Hiiii! Welcome to the so awaited final part of the Baratie Arc! Yeaaahhhh! I plan on writing longer chapters from now on, I want to finish the smaller arcs in maximum two chapters, leaving more chapters for the largest arcs, like the Alabasta Arc.

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying this story, all mistakes are my own. Please share your thoughts. The only type of contribution I don´t support is unnecesary trolling.

See ya!

12

"Sanji! Leave this ship now or Zeff dies!" Gin repeated his threat, pistol shoved firmly against the older man's head.

"What the hell, old geezer? That punk beat you?" Sanji asked incredulously at a kneeling Zeff.

"Shut your mouth, eggplant. He got a lucky shot." Zeff grumbled, annoyed that Gin managed to take him down so easily. The punk was sneakier than he looked.

"Oy! I'm not buffling! I will do it!" Gin cocked the safety off, rage and desperation mixed in his voice.

Ashley gave a silent sign to Pikachu, her partner flicking his ear in agreement. As soon as an opening showed up, he would attack.

"Gin, you may as well point that gun against me. Because only dead will you drag me out of this ship." Gin gaped at his statement, at his seriousness.

"Why? Why?! It's just a fucking ship! You can restart somewhere else! Why won't all of you just leave!?" The pirate yelled desperately, not understanding why none of them were willing to leave. Why they defied Don Krieg, the most powerful pirate on the East Blue. Why they were willing to face a painful death for nothing.

"This ship. The logbook. They are Zeffs treasures. Like hell I'm letting some scumbag get their grubby and disgusting hands on them. I owe too much to that old bastard just to let him lose his most precious possessions." Sanji closed his eyes in pain, awful memories crawling to the front of his mind—the fear, the pain, the hopelessness. He banished all of it behind a wall; this wasnt the time to get lost in memories.

"That's ancient history, stupid brat! Let it rest where it belongs!" Zeff protested, angry that the young man was still punishing himself for what happened that day. For the choices that Zeff took.

"I will let it rest when I feel like it, stupid bastard!" Despite the perilous situation they were in, both men still bickered against each other.

"Sanji owes the Boss?" "Patty, Carne, you two know anything?" The other cooks turned towards the older staff members, hoping that they would know what the chef and sous chef were referring to.

Patty shook his head. The truth was that despite working for over a decade in the Baratie, neither he nor Carne had any idea how or where Zeff and Sanji met.

No one knew.

Both chefs went to the Baratie because no restaurant or cafe would hire them. Their reputation for causing fights and wrecking places overshadowed their skills as cooks. Soon enough, no one wanted to hire them. And then they heard about it.

The Baratie.

A maritime restaurant rumored to be owned by a former pirate. One that had no problem bashing the heads of his workers or customers if they annoyed him enough. By the time they reached it, only Zeff and that punk Sanji were the only workers, the rest having quit because they couldn't take Zeffs treatment anymore.

Even now, staff would suddenly quit after witnessing too many fights and brawls in the restaurant.

Despite living on the ship for over a decade now, neither man had a clue about the relationship between the head chef and sous chef. They didn't know how they met, why Sanji chose to join Zeff, not even why Zeff had opened the Baratie in the first place.

"Sanji! What debt are you shammering about?!" Patty asked, not willing to let go of the chance to learn more about the mysterious past of both men.

"That's nobody's business but my own! Don't you dare talk more about it, brat!" Zeff shouted angrily to a silent Sanji. The blonde ignored them all, his eyes never straying from Gin's pale and clammy face.

Gin clenched his teeth tightly, a storm of emotions brewing inside his body. Fear, anxiety, rage, hopelessness, desperation, pride, regret. They battled ruthlessly one against the other, aiming to take the lead and tell him what to do now.

His next actions shocked all the expectators, his crewmates and captain especially.

"Gin, what is the meaning of this?" Don Krieg, the most feared pirate on the East Blue, asked coldly to his Combat Commander. The surviving pirates flinched and trembled in horror at their captain's tone, easily recognizing the rage behind his neutral visage.

"Don Krieg." He began to speak, his eyes never leaving the floor, never leaving the pistol he had willingly let slip from his fingers. "You are the man I respect most in the world. The man I aspire to be. So please, allow me to finish this." Gin stepped away from Zeff and turned towards Sanji. His hands moved towards his back, pulling two tonfas with metal spheres at their ends.

"As the man who brought us here, let me be the one to kill our savior."


When she had declared her intention of sailing through the Grand Line, her family, friends, rivals, and acquaintances had all said one thing.

That she was crazy.

Even a trio of strangers told her that! And they were the weirdos, considering the strange clothes and mustaches they wore.

Every single person that she had ever met had told her that leaving the Regions and embarking on such a dangerous sea was more dangerous than battling a Legendary.

That Ashley had met dozens of Legendaries didn't count. Only half of them actually tried to harm her, with just a few meaning to actually kill her.

But it didn't deter her. It couldn't. Ashley was a Ketchum, and Ketchum's were travelers, adventurers. Staying still in one place wasn't an option.

