This Captain Wears Red

by OPWonders

Luffy's finally embarked on his own adventure! With his past weighing heavy on his shoulders, he'll move forward towards his dream of becoming Pirate King. He'll gather a crew that rivals Whitebeards and show all those marines who held him captive for so long what happens when you mess with a D. (Sequel to my story 'The Devil Wears White')

13. Swords and Fire

Chapter 13: Swords and Fire

"What'd you just say?!" Usopp asked angrily.

"Nami ran off with the Going Merry?!" Luffy asked, stunned.

"What do you mean by that?!" Zoro demanded, all three of them shoving their heads down in Johnny and Yosakus faces. The two bounty hunters were laying on the Baraties outer deck after Luffy had pulled them out of the water, still crying.

"It happened just a moment ago!" Yoskau cried, explaining how Nami had been looking at a certain wanted poster at first before tricking the two and pushing them into the water. They explained how she'd told them she never officially agreed to join, just that she had been in an alliance of sorts with them.

"She said to tell you guys that if you're linked by fate, you'll meet again! After that she just left! So that's how we lost the ship!" Johnny cried, he and Yosaku kneeling and bowing their heads.

"We're sorry!" Yosaku apologized.

"Damn it! She's making this crisis worse for us!" Zoro cursed, punching the side of the Baratie.

"Kaya gave that ship to us!" Usopp growled out, equally as angry as Zoro. Luffy, who could feel all the rising anger, tried ignoring it, instead standing on the railing and peering out at the ocean.

"Wait! I can still see it! It's the Going Merry!" Luffy called, everyone turning to look and spotting the ship off in the distance.

"Where's your ship?" Luffy asked Johnny and Yosaku. He had known something was up with Nami, but he hadn't asked her about it because she'd been scared of his powers, and now she had taken the Merry. He wasn't angry at her for it; after all, she was right in that she hadn't agreed to join officially, and that was something he knew, so really, she had every right to leave. Taking the Merry was a bit much, but Luffy wasn't angry about that either. Something had scared Nami, made the hatred in her flare, and it wasn't Luffy or the others. It had something to do with why she left, why she needed all that money.

"We still have it here..." Yosaku said, his crying stopping.

"Zoro! Usopp! Leave right away! Take that ship and follow Nami!" Luffy ordered. Zoro turned, waving a hand in the air.

"Forget about it. Just give that ship to her. No need going after that woman." Zoro said flippantly, obviously not as invested in her as Luffy was.

"I won't accept anyone but her as our navigator!" Luffy said sternly. There was a moment of silence as Luffy and Zoro both stared at each other, and eventually, Zoro sighed, rubbing his face with his hand.

"Alright, alright... What a high-maintenance Captain... Hey, Usopp, let's go!" Zoro said to Usopp who nodded, determined to get the Merry back. Johnny and Yosaku went with the two, getting their ship and getting it ready.

"Zoro-Aniki, the ship is ready!" They called over to him from the boat. Before Zoro and Usopp got on it, the swordsman looked over his shoulder at Luffy.

"Luffy, what about you?" He asked, wondering what he was going to do.

"I can't go yet. All these chefs really like this restaurant, I'm not gonna let this Greed guy take it from 'em." Luffy said, jutting a thumb towards to the chefs all standing at the front of the Baratie.

"Be careful. The situation here isn't normal." Zoro told him seriously, but Luffy only grinned.

"I've handled worse." He said honestly. Zoro stared at him another second before nodding.

"Don Krieg! It's him! Its the man who destroyed our fleet!" The yelling of one of Krieg's pirates had everyone turning to see what they were talking about. It was then that everyone remembered the tiny boat drifting closer to the Baratie.

"Th.. That man!" Zoro exclaimed softly, swallowing.

"So that man is..." He trailed off. The pirates continued panicking at the sight of the small boat, but Luffy ignored them, staring at Zoros back.

"Zoro?" He asked, but didn't get a response. That mixture of emotions from earlier was back in the swordsman, the excitement, the determination, the eagerness, and this time, awe.

"Who's that?" Luffy prodded again, wanting to know why Zoro was getting so worked up.

"The man I've been looking for. Hawk-Eye Mihawk!" Zoro informed him, his eyes never leaving the man in question.

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk..." Luffy repeated, committing the name to memory. Apparently, this person was important to Zoro, so he'd make sure to remember him.

"The world's strongest swordsman..." Zoro said quietly. The chefs were talking amongst themselves, realizing that Mihawk had been the one to destroy Krieg's ships. Zoro wasn't listening to them though, instead, a grin was forming on his face as he put a hand onto the sheaths of his swords.

"You son of a bitch! What grudge do you have to come after us?!" One of Kriegs men asked in a mixture of rage and fear. Mihawk tilted his head towards the man slightly, observing him.

"Just killing time," Mihawk answered in a smooth, even tone. Luffy could feel that he wasn't lying.

"What?! Don't mock us!" The pirate yelled, standing and pulling two guns out that he aimed at Mihawk. Without standing, or even looking, Mihawk pulled his giant sword off his back, and when the pirate fired the guns, Luffy watched as Mihawk used his swords to deflect them safely away from himself.

"I thought for sure I aimed right at him!" The pirate yelled, his fear rising, not having been skilled enough to notice the deflected bullets, instead thinking he'd missed.

"He averted them," Zoro said, suddenly behind said pirate, scaring them more.

"He changed the course of the bullets using the point of his sword," Zoro explained, eyes still trained on Mihawk who was now only a few feet away from him.

"That can't be true..." The pirate whispered in disbelief. Zoro only grinned, walking closer to Mihawk.

"Hey! Who are you?!" The pirate yelled after Zoro but didn't get an answer.

"Those swords... could it be?!" Another pirate asked as Zoro walked by. Luffy watched both Zoro and Mihawk carefully, knowing he couldn't stop his swordsman from whatever it was he was going to do. He'd promised not to get in Zoros way when it came to his ambition, and if that ambition was tied to this Mihawk person, then Luffy wasn't going to interfere, even if Nami was getting further away the more they waited.

"I've never seen a sword move so gently..." Zoro told Mihawk. Both swordsmen were looking at each other now, though Mihawk had yet to move from his seat on his boat.

