Author's Note: I'm back with a long-awaited update. Sorry to keep you all waiting. I was preoccupied with various things, including other fanfics and personal stuff going on in my life. But now, here's the next chapter in the Baratie arc, where we are finally introduced to one of the most powerful characters in the series. Any and all comments are welcome.

Don Krieg is a name that is feared across the East Blue. He was the leader of an entire armada of pirates. But what makes him well known was his use of foul play. He used a stolen Navy ship to attack towns and ships when they're off their guard. Sometimes, he would wave white flags of surrender only to catch his enemies by surprise. He would stoop to anything to win, thus making him extremely dangerous to interact with.

So you can imagine everyone's surprise when they saw only one ship approach the Baratie and Don Krieg being carried into the restaurant looking starved. No one expected to see him so weak and defeated.

Despite everyone warning him, the assistant chef, Sanji, was kind enough to give food for the dirty pirate. And how did Don Krieg repay that kindness? By punching Sanji sending him crashing to the ground.

"Some gratitude." Harley commented.

As soon as Don Krieg stood up straight, he looked around the restaurant. "This is a nice ship." He said. "I'll take it."

Across the restaurant, Basil Karlo kept his face hidden behind a menu and desperately looked around for an escape. Meanwhile, the pirate who escorted Don Kreig, Gin, looked over at all the customers and kitchen staff who watched in horror.

"Don Krieg, wait." He pleaded. "You said no one would get hurt. You swore…" Krieg made him shut up by sending a punch strong enough to knock him to the ground.

"Can it! You saw the ship! It's a wreck! I need a new one! But first…" Krieg turned to the crowd. "I've got a hundred pirates weak and hungry. You will prepare the rations they need to regain their strength. Do that, and maybe—just maybe—I'll let you live."

"You want us to feed a hundred pirates just so they can take over our ship?" one chef asked. "You're insane! Why would we do that?"

"Maybe you have no idea who you're dealing with." Don Krieg said. He threw his cape open to reveal his golden armor for all to see. "I am Don Krieg! The strongest pirate in the world! Nothing can pierce my steel body! My weapons are unmatched! No one defies me!"

"Incorrect." Harley whispered to her friends in a sing-song tone.

She wasn't quiet enough. Somehow, Don Krieg heard her and revealed a cannon attached to his shoulder which he pointed at Harley. "What was that?!"

"Hmm? Oh, I was just saying that every sentence you just said is wrong." Harley said. "Strongest in the world? You're barely worth remembering. Unpierceable steel body? Nope. Unmatched weapons? I've seen better arms over at the Grand Line. And most of the pirates in the New World are better than cannons."

"Is 'unpierceable' even a word?" Boomerang asked.

"The Grand Line?" Don Krieg asked with the most surprised expression. "Wait a minute… That's it! You're Harley Quinn, a pirate from the Grand Line!"

"That's me, all right." Harley said.

Krieg smiled wickedly. "Perfect. I could use somebody like you. With your experience in the Grand Line, I can finally claim the greatest treasure of all: the One Piece! Once I become King of the Pirates, there will be no doubt that Don Krieg is the most powerful of all!"

"No thanks." Harley said. "I'm my own boss now. I don't need help from some egotistical idiot who doesn't know what he's getting into."

"And another thing," Luffy chimed in, "You're not going to be King of the Pirates! I am!"

Don Krieg only responded with a bellowing laughter. "A little runt like you! You wouldn't survive five minutes on the Grand Line! We've only been there for a week, and look what happened to our ship! Now, listen up, everyone! You all know me! You all know my reputation! So you know better than to defy me!"

"Fine!" Zeff yelled out before walking out with a large bag of food. He left it in front of him. "Here's the food for your men. Just take it and don't hurt anyone."

"Are you insane, sir!" one of the chefs yelled. "He's gonna kill us! Think about what you're doing, Chef Zeff!"

"Zeff?" Don Kreig asked before staring surprisingly at the head chef. "No way! You can't be… Red Foot Zeff!"

Boomerang widened his eyes. "Hold it! You mean the Red Foot Zeff?"

"You heard of him?" Usopp asked.

