Luffy’s Second Chance

by 1boredreindeer (1BoredReindeer)

Summary:

The StrawHats made it to Laughtale and read its secrets, found out the truth of the world. Ancient wars were fought again and the wrong side lost. The will of the people brought them back for a second chance. Can they survive ushering in a new era or will the StrawHats go up in flames?

Chapter 1: From the Top

”Pirate scum, you were destined to die here. The second you raised the black flag you sealed your fate.” A cruel smile slid across the man’s face. Magma sizzled and melted its way through the stones, glowing red hot. The same magma had just finished melting down Vice Admiral Smoker. He had died trying to give StrawHat Luffy time to recover. It wasn’t enough. Monkey D. Luffy died and then woke up.

 

The first thing he felt was hunger, the second was something wrapped around him. Opening his eyes Luffy realized he was in a bed and the thing around him was a blanket. Seeing his familiar hat on the nightstand the young man stuffed it on his head and went to explore. It seemed familiar to him but he couldn’t say why, the last thing the young Emperor remembered was fighting the Fleet Admiral, now he was somewhere else and the Marine was nowhere in sight. Following the hallway his nose picked up the scent of food. Luffy trailed after the smell and ended up in a large room downstairs. It was filled with people passed out at tables and at the bar.

As much as Luffy wanted food he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been here before. Looking closer at the people he scratched his head thinking. After several minutes and quite a bit of steam coming out of his ears he figured it out. MAKINO’S BAR!! What was he doing here, and why did it look like the night of his send off party? Deciding the answer could only be in the kitchen Luffy went there. A platter of meat resting on the counter disappeared as soon as he saw it. That earned him a round of laughter from a green haired woman who was cooking more food.

“Luffy you’re up early this morning. I guess you’re excited to go. I’ll have breakfast ready soon.” Luffy could only stare at her with a blank look on his face.

“Makino what are you doing here?”

“I already told you I’m making breakfast. Did you hit your head last night?” Makino stared at him with concern written on her face.

“No why would you ask?” Luffy was only more confused now. The woman only laughed and shook her head. After several hours and Luffy consuming enough food to feed a crowd of several dozen he decided to treat what was happening as a second chance. At least until he was proven wrong. If he remembered correctly the only things he had packed for the trip was a bag full of meat and small boat. That wasn’t going to do if Luffy wanted to be better prepared, the first thing he would need is a map of the East Blue. Asking around he found out the mayor had a spare map of the East Blue.

He didn’t want to part with it but Makino convinced him. No one could say no to her. Also by a stroke of luck, Luffy remembered to ask if anyone knew where the mad, axe wielding Marine Captain was stationed. The luck continued as it seemed that the Captain had a reputation far more reaching than Luffy would have thought. Makino helpfully circled where he needed to go on the map.

The other things he wanted would be found in Loguetown. Shouldering his enormous pack, the young man made his way down to the dock. The sun had fully risen by now and was starting to bake the small port village. After the young man loaded his pack, he turned back to the crowd waving goodbye. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay and won’t let anyone get hurt this time.” With that he quickly rowed his way out to open water.

“Did he say this time?” Makino asked the Mayor. He only shrugged in response. WHOOSH. The local Sea King rose from the white-capped water, its brown-grey body towering over the little dinghy. The serpentine head waved back and forth, jaws gaping showing rows of sharp teeth. It seemed the beast was ready for round two. Luffy was too. A blast of Conquerors Haki and the great serpent had been subdued. Another smaller surge laced with the suggestion to come here had the Sea King coming up alongside the small boat and waiting patiently. Luffy smiled widely, this was going to give him the opportunity to test an idea. Using a rope he secured the animal to the boat, this way he wouldn’t have to row. That and he reasoned the Sea King might know where the nearby islands are. This was going to be great he thought.

The future King of the Pirates was currently studying the may trying to figure out how to get to Shell Island. The Sea King hadn’t known where it was when Luffy had asked. It did know where the best fishing was though. The island didn’t look that far away on paper but half the day had passed and they hadn’t made it to an island yet. He was definitely going to need Nami to teach him how to navigate. Scratching his head Luffy was trying to remember how he had made it there the first time. BOOM! The loud noise caught his attention and the young man looked around for its source. The Sea King found it first, trumpeting to alert Luffy. Turning around his mouth fell open in shock which morphed to laughter a few moments later. A bright pink heart shaped ship was currently doing battle a short distance away.

Luffy stretched out a hand taking hold of the pink rail. “Shi shi shi. Stay here I’ll be back soon.” With that the young pirate shot off toward the battling crews. As he sailed through the air Luffy kept an eye out for pink hair. Just before he landed he spotted Coby attempting to defend himself. Then he hit the ground and was fighting his way though. Luffy was having fun taking out low level pirates left and right. He got close enough to see Coby doing a decent job of holding one enemy back. Then he saw it, some piece of crap trying to shoot Coby in the back. Luffy let a small wave of Conquerers Haki loose and knocked the guy out. His control wasn’t perfect so a few other people fainted as well including the guy Coby had been fighting.

“What was that and who are you?”Coby’s eyes were popping out if his head.

“Shi Shi Shi. I don’t know but it stopped that guy from killing you. As for me I’m Monkey D. Luffy and I’m just passing through. ” Luffy pointed to the would be assassin. If possible Coby’s eyes shot out even further.

“I hate being on this ship. This is insane. The crew is insane, so’s the Captain.”

“Why haven’t you left yet if it’s that bad?”

“You don’t leave Iron Mace Alvida’s crew alive. I accidentally boarded the ship trying to go fishing and she gave me a choice. Be her cabin boy and join the crew or die on the spot. I’m her cabin boy. It’s miserable, I have to clean her bloody mace and constantly complement her looks even though she actually looks like a whale.” Luffy laughed at the last part even though Coby looked glum.

“Well I’ll be leaving in a few minutes, come with me.” Luffy offered with a bright smile on his face.

“What? Are you serious? Yes, oh please yes. Wait. Never mind there’s no way Captain Alvida will ever let me go.”

“You’re absolutely right Cabin Boy you’re not going anywhere. Who’s the most beautiful woman on the East Blue?” A short, squat and very rotund woman had come up behind them while they had been speaking. Which was surprising since she was wearing a bright pink and purple cowboy outfit. She also had a large iron mace in one hand. It was taller than her. The whole crew except for Coby gave a thunderous response.

“You're the most beautiful woman Captain. The strongest and smartest too.” Coby tried to weakly answer with them.

“Coby said you were a whale and a terrible Captain. He said you were the ugliest person he’s ever seen. Shi Shi Shi. He was right too.” Luffy had a massive grin on his face as he spoke. Alvida’s face had turned dark red and her eyes were popping out. The shock quickly turned to rage and she began to swing her mace at Coby. Before she could hurt the cowardly boy Luffy stepped in her path and took the mace to the head. The Captain and crew laughed seeing his head disappear. Coby looked like he was going to faint. Pulling her mace back they expected the usual bloody scene but Luffy’s head popped out like nothing happened. His StrawHat wasn’t even damaged. Before they could get over their collective confusion Luffy took them out.

“Gum Gum pistol.” The move sent Alvida’s and several of her crew into the ocean. Laughing he wrapped an arm around Coby and jumped ship, heading for the dinghy. The pink hair boy looked like he was going to faint at any moment. Luffy couldn’t figure out why since they were finally free of Alvida’s presence. Maybe it was because Coby thought he was going to die when the pink whale swung her mace at him.

Landing in the small boat Luffy dropped the smaller boy and started looking for food. Triumphant he turned back around to show the pink haired boy his spoils. Instead he found Coby face down, and unconscious. Luffy laughed, he had missed this version of Coby. The shy and very afraid one. Smiling he asked the Sea King to head to the nearest island. They would need food and maybe someone would know the way to Shells Island.

—
His head was pounding, and it felt like the desert had just taken a shit in his mouth. If he didn’t know better Smoker would say he was hungover from an all night binge. There was also something sharp pressing against his face. Smoker opened his eyes and realized that he was sitting in his old office in Loguetown. The last thing he remembered was being turned into a doughnut. So what was he doing here? Either this was some twisted version of hell or they had gone back in the past. He had seen weirder things in his career as a Marine. If they had gone back in time StrawHat must’ve failed. The World Government had been insanely strong and had taken them down. They would have to be much stronger this time.

A timid knock at the door sounded, it made his head pound. “Come in.” A young marine entered carrying a stack of papers and a transponder snail.

“Here is today’s stack of bounty posters and Lieutenant Tashigi went to buy new glasses. She left a snail to contact her on. Is there anything you need Sir?”

“Coffee, lots of it. Find a list a nearby shops as well. Dismissed.” The young man walked as quickly as possible to the door. After he left Smoker lit up two of his cigars and started to go through the papers he had been given. It was obvious where he was not when he was. These papers might hold a clue to that answer. Flipping through them nothing jumped out until the last one. It was the Captain of a semi-decent pirate crew that had come through just before Monkey D. Luffy had. So the kid probably hadn’t come through yet, wracking his brain the man tried to remember how much time he had before Straw Hat got here. No more than a few weeks that’s for sure. He needed to work quickly and start monitoring the harbor.

He needed to get ready quickly, needed to get used to this body. He had the benefit of experience but physically was weaker, he hadn’t trained enough yet. Reaching for haki, he found armament easily enough, observation took a moment, he would need to train those too. Tashigi would also need a regimen made up. This was going to take a minute. Right then another knock sounded at the door. The marine from earlier walked in carrying a tray of coffee along with a stack of papers.

After creating training schedules for both himself and the blue headed woman, the cigar laden mans stomach was rumbling. Coffee could only do so much, he couldn’t take it anymore and went in search for food. The mess hall was serving stew and onigiri, an interesting combination but it was good nonetheless. His hunger satiated, the large man headed for the practice field. Time to get to work. Halfway through wiping the floor with some of the more competent marines on base his missing student showed up. The bluenette was panting and covered in dirt, her clothes rumpled. It looked like she had been fighting in an alleyway.

Finishing up with his opponents the Captain walked over to the young woman. What in the hell had she been up to? Before he could question her the woman launched into an explanation.

“Sir, I’m sorry I’m late, there were pirates. I managed to apprehend them but there was a scuffle.” She nervously pushed broken glasses up.

“Were they anyone important?”

“No Sir.”

“Then you shouldn’t have struggled so much, I’ll be increasing your training load. Get cleaned up and eat something. It’s getting late, I’ll see you back here at dawn.” With that he headed off to clean up and then he could asses his devil fruit abilities.

Once Smoker was alone he started practicing with his devil fruit control. After the sparring match he felt more in tune with his body and fighting abilities. His devil fruit however, well the first few weeks he had been terrible with control, unable to do much but change the direction and shape of his cigar smoke. The first time he had tried to fight his concentration had slipped and he’d become a smoke cloud drifting above the cobblestones. Thank the seas his enemies hadn’t known haki at the time or he’d have been screwed. Smoker needed to gauge his control now and not in the middle of a fight.

Turning his arm to smoke and back again was easy, as was sending his hands out away from his body. Later he would try to fly, for now though, he needed to plan for Monkey D. Luffy. The kid probably didn’t have anything he needed for the Grandline. Most of it would be fairly easy to find but it was going to be pricey. Thankfully he had taken quite a few idiot rookies out that had bounties. Sometimes being a Marine wasn’t all bad, he got the bounty money and Marine pay for taking pirates down. Cigars weren’t exactly cheap.

The next morning saw Smoker on the practice field before the sun. He was currently running laps, a few other Marines were up and sparring but most were still asleep in their bunks. As the white haired man ran the sun slowly rose and warmed the air, its rays creating brilliant beams in the morning fog. A blue haired woman appeared at the edge of the field and just before she could make her way over to him, she tripped. Her new glasses flew through the morning air and crashed into the ground. They immediately broke upon impact. Smoker let out the deepest sigh possible….this was going to be a long morning. Making his way over to the younger marine he picked her up off the ground and set her upright.

“I’m sorry Sir I don’t know what happened-“

“Watch where you step more carefully and that won’t happen, don’t bother with your glasses either they’re broken.” He cut her off before she could say anything else. Tashigi had been known to take an eternity to apologize if you let her. It had worked, she silently saluted instead of babbling. He wasn’t in the mood. Taking a few drags of his cigars he pulled out a set of papers from inside his pocket.

“What are those Sir?” The curiosity evident on her face.

“A daily training routine, I want you to stick to this until it’s easy and then double it. I can’t be with you every second of the day so I’ll expect you not to slack off. I’ll know otherwise. Do you understand?”

“Yes Sir. I’ll need some new glasses though.” That was a given the Marine Captain thought, if Tashigi was a clutz with her glasses on, she was a natural disaster without them.

“Do it, and then get to work on that list. I’ve got some things to do so I won’t be on base for most of the day.”

“Yes Sir.” Smoker watched the bluenette take off, already feeling sorry for whoever was unfortunate enough to be in her path

Chapter 2: Swordsman and Nakama

Summary:

Luffy and Coby look for Luffy’s first crew mate. While in town things get complicated and they pick a fight with the Marines.

They reached the island just as the sun was sinking below the horizon. Luffy had tried to dock, sea king and all. Not understanding that the beast wouldn’t fit in the harbour and that it would terrify the townspeople. Coby had to remind Luffy of his own reaction to it. Luffy, after he finished laughing, sent the Sea King off to wait in deeper water. After docking the small boat, the boys went to find some hot food. It was easy, all they had to do was follow Luffy’s nose. He led them straight to a restaurant named Food Foo.

They ordered one of everything on the menu, mostly because of Luffy ,and while he ate he decided to ask Coby a few things. “So if you didn’t want to be on Alvida’s ship then what is your dream?” He loudly asked, bits of food flying out as well.

“Keep it down I don’t want people to know I was on her crew. My dream is to be a Marine and if they find out I was her cabin boy they might not let me in.” The pink haired boy was anxiously looking to see if anyone had been listening to them.

“I don’t see what’s so great about being a Marine. They’re annoying and they don’t actually help anyone. You should just join my crew instead.” After Luffy’s experiences with the Navy he had decided most of them were useless or corrupt.

“Marines protect people, they stand for justice and honor. They would never do anything to hurt innocent people. Anyone would be proud to be one, I’m going to be one! And what crew? What kind of Captain are you?” Coby had been frantically waving his hands as he spoke, while still holding the drumstick he’d been eating.

“Not all Marines are good and protect people. Some do the exact opposite. I don’t want to be just a Captain anyways, I want to be King of the Pirates. I need to be a Captain for that and I need a crew. There’s someone here I want to recruit. ” Luffy’s voice had risen again while he spoke. Coby was looking at him in shock.

“A pirate, Luffy, you can’t be serious. Pirates are evil, like Alvida or Gold Roger. You’re not like them, and if you’re a pirate I can’t join you. I won’t join you. I’m going to become a Marine and capture every pirate out there.” Coby looked a mixture if fearful and determined. His drumstick was looking extremely pitiful now. Luffy wasn’t suprised by the answer but he had wanted to try anyways.

“If that’s your dream then you should go for it. Do you want that or are you going to continue waving it around?”With that Luffy proceeded to shove the rest of the food in his mouth. His rubber abilities allowing his mouth to stretch to the size of a large pumpkin as he chewed. Coby could only watch in sick fascination, he also dropped the wing down, no longer hungry. A waitress swung by and dropped off a bill. Coby went pale went as he read it.

“We can’t afford this Luffy, I don’t have any money.” He confided in a hushed tone.

“Shi Shi Shi. Don’t worry I stole the money from the pirates I beat up. I can pay for it.” At that disbelief replaced the panic on Coby’s features. Luffy was offended. Less than a day and Coby already thought he was an idiot. Nami of all people had taught him to pay for his food and not just run out. Small places like this couldn’t afford it, especially from Luffy. After leaving a pile of money to pay for everything the boys went in search for a place to stay.

The only place in town wasn’t eager to rent them a room until they saw Luffy’s money. Did everyone think he was broke? Waiting for Coby to fall asleep was the hardest thing Luffy had done this time around. Eventually the other boy was snoring lightly, so Luffy made his escape. Making his way to the base unnoticed he stopped just outside a large stone wall. Stretching his neck Luffy peered over looking for his former and future crewmate, his nakama.

There, tied to a t-shaped post was Roronoa Zoro, covered in dirt and looking extremely pissy. He must be sober. It didn’t look like he was in imminent danger though so Luffy would come back in the morning with Coby. Speaking of Coby, when Luffy got back he hadn’t even moved. Before he fell asleep the StrawHat Captain went in search of a bottle of saki for Zoro. Surely this would help convince the swordsman to join him. If nothing else would.

The next morning they were at the edge of the Marine base, Coby having failed to convince him this was a terrible idea. Other than sneaking on base, his main arguement was that the bounty hunter was a crazed murderer. Luffy wasn’t deterred though. That’s why they were currently observing the green haired teen. He was in the same place Luffy had seem him last night. Ropes were tied around his chest and both arms keeping him secure. Zoro currently looked like asleep, Luffy knew him better though. Just before he could jump over a young girl with dark hair wandered into the courtyard.

She was making a beeline straight for the swordsman, a plate of food in her hands. Reaching his side they appeared to have a quick conversation. While they talked a young teen with blonde hair strolled into the yard. He was well dressed and had several marines at his back, like bodyguards. He looked familiar but Luffy couldn’t place him. The newcomers reached the pair quickly, the blonde seemed to be lecturing the young girl. All of a sudden he swatted the plate of food from her hands into the dirt. Coby let out a gasp to Luffy’s left. With her reason for being there gone the girl turned and ran away. The blonde went and ground his heel on what was left of the food. His point being made the well dressed young man left the yard back the way he had come. Not seeing anyone else Luffy hopped the wall.

“You should leave kid, if they catch you it won’t be pretty. I won’t save you either.” The older boy didn’t open his eyes while speaking.

“I’ll be okay. I came to speak to you anyways. I heard you’re the best swordsman in the East Blue. Who was that earlier?” Zoro didn’t open his eyes but smiled at that.

“You heard right. I’m going to be the strongest swordsman in the world one day. That girl was trying to sneak me some food and the Capatins son told her off. He’s as idiot. Since you’re here, give that to me would you.” Zoro nodded towards the ruined food. Luffy went over and picked up the smooshed, dirty rice up and inspected it. Walking back to the teen Luffy dropped the rice into his mouth. Zoro chewed for several minutes before he got it down. “Tell her they were good would you.”