"There is no strength in swordplay based only on force," Mihawk answered.

"Did you use that sword to slice up this ship as well?" Zoro asked, still grinning widely as he gestured to the destroyed ship he was standing on.

"That's right."

"I see... You're the strongest... I came out to sea to meet you." Everyone was watching silently in amazement as the two talked with each other. Zoro was pulling off the bandana on his arm and wrapped it around his head, eyes filling with eagerness.

"What's your goal?" Mihawk asked him in curiosity.

"To become the strongest!" At those words, Mihawks hard expression finally changed, a smirk taking form on his face.

"Hmph... How foolish." He told Zoro. The green-haired man didn't react to the words, still grinning as he pulled out one of his swords, pointing it at Mihawk.

"You've got spare time, right? Let's fight!" He demanded.

Luffy frowned from where he was watching, knowing that this was going to be a losing fight. It wasn't that he thought that Zoro was weak, it was just that Mihawk was stronger. Much stronger. This fight would go as well as Usopp trying to fight Whitebeard would.

And yet, he didn't do anything to stop it. He had to constantly remind himself of his promise to Zoro, to not interfere with his ambition. It was difficult, and he was barely holding himself back from doing just that, but he managed.

"Th-This guy is Zoro! Roronoa Zoro of the Three Sword style!" A nearby pirate cried out, everyone looking at him in shock.

"What?!"

"Oh, a pirate hunter, huh?" Krieg asked, standing on the other half of the split ship.

"He is?!" Sanji asked in surprise, not having recognized him. How was he supposed to know that the famous pirate hunter would be traveling with another, even more famous, pirate?

"Hey, this isn't good, Luffy! The Going Merry will be out of sight soon! Oi, Luffy!" Usopp called to Luffy, quickly realizing that his Captain was completely focused on Zoro.

"Fight? Hmph! How pitiful, weak one..." Mihawk muttered, and within a flash, he was standing on the same broken deck as Zoro.

"If you are a competent enough swordsman, you should be able to see the disparity in our abilities even before we cross swords. Is it your courage or ignorance that causes you to turn your sword on me?" Mihawk asked him, head held high as he addressed Zoro. Again, Zoro didn't seem to be fazed by the man's words, still grinning widely.

"It's my ambition!" He declared, placing one of his swords in his mouth and holding the other two.

"And its also because of a promise I made to a dear friend!" He finished, staring Mihawk down.

"Hawk-Eye Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman and the pirate hunter Zoro... What kind of fight will it be?" Patty asked, sweating nervously from where he watched with the other chefs.

"There can't possibly be anyone who can defeat Zoro-Aniki!" Yosaku exclaimed.

"Zoro-Aniki is the strongest already!" Johnny added. Luffy said nothing to them about that, only glancing at them out of the corner of his eye before focusing back on Zoro and Mihawk, the latter of the two pulling a tiny knife off the cross on his necklace.

"Hey, what's the meaning of that?" Zoro demanded, taking offense that Mihawk was pulling what looked to be a toy out.

"I'm no beast that goes all out when hunting a rabbit. Even if you're a swordsman who's earned a bit of a name for himself, this sea, the East Blue, is the weakest among the four seas. Unfortunately, I don't carry any smaller sharp instruments than this one." Mihawk said, actually looking, and sounding, sad about that.

"That's enough making fun of me! Better not regret it when I kill you!" Zoro yelled through his sword before charging forward towards Mihawk.

"Frog in the well... Know how big the world is." Mihawk told him, only moving into a lower stance.

"Oni... Giri!" Zoro used all three of his swords in the attack but realized rather quickly that they had stopped. Looking, he saw that Mihawk was using the point of his tiny knife to stop all three of the swords in place.

"Wh-What?!" Zoro exclaimed in astonishment.

"Wha... Zoro-Aniki Oni Giri was stopped!" Johnny shouted, dumbfounded.

"Even a big technique that never fails to blow any enemy away was... What's going on?!" Yosaku shouted, just as dumbfounded as Johnny. Luffys frown deepened and he had to take another deep breath, something he'd been doing a lot lately.

There was a silence across the entire area as everyone watched with bated breaths, no one daring to even so much as breath too loud in fear that something would break. Finally, Zoro was the one to move, pulling his swords away from the tiny knife and swinging them up.

"The world's strongest cant be this far!" He yelled, still determined, yet Luffy could feel as his swordsman slowly began to realize just what he was up against.

Zoro rapidly swung sword after sword at Mihawk, but no matter how fast he moved, Mihawk effectively blocked each and every attack effortlessly, not even breaking a sweat. After letting Zoro try for a minute, Mihawk swung his own tiny sword, sending Zoro falling back onto the deck.

"This can't be happening, right, Aniki?! Get serious!"

"Aniki!" Yosaku and Johnny all but pleaded.

"We can't be this far apart!" Zoro yelled as he got back up, charging once more towards Mihawk. He began swinging much like he had last time, and again, Mihawk blocked every attack. With how fast Zoro was pushing himself, he was managing to push Mihawk back towards the railing of the still sinking ship, but the greatest swordsman merely jumped onto the railing and over Zoro, causing Zoro to slash the railing rather than the man he'd intended on hitting. Spinning, the attacks began anew, and it seemed Zoro wasn't making any headway.

"What ferocity your swordplay has..." Mihawk noted, clearly not worried about this fight. With a yell, Zoro swung the sword in his mouth, and yet again, Mihawk blocked it with his own knife.

"He's taking Zoros Three Sword Style attacks with such a small knife..."

"He's a monster even beyond the monstrous Zoro!" As the pirates began yelling to each other in stunned awe, Zoro continued trying to attack Mihawk, tried to get even one hit on the man, but it was all for naught. At one point, he slipped up, his sword falling just to the right of Mihawk and causing him to fall forward at the unbalance of it. Seeing this, Mihawk chopped Zoro on the back of his neck with his hand, making Zoro gasp, struggling to keep the sword in his mouth steady. He was quick to ready himself again, but he was growing tired, having done all the attacking so far. Because of this, he only managed to stumble a few steps forward before falling onto his back, Mihawk staring down at him.