Her mother always said that Ashley was like her father, a free spirit that couldn't be contained by fences or walls.

Or whirlpools.

Her mother had been completely against Ashley's plans, but she hadn't forbidden it. She had just asked one thing from the ravenette: to be careful and return home safe.

The same thing she told her every time Ashley left on an adventure.

'I know that Professor Oak warned me about the abilities and skills of the humans outside the Regions, but that hit felt like the ones that Primeape would give me as a Mankey.' She idly thought while massaging her puffed and reddened cheek.

'Professor Oak said that in these waters, and especially on the Grand Line, the most dangerous foes are the ones who ate Devil Fruits, but that there were others who had never eaten one of those strange fruits and yet were as dangerous.'

Ashley analyzed Gin's battle stance, looking for weak spots or signs of hesitation. It was a strategy that Brock taught her back when they traveled together, all those years ago on Kanto. The former Gym Leader claimed that learning to read body language was a useful skill for any trainer, especially for one aiming to be a Pokemon Master.

While she lacked Brock's natural talent, she wasn't a slouch at it.

The Gin she had first met two days ago had acted like a wounded, starved Pokemon. He reacted with violence and snark, all controlled by desperation. The current Gin was calm—too calm. His eyes showed no emotion; they were blank, simply staring at Sanji. The grip he held on his tonfas was relaxed, yet firm.

Gin was ready for a fight.

"Sanji." The cook hummed, "Don't underestimate him. He is not the same Gin we met before." She warned him sternly.

Sanji gave her a cocky grin in response, not bothered at all by the challenge ahead.

"Don't worry, Ashley-chan. I'm not going to die here." He assured her, and then almost imperceptible mumbled something else: "I still have a dream to follow."

"Sanji, I would have preferred to end this easily, but I can see that you are too stubborn to simply run away. Since I still owe you for saving my life and my crew's, I will make sure to kill you fast."

"What a crappy thank you, asshole."

"And I complained that Charizard never obeyed me. Mild burns are way better than this type of gratitude." "Pika" Pikachu nodded his head in complete agreement. At least Charizard was lazy enough that his fire just singed their trainer lightly.

"Ashley-san, Mugiwara. You two should have left with the rest of your crew."

"Why? I'm not gonna lose to some weaklings." Luffy's bluntness angered Krieg's men, who protested furiously at his insult.

"Pikachu and I don't leave our friends behind. Besides, Luffy is right; you guys are weak. Last pirates we fought actually gave a fight. Well, to be fair, they didn't look half dead."

The rage of the pirates only grew with the Mugiwaras words.

"You bastards! We will show you who are the weaklings!" They grabbed their weapons and began to rush against both rookie pirates when their captain stopped them.

"Knock it out, idiots! All you are doing is acting like fools. Real strength isn't shown by who throws the better insults, but by who emerges at the top. And I have always emerged at the top. As long as Im here, we will always be the strongest!." Don Krieg turned towards Luffy, an arrogant smirk on his lips.

"Well kid, do you see? Controlling a horde of furious bloodthirsty men with a few words? This is power! Now, who do you think will become Pirate King? You or me?" He asked once again.

"Me!" Luffy answered without hesitation.

"Heh. Gin, take care of that cook; everyone else sit tight. I will teach this dreamer what true power is. Nobody touch the girl. Soon she will be working for us." Ashley shivered in disgust at the hungry look on Krieg's eyes. Pikachu and Hawlucha exchanged glances; like hell they would let that creep put his hands on their trainer.

Luffy scowled at the last part. Ashley was his nakama!

"Don't touch any of my nakama!" He pointed angrily at the older captain. He didn't care if he was insulted, but he would never let anyone harm one of his friends.

"Luffy! Kick his ass!" "Pika Pikapi!" "Haw Haw!" The three cheered at the rubber pirate, who grinned back at them.

Krieg smirked maliciously, lifting his giant shield and preparing one of his special weapons.

Based on what he had seen, the brat could stretch himself like rubber. If so, blunt weapons would be useless. Fortunately, he had a whole arsenal of sharp weapons.

He will enjoy finishing this brat.

"You should have ran when you had the chance, Sanji."

"Talk about overconfidence. Are all pirates like that?" The cook lit a cigarette, boredom etched across his face.

Gin didn't bother to continue the banter; instead he lurched forward, his tonfas spinning quickly. With a quick move, he struck the deck with one of them and launched large pieces of wood against Sanji. Sanji kicked away the projectiles, then he used the momentum of his pivot to twist his body and land a kick against Gins head. Unfortunately for him, Gin jumped and twisted horizontally in the air, completely evading Sanji's leg. While both were still airborne, Gin savagely stamped one of his tonfas on Sanji's chest, slamming the blonde against the deck. In an incredible display of skill, Gin maneuvered his body so that he fell sitting with his legs crossed, his tonfa pressing Sanji by the neck, holding him against the planks.