“You can tell her yourself. I’m here to offer you a spot on my crew and break you out of here.”

“What kind of crew?”

“The future King of the Pirates crew. I need the best on my ship and that includes you.”

“I’m just a bounty hunter, not a pirate. I didn’t come out to sea to do anything other than find a pirate I had been chasing. After that I simply couldn’t find my way back home.”

“Shi Shi Shi. It sounds like you suck at reading a map. Don’t you want to fight Dracule Mihawk, since he’s the current strongest swordsman in the world?” It never failed to amuse Luffy when Zoro got hilariously lost. He sometimes wandered exactly where the crew needed to be. Most of the time they had to spend hours looking for him.

“I do, he’s the reason I’m still out sailing. I’m looking for him and when we meet I’ll challenge him to a duel. My name will reach the Heavens once i beat him.”

“Well if you come with me you’ll stand a better chance of seeing him. He normally stays in the Grand Line and that’s where I’m heading. So what do you say about joining my crew?” Zoro seemed surprised to hear that. Luffy wasn’t going to tell him that Mihawk was currently chasing Don Krieg right to the East Blue. If Zoro came with him he’d see his dream sooner rather than later. The green haired teen seemed to be contemplating what Luffy had said.

“Okay I’ll join you but after I’ve completed my punishment. The Marines said they’ll set me free afterwards.” Zoro was determined to be honorable. Too bad the Marines weren’t.

“I heard them saying that they’re gonna execute you instead.” Luffy hadn’t heard anything, he did remember that from the past though.

“Are you sure?” Zoro looked him in the eye waiting for an answer.

“Absolutely.”

“Okay then. Get me out here and I’ll join your crew. The future King of the Pirates should have the Strongest Swordsman on his ship. My swords are in the base somewhere. You’ll have to get those first.”

“Be ready when I get back.” Luffy took off for the marine base. Spotting an open window he took advantage and went through. The room was empty so he took a second to activate Observation haki. The sword Zoro got from his childhood friend should be powerful enough to sense. He found it a few floors up. Navigating the base was a breeze, it seemed all the marines were busy elsewhere. There behind an ornate door, he could sense it.

Luffy barged into a brightly colored room, searching through the mess of clothes and empty food containers he found them, leaning near a window. He grabbed all three swords and unlatched his escape route. Looking out he couldn’t see the couryyard. Must be the wrong side. Looking up Luffy realized he could probably just jump the roof. Reaching a hand up he pulled himself up and over. His plan was going well so far. Much better than it had the first time. As he cleared the top, he pushed off straight for Zoro. It was only after he did it that Luffy noticed his foothold had been a very large and extremely unsteady statue. In fact Luffy had just given it the final push to topple the monstrosity.

The dozens of Marines who had been trying to set the large marble man upright scrambled to get out of its way. The Captain, who the statue was modeled after, was screaming that anyone who didn’t hold on would personally die to him. His anger didn’t do a thing to help though and the statue toppled over to the ground. Upon impact it shattered into dozens of jagged pieces. All except the decapitated head which was left looking up at them. The angry Captain Morgan seeing the culprit land in the yard below ordered his men to follow. Waving the hand he’d replaced with an ax head menacingly to punctuate his threats.

Landing a few feet from the green haired swordsman Luffy bowed. He was delighted with the chaos that had just unfolded. While he was gone Coby had hopped the wall and was trying to talk sense into Zoro. Right as he reached them the marines appeared.

“Shoot them on sight. No questions, anyone who dares to break my rules will die. This yard is off limits to civilians and the brat broke my statue. Kill them now!” Captain Axe-Hand Morgan’s voice boomed out. Rage in every syllable. The marine complement cocked their weapons and took aim. “Fire!” Coby frantically tried to untie Zoro.

“Gum Gum Balloon.” Expanding his body to a round ball Luffy deflected the bullets back. Captain Morgan let out an enraged yell then proceeded to backhand his subordinates yelling about their failure. Bodies went flying.

“What are you?” Zoro was staring at him in surprise.

“A rubber man, I ate the Gum Gum fruit.” Luffy took hold of his cheek and stretched it out a few feet. Zoro’s eyes got wider seeing that. Luffy moved to cut the swordsman lose, smirking. Zoro tossed the rope aside trying to clear himself of the tangle. Coby started screaming and frantically motioning behind them. Looking back Luffy saw several marines charging forward swords in hand. A shadow passed over his head and a figure with three swords was blocking his view.

The screech pierced Luffy’s ears as Zoro stopped the other men in their tracks. Looking at the scene in front of him, Luffy smiled wide. The group of marines couldn’t even budge Zoro. The green haired teen looked him in the eye before speaking. “I’m going to be the strongest swordsman in the world. I’ll find Dracule Mihawk and claim his title. I’ll also join your crew and help you become King of the Pirates.”

“That’s perfect, the King of the Pirates will need the worlds strongest swordsman on his crew.” Zoro flung the marines off and stood to face the rest by Luffy’s side. Coby stayed behind them. The Captains rage was only growing though and his next words shocked them all.

“Any marines who failed to take them out should end themselves. I don’t need failures in my navy.” The trio of boys watched in horror as the men raised their weapons and prepared to follow orders. Luffy moved to stop them, Zoro at his heels. Sweeping his leg out and around, the rubbery teen took the men down. Their weapons hitting the ground moment after. Zoro seeing that Luffy had the lower marines handled went straight for the deranged Captain. Coby not having any serious fighting skills offered his support the only way he could.

“Take them down. Get rid of these fake Marines. There’s no way they’re not imposters. This isn’t what justice looks like.” The pinkette seemed surprised by his own outburst. Luffy smiled hearing it, Coby might not able to fight yet but he was still the same at heart. With the other Marines taken down the StrawHat Captain turned to help his first nakama fight. The Marine Captain using his axe hand deflected Zoro’s slashes and pushed the teen off. Luffy jumped in to take his place.

“You, you’re the one that broke my statue. I’m going to kill you punk, if it’s the last thing I do!” The Captain swung at Luffy’s head not waiting for a response. The teen dodged easily, but that only eraged the ax wielder even more. The veins in his face looked like they were going to burst. After a few minutes of Luffy dodging, the large man changed tactics. He cleaved the yard in two with a single strike, chunks of earth were thrown up from the force. Luffy had shot into the air upon seeing what the Captain was doing. Readying himself to take the man down Luffy suddenly saw blonde hair behind Coby.

The teen from earlier had a gun and was aiming it at the pinkette. Luffy changed targets and hit the Captains son in the face, taking him out with one hit. Hitting the ground Luffy turned back around to continue fighting the mad Captain. Instead he saw Zoro, swords drawn standing a fee feet from the fallen man’s body. Luffy smiled, he could always count on Zoro to have his back. No matter what time they were in.

Together they turned towards the men that Luffy had taken down earlier. Expecting more resistence he was surprised to see the opposite. The Marines were standing there, mouths gaping open, eyes wide like they couldn’t believe what they saw. The shock quickly passed and turned into unrestrained joy. Their cheers were loud enough to attract the attention of the whole town. The townspeople had a similar reaction, the cheers only growing louder with each passing second.

“I guess they hated him just as much. They were probably waiting for someone to come take carr of him. I wonder how long this has been going on and why a higher ranking Marine didn’t come and stop him?” Coby had come up behind them after it was apparent the mad man had been knocked out cold. The other two boys didn’t have an answer for him.

Since everything had gone according to plan Luffy decided to celebrate with a feast. The now trio of boys found themselves back at the same restaurant as earlier. This time the owners refused to take their money saying it was the least they could do. Zoro must have been starving, he ate more than he drank. One of the few times Luffy had seen that. Coby was also eating a massive amount of food. The attempt on his life must’ve made him hungry. Luffy was always starving after people tried to murder him. Just as he was digging into an enourmous roast leg, the atmosphere in the room changed. Looking behind him Luffy saw the Marines from earlier. They didn’t look particularly happy either.

“We’re going to have ask you both to leave.” A man with short brown hair and dark eyes directed towards Luffy and Zoro. He must have taken command then.

“You can’t be serious! They saved you, all of you from that deranged psychopath and now you’re going to say they have to leave. What’s wrong with you?” Coby’s voice had risen a few octives during his outburst.

“I am serious. It’s precisely because they helped us that I’m letting them go. They are pirates and I’m sworn to arrest all pirates. This time is different though and I’ll take my punishment if need be but I won’t arrest them. I still can’t have them stay here though. Why do you care so much? Are you with them?”

“Nope we’ve never seen him before this afternoon. He’s not with us, I wouldn’t want a little kid like him on my crew anyways. Right Zoro.”

“Right. I don’t know him at all.” Zoro wasn’t exactly lying when he said that after all. The new Marine Captain looked suspiciously at Coby for a second longer before he seemed to believe them. Coby not wanting to spoil his chances of being a Marine stayed quiet.

“Oh before we go, do you know where we can find Buffy the Clown? I’ve got a bone to pick with him.”

“Buffy? Do you mean Buggy? The guy with the red nose?”

“Yeah, him.”

“Last we heard, he’s at Orange Island. A Marine ship was dispatched but it never came back. The Capatain never sent another one.”

“Alright. Thanks, we’ll go ahead and leave.” Luffy quickly shoved the rest of the food in his mouth, Zoro made sure to grab the rest of the saki. Coby stayed where he was, watching them leave. As they headed for the door, the men moved aside to make a path. They were good to their word and the boys met no resistance as they headed towards the docks. Throwing a bag of food along with Zoro’s personal belongings into the ship Luffy went to untie the boat and head out. The sight awaiting him made the normally rambunctious teen pause. Coby was saluting him, tears running down his face.

“Good luck Luffy! We’ll see each other soon, I promise!” Coby shouted. His voice slightly muffled from the crying. As he spoke the Marine contingent came up behing him and saluted the newly formed StrawHat crew. Several of them seemed to be crying as well. The Captain’s order to salute almost scared Coby into the sea and the man had to grab the boy’s collar before he could drown. Luffy let out a loud laugh at the sight. He heard Zoro chuckling from his seat. The next time Luffy saw him though, Coby would be different. He would be a Marine, a lot of training and hard work would be drilled into the young teen. Luffy couldn’t wait to see him.

Chapter 3: The Cat Burglar

Summary:

Luffy and Zoro make it to a new island only to find another pirate crew there. Luffy finds more than he expected and Zoro gets exactly what he wants.

The sun’s heat had soaked into the small boats boards and was currently providing Roronoa Zoro the perfect place to take a nap. Monkey D. Luffy was staring at a map a few feet away. Zoro had been watching his new Captains face scrunch up more and more as he tried to get them to the next island. Zoro hadn’t remembered to grab a map and was surprised to see Luffy had one. Though after several days, he was starting to worry about finding land ever again.

The blue-grey sea king was currently pulling them along in a leisurely fashion. The swordsman had been shocked when the large head had risen over the rail of the ship the first time, not even a few hundred feet away from shore. He’d been completely prepared to battle the beast, his adrenaline pumping, weapons at the ready. He had been imagining sea king steaks and was about to carve some up when Luffy had jumped on its head and started petting the thing. Zoro, once he had realized it wasn’t going to eat them, had immediately asked his Captain what the hell was going on. Luffy had then explained that the sea king was from his home island and he had befriended it. If he hadn’t seen it for his own eyes the swordsman would never have believed it.

“We should get there sometime today,” Luffy announced, breaking Zoro from his thoughts. It was the most confident he had sounded yet.

“I’m suprised, I thought you would be like me, just wandering from island to island. Who taught you how to do that?” Zoro was curious, his new captain hadn’t seemed like the type to be able to navigate. Hell, Zoro hadn’t even been sure Luffy could even read when they’d first talked.

“An old friend of mine, I’m not as good as she was though.”

“Why didn’t you bring her with you?”

“I couldn’t, she’s gone now.” Technically that was true. Zoro seemed to catch on and went back to taking a nap. A few hours later the boys were startled by the sea king abruptly picking up speed. The jolt almost sent Luffy into the sea. Thankfully he found a nice squishy thing and held onto it. Righting himself Luffy saw that he was currently choking his only crew member. Zoro coughing and swearing at Luffy managed to free himself.

“What the hell just happened?” The swordsmans voice was hoarse.

“No idea, maybe he spotted something to eat. That always makes me move faster. Shi shi shi,” Luffy’s wide grin did nothing to reassure Zoro. After a short time it became clear for the sudden speed up. An island had appeared, the sea king must’ve sensed it. The thing might’ve freaked him out at first but Zoro could see the use in having a creature familiar with the surrounding waters.

“Hopefully they have some booze here. It’ll make up for you throttling me.”

“Sorry about that!” Luffy paired the apology with a bright smile. Zoro couldn’t hold a grudge at the simple honesty. Well not against Luffy, the sea king maybe. Thoughts of sea king steaks drifted through his head.

Luffy, remembering Coby’s words at the last island, sent the sea king off telling the creature he’d be back soon. The boys rowed the rest of the way in. Luffy noticed there was only one other ship flaoting in the small port. Once docked they realized how quiet the town was, the usual hustle and bustle of a port was missing. The two boys started walking up the main street but after only a few feet they stopped in shock. The buildings were blackened, hollowed husks, smoke still rising from a few.

“Damn I guess there won’t be anything to drink. What do you want to do Captain?” Zoro turned to Luffy, a disgruntled look on his face.

“Let’s explore and see what we can find out.”

“Sounds good.” The swordsman moved to follow his Captain. After passing a few empty buildings Luffy turned back to ask Zoro if he’d ever seen something like this before. Except there was no one there. If it was someone else he might’ve thought they were kidnapped but it was Zoro. He had definitely gotton lost. Oh well, he would look for him before they left. Zoro usually did a pretty good job of finding them though.

Before Luffy could think on it anymore a young woman shot out of an alleyway right in front of him. Her white shirt and yellow skirt were familiar. She turned towards Luffy, her short orange hair blocking her face. Pushing it back she revealed sharp brown eyes that were calculating. Luffy recognized her instantly, it was Nami. His navigator. She was also holding a rolled up paper in one hand.

“Captain, there you are!” She flung herself into Luffy’s arms. He was confused though, Zoro hadn’t seemed to remember anything, was she different? Three burly men came running out of the same alley Nami had come from. Skidding to a stop they quickly spotted her standing with Luffy.

“There she is, Catburgler Nami, get her!” The largest one shouted. Before they could make a move she acted.

“Wait, it’s not me you’re after. I only stole this map for my Captain. This is him right here, he’ll fight all three of you.” Nami had shoved Luffy forwards as she spoke, putting him in the firing line. This made more sense, the first time they’d met she had been stealing a map of the Grandline for her then Captain Arlong. She had also claimed Luffy was her Captain at the time, hoping that while he fought the thugs, she would be able sneak away. Quickly grabbing the map from her, Luffy stuffed it down his shirt.

“Wait, that’s m-might be the wrong map.” Nami stopped from giving her lie away. She didn’t look very happy about it though.

“I trust you, it’s the right one.” He confidently replied. Nami just looked at him like he was an idiot. Turning back to the three pirates in front of him, Luffy considered what to do. “My names Monkey D. Luffy and I’m going to be King of the Pirates. Where’s your Captain, the clown? I want to speak to him.”

“What do you want with him?” The tallest one demanded. “It’s not like you could defeat Captain Buggy anyways, he’s the strongest in the East Blue!”

“Eh, just tell me where Buffy is, I don’t care about you.”

“The Captain is at the town hall and you’re going to meet him. Right after we drag you both there.” The men started cracking their knuckles preparing for a fight.

Luffy jumped forwards and took them out with a single punch each. The first to the face, the next to the stomach and the last unfortunately tried to jump over Luffy’s fist. The result was that Luffy squarely hit him below the belt. Readjusting his hat Luffy turned to looked back at Nami. She was standing there, eyes round and mouth gaping.

“How did you do that?” She warily asked, over the unhappy moans and curses.

“Become a member of my crew, for real and I’ll tell you. I’ve gotta go find the town hall now, I’ll meet you at the docks afterwards. We’ve got a ship there,” Luffy, not waiting for an answer, jumped onto the nearest roof. Pushing his hat back, the teen searched for something that would look like a town hall. The only thing that stuck out to him in the burned out buildings was a colorful tent sitting directly in the center of town. It didn’t look like a town hall to Luffy but if he remembered right Buffy liked tents. He set off for the cloth structure, keeping an eye out for Zoro along the way.
—
Nami was in shock, when she had seen the slender looking teen standing there she hadn’t expected him to take down Buggy’s men that easily. Then there was the matter of taking her map. Now she had to steal it back from him, after all the work she had done to get it in the first place. This was becoming a headache. If she had known he was going to be like that, she wouldn’t have claimed he was her Captain. Shaking her head the young woman headed after the dark haired teen. After a few minutes of walking Nami paused, a huge grin spreading across her face. Earlier when she had been stealing the map, she’d passed a treasure room and had noted it’s location for the next time she was passing through. However with the other teen creating a distraction, now would be the perfect chance to lighten the load a little.

Changing direction Nami headed for a nondescript building just behind the gaudy tent. There had been two men guarding the front door earlier, it shouldn’t be too hard to slip past them especially if they had run off to investigate something. Walking through the burned out buildings gave her a sense of unease, especially because there were signs that people had simply gotten up and left. She could see a pot of soup sitting on the table, bowls and silverware around it. In another house childrens toys were scattered about as if the owner had been playing with them and then up and disappeared. It was eerie.

Nami paused at the intersection of two streets, peering around the corner she could see the treasury. The men from earlier were slumped over on the ground, it looks like someone else had gotten here first. The dark haired teen had said we when mentioning his boat, maybe his crew had done this. Creeping down the empty street she made it to the buildings edge without meeting anyone. Moving forward until she was underneath a dingy window. Nami lifted her head to scan the inside of the room and saw a man standing inside, she could make out 3 swords at his waist. How do you even use 3 swords at the same time. He must break them alot.

“I know you’re there, you might as well come out.” He spoke aloud to the room. Nami’s brown eyes widened, she thought she’d been stealthy. Apparently not. She walked around to the front, stepping over the bodies of the former guards. Now that she could she him clearly, she noticed he had green hair and a bored expression on his face. He also looked closer to her age than she had initially thought.

