Five days now the Straw Hat Pirates had been at the Baratie, officially making them the restaurant's most frequent customers. Reiju had to admit she was wondering if their tenacity was admirable or annoying at this point. But they had proven as respectful as they were diligent so there wasn't much she can do. Plus, Carina had actually learned what a tip was supposed to be…
It also gave her a chance to see that Sarie had completely ditched her elaborate gown in favor of some spare clothes from the other girls. A plain black t-shirt and gray khakis that went down to her knees. She also apparently had the heels to her pumps slashed off, leaving high quality golden footwear that actually let her walk faster than a gentle clip.
Reiju continued to watch their training and watched as the queen along with Moodie both walked through basic punches and kicks as the other girls continued to work on these otherworldly techniques and Devil Fruit powers. She had seen a few users in the restaurant before but never so many on one crew.
"Heh, maybe he grows them himself…" she thought with a chuckle before heading inside. Several tables were due to arrive shortly and the Straw Hats would need lunch not long after.
From there, the day progressed with the pinkette going from table to table. There was the occasional drunkard who couldn't hold their liquor and tightwad who insisted on negotiating the menu prices but nothing to get worried over. Luffy and his crew were a joy as always, giving their food glowing reviews and happily chatting like a band of friends instead of a pirate crew.
But as the afternoon passed, one of the diners spotted something approaching the Baratie that made him scream in terror. Others soon followed and people began heading for the door in a panic. The only exception were the Straw Hats, standing around the front door as they spotted the cause for alarm – the single largest galleon any of them had ever seen.
A monolith of wood and canvas was rapidly approaching, each side was over ten stories tall and easily dwarfed not only the Going Merry but the restaurant itself. But once they looked past its scale, everyone noticed something even more striking. The ship was a floating wreck. Large gouges in the wood, the sails were tattered scraps and the vessel moaned like a dying man as it slowed to a stop.
"Goodness, it must have been caught in a storm," Sarie noted, "I wonder where it's from?"
"I can guess," Kuina said, pointing at the faraway mast, "That's one jolly roger I know anywhere."
The black flag showed the typical skull and crossbones but with hourglasses sitting on either side of the face. "It's the Krieg Pirates."
"Wait, those Krieg Pirates?!" Moodie yelped, "But I thought Reiju helped that guy earlier!"
"I did," the sous chef nodded, "But I'm guessing that isn't just Gin on board."
The party headed back inside to wait for the inevitable arrival. The entire kitchen staff, some thirty chefs all wielding giant forks and knives, were standing at attention. Among them was Patty, insisting that there's no way Gin could possibly be angry enough to come back just to attack him… Right?
The only one calm was Chef Zeff, his arms crossed as he glared at the doors. The assembly didn't have to wait long as Gin had inded returned but with a plus one.
"Please… Help me…" said the towering man resting on Gin's shoulder, "I need… Food…"
"Wait, that's Don Krieg?!" one of the chefs wondered. While he was well-built and well over eight feet tall, the newcomer could barely stand. His clothes weren't impressive either with a massive leopard print shirt and plain brown pants. His gray hair was cut short with mutton chops on either side of his square face, his mouth hanging open in exhaustion. The pirate collapsed to the floor, moaning in grief as Gin rushed to help him up.
"Don Krieg, please! You can't die like this!" The Man Demon from earlier was gone. Now Gin was the image of humility as he rested on his hands and knees, "Please, feed my captain! He's maybe hours away from starving!"
All of the cooks remained in place, nobody looking even the tiniest bit sorry. Even as Krieg swore that he would accept anything, even scraps from the bin, not a one was moved.
"Hah, like we're going to help him!" Patty taunted, "Quick, somebody get the Transponder Snail! We've got Don Krieg ready to capture!"
"Please… I swear… No trouble…" The don promised, his head touching the floor, "I'll turn right around… I'd be so grateful…"
"Captain, don't reduce yourself to this!"
Right as Patty was about to goad some more, he was violently pushed out of the way. Reiju held a tray of steaming rice filled with shrimp and calamari alongside a bottle of sparkling water.
Gin gasped in wonder as the sous chef presented the spread in front of Krieg. "Please, eat."
The don didn't waste another second. Reiju simply stood and watched, even as many of the cooks ordered her to take that away before Krieg got his strength back. Luffy noticed that the only exception was Zeff, still idly observing this all happen right in his own restaurant.
With one final loud gulp, Krieg finished the last bite. He quickly rose to his feet and slammed a punch directly into Reiju's face, forcing the pinkette on her butt as he cracked his knuckles. He threw the oversized shirt off to reveal a golden suit of armor that covered his torso.
