You grinned as Zoro walked toward Mihawk prepared for the challenge. You stood up and moved back to the Baratie. Luffy lunged at you as he wrapped himself around your waist. "(First Name)!! I was so worried about you!!" he wailed loudly as he snuggled his head on your chest. You chuckled as you hugged Luffy in one hand around his torso while the other patted his head.
"Don't worry about it, Luffy. I'm still okay, aren't I??"
He lifted his head to you with tears in his eyes. You smiled at him as you brought him closer to your body, making Luffy flush red. You gave him a reassuring hug.
"It's okay, Luffy. You know I can't die that easily" you gave Luffy a wide grin close-eyed.
_____________________________________________
After Zoro was defeated, you looked over his unconscious body with a smirk. "You brat. The world is vast and there is still a lot for you to learn so hurry up and get stronger, will you??" you laughed happily.
Zoro slowly lifts his sword in the air from his fallen position on the boat. "L-Luffy . . .can you hear me??" he grunts out.
"I hear you, Zoro!!"
"I know you need nothing less than the greatest swordsman in the world. I've let you down" he started coughing up blood and continues despite the bounty hunter duo's protests. "I solemnly swear . . .from this moment forward . . .that I will never lose again!! Until the day comes when I defeat him and take his title . . .I will never, never be defeated. IS THAT OKAY . . .KING OF THE PIRATES?!"
All faces aside from Mihawk, you, Luffy and Usopp turn in sheer shock.
Luffy laughs. "Yup!!"
"And (First Name), seeing you defeated the World's Greatest Swordsman just now, once I defeat him, you're next!!"
Your eyes widened then turned to a smirk. "I'll be looking forward to it, you cocky bastard!!"
Then he closed his eyes with a satisfying look on his face.
But then a certain idiot had to interrupt. "Hey, Hawk-Eye!! I was under an impression that you had come here to take my life. Weren't you here to kill Don Kreig, Ruler of East Blue?"
You facepalmed at the fucking stupidity. He is more stupid than you had originally thought. "Hey, Luffy. Pass me my cane and take care of my bag, will you??" you asked as you hand out your bag to him. He nodded and gave you your cane. You went back to the part of the broken galleon and groan, "El tonto Simplemente no sabe Cuando mantener la Boca cerrada"
Mihawk chuckled a bit in agreement. "The thought had crossed my mind" he admitted. "But I've had enough fun for today so I'm going home to get some rest"
Kreig cracks his neck a few times and chuckles grimly. "I don't care if you've had enough. I haven't even gotten started"
"Mi Tesoro, how about a little parting gift??" You whispered, eyes motioning to Kreig. He caught on and smirked.
"Together then??" he readies his hand to go for his sword and you unsheathe a sword from her cane.
"NOW ITS TIME TO DIE!!" Kreig fires every weapon hidden in his armour at Mihawk and you. But before the bullets could touch you both, you performed a unison slash cutting Kreig's attack short and destroying the decimated galleon further.
"He just won't learn, will he??" Mihawk queries.
"His brain is that brings dumbasses to shame" you responded.
The joint attack provides cover for Mihawk to escape without further delays and you jumped back into the water and swim to the fins of the Baratie. The sea cooks freaked out at your abilities while Zeff is the only one remaining calm and collected as always.
"Usopp!!" Luffy shouted, hanging on the rails. "Go on ahead. I'll leave Nami to you!!"
"Roger that!! Don't you worry bout a thing!! Zoro and I are gonna get her right back. And make sure you get that cook to join our crew!!" Usopp replied with a smile and boisterous confidence. "And then, on the Going Merry, we'll set sail to the Grand Line!!" he chucks Luffy's hat in the air and its owner happily stretches his arm to nab it.
"Yeah!! Let's do it!!" Luffy cheered while you smiled at him, glad that he got himself a capable crew.
"Hey, Zeff. I got another deal for ya!! We take out this garbage for you, we get off scot-free"
"Suit yourself"
____________________________________________________
The sea cooks, including Sanji and sans Zeff, continue to gawk at your still-transformed self. You noticed your tail is still out so you shift back to your human state and turned to the others. "I can explain . . ."
But before you could, you were tackled by Luffy from your right who looked up at you with sparkles in his eyes. "Wow, (First Name)!! I didn't know you could do that!! Was that a tail??"