“Who are you? What do you want?” He questioned.

“I’m Nami. Who are you?”

“My name is Roronoa Zoro.”

“What are you doing here?” She was betting that if he wanted to kill her he would have done it. She had heard of the Pirate Hunter’s reputaion.

“I was looking for sake. They looked like they were guarding something important.” He explained. “What are you doing here, you’re clearly not with them.”

“How do you know that?”

“You’re not dressed like you belong in a circus act.” The pirate hunter pointed out. Nami glanced back at the bright, frilly rainbow costumes the men were wearing. Definitely different than her white and blue striped shirt and yellow skirt. His clothes weren’t exactly fit for a circus act either, black pants and boots, a white shirt and a green haramaki for his swords.“You still didn't answer my question, what are you doing here?” His hand shifted to rest on his weapons.

“I wanted to steal their treasure. Figured that they would be distracted soon and I’d have a chance.” She decided to be honest, it didn’t seem like he was interested in the money and gold around him.

“What do you mean distracted?” Before Nami could answer him a loud boom sounded from behind her. She rushed outside and saw a dark plume of smoke coming from a hole in the tents roof.

“What the hell?” Nami looked over to see that Zoro had followed her out.

“I think it’s the guy I met earlier. He had a straw hat and said he was heading to fight the Captain of this crew,” She told him, pointing to the unconscious henchmen.

“Damn it Luffy, I can’t believe he got into a fight without me!” He seemed indignant at being left out of the action.

“You know him?” It looked like she had been right and he was apart of the straw hat teens crew.

“Yeah I just joined him a few days ago. Why?” He was looking at her with suspicion.

“He offered for me to join his crew. Luffy told me to meet him at the docks.”

“Well having more than 2 members would be nice.”
“Wait it’s only the 2 of you, that’s it?” She asked in disbelief.

“Yeah like I said, I only joined a few days ago. I don’t think he sailed for more than a week before that,” He answered her nonchalantly, like he didn’t see how crazy that statement was.

“Okay. While he finishes that I’ll go ahead and move these bags to your ship.”

“Not a ship, a dinghy. These won’t all fit either.” He clarified.

“We should take my ship then, it’s small but it’s an actual sailing ship.” She was even more convinced they were both crazy. How had they made it here in a dinghy?

“You have a ship.” He sounded surprised.

“Yes I stole it from a few idiot pirates.” She proudly told him.

“That sounds right.”

“If you help me carry them I’ll give you the sake I have onboard.” She bribed.

“Hmmm, okay.” Turning back he quickly picked up several of the sacks. She darted in and piled on a few more. Grabbing the remaing few herself, they headed for the docks.
—
Luffy had taken out the men standing around the entrance easily. Running inside he encountered only a few people and they weren’t any more of a challenge. It was deserted of people otherwise, he wondered where everyone was. Luffy was several dozen feet down the main hallway and could see a faint light at the end. Deciding to go search there first he sped up, impatient to find Buffy the Clown. As he got closer to the light he started to hear a dull roar. He shot through the flaps into a cavernous space, the roar turned out to be the cheering of several dozen men all standing before a man on a makeshift throne. Buffy!

The jester looked more arrogant than Luffy had remembered the first time they met. Otherwise he looked the same, bright blue and red attire, large red nose, skull and cross bones painted on his face and a large tricorne hat with blue tassels on his head. Buggy along with his men stared at Luffy in shock, clearly not expecting him to be there.

“Who are you and what are you doing interrupting my celebration?” The jester angrily demanded of him.

“My name is Monkey D. Luffy and I’m going to be King of the Pirates. My navigators the one that stole your map. I came to tell you that I’m going to the Grandline to give Shanks his hat back,” at this Luffy pulled his hat off for the jester to see, “ and I came to tell you that if you weren’t such s coward you would be able to hold your own as an actual legendary pirate, not just lie about it.” As Luffy had spoke the blue haired clowns face had gotten as red as his nose. He looked like he was ready to explode.

“Is that so you little brat? Well I’ll just teach you a thing or two about talking like that to a pirate like me. Mohji, Cabaji take him down!” Buggy furiously ordered his top two crewmen. The two men directly at his sides came at Luffy, one on a unicycle and the other lept into action along with the large lion at his side. Luffy targeted the guy with dark hair on the unicycle first.

“Gum Gum Pistol.” A direct blow to the face and the man was thrown back into the tents fabric and fell to the ground there. The other man with white hair and brown furry ears atop his head paused in surprise and then ordered his lion to attack. Luffy stared the large mammal down and exerted haki over it, the beast instantly stopped and laid down at Luffy’s feet.

“What are you doing Richie? Get up and attack him!” The lion, Richie didn’t move an inch. Luffy stepped around his large body and using Gum Gum Pistol he took the second man down as well. He turned to face Buggy, the clown was staring at him in something like disgust and shock mixed together.

“How the hell did you do that? Nevermind I’m going to kill you myself! Muggy ball!” The blue haired jester sent a small explosive towards Luffy. Using observation haki he easily deflected it, along with the following bullets aimed his way. Luffy quickly advanced on the other man who was getting increasingly furious. The jester finally ran out of ammo and came at the teen directly. The StrawHat Captain pulled his arm back and readied a punch. The other man smirked clearly intending to use his devil fruit to evade Luffy’s fist. His body was able to split apart and he had confused Luffy the first time around. Now that he could use haki it would be much easier. The jester also wouldn’t expect it. Not here in the East Blue.

“Gum Gum Gatling.” Luffy coated his fists in armament haki just before he launched his attack. Just like he thought, right before his fists connected, Buggy tried to seperate his body to avoid the hits. Gum Gum Gatling was also a widespread attack, so unfortunately for the jester Luffy made direct contact. The clown went flying just like his men had earlier.

“If you want your map back, come and take it!” Luffy challenged the prone form. His errand done the young man turned to leave. The crew although shocked by what he had done tried to stop him. Luffy had already spent enough time here and wanted to see Usopp and the Merry again. Instead of fighting them he sent out a wave of conquerers haki and they all slumped to the ground at once. Satisfied with his work the teen headed off to the docks.

Once Luffy had reached the dinghy he noticed another ship, slightly larger and with a single sail, a short distance away. He didn’t see Zoro or Nami there. He was hoping they would make it back but Zoro was probably stuck in a chimney somewhere. Just as he was going to start searching for them he heard a commotion coming from one of the streets. A second later Nami came into view, Zoro was right behind her. He was bent over, his ear in Nami’s grip and seversl large sacks slung over his shoulders. Nami spotted him first.

“You should have told me there was only two of you. You also forgot to mention that your only crewmember doesn’t have a sense of direction.” Nami seemed aggravated. Luffy wondered how long she had been herding him around.

“I plan on getting more people, around 7 or so. As for Zoro he normally finds his way back to the ship,” Luffy responded.

“What ship, that thing? Nope we’re taking mine. It’s an actual ship at least, not a death trap,” Nami was looking at him like he was insane. Luffy only shrugged and nodded his head in acceptance. While Nami and Zoro dropped their load off, Luffy concentrated on grabbing the bags the boys already had. It was a quick process to transfer everything over. They attatched the small dinghy to the back of Nami’s ship with a rope.
—
As they began to pull away from shore, Zoro remembered something important. The sea king; Nami had no idea it was friendly and was about to pop up. He smiled widely, this was going to be great. He found a nice spot to lounge in the sun near the bow of the ship, watching Luffy root around in a bag a pull out a giant leg of meat. Zoro snorted. That reminded him, Nami owed him a bottle of booze.

“Hey Nami, what about that sake you promised me?” He looked at her questioningly. She blinked and then went inside the cabin. Coming back out she tossed a bottle towards him. He smiled victoriously, popped it open and started chugging. Nami shook her head while she watched him. Luffy just smiled.

A few minutes later the surface of the water began to ripple and a dark shadow passed under them.

“Did you guys see that?” Nami asked them.

“Yep!” Luffy cheerfully answered her. Zoro nodded in agreement.

“And you’re not concerned at all?”

“Nope,” Nami looked at Luffy in disbelief when he said that. WHOOSH. A large dark shadow loomed over the ship, the sea king had arrived. Nami let out a scream of terror and pulled a metal staff out.

“What are you doing? Attack it! Now!” She desperately yelled at them. Eyes wide, fear dripping off her frame. Zoro stayed where he was while Luffy just laughed.

“It’s okay. He’s a friend and helps pull the ship for us. Don’t worry about it. Shi Shi Shi,” Luffy informed her. Nami looked to Zoro for confirmation. He nodded, a smirk on his face. The large creature leisurely leaned its head down towards them and Luffy threw a piece of meat up. It snapped it up in one bite.

“We don’t really need it to pull us anymore though.” Zoro pointed out to Luffy.

“You’re right I’ll let him know.” Luffy ambled over to the side and spoke to the beast. A few minutes later he turned back to them. “He said he’s going to follow us just in case we need him.” Luffy nodded like the matter was done. Zoro agreed but Nami still looked unsettled. The swordsman went back to taking a nap, a smile lingering on his face.

Chapter 4: Looking for a Sniper

Summary:

The trio finds themselves looking for a larger ship and more supplies. Stopping at a nearby island provides more than that, with a crew of angry cats and a group of distressed vegetables, the StrawHats get more than they were looking for.

“We’ll need to stop soon for supplies.” Nami told Luffy when he came on deck.

“Is there an island nearby?” He asked.

“Yeah, Syrup Island is the closest. We’ll reach it by tomorrow morning. Unless there was somewhere else you wanted to go?” The orangette turned to watch him.

“No that works for me.” Luffy responded cheerfully.
Syrup Island was where Usopp was from. He was next on Luffy’s list to find. His smile widened.

The time passed by calmly and the trio arrived at the island a few hours after dawn. Just like Nami had predicted. They tossed the anchor in shallow water at an empty beach and left Luffy’s pet sea king in the deep water off shore.

As they got out and started exploring Luffy noticed four people watching them from the top of a short cliff. The oldest was a young teenager with curly black hair, caramel colored skin and a very long nose. Three younger boys were with him, their hair shaped like an onion, a pepper, and a carrot top.

“What’s their problem?” Zoro loudly asked gesturing towards the people watching them. They squeaked in surprise and the three youngest ran off leaving the long nosed one behind. The trio walked to the top and stopped a few feet from their observer.

“You had better not think of attacking this village. My name is Captain Usopp and I’ve got eighty million soldiers under my command ready to attack.” Usopp confidently claimed.

“Liar.” Nami didn’t buy it for a second. Usopp’s face blanched. He hadn’t expected her to call his bluff so quickly.

“Well, I’ll still fight you if you try and attack the village. Who are you, what do you want?” Usopp asked his whole body shaking.

“We’re pirates. My name is Monkey D. Luffy, this is my navigator Nami, and swordsman Roronoa Zoro,” Luffy told him. The long nosed teens face paled further upon hearing Zoro’s name.

“We’re here to buy some supplies,” Nami chimed in.

“Do you know anywhere to eat?” Luffy asked, a large smile on his face. Usopp nodded and showed them the way. He led them to a small restaurant in the sleeply village.

After eating their fill, Usopp finally gathered up the courage to ask them some more questions. “What are you hoping to buy here?”

“Well we need some more food, and a few other supplies. We were also hoping to buy a ship while we’re here. Ours is too small for the Grandline.” Nami explained to him.

“The Grandline! Are you serious?” Usopp exclaimed.

“Yep. I’m gonna become King of the Pirates.” Luffy confidently announced.

“Really! I’ve always wanted to become a pirate. I’ve never left my island though. I can direct you to the shops you’ll want to visit and you might be able to buy a boat.” Usopp seemed like he earnestly wanted to help them.

“I want some more meat then.” Luffy chimed in.

“Some more sake too.” Zoro added.

“Where are we going to buy a boat at here?” Nami asked completely ignoring them.

“The mansion on the top of the hill. The young lady that lives there owns a small shipyard and several boats. Her parents died last year and she’s in poor health. She might be willing to sell you one. I can introduce you. We’re good friends.” He cheerfully told them.

“That sounds great! When should we go?” Nami said.

“I’m actually about to go see her, so when you’re done here you can swing by.” With that said the curly haired boy left.

“He took off fast.” Nami remarked.

“She must be pretty.” Zoro mused. Luffy only smiled. Things were going perfect, by tomorrow he would have a new crew member and a ship. As they were settling the tab, the three young boys from earlier came by.

“Where’s our Captain at?” The one with carrot top hair asked.

“Yeah, what did you do to him?” Pepper top suspiciously questioned. The three boys stood fearfully waiting for an answer. Nami smiled evilly.

“We ate him.” Was her response.

“A little bony but not bad.” Zoro added. Luffy burped right afterwards, drawing the boys attention to his over extended stomach. Their eyes got wide and they shrieked before running out the door. The trio of pirates looked at each other and then burst out laughing. It took a few minutes for them to calm down. Once they did, Nami led the way to the mansion Usopp had pointed out.

There wasn’t anyone at the front gate so they simply hopped over it. Wandering around the grounds they eventually found Usopp sitting in the top branches of a tree talking to someone through a window. As they got closer Luffy could see that it was a thin young woman with pale skin, and dull blonde hair.

“Oh hey you made it. These are the people I was telling you about. The ones that want to buy a ship.” Usopp told her.

“Hello. My name is Kaya.” Her clear, light voice reached their ears.

“Quit speaking to her at once! Who are you?” A lean man with dark, slicked backed hair and glasses wearing a butlers uniform appeared behind Zoro. Usopp hopped down to explain.

“I’m the brave Captain Usopp and these are my friends. They want to buy a ship.”

“I’ve heard about you. The boy who only tells lies. The son of a filthy pirate. Definitely not a Captain.” The butler said, his dark eyes flashing menacingly.

“Klahadore! Stop it.” Kaya directed to the butler.

“Sorry ma’am, but you know it’s true. Why are you here? Do you want money? We won’t give you any.” Klahadore sneered.

“It’s true I make up stories, but I’m proud my dad’s a pirate. I’m going to be one too!” Usopp proudly stated, puffing his chest up.

“So it’s not money. Oh I see. You’re here for her, aren’t you. Playing with her heart until you get what you want. It’s always the same with you filthy pirates. Just like your father.” SMACK. Usopp’s fist connected with the butlers face, knocking him to the ground.

“That’s not it at all. My father isn’t like that and neither am I. I’m going to be a brave warrior of the sea.” Usopp exclaimed.

“A brave warrior of the sea, when your first impulse to difficulty is violence. You’ll never be more that a dirty-“ SMACK. Usopp hit him again.

“USOPP, please stop! Stop with this brutality. This isn’t like you.” Kaya called out.

“This is exactly what he is Miss Kaya. Get off the property, now!” Klahadore told them. Usopp turned on his heel and walked away. The strawhats who had been standing by watching, made to follow him.

“What the hell was that?” Zoro asked as soon as they were back over the fence.

“No idea, but I wouldn’t have thought his father was a pirate. Not from this small village.” Nami answered. They walked in silence until they came to a fork in the path.

“Let’s go to the left, towards the ocean. I want to see what’s over here.” Luffy told the other two. In all honesty he remembered talking to Usopp by the cliff and then falling asleep. This time he was going to stay awake. The other two nodded in agreement not really having a reason to object. As the cliff edge came into view Luffy spotted Usopp sitting there. He walked over and sat down next to the long nosed teen. Nami sat on Usopp’s other side and Zoro on Luffy’s.

“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I really thought you’d be able to get a ship.” Usopp glumly apologized, his shoulders slumped in defeat.

“It’s okay. We’ll figure something out. Is your dad’s name Yasopp?” Luffy asked him already knowing what the answer was.

“It is, how did you know that?” Usopp looked at him in amazement.

“He used to talk about you all the time. He’s a part of Red Haired Shanks crew. They’re somewhere in the Grandline right now. I’m going to give Shanks this hat back one day. Then I’ll become King of the Pirates.”

“That’s amazing that- did you say Shanks as in the Emperor of the Sea, Shanks?” Usopp’s eyes were wider than dinner plates.

“Yep, and come to think of it he’s also the best shot I’ve ever seen. He never missed.” Luffy had seen Yasopp shoot the end of Ben Beckman’s, the vice captain’s, cigarette off from across the harbor. He hadn’t even put it out, just ashed it for him.

“Wow, my dad sounds like a really cool guy. I want to be able to shoot like that one day.” Usopp stared off into the distance dreamily.

“What are you gonna do now?” Nami asked Usopp breaking him from his daydream.

“I guess I’m going to go apologize to Kaya. I’ll have to avoid that butler though.” Usopp seemed to regret his earlier actions.

“You mean that butler?” Zoro said pointing down to the beach. The others looked down to see Klahadore talking to a strange man wearing a dark blue suit, a matching hat, heart shaped glasses and a cone shaped beard. The four leaned forwards listening in, wondering what the butler could possibly be doing here.

“Jango I told you to be discreet. Walking backwards through town is not that.” Klahadore sternly told the other man, Jango.

“It’s not strange at all, it’s perfectly normal in fact.” Jango defended himself. Klahadore didn’t seem to buy it.

“Anyways, how are the preparations coming along?” The butler pushed his glass up with the butt of his hand while speaking.

“Everything’s all set for the murder sir.” As Jango spoke the teens watching on the cliff exchanged looks of horror and in Zoro’s case surprise. Murder! Who?!

“I told you not to use that word. It’ll be an accident, do you understand. Miss Kaya will simply have an unfortunate accident.” Klahadore corrected. The trio of Strawhats all looked at Usopp, who had turned pale. Surely they had heard wrong. The butler had been staunchly defending her earlier.

“Yes sir, Captain Kuro.” Jango saluted him.

“I told you not to call me that anymore. My name is Klahadore now, I’m no longer a pirate. Do you understand?” Klahadore menecingly stepped towards the other man.

“Yes sir Captain K-Klahadore. We’ll make it look like an accident. No one will be any wiser and it should be easy since you’ve been poisoning her for some time now. It’ll be just like what you did with her parents.”

“I didn’t do a thing to them, that wasn’t part of my original plan. You also can’t just off her, you need to hypnotize and make her sign a will saying that she’ll leave everything to her dear butler Klahadore should the worst happen to her.” The faux butler clarified to his henchmen.

