Chapter - 33
East Blue – Baratie
“What the hell is that?”, Zoro asked, seeing Mihawk draw a small bde that he wore as a neckce.
“A bde”, Mihawk said, stating the obvious.
“That’s clear. What I want to know is if you’re really going to fight me with a bread-cutting knife?”, Zoro asked, slightly irritated by the humiliation.
“Hmm, I don’t think it’s necessary to use a cannon to kill a rabbit”, Mihawk replied, pointing the bde at Zoro.
“One thing’s for sure, you’re definitely underestimating me a lot.”
“Then prove me wrong, boy.”
“Fine”, Zoro said, dashing forward using Soru and delivering a downward ssh from right to left with his three swords, all imbued with Armament Haki. Mihawk easily dodged using Observation Haki.
“Interesting, Haki in the weakest Blue”, Mihawk commented, effortlessly dodging Zoro’s constant attacks.
The fight advanced with Zoro relentlessly trying to nd a blow on Mihawk but failing as Mihawk continued to evade all his strikes effortlessly.
Gaining some distance, Zoro crossed his arms, positioning his two swords vertically parallel in his hands, then imbuing them with Armament Haki. He dashed forward using Soru at full speed. Upon reaching Mihawk, he unleashed a ‘Santoryu - Oni Giri’ which Mihawk blocked with the tip of his small bde, completely stopping the momentum of the attack.
“My turn”, Mihawk said, swinging the bde and sending Zoro flying backward.
The battle resumed, but this time Mihawk didn’t just defend and dodge, he also attacked.
From this point on, Zoro had no room to strike back, forced to dodge and barely defend against Mihawk’s attacks, accumuting shallow cuts all over his body as the fight continued.
Things changed when Zoro managed to create a tiny gap between himself and Mihawk and unched a ‘Santoryu - Tora Gari’ at him, only to be interrupted midway by Mihawk’s small bde piercing his chest.
If the bde had been pushed a bit deeper, it would have pierced his heart.
“ZORO!”, Kaya shouted in worry.
“Luffy, do something”, Nami said, preparing to go and help Zoro.
She was stopped by Luffy, who watched the unfolding battle with a serious expression.
“Hmm? Why don’t you retreat? If you don’t, and the bde penetrates your chest a little further, it will reach your heart”, Mihawk asked, curious.
At that moment, an oppressive presence spread across the area, with Zoro at its center.
This pulse of Conqueror’s Haki knocked out all of Don Krieg’s pirates and the restaurant’s chefs. Only a few remained standing and conscious, among them were Gin, barely managing to stay on his feet while sweating profusely, and Patty in the same condition. Zeff and Sanji sweated a little but stood firm. Luffy’s crew remained unaffected, as they were used to Luffy using his Conqueror’s Haki to train them.
Since Luffy’s Haki was much more potent than Zoro’s, this pulse didn’t affect them at all.
“If I take even one step back, I’ll be breaking my promise and won’t be able to lift a sword again”, Zoro said, spitting blood and staring at Mihawk with an intense gaze, his indomitable will evident.
“Yes, that’s called ‘defeat’”, Mihawk replied, raising an eyebrow, impressed that there was a Conqueror in the weakest Blue.
“Yeah, that’s why I can’t step back”, Zoro said, smiling.
“Even if it results in your death?”
“I’d rather die than live with regret”, Zoro said, looking at Mihawk intensely.
Mihawk withdrew the bde from Zoro’s chest, sheathed it, and pced it back around his neck. He stepped back slightly and took Kokuto Yoru from his back, pointing it at Zoro. “Roronoa Zoro, right? I’ll remember that name. Now, come at me with everything you’ve got.”
The fight resumed, with Zoro being mercilessly pressured, accumuting more and more cuts of varying sizes and depths.
Zoro was drenched in blood but still standing, refusing to fall, feeling himself becoming stronger and faster.
Yet, it seemed that no matter how much stronger or faster he got, it made no difference in the end. Mihawk either dodged or blocked the few attacks Zoro managed to execute amidst the constant pressure.
Finally, Zoro realized that his next strike would be his st. After that, not even his willpower could keep him standing much longer.
Positioning himself, Zoro said, “Kiki Kyutoryu”, and to all the observers, it appeared that Zoro had gained two additional heads and four more arms.
Mihawk, realizing that this would be Zoro’s final attack, prepared himself, sensing that this time would be different.
“Ashura Ichibugin”, Zoro said before charging at Mihawk, creating several sonic booms along the way, leaving marks on the ground from his footsteps.
Zoro sshed with his swords imbued with Armament Haki, appearing behind Mihawk, who had also sshed.
The sea became turbulent from the impact of the blows before calming once more.
Zoro’s additional arms and heads disappeared like illusions, and a deep ssh appeared on his torso, blood gushing out.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the two swords in his hands shattered into pieces.
