"Hey Usopp, you're pretty good with your slingshot right?" Luffy asked, spinning his straw hat on his finger. The four of them were seated in the ship's kitchen, eating a rather plain breakfast at the table.
"Yeah! Anything I can see, I can hit!" Usopp beamed proudly, thumping his chest.
"You can be our marksman then! Just like your dad was on Shank's crew!" Luffy grinned.
Usopp's jaw hit the table. "Just… Just like my dad? A marksman of the crew?"
"Yeah, of course!"
"I'll take it!" Usopp punched his hands in the air, chuckling to himself.
"Besides that, I think we need another crew member," Luffy pointed out, putting his hat back on his head.
"Indeed, we have such a nice kitchen too," Nami nodded, smiling.
"It would be a waste if it's not used properly," Zoro grinned.
"Shishishi! Yep! We need a musician!" Luffy chuckled.
"NO WE DON'T!" All three of them yelled at their Captain with shark teeth.
"Why would we even need a musician in the first place?!" A tick appeared on Nami's head.
"Because sailors love to sing!" Luffy replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Whenever I followed my Gra- My trainer on his ship, his crew would always be singing, it was so fun!"
Nami sighed at his simple-minded mentality. Zoro grinned and shook his head. Usopp nodded to himself as if Luffy had just shared a great piece of wisdom with him.
"The fact remains that this kitchen is wasted on the four of us," Nami sighed, glancing at the simple toast and eggs breakfast they made for themselves.
"It would be nice if we could find a cook, he would know to get the best booze," Zoro grinned, drinking even in the morning.
"Oh! Then I can have meat every day!" Luffy grinned.
"I guess we can find one on our next stop, assuming there is one." Usopp nodded.
Luffy and Usopp were on the deck, Luffy watching Usopp tinkering with one of the cannons.
"Alright! I'm done with this one!" Usopp exclaimed, wiping the sweat off his brow.
"Ehhh... so you're good with these things too?" Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"Of course! Back in my village, I had to learn to take apart and put together many of my neighbor's things as pranks!" Usopp thumped his chest proudly.
"So cool!" Luffy exclaimed, punching his hands in the air.
"Alright, now to test this out," Usopp swiveled the cannon to point at an outcrop of rocks nearby. Loading a cannon ball inside, he squinted his eyes as he adjusted it's elevation before firing the cannon and hitting the rock with a satisfying boom.
"Wow! You hit it on your first try!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Of course! I'm the marksman after all!" Usopp grinned proudly.
Luffy stiffened as he heard a scream. Usopp was oblivious to it, but Luffy heard it clearly with his haki.
"Guys! Turn this ship around! There's someone on that rock!" Luffy shouted, going into Captain Mode.
"Eh? The rock we just shot at?" Usopp paled.
"Yes! Nami! Turn it around!" Luffy shouted, pulling his Marine coat he had left hanging on the railing over his shoulders.
"Aye, Captain!" She turned to wheel, swiveling the ship to pass beside the rock.
As the ship passed by, they spotted a small boat that was tied to the rock and an angry swordsman shaking his fist at them. He wore a blue jacket over his t-shirt and a pair of sunglasses donned on his face. His sword hung prominently on his right hip.
"YOU DAMN MARINES! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" He yelled.
"Ah… Sorry, that was our marksman testing out our cannons. You're still ok right?" Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.
"LIKE HELL I'M OK WHEN YOU SHOT A CANNON AT ME! MY FRIEND IS DYING HERE!" the swordsman gestured to the prone figure beside him, clearly not in good shape.
"Eh, aren't you Johnny? What the hell happened to Yosaku?" Zoro lifted an eyebrow.
"EHH?! IS THAT BROTHER ZORO?!" Johnny's eye's popped out.
"STOP SHOUTING AT US!" Nami shouted back.
It was a while later when Johnny managed to get his partner Yosaku onto Merry, with Zoro asking what happened to them.
"He's sick, brother Zoro…" Johnny cried.
"Sick?" All four marines tilted their heads at him.
"Yeah… He was just fine a couple of days ago, but he suddenly turned pale and he kept passing out on me. Then his teeth started falling out and even his old wounds reopened. I don't know if he's able to make it any more…" Johnny was bawling at the gasping figure of Yosaku on the deck.
"I was letting him rest on the rock there but suddenly you guys fired at us…"
Both Usopp and Luffy gaped at him, bowing their heads in shame, "We're so sorry!"
"It's alright, what's done is done." Johnny sniffled. "If this is the way he's meant to die, then so be it…"
Luffy and Usopp had tears streaming down their faces now.
"We were such great partners, taking down pirates one after the other… Is this how it will all end?"
"Wow, you guys are really idiots…" Nami said calmly, unfazed by his crying.
"Nami! How can you be so calm? He's dying!" Usopp shouted at her.
"Shut up! If you have time to cry, go to the kitchen and squeeze some lime juice for him to drink!" Nami smacked Usopp on the head.
"Li… Lime juice? But why?" Usopp rubbed his head.
"JUST DO IT!" Nami smacked him again, causing Usopp to break off running into the kitchen.
"Your friends suffering from Scurvy, when was the last time you guys actually ate any fruits or vegetables?" Nami scoffed at Johnny.
"Huh? Er… A few weeks ago, I guess?" Johnny scratched his head at the sudden question.
"Then you guys are idiots!" Nami smacked Johnny's head as well. "If you don't eat well, of course you'll fall sick!"
Usopp returned and began pouring the cup of lime juice down Yosaku's throat with Luffy helping to open his mouth. The scene looked as though they were putting him through water torture.
"If we're not too late, your friend should recover in a few days," Nami sighed.
"Really sis?! Yosaku's going to be ok?" Johnny tried to grab Nami's shoulders only for her to push him away.
