11
"ZOROO!" Luffy screamed desperately at the sight of his first crewmember falling uncounciously to the sea, blood flushing all over his chest, tinting the waters red.
"AAAAHHHHH!" Luffy launched himself furiously at Mihawk, not caring about his safety or about how Mihawk's blade could destroy giant ships with just a stroke.
All he cared about was beating up the bastard that had harmed one of his nakama!
Mihawk sidestepped Luffy's reckless attack easily.
"Don't throw your life away, young man. Your friend still breathes." Mihawk informed Luffy calmly when the rookie captain recovered from his fall.
Luffy looked at the water, where a struggling Johnny and Yosaku were dragging a panting Zoro back to the deck of the Baratie.
"Zoro." Luffy said, grateful that his nakama was still alive.
Ashley and Usopp grabbed Zoro from the bounty hunters and began to tend to his wounds. She poured some spray from a purple bottle all over Zoro's chest, while Usopp began to soak bandages with alcohol and desinfectants.
"Young man!" Mihawk spoke loudly, "My name is Dracule Mihawk! I am the strongest swordsman in the world. And as the current strongest, I accept your challenge! Don't die! See the world! Fight stronger opponents! Learn! Grow! I will wait! Years, decades! I will wait until the day you come to take my title! Overcome me, Roronoa Zoro!"
Everybody stilled at Mihawk's words, understanding the gravity of them.
The strongest swordsman in the world recognized the Pirate Hunter of the East Blue as a rival.
He recognized Roronoa Zoro as someone who, one day, could surpass him.
"Boy, what is your goal?" Mihawk turned towards Luffy.
"I will become King of the Pirates." Luffy answered without hesitation.
"A dangerous path. One filled with death, impossible obstacles, and foes stronger than me."
"I don't care. I will become King of the Pirates! I won't die until I reach my dream!"
"Luffy!" Ashley yelled from across the water. "Zoro is alive, but he is badly injured! We need to get him out of here!" She was pouring another potion on his chest, a stronger one.
Ashley wasn't an idiot; she knew that potions worked better on Pokemon than on humans, but that didn't mean they didn't work. Already, there was less blood pouring from his wounds.
"Aniki. Please, aniki, say something!" Johnny begged at his side, tears flowing without control.
To everyone's surprise, Zoro's right hand lifted, his remaining sword held tightly.
"Luffy." Zoro spoke weakly, pain and shame visibly on his face. "What a sight I am. If I can't be the strongest swordsman, then I will just be a burden on your shoulders. So I make this promise! Until the day I defeat Mihawk, until the day I become the strongest swordsman in the world, I will never lose a fight again!"
"Is that good enough for you, Pirate King?" Zoro asked his captain
"Of course!" Luffy smiled cheerfully, knowing that Zoro would be fine.
"That girl there, is she a Pokemon trainer?" Mihawk asked Luffy
"What of it?" The rubber pirate asked with furrowed eyes.
"Nothing. You have an interesting crew. A good one. I hope we cross paths again. I wish to see how strong all of you become after reaching the Grand Line."
Mihawk turned towards his boat, intending on leaving, when Krieg's voice paused him.
"Wait right there, Hawkeye! Didn't you come all the way here to take my head? The head of the strongest and deadliest man in the East Blue?"
"I was, but I got my fun. I'm going back to sleep."
"Sleep? What are you talking about? The fun just started!" Krieg grabbed his pistols and began to shoot at Mihawk.
The hawkeyed man didn't flinch or show any sign of worry. He lifted his black sword and slashed at the remains of the Dreadnought. Once again, the force of his attack produced wavage that clashed against the Baratie and the severed parts of the Dreadnought, causing confusion and chaos.
"Johnny, Yosaku! Where is your ship?!" Luffy asked them while jumping to the Baratie, looking for a stronger hold.
"Yes! It's still tied on the other side of the Baratie!"
"Good! Usopp, go with them and take Zoro! Go find Nami!" He ordered.
"What about you and Ashley?" Usopp asked them.
"Don't worry about us. We will meet again after defeating Krieg and recruiting Sanji, right Captain." Ashley said, Pikachu nodding on her shoulder.
"Right!" He agreed cheekily.