Removing Wado Ichimonji from his mouth, Zoro sheathed it and turned to face Mihawk, opening his arms in the process.
He then noticed Mihawk looking at him with a slight smile, a shallow cut on his cheek with a trickle of blood running down his face.
Wiping the drop of blood with his thumb, Mihawk asked, “What are you doing?”
“A scar on the back is a swordsman’s shame”, Zoro said with a bloody grin pstered on his face, for he had wounded the world’s greatest swordsman. It might seem small, but in reality, it was a huge achievement for a guy from East Blue who had just begun his journey.
“Splendid”, Mihawk said with a smile before delivering a deep ssh across Zoro’s torso in a diagonal motion from left to right.
As Zoro fell, blood gushing from his body, Luffy suddenly appeared and caught him.
Laying him down gently, Luffy stood up and faced Mihawk, exerting his full Conqueror’s Haki at maximum potential, causing several structures around them to tremble, creak, and tear apart. The sky darkened with lightning crackling between the clouds, and the nearby sea became turbulent. Yet, it was a precise and controlled pulse directed only at Mihawk.
“Very interesting. Two Conquerors in the same crew, what could that lead to? Roronoa Zoro, it’s too early for you to die. Live, reach your true potential, and get stronger. I’ll be waiting for you at the top for a rematch”, Mihawk said, addressing Zoro, seemingly unaffected by the pressure directed at him.
“What’s your dream, boy?”, Mihawk asked Luffy.
“I’m going to find the One Piece and become the King of the Pirates”, Luffy said, staring at Mihawk intensely.
“An interesting dream”, Mihawk replied, moving toward his boat to leave.
“L-Luffy”, Zoro said, raising Wado Ichimonji in the air.
“Zoro”, Luffy responded, looking at his first mate.
“From now on, I won’t lose to anyone again. Until I become the greatest swordsman, I won’t lose again”, Zoro said, covering his tearful eyes with his free hand.
After a pause, he added, “Is there a problem with that, King of the Pirates?”
“Shishishishi, not at all!”, Luffy replied, giving him a warm smile.
---
(AN: 1,199 Words)
Chapter - 34
East Blue – Baratie
“You idiot, how are you going to fulfill your dream if you're dead?”, Sanji asks to no one in particur, thinking Zoro was foolish for fighting even though he knew he'd lose. Deep down, though, Sanji understood Zoro, but he just didn’t want to admit it.
Luffy then picks up Zoro and carries him to the Merry to receive medical treatment. As he passes by his crew, he asks, “Hey Kaya, can you handle these injuries?”
“He’s losing a lot of blood. I can handle it, but I’ll need more hands”, she says, hurrying back to Merry, anxious and worried. Despite having treated Luffy in worse condition before, she still wasn’t experienced enough to stay calm in situations like this. Learning from her mistakes, she asked for help because she knew she couldn’t handle this alone right now.
“Hey old man, does anyone here have medical knowledge?”, Luffy asks Zeff, who wasn’t far away.
“I do, why?”, Zeff replies in a tired tone.
“Can you give Kaya a hand treating Zoro?”
“Sure”, Zeff says, following Luffy and his crew back to the Merry.
Sanji approaches Gin, who is sitting near the now-dead body of Don Krieg, who hadn’t survived Luffy’s attack, and asks, “Do you hold a grudge against the handyman?”
“No, I don’t hold a grudge against Straw Hat. He did what had to be done, and that’s that”, Gin says with his head down.
“What are you going to do now, Gin? Patty already called the Navy; they’ll be here in a few hours. If you want, you can escape during that time.”
“I’ve got nowhere to go, so I have no idea what to do.”
“Why don’t you join the old man? If you ask him, I’m sure he’ll give you a job at the restaurant. Your friends too. The old man’s been wanting to expand the pce anyway”, Sanji says, lighting a cigarette.
“I—”
“You don’t have to answer right now. Just think about it”, Sanji says before going to help Zeff and Luffy in case they need something.
=Scene Break=
Zeff and Kaya come out of the room where Zoro is after disinfecting his wounds, stitching him up, and bandaging him.
“Is he going to be okay?”, Nami asks, worried.
“He lost a lot of blood, but he’s not in any danger. He just needs to rest for a while until the wounds heal completely, and he’ll be fine”, Zeff says calmly, while Kaya, standing beside him, wipes the sweat from her forehead, relieved that everything went well and that she hadn’t made any mistakes.
“We told you, big sis! Big bro Zoro is strong. In no time, he’ll be up and training again”, Johnny says to Nami, with Yosaku beside him nodding in agreement.
“Woof, woof woof woof, woof woofwoof?”, Chouchou asks Johnny and Yosaku, tilting his head.
“He’s asking how you guys woke up so fast”, Luffy transtes Chouchou’s question for them.