"I'm surprised you haven't." Boomerang asked. "He was a pirate from the East Blue, captain of the Cook Pirates. They say he got his nickname because of all the time fought with his legs and ended up getting bloodstains on them. But no one's heard from him since he mysteriously returned to the East Blue after a journey to the Grand Line. He came back without a scratch on him or anyone in his crew."

"That was a long time ago." Zeff admitted. "These days, I can't fight anymore."

"Clearly." Don Kreig said staring at his peg leg. "But I did hear legends that you kept a logbook describing your entire voyage to the Grand Line in great detail. Because of that, I have a new demand. I want this ship! I want your food! I want Quinn! And now, I want your logbook!"

"Sure, treat me like an object, why don't ya?" Harley asked sarcastically.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't give you the logbook." Zeff said. "It's my greatest treasure."

Don Kreig scoffed. "Then I'll take it from you! I'll be feeding my crew, but when I return, I'm ending this one way or another! Anyone who doesn't want to die had better be gone! And everything I want better still be here when I come back!" He grabbed his bag full of food and headed outside to return to his busted ship.

"What a pig." Harley commented.

"Well, you are what you eat." Boomerang laughed.

Among the crowd, Basil Karlo let out a small breath. "That was close. He didn't see me. I should probably leave along with everyone else."

With a groan, Gin sat back up. He looked at everyone with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry, everyone. He promised he wouldn't hurt anyone."

"And you believed him?" Zeff asked. "You were on his crew? I would've thought you knew better."

"If you don't mind me asking, hobo man," Harley said to Gin, "What happened? Don Kreig said you guys were on the Grand Line for a week before you ended up destroyed. I've lived there. I know how dangerous it is. But I didn't think a pirate as powerful as Don Kreig would have his fleet decimated that much after a week."

Gin stayed silent for a while. He couldn't help but feel his hands tremble and shake causing everyone to be nervous. "I… I don't know what happened. It all happened so fast, I didn't know whether or not it was real. We entered the Grand Line with an entire fleet and 50,000 men. So how… How could one man have done this much damage?!"

"What?" Boomerang asked. "You mean to tell me one man did all that?"

"Which one?" Harley asked. She picked up a glass of water and took a long sip.

"I… I didn't get his name!" Gin panicked. "All I remember was the look in his eyes; his piercing, hawk-like eyes that look like they can kill someone with a glance!"

Harley suddenly spit out the water she was drinking while Zoro's eyes widened.

"Hawk-like eyes?" Harley asked. "Ginny, did he have a large sword on his back?"

"Yeah."

"And wore a long coat?"

"Yeah."

"And rode on a small boat that looks like a coffin?"

"Please, stop reminding me of him."

"So it is him." Zoro said. "Hawkeye Mihawk."

"I'm confused." Luffy said. "Who's that?"

"Hawkeye Mihawk is a pirate." Harley explained. "Known throughout the Grand Line as the greatest swordsman in the world! Because of that, he's named one of the Warlords of the Sea, pirates who are allied with the World Government and granted immunity in exchange for certain conditions."

"Pirates who work for the World Government?" Usopp asked. "That's really a thing?"

"Well, yeah." Harley said. "Doflamingo's a Warlord too. One of the strongest."

"And this Hawkeye guy is a Warlord too?" Luffy asked.

"It doesn't matter if this guy is a Warlord or even a god." Zoro said. "If he is on the Grand Line, then I'm looking forward to dueling him."

"Dueling him?" Harley asked. "Uh, Zoro, I know you're stronger than the average swordsman, but this is Mihawk we're talking about. The way you are now, he'll slice you apart like hot butter and spread you over his toast."

"I don't care." Zoro said. "It's my dream to be the greatest swordsman in the world. The only way I can do that, though, is by defeating the one who already has that title."

Harley looked outside and looked nervous. "Well, if you're absolutely sure about it, then you'll probably get your chance sooner than you expect."

"What do you mean?" Zoro asked.

As if to answer his question, a loud breaking noise could be heard from outside. Everyone looked and saw what was left of Don Kreig's damaged ship fall to pieces, cleaved from the middle. Planks of wood fell everywhere, and a great wave rattled the water originating from the listing ship.

Once it was all over, everyone looked outside. All they could find that remained were far fewer than a hundred standing on wooden platforms and planks that floated along the surface of the sea.