"Please don't call me sis… And how can you guys not know this? This is the most basic knowledge a sailor should know!" Nami smacked Johnny again.
"Ah, that's right! I remember they taught us that in the Marines too!" Luffy looked up at them, still holding Yosaku's mouth open while Usopp continued to dump lime juice down his throat.
"ARE YOU GUYS TRYING TO DROWN HIM?!" Nami yelled incredulously.
Yosaku opened his eyes suddenly, flinging both Usopp and Luffy off as he jumped up on his feet.
"I am revived!" Yosaku punched his hands in the air in victory.
"My partner's all fine now!" Johnny joined Yosaku in their victory dance.
"LIKE HELL YOU CAN RECOVER THAT QUICKLY!" Nami yelled at the two of them.
"Sorry, sorry." The two swordsman settled down.
"My name is Johnny, I'm a bounty hunter." Johnny grinned.
"And I am Yosaku, likewise a bounty hunter. Brother Zoro used to bounty hunt with us in the past." He scratched his head in embarrassment. "I really owe my life to you guys, if you hadn't come along, I would have died by now."
"Speaking of which, I never thought that Brother Zoro the pirate hunter, the one who always hated following orders, would become a Marine." Johnny remarked.
"Indeed, a very remarkable turn of events." Yosaku nodded, before suddenly spurting out blood and collapsing.
"JUST SHUT UP AND REST ALREADY, YOU MORON!" Zoro shouted at him.
With Yosaku tucked away in the men's quarters, the crew gathered on deck again.
"If we want to survive out at sea, we're going to have to get ourselves a proper cook," Nami remarked.
"The question now is, where can we find one?" Zoro grinned.
"I can help with that brother Zoro!" Johnny raised his hand like a schoolboy answering a question. "There's a famous restaurant of the seas a few days sail away from here, you're sure to find a good cook there. Whether you can convince a cook to join you though, that's another question."
"Alright! Let's set a course to the restaurant!" Luffy grinned.
The ship sailed steadily towards their destination for the next two days, with Yosaku recovering well enough to join the crew on the deck.
On the third day, the floating restaurant finally came into view. The restaurant itself was a ship designed to look like a fish. The front of the ship had a fish head and the tail doubled as the ship's rudder. The body of the fish was replaced by a three story building with the words 'Restaurant Baratie' proudly on display at the entrance.
"It's a fish! That's so cool!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "Hurry guys! I can smell meat from here!"
As they neared the restaurant, a Marine ship heading in the same direction pulled up next to them, a man wearing a white pinstripe suit appeared on the deck, spotting the Straw hats.
"What kind of Marine unit is that? I've never seen that one before…" The man stepped closer to the railings, scrutinizing the crew on the ship with disdain.
"Hey, who's your captain? Which unit to you belong to? I've never seen you guys before." The man spat arrogantly.
Luffy stepped up to the prow of his ship, returning the man's gaze without flinching, "Who the heck are you?"
The man noticed the Marine cloak that Luffy wore and frowned, "I am Marine Lieutenant Fullbody, also known as 'Ironfist Fullbody'. Now who the heck are you?"
Luffy clucked his tongue at the name, not recognizing it. He crossed his arms at the lieutenant, "I am Marine Captain Monkey D. Luffy. My unit, 'Straw Hat Marines' was only officially formed two days ago under the direct command of Vice Admiral Garp. What business do you have with us?"
Fullbody stiffened at once and saluted immediately, "My apologies sir! I didn't have prior knowledge of your group's existence! Please forgive my rudeness!"
"That was a quick change in tone," Nami noted.
"Leave it to our Captain to put show offs in their place," Zoro grinned.
"What is your business here, Lieutenant Fullbody?" Luffy asked.
"My… Er… Well… I'm currently off-duty right now… And I have a date planned at that restaurant, sir." Fullbody stuttered, unsure of how the Captain will react.
"Oh, what a coincidence!" Luffy grinned, "We're heading there too! I'll see you guys inside then!" Luffy waved him away.
"Ah, of course sir!" Fullbody kept his salute up until Luffy turned away from him, visibly letting out the breath he had been holding.
As both ships docked on the restaurant, Luffy gathered his crew around.
"Alright, you guys go get yourselves something to eat first, I'll talk to the owner and see if has any cooks willing to join us!"
Everyone stared at Luffy in disbelief.
"You would actually do something else when there's food right there?" Usopp gasped.
"What? Once we get our own food, I can eat however I want!" Luffy grinned.
Everyone sighed as the prepared to disembark.
As Luffy was preparing to leave, a voice called out from behind him, "Luffy, Captain. May I have a word?"
Luffy turned to see Nami hanging around the now empty deck. "Sure, what do you need, Nami?"
Nami hesitated, unwilling to meet Luffy's eyes, "You'll be stopping at my village soon right?"
"Yep, why?" Luffy raised any eyebrow.
"I may have some… appointments I need to keep back there…" Nami looked at Luffy hesitatingly.
"Oh, really? How soon?"
"Within this week."
Luffy scratched his chin, thinking.
"I understand, I'll make sure we'll spend at maximum three days here. We'll get you back on time, don't worry about it."
"Thanks, Luffy," Nami massaged her arm in embarrassment.
The Straw Hat Marines found themselves a table beside the Marine Lieutenant they met earlier and began ordering food for themselves while Luffy went off to find the owner.
Luffy found a chef and asked to be lead to the owner, the chef saw the Marine insignia that Luffy wore and complied immediately.
"Owner Zeff, there's a Marine looking for you," The chef ratted on the door that lead to his room.
"Send him in," a voice came from the other side.
Luffy entered the room to find a blonde haired old man sitting by his desk in a chef uniform. He sported an impressive mustache that was accompanied by a beard. On his head rested a chef's hat that almost reached all the way to the ceiling of the room, as though to make a point that the person wearing it was a chef. The most noticeable feature was that his right leg ended in a stump just below the knee and a wooden peg leg was attached to it.