"What do you bear on your shoulders? What do you desire once you've obtained power, weak one?" Mihawk asked him, not moving to attack him.

"You called Aniki a weak one? You cross bastard!" Yosaku shouted, pulling his own sword out.

"I'll teach you a lesson! He is-" Johnny, who had also pulled his sword out, joined Yosaku, the two jumping off their boat and towards Zoro and Mihawk, only to be stopped by Luffys arms stretching out and grabbing them, pulling them back to the small dock on the Baratie.

"Stop it! Yosaku! Johnny! Don't intervene! Be patient!" Luffy demanded as he struggled to do the same himself, visibly straining as he held himself back.

"Luffy..." Usopp whispered, seeing this.

"I can't lose..." Zoro muttered as he stood back up. He immediately got a new attack ready, crossing the two swords in his hands with the one in his mouth.

"Tiger... Trap!" He announced, but as fast as he attacked, Mihawk had managed to pierce Zoro in the chest with his knife. Zoros hands fell to his sides, still holding his swords, and he didn't move.

"Are you just going to let me pierce your heart? Why aren't you withdrawing?" Mihawk asked, not moving his knife.

"I don't know why, but... if I withdrew even a step, I feel like those various important things such as pledges and promises in the past will be shattered and I won't be able to come back to where I am now..." Zoro mused, blood falling from the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, that is what defeat is about," Mihawk told him with a frown, still as unmoving as Zoro was.

"Then, all the more reason I cant withdraw..." Zoro replied. Luffy was fighting back his body's need to help his friend yet not being able to do anything. He wanted to scream at Zoro, yell at him to just move and let the fight end, but he knew that that would be insulting, that, should the situation be reversed and Luffy was staring down the One Piece, he would hate if someone yelled at him that he couldn't go and take it right there, even if he died because of it.

"Even if you'll die?" Mihawk asked.

"I'd rather die." Zoro said firmly, full of conviction. Luffy, through his haze of intense emotions, felt something in Mihawk change, the man suddenly more interested then he'd been this entire time as he finally pulled his knife out of Zoros chest, sheathing it.

"Kid! State your name." He demanded. Zoro readied one last attack and Luffy could barely watch this anymore, but forced himself to continue, having grabbed onto the railing by now as he leaned forward.

"Roronoa Zoro." Zoro answered.

"I'll remember it. I haven't seen anyone like you in a while, strong one. Thus... as a swordsman's courtesy, I'll sink you using the world's strongest black sword." Mihawk declared, pulling the large sword off his back and pointing it at Zoro.

"I appreciate it," Zoro said, meaning his words.

"H-he took it out!"

"That's the sword that sliced up the ship!" The pirates called out.

"Aniki! That's enough! Please stop!" Johnny pleaded, Yosaku holding his head in fear, trembling as he couldn't even watch anymore. Usopps jaw was dropped at the size of the sword, and he was watching in a similar state as Johnny, scared that this was where Zoro would actually die.

"Three Sword Style Secret Technique!" Zoro began spinning the two swords in his hands at the same time that Mihawk ran forward.

"Fall!"

"Three Thousand Worlds!" The attacks hit simultaneously, and yet, Zoro was the only one hurt. His two swords in his hands shattered and a large slash was cut into his chest as he fell to his knee. He took his last sword out of his mouth and sheathed it, Mihawk watching from over his shoulder. Zoro stood, holding the sheath in his hand, and turned to face Mihawk, stretching his arms out at his sides.

"What are you..." At Mihawks obvious surprise, Zoro grinned.

"Scars on the back are a swordsmans shame..." Zoro told him.

"Well said!" Mihawk said, grinning back and readying his sword one last time. Swiping his sword diagonally, he cut Zoros chest once again, and this time, it was for the last time.

"Zoro!" Luffy finally yelled out, watching the devastating blow with wide eyes.

"Zoro!" Usopp cried in equal distress, tears in his eyes.

"Aniki!" Johnny and Yosaku cried, both having tears pouring down their faces. There was a sudden spike of anger and annoyance from Sanji, but with all of Luffys own fear and worry, it had no effect on him.

"It should be easy... to give up your ambition, right?!" Sanji yelled out to the swordsman. He'd been silent the entire time he'd watched the fight, but after watching Zoro fail so miserably, he couldn't help but yell.

"So this is the power of the Grand Line... the power of the world!"

"To think the pirate hunter Zoro is as helpless as a new-born baby!" The Krieg pirates were shaking in fear of Mihawk after watching him take on Zoro without so much as being out of breath.

"Damn you, damn you... Damn you!" Luffy, who had started the sentence muttering, ended up yelling at the end, shaking with a sudden burning rage after he had watched Zoro fall backward into the water, his emotions muffling as he fell unconscious.

"Aniki!" Luffy only barely had taken notice to Johnny and Yosaku diving in after Zoro as he took his hat off, dropping it on the deck before he swung his arm back, flinging it forward and grabbing a railing behind Mihawk.

"Wh-whats that?" A chef yelled, not having seen Luffy stretch before. Everyone's jaws dropped as they watched Luffy fling himself at Mihawk, all of them realizing at once that he did in fact have a devil fruit.

"So that brat really does have a devil fruit!" Krieg exclaimed with a scowl.

"You bastard!" Luffy yelled at Mihawk, landing in front of him. The man had his arms crossed, his sword back in its sheath on his back and looking unfazed about what was happening.

"Are you that swordsmans comrade?" He asked as Luffy stood tall, the anger clear on his face.

"You also impressed me for watching it to the very end!" He complimented, Luffy feeling his words as true.

"Don't worry. I didn't kill that man. Although, I do admit that I'm a bit curious as to what a Whitebeard Pirate is doing here in the weakest sea." Mihawk said, but Luffy didn't have time to answer as he felt Zoros emotions become clearer, telling him he was waking up.

"Aniki! Aniki! Say something!" Johnny and Yosaku pleaded, holding Zoro up in the water.

"Zoro?!" Luffy asked with wide eyes, watching as his swordsman coughed up blood. Johnny and Yosaku swam with Zoro back to the ship where Usopp helped pull him onboard, resting him on the floor.