You chuckled as you ruffle his hair. "Yes, it is, Luffy. I'll explain it later bc we got some annoying disturbances in the way"
"Alright!!" Luffy cheered as he got off from your grasp. He looked out at the Kreig Pirates, standing on the floating debris of their galleon. "They wanna fight too, huh?? Now, this will be fun!!" He hoisted himself back to face Zeff. "Okay, Pops. You promised me, remember?? I run those pirates off and my debt to you is clear. No more chores"
"That's the deal" Zeff replied with his arms crossed. "There's no telling how much more of my restaurant you can screw up if you stick around"
Luffy chuckled and replied, "Yeah!!"
"So, kid. You said you were going to be King of Pirates. Were you serious??" The old chef questions the rubber boy.
"He is being serious about it, Zeff" you stated.
"Well, yeah. Of course. I'm gonna be King of the Pirates someday" Luffy responds. Respecting that he will keep his bet with you secret which you're glad cuz you don't know how to deal with that.
A wide grin is on Zeff's face. "I've seen a lot of pirates in my day, but you're the first to state your desire so clearly and without a doubt" He then shifts his gaze to you. "And who would've thought you would become Arsene the Phantom Thief after you left this place 8 years ago"
"Well, I'm just full of surprises, old man" you grinned.
"Hey, Pops!! I heard that back in the day, you were a pretty awesome pirate yourself!! So, did you wanna be King of Pirates too??" Luffy asked.
Zeff looks up to the sky. "I do my best to forget about the past. I'm the owner of the Baratie now and that's quite enough for me"
Meanwhile, you could hear the idiot's obnoxious, loud voice start to rally up his remaining men.
"Men!! If we can capture that ship, the Grand Line will be ours for the taking!! No more pretending to be Marines or raising the white flag of surrender. None of our enemies will suspect we're a threat with a ship like that" A sickening grin was plastered on the Pirate Commodre's ugly mug. "In that boat, it will always be a sneak attack!! And with Arsene on our crew, the Kreig Pirate Armada will become legendary"
"He's right. That boat would come in handy"
"No one would think that pirates were on that ridiculous-looking ship"
"And Arsene is one of the most feared people of this generation. With her, there's no way we can lose"
"Right, but Don . . .how would we get the Phantom Thief to join us?? From what we know, she's a lone wolf. Not only that isn't she a warlord?? And even if we enter the Grand Line using that vessel, what if we come across someone like Hawk-Eye Mihawk again?? Then what'll we do?!" One of the Kreig pirates questions his captain.
Kreig doesn't look pleased with the underlying questioning of his judgement. You watch as the gunshot was heard at the dead pirate. You didn't regret messing with them back then, at least now you don't.
"I appreciate the input, sailor. Anything else?? HUH?!" Kreig waves around his freshly fired pistol at the rest of his men. "Do you think any ordinary man can cut up a sailing ship like that?! That man probably has the power of the Devil Fruit. Although those with Devil Fruit powers are rare and legendary to us, I can assure you their commonplace in the Grand Line. Mihawk must've used some sort of strange power when he sliced our ship into ribbons. When we're on the Grand Line, those powers won't be special. Even the Strawhat freak and Arsene will be considered normal"
You rolled your eyes thinking that idiot is being so fucking delusional, blaming everything on the Devil Fruit powers. He thinks he can handle the second one. You shouted, "YOU'RE SO FUCKING DELUSIONAL, YOU DUMBASS. THIS IS WHY YOU COULDN'T MAKE IT TO THE GRAND LINE THE FIRST TIME. YOU'RE NOT WORTH KILLING BY MY HANDS!!"
The cooks panicked at your outburst while Luffy laughed and Zeff snorted.
"(First Name)!! What are you doing?!"
"Are you trying to make them even angrier?!"
"Shishishi!! I completely agree with you, (First Name)!! Just let me take care of him!!" Luffy said.
"They deserve to have their senses knocked with a couple of dozen pegs. Take this from someone whos been there for 8 years" you replied.