“One of the cooks accidentally stepped on us, you know, that big guy? So we woke up startled and in pain”, Yosaku says, rubbing his neck.
“Where are you going, Luffy?”, Usopp asks, seeing Luffy heading toward the deck.
“I’m going to make a call”, Luffy says as he reaches the stairs.
After arriving in the kitchen and grabbing his Den Den Mushi, Luffy calls his grandfather.
“Pero... pero... Kacha... who is it?”, Garp asks as soon as the call connects.
“It’s me, grandpa.”
“Why are you calling, brat? Did that beating I gave you knock some sense into you, and now you’re giving up on being a pirate and joining the Navy?”, Garp asks, surprised, as he didn’t expect a call from Luffy.
“You’re going senile, old man. I’m just calling to ask for a favor”, Luffy says, wondering if the old man had gone senile.
“You damn brat, just spit it out, what do you want?”, Garp says, getting angry at Luffy’s disrespect.
“There’s an archipego here in the East Blue called the Conomi Isnds. A Fish-Man pirate named Arlong has taken control of the pce with his crew. They’ve been extorting and terrorizing the citizens for eight years. What I want is for you to contact Jinbe and ask him to head there in a week or two”, Luffy says, running a hand through his hair.
“Conomi Isnds? Isn’t there a Navy base near there?”, Garp asks, remembering the information.
“They’re corrupt. So here’s the deal: neither you nor Jinbe needs to interfere. Arlong and those corrupt Marines are mine and my crew’s. I just asked you to contact Jinbe so he can take Arlong and his crew into custody after we’re done with them. Since they’re Fish-Men, if they end up in the Navy’s hands, they might end up as sves for those giant fat guys with fishbowl heads”, Luffy says, crifying the situation.
“BWAHAHAHAHAHA, you couldn’t have described those guys better! Alright, kid, I’ll let him know. Just make sure you don’t get into trouble”, Garp says in a good mood.
“That’s not going to work, grandpa. Trouble is my middle name”, Luffy says with a grin.
“Your middle name is ‘D’ you idiot. Now stop bothering me”, Garp says before hanging up on Luffy.
“The old man’s cranky today. I wonder if he soiled his diaper”, Luffy wonders aloud.
=Scene Break=
Sanji is cooking in the Merry while Usopp and Kaya are at the kitchen counter watching him. On a sofa, Nami is sitting next to Luffy, her head resting on his shoulder.
Luffy, in turn, is cleaning Zoro’s Wado Ichimonji, and Chouchou is lying on a pillow on the floor in front of the sofa, almost falling asleep.
“Hey Sanji, can you make Zoro’s favorite meal for when he wakes up?”, Luffy suddenly asks.
“Of course, what does he like?”, Sanji asks, pausing what he’s doing.
“Eh, he likes onigiri and alcohol. Can you do something with that?”, Luffy asks, unsure if it’s possible.
“I’ll think of something”, Sanji says with a smile.
Noticing Luffy still feeling a bit down, Sanji says, “You know, being a captain is a tough job. Zeff once told me that making decisions is what sets the captain apart from the rest of the crew. He was a pirate captain who sailed the Grand Line and came back unscathed, so the old man knows his stuff. Don’t bme yourself for your crewmate’s decisions. He chose to fight, and as captain, you trusted your crewmate’s decision completely”, Sanji says, trying to cheer Luffy up.
“Wait, the old man was a pirate? So that’s why that guy called him Red-Leg Zeff?”, Luffy asks, excited.
“Yeah, captain of the notorious Cook Pirates. They called him Red-Leg Zeff because his boots were always covered in the blood of his enemies”, Sanji says, amused by talking about the old man.
“Wow, how did you guys meet? Were you part of his crew?”, Luffy asks, curious.
“Not exactly”, Sanji says, smiling sadly as he remembers the past.
---
(AN: 1,166 Words)
Chapter - 35
East Blue – Baratie
Sanji begins telling the story of how he met Zeff when Zeff attacked the ship where Sanji was working as a cook's apprentice. A fierce storm struck, killing everyone on board, except for Sanji and Zeff, who were left stranded on a deserted isnd with no way to escape on their own.
They survived for eighty-five days, with food running out on the twenty-fifth day.
“When I confronted him, trying to get a share of his food, I found out that his sack was full of treasure. The old man had given me all the food, and he ate his own leg so I’d have a better chance to survive. When I asked him why he did that for a stranger, he said it was because we shared the same dream, and he was already old, just passing the torch to the younger generation”, Sanji recounts his story.
“After we were rescued, I helped the old man realize his dream of building a sea restaurant, and that’s pretty much it. That incident made me understand the value of food and what real hunger is. Honestly, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone”, Sanji says as he turns off the stove, his dish ready.