"Hey, are you the owner?" Luffy waved.
Zeff stood up to meet Luffy, "Aye, I'm Zeff. What do you want Marine?"
"I'm Captain Monkey D. Luffy and I'm looking for a cook to join my crew!" Luffy grinned.
"You're looking for a cook to join your crew?" Zeff repeated.
"Yeah! I don't suppose you have someone that might want to join my crew?" Luffy continued to smile at him.
"Tch, you're strange for a Marine," the owner grinned. "Usually when a marine asks to see me is to demand for me to waive their expenses as a fee for their protection or some sort. We sea cooks need no protection from Marines!"
"Oh, so you guys can fight too? Even better!" Luffy laughed.
"You're an interesting one, boy!" Zeff smiled. "So you need a cook on your crew eh? Especially one that knows how to fight?"
"You bet! He needs to be able to cook and kick ass!" Luffy punched in front of him to emphasize his point.
"Hahaha! Tell ya what, kid. I don't know if any of my boys would give up their position to become a Marine though, but if you find someone who does, you have my permission to take him with you!" Zeff chuckled despite himself.
"Really! Thanks old man! You're the best!" Luffy shook Zeff's hands enthusiastically.
"Heh, but make sure you take care of my boys, but then again I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want someone who can't take care of themselves, right Captain?" Zeff grinned wickedly.
"You bet! We'll be facing many criminals out there, so he'll have to—"
A gunshot rang through the restaurant, cutting Luffy off mid-sentence.
Both Luffy and Zeff sprinted out of the room and down to the restaurant, seeing a bloodied pirate holding on to a gun standing at the doorway of the restaurant. A marine was lying down prone on the floor, blood oozing out from a gunshot wound from his chest. The Marine Lieutenant Fullbody was also sporting bruises and bleeding on the ground, although for what reason was unclear.
Luffy, however, had his eyes locked on the marine that was clutching at his wound on the ground, his eyes were deathly cold.
"Bring me some food," the pirate demanded weakly, the gun in his hands was swinging weakly in his grip.
Luffy stepped away from Zeff and knelt down beside the marine, turning him over to check his wound. The marine barely noticed him as he shut his eyes in pain while clutching at his open wound.
The first-aid training Luffy did in the marines quickly clicked themselves into place as he ran a critical eye over the wound. He relaxed slightly when he found the wound not as life threatening as he thought… Slightly. He tore off a strip of cloth from a nearby table cloth and tried to dress the wound as best as he could.
The pirate stepped over them as he entered the restaurant.
"Stop right there," Luffy growled, not stopping at dressing the marine's wounds.
The pirate didn't even look at him as he pointed the gun at Luffy's head and fired a shot. Luffy's hands did not slow in tying the knot on the cloth as he moved his head to the left to dodge the bullet.
The pirate's eyes widened as Luffy stood up and faced him, his eyes boring into the pirate.
"You shot him," it wasn't a question, it was just Luffy stating a simple fact, like a judge declaring a criminal guilty of his crimes.
The pirate swung the pistol up and shot at him again, but this time Luffy caught the bullet in between his thumb and index finger without blinking. His eyes never left the pirate as he crushed the bullet into dust, advancing towards him.
The restaurant watched as Luffy grabbed the pirate's gun and snapped it in his hands before pulling him up by the collar to stare directly into his eyes.
"You there, marine. Hold on a moment." A blonde haired cook walked towards him, puffing on a cigarette.
Luffy wrinkled his nose at the cigarette smell which the cook noticed. The cook swiftly extinguished it in a nearby ashtray before continuing to walk towards him.
"He's starving, let me feed him first before you do whatever you want with him." The cook stood before the Marine Captain, hands in his pockets.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing, Sanji?! He just shot that marine!" One of the cooks shouted at him.
Sanji didn't say anything as he stood in front of Luffy, unmoving.
Luffy took a glance at the cook before looking back at the pirate, fear obvious in his eyes. On the ground, the marine coughed, wincing in pain but very much alive.
"Apologize to him," Luffy whispered, but it may as well have been a shout in the deathly silent restaurant.
"I'm… I'm sorry…" The pirate barely spluttered out before Luffy dropped him on the floor unceremoniously.
"Lieutenant!" Luffy turned to the prone officer.
Fullbody immediately stood and saluted, though rather comically with his bloodied face. "Yes, sir!"
Luffy gestured to the marine, "Bring him back to your ship and make sure he gets proper treatment, I've done all I can for now."
"Yes, sir!" Fullbody immediately hauled the marine on his shoulders and ran out of the restaurant, glad to be out of the place.
"He's all yours," Luffy said, passing by Sanji.
"Thanks," The cook muttered before slinging the exhausted and starving pirate over his shoulders, carrying him out of the restaurant.
Luffy went towards the table his crew was at and sat down amidst the stares of everyone. The owner finally released the tension as he clapped his hands, "Alright you lousy cooks, that's all the show you're getting, get back to work!"
"Yes, owner Zeff!" The cooks shouted heartily as they scurried back to the kitchen and everyone else relaxing back into their seats.
"Who was that?" Luffy finally asked.
"A member of the Krieg pirates," Zoro sighed, as though whatever happened before bore him.
"Apparently that Marine Lieutenant from earlier was holding him custody on his ship before he broke out and escaped here," Nami offered.
"Yeah, and that blonde guy that was talking to you earlier? He beat up that Marine Lieutenant for insulting his food." Usopp jerked his thumb towards the entrance.
"Oh?" Luffy leaned forward, interested. "So that cook can fight huh?"
"You're not thinking of..." Nami gasped.
"Wait, what did the owner say to you?" Zoro asked hopefully.