"Every pirate that ever made a name for themselves has a nickname. Don Krieg has several, including 'Pirate Fleet Admiral' and 'Ruler of the East Blue', and that smug bastard of Pearl is 'The Iron Shield'. In my case, Im known as the 'Demon', because I have no mercy for my victims." Gin stated with a small leak of sadism before lifting his remaining tonfa and preparing to smash it against Sanji's face.

Sanji spit his lit cigarette at Gins eye, making him flinch back and loosen his hold. Taking advantage, Sanji slid beneath the small opening, stood on his hands, and delivered an upside-down kick against Gins head.

To his surprise, Gin wasn't knocked down from the hit; instead, the man retaliated by slamming one of his weapons against the cooks side. The impact made both men fall again against the deck, both panting from the pain and grabbing their injuries.

Sanji felt some of his ribs protest against the damage. Only by sheer luck they weren't broken. Gin swiped his forehead, finding blood pouring from under his bandana.

"Is that all you got? No wonder you guys only lasted a week." Sanji mocked his opponent, trying to get a rise out of him.

Gin didn't answer, just spinned his weapons again, slowly approaching Sanji. Despite his previous protests about not wishing to harm anyone, there was no hiding the sadistic smirk on his lips.

A demon indeed.


"Here I go!" Luffy exclaimed, running straight for a distracted Krieg.

Krieg smirked, pleased that Luffy had fallen for his trick. Once he was running fast enough that he couldn't avoid it, he launched one of his special weapons.

Luffy smirked when he saw the cannonball approach him, confident that he could simply knock it away. He lifted one of his legs, preparing to kick it, when it burst and shurikens flew everywhere.

"AAAAGHHHHH!" The rubber boy yelled in pain, his arms and legs covered in lacerations, some shurikens piercing his skin.

"HAHAHAHAHAHHA! How do you like it, brat!? Do you now understand the difference between us?! I am Don Krieg! The strongest! The Next Pirate King!" Krieg proclaimed arrogantly.

"No! I am going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy stubbornly repeated, still holding his injured leg.

Kriegs eyebrow twitched. He was getting tired of this stupid brat. He lifted his shield again and launched another projectile.

Luffy gave it a guarded look, wondering whether he should try to knock it or hide. To his surprise, he didn't have to do anything.

"Noivern, blow it up!" A familiar female voice shouted.

"Noi!" Noivern unleashed a purplish beam against the mysterious projectile, detonating it and destroying it at the same time.

"Luffy!" Ashley shouted from the railing, away from the figures of a fighting Gin and Sanji who were exchanging powerful blows one against the other, both covered in blood and bruises.

"Dont worry about that jackasss tricks! Noivern and I will handle them! Just focus on beating him up!"

Luffy beamed. He nodded in agreement, fully trusting his second mate and her Pokemon. They were his nakama after all. Nakama were trustful. Shanks taught him that.

Luffy grabbed the shurikens piercing his body and took them off, grunting in pain. Once they were all removed, he shook his limbs and ran straight for Krieg, Noivern at his back.

Krieg snarled and prepared another missile, which he launched at the water, detonating it and producing a wall of water. Immediately he sent another bomb, one aimed at where he assumed the giant bat hovered.

To his complete surprise, the curtain of water was broken alongside his projectile by some type of sound attack that impacted against his body. Krieg was so distracted by the ringing in his ears that he didn't notice at all Luffy's fist flying right at his nose.

What he noticed was the feeling of his nose crunching and blood pouring from his nostrils; his head leaned backwards from the impact, his entire body was slightly pushed backwards.

He! Don Krieg! His body was pushed by a fucking nobody brat!

"Shishishishi! Thank you, Noivern! We nailed him good!" Luffy grinned cheerfully at the hovering dragon type, who shrieked in glee at the young pirate, liking his upbeat mood and cheerfulness.

To Noivern, Ashley was his mother figure, and the rest of her Pokemon his older siblings and uncles/aunties. Ashley's happiness and wellbeing were a big deal for the Pokemon, so he was glad that she made a good friend like Luffy and the others.

"No way. He punched Don Krieg." "It has to be a trick! Don Krieg is the strongest man ever! Nobody has ever punched him!" "Don Krieg!" Kriegs underlings stared in disbelief at what just happened, their minds unable to comprehend that a rookie pirate like Luffy could have actually landed a punch on their captain, a punch that made him bleed.

"Look! The Commander!" One of them pointed at the Baratie, where Gin and Sanji kept exchanging blows, both men moving slower and covered in bruises.

"Ah, ah" Sanji panted, breathless. His right arm clutched his ribs; most were severely bruised, but a couple were broken. The pain and the tightness in his breathing were beginning to take a toll on his body; his last kicks were weaker than usual, and he was finding it harder to avoid Gins weapons.

Gin too was on his last legs; blood poured freely from underneath his bandana and mouth. While he tried to act tough, there was no mistaking how he favored one leg over the other or how his eyes squinted, as if he was having trouble seeing.

While Gin had focused most of his attacks on Sanjis torso, the cook delivered devastating blows to the pirates head, aiming to finish the fight fast.