"Don?! What are you doing?!" Gin cried, "She just saved your life!"
"That was a truly well-done meal," Krieg chuckled, "I feel like my old self again!"
"See?! What did I tell you?!" one of the chefs yelled at Reiju, "This is a scumbag who hijacks Marine ships to attack ports and raises the white flag before opening fire!"
"Man, this guy is a new level of asshole…" Kuina muttered as she helped Reiju up.
"What did you just say, cupcake?! Speak up, I didn't hear you!"
The swordswoman ignored him completely, escorting the sous chef back. Krieg ground his teeth at the blatant disrespect and raised a diamond-covered gauntlet to attack her. Gin, however, jumped in front of him.
"Captain, please! You promised to leave, these people helped us-!"
The chief of staff got a gem-crusted fist to the face for his trouble, making the rest of the Baratie wince. Nami and Kaya both wanted to help Gin up but they noticed something else. Luffy's eyes were hidden behind his hat as Krieg spoke again.
"Now then, if there aren't any more interruptions, here's what will happen next. First, there are one hundred men on my ship on the brink of starving. You cooks will prepare them meals just as you did for me."
The cooks all grumbled that they would all soon tie anchors to their feet and take a dip in the ocean than do that, making a vein pop out on the don's forehead.
"Second of all, you can all plainly see my ship is in no condition to sail. I'll be needing a replacement immediately… This restaurant!"
"What?!"
"That doesn't make any sense," Sarie thought aloud, "What could a pirate need a ship like this for?"
"Actually, it makes plenty of sense," Moodie answered, "Think about it, would you ever suspect a pirate attack from a vessel like this?"
"HEY!" Krieg yelled, "Enough with the color commentary! You women speak when spoken too, got that?!"
"Oh great, he's a sexist pig on top of everything else," Nami rolled her eyes, "And here I thought he might have some redeeming qualities…"
"Why you little…" Krieg suddenly pulled out a double-barreled pistol and pointed it right at Nami, "Who the fuck are you to talk to me like that?!"
"Point that at me." Luffy stepped forward.
"Who are you supposed to be, the chore boy?"
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and that was my friend you just threatened."
Krieg belted out a laugh, though his weapon was indeed leveled at the young man. "Oh, is that right? Well, pardon me, I'm sorry I interrupted your tea party with your little book club here!"
"You're a total dick. Get out right now before I kick your ass."
Krieg's cocky smile turned to a snarl as he pulled the trigger. The bang made many cooks cover their ears and duck, horrified at the murder they just watched… Until the smoke cleared and showed Luffy standing perfectly still. His hands outstretched in front of him, untouched from the shot.
"WHAT?!" they all gasped.
"The fuck?!" Reiju awed, "How are you still alive?!"
"I'm a rubber-man," Luffy told her, "Bullets don't work on me!" His cheerful smile turned to a grimace as he faced Don Krieg, blatantly trying to mask his surprise.
"So, you think one fluke makes you better than me?! You've got some nerve, kid!"
"It's not a fluke," Makino warned, "Luffy is ten times the pirate you'll ever be. And he doesn't need cheap tricks to win fights!"
"Oh, you think so?" Several slots opened on Krieg's golden armor, revealing ten different gun barrels before he held up a second double-barreled mega-pistol to match the first.
"DODGE THESE, PUNK!"
A hail of gunfire filled the restaurant… For all of five seconds before Krieg got a Haki-infused punch to the face that sent him flying out of the restaurant.
"What the?!"
"No way… That kid…"
"How the hell did you do that?!" Gin cried, "You should be full of holes right now!"
"I told the idiot that bullets don't work on me. He didn't listen." Luffy then offered Gin a hand up off the floor, "And anyone who treats their crew that way pisses me off."
"I'm so sorry… I can't believe he would do something like this!" Gin cried, "And he wants to back to the Grand Line?!"
"So that's what happened to your ship…" Nami gasped, "What kind of storm did that?"
"A storm is the only thing that saved us! It was that man… And those golden eyes… He took down the entire fleet by himself!"
The whole restaurant fell silent. Kaya and Moodie both gaped at the thought of a single person being able to wipe out forty-nine ships full of pirates all on his own. Kuina, however, took another look at the demolished galleon and gaped. There was no way…
Reiju then turned around to head to the kitchen, attracting Carina's attention. "And where are you going?"
"To prepare the meals for those starving pirates."
"WHAT?!" All of the chefs actually pulled flintlocks out of their aprons and pointed them at the pinkette.
"Alright, that tears it! This whole mess is your fault, princess!"
