Chapter 11: East Blue Arc: The Deadly Foot Technique Bursts Forth! Sanji vs. The Invincible Pearl!

"Damn you..." Luffy cursed after seeing Mihawk defeat Zoro easily.

"Aniki!" Johnny and Yosaku dived into the sea to rescue Zoro.

"Aniki, calm down!" Sasha tried to pacify her outraged brother to no avail when the rubber teen extended his hand to grab onto a demolished hull of the ship Mihawk had destroyed earlier. Sighing, she held on to Luffy's shoulder, allowing herself to be taken along for the ride as Luffy shot past Mihawk.

"You bastard!" Luffy snapped, his head buried into the wood.

"Are you two that young swordsman's comrades?" Mihawk asked the sibling pair. "You also impressed me for watching it to the very end."

"Thank you for the compliment." Sasha nodded at the older swordsman. "Although I did insist he, at the very least, master Armament Haki before this fight, he still refuses to listen. And aniki," she turned to her brother who had pulled his head out. "Zoro isn't dead; Mihawk missed his vitals."

"You are a sharp one, lass." Mihawk noted.

"Hurry up and get him up on this ship." Usopp pulled the trio back on board. "This is medicine." he brought out the medical chest. "Throw it over him."

"It's too early for you to die." Mihawk declared. "My name is Dracule Mihawk. Learn about yourself. Learn about the world. And become strong. No matter how many years it takes, I will hold this seat of the strongest and wait for you. Surpass this sword! Try to surpass me, Roronoa Zoro! Kid, what is your goal?" he turned to the sibling pair.

"King of the Pirates!" Luffy declared.

"It'll be even harder than surpassing me." Mihawk smirked.

"How would I know when I haven't done it yet?" Luffy retorted.

"Luffy..." Zoro raised his remaining sword. "Did I worry you? You need no less than the world's greatest swordsman, right? I will never be defeat ever again! Until the day I defeat him and become a master swordsman, I'll never be defeated! Got any problems with that, King of the Pirates?"

"Nope!" Luffy grinned.

"He does realize he has to go sword-hunting now, right?" Sasha pointed out.

"You're a good team." Mihawk remarked. "I want to see you guys again."

"Hey, Hawk-Eye." Krieg stepped on the wooden board. "Didn't you come to take my life, the life of East-Blue's ruler, Don Krieg?"

"I was going to, but I had enough fun." Mihawk replied. "So, I'm going home to get some rest."

"You might have enough, but I'm tired of getting beaten." Krieg cracked his shoulders. "Die before you leave!" he revealed his gauntlets and fired the gun barrels.

"As I expected," Mihawk drew his blade. "He never learns a lesson."

"Damn, he escaped." Krieg snorted, Mihawk having used the massive wave he created to leave.

"Usopp!" Luffy called, having brought Sasha and himself back to the Baratie. "Leave, I'll leave Nami to you."

With Mihawk now gone, Krieg and his crew now focus on their original goal; claiming the Baratie.

"Go to the operating room and open up the fins." Sanji instructed. "We can't make the inside of this restaurant a battlefield. If it became a battlefield, that damn geezer will complain."

"Here they come." Luffy grinned as Krieg's pirates charged in. "They're finally coming. Sasha, I'll leave this place to you. Here I come. Gum-gum Rocket!" he propelled himself forward. "And Gum-Gum Giant Scythe!" he knocked the attacking pirates into the water.

"The Grand Line is crawling with people like this?" Sanji muttered.

"Sanji." Zeff voiced. "Watch carefully how he fights. Don't take your eyes off him until the moment this fight comes to an end."

"To think that you attack the restaurant after they gave you food." Luffy chided, attaching himself to one of the fallen masts. "I'll beat up an ungrateful jerk like you."

"So you actually want to fight on the water where there is little foothold?" Krieg laughed. "Those with Devil Fruit powers are helpless in the sea. This I know that much."

"Instead I can stretch." Luffy beamed.

"We'll fight to the utmost, you damn pirates." Sanji swore, stepping out onto the raised platform.

"Do you really think you have time to crack jokes, cooks?" the second wave of Krieg's crew taunted.

"Let's get them!" one of the restaurant's cooks rushed forward, pitchfork in hand.

"Even with a weapon, a cook's a cook." the pirates mocked, having beaten back the attacking cooks. "We're expert fighters who's in a whole other league than you. Now, be good little cooks and find a land restaurant to cook for. We're the Krieg Pirates, the rulers of the East Sea."