"Very well! We will find her while you two get us a cook. And when we are six, no seven again, we will go to the Grand Line!" Usopp confirmed their plans and threw Luffy his straw hat.
"Deal!" Luffy agreed, placing his beloved strawhat back on top of his head.
"Luffy!" Ashley ran towards his position, perched on the Baratie railing, right in front of Zeff, Sanji and the rest of the cooks.
"You two know this isn't your fight, right?" Zeff asked them.
"I don't care. I want to beat Krieg up." Luffy stated nonchalantly.
"I don't like jerks like Krieg and his men. That won't change just because I'm now a pirate." Ashley told him.
"Pi-ka" Pikachu agreed with his trainer and captain.
"Do what you want." The former pirate shrugged.
Nobody spoke anymore. All eyes were fixed on the floating pieces of the Dreadnought, waiting to see what Krieg's move would be.
Sanji didn't know what to think of Luffy or his crew.
He had seen many pirates since the Baratie was founded. Most were jerks that received a nice whooping after refusing to pay for their meals or for causing too much damage. Others just ate their meals gratefully and never returned.
But he had certainly never met a crew like Luffy's.
For some reason, the rookie captain, who had apparently eaten a Devil's Fruit, wanted him to be part of his crew and didn't take no for an answer. No matter how many times he refused or kicked him.
And yet, he was still here. And for some reason, he insisted on wanting to fight Krieg—someone he had never met before, someone he had no reason to want to fight.
Well, no real reason.
The swordsman was a quiet man, only stepping on the Baratie to eat, the rest of the time taking naps on their ship or training with swords.
All to defeat Mihawk. A mission he failed at. And yet, he didn't give up. Even after being thoroughly defeated, covered in blood, barely conscious, and near death´s door, he still vowed to one day become the strongest.
And there was no wavering on that vow. No hesitation.
And they weren't the only ones who plussed him.
The curly-haired boy, Usopp, was obviously a coward. It wasn't hard to see. And yet he hadn't run away when Krieg came and declared that he would kill anyone who dared to cross his path. Or when Mihawk severely injured his crewmate.
And Luffy trusted him with the duty of finding their missing crewmate (and how dare those idiots let an angel like Nami-swan run away on her own?!) and protect their injured nakama.
Nami-swan obviously hid more secrets than she showed.
And Ashley-chan had shown no hesitation in threatening a marine, a leuteniant, to protect a cook and a pirate.
Even now, she was staying behind with her captain to support him against a dangerous foe.
She truly was a kind, brave lovely angel!
"Shit, they are coming."
"Woohoo! I'm getting fired up!" Luffy exclaimed from his place, fear nonexistent on his body.
"Where are Patty and Carne?" Sanji asked.
"Getting the surprise ready. Those pirates won't know what hit them!"
"Well, at least they are doing something useful for once." Sanji aknolowged. "Open the fin; we will need more space to fight against these bastards. If we mess up this place any more, the old geezer will never stop complaining about it."
"What are you muttering about eggplant?" Zeff replied.
"That you never shut up, old man."
"Here I go!" Luffy grabbed the railway tightly, walking backwards until he was inside the dining room, his arms fully stretched and taut.
"Gomu gomu noo Rocketto!" With a flex of his power, Luffy slingshot himself towards the enemy pirates, greening happily.
"Hawlucha, cover his back! Make sure he doesn't fall to the sea!" Ashley released the flying/fighting type; the brawler quickly flew after the rocketing pirate, ready to catch him if his trainer´s captain fell to the water.
Once Luffy was falling on top of the enemy pirates, he twisted mid-air and stretched his arms.
"Oogama!" All his opponents were knocked to the sea, screaming in pain and trying to reach the wooden planks.
Luffy was surprised when he felt claws grasping his vest and getting him to a mast.
"Thank you, Hawlucha!" "Haw!"
"Your next ingrat! I will teach you how to thank someone after they feed you!" Luffy yelled at Krieg.
"You are going to give me a lesson?" Krieg asked, amused at the younger pirate.
"Yes!"
"Fucking brat. I will enjoy ripping you apart."
A whistling sound made both pirates look to the restaurant, where the special weapon of the Batatie was finally moving.
"Get out of here, fucking bastards!" "Or face the greatest weapon of the Baratie: the Sabagashira!" Both cooks were inside the fish head of the restaurant, pedaling furiously and manipulating the hidden miniature ship away from the main body.
