A New Nakama and Don Krieg

Days after days passed, and the crew was still staying in Baratie; Luffy was still trying to convince Sanji to join their crew, but the blonde just wouldn't budge, his mind as hard as a rock.

Despite standing in one place, they weren't exactly doing nothing; Luffy was still training his crew in Haki, ensuring they would be ready for the Grand Line.

While standing here, Luffy noticed that the restaurant owner wasn't exactly just an old man; he wondered just how strong he truly was? Right now, the crew was busy eating their breakfast; well, they were trying to eat; if it wasn't for Luffy eating everything, except for Nami's food, that was the only food he didn't try to eat.

One client of the restaurant looked outside the window, only to gasp before screaming like a little girl.

"That's Don Krieg's pirate ship!"

Luffy curiously looked outside to see the ship of the so called Admiral of the Pirates of East Blue or whatever he was called. Luffy didn't bother remembering it.

Looking at the flag, "That's a very stupid flag," Luffy commented; Nami giggled at her lover while Zoro was itching for a good fight.

The clients run away from Baratie as fast as possible, not wanting to meet their demise from a fearful pirate as Don Krieg.

The cooks soon started blaming Patty for Don Krieg's arrival since, in their minds, he wouldn't have come here if he had served his men when he was here.

"We are in so much trouble, Luffy shouldn't we sail away?" Usopp asked, his voice trembling.

Luffy didn't pay him attention; he was more focused on the coming ship, wondering if this could be his chance to convince Sanji to join the crew. Nami wanted to see how strong The Admiral Pirate of East Blue, Don Krieg, was compared to Luffy.

"Do you believe Gin returned to pay his debt?" The Captain, wearing a straw hat, inquired.

"I have my doubts." Sanji drew a pull from his cigarette and smiled. "However, something's not right..." They were all watching as the ship emerged from the early mist in clear view. Well, what was left of the ship.

"That ship has sunk. What kind of storm did they find themselves in?" The gigantic Galleon was, as Sanji predicted, a complete catastrophe.

The sails were ripped and shredded. The screaming saber-toothed cat figurehead was half-gone. About halfway up, the main mast was damaged; the wood seemed to be barely holding together. The ship looked to have barely survived a massive storm.

The front door of the restaurant crashed open, showing a massive man. Soon they saw the big man was actually supported by none other than Gin, who was desperately trying to hold him standing.

Who the Straw Hat crew knew was Don Krieg looked different than they expected. He had grey hair and bushy sideburns and bandages wrapped over his head.

"Please, Please Help Me. I'm...I nee-d F-food..." the man identified as Don Krieg spoke, his voice weak and trembling. "Please I need food and water? If it's money you want, I have enough."

"What the heck is going on?" Patty asked before his eyes found the so called Admiral of Pirates. "Is this half-dead looking person really Don Krieg" he said, but more like taunting the pirate.

Krieg tried to take another before his legs couldn't hold his weight anymore, and he collapsed to the floor.

"Don Krieg!" Gin screamed. "Please, Get some food and drink for him! He can't last that much longer!" He searched a sea of faces for someone to sympathize with. There was none to be discovered since Zeff wasn't here, and Sanji and the Straw Hats were off to the side. No one moved to help him, and he had a look of incredulity on his face.

"Hahahaha!" Patty erupted in laughter. "To think the dangerous Don Krieg really is, collapsing in the floor like an egg,"

"This time, we're paying consumers! We've got cash! There's enough of it! You have no right to reject us, darn it!" Gin screamed angrily.

Patty didn't pay him attention. Instead, he turned at the rest of the cooks. "Someone call the Marines! They'll never get another opportunity like this!" Patty said before turning at Gin, who was glaring at him. "Don't give him even a glass of water!"

The cooks seemed to agree with what Patty was saying; Don was a dangerous pirate; they couldn't take the chance not mentioning Don Krieg was known to be a piece of shit pirate.

"I'm not going to hurt anyone!" Krieg begged, barely saying his words. "If you give me food, I swear I'll go away peacefully... Please...Help me!" He was on his knees, begging.

"Captain, you should not do something like this, you're a great pirate, you shouldn't drop your head in front of others," Gin said with tears in his eyes.