"Ah, he said that if I could convince anyone to join, I'm free to take him!" Luffy grinned.
"Oh, no… Please not him…" Zoro groaned.
"Why not?" Luffy tilted his head at Zoro.
"He's nothing but a pervert," Usopp added helpfully.
"Hey, just because he was fawning all over me and gave me free food makes him a pervert," Nami protested.
Johnny and Yosaku just stared at the four Marines incredulously.
"Ah!" Luffy clapped his hands together, remembering. " Speaking of which, I should go ask him right now!" Luffy stood up from the table and ran outside the restaurant.
"This guy… I'll never understand what's going on in that head of his…" Nami sighed, slumping her head down on the table.
Luffy spotted the cook and pirate near the back of the ship just as Sanji placed a plate of steaming food in front of him.
"Eat," Sanji ordered as he sat down beside the pirate.
"Why are you doing this?" The pirate gasped, watching Sanji carefully.
Sanji took a long drag on his cigarette before exhaling in a single long puff. "I know how it feels to be without food for a long time. No matter who it is, no one deserves to starve… Now eat."
The pirate took up the plate with shaky hands, "What's your name?"
"Sanji," he sighed.
"Thank you... Sanji…" He first took a small spoonful of food, before abandoning any form of resistance and started to shovel food into his mouth with wild abandon.
"It's so good… It's too good…" The pirate sobbed, tears spilling down his cheeks.
Sanji just grinned as he leaned his head back, satisfied with just feeding another starving man.
"Hey cook," Sanji turned to see Luffy standing a few feet away, walking towards them.
"Marine," Sanji stood slowly, standing in between Luffy and the pirate. The pirate visible stiffened as he saw Luffy, seemingly shrinking smaller and smaller as Luffy got closer.
"So you gave him food huh? You're a pretty nice guy," Luffy grinned.
Sanji only snorted, giving one final puff of his cigarette before tossing it away.
"What do you want?" Sanji eyed the Marine Captain suspiciously.
"I need a cook for my crew and I'm looking for one," Luffy grinned pointedly at Sanji.
Sanji seemed to get the clue but shook his head, "You'll have to ask someone else, I'm not leaving this place, much less interested in becoming a Marine."
Luffy pouted, "Come on, it'll be fun! Join my crew!"
"I said no! I don't have any interests in leaving this place!" Sanji glared at the Captain.
"So you refuse?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, I refuse!"
"Then I'll refuse too!" Luffy grinned.
"What? What is there to refuse?" Sanji raised an eyebrow.
"I refuse your refusal!" Luffy stuck out his hand to shake as though he had already agreed to join him.
A tick appeared on Sanji's head as he smacked Luffy's hand away, "That's not how it works, you little shit!"
"Aww… Then what can I do to convince you?" Luffy pouted.
"Nothing you can do!" Sanji turned his back on the Marine, cursing under his breath.
"Er… Are you here to arrest me?" the pirate asked shakily.
Luffy turned to regard the pirate with a raised eyebrow, "Huh? Of course not, I mean you're an ok guy, I guess. I noticed you didn't aim to kill that marine before." He frowned suddenly, "Though you did try to kill me, not that you could anyway, so it's fine."
Sanji didn't know if he should laugh or cry at his naivety.
"Er… Thanks, I guess? But I'm a pirate?"
"Oh, I believe not all pirates are bad, so unless you prove me otherwise, I have nothing against you. Whose crew do you belong to?"
"I'm Gin of the Krieg Pirates." he smiled weakly.
Luffy's grin turned into a scowl as he heard the name, "That guy? he's one of the worse captains out here that you can follow. He doesn't care one bit for his crew and thinks he can get his way just with some petty tricks. And the way he's pirating, just downright atrocious, no class at all."
Gin's eyes widened as he said that, he was expecting a more hostile reaction rather than just criticisms on his way of pirating.
"So what do you want with me?" Gin tried to ask.
"Nothing? You're gonna leave after he feeds you right?" Luffy jerked his head towards Sanji. "Just a piece of advice, you're better off without that captain of yours."
"A Marine that let's a pirate go free, that's new." Sanji smirked.
"You would really just willingly let me go, knowing that I'm a member of the Krieg pirates?" Gin stared at Luffy in wonder.
"Sure," Luffy crossed his arms, smiling at him.
Gin shook his head, not sure what was going through the marine's head.
"Listen, Gin. I already prepared a boat for you, get out of here as soon as you can." Sanji jerked his thumb towards a small boat tied to the back of the restaurant.
"Sanji, I'll never forget this, because of you, I'm alive!" Gin held on to Sanji's hands gratefully, tears streaming past his cheeks.
"HEY BRAT!" A loud voice bellowed from above them. All three looked up to see Zeff leaning over the railing on the second floor, watching them.
Gin's face fell as he stared at the empty plate beside him, "I'm sorry you'll get into trouble because of me…"
"Nonsense, you already paid for your food," Luffy pushed a few berry notes into Sanji before giving Gin a push in the direction of the boat.
"You're really weird, you know that?" Sanji grinned, clasping on the berries he received.
Zeff just grunted, "Get back to work you stupid cook." He left without waiting for an answer.
"I'll never forget this Sanji!" Gin waved the cook goodbye as the boat was carried off by the waves, sailing further and further away.
"So will you join my crew now?" Luffy grinned.
"Hell no, I still have my own dreams to fulfill."
That sparked off Luffy grabbing him by the shoulders and turning him to face him, "REEEAAALLY? Tell me please! Please! Please! Please! Plea-"
"GET OFF ME YOU SHITTY MARINE!" Sanji pulled himself away from Luffy, stumbling. "I have no reason to tell you anyway!"
"Selfish," Luffy pouted. He turned to leave, his cloak swaying behind him against the wind. "I still reject your refusal though, so I'm staying here until you agree to come with me."
