the King." Luffy said without hesitation.
"That's quite a goal." Mihawk said with a smile. "One even more challenging than defeating me."
"Let me worry about that." Luffy said as he stuck his tongue out at him like before. He turned to the boat again as Usopp shouted that Zoro is alive and was just out cold. Johnny and Yosaku were yelling at him to say something. "Zoro!" Luffy yelled. He then saw Zoro's white sword being pointed into the air.
"Luffy...can you hear me?" Zoro said in a pained gasp.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry for disappointing you." he said. "I know you need nothing but the best swordsman in the world. I've let you down. Please forgive me." Luffy just stared in surprise. Even though he heard it before, Zoro's vow had the same impact as before. "Until the day comes, when I beat that man and take his title," Zoro continued, with Mihawk smiling at the sound of a challenge. "I vow...to never be defeated by anyone ever again! Is that okay with you?!" Zoro screamed as tears fell from his eyes. "KING OF THE PIRATES?!"
Luffy smiled at all that. "Yep."
"You're a very good team." Mihawk said as he walked toward his boat. "I hope our paths cross again one day."
"Hey Mihawk!" Krieg shouted with a cocky grin. "I thought you were here for my head. Weren't you here to kill Don Krieg? Ruler of the East Blue?"
"It crossed my mind," Mihawk said without looking back. "But I've had enough fun for one day. I'm going home to rest."
"Funny." Krieg said as he cracked his neck. "I haven't had enough!" His men were shouting at him to reconsider, but he ignored it as he pulled out his arsenal from his armor and attack Mihawk. "DIE!"
"You don't learn, do you?" Mihawk asked as he grabbed his sword. He took a final look at Luffy before the explosion from the attack sent a pillar of water into the air. 'That boy,' he thought as he disappeared from the area. 'Quite dangerous indeed.'
"Missed." Krieg said with a grin. Luffy was on the Baratie with all the cooks as his crew was on the small boat.
"Usopp!" Luffy shouted. "Go on ahead! I'll leave Nami to you!"
"You got it!" Usopp yelled as he waved his hands around. "Zoro and I will get her back, so don't worry. Just get that cook to join us! Then, we can all set sail for the Grand Line!"
"Got it!" Luffy said as Usopp and company sailed off after Nami. The Krieg pirates were getting ready to attack as Zeff looked at Luffy.
"Not going with your friends boy?" he asked.
"I've got unfinished business here." Luffy said with a grin.
"So, you said you aim to be King of the Pirates?" Zeff asked.
"That's right." Luffy said.
"I've seen many pirates in my day." Zeff said with a smirk. "But you're the first to state your desire with a doubt."
"Yeah. I heard you were once a great pirate. Did you aim for One Piece as well?"
"I tend to not think of the past." Zeff said as he looked to the sky. "I'm the owner of the Baratie now, and that's good enough for me." Luffy smiled at that before he turned to the Krieg pirates.
"PIRATES! ATTACK!" Krieg shouted. His men then charged toward the restaurant. Luffy flung them all back like last time with his Gum-Gum Giant Scythe attack, freaking everyone out. Luffy hung onto a mast as he looked down at them all.
"Attacking the ones who fed you? That's rude of you guys." Luffy said as Sanji told a chef to do something. The chef ran into the restaurant before the whole place shook. Just then, something came out of the water, freaking the pirates out. After a moment, they saw that it was the fins, a giant wooden deck, for them to fight on.
"We won't let you pirates take this restaurant!" Sanji shouted as the other cooks cheered behind him. "You won't even set foot inside!" Krieg was smiling though.
"Actually, this is perfect. I don't want any damage to come to my new ship." Krieg said. Just then, the fish head on the restaurant seperated from the rest and starting swimming towards Krieg as it shot cannon fire from its mouth. Patty and Carne were aiming to take Krieg out with their weapon, but it proved futile. Krieg, using his strength alone, heaved and tossed the fish towards the cooks. Sanji jumped and kicked it away from the restaurant, leaving it to crash into the fins. Patty and Carne jumped out of the wreckage before yelling at Sanji for almost killing them. The Krieg pirates jumped onto the fins and brawled with the chefs. The chefs lost due to overwhelming numbers.
"We're the Krieg pirates. No way we'd lose to a bunch of stupid cooks." one of them said before being knocked out by Patty. He and Carne began to take out the pirates, but were stopped by another man who came out of the water.
"I am Pearl! The Invicible Shield!" he said as another Krieg pirate tried to take Patty's knife, enraging Sanji into kicking him away.
"A chef's knife is his soul." Sanji said before giving the knife back to Patty. The pirates then rushed Sanji, who took care of them all with his kicking fighting style. Pearl mocked him for fighting like that.
"A chef is nothing without his hands, so I'll use my feet to deal with you." Sanji said as he raised a leg.