This pissed Kreig off but he shrugged it off and continue his rally. "That old geezer, Red Foot Zeff, sailed those seas for a year as did Arsene for over a decade. This stands to reason that both of them had strategies for dealing with those monsters. The techniques for surviving that parade of weirdos must be written in the old man's logbook along with clues to the One Piece. And Arsene is bound to have some record of her travels and if not, we'll just have to take the whole package. Combine those hordes of information and a warlord whose strength knows no limit, we'll become the most feared pirates in the Grand Line has ever witnessed!!"
You facepalmed. Why the fuck must they mention that?? They know that you're a Warlord, yet they dare say such delusional words?? Now they're pissing you off. It was unofficial but you're still a Warlord and you would rather go to Impel Down than be a pirate. This made your eye twitch. Luffy and Sanji are also irked that they dare say such words about you.
"I see . . .you're a genius"
"All we have to do is get that logbook, nab Arsene and the ship then we'll be able to find our way to the One Piece again"
"You hear that, boys?! Now let's get to it!! That restaurant will be ours!!" Kreig bellows.
________________________________________________
"This restaurant will be a battlefield" Sanji comments as he lets out a puff of smoke from his cigarette. He looks to a fellow cook. "Go to the control room and open up the fins"
"What?! No!! That's a bad idea!!" The chef argued. "If we do that, we'll be giving the enemy a foothold"
"And that's just fine. We gotta do whatever it takes to keep those guys out of this place. If they destroy the inside, then the old man will complain forever" Sanji responded as he pats his hand on the walls of the sea restaurant"
"Did you just say something, you brat??" Zeff scowled.
"Yeah, I said you're whiney" Sanji replied loud enough for Zeff to hear. "Now go" he orders the other chef.
"Yes, sir"
The Kreig Pirates make their first move, rushing to try and take the restaurant by storm. But Luffy quickly counterattack. He launches himself at the band of pirates. "Gum Gum Rocket!!" As he flies through the air, he stretches his arms outward, clothes lining a good number of the pirates and knocking them to the water. "And Gum Gum Giant Scythe!!" The rubber captain saves himself from falling into the ocean by latching onto a floating mast of the galleon debris.
You grinned, proud of Luffy for the performance of the fight but it seems he still has more to learn as well so you jumped over the railings and joined in the fight.
"Oi, Luffy. Leave some fun to me as well, ya??" you said as you cracked your knuckles.
You punched the ground of the galleon debris where you were standing in front of you causing huge cracks and making the Kreig pirates fall into the sea.
"Did ya see that?! Go kids!!" a chef cheers you both on.
"What the heck is up with those two?!"
"Yeah, they're crazy!!"
"It's hard to believe that the Grand Line is crawling with people like this??"
"Sanji . . .pay close attention to how those two fight. Don't take your eyes off them for a moment until this fight is over. Is that clear??" Zeff starts.
"So let me get this straight . . .you're attacking the restaurant that gave you food?? I got no choice but to beat some manners to you!!" Luffy exclaimed to Kreig.
But this only brings Kreig to laughter. "So you wanna fight on the water where there's no place to stand, huh?? A bold move for someone like you. The Devil Fruit has taken your ability to swim, hasn't it chore boy??"
Luffy just grins. "Yup and now . . .I'm stretchy!!"
The Baratie starts to emit a loud rumbling sound. You turn to see platforms rise from the bottom of the sea restaurant.
"Now we have somewhere to fight 'em" a chef comments.
Luffy gawks at the sight. "Wow!! That's so cool!!"
You took the distraction to backflip onto the Baratie's deck from your stance. In mere seconds, Sanji strides to the edge of the fins, next to you.
"My cooks and I will never give up defending this place; Prepare to die" Sanji announces.
"I see. Good plan bringing up all the extra decking genius??" Kreig remarks sarcastically. "Now we don't have to fight inside. I'd hate to damage my future ship. And make no mistake, it will be mine"
"Don't be so sure of yourself, Kreig. You want this ship, you're going have to fight me" you shouted.
"The young lady is right!! We will never let you have the restaurant!!" A chef agreed.
"That's right!! We mean business!!"
"We're battle cooks now!!"
Patty and Carne bellow as the fish head of the Baratie detaches itself from the rest of the restaurant, revealing it to be a paddleboat, and started paddling towards the floating debris of Kreig's galleon.