"This is medicine! Throw it over him!" Usopp called, having run off to grab a basket of first aid supplies.

"It's still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk! Learn about yourself! Learn about the world! And become strong! No matter how many years it takes, I will hold this seat of the strongest and wait for you. Surpass this sword! Try to surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!" Mihawk declared loudly.

"Kid, what is your goal?" Mihawk asked Luffy, eyeing him.

"King of the Pirates." Luffy answered without hesitation.

"Oh? What about your Captain?" Mihawk asked.

"I'm not with Pops anymore. I left and started my own crew." Luffy answered again. Mihawk smiled at that.

"In that case, it'll be even harder than surpassing me!" He told Luffy. Without change in expression, Luffy answered.

"How would I know when I haven't done it yet?!" He asked, sticking his tongue out at Mihawk.

"He's alive!" A shout from Usopp had Luffy turning back to the ship Zoro was on. He already knew Zoro was alive, but that didn't mean he wasn't concerned still.

"Aniki, say something!" Johnny pleaded again. Suddenly, Zoro was holding his sword in his hand, raising it into the air for Luffy to see clearly. Even through all the pain Luffy could feel coming from Zoro, he could feel the humbling humility in him as well, the swordsman having realized how much he had overestimated his own strength.

"L... Luffy... Can you hear me?" Zoro asked, his voice soft and difficult to hear from so far away, yet Luffy heard it all the same.

"Yeah!" He called back. After a few shaky breaths, Zoro spoke again.

"Did I worry you? You need no less than the worlds greatest swordsman, right?" Zoro asked, struggling to get that much out.

"Aniki! Please don't talk anymore!" Yosaku cried as Zoro coughed up more blood.

"I... I will not be defeated ever again!" Zoro cried out with tears. There was frustration in Zoro, but also a new determination, a new conviction.

"Until the day I defeat him and become a master swordsman... I'll never... be defeated! Got any problems with that... King of the Pirates?!" Zoro asked. Grinning his D grin, Luffy laughed in both relief and happiness.

"None!" He called back.

"You're a good team. I want to see you guys again." Mihawk said, turning to go back to his boat.

"Oi, Hawk-Eye!" Krieg suddenly called, jumping over to their side of the boat.

"Didn't you come to take my life... the life of the East Blues ruler, Don Krieg?" Krieg asked, confident in himself.

"I was going to, but I had enough fun. So I'm going home to get some rest." Mihawk told him, all previous amusement gone from him as he addressed Krieg. He didn't even look over his shoulder to do so.

"You may have had enough, but I'm tired of getting beaten," Krieg said with a grin, cracking his neck in preparation.

"D-Don?"

"Why are you trying to keep him here?" Kriegs crew asked in concern. Krieg didn't answer though, and instead pulled out his guns again, the two on his shoulder, the two at his sides, and the two in his hands, all pointed at Mihawk.

"Die before you leave!" Without another seconds hesitation, he began firing all of them at once. Too fast for anyone but Luffy to see, Mihawk took his sword back out and cut the deck in half again, causing a large wave to block everyone's vision. Realizing his footing was disappearing, Luffy flung his arms back over to the Baratie, grabbing on and pulling himself back before he could fall into the ocean.

"Damn, he escaped again!" Krieg said once the water settled down, leaving him staring at an empty space where Mihawk had been seconds ago.

"Usopp!" Luffy called over to the sniper.

"Luffy!" Usopp called back, poking his head over the boats railing, having hidden when he saw all of Kriegs guns again.

"Go! I'll leave Nami to you!" He yelled over to him with a grin.

"Got it! Zoro and I will bring Nami back for sure! Make sure you get that cook to join us! When all five of us are reunited, let's go to... the Grand Line!" Usopp yelled, and despite how scared of the place he'd been before, Luffy could feel his excitement as he yelled the words. At the same time, Usopp had picked up Luffys hat, which he'd been holding onto to keep safe, and threw it towards Luffy. Grabbing it out of the air, Luffy brought it over to himself, placing it onto his head.

"Yeah! Let's do that!" Luffy said with a smile.

"Guys! We ran into some interference, but the real fight starts now!"

"We'll take that ship!"

"Yeah!" The Krieg pirates yelled.

"Hey, old man, I'm gonna beat up all those guys, is that alright?" Luffy asked Zeff, his smile still blindingly big. Now that he didn't have to worry about Zoro anymore and they were on their way to Nami, Luffy was able to focus entirely on Krieg and his goons. He knew they wouldn't be much of a challenge, and he was excited that he could let out his pent up energy from holding himself back earlier.

"You think we need your help? If you wanna get involved, suit yourself." Zeff said with a shrug, although he was grinning himself.

"Yahoo! They want to fight, too!" Luffy cheered, hanging upside down off the railing and holding his hat as he looked over at the Kriegs.

"I'm getting fired up!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly, pulling himself back up onto the railing, sitting on it and facing the chefs.

"All of you guys like this restaurant, right? I'll make sure to drive them away so that they don't hurt it, okay?" Luffy asked them, all of them blinking at him in surprise.

"Y-you're gonna help us... because we like this restaurant?" One of them asked, not understanding why the famous 11097 would be helping for something as minuscule as that.

"Well, yeah! And it's the old mans treasure, right?" Luffy asked, looking to Zeff now, remembering what Sanji had said before.

"And so what if that's the case? Why would that make you more inclined to help us?" Zeff asked, though unlike the other chefs, Luffy could tell he was only a little curious as to Luffys reasoning's. Overall, he seemed to be assessing Luffy, and the straw-hatted teen didn't mind in the slightest.

"Because I like you guys! Oh, and you make good food! Shishishi~!" Luffy laughed to himself.

"You said you were going to be King of the Pirates. Are you serious?" Zeff questioned further. Hearing this, Luffys face went blank and he blinked owlishly.

"Yeah, of course! I'll definitely be King of the Pirates!" He answered easily, no doubt in his words as he said them. Zeff grinned at that, arms still crossed over his chest as he stepped forward closer to Luffy.

"I've come across tons of roughnecks, but you're the first one in a long time who said that so clearly," Zeff admitted, making Luffy smile again.