To his dismay, Gin was proving to be more resilient than he first thought, withstanding kick after kick, taking the opportunity to hit him on the side with his weighted tonfas, punishing his ribs with each blow.

Sanji hated to admit it, but he wasn't sure he could handle another blow from the pirate.

"Fucking bastard." He muttered, waiting to see what his opponent would do.

Gin began to spin one of his tonfas, running straight for Sanji, intending on finishing the fight once for all. Sanji let him get closer and, at the last second, flipped sideways onto his hands, quickly delivering another powerful kick against Gins scruff. He felt his ribs creak in protest, sharp pain enveloping his body, making him fall to his knees, sweating and panting from the exertion.

Despite suffering what should have been a devastating blow, Gin managed to get up once again, the grip on his deadly weapons never faltering. He approached the kneeling Sanji and grabbed him by the neck.

Sanji cursed; he had no strength left to escape from the grip, no tricks left. With an expression of regret, he cursed the fact that he never once got the chance to follow his dream. To find it.

Sanji closed his eyes, blocking Patty's, Carne's, and the rest of his colleagues' yells of anguish. Blocking Ashley-chan's and her Pokemon's cries. Blocking everything.

Drops falling on his face made him open his eyes. He stared, shocked at the tears falling from Gin's face. The bloodthirsty pirate, Combat Commander of Krieg's Fleet, was crying.

Gin let go of Sanji, anguish and regret completely visible on his face, his previous dark visage broken.

"Captain! I can't do it! I can't kill him!" He cried out desperately to his superior.

Silence and shock covered the sea. Gin the Demon, Don Kriegs second hand, admitted that he couldn't kill a man. Worse. He admitted that he didn't want to kill him.

"Gin. What the hell are you saying? Are you disobeying my orders?! Your captain's orders!?" Krieg ranted, his temper rising at the blatant disobedience by his most trusted man.

"Captain." Gin sobbed brokenly, "Sanji was the first person ever to show me any type of kindness. He saved my life! I simply can't kill him!"

In the past weeks, Don Krieg, the most feared and powerful pirate on the East Blue, the biggest candidate on the entire sea to become Pirate King, had lost 90% of his fleet, been forced to run away from the Grand Line like a scared cat, saw his remaining ship be destroyed, was challenged by a bunch of no-name pirates and useless cooks, and was hit by a fucking brat that had no idea what true power was.

Don Krieg was getting pissed off by everything that had been going on since they entered the Grand Line. His men eyed him warely, recognizing that their captain was on the verge of exploding. It only took one little spark to start it.

"Captain." Gin asked him tearfully, a hopeful expression etched on his face. "Cant we just let them go?"

The spark was ignited.


Something was off. Ashley eyed the expressions on the pirates closest to Kriegs position. They were terrified, inching away from their captain.

It worried her. It meant that Krieg was likely to do something dangerous. Something potentially lethal.

"Gin." Krieg seethed. "You disappoint me! You were supposed to be my most loyal man, my second hand! And you want to claim mercy for these rats?! Mercy?! Mercy is for the weak! Mercy is weakness! The strong are the only ones that deserve to live! The only ones that deserve to thrive! Not these useless fucking rats!"

Krieg grabbed a canister and inserted it into his shield. Gins eyes widened when he saw which weapon his captain had chosen.

"Captain, no! They saved our lives! Punish me if you wish! Kill me if it will please you! But please, I beg you, dont do it!" Gin pleaded with all his strength, falling to his knees.

"Gin!" Ashley shouted, "What is that thing!?"

"It's the MH5, a powerful poison bomb! It has the power to wipe out a nation!"

"WHAAAAAAATTTTTT?!"

The pirates began to put gas masks on their faces, some even submerging fully in an attempt to avoid the venom.

"Shit! Fucking bastard! Everyone hide! Grab Sanji and the girl!" Patty ordered, placing Zeff over his shoulder and taking him to the kitchen, hoping that the gas wouldn't be able to enter it.

"Captain-!" "Gin. Remove your mask." Gin stopped, his eyes widening at his captain's orders. "You are not one of us any longer." Gin saw the absolute seriousness in his captains eyes. With a dead look, he took his gas mask and threw it overboard, accepting his incoming death.

While the others tried to hide and Sanji tried to drag a protesting Gin to safety, Ashley thought, her brain working overtime, trying to figure out how to stop the gas bomb. Luffy and Noivern were close, but Kriegs weird shield launched his projectiles too fast. They wouldn't be able to stop it before he launched it. The only thing they could do...

Thats it!

"Talonflame, I need you!" The fire type bird flew over Ashleys head, ready for her commands. "Luffy! We will take care of the bomb! Noivern will need time to recover after this, so you will have to deal with Krieg on your own!" Luffy nodded, fully trusting her.

Krieg smirked, confident that no matter what that girl or her strange creatures attempted, they wouldn't be able to stop his attack.

"Modoku Gasu Dan! MH5!" He shouted, firing his deadly weapon against the Baratie.