All eyes were glued to the Sabagashira and to the two arguing men controlling it.
"Move your fucking legs faster, you damned idiot! We can't turn left if we aren't in sync!"
"Shut up, damned bald monk! I'm moving them!"
The Sabagashira first turned slowly until its "mouth" was pointing to the enemy pirates, then its speed increased so fast that in one blink it was upon them.
"FIRE!" Cannonballs were shot from the hidden cannon inside the mouth, wrecking even more the remaining pieces of the Dreadnought and sending its crew to the sea in pain and blood.
"Now it's your turn, Krieg!" Patty screamed gleefully, imagining Krieg's defeated body. Both cooks turned their ship in Krieg's direction, pedaling with all their strength and more, intending on crushing him and finishing off the dangerous pirate.
"What the hell is that girl?" "I don't know. Maybe she ate a Devil Fruit or something?" "Beats me."
Sanji was as awed as his fellow cooks at Ashley's and Pikachu's work. He had never seen a group of pirates fall so quickly in a fight.
Never.
After Patty and Carne showed up and blasted some of the bastards away, the fin finally opened, giving them a wider area to fight.
Krieg's men hadn't wasted any time. They had immediately jumped to the Baratie, brandishing their weapons and eager for blood.
Before the cooks could jump into the upcoming brawl, Ashley and Pikachu leaped into the fray, confident smirks plastered on their faces.
What shook everyone was the electricity flowing around Pikachu's body. The yellow mouse released a powerful lightning bolt that shocked all the pirates who made it to the deck. Screams of pain followed the attack.
In a couple of seconds, they had defeated a group of Krieg's surviving men.
With a single attack.
"Great job, buddy!" "Pika pika!" Her best friend gave her a thumbs up, his chest puffing up.
"Ashley-chan is as cool as she is beautiful!" Sanji swooned with heart-filled eyes, creeping her out a little.
"I wonder if this is how all those girls felt when Brock praised them?" She mumbled to her partner. The electric mouse nodded in agreement, not liking how the blond man interacted with his trainer. His eyes narrowed in the blonde's direction. He would have to keep an eye on him. Ashley deserved someone who loved her completely, not a playboy who swooned at every pretty girl coming his way.
"No way! Patty! Carne!" Someone pointed towards the battleship and to the hand holding it in place by one of its cannons.
Inside the battleship, Patty and Carne stared in disbelief at what just happened. The pair had turned all three cannons on Krieg, releasing all its power on the infamous pirate captain, hoping to finish this battle before any of their friends got hurt (even that brat Sanji).
However, Krieg was proving why he was considered the strongest pirate of the East Blue, even surpassing a fishman´s crew.
"I am Don Krieg, the man who one day will rule all the seas. The man who will be Pirate King. Don't fucking toy with me!" With a mightiest pull, Krieg lifted the battleship by its mouth cannon and threw it towards the Baratie, not caring about the possible damage it might do to his "soon to be new insign ship."
"Shit!" Ashley grabbed Noivern's pokeball, quickly planning a strategy that would deflect the incoming projectile away from the restaurant.
The pokeball just enlarged on her hand when she saw Sanji move in front of the falling Shibagarashi. The look on his face made her pause. There was no hesitation or fear in his face. Only calm confidence.
Sanji jumped and kicked the Sabagashira, changing its direction away from the second floor and towards the extra deck, falling head first and slowly sinking into the water.
"Wow. That kick is on the level of a Hitmonlee." "Pi-ka"
Ashley was impressed by the strength that the people outside the Regions had. It made her wonder, though. If the East Blue had people this strong, then how strong were those that lived their entire lives on the Grand Line?
To others, that line of thinking would make them tremble in fright. To her? It made her shiver in anticipation.
After all, she always loved fighting a stronger opponent.
"Sanji, you fucking bastard!" "Were you trying to kill us, idiot!?" Patty and Carne broke free from their sinking trap, furious at the calm sous-chef.
"You guys are still alive?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Fricking brat!"
"Eh? What happened here?" Patty stared dumfoudled at the sight of the twitching and barely councious pirates.
"It was that girl and her pet mouse! They beat them out with just one move!"