"YOU DAMN MARINE! LISTEN TO WHAT OTHERS SAY TO YOU!" Sanji yelled after the departing Marine.
Things proceeded normally for the next two days, the Straw Hats continued to stay at the restaurant on their Captain's orders to try and convince Sanji to join them, much to Zoro's dismay.
"Must it be him, Captain? Zoro groaned. "There's plenty of other chefs that we could find…"
"No, he's both a good chef and a good fighter. I've seen the way he moves, we'll not settle for anything less." With that, Luffy silenced any other forms of protests.
On the beginning of the third day, Luffy and Nami were alone onboard Merry, the other guys having gone to have their breakfast.
"Luffy, about the thing I asked you before…" Nami hesitated.
"I understand Nami, if I can't get him to join today, we'll go back to your hometown first. You don't need to worry." Luffy finished for her.
"Are you sure you want to follow me? For all you know, I may be leading you into a trap…"
Luffy took one look at her and laughed, "Shishishishi! Nami, what kind of person tells the other they may be leading them into a trap if they really planned to do so?"
Nami grimaced, usually the one admonishing the other for not thinking was her, not Luffy. She hung her shoulders in defeat, sighing.
"I do have to warn you though, I haven't officially agreed to join your crew yet, so technically I'm still not a Marine."
"Works for me, once we're done with your hometown, you can officially be one of us then!" Luffy grinned enthusiastically.
"I don't understand why do you have so much faith in me?" Nami raised an eyebrow.
"You haven't done anything for me not to trust you," Luffy shrugged, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Nami sighed again, "Alright, one more day then, then I'm leaving here with or without you."
"Heh, thanks Nami, though I would appreciate if-" A sudden explosion rang through the restaurant.
Nami and Luffy glanced at each other before jumping out of their ship and running back into the restaurant. Several gunshots also rang out while they were running there.
Luffy burst into the dining area just in time to see a man wearing golden armor strut out with a huge sack over his shoulders. Gin was kneeling on the floor, apologizing repeatedly to Sanji. Many of the cooks seemed to be lying around on the floor with various bullet wounds while Sanji seemed to have taken a rather nasty hit to his face.
"What happened here?" Luffy approached Zoro, fists clenched.
"Don Krieg showed up with his crew, he demanded the cooks to feed him before he got violent on them… That Zeff guy just gave him the food he asked for even though Don Krieg had threatened to take over this ship once his men are fed. I can't believe these guys..." Zoro spat.
"Yeah… Apparently he just came back from the Grand Line when his armada of five thousand men were decimated by a single guy… His galleon looks to be in a pretty bad shape..." Usopp added helpfully.
The rest of the cooks seemed to be blaming Sanji for choosing to feed Don Krieg when Zeff told them to shut up, stating none of them knew what it was like to starve to the brink of death before.
Sanji smirked at him, "Relax guys, it's my policy to feed starving men, but since these pirates are no longer starving, no one can blame me for beating the hell out of them when they come, right?"
The other cooks shook their heads at him.
"Hey Gin," Gin turned to see Luffy standing by the side.
"You're still here huh, Marine?" Gin sighed.
"Who's the guy who did this to your ship?" Luffy stepped towards him.
"He's a monster, not a guy… That crazy strength can never belong to a human being… Before we even knew what was happening, he had destroyed so many of our ships with just his sword… I still remember his eyes, it was like the eyes of a hawk, staring down at me like I was his next prey…" Gin was crouching down on the floor, hands covering his head in fear.
"Royal Shichibukai, Dracule Mihawk," Luffy finished for Gin, smiling.
Everyone in the restaurant immediately stiffened hearing that name.
"Shi… Shichibukai?" The cooks muttered.
"So he's here…" Zoro grinned, grasping his swords tightly. "Finally I will get to meet you, 'The World's Greatest Swordsman'."
Yells of victory came from the galleon outside the restaurant as the pirates readied themselves to attack. All the cooks had their weapons out and were marching out the door when the galleon suddenly collapsed within itself.
"The galleon, it got cut?" Nami gasped, not believing what she was seeing.
Zeff yelled out to the chefs to move the ship out of the way as parts of the galleon crashed in around them. Nami raced back to Merry in an attempt to move it out of the way as well, anchoring it a few feet away from the restaurant.
"There he is, the bastard…" Zeff scoffed, spotting a lone figure sailing out of the mist on a coffin-shaped boat.
"You bastard! What have we done to you? Why did you follow us here?!" One of the Krieg pirates demanded.
"Just passing through to meet a friend…" Mihawk answered, not sparing a glance at the pirates.
"You asshole!" A pirate pointed his guns at him and fired two shots.
Mihawk didn't even flinch as he drew his sword behind his back smoothly in an arc, deflecting the bullets away from him.
"Such graceful swordsmanship… Truly deserving of the title of the best... " Zoro gasped. He stood on the deck of the restaurant, watching Mihawk's passive face.
"HEY! HAWKY! YOU MADE IT!" Luffy jumped on the railings, waving wildly at Mihawk.
Mihawk broke out in a grin, his impassive face disappearing like a mirage. He sheathed his sword as he stood up from his boat, "Luffy! I got your message! How have you been?"
Flashback
"What?" Mihawk glared at the marine boy that hasn't stop staring at him the moment he walked into the meeting room of Marine Headquarters. Both of them were currently alone as they waited for the rest to show up.
"You look funny," The boy blurted out innocently. "I like you!"
Mihawk didn't know whether to laugh or rage at the boy but settled for the former.
"Who are you? What are you doing here? You have a nice hat! What sword is that? Why are your eyes like that? Can I touch your sword? Can I wear your hat?" The boy fired off his questions like a machine gun.
"Kukukuku, you're an interesting one boy, what's your name?"
"Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be an Admiral!"