"I heard that you were a pretty strong pirate. Were you going to be King of the Pirates?" Luffy asked in curiosity.

"I forgot about the past. I'm the owner of a restaurant now and that's enough for me." He answered with a small shrug, looking to the sea. Luffy gave him a smaller smile now, feeling the owners pride in his occupation.

"Guys! As long as we take that ship, the Grand Line is nothing to be scared of! We can get closer and make a surprise attack on enemy ships more effectively than pretending to be a Marine ship or raising the white flag of surrender. We can make a definite sneak attack." Krieg told his crew as he pointed over to the Baratie.

"It's true that no one would think that pirates are onboard such a silly looking ship."

"B-But Don... Even if we enter the Grand Line again using that ship, if we come across someone like Hawk-Eye Mihawk again..." The pirates' words angered Krieg and he pulled out one of his guns, shooting the one who was speaking point-blank. Luffy frowned as he felt the pirates emotions disappear, signaling his death as he fell into the ocean.

"Are you still afraid of someone like that? Huh?!" Krieg asked in a growl, pointing his gun at the rest of his crew, all of them pale and sweating in fear.

"N-no..."

"You think an ordinary human can slice up a large sailing ship?! That's probably the power of a devil fruit." Krieg said, explaining to his crew what they were and how it was likely Mihawk had one himself, which is how he'd managed to destroy their ship.

"Even that Straw Hatted brat 11097 doesn't stand a chance now that he's abandoned the Yonko Whitebeards crew!" Krieg shouted. This seemed to calm his crew down, all of them steeling themselves and pulling out their weapons, turning to look back to the Baratie where Luffy was still sitting on the railing and smiling widely their way.

"But that Red Leg Zeff successfully traversed the Grand Line for a year. Those methods must be written in his logbook. If we're lucky, so is information on the One Piece." Krieg finished, successfully having riled his crew back up.

"I see... That's our Don Krieg!"

"So long as we have that ship and the logbook, we'll find a way to the One Piece again!"

"Got that guys?! Let's go! We'll take over the restaurant!"

"Yeah!" With a roar of agreement, the pirates raised their weapons into the air. Luffys excitement grew as felt the pirates courage and determination grow, telling him that the fight was getting ready to begin.

"This ship belongs to us... to the cooks! We can't let them have it no matter what happens!" Patty declared as he and another chef ran over to the figurehead, the other chefs watching them go knowingly.

"As it stands, the restaurant will be a battlefield..." Sanji pointed out, and Luffy could feel something from Sanji that confused him. He turned, tilting his head carefully as his eyes narrowed on the blonde, wondering why those words seemed to make Sanji feel scared. He wasn't scared of the pirates or the incoming fight, but scared of something else, like he was remembering something. It was like when Ace or Sabo remembered the facility and would get scared from the memories.

"Go to the operating room and open up the fins," Sanji told a nearby chef who blinked in surprise.

"What? Open up the fins? That's gonna give a foothold to the enemy!" He said, confused as to why Sanji would want that. The blonde smiled, waving a hand dismissively.

"That's fine. We can't make the inside of this restaurant a battlefield. If it becomes a battlefield, that damn geezer will complain." Sanji said, muttering the last bit. Zeff, who was standing beside Sanji, eyed him out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you say something, you damn brat?" He asked.

"Yeah, I said you like to complain! Now, go." Sanji said, speaking to the chef again at the end.

"O... Okay..." It was obvious the man was still conflicted, but he agreed to do it regardless, running off.

"Here they come! They're finally coming!" Luffy cheered enthusiastically, pulling himself onto the Baratie and holding the railing in his hands.

"Here I come! Gum Gum..." Running backward into the restaurant, Luffy let his arms stretch until he was up against the spiral staircase in the middle of the room.

"Rocket!" He called out, letting his body snap back towards his arms, flinging him over the railing and right towards the incoming pirates.

"Ack! He's flying over here!" They shouted in fear, all of them stopping in their tracks and holding their hands out defensively.

"And Gum Gum..." Spinning his body to get a better angle, Luffy stretched out his arms again, this time at his sides.

"Giant Scythe!" He called, clothes-lining the pirates. All of them flew backward from Luffys momentum, some falling into the water while others landed on the small bits of deck still visible. To keep himself from falling in the water as well, Luffy stretched out his arms, grabbing onto a mast that was still above water and pulled himself over to it, sitting on it.

"Hey, 11097's pretty good! It's a good thing he's on our side!" A chef said, the others cheering at seeing the Kriegs being taken down.

"J-Just what the heck is this guy..." A Krieg pirate asked as he clung to a floating piece of driftwood.

"The Grand Line is crawling with guys like this?" Sanji muttered, his one visible eye a little wider than normal.

"Sanji!" Zeff said gruffly, getting the chefs attention.

"Hmm?" Sanji hummed.

"Watch carefully how he fights. Don't take your eyes off him until the moment this fight comes to an end." Zeff said in a no-nonsense tone of voice, only confusing Sanji even more.

"To think that you attack the restaurant after they gave you food... I'll beat up an ungrateful jerk like you!" Luffy yelled at Krieg as he clung to the mast. Krieg, who was standing on a small section of broken deck, laughed.

"So you actually want to fight on the water when there's little foothold? Those with devil fruit powers are helpless in the sea. I know that much. Anchor boy!" Krieg called back arrogantly, obviously thinking he had the upper hand. Luffy smiled at that, unfazed by the words.

"Instead, I can stretch," Luffy told him. The fight didn't progress any further though as they saw the waves beginning to act up again, the cause seeming to be the Baratie.

"What's going on?" Luffy questioned as he and Krieg turned to look at what was happening.

Woah! Check that out!" Luffy cried in awe, watching as two large semi-circle decks appeared around the Baratie, giving them the much-needed foothold that they needed.

"We'll fight to the utmost, you damn pirates!" Sanji called over to them, his stance casual despite the threat in his words as he walked forward onto the new deck.

"I see. You set up that battlefield so that the restaurant itself won't be damaged. That works out for us too, since that ships gonna be ours. I want this ship all the more." Krieg said greedily.

"We won't let you have this restaurant!"