"What happened?" Boomerang gasped.

"Forget that! Where's the Merry?" Usopp asked.

Everyone looked around, and other than the Baratie and the destroyed remains of Don Kreig's ship, there were no other ships around. What they did find though was Johnny and Yosaku floating in the water. Luffy stretched his hands down and grabbed them by their jackets before pulling them up to join them.

"Johnny, Yosaku," Zoro said, "What happened? Where's Nami? Where's the Going Merry?"

Both the pirate hunters exchanged concerned looked before answering. "SHE TOOK IT!"

"WHAT?!" everyone gasped.

"Sister Nami knocked us off the ship!" Johnny shouted.

"And after that, she took the wheel and sailed it away!" Yosaku stated. "We were gonna tell you, but that's when that broken ship got even more broken!"

"Nami took the ship? And all the treasure on it?" Harley asked. "Why? Where did she go?"

"She didn't say." Yosaku said. "All we know is where she went."

"Then let's get ready to go there!" Luffy said.

"Why?" Zoro asked. "She's a thief, and she betrayed us."

"I'm not letting her go!" Luffy stated. "She's our navigator, and I won't accept anyone else!"

"Plus, you know, she still has Kaya's ship." Usopp added.

Zoro sighed. "Fine."

"MIHAAAAAWK!"

Everyone turned and gasped in horror as a small ship sailed by. A single man sat in it, a man with inhuman eyes, a feathered hat, a long, black-and-red coat, a crucifix necklace, and a large sword hanging on his back. Everyone froze when they saw him. The pirates on Don Kreig's crew attempted to shoot him, but Mihawk used his sword to deflect them away from him.

"Oh, boy." Harley said. She attempted to obscure herself from the man in the ship. "It's him. It's Mihawk."

"So it is him." Zoro realized.

"That's a government-approved pirate?" Boomerang asked.

"YOU MONSTER!" one of the Don Kreig pirates cried out. "We didn't do anything to you! So why did you attack us unprovoked and chase us all the way to the East Blue to finish the job?!"

Mihawk stared at the pirate to shouted at him and casually gave his answer.

"I was just killing time."

"JUST KILLING TIME?!"

"Well then!" Zoro yelled out making sure Mihawk could hear him. "If you still want to kill time, then I'm always up for a duel!"

"He cannot be serious." Boomerang commented. "That guy just sliced a galleon in half like it was nothing, and Zoro still wants to fight him?"

"Guess he's super serious about his dream." Luffy said. "I can respect that."

"Even if he ends up dying?!" Usopp asked.

Zoro found a large, broken platform still adrift in the water. He leaped over the Baratie rails and landed on it before gesturing Mihawk to join him. Curious, the Warlord jumped out of his ship and joined Zoro just as he pulled out his three swords.

"You really wish to duel me?" Mihawk asked. "Is this out of courage or stupidity?"

"It's called ambition." Zoro answered. "I made a promise to a dear friend a long time ago that I would be the world's greatest swordsman. And to do that, I have to defeat you."

"As you wish." Mihawk said. He reached his crucifix and pulled out a very tiny knife which was finger-sized.

"What kind of joke is this?" Zoro asked. "I came for a swordfight."

"This should be more than adequate." Mihawk said. "After all, who uses a cannon to hunt a rabbit?"

"Ooh. That's a burn." Harley said accidentally getting Mihawk's attention. She shrieked quietly before hiding again. Mihawk squinted at where he spotted her.

"Hey! Eyes on me!" Zoro said. "If you want to treat me like a joke, then I'll make you take me seriously!"

The duel began with Zoro sprinting towards Mihawk. He made a swipe with all three swords at once, but all of a sudden, Mihawk's dagger stopped them. Despite the size difference, Mihawk positioned his knife right there the three swords met and stopped them in their tracks. Everyone was stunned at what they were seeing.

"No way he's human." Boomerang commented.

Despite being horrified that his initial attack was stopped so easily, Zoro refused to let up. He continued to swing his swords at Mihawk with all his strength, but the Warlord always managed to deflect each strike with only his tiny dagger.