"Yeah! If you just let Gin starve, none of this would have happened!"
"And if I did, I couldn't live with myself!" Reiju stomped the ground hard enough to crack the tiles.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Krieg yelled, ripping the doors off the hinges as he stormed back inside, "I'm gonna tear you apart! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"
"I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"
Krieg burst into laughter, barely holding himself upright. "YOU?! King of the Pirates?! With what, a bunch of girls for a crew?! Are you running a pirate ship or a floating brothel?!"
"Okay, that's it," Moodie said with her arms crossed, "I say we kick his ass, no matter how many guys he has."
"But before that…"
Chef Zeff plopped a gigantic burlap sack on the floor, almost as big as the man himself. "…Here's your meals. Go feed your crewmen."
Rather than take the bag, Krieg gaped at the one-legged man in front of him. "Red-Foot Zeff?! You're alive!"
"Tch, nobody has called me that in ages. I'm the head cook of this establishment now, and nothing else."
"That's a pirate epithet," Kuina chuckled, "Pretty impressive, considering the World Government doesn't believe in forgive and forget."
"No way!" Luffy gaped, "You were a pirate?!"
"A long while ago, yes. It's all in the past now."
"More like you're a has-been." Krieg pointed down at the chef's peg leg, "To think you were once known for wading through the blood of your enemies and kicking through solid steel. Now look at you…"
Reiju's nostrils flared in anger. Several of the other cooks could at least agree with her on that, growling at the pirate's blatant insult before he went back to barking demands.
"But, at the very least, there's something from your time as a pirate that will be of use to me. You must have kept a logbook of your journey through the Grand Line."
"That's right, but you're not getting it."
The don sneered at that. "I'm sorry?"
"You heard me. That book contains all the memories of me and my crew, it's irreplaceable. You'd have to pry it from my dead hands."
"Don't tempt me, old man! I am Don Krieg, Ruler of the East Blue! Once I have this ship and that logbook, I will conquer the Grand Line!"
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The other Baratie chefs watched in horror as Luffy doubled over laughing, Krieg trembling in anger. "What's so funny, huh?!"
"You're a total idiot, that's what!"
"You dare insult me?!"
"Yeah, he should," Makino stepped up, "Because frankly, it's quite obvious you're the biggest fish in a tiny pond."
"WHAT?!"
"It's true," Nami added, "The Pirate Armada is famous for being the biggest gang of swashbucklers in this sea but that doesn't mean squat on the Grand Line. That's where quality matters, not quantity."
"Just having a cheat sheet about the Grand Line won't be of much help," Kaya continued, "If your fleet getting wiped out by one person is any indication, you need to actually get stronger and improve yourself. All you're doing is looking for shortcuts."
"You bunch of useless bitches! I'll show all of you! Maybe I ought to take some of you on board my crew and show you a REAL pirate!"
Carina's face turned green. "Oh God, somebody get me some bleach…"
Sarie fanned her face, pretending like she would faint. "You disgusting scoundrel! You must not, should not, cannot be serious! I wouldn't join your fleet for all the jewels in the world!"
Luffy, while amused at his crew's reactions, sent a glare that actually made Gin and Krieg flinch as he ordered, "Get out. I'm gonna be King of the Pirates, not a pathetic bully like you."
The pirate admiral simply picked up the sack of prepared meals and stomped back to his ship, swearing that he would mount Luffy's head to the wall of the Baratie once he was done with him.
"You've got some bravado there, lad," Zeff tipped his hat to Luffy, "It might not mean much, but I'd sooner bet on you making it to the end of the Grand Line than that braggart."
"Thanks, and don't worry. That jerk isn't taking this place if I can help it."
"You're completely serious?" Reiju asked, "This place has nothing to do with you. You could just get on your ship and leave."
"We could, but we won't," Nami told her, "There are too many asshats like Krieg who think they can push everyone around and laugh it off because their the strongest."
Makino nodded. "Those people need to learn that there's always someone out there who can put them in their place."
"That you can't just take someone's home on a whim," Moodie said with a tremor in her voice, "That other people's lives aren't just playthings."
"And that showing mercy and kindness isn't a weakness, but a talent," Kaya finished, placing a hand on Reiju's shoulder as the pinkette gaped, "You've been nothing but a great server and chef to us the whole time we've been here. You even helped Gin and Krieg because you care about feeding the hungry. That's something great, Reiju. That shows how strong you are."
Kuina shrugged. "Granted, beating a lieutenant like he was nothing helps. You might have too much pink for me, but you're alright in my book."