Krieg ignored his men and instead begged more; even the leftovers would do as long as it was food; most of the crew was shocked to see a pirate-like Don Krieg on his knees begging, except Luffy, Zoro, and Nami.

Nami knew the man was lying because she used this trick sometimes to get what she wanted; while humiliating, it worked most of the time.

"Are you trying to make us cry! You will get no Food Here," Patty said with a chuckle.

Before Patty could say anything else, his face was kicked, sending him crashing against the wall by none other than Sanji, who was holding a plate with food and a bottle of wine.

"Gin, hand this over to him." Krieg began scarfing down his dinner with moans of relief as the two gaped in amazement.

"Sanji!" One cook shouted in terror. Doesn't Sanji understand who he was helping.

He started explaining how Don Krieg had attacked peaceful ports and how he would use Marine Flags to fool the villages not to attack him on sight, how he had betrayed and killed people behind their begs.

"Someone like him should starve to death, that's what a monster like him deserves," He shouted, and soon everything he said was proven right.

Sanji was suddenly sent flying across the room by Don Krieg, who was grinning from ear to ear, an empty plate in his left hand before he threw it away.

Zoro looked unamused but not shocked; Nami clenched her teeth; this pirate was no different than that monster; Usopp was trembling like a leaf.

On the other hand, Luffy just stood, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes covered by his Straw Hat.

Everyone was surprised and scared by the sudden change of events, but Gin felt betrayed more than anything.

"Captain Krieg!" exclaims Gin. "You promised you wouldn't hurt anyone, that guy gave me food, he saved us!" Don Krieg's huge hand grabbed his shoulder and crushed it. Gin screamed in agony from the pain.

"I have never tasted such delicious dish," Don Krieg said, smirking at the rest of the cooks who took steps back, away from him.

"It seems the snake finally bares his venomous teeth." Sanji said, not harmed by the pitiful attack of Krieg.

"Good ship you have here," Don said, looking around before setting his eyes on the cooks. "Is mine now," he stated with a growing smirk.

"My ship is almost destroyed," Krieg spoke with a smirk, almost hungry tone. "I'm in need of a new one, this ship is perfect, but don't worry you all can go peacefully." Don Krieg said with a growing smirk on his face. "On my ship, I still have a hundred men who are all hungry. You'll make enough food to feed them all." He ordered the cooks, who didn't even move an inch to complete his orders. "What are you waiting for, do it now; some have already died from hunger!"

"Feed a hundred guys who will only attack us after we have done so? You've got to be joking, right? We won't!"

"It seems that you were under the assumption that it was a request," Krieg responded solemnly, making many chefs uncomfortable at his tone. "I issued an order, and no one has broken it!"

"I'm really sorry Sanji, I had no idea this was going to happen!" Gin said with clear regret.

To this, Sanji said nothing but headed towards the kitchen, ignoring everyone until Patty shouted at him.

"Sanji, you fool this is all your fault, if you had just done nothing we wouldn't be in this mess, now what do you think you're doing?!"

"What am I going to do? Isn't it obvious? I'm heading to the kitchen to prepare the food. I've got a hundred men to feed." With a raised eyebrow, Sanji answered.

"Wise men," Don grinned in satisfaction, while the other cooks were shocked by Sanji's words.

"Like hell you will," they all said before pointing their guns at him, warning him.

"Tell us, Sanji, are you some kind of secret Krieg agent?" One asked, looking at Sanji, who didn't look fazed by their guns.

"Then go ahead and shoot," Sanji said flatly, not fazed in the least. The chefs screamed and jerked their firearms back. "Do you think I'm not aware that they're scum?" The blonde made a sneering remark.

"As a cook is my sworn duty to feed hungry people, save those bullets for his men if they decide to attack." He said before smoking his cigarette. "I provide food for hungry people. What happens to them after that is irrelevant to me. I'll murder them personally if they decide to bite the hand that fed them." Patty struck Sanji in the back of the head with his massive hands, ignoring what Sanji was saying.

"This is getting out of hand," Nami commented at her crew; Usopp wondered why they were still here, to begin with; Zoro was just looking bored, waiting for permission to cut them down like dogs.