"Monkey? Garp's family I see… So you want to be an Admiral huh, you've got a long road ahead of you."
"I don't care, I'm still going to do it!" Luffy pumped his fist in the air.
"Kukukuku, well said boy, if only more people in the world had your conviction."
"Shishishi, so who are you?" Luffy grinned at the swordsman.
"How rude of me, I'm Dracule Mihawk, greatest swordsman in the world."
"That's so cool!" Luffy jumped towards Mihawk, gawking up at him. Mihawk spotted the straw hat that was tied to his back.
"That straw hat, did someone by the name of Shanks give it to you?"
"Oh! You know Shanks?! He gave this hat to me after I told him I'll become an Admiral!"
"Wahhahhahhah! You're getting more and more interesting boy! Shanks actually gave you that hat when you told him you wanted to be an Admiral?" Mihawk laughed.
"Yep! He's a really good guy!" Luffy smiled, innocently.
"You know he's a pirate right?"
"Yep, he's a really good pirate too! I like him!"
"Wahhahhahhah! So what will you do when you catch him?"
"Catch him?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Why would I catch him? He's a good guy, I only catch bad guys."
"Kukukuku, Luffy the world is going to feel your presence once you get out there. You have the conviction and the will to make changes like no one else has ever dreamed of."
"Really? Do you think I can be an Admiral too?" Luffy grinned.
"That and more, Luffy. And I swear, by my name as Dracule Mihawk, that I will support your ambition as long as you swear to never stray from the path you had set out yourself."
"REALLY?! Thanks Hawky!"
"Hawky?" Mihawk stared at Luffy incredulously.
"Yeah! Your eyes look like a hawk! It's so cool!"
"Wahhahhahhah!"
"I've been fine! I'm glad you could make it in time! Here's the man that I told you about!" Luffy gestured to Zoro.
"You brought him here?" Zoro glanced at Luffy.
"Hey, you said you wanted to meet him, and we were going to stay here for awhile anyway so I called him." Luffy shrugged.
"So, you're Roronoa Zoro, the best swordsman of East Blue?" Mihawk scrutinized Zoro.
"Roronoa?"
"So it really is him!"
"Three swords on his waist…"
"The pirate hunter…"
The cooks and pirates began muttering amongst themselves.
"Luffy has told me many things about you, about your ambition to surpass me as the best swordsman in the world."
"Indeed," Zoro grinned, tying his bandana on his head. "And I wish to duel you!"
Mihawk snorted, "I don't mean to insult you, Zoro, but the world is big, fighting you at your current level will only be an insult to me."
Zoro gritted his teeth, "You don't know anything about me…"
"Perhaps, but I can judge your strength well enough, I say the truth that your current skill level is below mine, but if you still wish to duel, I will gladly oblige."
Zoro unsheathed his three swords and leapt across the water, landing among the remains of Don Krieg's ship. "I request a duel."
"Very well," Mihawk took out his necklace of a cross and pulled the end out, revealing a small blade underneath. "I apologize but this is the smallest blade I have."
"You insult me?" Zoro scowled.
"Not at all, this is similar to how you wouldn't use a cannon to kill a fly."
Zoro's scowl deepened as he charged towards Mihawk.
"Oni Giri!"
Zoro slashed all three of his swords at Mihawk, only for them all to be stopped by a single stab of Mihawk's blade. In an instant, Mihawk had correctly gauged the time where all three of Zoro's blades will converge and stabbed towards that point, stopping his blades from moving.
Zoro could not even budge an inch against the knife that was pushing him back with a monstrous force.
'Impossible! This is the level of the best? I can't be so far from it!'
Zoro started slashing at Mihawk with wild abandon, trying to get at least a hit on him.
"Such ferocity, Zoro... To be the best, you at least must be calm even in the fiercest of battles." Mihawk lectured, deflecting all of Zoro's strikes gracefully.
'I can't lose! I didn't train all my life just to fight against his toy!'
Zoro slashed at Mihawk again, only for Mihawk to push him back with his blade.
"I want to be the strongest Swordsman in the world!"
"After all, an Admiral's crew should only have the best!"
'You knew he was this much stronger than me, and yet you had faith that I could reach him?'
Zoro settled into his stance, bringing the two swords in his hands behind the one in his mouth.
"Tora Gari!"
Zoro slashed forwards as Mihawk charged at him. Zoro's swords never reached his target as Mihawk stabbed at his chest.
Zoro stood still staring at Mihawk as the knife pierced his chest.
"Why do you refuse to step back even so?" Mihawk glanced at Zoro.
"Honestly, I don't know," Zoro confessed. "But I feel like I would lose something really important if I were to even take a step back."
"That is your conviction, your will to deny defeat even in death. The same conviction that Luffy has that drives him to change the world. Would you rather die than be defeated?"
"I would!" Zoro gritted his teeth.
Mihawk retracted his blade from Zoro's chest.
"You have earned my respect, Roronoa Zoro, and as a mark of that as a fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my Black Sword, the strongest in the world." Mihawk drew the sword on his back.
"Heh… Should I thank you?" Zoro spat, raising his swords just as Mihawk began to charge.
Zoro brought his swords together, eyes only on Mihawk.
"Santouryuu Ougi: Sanzen Sekai!"
The two swordsmen slashed past each other, a small shockwave blasted out from their clash. Nami gasped as the swords in Zoro's hands shattered.
Zoro sheathed the last remaining sword that was in his mouth and turned to face Mihawk just as he was about to strike again. He stretched his arms wide, prepared to receive the inevitable blow.
Mihawk looked at him questioningly in which Zoro answered, "A mark on the back is a Swordsman's shame."
"Well said," Mihawk grinned as he brought the sword down on Zoro, across his chest.
"ZORO!" all of the Straw Hat Marines cried out.