Finally, Zoro decided to throw one last attack at him, but before he could finish, he was stopped when Mihawk punctured his chest with his knife. Everyone gasped seeing Zoro get stabbed. All the while, Mihawk still kept his cold stare.

"The smart thing for you is to retreat." Mihawk said.

"N… No." Zoro strained to say. "If I do that, my dreams will be lost forever. I'll stand my ground no matter what."

"Even if you die?"

"Better that than be defeated." Zoro said.

For the first time since his arrival, Mihawk showed an aura of interest. He pulled his knife out letting a leak of blood spill from Zoro's stab wound.

"What is your name?"

"Roronoa Zoro."

"I'll remember that. It's not every day I meet a swordsman like you. In that case…" Mihawk put his knife away and replaced it with the large sword from his back. "I'll fulfill your request and duel you with Yoru."

"That's more like it." Zoro said.

Proudly, Zoro prepared his swords for one final strike. Mihawk did the same. The two swordsmen ran to each other and swung their swords upon contact. They landed behind each other.

Suddenly, two of Zoro's swords fell to pieces leaving only the one in his mouth intact. Not only that, but his chest started spewing more blood while Mihawk still didn't have a scratch on him.

Zoro wasn't done though. He turned around to face the Warlord and held out his arms to present himself. Mihawk himself looked curiously at his actions.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Wounds on the back are a swordsman's shame." Zoro groaned to say.

"Well put." Mihawk said before swinging his sword giving Zoro the biggest cut across his chest.

"ZORO!" Luffy yelled out. He stretched out his arm to try and punch Mihawk, but he dodged it easily. Luffy then pulled himself to where he and Zoro were and confronted the Warlord.

"What an interesting gift you possess." Mihawk said. "And the hat…"

"I swear, if Zoro dies…" Luffy growled angrily.

"Don't worry, young pirate. That last blow may have been critical, but if he's treated, he'll live. It's too soon for him to die." Mihawk said. "And I must say, you're quite an honorable young man. You left Zoro to fight his own battles without trying to stop him at all. Tell me, what is your goal?"

"To become King of the Pirates." Luffy answered.

"That's even more dangerous than trying to surpass me." Mihawk said. "Roronoa Zoro, I know you can hear me, so listen well. I'm looking forward to our rematch, so go. See the world. Discover yourself. Grow strong. Do everything you can to surpass me!"

Luffy turned to Zoro's wounded body and helped him up. He then carried him back to the Baratie where the others waited for them.

Harley, on the other hand, was still inside the restaurant. She peeked outside to see if Mihawk was still there. She looked at the platform where he was, but there was no sign of him. Strangely, though, it didn't make her feel better.

"Hello, Harley."

"AAHH!" Harley yelled before turning to see Mihawk. She then chuckled nervously. "Hey… So you're Dracule Mihawk. What a nice surprise."

"Did you really think you could hide from me?" Mihawk asked.

"I took a shot."

"You know, when I heard that Doflamingo's girlfriend left him to start her own pirate crew, I was beside myself." Mihawk admitted. "I thought that there was no way anyone could be crazy enough to pull off a stunt like that. So imagine my surprise to see you here all the way in the East Blue."

"So… what now?" Harley asked. "You gonna cash in on the bounty? Turn me over to Doflamingo?"

"Don't think that simple." Mihawk said. "I couldn't care less what that man wants. Originally, I came here to kill time with that armored buffoon. Then, my duel with that young swordsman became the highlight of my day. Then, there's that boy with the straw hat. And now, I find you here. I only talk to you because I'm curious."

"About what?"

"Simple." Mihawk said. "What is it you hope to gain from this little emancipation of yours? What is your goal?"

"That?" Harley asked. "Well, nothing specific. I just want to be a pirate captain and surpass Doffy."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Mihawk asked. "Those sound like phases for a plan, but what's your endgame. Zoro wishes to best me and become the world's greatest swordsman and the straw hat boy wants to be the King of the Pirates, but your dream seems like it needs a bit of… conviction. You want to surpass Doflamingo, but how?"

Harley was about to answer, but hesitated to. "Huh. I… guess I never thought about it like that."

"Glad you have something to think about." Mihawk said.

Suddenly, his eyes widened and he tilted his head. The window behind him broke and he caught something in his hand. Harley gasped when it happened. What Mihawk held in his hand was a purple crossbow arrow. If Mihawk hadn't dodged it, it would have impaled his head.