"Hold this fool down," Patty ordered at the others. "I have seen you giving food to people I turned away, but back then I didn't say anything since I couldn't tell who was right and who was wrong! But this time, you're completely incorrect! I'm going to defend this place by myself." He pulled the cover off his package, showing a big, shrimp-shaped hand cannon.

"Fortunately, we just have to deal with Krieg! He won't be able to defeat all of us!" He raised the gun and aimed it. "This is Baratie, a Prideful Place. Every day, pirates arrive with the intent of causing havoc! We're more than capable of dealing with people like you!" The cook stated aiming his gun at the pirate captain who narrowed his eyes.

"Don Krieg we still haven't served the dessert, how about some now. Meatball of Doom!" Patty screamed and launched a cannonball at Krieg. The ball collided with the hulking pirate, engulfing him in a massive explosion.

"Don!" As his Captain was thrown through the doors and out of the restaurant, Gin shouted, thinking his Captain was dead.

"Shit, I blasted the door, Zeff will have my head," Patty said nervously.

"It's all right, Patty." Carne said reassuring him. "It was to protect this place. Chef Zeff will understand."

"What about his men? They're still in the ship" Sanji asked from where he was standing on the floor. Patty turned to him. "How about we smear butter on the ship and light it on fire" he suggested with many approving of his idea.

"That dessert was very heavy, not even a one star restaurant." Krieg stepped back into the room, unscathed. His body was covered in golden armour from neck to torso.

"You dirty pirate, Rush him" Patty screamed, and all of the chefs rushed the enormous guy, wielding massive tableware-styled weapons.

"Do you have any idea with who you are dealing with!" Krieg yelled as he drew two handguns from his armour and ten more from different sections of his body. He quickly started fire.

But the bullets didn't reach any of them, instead between Don and the cooks stood one Monkey D. Luffy; one thing many noticed was his body wasn't wounded. Instead, the places where the bullet should have penetrated were dark clouds making tiny sparks around Luffy.

"Who are you?" Don demanded, who was he to do this, this worn, on the other hand, Sanji murmured under his breath 'The Arashi Arashi no Mi Fruit' with a slight shiver, knowing this fruit was no Joke.

"My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I believe you're not welcome here anymore," Luffy stated with a serious look, Zoro at the side smirked, his hand on the pommel of his swords, Nami was impressed that Luffy saved the cooks from the bullets, before grabbing her staff, preparing to fight for her Captain.

Usopp looked insecure before swallowing a huge breath; this was his chance to show he was not a coward.

Johnny and Yosaku followed what Zoro did, ready to protect 'big bro Luffy'.

"You tiny worms believe you're going to be able to defeat me! I'm the most powerful men to ever exist, my armour is made of gold, nothing can penetrate it, No one has ever been able to defeat me. I'm the strongest" He claimed in front of everyone.

"You done?"

That query was met with dead silence as Krieg glared at Luffy, wrath actually flowing from him as a vein visible on his forehead pulsed. "You really think you're the strongest, your name is neither Whitebeard, nor Kaido or Dragon or Shanks, so you're nothing," Luffy said with a serious look.

"What was that brat?" Don shouted in anger.

"Did I say anything that wasn't clear? I have known people who could defeat you in their sleep," Luffy said as he thought of His grandpa, Mihawk, Shanks and many others.

Krieg was about to attack when a huge bag dropped in front of him. "What is this?"

"Owner Zeff!" The chefs screamed in disbelief.

"A hundred men's food," Zeff answered sluggishly. "Get it to your men as soon as possible."

"Did they say 'Zeff?'" Krieg seemed to be sweating profusely.

"Sir! You couldn't possibly feed them that! They're going to go after the ship once they've recovered!" A chef screamed.

"Oh, they'll do it, won't they?" Krieg's expression clouded, but Zeff's smile remained. "That is if they still have any fighting spirit... Grand Line dropouts, isn't that correct?"

"Not even Don Krieg make it?" The chefs were ecstatic. "The Grand Line vanquished the strongest of the East Blue!" Gin had a horrified look on his face, remembering that cursed place.

"You're Zeff 'Red Leg'!" Krieg looked at Zeff as if he couldn't believe he was speaking to him. "Captain and the amazing chef! So you're still alive, right?"