“Yes sir, I’ll have her sign the will, then she can have an accident.” Jango affirmed.

“Good you understand. I’ll meet you and the rest of the crew here at dawn.”

“We’ll be there Captain.”

“Quit calling me Captain.” Klahadore hissed before he strode off. Jango saluted him and then headed in the opposite direction. Walking backwards as he did.

“Holy Seas, they’re actually going to kill her.” Usopp whispered. Luffy looked over at his friend and saw that Usopp was almost as pale as Nami. His eyes were wide and he had started shaking. Before any of them could say anything he shot up and ran off towards town.

“Usopp wait!” Nami called out to him.

“There’s nothing we can do right now. Just let him go. You heard what they said. They won’t do anything until dawn.” Zoro said in a calm voice. Nami looked towards Luffy who nodded in agreement.

“Let’s head back to town then and gather some supplies.” Nami sighed out. The trio headed off to town, ready to do some shopping. Along the way they ran into the young boys from the restaurant. The vegetable trio was sitting on a fence looking glum. Heads hung low, faces green, they looked sick.

“You all look terrible.” Luffy announced as soon as they got close.

“Luffy!” Nami smacked the back of his head. He picked his nose in response.

“It’s because Captain Usopp came by and ran right by us. He didn’t even stop when we tried ro talk to him. Just yelled out that he had to tell everyone.” Carrot top told them.

“That’s probably because he just found out pirates are going to attack the island.” Zoro informed them. The boys look at the Strawhats like they were about to start shooting.

“Not us, we wouldn’t do that. Some other pirates want to kill that blonde girl that Usopp likes.” Luffy was quick to reassure them.

“And the butlers the captain.” Zoro added on.

“Klahadores a pirate captain?!” Pepper top asked in horror.

“Yep.” Luffy cheerfully confirmed. The three boys exchanged an odd look.

“What is it?” Nami asked seeing the hesitation on their faces.

“Well, Captain Usopp likes to run through the village every morning. He also likes to scream that pirates are coming while he does it.” Onion said.

“What? Why?” Nami asked him.

“He says it helps wake the village up. I think he just likes doing it.” Onion shrugged.

“That means no ones going to believe him if he tries to warn the town.” Zoro put it together surprisingly quick. Nami let out a soft gasp. Luffy remembered this from last time. They had had to take the other pirates out themselves. The town had no idea about how real the threat had been.

“There he is!” Pepper shouted. Turning to look down the road Luffy was met with the sight of Usopp walking to them. His head down and shoulders slumped. Once again the town must have not believed him.

“What happened Cap’n?” Carrot tentatively asked.

“They all thought it was a joke. That I was lying to them, like usual. Even after I told them I wasn’t making it up. I don’t know what to do anymore.” He looked up at them tears in his eyes.

“We’ll fight them with you.” Luffy declared. Zoro made a noise of agreement and Nami nodded her assent as well. Usopp didn’t say anything for a moment and then burst into tears. After he had calmed down some, they made a plan to meet at the same beach they had seen Klahadore scheming at the next morning.

—

Luffy stood on the beach rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Nami had woken him and Zoro up about ten minutes ago. He had tried complaining to her that it wasn’t even light out yet. She just told him that was the point and then shoved him out the door. The trio were currently watching Usopp walk towards them at a determined pace, a large pack on his back.

“I’m ready to go, my bag contains all sorts of traps and helpful things. What’s the plan?” Usopp informed them once he was with speaking range.

“Is this beach the only one that we need to worry about or is there another place where they might attack from?” Nami questioned him.

“Well there’s the main docks, a second large one across the island and then this beach as well. Any of the others are only big enough for little kids to play on.” The curly haired teen said.

“We should split up then. Two of us here and two of us at the other beach. They probably won’t bother with the main docks.” Zoro suggested.

“I don’t know if we should split up. Wouldn’t it be better to fight as a group.” Nami asked him. Usopp nodding along with her.

“Not if we send Zoro to one and me to another, Nami can stay here with the money. That leaves Usopp to go the other way.” Luffy interjected.

“Sounds good to me.” The swordsman agreed. Nami was still frowning though.

“How do we signal the other group to come to our beach?” She asked.

“Oh, I can help with that!” Usopp set his pack down and started digging through it. He quickly pulled out two short, odd looking guns.

“Flare guns. Good thinking Usopp.” The orangette exclaimed. The long nosed teen passed one over to Nami, keeping the other himself.

“So we’ll shoot this as soon as we see the pirates and the others will know to come running. It’ll shoot a red flare into the sky.” Usopp explained to Zoro and Luffy.

“I’ll stay here with Nami. Zoro, you and Usopp should go to the other beach. Usopp make sure he doesn’t get lost on the way there.” Luffy told them. The other two boys nodded and set out. Luffy and Nami headed for a group of bushes at the top of the cliff to wait in. Luffy took a nap while they sat there, trusting her to wake him.

“Luffy, get up. It’s past dawn and no one’s here yet.” Nami was shaking him awake. He only moved around some not really waking up. She punched him on the head, causing him to sit up instantly, rubbing the top of his head.

“What’s happening?” Luffy groaned out.

“Nothing, that’s what’s wrong.” She pointed to the empty, save for their boats, beach.

“Maybe we got the wrong one.” He replied. Just as Nami was opening her mouth to respond, a bright red light appeared overhead. Usopp must’ve seen something.

“Get on!” Luffy gestured for Nami to climb on his back, “It’ll be faster this way.” She seemed reluctant so Luffy picked her up and deposited her on his back. She wrapped her arms in a deathgrip around his neck. Jumping into the middle of the path he reached out to either side and took hold of a tree. Walking backwards until he felt enough tension in his arms, Luffy paused to look over his shoulder at Nami.

“Hold on tight! Shi Shi Shi!” Before Nami could speak Luffy let go and slingshotted them across the island. The orangettes screams were left behind in the wind along with her stomach and Luffy’s wild laughter. As they came over the other beach he could see Zoro already fighting several pirates while Usopp was shooting them with his green slingshot from a safe distance. They landed right behind the curly haired teen, scaring his eyes right out of his head. Luffy dropped Nami on the ground, giving her a few seconds to recover.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” Usopp yelled, clutching his chest.

“Shi Shi Shi. We’re here now. Where’s the butler?” Luffy asked.

“We haven’t seen him yet, just his crew. Zoro’s taken out quite few already.” Usopp continued firing while he spoke. Luffy nodded and then jumped forward into the fray. Together they quickly made their way through most of the crew before the other pirates started retreating. The two boys watched them leave, waiting to see what was next. Two men dressed in cat suits, a theme among the other crew, stepped forward. They were opposites, one brother was thin and muscular with green hair done in an elaborate swoop. The other was round and had short black hair, both had black cat ears on the top of their heads.

“We’re the Meowban brothers and it’s our turn now. Get ready, meow.” The brothers were suddenly in front of them, clawed hands at the ready. The green haired brother went to attack Luffy only to find him missing. Zoro deflected the other brothers attack, sparks flying from their blades. Luffy reappeared behind his opponent and started his own assault. Fists coated in haki, he sent the cat man flying across the beach. A little ways down Zoro was fighting his opponent. They were more evenly matched but Zoro quickly dispatched him with Usopps help. The sniper had sent a well timed of shot of orange liquid into the enemies eyes. Zoro was able to easily finish him off.

“Well that was pathetic.” A bored voice called out. Turning to look at the cliff top Luffy saw that the butler had shown up. His face was curled up in disgust. “If this is how you all act then you should all die too. I’ll give you thirty more seconds to get rid of them and then I’m coming down there and killing all of you.” The butler told them, disdain dripping from his voice. His words made Luffy’s blood boil. From behind him Luffy could hear the cat crew preparing for a second onslaught, Jango was hastily calling out orders. The young captain turned back and decided to get rid of them all at once.

“Gum Gum Whip.” Stretching his leg out extremely far he swung it at high speed towards the enemy crew. Coating it in haki to harden, and quickly expanding its size he swatted the crew far out into the sea. Now the only one left was the captain himself.

Looking back up at the cliff top he saw the butler looking down at him with unconcealed rage. Between one blink and the next, the black suited man was in front of him. Sharp claws extended from his gloved fingertips, aiming for Luffy’s face. The teen nimbly dodged the slice and came up behind the other man. The butler moving faster than the eye could see, caught up to Luffy. The Strawhat Captain moved away from him again.

Playing a deadly game of cat and mouse, they fought this way until Luffy finally went on the offensive. Using observation haki he waited until the butler was overhead again, then got in close. Slipping under the metal claws he grabbed hold of the other mans shirt and head butted him. Glass went flying as the pirates glasses shattered. While the butler was stunned, Luffy raised his leg high in the air, preparing a Gum Gum Axe. His foot, which had stretched several hundred feet in the air, came down with inhuman speed, crushing the butler deep into the earth. The only thing left was a butler shaped hole.

The other three having been watching broke out into cheers. Luffy turned to see Nami and Zoro coming his way. Usopp was more hesistant and stayed back. Once they reached him the trio leaned over the edge of the hole the butler made and looked inside. What they saw made Zoro whistle in appreciation and Nami’s eyes widen. Klahadore was several feet deep in the earth, his glasses shattered, body crumpled, limbs at awkward angles. His eyes had rolled to the back of his head giving him a ghostly look.

“I don’t think he’s getting up anytime soon,” Nami remarked.

“Yeah, especially with his blades broken like that,” Zoro added. Luffy looked closer and saw that all ten of the false butlers claws had broken.

“Holy shit,” Usopp had joined them, his jaw dropping to the floor. The other three were startled into laughing, Usopp joining them after a second.

“What do we do with him?” Usopp asked when the laughter died down.

“Leave him here he can’t do anything else,” Luffy answered.

“What about Kaya though? Won’t he try and go back to her?” Nami brought up.

“No I think she’ll send him packing this time,” Zoro pointed to the path inland where they had come from. A young blonde woman was standing there along with a sheepshead attendant. Miss Kaya and another of her servants. One loyal to her apparently. Usopp rushed past the three pirates to reach her side. After exchanging an amused look the trio headed after him.
Reaching the cliff top, they stopped just short of Usopp’s group. Kaya turned to them joy mixed with sorrow in her eyes.

“I saw everything that happened and Usopp told me what you all heard yesterday. I’m very grateful to you. I discussed it with Merry here,” she gestured to the sheep head man next to her, “and he agreed. We want to give you a ship. Fully stocked for a journey. I won’t allow you to say no. I also told Usopp and I’ll tell you, I’m moving on. Now that Klahadore, no Kuro, can’t hurt me anymore, I’ll finally get better. I’m going to be a doctor, like I’ve always wanted,” the young woman beamed at them all. Merry bowed so low his short curly horns touched the ground.

“We can’t refuse an offer like that. Thank you!!” Nami exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Luffy and Zoro added their thanks as well. Kaya’s smile got even larger.

—

Standing on the deck a few hours later, Luffy’s eyes sparkled. It was exactly like he remembered. The ship was a medium sized caravel, she had been decorated in a sheep theme, white trimmings and deep brown boards made up her main body. Her curly white maned head with two short brown horns peeking out, and kind round eyes watched the horizon ahead. She bore a striking resemblence to Kaya’s servant Merry. Luffy had come ahead to check out the ship, while Nami and Zoro went and collected their prior boats and belongings. Dashing to the rail he leaned out to look for them. Not seeing anything he went back to the main deck to lay down and relax.

Everything was going great so far. Getting the crew back together had been pretty easy. After this they would look for Sanji, Luffy was pretty sure he was working at a floating restaurant right now. He couldn’t remember the name through. Then they would help Nami, go to Loguetown and then off to the Grandline. Hearing a loud commotion he got up and looked back over the railing. Nami was hitting Zoro over the head while he paddled. The swordsman gave him a long suffering look while they passed by. Grinning Luffy met them at the back of the ship.

“What happened?” The dark haired teen asked.

“He got lost paddling the boat. While it was tied to me!” Nami angrily told him.

“How?” Was Luffy’s response. Nami only shrugged, like she couldn’t understand it. Zoro wasn’t any help. As far as he was concerned it was the ocean doing it to him.

The other two joined him on deck once Nami’s small ship was tied to their new one. The dinghy was stashed below deck. Luffy led them on a short tour once they were ready. The top deck held the galley, bridge and a conference room. Below that was a storeroom and the bathroom. The deepest level in the ship held a bunkroom and the captain’s quarters. Since Nami was the only woman onboard, they gave her the private room. The two boys didn’t mind bunking together anyways.

Making their way back on deck, Luffy could hear someone shouting outside. He ran towards the rail, flinging himself over it, seeing Usopp standing on shore calling for them. The curly haired teen was wearing an enourmous pack that a sea king would have struggled to carry. Nami and Zoro joined him a second later.

“Wonder what he wants?” Zoro murmured.

“Hey! I wanted to thank you for everything you did. I hope we meet again soon!” Usopp shouted.

“What does that mean?” Zoro asked him.

“It means I consider you friends and I hope we meet again,” Usopp told him confusion written in his face.

“You’re not going anywhere though,” Luffy helpfully added.

“What does that mean?” Usopp’s confusion was only growing.

“That means we think you’re one us. You’re coming on this ship dumbass,” Zoro blunty informed the other boy. Usopp stood there gaping, not really believing it for a moment. Then he let out a loud whoop and started to run for the gangplank. He lost his footing and fell to the sand with an odd shriek as his overlarge bag crushed him. Luffy laughed so hard he almost fell off the railing. Zoro and Nami’s laughter rang out next to him. Reaching out a hand he took hold of Usopps bag and lifted them both onto the deck. Rolling the whole thing over until the packs owner was on top, Luffy finally let go.

Usopp let out a gasp and then started rapidly sucking in air. Releasing his straps the teen dropped to the ground. Standing up with a grin he immediately declared himself captain.

“NO.” The former trio said in harmony. Usopp slumped over.

“We do need a sniper and someone who can tend to the ship until we get a shipwright,” Luffy told the dejected teen.

“I can do that. My bag is full of everything I need to make traps and fix things. I can also make any ammunition you can think of,” Usopp confidently said.

“Perfect!” Luffy gave him a wide smile.

“So where are we going?” The newest member asked. Luffy could feel the eyes of all three people watching him.

“Well my ultimate plan is to head for the Grandline. Before that though, I’ve heard stories of a floating restaurant here in the East Blue. I want to eat there while we can,” Luffy cheerfully divulged.

“I’ve heard of something like that. It’s a few days sailing from here,” Nami spoke up.

“Let’s go!” Luffy decided.

“Okay. What are we calling the ship by the way?” Nami asked him.

“How about-“ Luffy started to say.

“The Usopp!” The curly haired teen interrupted.

“NO.” Once again Usopp was shot down.

“The Going Merry!” Luffy quickly said before anyone else could speak. The other three agreed to the name easily. He jumped off the railing and pulled Usopp along with him. “Let’s go put your bag up, I’ll show you where it can go.”

After a quick trip to the storeroom the two boys came back up on deck. Nami was at the wheel and Zoro was hauling the anchor up. Nami had Luffy and Usopp release and adjust the sails. The tide slowly carried them away from the shore. Once they were away from land the wind caught their sails and the ship picked up speed. Luffy ran to the figurehead and sat in between her curling horns. He could feel the sun on his face, and hear the laughter of his crew. Monkey D. Luffy was happy.

Chapter 5: Eating Inside a Fish

Summary:

Now that Usopp had joined them and they had a ship, the Straw Hats were looking more like a pirate crew. Sailing across the East Blue they encounter new friends and look for a cook. An oceangoing restaurant gives them the perfect opportunity.

The Going Merry was still in sight of Syrup Island when it happened. A dark shape passed beneath the ship, creating waves and rocking them side to side. Usopp ran to the rail, looking for the source. Nami stayed by the wheel, a smirk on her lips. Zoro continued to snooze by the mast while Luffy began maniacally laughing from the figurehead. The curly haired teen had turned paler than snow and his lower lip was wobbling. Eyes wide, he cautiously leaned over the edge.

“There’s something out here guys. Do you see this?” He called out. He didn’t get a response. The dark shadow had turned back and was headed towards the ship again. “Guys, we have to do something!” He tried again. The teens voice had gotten high pitched, fear laced in every syllable.

WHOOSH!! A giant blue-grey sea king shot from the depths, flinging water everywhere. Light bounced off its scales blinding anyone watching. Beady red eyes focused upon the small cowering shape below it. Leaning down the beast exhaled pungent, meat scented air over Usopp’s trembling body. The action pushed him over the edge and the dark skinned teen ran for the lower decks. The sound of raucous laughter dogged his steps. The sea king turned towards the others with a pitiful look in its eyes.

Nami, surprised to be feeling bad for the creature, tossed it a chunk of Luffy’s meat stash. The scaley king caught it deftly. Then slid back beneath the waves, content to follow them once more. It took a few hours and some coaxing from Luffy before Usopp would come back on deck. He made them promise the sea king wouldn’t be anywhere near them.

Zoro in an attempt to bond and console the other teen offered his sake. Usopp wanting to look like a pirate, took a heavy swig. Only to spit it back out instantly, into Zoro’s face. Luffy looked back to see what the commotion was and saw Usopp frantically wiping his tongue. Tears were streaming out of the other boys eyes, snot flowing from his lengthy nose. Zoro was turning red with rage, droplets clinging to his hair and sliding down his face. Usopp quickly scrambled below deck to clean up. Luffy laughed at the sight.

Usopp came back on deck a few moments later to find Luffy messing with the cannons. He hadn’t made it halfway across the deck when the Captain fired. His shot went about a third of the way to his target, a barren rock jutting out of the sea. Luffy turned back to Usopp with a pout on his face.

“It doesn’t work.” Was the only thing he said. The curly haired teen walked the rest of the way to him and started inspecting the cannon. Luffy watched as the other teen used the dials and gears at the cannons side and tilted the nose up a few inches. He fired and they both watched the small shot sail out over the water and then slam into the rock face.

“I HIT IT!” Usopp excitedly shouted. Luffy cheered enthusiastically next to him. They went to the galley for a celebratory snack, Zoro following along. Nami came in a second later.