"Uh, what was that?" Harley asked.

Mihawk took a moment to examine the crossbow arrow before looking out into the distance. "Huntress."

"Huntress?" Harley asked. "Who's Huntress?"

"Someone who just got my attention." Mihawk answered. "Well, on that, I think I'll be off. Hopefully, I'll meet you and your friends at the Grand Line."

With that, Mihawk quickly returned to his ship and sailed away. Harley emerged from her hiding place and reunited with Luffy and the others as they carried Zoro's wounded body to a lifeboat.

"So what'd I miss?" Harley asked.

"Usopp and the pirate hunters are leaving with Zoro to follow Nami." Boomerang said.

"The rest of us are gonna stay and finish off Don Kreig." Luffy said. "That, and I gotta get that cook to join my crew."

"Might as well." Harley said. "With Mihawk gone, those meatheads are gonna swarm the Baratie."

"Take me with you!"

Everyone turned to see a citizen running over to them. It was the handsome actor everyone admired before Don Kreig showed up: Basil Karlo.

"What are you doing here?" Luffy asked.

"I'm sorry. I meant to leave with the other civilians, but there was no room on the other lifeboats. Please, take me with you, as far as possible from that madman."

Back with Don Kreig's crew, the gold-armored captain himself looked at the Baratie. He flashed a smile.

"Well, lads, looks like luck's on our side." Don Kreig said. "Mihawk left us alive and with the restaurant ship intact. With it, we'll take over the Grand Line with ease. No one will possibly think we're a threat when we're sailing around that thing. It's better than any Navy ship we sail."

"But what if we might meet other strong people like that Mihawk guy?" a crewmate asked before getting shot.

"You idiots! Don't you see? What we saw was nothing more than a parlor trick! There's no way a normal man could split a ship in half! He must have eaten a Devil Fruit! The Grand Line's full of pirates like that!"

"NOPE!"

Don Kreig was caught off-guard by Harley's outburst. He turned to see her sitting on the Baratie railings swinging her feet.

"What was that?" Don Kreig asked.

"I said, nope." Harley repeated. "Mihawk never ate a Devil Fruit. He's just that good."

"That's impossible!" Don Kreig shouted. "He had to have eaten a Devil Fruit! There's no other explanation!"

"If you really believe that, there's no way you're gonna last long on the Grand Line." Harley said. "And there's definitely no way you can ever find the One Piece if that's all you're limited to thinking. You think that just because you have a bunch of a weapons, an army of pirates, and underhanded plans, becoming King of the Pirates is gonna be easy. But the truth is, Don Kreig… ya basic."

Don Kreig growled before reaching his arm out readying a cannon in his armor. "YOU DISRESPECTFUL WENCH! I'LL BLOW YOU ALL THE WAY TO…"

He ended his tirade abruptly when he noticed a lifeboat sailing away. He saw Usopp, Johnny, Yosaku, Zoro, and Basil on it, but his attention was drawn to one of them in particular. He gasped silently when he saw him.

"Can it be?"

Don Kreig exchanged his cannon in his arm for a different weapon. Instead of a bullet or a cannonball, this one fired a large, black net that reached across the water. It ensnared one of them and pull him over in an instant. Everyone looked when Don Kreig had the East Blue's most famous actor in his trap frightened.

"WE'RE SORRY!" Usopp yelled out.

"Just keep sailing for Nami!" Luffy yelled. "We'll stay to save him!"

Don Kreig removed the net from Basil and held him up to look deeply into his face. He growled furiously making the actor whimper.

"You. I remember you."

"Uh, I take it you've seen my shows." Basil said nervously. "I admit, I am a bit of a local celebrity, but I don't want to…"

"NO!" Don Kreig roared making him more scared than ever. "You thought you could get away from me, but you should've known better! I recognize that face, but that's impossible because I killed him! Therefore, you can only be someone who also knew him! And there's only way you can know him while also looking like him!"

Basil gulped.

"It's you. The punk who stole from me." Don Kreig held Basil up and smashed him down onto the wooden platform he stood on. "YOU STOLE THE CLAY-CLAY FRUIT!"