The sous chef just stood, floored that these people she hadn't even known for a week were so willing to protect her home. After a long while, she looked at Luffy. "If Krieg had all his men, would you still fight them?"
"Yep."
"If he had an army of Marines backing him, would you still fight?"
"Totally."
"If you were facing down an entire country, would you still stand up to him?"
"Of course! I don't care if I have to take on the whole world!"
Reiju couldn't sense an ounce of hesitation, almost flooring like the pirate admiral just did. She couldn't believe it. Someone with so much resolve… Flashes of red, blue, black and green flickered before Luffy's words echoed in her mind.
"He'd even stand up to him…"
"Reiju."
She snapped to attention, seeing Zeff look at her. "I didn't take you in so you'd be cooped up here forever. These kids here have got real gumption. Go with them, while you still can."
"Chef, why are you acting like this?!" Patty yelled, "This whole mess is Reiju's fault!"
"Yeah! If she just let Krieg's henchman go hungry, then none of this would've happened!"
"Shut your damn mouth!"
The whole staff grew silent as Zeff ranted. "None of you ingrates know what it's like to go hungry! The only one who does is this girl!"
The pinkette's eyes hid behind her hair. "When I found her, she was nothing but sticks and bones! And as for me, I ate my damned leg because I was stranded on a pillar of rock in the middle of the ocean! When you feel your body shut down, your organs trying to quit on you, then you'll know what it's like!"
As colorful as the story Zeff told was, many eyes were on Reiju. The Straw Hats were wondering if she was actually the chef's daughter but apparently not. If he "found her" then where did she come from? But that was a story for later. A hurrah rang out from outside, followed by a gunshot.
"Sounds like they're done eating," Makino murmured.
"And I am guessing that Krieg shot the one brave soul who pointed out how moronic his plan is," Sarie thought, "So, how do we do this?"
"You and Moodie stay back," Luffy ordered, "This is gonna get serious. Everyone else, we form a line and don't let them cross."
Reiju then walked up. "I imagine you'll be making room for me… Captain?"
Luffy's eyes lit up like fireworks before he let out a laugh. "Alright! We've got a cook!"
"Only after we defeat those blowhards. I will, however, be more than happy to prepare a feast for my new crew."
"Everyone else, stay back," Zeff told the cooks, "This is officially a battle between pirate crews. Anyone who gets involved is liable to get torn apart. Speaking from experience…"
He then pointed to one chap in white and ordered him to deploy "the fins" and soon the entire restaurant shook as two large wooden decks over twenty feet long were raised from the underside of the floating eatery.
"Nice thinking," Nami nodded, "Having a huge deck to have fights on. Better than having more broken furniture."
"Chef Zeff intended to die with this place," Reiju said, "But that's supposed to be from whenever his crusty heart gives out, not from these jokes."
"Don't worry about it," Luffy assured her, "We're gonna take these guys down."
"I sure hope so…" Kaya and Carina both said under their breath as a small army of buccaneers all brandishing cutlasses and flintlocks leapt down from the derelict galleon and onto the extended deck. The Straw Hat Pirates rushed ahead as one, yelling as they crashed headlong into a full-fledged battle with one of the most notorious crews in the East Blue.
Luffy quickly sent several blokes flying without Haki or his rubber-man powers, the poor sods crashing into the water like cinderblocks. Makino stood firm as three rogues rushed at her, extending both her hands out.
"Paterson Push!"
An explosive boom rattled the deck as she let out her biggest burst yet, a hundred tiny pellets stopping the trio in their tracks. Makino was flung backwards but now she moved with the impact, extending her foot out to catch herself against the restaurant's outer wall and launching herself back to knock the shotgunned pirates out with a clothesline.
"What the?!" several of the Krieg Pirates cried, "A Devil Fruit?!"
"She's not the only one!"
Everyone turned to see Nami, her hands clasped together like she was praying. The coy grin on her face gave her away though as she opened her palms to reveal a dozen tiny clouds the size of marble that flew through the air, floating lazily by and making them chuckle. What, were clouds supposed to scare them?
"Nimbus Spring!"
With a snap of her fingers, the teeny tiny puffs exploded in size to being several feet around. Several pirates were surprised but they felt like marshmallows were pushing against them. Then they saw Nami running at them, her bo staff drawn and leaping onto the nearest white pad. Her feet sank into its fluffy surface before launching her several feet into the air.
"No way! Her too?!"
"I just said that, idiot!"