“AAGGGGHHH.” A loud scream sounded from outside. The four exchanged confused looks and then made their way to the deck. Luffy made it to the door first and saw a slim dark haired man with a tattoo on his face standing aboard a dinghy waving around a sword. The sea king was leaning over the small ship menacingly, jaws open ready to protect the StrawHats.

“Stop!” Luffy ordered. The sea king paused mid lunge and turned to look at the young captain. It tilted its large head to the side, like it was asking if he was sure. Luffy nodded and the grey form slid back beneath the water leaving wakes that rocked both ships. The man looked up at them with a mixture of gratitude and rage on his face.

“Who are you and what did we do to you?” Nami asked him.

“My name’s Johnny and you killed my brother!” The man accused them. The young crew exchanged confused looks.

“We haven’t left the ship, there’s no way we could’ve hurt your brother.” Usopp explained.

“You did. My brother Yosaku and I were sailing around and he started to get sick so we stopped by a small island we found. We were only there for a little while before we were blown up by a cannonball. Your cannonball!” Johnny sobbed out, freah tears falling from his eyes. Usopp and Luffy exchanged guilty looks. They hadn’t realized anyone was there. The small chunk of earth had looked abandoned from their side.

“Bring your brother on board and we’ll do our best to patch him up.” Nami offered. The tear stained man nodded gratefully, sheathed his sword and rowed his way to them. A few seconds later he reappeared carrying another man over his shoulder. Johnny laid his brother out for them to take a closer look. Yosaku was lean like his brother but sported a buzz cut and red head gear. Luffy looked him over but couldn’t see anything wrong. Other than a few scrapes he seemed like he would wake up any second. Looking over he could see Usopp similarly confused. Nami was closely examining him. Looking back at Zoro, Luffy saw him staring the brothers down.

“Johnny and Yosaku. Where do I know you guys from?” Zoro called out from his place on the upper deck. The man in question turned towards Zoro and immediately gasped in shock.

“Brother Zoro! It’s you. I’m so sorry. If I knew this was your ship I wouldn’t have tried to attack. Well if I knew about your pet sea king I definitely would have just run the other way!” Johnny exclaimed.

“Brother Zoro?” Usopp questioned looking between the brothers and the swordsman.

“Oh yeah. I’d forgotten about you. It’s good to see you again. When I first started out I ran into these guys. I wandered into a bar looking for something to eat but I was broke. So I decided to take out a guy with a high bounty that was drinking there. He put up a pathetic fight. Right as I started eating these two came up to me and demanded I hand over the body. Something about the bounty hunter code.I didn’t care, I wasn’t looking to be a bounty hunter anyways. All I wanted was to eat and drink. I gave them the credit as long as they paid for my meal.” Zoro explained recognition flooding his face.

“That explains how you guys met but not why they call you brother.” Usopp pointed out.

“Yeah. That’s because later on when I went to pick my swords up from the swordsmith I accidentally broke the one I was borrowing. I had to find a way to pay him back so when I when to check out an explosion I found these two about to be killed. The guy whose bounty they claimed apparently had an older brother. He also had a larger bounty. With their permission this time I took him out and was able to pay back the swordsmith. After that they decided to follow me. Plus my goal was the same then as it was now. Find and defeat Dracule Mihawk.” Zoro gave them the rest of the tale.

“Whoa.” Usopp breathed out. Eyes wide and exciment dripping off him. Luffy laughed, not expecting anything different from his swordsman.

“Luffy, Usopp go to the kitchen and grab anything citrusy. Oranges, lemons, limes, those things.” Nami ordered them. The two boys quickly ran to the kitchen.

“Do you know what’s wrong with him? Is he gonna die?” Johnny fearfully asked.

“No, he won’t die. A few hundred years ago he might have. He’s got scurvy. It’s a condition you get from not eating enough fruits and vegetables. Things like oranges or tangerines. Once he gets a few cups worth and a few days rest he should be feeling better.” Nami gently explained.

“Thank you Big Sister Nami!” Johnny started crying again, this time from happiness. Luffy and Usopp came back out with a large bowl full of all the citrusy fruit they had. Nami quickly directed them to start squeezing the juice into the unconscious mans mouth. They quickly squeezed all the fruit juice out. After a few seconds Yosaku opened his eyes. Johnny let out a loud whoop of celebration.

“You saved him Big Sister!” Johnny got up and started dancing around in joy. Yosaku seeing his brothers actions, got up and joined him.

“He’s not back to normal yet, lay down!” Nami angrily shouted. As she spoke Yosaku collapsed on the ground, his energy having been short lived. After another quick check up, Luffy and Usopp carried the sick man below deck to the mens quarters. They left him in one of the spare hammocks and made their way back outside.

Walking into the bright sunlight Luffy readjusted his hat. Looking over he saw Zoro and Johnny talking. Joining them he realized that Zoro was catching his old friend up on what happened since they separated. Usopp joined a few seconds later. They had fun exchanging stories until Luffy’s stomach growled so loudly Usopp looked around for the sea king. The boys quickly went inside looking for food.

Looking through the Merry’s food storage, they scavenged a meal of dried meats, popcorn, and lots of fruit. Kaya and Merry had overestimated the crews ability to cook and had packed them mostly ingredients rather than meals.

The newly formed crew spent the rest of the day getting used to sailing the ship. Since Nami was the most experienced she taught them all. It took the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening but eventually they got the basics down. Now if Nami stepped away for a second she could trust them to keep it on course, mostly.

After dinner they were sitting around on the Merry’s deck relaxing when Luffy realized that he’d forgotten to do something. They didn’t have a pirate flag yet. No one would know they were pirates unless they spoke to them.

“We need to make a pirate flag.” Luffy announced to the group.

“How did we forget to do that?” Zoro asked. Luffy just shrugged. Usopp without saying a word ran inside.

“How long have you been pirates?” Johnny asked them.

“About a week now.” Luffy told him. The brothers mouths fell open in shock. Usopp came running back out a second later, arms full of cloth and paint. Sitting back down he spread everything in front of himself.

“I’m a pretty good artist if I say so myself. Any objections to me creating our flag?” The long nosed youth asked.

“Nope.” Luffy told him the others shaking their heads. With a large grin on his face Usopp quickly began opening paints and started to work. While they watched him, Johnny and Yosaku regaled them with stories. Just after the brothers finished telling them about the time Zoro had walked into the heart of a bandit den, Usopp interrupted them.

“I’m all done. Take a look.” The curly haired teen confidently held up a black flag with a skull and crossbones. It was well done except for the fact that he had painted it in his likeness. It had a long nose, bandana and sniper goggles.

“No.” The three members of the crew said at once.

“What, why not?” The dark skinned teen whined.

“Because I’m the captain not you.” Luffy told him.

“Yep.” Nami and Zoro chimed in.

“Sorry bro but we agree with them. The captain’s symbol should be on the flags.” Johnny told Usopp, a serious look on his face. The curly haired boy groaned and quickly started to repaint the flag.

“Shi shi shi. Nami what’s the coolest thing you’ve ever stolen?” Luffy asked his navigator. She turned to him in surprise before a cheshire smile slid over her face.

“Hmm….probably the time I broke into a corrupt marines safe and found a golden egg. It was the size of my hand and covered in jewels.” She told them.

“Oh wow. I wonder what laid that egg?” Yosaku said.

“You idiot, no animal laid a golden egg it was clearly made by someone.” Johnny corrected his brother.

“Nope, Yosaku was right. It was a goose egg.” Nami said.

“WHAT!” The five boys shouted in unison. She laughed and proceeded to tell them how she found and stole the golden goose. After a few tales of the orangettes heists the sniper finished his second rendition of their flag.

“Okay, this should be better. What do you think?” He asked them all. Holding up the black cloth, they could see a white skull and crossbones, this time with a normal nose, wearing a strawhat with a red band. Exactly like Luffy’s.

“Shi shi shi. It’s perfect Usopp.” Luffy praised the other boy.

“Yeah, much better than the first one.” Zoro agreed.

Nami and the brothers nodded along. A large grin broke out over the curly haired teens face.

“Now we just have to hang it up and paint it on the sails.” Nami said.

“Oh yeah I forgot about those.” Usopp said looking up at the two large sails a determined expression on his face. He packed up his paints and headed up the to the main sail. Luffy let out a huge yawn and made for his hammock. Sleep tugging at his mind. The second his head hit the pillow he was snoring.

—

The smell of bacon woke him the next morning. Luffy was up and sprinting for the kitchen at top speed. Bursting in the galley the young captain found Nami cooking and Zoro relaxing at the table. A spread of eggs, toast and now bacon was laid out. He made his way to the food and started on breakfast. The rest of the boys joined them a few minutes later.

“I meant to tell you yesterday but I’m not exactly sure where the restaurant you want to eat at is. Do you have any better idea where it’s at?” Nami asked, looking at Luffy.

“Nope. I just know it’s floating and blue.” Luffy informed her through a mouthful of bacon and eggs.

“You must be talking about the Baratie. It’s the only floating restaurant I know of.” Johnny told them all.

“It’s supposed to have the best food in the East Blue.” Yosaku chimed in while peeling an orange.

“That settles it, we’re going to the Baratie.” Luffy exclaimed.

“It’s only a half days sail from here. I can show you how to get there.” Johnny offered.

“Sounds good to me, let’s go ahead and fix our course now.” Nami got up and headed to the wheel with Johnny at her heels.

Having finished all the food, Luffy made his way outside. Zoro followed him leaving Usopp and Yosaku on dish duty. Settling on the Merry’s figurehead Luffy kept watch in front of them. The day went by without any issues besides Zoro and Johnny sparring. They accidentally took off the door to the storeroom. Usopp had put it back on, muttering about foolish swordsmen the whole time. It was approaching evening when they finally spotted something.

“Multiple ships ahead! Another one coming up from our port side!” Usopp cried out from the crows nest. Luffy sat up at the snipers cries. There were several small, hazy shapes on the horizon, that must be the Baratie. Looking to his left he could see a marine ship quickly gaining ground on them. He stood up readying himself to defend the ship. The sound of swords being drawn came from behind him.

Surprisingly enough the blue and white ship only fired off a couple cannonballs as it sailed past. Jumping up to intercept them, Luffy inhaled a bunch of air and blew his body up like a balloon. The iron spheres bounced right off and into the blue water below. Landing on the Merry, Luffy looked back at his crew, dumbfounded. He wasn’t going to find an answer there. They looked just as confused as he was.

“Well that was weird. I wonder why a marine ship would be heading for a restaurant in such a rush?” Nami mused aloud.

“Must be hard to get a seat.” Zoro responded. The brothers nodded along seeing his logic.

“We should hurry then too. I don’t want to miss out on meat.” Luffy ordered. Nami shook her head but had them adjust the sails to pick up more wind. With the increase in speed the Merry reached the sea faring restaurant not long after the hasty marine ship. It also appeared that Zoro had been right. The docks leading off of the main body were jam packed with vessels of every size. From massive Marine galleons to one man sailboats, it looked like half the East Blue was eating here.

The real shock was the restaurant itself. Luffy had remembered eating on the water but hadn’t really remembered what the place looked like. Instead of a normal ship, it had been constructed to look like a fish. Where the prow normally was a large blue fish head sat, its mouth gaping open revealing a waterside bar. A large tail fin had been crafted to the stern on the boat. The main body had been painted in shades of blue to give it a fishy look. Its upper floors however had been built in the exact center and shaped like another fin. Two large masts rose from its back. The largest indicator that it had started as a sailing ship once. Overall it gave the appearance of a sea king sized fish watching over its fleet.

Finding a place to tie the Merry up was more difficult than they had anticipated. Being a smaller ship they had thought to slide into an opening. After circling the docks three times it seemed they would have to wait. Luffy flung himself to the deck and started to pout. He was so close to having Sanji back, and extremely close to eating delicious food. Usopp seeing his dilemma came and stood over Luffy’s face, holding a few fishing rods. Thinking about it for a few seconds, the captain got up went to fish. At least he might be able to fight something while they waited. Just as Luffy was reeling a large eel in, the ship started moving again.

“Nami, what’s going on?” Luffy called out to the orangette.

“A space finally opened up, we should be docked in a few minutes.” She answered back. Usopp went to put the rods up while Luffy and his catch headed off for the figurehead. Standing atop the rams head he watched as they tied off the ship. The second it was done he jumped down to the walkway. Dropping the eel into the water he looked back to see the ships gangplank being dropped and the others coming to join him. Together the group made its way to the front doors.

Walking into the fish’s belly Luffy’s nose was assaulted by dozens of scents. Food of all kinds was being prepared here and it was making him drool. Before they could go too far a green skinned fishman with fins sweeping off his brow and gills showing above his collar stopped them.

“Hello, I’m the host. What can I help you all with?” He addressed the group. As he spoke Luffy could see sharp needle like teeth.

“We’d like to eat, if there’s any seats available.” Nami answered him, batting her eyelashes.

“Of course, right this way.” As he finished speaking the man led them into the main dining room. Weaving their way between the white cloth tables, he led them to a large dark blue booth. The wood of the booth had been carved with small scales, carrying the fish theme inside as well. A large crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room, while large windows allowed natural light to pour in. Luffy slid into the booth first with Zoro right behind. Usopp and Nami were after him and the brothers brought up the rear.

“Here are your menus, feel free to visit the bar in the ships head as well. Your waiter will be with you shortly.” With his job completed the host went back to his station. Glancing down at the white menu, Luffy skipped over anything that didn’t have meat in its name. Finally he settled on something simple. With that out of the way Luffy started looking around the dining room. He quickly spied the person he was looking for. Wearing a dark suit, smoking a cigarette, blonde hair falling over his left eye, and the other eyebrow curling up at the end, Sanji looked exactly how Luffy remembered. He was also walking straight towards their table.

“Hello, my name is Sanji and I’ll be acting as your waiter tonight. What can I get you started to drink?” Sanji introduced himself, his tone flat like he was bored. Until he saw Nami. “Anything special for you miss? How about a Moulin Red, on the house? Or maybe some water, with lemons and perfectly shaped ice cubes?” He fawned over her, his tone now sugary sweet.

“No thanks, a regular water with no ice will be good.” Nami gently leaned back as she spoke.

“I’ll take some sake.” Zoro added on.

“Oh, a beer for me.” Usopp chimed in.

“I want juice.” Luffy said.

“We’ll take a few more beers this way.” Johnny ordered. Yosaku gave the blonde a thumbs up. Sanji straightened up from where he’d been leaning over the table towards Nami and gave them all a dirty look.

“Are you sure there isn’t anything else I can get for you Miss?” The chef asked, pleading with her.

“Nope!” She cheerfully answered.

“I’ll be right back with your drinks then.” He gave Nami a parting smile and then the blonde headed for the kitchen.

“I want some perfectly shaped ice cubes.” Usopp said to no one in particular.

“Yeah, and maybe something on the house.” Zoro added, a smirk on his face.

“I wish I was a pretty girl.” Yosaku muttered. There was silence and then the whole table broke out into laughter. Once they calmed down Luffy could see other patrons giving them dirty looks.

“Oh look Nami there’s your new boyfriend.” Zoro pointed out Sanji carrying a few plates across the room. Nami gave Zoro a finger to look at. They watched the blonde make his way to a small table holding two occupants. A man wearing a striped suit with iron bands around his knuckles was talking to an elegant blonde woman in a red dress. As Sanji made it to their table the man asked him something, whatever the blondes answer was it clearly displeased the pink haired man. Sanji set the plates down and left them alone. After checking on a few tables he slid back into the kitchen.
Sanji reappeared a few moments later with their drinks. As he passed them out Luffy noticed that Nami’s glass was much fancier. Hers had little carvings on it compared to the rest.

“Is the beautiful flower ready to order?” Sanji directed to Nami alone.

“I’ll take the Tangerine pasta plate.” She ordered.

“What a choice. If I might make a suggestion the duck a l’orange is one of the best dishes we can make.” The blonde recommended.

“How would you know Waiter?” Zoro made sure to emphasize the last word, a slight sneer on his face.

“That would be because I’m not a waiter. They all quit this morning. Someone had to take on the burden of serving beautiful women all day. I’m actually the Sous Chef.” Sanji informed them.

“Well, Chef, thank you but I’ll stick with the pasta.” Nami cut in before Zoro could piss the blonde off. The rest of them quickly ordered, with the brothers ordering for the swordsman. After one last attempt to woo Nami the chef headed off with their order.

“Arrogant bastard. He probably got made a waiter because he’s a shitty cook.” Zoro muttered.

“He was probably the only one who would serve pirates.” Usopp mused. The brothers nodded along.

“More like so he could get closer to women.” Nami added pointing at the chef who was currently flirting with the blonde woman from earlier. Her pink haired companion had a sour expression on his face. A burst of laughter came from the tables surrounding the couple. The man quickly stood up, his face bright red, and smashed the table to pieces. Nami let out a gasp. The brothers reached for their swords.

“I’m a customer! You can’t treat me this way! I demand to speak to someone else! Get the owner, boy!” The pink haired man demanded.

“If you had just removed the bug, you could’ve eaten it. No food should go to waste.” Sanji responded calmly.

“Get me the owner now! I am the customer and will not be treated like this!” The other man screamed in Sanji’s face.

“Stop it Fullbody!” The elegant woman yelled. She too late though. The chef had already started attacking Fullbody. A few swift kicks and Sanji was easily holding the mans bloodied head in one hand. The woman pressed her hands to her face and stepped back, shock on her face.

“Offending a cook at sea, when we hold your lives in our hands. What a fool.” Sanji took a drag of his cigarette. Smoke wafting towards the ceiling.

“I’ve decided, he’s going to be our chef.” Luffy announced to his crew. They looked at him in a mixture of shock and annoyance. “Shi Shi Shi.” Luffy gave them a wide, innocent smile.

Chapter 6: Dreams and Destiny

Summary:

Luffy found the perfect cook but he won’t join the crew. While trying to persuade him, several new threats appear. Zoro takes the next step towards his dreams and realizes how small the East Blue is. Nami makes a surprising decision and Usopp takes charge.

“AAAUUGGHH!”

The StrawHats, Johnny and Yosaku had been watching Sanji the Sous Chef fight an unruly customer. They turned towards the new source of commotion. He was wearing a dark chefs jacket, white apron and a white twisted rope around his shaved head. The goteed man was around a foot taller than the teens and built like a brick house.