"That's right! Don't make light of us!"

"We're fighting cooks!" As the chefs were shouting, something else happened, the fish head at the front of the ship detaching itself and moving towards them.

"What is that?!" One of the Kriegs asked in disbelief.

"That's so cool! I want it!" Luffy called out in awe again, liking this ship all the more now. As the head of the fish turned towards the Kriegs, they saw that in its mouth were three cannons, all pointing right at them.

"Fire!" Patty yelled, and before having a chance to react, that's exactly what they did, the cannonballs causing waves to form again. The pirates in the water struggled to stay above it and the destroyed ship that had been the Kriegs rocked violently as well. This included the mast that Luffy was still clinging to.

"I'm gonna sink!" Luffy said with wide eyes, holding on tighter to the moving mast.

"Alright! Good job!"

"Patty! Carne! Get them!" With the chefs shouting encouragements, Patty and Carne continued firing round after round of cannonballs at them, Luffy smiling widely despite the dangers he was facing with his moving mast.

"They're pretty good!" He complimented, hearing Patty laughing loudly from the fish head.

"Krieg! Be prepared!" Patty yelled, the fish now moving right towards the piece of deck that Krieg had been standing on.

"Watch how powerful the Sea Restaurant Baratie's sea battle weapon is!" Carne called next, and when they finally deemed themselves close enough, they fired the cannons again, right at the unmoving Krieg. When the dust cleared, Krieg was still standing, the canon only inches from his face as he held onto it with his outstretched hand.

"What? Did we bump into something?" Patty asked.

"Hmm? We can't move!" Carne yelled in realization.

"I'm Don Krieg! I'm the man who will rule the worlds oceans!" Krieg roared out in rage.

"Eh? I told you that's gonna be me!" Luffy yelled, more than a bit miffed that Krieg was still saying that.

"I don't have time for your games!" Krieg continued, ignoring Luffy completely as he began lifting the giant fish out of the water.

"What Herculean strength he has!" Patty cried out in fear. All of the chefs watched with wide eyes as Krieg lifted the fish above his head, tossing it behind him and towards the Baratie.

"It's coming this way!"

"The restaurant will be destroyed!" They shouted in terror, watching as the fish quickly headed their way. Luffy was about to intervene, because he had already told the Owner he wouldn't let the restaurant be destroyed, but he stopped himself when he felt Sanjis emotions. The man was confident and determined, and when Luffy looked over at him, he was lowering into a stance like he was about to jump.

And jump he did. He pushed himself up into the air, and just as the fish began its downward arc towards the Baratie, Sanji met it in the air and kicked it, pushing it back away from the restaurant and towards the other half of the extended deck where no one was standing.

"Sanji!" The chefs cheered, happy they weren't going to be crushed by the fish now.

"W-With his foot?!" Krieg yelled in disbelief. Even Luffy was awed by the mans strength.

"He kicked back that weird boat!"

"What strong legs!" The Krieg pirates muttered to themselves.

"That foot technique is..." Krieg began quietly.

"There goes! Sanjis kicks!" A chef yelled with a smile.

"He's pretty good!" Luffy said to himself.

"You son of a bitch, Sanji!"

"Are you trying to crush your allies?!" Patty and Carne yelled as they jumped out of the fish boat, the two of them furious.

"Yeah..." Sanji answered, not even looking at them.

"Don't, 'Yeah' us, you crazy stew!" Patty and Carne yelled simultaneously.

"You almost lost your most powerful assets, you stupid spaghetti!" Carne shouted as he pointed accusingly at Sanji, Patty mouth dropped in rage.

"Do you really think you have time to crack jokes, cooks?" It was then that everyone realized the pirates that had been in the water had swum over to the Baratie and were now climbing onto the enlarged deck. Seeing this, the chefs took a defensive position, raising their weapons threateningly.

"Let's get 'em!" One shouted, running forward with a few others. It seemed they were outmatched though as the pirates fought back, snapping or slicing the chefs weapons apart and sending them flying back towards the restaurant.

"Even with a weapon, a cooks a cook. We're expert fighters whore in a whole other league from you. Now be good little cooks and go find a land restaurant to cook for." One of the pirates said, his sword hanging over his shoulder as he spoke.

"Hey, you guys! Why are you letting those guys beat you up so easily?!" Carne asked in a mixture of surprise at the pirates strength and fear of being next.

"Do you still call yourselves fighting cooks?!" Patty yelled next in a similar state as Carne.

"Well, they're strong! They're totally different from those we've fought before!" One of the chefs said in their defense, wiping his mouth as he sat up.

"Don't lump us in with those average pirates. We're the Krieg Pirates, the rulers of the East Blue." The same pirate said.

"Just decree to them... that the ship already belongs to the Krieg Pirates!" Krieg ordered.

"Don't be mistaken. We won't let you take even one step into the restaurant." Sanji said with a grin, not intimidated by the pirates' strength.

"He's exactly right!" Patty yelled, he and Carne reminiscing about how they'd come to work at the restaurant, Luffy listening closely as he took in their feelings of protectiveness towards the restaurant, their love for the place. At Patty and Carnes words, Zeff said some of his own, and with that, the chefs were all riled up and ready to fight again.

"Protect the Owner!"

"Protect the restaurant!" Patty and Carne yelled as they ran forward, weapons raised, and despite their lingering fear, they still went to fight. Luffy beamed in pride at that, deciding quickly that they were among those he would make sure survived this whole ordeal.

Where the other chefs had difficulty, Patty and Carne proved to be more of a challenge, knocking over some of the pirates and successfully blocking attacks. Even though they were doing fairly well, that was stopped when someone else swam over, lifting a hand and flinging something at Patty, knocking him back.

"Hmm. Just what are you guys doing?" The newcomer asked as he climbed onto the deck as well, Luffys smile turning to a frown.

"What's with that guy?" He asked himself, not having seen him before. He was dressed strangely, a large circle, metal shield on the front and back of him and four smaller shields strapped to his arms, two on each arm, two on his hands and two on his elbows. He also had two more small shields strapped on his knees as well. In the middle of the shields were pearls, and on his head was a large pearl as well.