"And? You have nothing to do with my existence. As you can see, I'm currently working as a full-time chef." Zeff responded with not a single hint of fear in his eyes.

"A full-time cook? That's a clever way of putting things. It would be more accurate to remark that there is nothing more you can do right now." Krieg let out a hushed chuckle. "To hear about Red Leg Zeff is to hear of a warrior who could kick so hard that the blood of his adversaries would stain his shoes...a man who could destroy rocks with just his legs and leave impressions on steel! In a battle, the guy who would never use his hands! You've devolved into a ridiculous nobody! Are you a full-time cook? Ha! You'll never be able to put your red shoes back on! You've become a chef because it's the only thing you know how to do!" He smiled. "According to what I've heard, you perished in a shipwreck. You appear to have made it out alive, although at the sacrifice of one of your precious legs. You can't fight now that it's gone." Sanji had a look of utter rage on his face as if he wanted to rip Krieg apart himself.

"It doesn't matter whether I can fight or not as long as I have these hands. I'm still a decent chef." Zeff responded indifferently. "Are you going to get to the point, or are you going to babble on and on?"

"The Grand Line, You not only navigated those seas, but you did it safely! You must've maintained a journal of your journey! Give it to me!" Krieg was adamant.

Hearing this, Luffy's eyes turned to stars, wanting to know about this old man who apparently had been in Grand Line.

"You have been in Grand Line?" Luffy asked eagerly.

"Yes, kid," Zeff confirmed the news. "And you're correct. I did keep a journal. It is still in my possession today. But I'm not going to pass it up to the likes of you. My staff and I are really proud of that logbook. It's much too precious to entrust to a weakling like you."

"Weakling?!" Krieg screamed angrily. "I have never been defeated, I can crush mountains with my bare hands, how dare you call me a weakling," he boasted his achievements.

"Is pointless to explain it to someone as stupid as you are," Zeff responded not showing the slightest hint of fear.

"In that case I will ripped it off your dead corpse, Grand Line might have defeated me, but I'm still the most powerful men in the World. Don Krieg. It was merely a matter of lack of knowledge on my part! It was the only defect I had! That's why I'm going to take your logbook! I'll rebuild my squad and tackle the Grand Line once I have it! I'll track down One Piece and rise to the throne of the Pirate King!"

"Even Coby has more chances becoming the pirate king than you do, not mentioning there can be only one Pirate King. That's me," Luffy stated right in front of Don, who was red in the face from anger, the other cooks backed away in fear, while Sanji and Zeff stood their grounds.

"Are you planning on fighting, Luffy?" Zoro asked pulling out his most powerful sword.

"Is that your team? Two punks and a young lady? Are you trying to mark me laugh." Krieg sneered.

"You forgot him," Luffy said pointing at Sanji, who was roaring in denial.

"Don't make fun of me, you scumbag!" Krieg finally lost his cool. "On that nightmarish sea, my whole five-thousand-man crew was wiped out! All because we lacked the necessary information-"

"It wouldn't make a difference even if you had 50,000 soldiers. If you aren't powerful enough, the Grand Line will put you to death; this is how the term 'Pirate's Graveyard' came about." Luffy stated.

As Krieg's face went crimson with wrath, everyone in the room remained silent. "Only one hundred people out of 5,000 made it back. I'm surprised that those 100 has not yet abandoned you," Luffy spoke.

"You little Worm, I will kill you; once I skin you, I will Rape that little bi..."

To everyone else, everything that happened next was only a blur, only Zeff was able to kinda follow Luffy's move.

Don himself didn't understand what had happened before he coughed blood from his mouth, his body not moving, the feelings of his limbs disappeared, as if they weren't there anymore, his eyes started bleeding, but despite the blood, he felt no pain, he felt... Nothing.

The others saw what a moment ago was his chest, but instead, there was a hole, a hole almost the size of a hand, blood leaking like rain, as the boards went red with blood.

"Captain," Gin exclaimed in horror. Don wanted to ask why he was screaming before everything slowly went dark; the last thing he saw was the boards coming towards him.

His body fell on the floor, Luffy standing just one meter from where the dead pirate stood.

Almost Everyone paled at the speed demonstrated by Luffy, whose right hand was red with blood.