“Sanji what are you doing?! That’s a customer and da customer is king. So put him down!” The burly man demanded.

“Shut up Patty, you crap cook. Who let you out of the kitchen?” Sanji asked him.

“Drop him. Right now!” Patty demanded, his eyes bulging from his head.

“Be careful what you ask for.” A smirk slid across Sanji’s face as he dropped his victim, Ironfist Fullbody, from where he’d been dangling. The pink haired man hit the floor with a groan. “See he’s still alive.” Sanji gestured with his cigarette. A vein popped out of Patty’s forehead.

“That’s not the point. He’s a paying customer and we should treat him as such.” The burly man spit out, walking closer to Sanji.

“He destroyed his entree without eating it, without tasting it. I don’t care if he’s paying or not. It’s a crime to waste perfectly good food.” The blonde answered back.

“You stupid brat!” Patty went to hit Sanji but was met with air. Before they could exchange blows another person appeared. He was wearing a white chefs jacket and a hat so tall it brushed the high ceilings. He was also missing a leg, a wooden peg was in its place. Using his overly large hat he swatted the two men. They stopped arguing and turned to him.

“What’s going on here?” The newcomer barked, his blonde, braided mustache quivering with rage.

“Sanji beat up another customer, Chef Zeff!” Patty exclaimed.

“He deserved it.” Sanji countered. Chef Zeff swiftly kicked Patty over the head and then Sanji as well.

“Are you trying to ruin me? I don’t care what they did to make you angry. If they’re a paying customer you don’t fight them. Don’t fight each other out here either.” Zeff roared at them, while adding extra kicks to the pair.

“This place is a madhouse.” Fullbody uttered into the quiet after Zeff’s tirade. Hearing him the older chef turned around and started assaulting him as well. Once he was done he stood there for a second surveying the damage.

“Sanji clean this up. Patty back to the kitchen, and you out of my restaurant.” The last part Zeff directed towards Fullbody. The pink haired man had barely started crawling for the door when a Marine had sprinted through the open door.

“Lieutenant Fullbody, the prisoner escaped. He shot six of our men and injured another three-“ The man didn’t get another word out. BANG! A gunshot echoed through the ship. The Marine collapsed to the ground, a red stain slowly spreading across his back. Looking through the open door Luffy could see a dark silhouette. The figure crossed the threshold revealing a short, lean, dark haired man holding a gun. His white jacket and pants were stained and ripped, his face bloodied and gaunt. The dining room held its collective breath, waiting to see what he would do.

“Food and water. Please, give me something to eat. I’ll take anything, even your scraps.” His hoarse voice barely reached their ears.

“Well of course we will. If you can pay up that is.” Patty happily told him. The man fell to his knees, despair written on his face. The gun in his hands now held with weak fingers.

“I don’t have any money. Please I haven’t eaten in weeks.” His pitiful cries didn’t sway the large cook.
“No money, no service!” Patty exclaimed. He quickly moved, taking hold of the mans jacket and pants and threw him out the door. The chef turned back around and took a bow to the cheers and clapping of the diners. The three men returned to the kitchen while the diners resumed eating. It was like nothing had just happened.

“What was that?” Usopp asked. Nami and Zoro looked similarly confused.

“You’re telling me you’ve never heard of the fighting cooks?” Johnny asked them.

“Yeah they’re famous for serving anyone, marine or pirate, and for fighting anyone that deserves it.” Yosaku explained. The StrawHats just shrugged. The food arrived, though a different chef delivered it. Luffy asked where Sanji had gone but the man had only shrugged. Looking around it was clear the others weren’t worried about it. Luffy downed his meal in one go, then shot up from the table telling them he’d be back soon.

Weaving his way though the room the young captain made his way to the open door leading to the kitchen. Stopping on the threshold he sought out a head of blonde hair. Catching a glimpse near the back he went after it. Darting between white and dark blue clad bodies, hot pans, and towers of dirty dishes he reached the opposite wall only for no one to be there. Looking around Luffy couldn’t find a hint of the chef. Seeing a door nearby he went through it.

A fresh breeze hit his face. Stepping outside Luffy realized he was on the back deck near the tail section. Glancing over towards the mouth he finally found Sanji sitting on the railing smoking a cigarette. Once he got nearby he could see the man who had been thrown out earlier devouring a plate of rice. Looking closer Luffy could see his face was hollow, his eyes sunken in, and it looked like his hair was falling out. The blonde looked his way, raising an eyebrow.

“I want you to be my cook.” Luffy declared. Sanji burst out laughing, a large puff of smoke flying from his mouth.

“His food is worth it.” The battered man confirmed through bites of rice.

“Thanks for the compliment but I’m good. I can’t leave this place. Not yet.” Sanji said rejecting his offer.

“Why not? We’re heading to the Grandline, it’s got every adventure you could imagine. I need a cook or we won’t make it. Not just any cook either, the best in the world.” Luffy couldn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to go on an adventure.

“The Grandline?” The two people said, Sanji with surprise, the stranger with dread.

“Why the Grandline?” Sanji asked.

“I want to find the one piece and become King of the Pirates.” Luffy declared.

“You’re insane.” Sanji said exhaling smoke.

“The name is Gin,” the strange man said, “the crew I’m with just came from the Grandline. It was a nightmare. We had a fleet of fifty, fully crewed ships and only lasted a week. I’m the least hurt so I went to look for food and water.” Gin had finished the dish and was looking much better.

“A week, what happened?” Sanji asked disbelief written on his face.

“The weather can change by the hour, sea kings larger than any you’ve ever seen live there, and the pirates are living nightmares. Not to mention the actual monsters on the islands, the size of ships. Disease and starvation are at every corner. The worst part is that none of that brought us down, not permanently. What got us was one man. A warlord of the sea.” Gin explained, leaning back into the Baratie’s wall.

“A single man took down fifty ships, there’s no way.” Sanji said.

“It’s true. Only one ship survived and had a terrible storm not come upon us he would have sent us to the depths too.” Gin assured him.

“And you want to go there?” Sanji asked Luffy like he was a fool for thinking it.

“Yep.” Luffy said. Sanji just shook his head.

“What’s your dream?” The young captain asked the cook.

“What makes you think I’ve got a dream beyond finding a beautiful woman?” Sanji asked, an easy smile sliding across his face.

“I just do.” Luffy answered. The other teen watched him for a second before answering.

“I want to see the All Blue. It’s supposed to the be the place where all four Blues meet and fish from every sea can be found in it’s waters. Even the rare creatures of the Grandline swim there. It’s a chef’s paradise.” Sanji confessed.

“Then you should come with me, the All Blue is probably in the Grandline somewhere. We’ll look for it too.” Luffy tried to persuade him.

“No, like I said I can’t leave this place.” Sanji rejected his offer again. Luffy leaned back over the railing silently pouting, trying to think of a way to convince the chef to join his crew.

“Thank you for the food but I don’t want you getting in trouble for it.” Gin changed the subject. Sanji simply smiled, picked up the empty plate and dropped it over board.

“I can’t get in trouble if there’s no evidence.” The blonde said with a large smile. The other man returned it. Standing up and looking alot stronger Gin said goodbye and headed off towards the docks. The blonde also left heading back towards the kitchen. Luffy sighed, it looked like they would be here for a while.

Making his way back to the crew he found them eating dozens of brightly colored cookies. Joining them he finished off the remaining plate Zoro slid his way.
“So what now Captain?” Zoro asked.

“Now we go back to the ship. We’ll stay here until we get a cook.” Luffy answered. There were no objections and once they had settled their tab the group headed back to the Merry. Luffy spent the day sparring with Zoro. The brothers tried to take them on once. They were defeated in under a minute. At dinner Luffy attempted to sway Sanji into joining the crew at every chance he could. The blonde refused each time. Luffy went to bed that night determined not to give up. Sanji would be his cook.

The next few days went the same, with the crew relaxing and Luffy badgering the blonde to join them. The chef gave him the same answer every time, that he couldn’t leave yet. Sanji wouldn’t tell Luffy why though, the young captain was frustrated. The only good thing was the food, as long as Nami came with them Sanji would personally attend to their tables every need. She even got them a discount.

The StrawHat crew plus the bounty hunting brothers were just finishing lunch when a commotion came from just outside the main doors. Several of the other diners stood up to get a look. Luffy did the same but was too far from the door for it to work. A group of cooks had come from the kitchen as well. The reason for all the noise stepped through the door a second later.

It was Gin again but he wasn’t alone this time. He was attempting to hold up a man twice his size, heavy golden armor and various weapons dragged them down. Luffy didn’t recognize the new person but it seemed the others did. There were fearful shouts from most of the diners and quite a few of the chefs ran back to the kitchen. Looking at his crew it appeared they were as lost as he was. Sanji, Patty, and Chef Zeff came from the kitchen intercepting Gin a few feet inside the restaurant.

“Please, give me water and food. I have money, I can pay. Please.” The large golden man said before collapsing to the floor. Gin rushed to his side.

“Don Krieg is dying. Please help us. We can pay this time.” Gin pleaded. Patty burst out laughing at the scene.

“Someone call the Navy, they’ll be happy to see this dog.” He said between laughs. A few of the other chefs voiced their agreement.

“What’ll happen if he gets his strength back?” A diner fearfully asked.

“It’s Don Krieg, the King of the East Blue, he’s a vile man. He escaped a navy prison and stole one of their galleons. He flys the Marine flags to lure in innocent ships. They think they’ve been saved. Instead they end up robbed and murdered. He’ll even fly a white flag and then shoot his supposed rescuers. He’s raided towns the same way. No other human pirate in the East Blue could defeat him.” A diner in the back loudly whispered.

“Please, we have money and we promise to leave once we’ve been fed. I’ll take anything, your leftovers, the food from the garbage. Anything at all.” Krieg weakly cried out from the floor. Gin sat at his side trying to help him up.

“Have you ever seen a more pitiful sight?” Patty roared out. Before he could say anything else he and the other chefs were shoved to the side. Sanji came through with a plate piled high with food and a bottle of wine. Setting the plate before the fallen pirate and the wine beside it he walked away. Rejoining the group of silent cooks he gave them all a dirty look. The second the plate had hit the floor, Krieg was on top of it shoveling food in his mouth. Too hungry to feel embarrassment or for manners. Gin sat by him, relief shining on his face.

“You should all be ashamed of yourselves.” Sanji told the other chefs. They gave him dirty looks and gestures in return. Chef Zeff stayed silent. The diners whispered amongst themselves waiting to see what would happen. Don Krieg sat up on his knees, having finished the food he opened the wine and drank it all in one go. The empty bottle joined the plate on the floor. The golden giant stood up fully, this time only needing minimal help from Gin. Once Krieg was fully on his feet he shook off the smaller man. Stepping forward it looked like he was going to shake the blondes hand. Instead he hit Sanji hard enough to lay him out on the floor.

“Give me a hundred more portions of food and water to accompany it. My crew is starving, a few have died already. Once I get done feeding them we’re coming back to take this ship.” The large man ordered. Gin let out a horrified gasp at this along with everyone else. He tried to stop Don Krieg but was tossed aside. The diners quickly fled the impending disaster. That left the cooks and StrawHats facing the half starved giant.

“We refuse!” One of the chefs shouted. The others started nodding and agreeing.

“Sanji where are you going?!” One of the asked drawing the groups attention to the blonde. The teen was making his way to the kitchen.

“I’m going to cook a hundred portions.” Sanji answered, blowing out smoke.

“Absolutely not! I know you feed the people I throw out but this is too much. I won’t let you feed a man’s crew so they can come back and destroy us. I’m going to protect the Baratie at all costs!” Patty roared out. The other chefs pulled out giant knives and forks aimed at the smoking teen. He simply smiled and held out his hands.

“I’m a chef. My only job is to cook good food for people. That’s what I’m going to do.” Sanji calmly declared. Patty went up to Sanji’s face and clobbered him over the head. The blonde went down to the floor. The burly man went over and retrieved a large hand cannon. He took aim at Krieg.

“If you’re still hungry then I’ve got a great dessert for you. Have a meatball of doom!” Patty shouted firing a large cannonball at Krieg. The impact threw the purple haired man back through the doorway, destroying it in a cloud of dust. As they waited for the cloud to settle, it seemed like the burly cook had taken care of their problem.

“What now?” Someone asked.

“Now we take care of his ship. I say we butter it and set it on fire.” Patty suggested.

“Not a bad dessert. A four out of five but a little too spicy for my taste.” Every head in the room turned to the now gaping hole in the wall. Don Kriegs golden form stood there. “You thought that would hurt me? Idiots.” He activated a set of guns in his armor and fired upon the cooks. They screamed and took cover. Zoro flipped the StrawHats table and they hid behind it. Don Krieg didn’t even seem to notice them. The shooting stopped and Luffy peered back over the tables edge. Chef Zeff was standing in front of the angry man. A large brown sack was sitting in between them.

“Here is your food. Take it and leave.” Zeff told the other man.

“Chef Zeff no.” One of the downed men weakly cried out.

“Zeff?” Krieg muttered.

“You’re a man who commanded fifty large ships and their crews and you couldn’t conquer the Grandline so you came crawling back like cowards. How pathetic.” Zeff said. Krieg’s eyes widened as he spoke.

“You’re Red shoes Zeff. The feared pirate-cook. You led a whole crew like that once. The rumor was that you had died at sea.” The golden pirate revealed. The StrawHats lets out various gasps of surprise.

“So what?” Zeff responded.

“So, you sailed the Grandline and survived. That means you have a logbook of your journey. I failed the first time because I didn’t have enough information. This time with your logbook, your ship and a new fleet of my own I’ll be able to do it. I’ll be King of the Pirates!” Krieg gleefully shouted.

“No. My log is the pride of my past crew and proof of our journey. Upon my life you’ll never have it.” Zeff declared.

“Yeah, this place is our home. You can’t have it!” Patty shouted. The others added their support.

“Shut up. Haven’t I shown you I can’t be defeated!”
Krieg angrily shouted. Luffy quickly stepped forward drawing the madman’s attention.

“I’m going to be King of the Pirates.” Luffy informed him.

“Excuse you. Would you like to take that back?” Don Krieg asked, astonished.

“Nope.” Luffy said while picking his nose.

“You can’t be serious my armada was wiped out in seven days. What kind of crew do you have boy?” Krieg said. Luffy waved a boogery finger over to his crew. Zoro nodded and Usopp let out a yelp and hid. Nami and the brothers must be hiding behind the table as well. He quickly pointed Sanji out as well, who immediately started shaking his head no. Krieg started laughing at that.

“With a crew that size you’ll die instantly. I’m taking this food and when I get back I’m taking this ship and the logbook too. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll be gone by then.” The golden man picked the sack up, threw it over his shoulder and strode out of the gaping hole. Gin stayed where he was on the floor. The cooks instantly started muttering to themselves. Luffy wandered over to the Head Chef.

“You sailed the Grandline Old Man?” Luffy asked him.

“Yes but that was another lifetime ago.” The older man indicated his peg leg. “Now I’m just a cook, a good one at that. Are you really heading to the Grandline with such a small crew?”

“Yep, I should find a few more out there.” Luffy assured him. Zeff chuckled gently at that.

“May you have clear skies and strong winds on your journey.” Zeff told him. Luffy smiled and went back to his crew.

“I’m sorry Sanji.” Gin called out to the blonde.

“It’s not your fault.” Sanji reassured him.

“Yeah, it’s Sanji’s for feeding you in the first place.” Patty yelled out.

“It’s not Sanji’s fault. Have any of you ever starved before, truly come close to death because of it?” Zeff asked the group. Silence answered him. They went back to preparing themselves for battle. Several of the men were sharpening their oversized forks.

“I wonder what took down that many ships?” Usopp wondered aloud. Gin looked their way.

“Most of the time on that hell-sea was spent fending off unimaginable horrors but I clearly remember what ruined us. It was one man.” Gasps accompanied this revelation. “It had been a clear day but all of a sudden we saw him standing on the beach. I can still see his eyes, golden hawks eyes marking us. Only one ship survived, our flagship.” Zoro went deathly still at those words.

“That sounds like Dracule ‘Hawkeyes’ Mihawk. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and the Worlds Strongest Swordsman.” Zeff chimed in. They all looked at him in shock.

“There’s no way one man took down fifty ships and a full crew of five thousand.” Patty said.

“Oh yes. Mihawk is completely capable of that. You probably disturbed his nap.” Zeff mused. More silence met this statement.

“That’s who you want to face?” Usopp asked Zoro in disbelief.

“It is. I’ve known I could lose my life attempting to defeat him. I’m ready for it.” Zoro challenged. Usopp shook his head, looking at Zoro like he was nuts. Zeff gave them an appraising look.

“Any of you who are too cowardly too fight or still blame Sanji, head out the back door. I’m staying here.” The head chef ordered.

“We’re staying too. This is our home as well and they’ll never take it.” Patty roared out. The other chefs added their agreement. Zeff nodded and went to ready himself. Sanji took a seat near the StrawHats and lit up a new cigarette. For a few minutes the only sounds were the clinking of weapons and muttering of chefs. It was interspersed by the sounds of Sanji puffing away.
The relative silence was shattered by a loud roar from outside. The Krieg pirates must’ve gotten their strength back. Just as the cooks made their way outside a massive blast threw them back.

“Shit! Nami and the others went to check on the ship!” Zoro shouted. Luffy’s eyes almost popped out of his head. Hopefully Nami had gotten them out of the way before the blast went off. The three boys ran to check on their crewmate and ship. The cooks weren’t far behind them, having gotten back up quickly.

What they saw outside was shocking. A massive warship, twice the size of the Baratie, had been docked at the edge of the pier. It was slowly falling apart in front of their eyes. Massive pieces were separating from the main body and falling into the sea. A massive CRACK sounded and the ship broke in two and crashed to the waves. The debris was larger than the Merry was and the waves were making the whole dock bounce and roll. Running to the water Luffy only found Johnny and Yosaku holding onto a piece of wood. The Merry and Nami were missing. Luffy reached over and pulled the brothers out. They sat dripping on the decking, wringing their clothes out.

“Where’s the Merry and the witch?” Zoro questioned.