"Whaaaaatttt!?" Both men stared surprised at the smiling black-haired girl and her yellow mouse.
Those two did this?
"So you are the ones who defeated my poor comrades?" A new voice joined the conversation.
Ashley turned sideways to the new man and was met with a round shield to the face.
"Pikapi! Pikachu ran towards Ashley, panic in his voice at the sight of blood falling from her mouth and the swelling forming on her right cheek.
"Pi-ka-chu?" "I´m ok, buddy. Primeape punches way harder." She grinned painfully, trying to comfort him.
"Do you like it, bitch?! My Pearl Present is my special move! Guaranteed intense pain for anybody unlucky enough to receive it! HAHAHAHA!" The man who suckerpunched her laughed out loud.
The man was tall and wide, bigger than the cat cosplayer she had faced back in Syrup Village. Black hair and eyes, and pale skin. His "armor" were circular planks of steel covering most of his body; the biggest ones covered his front and back, while the smaller ones covered his hands, elbows and knees. All resembled shields with pearls in the center. Completing the ensemble there was a huge pearl covering the top of his head and the front of his shoes.
"And people say that Coordinators and Performers wear weird clothes." "Pi-ka"
"Hmm? You are still conscious? I guess I will have to rectify that." The man grinned sadistically.
"Take her down, Pearl-san!" "Show them the power of the Krieg´s Pirates!" The remaining pirates cheered Pearl on and on.
Pearl smirked. The armored man was about to walk in Ashley´s direction when a kick to the face intercepted him.
The pirate used his elbow shields to protect himself, surprised by the ferocity and strength of the kick.
"Do you have a death wish or something? Don´t you know who I am?"
"Some punk that has no respect for a lady. Fortunately, I am well qualified to teach you some basic manners." Sanji replied, none of his usual calm in sight. Instead, the blonde cook was pissed off.
"Teach me manners? HAHAHAHAH! Are all cooks comedians? I am Pearl, Commander of the Second Unit of the Krieg´s Pirates. With my iron wall, nobody can touch me! Nobody can scratch me! Nobody can beat me!" Pearl gloated overconfidently.
"Really?" Ashley asked, "How about we test that?" The trainer stepped forward, not a single trace of fear or pain on her visage.
"Ashley-chan, let me deal with this trash."
"No."
"But-"
"Sanji, I am a Pokemon trainer and a pirate. Luffy wants to become Pirate King, and I want to help him achieve his dream. That means that both me and my team have to be strong. If I can't face a clown like this one, then I have no place on the Grand Line."
Sanji paused at her conviction, her resolution. Indecision and admiration battled inside him.
The old geezer made sure to teach him to respect women, to never harm or let them be hurt. He could appreciate them and flirt with them, always remembering to respect their boundaries and wishes.
That gentlemanly part of him, one of the biggest parts of his core identity, didn't want to let Ashley risk getting hurt. That part of him wanted to beat the crap out of Pearl himself.
But he also wanted to respect her wishes, her goals.
Because he knew that Ashley was right. The Grand Line wasn't a place for the weak. Even the strong struggled in those cursed waters.
And the fact that she wanted to prove herself—to prove that she was strong enough to stand on her own—made him admire her resolve even more.
With a pained grimace, Sanji moved aside, respecting her wishes.
The smile that Ashley gave him brightened his heart; hearts appeared in his eyes.
"Defeat that bastard Ashley-chan!" He cheered her on.
She gave him a thumbs up before cupping her hands in front of her mouth: "Luffy! Can you handle it without Hawlucha?!"
"Yup! Take him and beat that weirdo out!" Her captain grinned cheerfully, not at all bothered by his dangerous position hanging by a half-destroyed mast in the middle of the ocean.
"Iron Tail Pikachu!" "Pi-ka! Chuuu-pika!" Pearl used his right arm to shield himself against Pikachu's Iron Tail and his left against Ashley's own kick.
"That's all you got, bitch?" he taunted.
"Nop, Brick Break Hawlucha!"
"Haw!" Hawluch flew right towards Pearl's back, the pirate commander not even bothering to avoid the brawler Pokemon attack, confident of his shield's superiority.