Nami's staff crashed into the nearest pirate's head, laying him flat. In a show of her training, the redhead recovered immediately and rolled upon landing. She bolted up to her feet fast enough to stop a cutlass going for her eyes, Observation Haki letting her know that two more were aiming guns at the back of her head. With a sweep of her hand, one of her clouds swept in and acted as cover to stop their shots while she disarmed the swordsman and laid him flat with a smack across the face.
Several pirates tried to surround the navigator but they soon found themselves ducking for cover as razor-sharp, sparkling arrowheads flew past their faces. One unlucky goon got a gem straight to the eye, sending him to the deck in a screaming, bloody mess.
Standing on the upper deck of the restaurant, Kaya might have felt the urge to vomit but she held firm. She was a pirate now, she couldn't let herself falter. She used the Gem-Gem Fruit again, creating more flechettes to act as cover fire.
In the center of the chaos were Kuina and Reiju, the two standing back to back against twenty of Krieg's men.
"Show me what you've got, pinkie!"
"Tch, if you insist, brute…"
Kuina moved in a blur, stopping any blade long before it could get close and slashing them down. As for Reiju, she stopped a punch with barely a glance and crushed the bones in her grip. The burly attacker shrieked in panic and was quickly tossed aside like garbage, letting her move onto the others. She moved with the grace of a dancer, never losing stride as she sent crippling kicks to their knees or broke jaws with a single punch.
"Damn, she's strong…" Luffy awed before turning to see Krieg, still standing on his ship. Even from where he was standing on the deck, the rubber-brain could see the other captain grinding his teeth in rage.
He then giggled as he watched Carina, using the Volume-Volume Fruit to go silent and pickpocketing the Krieg Pirates on the outskirts of the combat. Not only did she pilfer their wallets, but she grabbed any loose weapons and threw them in the ocean behind her.
"YOU MORONS!" Krieg shouted, "One of them is literally robbing you blind!"
"Huh?!" One of them looked down just as the bluenette threw away his dagger, "You cunt!"
"Oi, language!" She leapt up as four guns were trained on her, but thankfully a cloud appeared around her to stop the shots. She plopped on another puffy white pad, giving the redhead ample opportunity to check on her friend.
"The fuck are these freaks?!"
"Don Krieg, what do we do?! All of these guys have Devil Fruit powers!"
"QUIET!" the don ordered, "They must have a weakness, and that old man's logbook must have it!"
"Man, you really are an idiot. All you do is make excuses for why you can't win."
Krieg snarled as Luffy glared back at him. "Oh, you think so?! Why don't you get up here and say that to my face!"
"Okay." Luffy leapt straight off the Baratie and onto the half-sunk ship with no effort, the boat rocking as he crashed down. The don held firm before revealing his diamond-studded gauntlets.
"You think you're so damn special, huh? Because you ate some special fruit that you're better than everyone?!"
"No, I don't."
"DON'T YOU BULLSHIT ME!" Krieg charged ahead like a bull to pound Luffy's face in. His fist crashed into Luffy's palm, stopping it in an instant. The don tried his other hand but Luffy simply swerved to the side, grabbing the armored ass by the wrist and flinging him across the deck like a frisbee.
"Hey, Nami, Carina! Presents for you!" Luffy tossed the gem-encrusted gloves to them. Both girls briefly forgot all about the fight, squeeing in delight at having a few million beri worth of precious stones just handed to them.
"Thanks, Captain!" Both of them cheered, promptly back-slapping a pair of Krieg Pirates that tried to get the drop on them.
"No way, those girls didn't even look at them!" one of the Baratie chefs muttered, one of many who stayed behind Chef Zeff and agreed that this fight was way above their level. Reiju was similarly impressed, wondering just how they were so aware.
"STOOOOP!"
The entire fight crashed to a halt as they turned to see Gin standing over Chef Zeff, a double-barreled gun pointed at the cook's head.
"Aw shit, we forgot all about him!" Kuina swore, too busy on the other side of the deck.
"Gin, put that down!" Reiju begged.
"I'm sorry it's come to this. Just leave the ship now and the old man will be fine."
Don Krieg laughed from his ship. "Well done, Gin! I told you all not to cross us!"
Makino, though standing still, raised her hands. "Gin, listen to me. You don't have to do this. You know just having this ship won't help you on the Grand Line."
"It's not about what I think. It's my captain's orders. You understand, I'm sure."
"Except we don't follow Luffy blindly!" Nami insisted, "He isn't some meathead who wants us to do everything he says! That's not a good captain!"
"Save your breath! Either you all leave this restaurant or the old man gets a bullet between the eyes."
"Or, if I may posit a third option?"
A pistol touched Gin's left temple, making the pirate blanche. Sarie just gave a calm smile as she held the weapon to his head. "You relinquish your weapon, or else I'll be forced to kill you."