“Big Sis Nami took the ship. She said that this was her plan all along, that she was never a part of the crew. She took all the treasure from both of our ships. She said that she hopes to see you again.” Yasaku told them.

“But I don’t understand why she would do something like this.” Usopp said.

“It’s like she said she’s a thief.” Zoro answered him.

“Well it might not be just that.” Johnny told them.

“What does that mean?” The swordsman asked.

“Well, we dropped our stack of bounty posters earlier and Big Sis saw them. She seemed really stuck on Arlong’s, got a real weird look on her face, like she was gonna be sick. I think she’s been lying to us. Big Sis Nami is secretly a bounty hunter like us and she’s going to collect his bounty.” Johnny told them. If Luffy remembered right, Johnny had it half right.

“Where is your ship Johnny?” Luffy asked.

“Docked off to the side.” Johnny answered.

“Good. Nami’s going to be our navigator. Zoro, Usopp go after her. I’ll catch back up after I help Sanji.” Luffy ordered.

“She stole from us, betrayed us we-“ Zoro tried to argue.

“No one else can do it, she has to be our navigator.” Luffy insisted.

“Fine, Usopp lets go.” Zoro said. Luffy turned his attention back to the demolished warship. Most of its crew was stuck on the floating debris. A few had gotten over to the Baratie’s docks and were standing still gaping at the destruction. Luffy spotted a familiar set of golden armor standing amongst the floating wreckage.

As the main two halves of the ship drifted apart Luffy could see a small black boat approaching. The vessel had a massive cross rising from the back, lit candles at each corner and a single chair at the center. The man sitting in the throne like chair drew Luffy’s attention immediately. From this distance all he could see was a black blur but the mans energy was familiar. It was Hawkeyes Mihawk. The pirates confirmed it. Luffy and Zoro quickly ran to the end of the docks for a better view. Shoving their way through the equally shocked pirates and cooks they reached the front of the crowd.

Getting up close Luffy could see the clean cuts made to the ship. The precision used the cleave the galleon in half but leave the restaurant untouched made Luffy’s blood rush. If he had a sword he’d have challenged Mihawk already. As the man sailed through the destruction, he could see that the Warlord hadn’t changed. Wearing black pants, and open black coat, and a large black hat with a white feather in it he looked the same as when Luffy had last seen him. His golden eyes studied them all before stopping on Luffy and Zoro.

“Why Hawkeyes?! We left you alone, why did you follow us all the way out here?” Krieg yelled from his perch in the flotsam.

“Fun.” The Worlds Stongest Swordsman informed the golden captain. His eyes never left the StrawHats. Krieg simply stood there in shock, clearly not believing his ears. Most of his crew reacted the same way. A few men tried to shoot the warlord but he simply deflected the bullets. Zoro stepped forward in awe of the display in front of him.

“I’ve never seen sword work like that before.” Zoro said.
“Without the proper skill a sword is useless.” Mihawk responded.

“Is that the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro?” A voice in the crowd asked.

“I think so. He’s got three swords.” Someone else answered. Mihawk curiously looked over at whoever had spoken then back to Zoro.

“We’re meeting sooner than I wanted to but that doesn’t change anything. If you want to have some fun then fight me. Fight me for the title of the Worlds Strongest Swordsman.” Zoro challenged. Mihawk regarded the green haired teen for a minute. Then he got off his boat onto a large piece of debris and stood waiting. Zoro smiled before jumping over to waiting man.

“So why do you challenge me? Is it out of ignorance or ambition? Surely you realize how outmatched you are.” Mihawk asked.

“It’s because of a promise I made. I intend on keeping it.” As Zoro spoke he tied his dark green bandana around his head and unsheathed his swords. One in each hand and the third in his mouth. Mihawk watched him with a bored expression on his face. He then pulled a hidden knife from the golden cross necklace he wore. The blade was around three inches long. Zoro’s face was the picture of disgust the moment he saw it.

“This is the smallest blade I have on me. Despite your reputation the East Blue is the gentlest of the four Blues. I don’t hunt rabbits with a cannon and I won’t use Yoru on you.” Mihawk informed the teen.

“Are you sure about that? You don’t want to look like a fool when I kill you.” Zoro attempted to goad the other man.

“Little frog croaking in your puddle. You have no idea how big the world really is.” The Warlord said. Zoro’s response was an attack, he didn’t hold back either.

“Onigiri!” Zoro attacked with his swords crossed intending to slice his target into pieces. Mihawk caught all three weapons on the point of his knife. Shocked gasps went up from the crowd.

“The Onigiri Demon move has never failed Big Bro before.” Yosaku said, fear in his voice. Zoro attempted several other attacks but couldn’t land a single one. He tried a slashing move next but Mihawk sidestepped the blades and slide his knife into the teens chest. They stood like that for several seconds in silence except for the slow drip of Zoro’s blood.

“Why do you not retreat?” Mihawk finally asked.

“If I take even a single step back that means accepting the death of my dreams. That I’ve failed and can never try again.” Zoro answered.

“That’s what defeat means.” The golden eyed man said in a dry tone.

“I would rather die.” Zoro pronounced. It was silent for a second and then Mihawk stepped back, withdrawing the knife as he did. He cleaned and slid the small weapon back into the necklace. Then drew the massive black blade from his back.

“What is your name? It has been some time since I ran into someone with your determination.” Mihawk asked.

“Roronoa Zoro.”

“Then Roronoa Zoro I will give you the honor of dying by Yoru, one of the twelve supreme grade swords. The finest in the world.” Mihawk informed the teen. Zoro nodded and held his three swords up handles touching, blades facing out.

“Three sword style, secret move. Three Thousand Worlds!” Zoro shouted as he launched a spinning attack. Hawkeyes moved at the same time, lunging forwards with his blade. The two men passed by and then stood with their backs to each other as the two blades in Zoro’s hands shattered. He was left with the white sword in his mouth and another cut to his chest. The green haired teen sheathed his last sword and stood near the edge of the deck with his arms outstretched, facing Mihawk.

“What are you doing?” The dark haired man asked.

“Scars on the back are a swordsmans greatest shame.” Zoro replied. The other man smiled before swinging his black blade at the teen. As Zoro fell into the sea, blood spurting from his chest the crowd let out a collective gasp.

“You will not die today Roronoa Zoro! My name is Dracule Mihawk and I will stay here at the peak and await your challenge. Survive and get stronger!” Mihawk shouted. Johnny and Yosaku jumped into the water swimming for Zoro’s prone body. Luffy reached out for the railing near the Warlord and slingshotted himself over. The crowd let out another gasp upon seeing that. Landing at the edge he was about to reach for Zoro and pull him in but Usopp came around with Johnny’s boat and pulled them all into it. Luffy relaxed a little seeing that.

“He won’t die today I promise that. You did well letting him fight his own battle.” The other man told Luffy.

“It’s his dream I wouldn’t ever stop him from achieving that.” Luffy stated.

“What is your dream?” Mihawk curiously asked.

“I’m going to be King of the Pirates.” Luffy told him.

“A lofty dream, harder than besting me in battle. I wish you luck on your journey.” Mihawk smiled.

“Luffy!” That was Zoro’s voice. Looking over at the small boat he could see the green haired teen holding up his last sword. “Were you afraid? I won’t die, not now and I swear I won’t ever lose again not until I beat Mihawk. Is that okay with you?” The other teen managed to yell.
“Yes. The Strongest Swordsman has to be on my crew anyways.” Luffy answered. Zoro’s arm fell back to his side.

“Luffy, we’re going on ahead after Nami. You stay and get the chef. Catch up to us when you’re done, okay!” Usopp called out leaning over the railing as the boat started sailing off. Luffy waved them off confident that Usopp could handle it. Jumping over to the Baratie he turned readying himself to fight the Krieg pirates.

Chapter 7: Fighting A Fool

Summary:

Don Krieg attempts to take revenge and take a new ship. Luffy fights for the Baratie, helping the cooks defend their home. Sanji decides whether to follow his dreams or not.

Dracule Mihawk, the World’s Strongest Swordsman and Warlord of the Seas, finished his duel with Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro and he turned to leave. The air grew heavier with the watching crowds fear and anticipation. As the dark figure approached his equally dark ship, Don Krieg intercepted him. The Pirate Captain stood tall in his golden armor with a defiant expression on his face. His crew watched in mounting horror as they realized what he was about to do. Mihawk didn’t spare a glance at the man as he walked by.

“Where do you think you’re going? Weren’t you here for my head, the head of the King of the East Blue.” Krieg angrily asked.

“Home. I’ve had enough fun and now I’d like a nap.” The Warlord responded in a monotone. Don Krieg’s face went an ugly red color at that. A loud clicking noise and a pair guns popped out of his shoulder plates.

“You may have had your fun but we’ve only been on the recieving end. Now it’s my turn. Prepare to die!” The golden man shouted.

“You simply don’t understand.” Mihawk replied. This statement pushed Krieg over the edge, with a roar he began to fire at the Warlord. Dozens of bullets raced for the dark clad figure. He calmly drew his massive black sword and destroyed the rest of Krieg’s ship while deflecting the small projectiles. When the debris and water settled, Monkey D. Luffy who had been watching from the Baratie, could only see Don Krieg unsteadily standing on what was left of his ship. Dracule Mihawk was gone. His small black boat was missing as well.

“Well look at that men. He’s gone and run like a coward. It’s not like he did any harm, more of a favor. I was gonna have to scuttle the old tub anyways. Now all we have to do is take that restaurant over there. It looks so ridiculous, no one will believe it’s stuffed to the gills with pirates. Getting a new armada will be easy too. This is the era of piracy and every harbor is packed full of men for hire. Then with a new ship, new fleet, and the old mans logbook we’ll be able to conquer the Grandline! He survived a year out there, with his knowledge we can do it.The freaks like Dracule Mihawk and the straw hat boy will be dime a dozen. It’s clearly devil fruit powers and they all share the same weakness. Water. You can do this men, go take the ship from those lousy cooks! What can they do against pirates?” Krieg laid out his plan for his crew. They hung onto his every word until he said Grandline. A look of fear crossed over their faces. Seeing that none of them were moving, Krieg slowly looked over them all. One man stepped forward, hesistating a moment before he spoke.

“I apologize Captain but go back to the Grandline. Are you serious? We barely escaped with our lives. We’re not eager to go back.” A lanky dark haired man said. The pirate captain considered his words for a moment. As he did the watching crowd held their breath. Before anyone could react Krieg pulled out a golden pistol and shot the man between the eyes. His body hit the decking with a thunk, a pool of blood spreading around him.

“Would anyone else like to speak?” He asked while cleaning the end of the gun.

“NO SIR!” The Krieg pirates yelled. They turned and started advancing on the restaurant. Luffy’s blood started to boil watching the other captain treat his crew so cruelly. He swore to himself that Krieg would never get the Baratie. Cooks all around him started running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Several people were pulling out oversized chefs knives and other cooking implements. Patty and a cook with brown hair and dark glasses he called Carne, ran back inside. Head Chef Zeff ordered for the fins to be extended. The restaurant was prepared to defend itself.

One of the cooks who had run by was working a large hand crank. After a few rotations the whole ship started rumbling. It felt like a sea quake. Luffy moved closer to the main body of the ship, near Sanji and Zeff keeping himself out of the way. The waters around the Baratie started churning and a dark shape was visible under the surface. Several more cranks and a massive wooden platform rose on both sides of the restaurant. The front section of the fins met up making it appear as solid piece. A wide smile appeared on Luffy’s face. Now they had room to fight. The only downside was that the pirates had less distance to traverse.

“Ha Ha Ha. Now I want it even more! Go get me that ship!” Krieg declared. His crew started advancing once more. Most of them were hopping over the scattered debris. A few had decided to brave the water. Luffy had an idea to thin out the pirates. Running over to the fins rail he jumped on top. Looking at the approaching group he noticed a large number of them crowded together by the old warships mast. Stretching a leg out he started swinging it at high speed.

“Gum Gum Scythe!” The teen called out. The pirates had little room to run and were knocked into the water while mast cracked and bent at an odd angle. Luffy pulled his leg back with a snap. Several cooks cheered. A loud pop caught their attention. The head of the Baratie had come free of the main ship’s body. It was a smaller version of the restaurant. As the craft turned to face them Luffy could see Patty and Carne behind the bar controlling it. A glass panel had come down over the fish’s mouth to seal them in.

“It’s the Mackerel!” Someone shouted. Watching the two men pilot the ship was laughable. The whole fish was wobbling around like it was sick. Patty and Carne could be seen arguing behind the glass. After a minute they managed to turn towards Don Krieg. They stopped a few yards away from the unimpressed pirate captain. Several loud clicks came from within the fish and then a large cannon rose from its underbelly. A large boom sounded and a cannonball was shot at the golden man. He stepped to the side with ease and fired his own guns.

The blast sent the Mackerel high into the air, back to the Baratie. The cooks began to run around panicking while Sanji calmly walked to the forefront. As the Mackerel descended, the blonde jumped up and kicked the ship off to the side into open water. The cooks let out a loud cheer while the pirates considered Sanji in a new light. The blonde just puffed away at his cigarette.

“What a pair of Mackerel heads.” Sanji commented. Luffy smiled at that.

“Hey Sanji, what was that? Were you trying to kill your allies?” Patty yelled. Luffy looked back to see the two cooks dripping water and heading their way.

“Yeah.” The blonde nonchalantly answered.

“Yeah, what do you mean yeah?!” Patty roared, a vein beginning to pop out of his forehead.

“You could’ve killed us you chum for brains.” Carne added, cleaning off his glasses. Sanji’s response was a puff of smoke. While they were arguing, the Krieg pirates had made it to the fins and started attacking.
The cooks of the Baratie were no stranger to battle but this was beyond their abilities. The pirates who had survived the Grandline were tougher and more brutal than any in the East Blue. White clad bodies were falling left and right, a trail of red connecting them all. Pirates laughed as they gutted their foes. Patty and Carne stopped fighting and took in what was happening.

“What’s wrong with all of you? We’re the fighting cooks of the Baratie. You’re making us look weak. Get back up and defend our home.” Patty yelled at the fallen men. The burly cook pulled out a butchers knife and dove into the fray. Carne followed right behind with twin serrated blades in his hands. The two men carved their way through the horde of pirates, attempting to save their friends. Just before the duo could take down the last handful they jumped into the sea. Patty and Carne were left standing there looking around in confusion. Luffy spotted the problem at the same time they did.

A large gleaming shape pulled itself from the water, as it stood up Luffy realized it was a man. He was wearing silver and pearl studded armor, shaped as big round plates. One large plate in front, another at his back, smaller pieces at each elbow and knee, and another on each hand. A large pearl hat topped off the look. Before anyone could speak the small giant was in front of the two men. He knocked them out with a single hit. The two went flying across the deck landing near the restaurant.

“Pearl is here! Pearl is here!” The pirates began chanting. They started swarming the Baratie’s deck again.

“You fools. What do you think you were doing? There’s no way you could’ve won against me. My name is Pearl and I’m a member of the Krieg pirates, Second Unit Commander. I’m the Invincible Pearl. After fighting in over sixty duels I’ve never been hurt, never even spilled a drop of blood. There’s no one who can defeat me.” The silver man, Pearl boasted. Krieg’s crew let out another loud cheer. A few had started trying to pry the unconscious cook’s knives out of their hands. Even out cold the fallen men held tight to their weapons. Sanji stepped forward to put an end to the attempted pillaging. He got in the middle of the thieves and using a spinning kick he flung them away. After giving one man his knife back, the blonde turned towards Pearl.

Luffy had been watching everything from the sidelines when he heard a loud click. Looking across the water the young captain saw Don Krieg preparing to shoot Sanji. The guns at his shoulders were starting to spin again. The teen reached across and slingshotted himself at the purple haired man. Krieg saw him coming and ducked. Luffy landed a few meters away, immediately spinning around to face his opponent. The golden man’s sights were now locked onto the young captain. Sparing a second to look at the other fight it was clear Sanji was fine.

“Don’t forget who your fighting boy!” Krieg roared. Luffy turned to see a large, spiked metal ball heading his way at high speed. He flattened himself to the ground just in time avoiding the weapon. It came back around just as quickly, this time lower to the ground. He jumped over it. A few more times around and Luffy coated his hand in armament haki. Just before the ball collided with his head he crushed the chain, leaving the spiked sphere to go flying off. It landed behind him with a ding.

“Was that it?” Luffy asked the other man, who was holding up the severed end of his chain and giving the teen a nasty look. That changed in an instant. Krieg’s face went from bright red to pale white and his mouth went slack.

“This is bad.” The golden man muttered. Luffy looked back to see Pearl wiping blood from his nose. There was also a dent in his shiny hat. That must’ve been where the metal ball went.

“It’s only a nosebleed Pearl! It’s nothing to worry about!” One of the Krieg pirates called out. Looking around Luffy could see them slowly backing away from the silvery man. Their pale faces and wide eyes told him enough.

“These men are dangerous! AGH!” Pearl began banging the shields on his hands together while continuing to scream about danger.

“Pearl calm down, it’s only a nosebleed!” Krieg tried. The large man only started banging his hands faster and screaming louder. He burst into blue flames. The pirates started jumping ship. “It’s a defensive mechanism. He grew up in the jungle with wild animals.” Don Krieg said.

“Everyone get away from me! Fire pearls Lucky You!” Pearl shouted, his flames growing taller. The deck around him started to catch fire and turn black. Hungry flames spread near the main ship body. Cooks ran with buckets and began dousing the flames.

“That fool. He’s going to burn the ship before we even get a chance to sail it.” Don Krieg angrily muttered. A flash of yellow and black caught Luffy’s eye. Sanji was attacking the firery man with no hesitation. Gasps rose from the watching crowd.

“Why aren’t you afraid of me?” Pearl asked, desperation oozing from him.

“I’m a chef. You can’t work in the kitchen if you’re afraid of fire.” Sanji responded. They traded blows until the blonde landed a kick on the other mans head. It caused him to stumble back. The cooks let out a loud cheer at the sight. Pearl stood there dazed for a second before letting out an ear piercing shriek.

“Danger! Danger! Take this, Pearl’s pearls of fire!” The large man screamed. The fire around him surged, spreading over most the deck. The cooks resumed their earlier efforts to put out the blaze.