Pearl's eyes widened in disbelief when he heard his back shield strain from Hawlucha's attack and how his body lurched forward from the impact. So distracted he was that he didn't see the punch aiming for his nose until he felt it crunch.
"Not that nobody could touch you?" Ashley grinned impishly next to Pikachu and Hawlucha, both Pokemon glad to have given the larger pirate a taste of the pain he had given their trainer.
"What? Don't like a taste of your own medicine? I thought you Krieg's pirates liked sneak attacks." Ashley snarked at the bigger pirate, angry with how Krieg and his crew acted.
The trainer had met and faced many criminals during her journeys. From thieves to Pokemon pouchers, eco-terrorists, trouble makers and criminal masterminds.
Some wanted money, others truly believed their path was the only way, and others simply craved power and control.
Team Rocket had been a particular thorn in her side for many years—three of their members in particular. And what grated her most was whenever they acted like allies one second only to stab her on the back at the last moment.
At least that didn't happen all the time. They actually weren't that bad guys when they weren't doing anything criminally involved.
She idly wondered how they were doing, hoping they hadn't tried to cross the Whirlpool Barrier to chase Pikachu.
She certainly hoped so.
"Pi pika?" Pikachu pointed at the recovering pirates, all inching towards the water, dragging their unconscious partners with them. They all started in fear—not at her or her team, but at Pearl.
The pirate was flinching, his eyes fixed on his bloodied fingers, fear and panic shining.
"B-blo-blood. Yo-you made me bleed." He murmured fearfully.
And then he exploded.
"BLOOD! DANGER! DANGER! A DANGEROUS PERSON!" Pearl began to clap his hand shields against each other furiously, stronger and stronger with each clap, ignoring completely the alarmed shouting of his fellow pirates.
Then, to the alarm of all, fire enveloped his entire body, and he began to launch it out of control.
"GET AWAY FROM ME! Fire Pearl Daikouten!" Pearl yelled desesperately, the pirate kept slamming his shield, producing more fire and throwing it everywhere.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Sanji swore while evading the flaming projectiles. He swore more when he saw the fire licking not only the fin but also reaching for the main body of the Baratie.
"Pearl! Get a grip! I need the ship in one piece, you idiot!" Krieg yelled furiously at his underling.
The strongest man in the East Blue wanted to strangle his commander. Pearl was a good underling and a competent commander. He had no problem using any trick necessary to win. He had no problem sacking whole cities filled with children if he ordered it.
The man was arrogant and a narcissist, but loyal. And he certainly knew that Don Krieg was his boss and that he should never disobey him.
The only time he became a nuisance was when his stupid childhood trauma kicked in and he started to sprout flames everywhere.
That was the only time Krieg lost control of Pearl.
"Fuck this ship! I will burn them all to ashes! And then I will swim away with my iron shield!"
"Shit, he got delusional." Krieg grumbled. When Pearl got that way, the only solution was to knock him out.
Seems he would have to teach the Commander of his Second Division the correct pecking order.
Again.
"Shit. If the flames continue to spread, then the whole ship will burn." Ashley muttered, worried. Her eyes darted from side to side, seeing the cooks trying to douse the flames unsuccessfully.
Damnit. If only she had Goodra or Greninja with her, she could take care of this clown and the flames easily.
But they weren't with her anymore. Goodra was protecting her friends and home. And Greninja was having his own adventure.
Ashley shook her head. She wasn't a quitter. She was a Pokemon Trainer. A pirate. A member of the future Pirate King's crew. A future Pokemon Master.
Like hell some weirdo with blood trauma issues will stop her journey right before it truly begins.
"Pikachu, Hawlucha, let's cool this guy down!"
"Pi-ka!" "Lucha!" Both nodded decisively.
"Electro Ball Pikachu! Sky Drop Hawlucha!"
Pikachu jumped in the air, his body twisted, and electricity condensed in the shape of a sphere on his tail. With a shout, Pikachu launched the Electro Ball against a panicked Pearl, producing a powerful explosion once it made contact with his armor and flames.
Hawlucha didn't hesitate to fly towards the black cloud that covered Pearl's body and proximities. To everyone's amazement, the brawler Pokemon quickly emerged from the cloud, with a semicouncious Pearl hanging from his hands.
Fire still covered Pearl's body, but the flying type ignored it. Instead he flew higher until he was at least six feet high. And then, he dropped Pearl.