"Wait a minute, I've seen your face on the newspapers! Aren't you some queen?! The fuck are you doing here?!"
"I am the newest member of the Straw Hat Pirates. And I must say, swashbuckling is so much more fulfilling than sitting in a gilded cage."
"Tch, yeah right. You don't have the guts."
A second gun touched his right temple, a much less friendly Moodie holding it steady. "Perhaps she can't but I can and will. Drop your gun or someone will have to mop your brain off the floor."
"What the?! Where did you come from?!"
"I joined not long before Sarie here did, but that's not important. What is important is that these guns we borrowed from the Baratie cooks are loaded at all times, and I've got a bad history with pirates destroying people's homes for kicks."
Gin swiveled his eyes, noticing that both blondes weren't budging. His hand began shaking, realizing he had no other option. He barely noticed the sound of someone running towards him and only focused just long enough to register Reiju's foot inches away from his face.
The pinkette's kick sent Gin hurling into the back of the restaurant, the rest of the cooks scrambling out of the way as the chief of staff's weapon clattered to the floor. Gin slowly looked up, his lips leaking blood and several teeth lying around the floor.
"I'm sorry it's come to this too," Reiju apologized, "You may be following orders, but your captain is going to lead you to an early grave at this rate."
"Don't remind me…" Gin stared at the floor in shame, both at himself for his failure and for letting this whole debacle happen.
With Zeff safe, the battle between Straw Hats and Krieg Pirates resumed although it quickly became one-sided. Despite outnumbering the smaller crew ten to one, quality was easily defeating quantity as each of Luffy's ladies was easily a match for the pirate admiral's generic goons.
And as this all happened, Krieg could feel the blood vessels in his head threaten to pop. This whole operation had been a shitshow from the start. He couldn't believe it. He was Don Krieg! If he still had his full fleet, these newbies would be six feet under the waves already!
Then he turned to Luffy, the other pirate's arms crossed as he waited for their fight to continue.
"Alright, so you think you're so tough? I don't need my diamond fists for you!"
He pulled off one of the round, armored plates from his shoulders. Krieg grabbed onto the brassy disc and Luffy watched as the rim along the pirate's emblem revealed several barrels.
"Chew on this, rubber boy!"
Dozens of spikes fired out from the shield, dripping some kind of purple liquid as they aimed for Luffy. But thanks to a little Observation Haki, the straw-hatted knew what to do.
"Gum-Gum GATLIIIING!"
Luffy's fists bounced back and forth, easily bursting through the rain of spikes much to Krieg's horror. One of Luffy's fists bashed straight into the launcher, denting the golden plate as the admiral's finger slipped off the trigger. All the better for Luffy to pummel him under an avalanche of punches, Krieg's face and legs were getting bruised and bent and even his famous wootz steel armor was being riddled with dents.
Many of the Krieg Pirates down below could barely believe what they were hearing. Don Krieg was losing?!
A few of them, however, noticed something bobbing through the water up to the deck and felt a tiny flicker of hope again. The Straw Hat ladies paused as a towering man covered in rounded steel plates decorated with humungous cyan pearls hoisted himself onto the Baratie with a cocky grin on his face.
"Goodness, this is becoming quite the farce," he boasted, "To think a gaggle of girls could defeat even Gin…"
"Oh great," Makino rolled her eyes, "Who's this clown?"
"'Iron Wall' Pearl," Kuina recognized, "One of Krieg's commanders, wanted for 9 million beris. Supposed to have never even been injured in a fight."
"Ohoho, well done for being so well-informed," Pearl preened, "Indeed, thanks to this invulnerable plates of mine, I haven't even suffered a scratch in my career!"
"Wow, those do look impressive!" Nami awed, walking up and even knocking against the taller pirate's front piece of armor, "These must be some high quality iron!"
"You're quite right! Custom forged, second only to Don Krieg's wootz steel armor! A Marine battleship could ram into it at full speed and I wouldn't suffer so much as a stomach cramp!"
"You don't say! But, I do think there's one thing you might have forgotten…"
Nami closed her eyes, forcing all of the clouds she had still scattered around the deck to fly into her hand. Two white puffy balls fit for bowling rested on her palms before she closed her fists together, crunching the clouds down into gray spheres the size of her eyes.
"…Iron is a great conductor."
The redhead thrust her hands forward, letting loose the clouds which flew right at Pearl and discharged tens of thousands of volts of white hot lightning. The dandy man screamed in terror as the electricity easily bypassed his shields and struck right through him, his arms and legs flailing about as the rest of the crew watched in despair.