As everyone eats what Sanji had prepared, Luffy, his mouth full, asks, “All Blue, right? You share the same dream, so why are you still here? Why haven’t you gone after All Blue?”
“You don’t understand. The old man sacrificed everything for me. I owe him, and I need to repay that debt”, Sanji replies, lighting a cigarette.
“Actually, I do understand. But I don’t agree, and I’m sure the old man doesn’t either. Hmph, repay? Staying here, stuck, doesn’t repay anything”, Luffy says, pausing his chewing.
“Well, I guess I should go help the old man clean up the restaurant”, Sanji says, not wanting to continue the conversation.
“We're leaving tomorrow morning, in case you want to join us”, Luffy says, extending the invitation once again.
=Scene Break=
“Wait, let me get this straight, you were going to rob my restaurant, but now you want a job?”, Zeff asks, looking at the group of pirates led by Gin.
“After Don died, I realized I had nowhere to go or belong. This pce was the only pce where I was treated with respect and dignity. Besides, I want to make up for what Don tried to do to your restaurant. And as for these guys, they don’t want to be arrested, and I think the food is a good motivator for them to work here”, Gin says, pointing to his crewmates.
“Do you even know how to cook?”, Zeff asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Any job is a job, sir. It doesn’t matter if you put us as waiters, cleaners, or kitchen assistants. We’ll take it, and I swear I’ll keep these guys in line”, Gin says respectfully.
“Hmm, Baratie’s been doing well, and I have more demand than I can handle right now. I’ve been thinking of expanding for a while. Alright, you’re hired. Patty, come here”, Zeff says, gesturing for Patty to come over.
When Patty arrives, Zeff points to the crowd in front of him. “I’ve hired these men. Run some tests to see where they fit best. And when the Marines get here, tell them the pirates escaped, that they were too te. From now on, we’re expanding the business, my friend.”
“Are you sure, Chef Zeff? These are the same pirates who were going to attack us”, Patty asks, unsure if this was a good idea.
“Sanji’s friend here promised to keep them in line. Besides, from what I can see, these guys respect him a lot”, Zeff says, pointing to Gin.
“Alright then, come on, guys, follow me”, Patty says before leading the new recruits to another part of the restaurant.
Left alone, Zeff looks around the restaurant, still a mess from Don Krieg’s attack and the earlier storm. Mentally exhausted, he picks up a fallen chair and sits in it, staring at the chaotic scene for a while until Sanji appears with a broom in hand and starts sweeping up the debris.
“What are you doing?”, Zeff asks, watching Sanji.
"Tomorrow we'll have a full house, so it's better to clean this up now", Sanji says without looking at Zeff.
“...Sigh... I don’t need you for that”, Zeff replies after letting out a sigh.
“Well, I don’t see anyone else volunteering”, Sanji says, continuing to gather the dishes left on the tables after sweeping the debris into a pile.
“Enough, I don’t want to hear it anymore”, Zeff says, looking at Sanji.
Sanji then looks at Zeff, sitting there, and asks, “What’s your problem, old man?”
“Me? I don’t have a problem. You’re the one with problems”, Zeff says, standing up.
“I’m just trying to help”, Sanji replies, continuing to gather the dishes.
“Yeah, but I didn’t ask you to do that, did I? So get out of my restaurant”, Zeff says, pointing to the door.
“I can’t just leave”, Sanji says, closing his eyes.
“And why not?”, Zeff asks, stepping closer.
“Because you couldn’t handle the pce without me”, Sanji says, leaning on the table in front of him and looking directly into Zeff’s eyes.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Eggpnt, your cooking is shit. I didn’t save you so you could stay stuck in this restaurant thinking you owe me something”, Zeff says, raising his voice and rolling his eyes.
“Oh yeah? At least I don’t drown the food in a pound of oregano”, Sanji replies, getting angry.
“Ah, fuck you! You don’t even know how to season properly, and at least I’m not the one spending every single day talking about All Blue”, Zeff retorts, also getting angry.
“You want me to give up, is that it?”, Sanji asks, holding a stack of ptes.
“For crying out loud, you didn’t understand a single thing I said? Giving up is staying here. It’s one thing to have a dream, another to chase it”, Zeff says, frustrated with Sanji’s stubbornness.
“You know what? You want me gone, right? The straw hat invited me to his crew. Maybe I’ll accept”, Sanji says, smming the ptes he was holding onto a table.
“If you’re looking for my permission, you already have it”, Zeff says, gesturing for Sanji to leave.
“Great, then”, Sanji says, kicking a piece of table as he walks away.
“Great”, Zeff replies, annoyed.
“Fine! I’m leaving tomorrow”, Sanji shouts, smming the door behind him.
Zeff then sits down again, letting out a sigh before looking up at the ceiling and closing his eyes with a sad expression crossing his face.
---
(AN: 1,111 Words)
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