Head first to the ocean.
The resulting splatter produced by Pearl's heavy body plus his iron shields was able to douse most of the fire with just small pockets persisting, which the cooks were able to extinguish easier now that the pyromaniac was defeated.
"What the-?" Krieg stared jawslack at how one of his strongest men was defeated by a couple of animals and a girl.
'Pearl might act like an idiot, but he is a strong idiot. How strong are those creatures? And how can that girl control them? Maybe a Devil Fruit? It has to be one. The safest thing would be to kill her, but…' An evil grin spread over his face.
Why kill her when he could use that power for himself?
"Well, now we only have the main bastard left." Sanji smoked calmly, brushing off the terrified pirates that trembled and cowered at the sight of Pikachu and Hawlucha.
Those guys lost most of their fighting spirit long ago. Only their loyalty and fear for Krieg kept them from trying to run away on a boat.
"Didn't that idiot say he was going to beat him up?" Sanji nodded towards Luffy, who was still clinging to the same mast, watching with stars in his eyes at Ashley´s Pokemon.
"Oy Luffy! How long is it going to take you to defeat one guy?!" Ashley grinned at her success.
"Ah, right. One minute! I will take care of him!" Her captain shouted back, falling from his perch towards the floating pieces of wood in front of Krieg.
Luffy grinned at the older captain, eager to fight another experienced pirate.
Krieg was amused by Luffy's attitude. He was going to enjoy destroying his spirit and crushing his dreams.
"Stop right there, Mugiwara!" Gin shouted before both captains could start their fight.
"Gin, you bastard." Sanji snapped his cigarette with his teeth, furious at what Gin was doing.
Right in front of the main doors, Gin was pointing a pistol at a kneeling Zeff, his wooden peg broken.
"Sanji, if you don't want Zeff to die, then leave this ship right now!" Gin ordered, desperation in his eyes.
"I wonder how Luffy-aniki and Ashley-aneue are doing?" Yosaku wondered, worried about his new friend's chances against someone like Krieg.
"Pffft, Luffy won't lose against Krieg! He and Ashley will win and bring Sanji with them! And then all of us will sail to the Grand Line!" Usopp exclaimed, confident in his crewmate's abilities.
"If we can reach Nami-aneue, that is." Johnny pointed out, defleating Usopp.
After all, they still hadn't caught up with their wayward navigator.
"Even if we find her, how will we tell Luffy and Ashley? We don't have Snail Transponders with us."
"What are you idiots talking about? Talonflame will find us in a pinch. That bird found me without help when Luffy and I got split." Zoro reminded them of Ashley's fire-type Pokemon and his keen sense of direction.
"Are you sure, Zoro-aniki? Maybe one of us should go back, at least to tell them where we suspect Nami-aneue is going." Johnny proposed.
"And if she is going somewhere else?" Zoro asked the bounty hunters.
"No, I'm certain of her target." Johnny shook his head stubbornly. "Nami-aneue spent the last two days looking over our wanted posters. I saw her doing it at night, when everyone slept. She had a particular pirate's poster in her hands. She is probably gunning for him!"
Usopp and Zoro exchanged looks. Nami, that cat thief, willingly going to fight a pirate? Even if it was for one billion berries, they doubted it.
"Nah, most likely she is going to rob him." Usopp waved Johnny's theory out.
"But why did she steal Merry? Why not our ship?" Yosaku pondered.
"Merry is bigger; it's easier to carry more gold." Zoro simply said, shrugging his shoulders.
Yosaku frowned, still concerned about how their friends would reach them after dealing with Krieg.
"As soon as we dock, I will go back for them. All of you saved my life. That is a debt that can't be paid carelessly. I need to pay it fully!" Yosaku insisted on it, truly believing that this was the only way to pay back the debt he had with the Mugiwaras.
Zoro smirked at Yosaku's declaration and at Johnny's tearful reaction.
Those two may act like buffoons, but they were good friends to have.
The swordsman glanced down at his bandaged chest. Blood no longer poured from his injuries, but they still stung. He would need a longer nap to fully recover.
Good thing they had a few more hours until they reached the Conomi Islands.
He had to be in top form before docking.
Gyojins were supposed to be strong opponents, after all.