Once the lightning strike faded, Pearl was left a charred, smoking lump swaying on his feet. "D-Danger?"
Kaya quickly conjured a bigger gem than usual, this one a flat prism as wide as a ruler, and sent it flying right at Pearl's stunned face. And Krieg commander moaned in agony as he toppled backwards into the ocean, quickly sinking beneath the waves.
"Nice job, you two!" Reiju complimented, "Your powers really are something else."
"Eh, all in a day's work!"
As the Baratie chefs cheered at seeing the feared captain's other heavy hitter fall, Krieg was now frozen in fear. Gin was barely conscious. Pearl was probably a minute away from drowning. And Luffy had that same glare in his eyes. All of his plans were in ruins and it was all this kid's fault…
"THAT'S IT! EVERYONE DIES!" he roared, eyes bloodshot and frothing at the mouth.
He slung off his other shoulder plate, a single larger cannon barrel emerging from the mouth of the skull flanked with hourglasses on its front. "I can't believe I'm resorting to this, but I am not leaving without that ship! Prepare for the MH5!"
"HUH?! NOT THE MH5!" Krieg's men pleaded, before shuffling around their jackets and pockets.
"Um, what is he talking about?" Moodie asked one of the cooks.
"That maniac!" Reiju snarled, "He's going to fire poison gas at us all!"
"WHAAAAT?!"
"That's right, you cunts!" Krieg crowed, "One whiff of this stuff and you'll melt from the inside out!"
He pointed the massive gun straight at Luffy, ignoring the young man's withering glare. "It doesn't matter what powers you have, you still need to breathe! So, what'll it be, brat?! Are you gonna be a hero and take the blast yourself? Or are you gonna do the smart thing and stand down before I take your whole crew to Davy Jones?!"
"Your crew is down there. What about them?!"
"I couldn't give a flying fuck about those losers! I'll start over, rebuild the pirate armada with even stronger men! Then I'll have the ship, the knowledge of the logbook and a worthy crew to take the One Piece!"
"SHUT! UP!" Luffy's face had gone red in anger, "You're so full of bullshit! The only thing you're good at is hiding behind your weapons and making excuses!"
"You better shut that mouth of yours right now before I fill it full of toxic gas!"
"You keep blaming everyone else for your mistakes! You need a different ship, a stupid book, more men, more weapons, but you know what?! A crew is only as good as its weakest member, and that YOU, Krieg!"
"WHAT?! I'm the most wanted man in the East Blue! I can punch a battleship apart! How the hell am I weak?!"
"It's not all about power, it's about teamwork! And friendship! A real pirate needs a crew and trusts them to do their job! You're just a total asshole who thinks he can do it all himself! Well, guess what?!"
Luffy materialized inches away from Krieg with Shave, grabbing the poison gas launched and crushing the metal under his fingers.
"WHAAAAT?!"
"I'm sick of your dumb weapons! Fight me like a real man!" Luffy tossed the scrap metal aside and sent it overboard, leaving Krieg with only his torso and arms covered.
"You… You little…!"
"Stop talking and fight!" Luffy sent an uppercut that knocked Krieg right off his feet, slamming down and actually breaking through the deck of his dilapidated ship. Luffy hopped through the hole after him, ending up in a massive room full of torn hammocks and discarded chests full of clothes and other possessions.
Krieg finally tried fighting him upfront, charging like a bull with his fisticuffs drawn. Luffy briefly noted he put on new spiked gauntlets at some point and frowned. He really never learned, did he?
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
The elastic fist shattered the sharpened ends of the armor before smacking Krieg through the wall of the quarters and leaving them in the cannon deck. Now the admiral had actually picked up one of the cannons to use as a melee weapon. Luffy rolled his eyes, this was getting sadder by the minute.
"Tempest Kick!"
Luffy's leg released a shockwave that shook the ship and once again sent Krieg flying through the wall. This time, though, he was forced through the hull and ended up rolling to a stop on the deck of the Baratie. Luffy leapt after him, giving him plenty of time to see Krieg's crew staring in astonished horror and his own ladies watching in satisfaction.
"You bastard… I won't give in… I always win, every time!"
"Just shut up already," Kuina snapped, "You've been saying the same crap since you showed up!"
"This is the best in the East Blue?" Sarie asked, "I've heard many a time this was the weakest of the seas but I never imagined it was this bad…"
"Mouthy little bitch… I'll show you… I'll show all of you!"
Krieg snapped to his feet and rammed a punch at the nearest target: Moodie. The blonde shrieked in alarm before his hand closed around her throat and the sides of his armor revealed the same guns he fired on the Baratie cooks earlier.