Nami smiled at her Captain; while it wasn't the first time she got threats like that, she was happy that her Captain protected her dignity from garbage like Don, Zoro, on the other hand, looked annoyed that he wasn't the one to defeat Don Krieg.

Usopp had gone as pale as snow; he gulped and made a mental note to never piss off Luffy.

Sanji looked shocked but not from the power, but more the Captain protected the dignity of his crew. A smile crept on his face; it seemed Luffy wasn't someone to leave his Nakama behind.

Luffy approached the bag of food and took it. He turned around and went back to Gin, who was still lying on the floor, white face, dropping the heavy bag in front of the shocked guy.

"Feed your crew. This is your one and only opportunity." Luffy remarked while looking Gin in the eyes.

"You killed my Captain," Gin suddenly yelled, standing up, Zoro prepared to cut him down, but Luffy raised his hand.

Gin clenched the staff in his hands, ready to attack Luffy, who looked at him with a cold look, almost freezing him.

"I will give you one chance, grab the food and save your crewmates, but attack me, and I will make sure that you and your crew will go where your captain is," The whole atmosphere seemed to be freezing, their breath suddenly visible, some feeling cold as if Winter was upon them.

Gin looked at the food before looking at Luffy again, cold sweat rolling down his forehead, almost freezing on his face.

"The others won't be happy," he stated; despite Don perhaps not being the best Captain, he still was their Captain, were they supposed to just turn a blind eye...

"If they're so eager to die, then I will sink them," Luffy promised.

Gin calculated his options before taking the bag and sprinting towards the Galleon.

"What now, Captain?" Usopp asked looking where Gin left just a second ago.

"It's now a battle between pirate crews." Luffy expressed authoritatively. "Usopp, be ready for a fight; these people aren't going anywhere if they attack us." Usopp nodded and left to fetch his guns from the Going Merry. Luffy then turned to face Zeff and addressed the former pirate. "I'm sorry for the trouble, but maybe your staff of chefs should back away, if they decide to attack, then this could get ugly."

"You don't have to apologise, kid. On this ship, everyone did what they felt was the right thing to do."

Several chefs started screaming that they were in this trouble because Sanji decided to help them, one of them turned and even started accusing Sanji for wanting to Take Zeff's place as the main chef of Baratie, Sanji was getting annoyed with him, ready to kick his face.

"Enough you fools" The chefs flinched back, wide-eyed at Zeff, as he shouted. "Do any of you have any idea what it's like to be hungry, really hungry? Do any of you know what it's like to be so hungry that you're begging to die?" They were all stunned and perplexed as they gazed at him. "You idiots have no idea how terrible and horrible it is to be stranded at sea without food or drink! The only difference between you and Sanji is that he understands what he's doing!" With shocked expressions, the chefs turned to an unconcerned Sanji. "It's pointless to weep over spilt milk. There's a door there if any of you wish to leave." Waving at the blown-out front doors, Zeff sneered.

"I'm going to remain right here. If I left without a battle, I wouldn't be able to live with myself." Patty said.

"I live and work in this restaurant as well. There's no place for me to go." Carne smiled and nodded.

"None of you idiots will fight any longer!" Zeff was firm in his convictions, and the power with which he spoke prevented any of his chefs from disagreeing with him.

"This is a battle between two pirate crews, Kid like him who never turn their backs on their crewmates, the likes of them are the one who can sail through the Grand Line"

"Owner Zeff" The chefs said in amazement after their master, listening to the assurance and fire in his words.

Soon Usopp returned with his guns, ready to fight for his crew.

"Since we have time to find out if they will attack or not. I'd want to hear more from the elderly guy about the Grand Line!" With an amused snort, Luffy chuckled as Zeff sat down with the Straw Hats. "So, old guy, how was the Grand Line when you sailed it?" With a big smile on his face, he inquired.

"Heh, it's been a long time since I've recounted any pirate tales." Before starting to tell about his stint as Captain of the Cook Pirates, Zeff laughed.

"Shishishi! It sounds like a great spot to visit! It's a must for us to visit!" By the conclusion of Zeff's story, Luffy was giggling uncontrollably.

"It seems sailing with you Luffy has been the right decision, our roads will lead to the same place, you as Pirate King and me as the Best Swordsmen of the world," Zoro stated.