"Is that so?" Pearl said with mock interest. "I've fought in 61 battles and have won each without a scratch. Not one drop of my blood has been spilled." While he rambled on, Krieg attacked Luffy with a giant spiked ball. Luffy got hit, but wasn't hurt, and smacked into Pearl, giving him a noseblood.
"Phew, that was close." Luffy said as Pearl stared at the blood.
"Blood...my blood!" Pearl whispered. "These guys...are nuts!"
"Pearl, calm down. It's just a nosebleed!" one of the pirates said as others tried to keep Pearl calm.
"He's crying over a nosebleed?" Sanji said in a bored tone as Luffy picked his nose.
"Weirdo."
"DANGER! DANGER!" Pearl shouted as he started banging the shields in his hands together before setting himself on fire. "DANGEEEER!" A wall of fire surrounded him, keeping others away as his own men were trying to put the fire out on their limbs. While that happened, Sanji had jumped over the wall of fire, spooking Pearl.
"What?! But this fire scares everyone away!" Pearl cried.
"If I was afraid of fire, I couldn't be a cook." Sanji said with a smirk.
"Pearl! Calm down! You're gonna burn my new ship!" Krieg yelled. Pearl shot some fire pearls towards the Baratie, but they were snuffed out when Zeff used his peg leg to kick up a gust of wind at them.
"He put those fire pearls out with a kick!" one of the Krieg pirates yelled. Krieg pulled out his ball and chain again and flung it at Pearl and Sanji to get Pearl's flames to die down. Sanji and Pearl looked horrified, but were saved when Luffy jumped up toward it and knocked it away, hitting another mast, which came down on Pearl's head, knocking him and the flames out.
"That was close." Luffy said as he dusted himself off.
"Knocking that spiked ball back," Sanji said is slight awe. "How strong are you kid?"
"Stronger than you think." Luffy said with a smile. It vanished however when they both heard Zeff grunt and looked to see him pinned to the floor with Gin pointing a gun at his head.
"Move and he dies." Gin said. Everyone saw this as the Krieg pirates cheered. "You should've just left the ship. Why won't you go?" Sanji only stared down at Zeff.
"What are you doing down there geezer?" Sanji said. He and Zeff insulted each other before Sanji looked at Gin. "Point that at me Gin. Leave Zeff out of this."
"I can't do that Sanji." Gin said. "I'm sorry, but this is how we fight."
"Precisely." Pearl said as he woke from his 'nap' and stared at Sanji and Luffy. "Now, I think it's time for a little payback." Krieg was laughing from his destroyed galleon at the scene.
"Gin, if they fight back, kill Zeff." Krieg yelled. Gin nodded, but kept his eyes on Sanji and Luffy.
'Please Sanji. Just let us take the ship.' Gin thought. 'I don't want to have to kill Zeff.' Pearl was getting ready to attack Sanji, but Luffy pushed him out of the way.
'You're gonna need your full strength Sanji.' Luffy thought as he stood to take Pearl's attack.
"It doesn't matter which one I hit. You're both going to die!" he yelled as he brought his shielded hand toward Luffy. It hit luffy straight in the head but, to everyone's shock, Luffy stood still as the shield broke into pieces.
"Iron Body." Luffy whispered to himself.
"WHAT?!" the Krieg pirates yelled.
"He-he was hit by Pearl but didn't even flinch!"
"How'd that happen?!"
"My-MY SHIELD!" Pearl screamed with bloodshot eyes. He then glared at Luffy in anger. "YOU MONSTER!" he shouted as he hit Luffy with his other shield, only for it to shatter as well. Krieg was grinding his teeth while Gin just looked on in shock.
'That kid's beating Pearl and not even lifting a finger?' Gin thought.
"Gin! Blow Zeff's head off right now!" Krieg yelled, snapping him out of his thoughts. Gin looked down.
"But...Don...they gave us food when we were starving."
"I SAID KILL HIM!" Krieg bellowed.
"Gin! Aim that gun at me!" Sanji shouted.
"Why...Why couldn't you just leave Sanji?" Gin asked, unable to do anything as he fought between obeying his captain and sparing the man who feed his crewmates. "It's nothing but a ship."
"This ship is everything to that old man!" Sanji yelled. "It's all he has left. I won't let anything else be taken from him." Sanji then explained how he met Zeff. How that storm stranded them on that rock in the middle of nowhere. How Zeff gave Sanji all the food they had, which lasted about 20 days, and how they were left there for months on end, and how Zeff sacrificed his leg to save him. "If I don't risk my life, I can never repay that old man."
"ENOUGH!" shouted Luffy as he raised his leg to the sky. Everyone saw this as Luffy brought it back down.
"NO! HE'LL KILL ZEFF!"
"GUUUM GUUUUUUM BATTLE AXE!" Luffy shouted as he shattered the fin.
A/N: Finally got a job, so updates might be a little slower. Hope you like this chapter.