"Set sail, Mackeral Head-1!! The Baratie secret weapon!!" Patty shouts with pride.
"So if you want to live, I suggest running away now!!" Carne warned.
In the fish masthead's mouth, three cannons stick out and are aimed at the Kreig Pirates.
"FIRE!!" Patty cried.
The cannons fire repeatedly at both the already destroyed galleon and the pirates hanging from it which unfortunately includes Luffy as well. Luckily he hasn't fallen off from his perch on the broken mast.
The Baratie chefs cheer Patty and Carne on as they continue to rain fire on the enemy pirates and set their sights on Kreig.
"Kreig!! Say your prayers!! Little did you know that the sea restaurant, Baratie, had such a powerful weapon just waiting to be unleashed!!" Patty declares.
All three cannons blasted at the Pirate Commodore with incredible force but did no damage at all to the egotistical pirate with him wearing that armour, if anything at all, it just pissed the pirate off further. Kreig even has the strength to stop the Mackerel Head-1 in its tracks.
"I AM DON KREIG. THE MAN WHO WILL RULE THE OCEAN!!" he bellows.
"Oh no, you're not!!" Luffy cuts in. "I am!!" But Kreig pays him no attention.
"I don't have time for these stupid games!! Get outta here!!" And as if the Mackeral Head-1 was light as a feather, Don Kreig single-handedly lifts and chucks the paddleboat in the direction of the Baratie.
"It's coming straight for us!!"
"The restaurant!! Oh no!!"
You were about to step forward when you suddenly felt a hand gently gripped on your shoulder. You turn around to see Sanji.
"Please allow me, (First Name)-koi," he said kindly, surprisingly with no swooning. He leaps into the air and delivers a swift kick, knocking the incoming paddleboat from hitting the restaurant. The small ship crashes harmlessly into the other side of the fin platforms with an angered Patty and Carne still in their driver's seats.
Everyone, including Kreig, is in awe at Sanji's display of strength.
"He's got legs of steel!!"
Huh . . .he inherited old man's moves eh?? Pretty impressive.
"Sanji!! Good job!!"
"Nice kick!!" Luffy exclaimed.
You gave him a thumbs up with a grin as Patty and Carne suddenly burst from under the floorboards of the restaurant's fin platforms.
"What's the big deal?!" Patty demanded.
"Are you trying to crush your friends?!" Carne shouted.
"Yeah, yeah" Sanji impassively replied.
"Don't 'yeah, yeah' us, you fool!!" Patty yelled.
You sweatdrop at their bickering in the middle of the battle . . .
"Can you ladies wrap this up another time?? We've got business to attend to" a Kreig pirate mocked.
"Get them!!" a cook shouted as he and the rest of the Baratie cooks charge forward. But even with their fervent agenda, the Kreig Pirates quickly bested every one of them. You calmly watch as the pirates smirk smugly at the strong-willed cooks.
"You guys still don't get it. Even well-armed, you're still just chefs and we're expert fighters that are way out of your league. So why don't you just be good little cooks and run along to a safer restaurant? Maybe one on land, huh??" a Kreig pirate taunted.
"Come on, guys!! Why do you let them beat you so easily, huh?!" Carne demanded.
"And you still call yourselves fighting cooks!!" Patty shouted.
"Well, these pirates are good; they're different from the ones we fought before" a wounded chef groaned.
"It's insulting to lump us with that average riffraff," the same Kreig pirate said. "We are the great Kreig Pirates and we're the absolute rulers of the East Blue!!"
"But only in East Blue, meaning you're just ants compared to the big shots" you replied bluntly.
"Why you-!!"
"What, am I wrong?? East Blue is the weakest out of the rest. I'm not sugarcoating it" you retorted.
"Let it be known to all, that this garnish boat already belongs to the great and powerful Kreig Pirates!!" Kreig exclaimed.
"I'm afraid you're mistaken" Sanji counters. "You and your cronies will never set foot in our restaurant!!"
"He's right, men!!" Zeff agreed.
"We like fighting and cooking, so this place is perfect for us" Patty boasted pridefully.
"That's right!! There's no other place like this" Carne added with equal pride.
Patty and Carne's speech riled up the chefs to take up arms and continue to fight.
"Protect Zeff!!"
"Protect the restaurant!!"