"Hyperbeam! Thunderbolt! Flamethrower! Destroy that bomb!" Ashley pointed at the incoming projectile.

Noivern and Talonflame hovered in front of Ashley, while Pikachu stood on top of the railing. At her order, all three Pokemon began to charge their attacks; a powerful orange beam, a fire torrent and a thunderbolt were released and collided with the MH5 bomb.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMM

A black cloud formed over the sky; the shockwave rocked the sea, throwing pieces of the Dreadnought all over the place and crashing against each other and the pirates. Luffy hopped over a mast, clinging to it with his rubbery limbs, waiting for the waves to stop. Even the Baratie was subjected to the tremors.

Sanji crouched on the deck, one hand on the floor, securing him, while the other gripped Gin's scruff, fighting to keep both of them in place. He squinted his eyes. In front of him, Ashley was standing, her arms crossed across her face and body, protecting her against the backlash.

By the time everyone got their bearings together, the MH5 had been stopped; not a single drop of poison had fallen. No one was poisoned. Krieg's plan failed.

Ashley noted the telltales of Hyperbeam's side effects. Quickly she recalled Noivern before he fell to the sea, murmuring her gratitude towards her dragon for his great job. She repeated her words to Talonflame and Pikachu when they rejoined her.

""No way, that girl actually did it." Carne mumbled in disbelief, not wholly believing that such a dangerous weapon had been defeated so easily.

Gin stared in a mix of awe, disbelief, and befuddlement at Ashley and her team. The MH5 was easily the most powerful weapon under Captains Krieg command. It was so dangerous that only the single rumor that his captain had it rose his reward for over a couple million Berry on its own.

And now it lay in ashes, all at the hands of Ashley-san.

"Great job, Ashley-chan!" Sanji swooned in front of the Pokemon trainer, who grinned back.

"Nah, it was my buddies work." She scratched Pikachus chin and her flying types crests, all of them preening and enjoying the petting.

"Now we just have to wait until Luffy defeats that bastard. I hope it doesn't take him long. We still have to find Nami and the others."

"He wont win." Gin murmured loudly. Heads turned in his direction. The other cooks, including Zeff, had left the restaurant after seeing that the poison bomb had been destroyed.

"What are you talking about?" Ashley asked him.

"Your friend wont win. Nobody can defeat Captain Krieg. He is the strongest." He replied with complete devotion.

"Open your eyes, idiot. That fucking monster almost killed everyone here, including you. Why the hell do you still support him?" Sanji asked him angrily, not getting why Gin was so willing to keep following a monster like Krieg. Someone who had shown that he gave a crap about his underlings or anyone else.

"Dont badmouth him! Captain Krieg is the best man in the world! He is the one that will become Pirate King! He is the type of man I wish to be!" Gin yelled back.

"A sadistic bastard?"

"Someone strong. If you are strong, then nothing can touch you. If you are strong, then nothing can harm you." The pirate explained them.

"If it's about strength, then Krieg already lost." Ashley intervened. "Luffy is much stronger than Krieg. And he is about to show it." All stared at the Devil Fruit user, who was already rushing against the veteran pirate, his arm already stretched behind his back, ready to deliver another punch against Krieg, who was shielding himself with a coat of steel sharp spikes.

To the amazement of everyone except Ashley and her team, Luffy punched the spike shield, spikes piercing his fist and arm, blood tricking profously. The boy ignored the pain, a satisfied grin on his lips when he felt his fist impact against Krieg's face again.

"I dont care what tricks you use. Bombs, spikes, shurikens. I will defeat you and become Pirate King!" Luffy loudly proclaimed, not at all bothered by the blood pouring from his right arm.

Krieg snarled in fury. The brat was still talking nonsense? Getting cocky for landing two miserable punches? Still not taking him seriously?

Then he will show him the true might of his power.

Krieg grabbed his shield and pulled a special switch. With a few twists and pulls, his shield transformed into his true, most deadly weapon.

His Giant Battle Lance.

"Lets see how you fare against my battle lance fucking monkey. One hit and you will never rise again, brat!" Krieg grabbed his lance with both hands, pulling it backwards and then slamming it against a non-worried Luffy.

The rubber boy skipped away from the weapon, not getting why it was so dangerous. When the tip touched the ground, he understood.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMM

"Why the hell does it explode!?" He shouted loudly, his body soaring over the air, his head turning quickly in all directions, trying to find somewhere to land safely.

With a stretch of his arm, he was able to land on a safeish piece of the destroyed ship.

Luffy cursed; most of the Dreadnought was in smaller pieces, making it difficult for him to fight. If he fell on the water, then it was over; the sea would sap all his strength and leave him useless.

He needed to find a place large enough to fight, and it couldnt be the Baratie. Those explosions would destroy it, and Sanji and the old chef would get mad at him.

For the first time in their fight, Krieg rushed first, the explosive tip of his lance aimed right at Luffy's chest. Luffy began to skip all over the place, evading Kriegs slashes, a crazy plan forming in his brain.