"You're the kind of person that rushes to his doom." Sanji shifted his weight and exhaled the cigarette smoke.

"True." Zoro was quick to respond. "But leave out the word 'idiot.'" He focused his attention on the blonde cook. "I've had no connection to life since I resolved to become the Greatest Swordsman in the World. Only I have the authority to declare myself an idiot."

"You're absolutely correct." Luffy smiled broadly and slammed his hand on the table.

Nami chirped with a charming grin, "Yep."

"I must say the same as a guy who will be a great sea fighter." Usopp drew his arms around his chest. Zoro looked at the Gunman, puzzled.

"Shut up!" says the gunman. The Swordsman grinned as the Gunman snapped. Zeff had a smile on his face for the first time in a long time. He was grinning widely and gazing about at the small group of people.

"That sounds like my old fantasy, as well as this stupid little eggplant's." Zeff laughed.

"You, too, Sanji, have a dream?" Luffy's eyes were sparkling like stars.

"Are you familiar with the All Blue?" As he glanced across to Luffy, Sanji groaned and let out a stream of smoke.

"Nope." With a shake of his head, Luffy expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation. "However, I'd want to learn more about it right now!" Sanji grumbled before proceeding to tell the Straw Hats about his dream with a grin on his face.

-Krieg's Galleon-

Outside, the Krieg Pirates' remaining members were cheerfully devouring food, relishing the sense of power returning to their bodies. "Where's the captain?" One asked, looking at Gin, who felt as if a whole whale was resting on his shoulder right now.

With a deep breath, Gin opened his mouth and prepared to tell them what happened with their "The Captain is..."

-Baratie-

Sanji has just completed telling the Straw Hats about his desire to locate the All Blue. They were all enthralled by the thought of a sea that was home to every fish on the planet. Luffy was thinking of all kinds of different meat he could eat there, so much that he started drooling. Nami just giggle at her lover, knowing what he was thinking. Zoro gave Sanji a nod of acknowledgement, that was quite a dream. Even for a cook.

"How are you going to find the All Blue while you're here?" Luffy wondered aloud whether the Baratie had gone on a search for it or something.

"He won't, which is why I keep urging him to get out of here and go find it!" The blonde was greeted with a snarl from Zeff.

"You filthy geezer, shut up," Sanji responded with a grunt. "You already know why I'm not going."

"I didn't slice off my own limb simply to prevent you from living your life and pursuing your ambitions!" Zeff screamed at the blonde, and Sanji cringed at the elderly man's frank words.

"He has a valid argument." Luffy smiled and nodded. "If finding All Blue is both of your dreams, why do you keep staying here and battling with the old man?"

Sanji clenched his teeth before telling them everything.

"Fine..." Sanji clenched his teeth and smashed his cigarette into the ashtray on the table. The Straw Hats soon learnt of Sanji's past with Zeff and how the two had almost died of starvation on a godforsaken pillar of stone in the midst of the sea. To live, Zeff had given Sanji all of their food and eaten his own leg. Sanji was depressed at the end, and Zeff was stern.

"I agree with the old man. You can't do anything by standing here, by not going out there and fulfilling both of your dreams; you are only pissing on what the old man did for you," Luffy stated.

Sanji tried to say something before Zoro stepped in.

"Dreams left to you by someone else should be pursued until the end of the world. Nothing, not even the danger of death, should stand in your path."

"I..." Sanji attempted again, but Luffy interrupted him.

"Sanji, join my crew! If need be, we'll sail to the furthest reaches of the oceans!" With his fist raised in front of him, Luffy said. "Join us in pursuing your ambition!" As he extended his hand to the blonde cook, he offered. Before starting at Zeff, Sanji examined the extended hand.

"Do it for both of us, son." Zeff gave a kind nod to the young guy who had grown to resemble his own son. Sanji's eyes widened as he heard Zeff's remarks and saw his surrogate father's passionate expression. Sanji made his choice by returning his gaze to Luffy and his still-outstretched hand.

"Well, I'll be dammed. It seems I'm joining Captain." Sanji sighed and smiled as he grasped Luffy's hand in his, and the two shook hands.

"Yeah!" Luffy lifted both hands in the air as he cheered. "New Nakama!".