"NO! Put her down!" Luffy cried.
"Too late, punk! You might be bulletproof, but she isn't! Now either get off this ship or I'll fill her full of holes!"
"You bastard, that's despicable!" Nami yelled, "She's barely a fighter!"
"And I don't care! This is what a real pirate does! Any step you take to win, you take it and you run your enemies into the ground! And now you're gonna learn what happens when you disrespect the best, you little-!"
Before he could continue boasting, a punch to the face sent him stumbling enough to drop Moodie. The blonde hurriedly picked up the gun she dropped and pointed it up at Krieg's face only to notice a purple spot on his cheek.
"That's enough," Reiju ordered, rubbing her fist, "You're leaving and that's final."
The don was about to scream at her only for his vision to double. His face began turning green as the world began to sway from side to side.
"Huh? Don Krieg? What's wrong?!" one of his men asked before the ruthless pirate collapsed onto his knees, upchucking the food he ate when he first arrived. His men all gasped in shock at this, the Straw Hats and Baratie cooks all glancing at the pinkette who was hiding her eyes behind her hair.
"He's poisoned…" Kaya realized, "How did you do that?"
"A Devil Fruit?"
"No… It's something else…" Reiju admitted in shame, "I'll tell you when the time is right, Captain, I promise."
Luffy just nodded, sensing another sensitive topic like with Nami and Arlong. He then glanced down to see that Krieg was still struggling to get up even as his limbs shook and sweat poured down his bluing face.
"I… Never lose… I'm the Don Krieg…!"
Luffy covered his hands in Armament Haki before landing two knife strikes to Krieg's back. The don gulped in terror as he felt the digits easily pierce his infamous armor. The younger pirate then easily ripped the golden plate like it was cloth.
"You're nothing but a coward and a loser. Now give up."
But even then the don didn't learn his lesson. A final rush of anger, delirium and a primal instinct to kill overtook him. He lurched up like a zombie, his eyes pure white as he readied one final punch. "DIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"
Luffy jumped over him easily, standing right in front of his newly exposed back. "Finger Gun."
His finger sank cleanly into Krieg's spine, freezing the admiral in an instant. His mouth was stuck in a half-scream, his limbs curling in silent agony now from the poison and his nerves being shot. The feared don of the East Blue then collapsed onto the deck, only the tiniest whimper signifying he was still alive.
"Now. GET. OUT."
The Krieg Pirates, now thoroughly beaten, all scrambled back onto their derelict ship in horror. They didn't care about all of the new holes or the damage hull, they just needed to get the hell away before the toxic girl and this monster in the hat killed all of them like they almost did with the Don Krieg.
The only exception was Gin, an icepack over his aching mouth as he gawked. "Holy shit…"
"I warned him," Luffy shrugged, "Guy was a moron." The pirate then walked up to Moodie, gently plucking the gun from her shaking grasp.
"You still want to join my crew?"
Moodie snapped back to reality. She had just survived being held hostage by one of the most wanted men in this sea. She held another man at gunpoint to save an old chef's life. These were the craziest days of her life, bar none and now she had an out to find some other place to live.
One look into his eyes, and she could tell that he would protect and train through it all. "Of course, Captain."
"Hehehehe, yes!"
"Nice job, son," Zeff nodded, "You've got a hundred times the chance on the Grand Line then that clown. Here, take this with you."
Luffy noticed a musty old logbook bound in brown leather. "No thanks. I want to make my own path!"
"Well said… Now then, I assume you'll be on your way…"
"Nope."
"Huh?!"
"Well, we gotta celebrate! We have new crewmates! Let's have a party!"
The Baratie cooks all laughed, but filed in nonetheless to prepare a banquet for their heroes. Sarie and Moodie sidled up to Reiju.
"So, I guess we're all on this crazy ride together, eh?"
"Indeed! So much excitement, I couldn't, wouldn't would never imagine it all before!"
The new chef of the Straw Hat Pirates chuckled. True, she might have some explaining to do down the line but Luffy was happy to have her anyway. She headed back into the Baratie to cook there one last time.
But, as they wandered inside, none of them noticed a tiny skiff shaped like a coffin gliding along the waves. Thin candles topped with eerie green flames flanked the legs of the boat's only passenger. His piercing golden eyes checked the retreating Dreadnought Sabre for a moment before looking away.
"Quite the spectacle I seem to have missed… Oh well, I could use a meal anyway."
By this point, the Straw Hats have had a pretty cushy ride with no major obstacles. Well, a certain Warlord is coming to change that! Tune in next time!