Luffy moved from piece to piece, Krieg following behind. At one point, Krieg got lucky, and while Luffy was jumping, he managed to launch an unavoidable strike; all the rubber boy could do was trap it between his hands, still triggering the explosion.

Luffy was launched away, his body covered in burns and blood. Krieg didnt relent, already poised to strike again.

The next impact was stronger, the explosion bigger. Krieg smirked with sadistic glee at Luffys broken body, blood and bruises covering the boy.

"I told you kid. I am the strongest." He announced, confident of his victory.

His confidence was shaken when the explosive blade suddenly broke out of nowhere, and rage and panic bubbled when he saw the younger pirate rise again.

"I hit that thing five times. Now it's just a bomb on a pole. And with all this space, I can beat the crap out of you." Luffy grinned. He had lured Krieg to an area where the biggest fragments of the Dreadnought floated. A place where he could fight more comfortably.

"This bomb on a pole is more than enough to kill you!" Krieg snarled in complete fury, aiming for his head. Luffy jumped away, grabbing onto a mast and tearing a piece of it.

With a yell, he threw his own improvised lance against the armored pirate, who defended himself by activating a flamethrower on his bracer.

Luffy didnt let it bother him. He channeled all his strength and delivered a flurry of powerful punches.

"Gum Gum Gatling!" His fists snapped against Kriegs armor with high speed. The pirate just laughed, confident in the superiority of his armor.

"Gum Gum Bullet!" One last punch collided against his abdomen. However, it proved fruitless; not a single scratch was produced on the steel, while from Luffy's hands blood poured.

Krieg backhanded the younger pirate away and then jumped to a higher point on top of the still-standing mast.

"Dont make me laugh, fucking brat! Not even a thousand scratches of your paw like monkey hands will be able to scratch my indestructible armor!"

"I have the strongest armor and weapons! That's what makes me unbeatable! Those who face me, die!" Krieg threw small bomb pellets toward Luffy, who ran up the mast, both arms pulled back for a strong attack.

Krieg smirked when he saw that the stupid monkey fell for his trap, his battle lance already prepared to smash against his stupid face.

"Stupid monkey! You just fell for it!" He laughed at the solid explosion that enveloped the younger boy. "It doesnt matter how mu-" His voice was cut when Luffys bloodied, battered, serious face appeared in front of him. Despite receiving a direct hit, the boy hadnt fallen; he kept going.

"Gum Gum Bazooka!" Both hands collided against Kriegs torso, launching him against the sky, cracks forming on his armor.

Luffy didn't stop there. Despite the pain and injuries he sustained, the rubber captain jumped towards Krieg, his arms stretching to attack again, to finish his enemy once again.

"GUM GUM BAZOOKAAAAAA!"

Krieg's eyes widened in shock at the result of the attack. His armor, his indestructible defense, was broken. Destroyed.

His mind went blank more from than pain. He, the great Krieg, the next Pirate King, was beaten by a no-named rookie!

His MH5. His Koken. His Giant Battle Lance. His armor.

All beaten. All destroyed.

The last thing Krieg saw before falling to the cold, harsh water was Luffy's grinning face.


Sanji smoked one of his favorite cigarettes, calmly staring at the disappearing boat containing the last members of the defeated Krieg Pirates.

His eyes shifted to the side, where Ashley was massaging Noivern's scales, much to his obvious pleasure. The rest of her Pokemon were close to her, resting and waiting for their turn.

At his curious look, she explained that the attack that Noivern used, while incredibly powerful, caused extreme strain on the user's body. For a few minutes, the user would be left immobile, defendless. Those type of moves, the ones with severe backlash, were usually used as the last option.

Sanji nodded his head in understanding. He could see why Ashley had ordered the giant bat like 'mon to use it against the MH5.

Sanji pondered on the events after Krieg's defeat. Both pirates fell to the water unconscious. While Krieg's underlings panicked about their captain's defeat and what it would mean for them, Ashley had jumped straight for the water, Hawlucha flying over her head. When Zeff explained that Devil Fruit users couldn't swim, the sea's punishment apparently, he cursed and leapt after them, much to the old geezer's amusement and laughter.

He and Ashley had been able to quickly grab the rubber boy and drag him to the Baratie. Once he was lying on the deck, Hawlucha had performed his own version of first aid, which involved an elbow striking the unconscious pirate on the gut, making him expel a torrent of water.

The blond cook was glad that it hadn't been him who nearly drowned. His ribs were too damaged to sustain more abuse.

He needed at least one day of rest.

He frowned when he remembered how a battered and broken Krieg had managed to drag himself to the Baratie, ranting incoherencies and ignoring everyone. His ranting was stopped by the most unlikely person.

Gin.

Gin had silently walked to his captain, his role model, and struck him on the gut, knocking him down for good. Gin had placed the large man over his shoulders and declared their loss. And after that, he proclaimed that they would rebuild their empire and return to the Grand Line.

Gin's determination and his will to face his fears and continue forward lit something inside Sanji.

Over Patty's and Carne's protest, he ordered that they give the defeated men one of their boats so they could leave and never return.