"Unassailable! Hence invincible! When someone says 'Pearl-san, the Invincible Shield of the Krieg Pirates,' they mean me!" He called out smugly.

"Pearl-san!" One of the Kriegs cheered.

"Patty! Carne! Are you alright?!" Zeff asked the two chefs who had been attacked by the man.

"They're not alright, because they took my killer punch 'Pearl Surprise,'" Pearl boasted, blood dripping from his wrist shield.

"Woah! This is a nice knife. I'll take it." One of the pirates said as they moved towards Patty, greed filling him at the sight of the large knife.

"Hmm? Hey, let go. Give it to me! Let it go, you damn loser!" He said, realizing quickly that Patty still had a firm hold on it despite looking unconscious. When a shadow covered him, the pirate looked up, seeing a furious looking Sanji there. He didn't even have time to blink before a leg sprung forward and kicked him in the face, sending him flying into the other pirates, all of them than flying into Pearl who didn't move from the force. The knife flew from Pattys grasp, but Sanji caught it by the handle before it hit the ground.

"He's really got some good kicks! I didn't come to like him for nothing!" Luffy praised as he continued watching, more determined than ever to make Sanji his chef.

"A kitchen knife is a cooks soul. Don't you amateurs carelessly put hands on it!" Sanji yelled to the pirates.

"Sanji..." Patty grumbled out, peeking an eye open.

"Hold this tight and stay down there. I'll take care of them." Sanji ordered, handing the knife over to Patty who took it, doing as told and not moving from the ground.

"We won't be beaten by a mere cook!" The pirates cried as they charged forward again, weapons in the air. Sanji placed his hands on the floor and began spinning his legs around, knocking down each of the incoming pirates with ease.

"A mere cook, you said? I'm gonna cut you in three, you bastards!" He growled out, glaring menacingly.

"Ha! How impudent you are to beat them using only kicks. Is that your policy?" Pearl asked, not having moved this entire time.

"To cooks, hands are most important. I can't have them hurt in battle. I'll take you down with this leg as well." Sanji said, hands in his pockets again as he kicked his left foot out towards Pearl.

"Take me down? That's impossible. I'm an invincible man that won all 61 of my battles unharmed. I've never shed blood in a battle, not even a drop. Winning unharmed is the very proof of my power. I'm a shield man and a gentleman. I'm refined, aren't I?" Pearl asked with a smug smirk, hitting the two shields in his hands together.

"Was that supposed to be a gag? It wasn't funny at all." Luffy said in confusion, not understanding Pearls words at all. A sudden murderous intent from behind him made him refocus his attention on Krieg who was spinning something in the air.

"Hey, Straw Hat brat! If you're not paying attention, you'll get hurt!" Krieg yelled, sending the spinning thing- a spiked ball on a chain- towards Luffy. With his haki, Luffy felt that the ball and chain weren't aimed towards him, rather it was aimed for the mast he was still clinging to. At this realization, Luffy held on tighter as Krieg split the mast in half and then flung the ball and chain towards the section Luffy was holding, sending both Luffy and the mast flying towards the Baratie. Seeing this, Luffy allowed himself to fly, and when he landed he patted himself off, standing in front of Sanji.

"That was rude, I was paying attention! Anyways, it's a good thing I didn't fall into the sea." Luffy said cheerfully. Feeling that someone was in a state of shock, Luffy looked up, wondering what had happened, and was faced with Pearl who had a bloody nose. It was then he realized that he and the mast had hit Pearl and that was what had stopped him from hitting Sanji and the Baratie.

"What?" Pearl asked, voice barely loud enough for Luffy and Sanji to hear as he touched his hand to the blood.

"Ahh... This isn't good." Krieg muttered almost angrily.

"Blood! Oh no!" A pirate screeched.

"Pearl-san, don't worry!"

"It's just a nosebleed!"

"It's not a wound from fighting!"

"Please calm down Pearl-san!" With all the pirates yelling in visible fear, the chefs could only watch in confusion, not understanding what the big deal was.

"Th-th-th-these guys are dangerous!" Pearl cried, tears in his eyes and looking devastated.

"What's with him? He's acting strange." Sanji noted, expression bored as he observed Pearl.

"He's in shock over his nosebleed. Don't know why though." Luffy answered, picking his own nose, also bored. So far, these guys were boring and rude, and he just wanted to get a move on and fight Krieg already. That wasn't possible at the moment though seeing as Pearl was now yelling loudly and banging his two hand shields together again.

"Stop it, Pearl! It's just a nosebleed! Don't lose your cool!" Krieg yelled, but it fell on deaf ears as Pearl continued yelling.

"What the heck is he about to do?" Sanji asked.

"Danger! Danger! Danger!" As Pearl yelled, he was suddenly engulfed in a bright light.

"Oh no! It's started!"

"When Pearl-san gets upset, he catches fire!" The pirates yelled.

"That's all?" Luffy asked with a pout. Ace caught fire all the time, so to see Pearl do it was nothing special. Why was everyone so worked up over it?

"Fire Pearls... Special Treat!" Pearl shouted, holding flaming pearls inbetween his fingers that he threw towards Sanji and Luffy. The two easily dodged the flaming projectiles, however, the other Krieg Pirates weren't as lucky, many of them on fire and screaming.

"Pearl-san! Please stop!" One pleaded, his hair on fire. Bits of the deck had caught fire as well, but everyone was more focused on either stopping the fire on themselves, or avoiding being caught on fire.

"Burn! Within this flame and the flame shield, you have no idea how invincible I am!" Pearl screamed.

"That idiot! Is he going to burn down the ship that we're gonna take over?" Krieg asked from where he was watching.

"Damnit..." Sanji muttered, watching as a wall of flames blocked anyone from running to the water.

"Crap! There's no escape from a sea of flames in the middle of the sea!"

"This isn't good! The restaurant will catch fire!" Pirates who were still in the water called out. Hearing that, Sanjis glare hardened.

"This restaurant will burn?" He growled out, Luffy feeling the chef's anger rise.

"Burn! Burn!" Pearl continued chanting, arms raised in the air as he stood amongst the flames.

"You son of a bitch!" Sanji screamed, jumping towards Pearl despite the fire.