"You truly are worthy of being Luffy's first mate," Mihawk grinned as Zoro fell into the water.
Johnny and Yosaku immediately leapt into the sea and swam towards Zoro.
"MIHAWK!" Luffy shouted, appearing in front of Mihawk and punching towards him. Mihawk barely had time to raise his sword in defence as Luffy's fist connected with his blade, the shockwave pushing Mihawk back a few steps.
"He managed to make him move back?" Sanji gasped.
"As monstrous as ever Luffy," Mihawk grinned uncontrollably. "Relax, I didn't kill him."
Luffy turned in time to see Johnny and Yosaku pulling out a gasping Zoro onto Merry. Nami and Usopp immediately descended upon him with Usopp administering first aid while Nami berating him for being an idiot.
"Roronoa Zoro! I shall await for you at the top of this world! Get stronger and face me once again! Forge ahead with that will of yours and surpass me, Roronoa!" Mihawk shouted.
"To think he actually acknowledges him…" Sanji muttered. "That guy must be crazy…"
"Luffy, I take it your dream hasn't changed?" Mihawk smirked.
"Not at all, I'll be standing at the top of the Marines one day for sure." He stuck his tongue at Mihawk.
"Hmph, I'll await that day then." Mihawk grinned.
"Luffy!" Zoro called out from the boat, despite the others' protests.
"I'm sorry for embarrassing you! For you to have so much faith in me, and yet to not meet your expectations…"
Zoro pulled out his last sword, pointing it towards the sky, "I swear by my sword, Luffy, that until I fight him again and win, I'LL NEVER LOSE AGAIN!"
"Zoro! Stop it! You're only making it worse!" Nami cried.
"ANY PROBLEMS WITH THAT? ADMIRAL?" Zoro shouted with finality.
"Nope!" Luffy grinned.
"You found a good first mate, Luffy. I'll be seeing you then," Mihawk waved as he stepped back on his boat.
"Mihawk!" Don Krieg stepped up from behind Luffy. "Aren't you here to take my head?"
"Don't be so full of yourself, you were merely in my way when I came to meet my friend, nothing more. Someone as insignificant as you isn't even worth my time, fool." Mihawk sighed.
"Oh, you're planning to leave?" Krieg smirked. "Why don't you die first!"
Krieg brandished a two pistols while his shoulder plates flipped up to reveal more guns, all firing simultaneously at Mihawk.
"Fool…" Mihawk sighed as he slashed at the ground, sending a spray of water up. When the water came crashing down, Mihawk was already gone.
"Tch, coward," Krieg spat. He turned to regard Luffy, "Now for you, little Marine, are you here to arrest me?"
"Yes, and I'm also here to kick your ass." Luffy deadpanned.
"Ha! I'd like to see you try! Pearl!" Krieg called out behind him.
A towering man with iron plated shields all over his body approached behind Krieg.
"Heheheh, you called for me Don?" Pearl snickered.
Let's kill this upstart Marine," Krieg smirked.
Both of them charged towards Luffy when a blonde haired cook jumped in front of them, kicking at Pearl and sending him skidding backwards.
"Two against one doesn't really seem to be that fair, don't you agree?" Sanji smirked, tapping his shoe on the ground.
"Tch, whatever! Pearl! Take care of that damn cook first!" Krieg yelled.
"Hehehe! Nothing can get through my invincible wall! It's time for you to die!" Pearl charged towards Sanji.
Sanji kicked towards his head but Pearl snapped his arm up and blocked it with his shield before flinging Sanji away.
"It's no use! My shields can block even attacks from battleship cannons!" Pearl yelled confidently, charging at Sanji again.
Sanji said nothing as he kicked towards Pearl's chest, which Pearl received with his shield with confidence, barely budging against the kick.
"It's useless!" Pearl smashed his hand towards Sanji, smashing into the ground. "I have never bled in all my battles before! I have a perfect battle record! You don't stand a chance!"
Sanji charged at him again, jumping up and holding on to Pearl's arm as he tried another smash.
"Then prepare to mark this day as your first bleeding! Collier Shoot!"
Sanji kicked his foot towards Pear's unprotected neck, smashing him into a debris of the ship. As the dust cleared, Pearl was staring at the blood that flowed from his nose.
"I'M BLEEDING!" Pearl yelled. He smashed the shields on his fist together and the sparks ignited all his shields, setting them on fire.
"Danger! Danger! Danger! Back away!" Pearl shouted, swinging wildly at Sanji.
"This guy has a screw loose…" Sanji muttered. He flipped backwards to land on his hands, legs aimed at Pearl.
"Poitrine Shoot!"
Sanji kicked his foot towards Pearl's chest, knocking the man back a few feet.
"Why aren't you afraid of fire?!" Pearl demanded.
"If a cook is afraid of fire, he can never cook." Sanji grinned.
"I'll smash you!" Pearl charged at Sanji again, swinging his arms at him.
Sanji jumped over Pearl and kicked at the back of his head, sending him sprawling on the ground.
Pearl got up on shaky legs, eyes red with anger. "I'll make you pay! Fire Pearl Daitokuten!"
Pearl flung his arms into the air as pearls of fire exploded out from him in all directions.
'Shit!'
Sanji cursed as a pearl hit him square on the chest and flung him into a debris, smashing him through it.
Sanji coughed as he got out of the debris, before looking up to see a charging Pearl. He didn't have time to dodge as a flaming shield connected with his face, sending him flying back again. The Krieg pirates cheered.
"That's enough from you!" Sanji yelled, blood dripping down his head.
"All talk from someone who's half dead!" Pearl laughed as he charged again.
Sanji's eyes burned as he flipped back on his hands again.
"Poitrine Shoot!"
Sanji's boot landed squarely at Pearl's chest and instead of bouncing off, his kick smashed right through the shield and implanted firmly on Pearl, sending him flying into the sea.