"Ahh! Where is my hat?!" Luffy suddenly woke up from the small infirmary room where they had put him.

"It's on the table." Sanji answered, not bothering to turn around.

"Luffy! How are you feeling?" Ashley asked from her spot on the floor.

"Good. That was a good nap. Where are they?" He asked while taking off his bandages, his injuries already closed and healing.

"They left a while ago. Gin said that he would see us on the Grand Line." Ashley recalled the last words of the pirate.

"Really?! All of us!?" Luffy cheered, staring hopefully at Sanji.

"He meant you two, dumbass! I told you I'm not leaving." Sanji scowled, tired of repeating the same thing all the time.

"Aww." Luffy pouted much to Ashley and her team's amusement.

"Is it because of that thing you want to find?" "Eh?" What was Ashley talking about?

"Back while we were fighting, you said something about wanting to find something. What is it?" She elaborated.

Sanji's eyes widened in understanding; a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.

"Have you ever heard of the All Blue?" He asked them, childlike wonder shining in his eyes.

Both shook their heads in negative.

"The All Blue is a legendary ocean. The story says that all species of fish lay there. All of them. Every species from the four seas and the Grand Line included. It's said that its location is on the Grand Line."

"No way! That sounds so cool! I want to see it!" "Pi, Pika!" Pikachu nodded in agreement, excited as much as his trainer.

"Let's go then! To the Grand Line!" Luffy exclaimed, wishing to see it too.

"I can't right now. I owe too much to Zeff. And after what just happened with those bastards, I can't leave these idiots unprotected." He argued back.

"What is that debt about, anyway? It sounded pretty serious." Ashley asked curiously; even Luffy, who never cared about those things, seemed mildly interested.

Sanji gave a long, painful sigh.

"He saved my life." He revealed. "When I was a kid, I worked as a kitchen boy, and Zeff raided the cruise I worked at. A big storm rolled in, and I got caught by a stray wave. Zeff jumped to save me. Being on the water was actually a blessing. Shortly after he fell, a huge wave rolled and sank both ships."

"Zeff managed to drag my sorry ass to an abandoned cliff in the middle of the sea. We didn't die of thirst simply because it would rain every few weeks and small ponds would be formed by the terrain."

"What about food?" asked Ashley, a horrible feeling brewing in her stomach.

"He gave me a small bag of food; managed to make it last over twenty days. Didn't figure out it was the only food we had until two months later, when I got curious and went to check if he was still alive." Sanji gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. "Bastard was barely hanging, skin and bones, with a giant sack filled with treasures... and his right leg missing."

Silence followed Sanji's story. He didn't need to say the words for both teens to understand it.

Zeff's leg, sacrificed to ensure that Sanji would survive.

"A ship found us a couple of days later. I won't bother you with the details. It took us weeks to recover our strength, and by then Zeff decided to build the Baratie. Said he wanted to give those who got rotten luck like us not to starve to death. Ever since then I have stood with him, learning his fighting style and perfecting my cooking skills. That's why I can't leave this place. He lost his leg for me; he gave up his dream for me."

Ashley couldn't imagine what Sanji and Zeff must have endured. She had a whole repertoire of experiences under her belt, but nearly dying after months of starvation wasn't one of them.

Luffy didnt say anything. He got it. He knew exactly what Sanji felt. He used to feel the same too. After Shanks lost his arm saving him, he felt like crap. Its why he trained so hard all those years; why he cheered after punching that Sea King in the nose.

Because now he was strong enough to protect himself and his nakama.

Pikachu was the one to break the silence. The yellow mouse walked towards Sanji and tugged his pantss sleeve. Sanji glanced down at the mouse; his curly eyebrow quirked.

"Pi, pika, pika pikachu?" Pikachu made some strange motions with his face and paws, confusing even more the blonde. Ashley giggled at the complete look of confusion on the cooks face.

"Pikachu wants to know more about the All Blue. Do you think there could be fish Pokemon there?" She asked, truly curious.

Sanji gave a huge smile and began to talk passionately about his childhood dream.

Up on the third level of the restaurant, a figure watched the three youngsters talking about the All Blue and the Grand Line. He smiled fondly at the gestures and smiles the group shared.

Resolution filled his mind.

It was time for the eggplant to leave the nest and spread his wings.


When the trio entered the kitchen area, they were met with a wall of silence. Sanji looked around the room, not seeing places for them to eat.

"Where are our places?" He asked. None replied. With frowned brows, they grabbed some plates and sat on the ground.

"Is this normal?" "Not really. Dont know what bit them?"

"HEY! Who the fuck made this soup?!" Patty yelled, holding a plate of steaming soup that smelled delicious.

"Oh, I did it early this morning. Delicious right?" Sanji smiled, proud of his skills.

"Delicious? This is a complete piece of trash! Not even a cockroach would eat it!" Patty slammed the plate to the ground, pieces of ceramic flying. Sanji got up immediately, rage flowing over his body at the blatant insult over his food. His ire only grew worse when he saw how the rest of his coworkers threw their own plates of soup to the ground, insulting it and declaring it uneatable.