“If it gets to the kitchen, we’ll all blow up!” One the cooks shouted. Zeff, who had been observing so far, stepped forward. A single kick from him choked out most of the flames. A small circle of fire was left at Pearl’s feet, crackling merrily away. As the crowd took in what happened a loud snap came from the warships mast. Finally giving up its tenuous hold the heavy piece of wood fell to the deck, landing squarely on Pearl’s head. The blow knocked him out cold and he slumped to the ground in defeat. Sanji having seen the impending danger had gotten out of the way. The crowd breathed a sigh of relief. A moment too soon.

“Sanji! I don’t want to kill you,” Gin announced while holding a gun to the back of Zeff’s head, “I don’t care about him though. He might’ve been a legend once but now he’s only a cook. I have no problem scattering his brains on the deck. You should go ahead and leave.” Silence followed in wake of the pirates declaration.

“I refuse.” Sanji calmly replied.

“Sanji don’t make him mad he’s-.” A chef attemped to say.

“You look pathetic, crap geezer.” Sanji cut them off.

“Shut up eggplant head.” Zeff responded, gun still pointed at him.

“Stop treating me like a child,” the teen argued, “Gin, aim your gun at me.” As he spoke a large shape rose up behind him.

“I can hardly believe it, two nosebleeds in one day. If you’re in a hurry to die I’m more than happy to help.” Pearl had regained his footing. The large man quickly attacked the teen. The chef stayed where he was and took the blow. His body slammed into the railing. Sitting up blood began trickling from a cut on his forehead.

“Sanji why didn’t you dodge that?” Luffy shouted.

“Because that crap pirate will kill Zeff if I do. I’ve already taken everything else from him. His power, dreams, he even gave up his leg so I could live. I won’t let anything happen to him, never again, not for me.” The blonde shouted. Pearl started laughing at that and attacked. This time he slammed both hand shields over the cooks head. Sanji collapsed to the ground. The silver man jumped up attempting to squash the teen. Sanji managed to roll out of the way. Pearl kept up the offensive and the cook’s body was flung against the rail again. A spray of blood came from his mouth this time.

“Coward. How could you do this? After everything Sanji did to save your life.” Luffy asked.

“This is their own fault. If they had just handed over the ship peacefully none of this would have happened. You should’ve run with your crew. Why couldn’t you just leave, Sanji?” Gin replied, directing the last part at the slumped over, bleeding blonde.

“This place is my home. Zeff saved my life as a boy. I still need to repay him. Before he lost his leg, his crew attacked the passenger ship I was working on. He found me while raiding the kitchen. We were arguing over whether I should live or not when the storm around us turned deadly. A massive wave taller than a giant came over and sank both ships. I was unconscious and drowning. Zeff pulled me from the water. We ended up on a bare rock pillar in the middle of the sea. For eighty-five days we kept a look out for passing ships. I didn’t know it but he gave me all the food we had. To survive, the crap geezer ate his own leg. When we were finally rescued he opened up this restaurant. I swore I would do anything to help him achieve his dreams. This place is his last one. That’s why I’ll defend it no matter what.” Sanji explained to them.

“I don’t care what your reasons are. This ship will be ours soon. Say your prayers.” Pearl said. As he moved to fight, Luffy shot over to the fin. Landing in the center he flung one foot high into the air then pulled it in back at high speed.

“Gum Gum Axe.” The straw hat captain destroyed the fin, breaking it apart into several pieces. The shockwave knocked Pearl over.

“Luffy stop that!” Sanji yelled.

“Why? If I destroy the restaurant, there’s nothing to fight over.” Luffy reasoned.

“You idiot! I’m not going to let you wreck the place either! We’ll just have to fight them.” Sanji shouted. Luffy pouted at that. His way was much simpler. Pearl got back up like a bad clam that just won’t stay down. The large man lit himself on fire again and headed towards the arguing teens. He only made it a few feet before a white blur intercepted him and shattered his armor. As the large man fell unconscious to the floor the figure who took him out became clear. Gin was standing there with his two tonfa, black metal rods with balls at the end.

“You’re getting in my way Pearl. Don’t take this too hard.” Gin explained.

“What are you doing Gin?” Don Krieg roared.

“They fed us when we were starving. He showed me mercy, was kind to me in a way no one had been before. So I’d like to honor him with death at my hands.” The pirate told his captain.

“Thanks. Eat worms.” Sanji butt in while lighting a new cigarette.

“You too Straw Hat, you should’ve left with your crew. I’ll have to kill you too now.” Gin informed Luffy. The young captain tilted his head in confusion.

“Why would I lose to a bunch of wimps like you?” Luffy asked. The pirate crew began angrily protesting.

“What do you mean wimps? Telling us to eat worms too. How disrespectful, we’re the most powerful crew in the East Blue.” One of the Krieg pirates yelled. The others were agreeing with him.

“Only because you’re the largest. My crew is stronger than yours anyway.” Luffy said, making them angrier.

“Quiet! Getting riled up makes it look like you agree with him,” the crew instantly settled down, “Tell me boy, who do you think is fit to be Pirate King, me or you?” Don Krieg spoke up. A few cooks whistled in appreciation at his ability to command.

“Me.” Luffy answered. Krieg’s overconfident grin slid off his face like a runny egg. The golden man got up and headed for the edge of his debris. Pulling one of his large shoulder plates off he held it out like a shield. The sides slid back to reveal the end of a large gun. His crew desperately threw themselves out of the way.

“It’s the MH5, a poison gas that’ll rot you from the inside out.” One of the fleeing pirates yelled. Krieg’s men jumped overboard and began strapping on gas masks. Seeing this the chefs followed them into the water. Krieg was laughing maniacally as he shot a black ball at them. Luffy had a similar idea to the cooks. Staying on deck he waited until the round was over the water and tried to swat it into the sea. The minute his hand connected it exploded. Dozens of sharp shuriken came out. Several embedded themselves in Luffy’s right hand and arm. Others had been scattered around his body. The teen hastily pulled them out.

“You idiot! What do you think you’re doing?” Sanji asked him. Gin was looking at the young captain in disbelief.

“If it had been poison it would have released underwater.” Luffy explained. Pirates and cooks alike were approaching the Baratie again.

“I wouldn’t dream of using the MH5 you weaklings. It cost more than most counties do. I’ll take you down, just not with my most expensive weapon.” Don Krieg shouted.

“Sir does that mean-.” Gin started.

“Yes it does. Kill the cook and I’ll forget about your little mutiny. Fail and you’re a dead man.” The other captain ordered. Gin turned to Sanji.

“It’s time Sanji, you have to die now.” The Vice Captain mourned. The blonde just shook his head, resigned to a fight. Gin pulled out his tonfa and attacked. His weapons met empty air as Sanji jumped out of the way. The teen tried to kick the older man but was blocked each time. It looked as though they were evenly matched. Luffy turned towards Krieg and found the other captain gleefully reloading one of his many guns. Tired of the other captains interference the young captain went to stop him.

Luffy made it halfway across the fallen mast before Don Krieg noticed him. The golden man changed targets now aiming at the closer threat. Instead of bullets or poison gas, dozens of sharpened stakes flew out. The teen managed to jump over most of them. This time only a few embedded themselves in his limbs. Making it the rest of the way he landed on the deck and started pulling the projectiles out. Krieg watched him, smirking, clearly not worried about the teen. A loud shout pulled their attention back towards the Baratie.

“Finish him Gin!”

“Well, look at that.” Krieg muttered. Luffy was looking and not liking what he saw. Sanji was keeled over, coughing up blood. Gin stood over him, tonfa’s in hand. His legs were shaking but the blonde managed to stand up. The pirate surged forward aiming for a killing blow. In a display of acrobatics Sanji moved out of the way. In the next breathe he connected a heavy kick to Gin’s back. The older man stumbled, then went down to his knees. The force of the attack was more than Sanji could handle. He coughed up another puddle of blood and sank to his knees. Gin was in much better shape and pushed Sanji the rest of the way to the ground with his weapon aimed at the blonde. Pirates began cheering, seeing that their Vice Captain was about to kill another enemy. The swimming cooks groaned in dismay, knowing there was little they could do.

“I can’t do it,” Gin suddenly shouted, “I can’t kill him.” He looked to his Captain, tears threatening to fall.

“What did you say?” Krieg asked disbelief clear in his voice.

“I can’t kill him. No one’s ever been that kind to me and I can’t repay him by taking his life. Don Krieg please let’s just leave. We can find another ship. We don’t need this one, it’s been messed up anyways now.” Gin pleaded. Krieg’s face had become as expressionless as stone. The large man took a step forward and loaded a small black ball into his gun.

“Throw down your mask Gin. Die with the weak. I told you didn’t I, if you failed to kill the brat I’d kill you. You’re a failure and fool. What good is trash like you on my ship? Do it, throw your mask into the ocean. Act like you know how to take an order from your Captain.” Krieg said, malice dripping from him. The pirates gasped at that, looking between their cruel Captain and loyal Vice Captain in shock. Gin slowly nodded and pulled out a green mask. Extending a hand he threw it into the water. It quickly sank beneath the waves. Don Krieg nodded and signaled for the rest of his crew to prepare.

Luffy, seeing a group of pirates near Sanji, took off for them. He stole two of their masks and dropped them off at Gin’s feet. He turned back to the group and found them gone. Looking up at the other Captain he found the man laughing, pulling the trigger. As the black ball sped towards Luffy he attempted to run at it but an arm wrapped around his neck. A second later a mask was placed over his face and held there. A dark green cloud enveloped them just as it slipped over. It felt like several minutes passed but the cloud was eventually blown away by a strong breeze. The arm around him fell away.

Luffy ripped the mask off and started taking in deep breaths of fresh air. Looking back to see who had saved him, he stopped in shock. Gin was laying there motionless. His skin had turned a deep purple color and his eyes had rolled into the back of his head. He frantically looked to Sanji. The blonde was crawling their way, a mask sitting on his head.

“Put the mask on him. Now. It might be able to help him!” Sanji hoarsely called out. Luffy placed the discarded object over Gin’s face. Making it over to them Sanji started to check on the older man. Maniacal laughing came from behind them. Luffy spun around to see Krieg doubled over in a fit of laughter. Rage flooded his veins and the young Captain went to confront the heartless man. As Krieg stood up he found the teenager’s fist in front of him. Luffy connected with the older Captain’s face, sending him through one of the warship’s walls.

Don Krieg emerged from the wreckage with a few scrapes and missing his plate-gun. Seeing Luffy he pulled a new, smaller gun from his waist and began firing. The StrawHat Captain deflected the bullets back to their owner. As Krieg went to dodge his own weapons, Luffy came up behind him. Stretching a foot into the air he slammed in down onto the older mans head. The force of the kick sent Krieg through the deck and into the ocean below. Loud cheers came from the watching crowd. The remaining pirates were surrounding Gin, worried looks on their faces.

“Is he going to be okay?” Luffy shouted.

“It’s too early to tell.” Sanji responded. He at least was looking much better than he had earlier. His face had regained some color and he was standing up now. A loud gasp had Luffy turning around to see Don Krieg pulling himself up and out of the water. He had shed all his armor and was standing before Luffy without any weapons.

“You little shit. Who do you think you are? I’m the King of the East Blue and future King of the Pirates. How dare you do that to me, I will kill you if it’s the last thing I do!” Krieg screamed, spit flying from his mouth and his eyes bulging from his red face.

“Gum Gum Gatling!” Luffy started attacking Krieg with unrelenting speed and power. His fists moved so fast it appeared there were dozens of them, each one beating the other captain into submission. Don Krieg finally fell to the ground with a thud and stayed there unmoving. Walking over to the mans prone body, Luffy kicked it a few times. Satisfied that Krieg was truly unconscious the teenager went back to the Baratie. Slingshotting himself over to the remaining fin was easy.

The pirates backed up to the edge of the deck, clearly nervous around Luffy. Sanji and Zeff were at Gin’s side along with a box that said medical supplies. The man looked much better than he had earlier, his skin was only purple tinged and he seemed to be breathing easier. Sanji got up and went inside. A few cooks moved Gin inside as well. The pirates were trying to rope the largest pieces of debris together to leave on as several cooks stayed to watch over them. A loud rumbling noise came from Luffy’s stomach. He flopped down to the deck and took a nap.

A commotion near the fins edge woke Luffy amd drew his attention. Gin had come outside. The injured man went and collected his fallen captain. Returning to the pirates he set Krieg on the debris.

“We should be leaving, I don’t think they want us to linger.” Gin said.

“You’re right. I’m glad you’re okay but don’t ever come back. Not for anything. Take this and get out of here.” Sanji called out from a small boat that he was sailing towards them.

“Are you sure?” Gin questioned, his eyes wide.

“Yeah Sanji that’s our grocery boat. How are we going to get fresh food.” Patty yelled.

“It’ll be fine, use the mackerel.” Sanji told them.

“Thank you Sanji. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.” Gin said. Sanji just shook his head.

“If you really feel that way then do what I said and don’t come back. Even to return the boat.” Sanji told him while passing the vessel over. Gin nodded gratefully and ushered the pirates onboard. Picking up the still unconscious Don Krieg he stepped onto the boat. They sailed off, packed in like a clown car.

“Hey Old man how about some food!” Luffy suggested. Zeff nodded in agreement.

“Good thing I started to reheat the food in the galley. The soup will be ready in a few minutes.” Sanji reappeared at the doorway. Several people brought out tables and chairs, dishes and baskets of bread followed right behind them. A few minutes later Sanji appeared carrying a large pot. Luffy shot over to the table, wanting to be first in line for food. The blonde let out a laugh seeing Luffy’s excitement. He filled the bowl with a clear soup. Luffy happily wandered off to eat. The rest of the Baratie’s staff quickly joined him and the only sounds heard were the clinking of silverware against bowls. Luffy finished his and ran back up front for another serving. The second tasted even better than the first.

“This is disgusting. Who served this soup?” Patty said, his face scrunched up at the taste.

“Yeah this is terrible. I think I’m going to puke after eating this slop.” Carne joined in.

“I cooked the soup today. What’s wrong with it?” Sanji asked.

“What isn’t wrong with it?” Patty shot back. Zeff stood up and threw his empty dish on the ground.

“Food is precious, especially at sea. You ungrateful louts had better finish every drop, even if it tastes like pig shit.” Zeff announced. The cooks grumbled but continued to eat. Sanji got up from the table, flinging his chair back and getting in Zeff’s face.

“Say that again.” The teen said. Zeff punched him, knocking Sanji to the floor.

“You’re the worst Sous Chef to ever set foot on this stinkin barge. We’ve had enough of your arrogance. You’re never going to take over this restaurant. Not as long as I’m here.” The head chef thundered. Sanji looked up at him in shock and then ran off. Luffy looked around wondering if everyone else had somehow gotten a different dish than him.

“I don’t understand. This is some of the best soup I’ve ever had.” Luffy said. The cooks exchanged looks.

“We agree with you. Sanji’s one of the best cooks around but if we tell him that he’ll never leave. We don’t want him to regret never chasing after his dream. This is the perfect opportunity for him to go.” Zeff answered. Luffy nodded and went back for thirds.

“Assholes. I had already decided to go with him. That wasn’t necessary. Your acting was terrible by the way.” Sanji called out from the upper floor. He had been leaning against the railing, smoking a cigarette. Most of the cooks looked embaressed to have been caught. Patty and Carne gave the teen a few rude gestures.

“You’re saying you’ll be my cook? Luffy asked.

“Yeah, you said you’re going to the Grandline. That’s probably where the All Blue is. This will give me the chance to cook with all sorts of ingredients and see all kinds of beautiful women.” Sanji confirmed. Luffy smiled so wide his face hurt.

“So Captain when do we leave?” Sanji asked.

“Let’s go, right now.” Luffy answered. The blonde laughed.

“Okay, let me get a few things together.” Sanji quickly headed off. Luffy made his way over to the cooks and asked for a bag of meat to take with them. Several people jumped up and ran inside. Luffy watched them curiously.

“They should be packing whatever extra food and supplies we have on hand. That way the beginning of Sanji’s adventure will be well prepared.” Zeff explained. Luffy let out a whoop and ran for the kitchen. They might need some help packing the meat up. Strolling back outside, Luffy was carrying a massive pack over his shoulder. He saw Sanji standing next to another small ship, this time with white sails and a blue stripped hull. Making his way to his newest nakama, Luffy stored their food in the vessel. The cooks were gathered around giving Sanji all the advice they could.

A large shadow suddenly passed overhead. Looking up Luffy saw an extremely ugly and misshapen mermaid flying by. It landed in the middle of the fin with a wet thud. Rushing over to see if she was okay they stopped in surprise. Instead of a beautiful women it was Yosaku with a panda shark around his lower half. After separating the two, the shark was tossed back into the water. Yosaku was dried off, taken to Sanji’s ship and given something to drink.

“What happened? Where are the others?” Luffy asked, the bounty hunter had been with his brother Johnny, Usopp and Zoro. They shouldn’t have run into any real trouble.

“We were okay at first. Nami and the Merry were just at the edge of the horizon. We were able to map out where they were headed. Then just as I was about to fish up dinner, a shark got me instead.” Yosaku said.
“That’s great. Now we know where Nami’s at.” Luffy said.

“Yeah it’s an absolutely terrifying place. I’ll tell you about it later. Did you convince the cook to join you?” Yosaku replied.

“Yep, this is his boat we’re on.” Luffy told him.
“He sure is taking his time getting ready to leave isn’t he?” Yosaku said. Sanji started making his way to them pushing through the crowd. Patty and Carne tried to take the blonde down one last time. They were easily thrown back. Just before he stepped onto the ship Zeff called out.

“Keep your feet dry little eggplant.” Tears started pouring from Sanji’s eyes. The teen spun around and dropped to the ground in a bow.

“You’ve let me live under your roof all these years. I won’t forget it. I owe you my life.” Sanji shouted. The rest of the crowd started crying as well. Sanji joined them aboard the ship and turned to face the cooks again.

“Goodbye you crap cooks!” Sanji shouted, a large smile on his face. The blonde untied the rope and pushed them off. The men of the Baratie stood waving at the edge of the dock.

Notes:

I hope you enjoy this. Sorry for any formatting issues, this is posted on mobile. Also I don’t own One Piece or any of its characters. Thanks for reading!