"There, take some time to cool off, will ya?" Sanji dusted his hands.
"Pearl!" Krieg shouted after the sinking pirate.
He turned his glare at Sanji, "You will pay for that."
"I don't think so," Luffy stepped in front of Sanji, his Marine cloak fluttering in the wind. "Don't touch my cook."
"Who's your cook?!" Sanji yelled.
"Sanji, back away from here, this could get nasty." Luffy glanced at him.
Sanji saw the look in his eyes and didn't protest, jumping back to the restaurant to join Zeff.
"Watch how he fights, Sanji," Zeff muttered. "If you thought Mihawk was a monster, he's much more than that."
"That strawhat boy?" Sanji glanced at Zeff.
Zeff nodded slowly, "If you didn't notice, Mihawk actually flinched slightly when that boy yelled at him."
Sanji's eyes widened as he stared at the boy standing against Don Krieg.
"Who are you, boy?" Krieg sneered.
"Captain Monkey D. Luffy of the Straw Hat Marines, I'm placing you under arrest!"
"Heh! As if you can!" Krieg took off one of his shoulder pads to hold in his hands. The shield opened up to reveal canisters clustered all around the edge of the shield.
"Die filthy Marine!" Krieg fired and spikes flew out of the shield towards Luffy.
"Tekai" Luffy muttered, not moving as the spikes impaled themselves on him, crushing themselves on his hardened skin before dropping on the floor, barely leaving a scratch.
Everyone's jaws dropped as they witnessed Luffy unharmed amidst the onslaught of spike.
Krieg only cursed as he opened the cannon hidden in his armour and fired at Luffy, only for Luffy to catch the cannonball in midair.
"Mihawk was right about you, Krieg, you really are a fool," Luffy grinned.
"Don't mess with me!" Krieg scowled, combining both his shoulder plates together to transform it into a spear.
"You will die now!" Krieg charged at Luffy, spear raised in the air to smash down at him.
"Rankyaku!"
Luffy kicked his leg in the air, the compressed air slicing the Spear off at the head, just below the combined shoulder plates.
"YOU BRAT!" Krieg cried as he witnessed hi best weapon sliced without the strawhat moving from his position.
"I'll kill you!"
"Yadda, yadda, yadda," Luffy droned, appearing in front of Krieg. "You're not strong enough to kill me."
"Shigan!"
Luffy pierced his finger into Krieg's golden armour. Krieg stared dumbly at the single finger that managed to penetrate his impenetrable defence, blood was already oozing out from the wound at his abdomen.
"What are you?" Krieg spluttered.
"A Marine." Luffy smirked, withdrawing his hand before delivering a crushing blow into Krieg's chest, shattering the armour. Turning on his heels, he lifted his leg and kicked at Krieg's head, smashing him into the ground with a satisfying boom.
"That boy... is the real monster," Zeff grinned.
"So you're not going to arrest us?" Gin stared at Luffy incredulously. Everyone had retreated back into the restaurant and the Krieg pirates were standing in front of Luffy, who was enjoying a hearty victory meal. Krieg was tied up and unconscious on the floor behind him.
"Nah… I only need Krieg, you guys didn't do anything, so you can go." Luffy waved his hand.
"But… We have no where else to go…" One of the pirates protested.
"Do any of you know how to cook?" Zeff stepped up towards them.
Most of them shook their heads. Zeff sighed, "If all of you don't mind to learn, I suppose I can hire you guys here,"
All of the pirates gasped.
"You'll take in a bunch of pirates like us?" Gin asked.
Zeff shrugged and gestured to his cooks, "these boys aren't exactly the gentleman when I picked them all up. You guys will fit right in."
Gin got down on his knees, as did all the Krieg pirates, "We'll be in your care! Owner Zeff!"
As everyone started celebrating the arrival of more staff, Nami nudged Luffy impatiently, tapping at her wrist.
Luffy sighed and went to the kitchen to find Sanji.
"Hey, Sanji! Join my crew!"
"Not this again… I already told you no, I can't leave this place." Sanji sighed, cleaning one of the knives.
"Why not?" Luffy tilted his head.
"I owe the old man too much for me to leave like this… He and I shared the same dream back then, it would be too selfish of me to run away now…"
Luffy grabbed him quickly by the shoulders, "Your dream?! Tell me please! Please! Please! Please! Please!"
"Stop it! I'm not telli-"
"To find the All BLue," Zeff walked into the kitchen.
"All Blue?" Luffy raised an eyebrow.
"Aye, it is said that every kind of fish can be found there, it is the chef's paradise." Zeff grunted. "Go you stupid eggplant, chase that silly dream of yours, you're better out there than in here. I don't need your help with all these new guys I'll be having."
"But… It's not fair…" Sanji teared up.
"I'll tell you what's not fair you silly brat, you stuck with an old man like me when you can be out there pursuing that dream of yours. Go with the Marine and chase our dream for us." Zeff grinned.
"Old man… I…"
"Don't do that to me you stupid eggplant," Tearing up despite himself. "Go before I kick you out myself!"
Sanji got on his knees, "I'm eternally grateful for taking care of me for so long!" Tears flowed freely down his cheeks.
"I'll never in my life, ever forget the debt I can never repay you!"
"Damnit!" The rest of the chefs exploded into the kitchen.
"Why can't you just leave without saying anything, huh? You damn bastard!"
"We're going to be so lonely without you, you stupid cook!"
"We'll all miss ya, you bastard!"
All the chefs cried.
Sanji looked at them with a big smile on his face.
"LET'S MEET AGAIN ONE DAY, YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING BASTARDS!" Sanji cried with them.
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and cut.that is it for this chapter,hope you enjoyed and next chapter will bring even more surprises stay tuned to find out in
chapter 8:"Broken Promises"