"Just decree to them, that the ship already belongs to the Krieg Pirates." Krieg ordered.

"Don't be mistaken." Sanji retorted. "We won't let you take even one step into the restaurant."

"Yare, yare." Sasha shook her head. "What a troublesome aniki I have. Ex-quip! Water Drayk Armor!" her new armor was a bright azure blue with pale cedar brown trimming, complete with a dragon-headed helmet. "Water Dragon Bullet!" she unleashed a powerful water dragon at the attacking pirates, washing them off the platform.

"Just what're you guys doing?" Pearl chided, heaving himself up onto the platform. "Unassailable! Hence invincible!" he laughed. When someone says 'Pearl-san the Invincible Shield, of the Krieg Pirates', they mean me."

"We won't be defeated by a mere cook!" the rest of the pirate who were not caught in Sasha's attack rushed forward.

Sanji jumped into action, fending off the pirates with his 'Party Table Kick Course'. "A mere cook, you say?" the blond growled. "I'm gonna cut you into three, you bastards!"

"How imprudent you are to beat them using only kicks." Pearl snorted. "Is that your policy?"

"To cooks, hands are most important." Sanji replied. "I can't have them hurt in battle. I'll take you down with this leg as well."

"Take me down?" Pearl echoed. "That's impossible. I'm an invincible man that won all my 61 battles unharmed. I've never shed blood in a battle, not even a drop. Winning unharmed is the very proof of my power. I'm a shield man and a gentleman. I'm refined, aren't I?"

"Hey, Straw Hat brat!" Krieg snapped. "If you're not paying attention, you'll get hurt." he flung his spiked chain ball at Luffy, breaking the mast he was holding onto and sending the rubber teen flying.

"Even battleship cannons don't work on me." Pearl continued to brag. "I come out of any attack unharmed."

"Boy, that startled me." Luffy patted himself down, having bounced off Pearl's head. "Good thing I didn't fall into the sea."

"What?" Pearl wondered, touching his nose to see blood on his fingers.

"This isn't good..." Krieg muttered.

"These guys are dangerous..." Pearl concluded and started clashing the pearls on his iron plates on the back of both his hands.

"What's with him?" Sanji wondered. "He's acting strange."

"What about his nosebleed?" Luffy mused.

"And that's what you focus on!?" Sasha exclaimed.

"Stop it, Pearl!" Krieg tried to stop his subordinate from rampaging. "It's just a nosebleed! Don't lose your cool!"

"Danger!" Pearl chanted, lighting himself on fire. "Fire Pearls... Special Treat!" he shot out flaming pearls from between his fingers. "Burn! With this flame and the flame shield, you have no idea how invincible I am."

"Damnit!" Sanji cursed.

"It's going to be one of those days." Sasha muttered. "Rain Sphere!" she formed a ball of water between her raised cupped hands. Sprouts of water then shot out from the water ball, turning into a misty rain and dousing the flames Pearl had sent onto the platform.

"You son of a bitch!" Sanji swore and jumped into the smoldering flames. "I'm not gonna let you lay a finger on this restaurant!" he sent a kick at Pearl who blocked it with one of his shields. "You fool! I'd be unfit to be a cook if I was afraid of flames. Here I come!" he renewed his attack, slamming a 'Poitrine' kick onto Pearl's armored breastplate and sending the aflame pirate onto the ground.

"What's with this cook?" Pearl muttered. "He's really crazy! You son of a bitch! Fire! I need more fire! I need more Fire Pearls!" and let loose his second wave of flaming pearls.

"Hold up, lassie." Zeff stopped Sasha from forming a water attack as the fire pearls flew towards him. With a sweep of his peg leg, he extinguished the flames, causing the pearls to fall to the ground harmlessly.

"My Fire Pearls..." Pearl gaped in shock.

"Something like that is child's play." Zeff retorted.

"Now that it's come to this, I'll sink you all with the fins before the restaurant burns to nothing." Krieg growled and tossed his chain spiked ball over to the smoldering restaurant.

"Gum-Gum Bazooka!" Luffy pushed the spiked ball right back, causing it to hit one of the destroyed masts, breaking it and sending the wooden pillar falling onto Pearl's head.

"What the heck?" Sanji wondered, seeing the knocked-out Pearl.

"That guy sure is dumb." Luffy noted.

"Geez, they all..." Krieg cracked his neck. "In the end, I can only count on myself."

"The battle ends here." Ghin stated, stepping onto Zeff's fallen body and training his gun on the back of the aged chef's head.