"You idiot! You'll get burned, Sanji!" Patty yelled he and Carne back up now after having been moved to safety by other chefs.

"I'm not just gonna let you... burn this restaurant down!" Sanji yelled as he jumped over the wall of flames, spinning in the air and kicking out his leg towards Pearl, which the man blocked with his hand shield.

"H-He's so reckless!"

"Does he want to turn into a human torch?!" The pirates who weren't on fire shouted.

"When even fierce animals would stay away from Fire Pearls!" Pearl exclaimed in the same shock as the pirates.

"You fool! I'd be unfit for a cook if I was afraid of flames!" Sanji said with a grin, holding his cigarette out towards Pearl.

"D-Dammit! What a refined guy he is!" Pearl screamed.

"Here I come!" Sanji called, pushing forward onto his hands and flipping his legs over to Pearl, hitting him square on the large shield on his chest and knocking him onto his back.

"Ahh! That hit him good!"

"He broke through invincible Pearl-sans wall!" Outside of the ring of fire that Sanji and Pearl were in, the Kriegs were still on fire, trying to put themselves out but proving unsuccessful.

"What's with this cook? He's really crazy. Y-y-you son of a bitch! Fire! I need more fire! I need to feed more Fire Pearls!" Pearl cried, now bleeding from both nostrils as he threw more flaming pearls into the air.

"Ahh! The restaurant will catch fire!"

"If the fire gets into the kitchen, the restaurant will be blown away!" The chefs were yelling as they watched the flaming pearls arc in the air, falling right for the Baratie. Zeff, who had been standing in the doorway of the Baratie this entire time, didn't move, watching with crossed arms as the fiery pearls came right for him.

"Owner! Please, get out of there! Owner!" One of the chefs pleaded, but Zeff didn't listen. Instead, he lifted his peg leg, swinging it in the air above the pearls so fast it created a gust of wind that extinguished the pearls, sending them falling harmlessly to the ground.

"Woah!" Everyone watching exclaimed in awe.

"M-my Fire Pearls..." Pearl cried, tears in his eyes again, and face red from being hit.

"Something like that is child's play!" Zeff barked, unfazed.

"The gust from the kick put the flames out!" A chef yelled in awe.

"What the hell?! That's definitely a divine technique!"

"So Red Leg Zeff is still strong?!" The Kriegs, who had finally managed to put out the fire on themselves, yelled.

"The old man is really cool! I'm impressed!" Luffy said with a smile, having stayed out of the way for the most part.

"Now that it's come to this, I'll sink you all with the fins before the restaurant catches fire!" Krieg yelled, swinging his ball and chain again, launching it towards the fin they were standing on.

"Sanji! Watch out!" One of the chefs cried as they all saw the giant spiked ball heading right for the blonde.

"Oh no! He's surrounded by fire!" Another chef realized. Luffy could feel Sanjis shock and fear and quickly realized the chef was unable to get himself out of harm's way. Realizing this, Luffy was quick to jump through the wall of flames, holding his hat tight to his head as he did.

"Ow, ow, ow..." He muttered from the brief burn he felt, but he had felt worse before so this was nothing. Standing beside Sanji now, Luffy braced himself.

"11097!" The chefs yelled in astonishment.

"Gum Gum... Bazooka!" Luffy called, jumping in the air and throwing his hands back. His hands flew forward just in time to meet the spiked ball, pushing it away from Sanji and back towards Krieg.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Luffy muttered again, realizing the back of his red vest was now on fire.

"He hit that iron ball back!" Sanji said quietly, stunned, completely ignoring the fiery predicament Luffy was in. The spiked ball that Luffy had knocked back had hit the mast Krieg had split in two, and the second half began falling towards Pearl, Luffy, and Sanji. Seeing this, Sanji and Luffy ran quickly out of the way, but Pearl, who had his back to the falling mast, didn't move, not realizing the predicament he was in. Because of this, the mast came falling down right on top of his head, sending him falling to the ground.

"Pearl-san is really down this time!"

"Pearl-san is..." The pirates were in a state of disbelief as they looked at Pearl, leaning against the mast that had just hit him.

"What the heck?" Sanji asked, thoroughly confused by the strange man.

"That guy sure is dumb." Luffy pointed out.

"Geez... They're all... In the end, I can only count on myself..." Krieg muttered in annoyance. Luffy felt a sudden fierceness from behind him and Sanji, and turned just in time to see Gin kick Zeff to the ground.

"The battle ends here." Gin announced, placing his foot on Zeffs back to keep him down and pointing a gun to the owner's head.

"That's right! Shoot Red Leg Zeff!"

"All we need to do is kill him. Then the restaurant will be ours!" The pirates cheered, encouraging Gin to shoot the man. Luffy watched with a blank expression, taking in all of the emotions around him but trying to focus solely on Gin.

He liked the pirate, even if right now he was his enemy. Gin was a good guy, and even though he was pointing a gun at Zeff, someone Luffy also liked, Luffy wasn't angry at him. He could feel Gins loyalty to Krieg, could feel his determination, as well as the turmoil. He knew that, even though he was holding a gun to Zeffs head, the man didn't actually want to hurt Zeff, but he felt obligated too.

Not for the first time, Luffy contemplated knocking out all the pirates with his Kings Haki so he could fight Krieg already.

---

IMPORTANT: The next chapter- Chapter 14- will be uploaded on September 10th! If you'd like to know the reasoning for this, keep reading. If not, totally understand and I hope to see you all then!

Now, these past two weeks have been... hectic to say the least. The new college semester is starting up for me soon, and with this virus still being so prominent I've decided to postpone the next chapter until September. I want to be able to focus on getting used to college in a pandemic before I come back to focusing on this story as well. That's not to say I'm going away forever- not at all! I'm still loving writing this story and I've got so much that I want to add and change to the canon which you'll all start seeing very very soon! I just need to focus on real life for a minute before coming back to this.

So, mark your calender's everyone! September 10th, I'll be back with the chapter 14 and we'll start chugging along once more! Thank you all for your understanding and support. Without all of you, I would have lost motivation a long time ago when it came to writing.

With that, I'll see you in September!