Ashley was about to get up when Luffy suddenly grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. At her confused look, he only shook his head. Whatever was going on, they should let it happen.

"What kind of crap is this shit!? If I sold this here we would be clausured!" Zeff threw his own plate to the ground.

Sanji couldnt believe it. Getting into fights with his fellow coworkers was the usual norm of the place. Insulting their dishes was common talk. But this? This was too far.

"Screw you, old man! What the hell is wrong with my soup!? It's as good as yours!"

"Cut it with your arrogance, eggplant!" Zeff knocked Sanji to the ground with a punch. Not a kick. A punch.

Sanji was speechless. Zeff had never once used his fists to teach them a lesson or to knock them down. He always used his peg or leg. It was part of his code.

"Don't compare our skills, stupid brat! I have cooked all over the world, not just in a little kitchen like you! You are lightyears from reaching my level!"

Sanji scowled in absolute rage. He cursed and walked out of the kitchen in a fury, slamming the door with all his strength.

"I don't get it. I think this tastes great." Luffy drank an entire plate by himself.

"Of course it tastes great." "That bastard is easily one of the best cooks of this place." "Yeah, he would have to be blind and lose his taste and sense of smell to lose some of his talent."

"Why were you so cruel to him then?" Ashley asked them.

"Because it's the only way to get that eggplant to leave this ship." Zeff revealed. "He told you of his dream, right? The All Blue? It was my dream too. I couldnt find it, but he can. I know it." Zeff turned towards Luffy, a serious look on his face. "Kid, can you take that stupid eggplant with you to the Grand Line?"

"No."

"Eh? Why the hell not?!" "Didnt you want him on your crew?!"

"Sure I do, but he doesn't want to come." Luffy answered bluntly, still shoveling food.

"You want him to join by his own will?" "Yup"

"Damn, that's going to be difficult to accomplish." "That idiot is worse than a stubborn mule; he would never admit that he wants to go."

Outside the kitchen, smoking and reclining against the closed door, Sanji overheard everything that Zeff and the rest said. His face was neutral, not letting a single emotion break. Internally, turmoil raged.

His mind was so troubled that he didn't notice the strange shape rapidly swimming towards the Baratie or the noise it made until it was jumping right at him!

"Sanji!" Ashley ran towards the prone cook, who was being crushed by a strange cross between a shark and a human. It took her a few moments to realize that it was Yosaku with half his body inside a sharks mouth.

"Yosaku!?" She and Luffy exclaimed.

"Aniki? Aneue?" The poor bounty hunter shakily asked.

After pulling the bounty hunter from the beasts mouth and healing his injuries, they all waited to hear his story.

"We didn't see Nami-aneue directly, but we found where she was going. Problem is that the pirates that use the place as their lair caught sight of our ship, so we bailed out. I swam back here to get both of you. We will need everyones strength to defeat those guys." Yosaku explained what happened while they were busy with Krieg and his men.

"Why? Where did Nami go?"

"A group of islands under Arlongs command. Arlong the gyojin." He warned them.

Ashley could vaguely remember what the bounty hunters said about the gyojins. Stronger than humans, could breathe underwater and on the ground, fish-like aspect.

Still didnt get what the fuss was about.

"Ok, then show us where it is." Luffy decided, not at all bothered by the possibility of facing a dangerous pirate.

"Im coming too." Sanji surprised them all with his declaration.

"I want to find the All Blue. You want to find the One Piece. We both have crazy dreams, so I want to go. Besides, I can't trust that a group of brutes like you and those other two fools can treat two delicate ladies like Ashley-chan and Nami-swan."

"I will be your cook; that's good for you, Future Pirate King?"

"YEEEEEEEESSSSSS!" Luffy cheered happily, jumping and dancing with an excited Yosaku and Ashley.


Sanji calmly walked out of the main door of the Baratie, all his former coworkers waiting outside, frowns on their faces.

He had just taken a couple of steps on the deck when Patty and Carne tried to attack him by the back. Didnt take him much to leave them bruised and battered on the ground for their stupid attempt at finally beating him.

While he walked to his personal boat, where his new crewmates waited, nobody spoke. No goodbye was uttered.

He was about to put a foot out of the Baratie when someone finally spoke.

"Hey, Sanji." Zeff had a fond smile on his face. "Dont catch a cold out there."

There was no stopping the tears that flowed from Sanji's eyes.

"Boss Zeff! Thank you for everything you ever did for me!" He bowed until his head touched the planks, truly thankful towards his mentor. "I will never forget my debt! I will find the All Blue and make a delicious dish out of it!" He cried out, a new vow made at that moment.

"Fucking idiot!" "We will miss you, fricking bastard!" All the cooks cried tearfully at Sanji leaving. From his place on the highest level, Zeff tried to unsuccessfully hide his own tears. He was going to miss that stupid eggplant.

It was with that tearful goodbye that they left the Baratie behind.

Their next destination: a new adventure.