Enter Kri... Mihawk!?

… Few Days Later …

Today is quite misty and visibility is quite low and the crew is getting bored waiting for Luffy to settle things in Baratie. Only Nami is being comfortable since she doesn't have to pay. As Luffy is taking out the trash Usopp starts begging Luffy to figure out things faster while Luffy whines that he is trying to talk with the owner.

Suddenly from the mist a huge galleon sails towards the Baratie and people start panicking as the sharpest ones notice the distinct flag of Krieg pirates.

"Oh boy, here we go again... Prepare for battle everyone." I say while heaving a deep and heavy sigh.

'I need to get a gas mask. I think everyone else was just fine. So I need to get to the ship somehow...'

"Say Usopp... Do we have any sailcloth that are used for patching the sails? Something about my size and width of my arms spread out?" I show Usopp about the size of a sailcloth that I need.

"I think so... What do you need it for?" Usopp checks the measurements and nods.

"Bring it to me and something to tie it with and please hurry. And if possible do you have some extra goggles that I could borrow."

"Luffy get over here for a quick sec before you go over there to gawk at the galleon!" I shout at Luffy to come here since I need some of his help and get my knives in the meanwhile.

Usopp comes over with the sailcloth and I tie the ends of the cloth firmly to my hands and feet and viola, a makeshift skydiving or more like a parachute suit. Though I think ninjas did something like this instead.

"Okay Luffy, I need some help from you. Once the ship stops in front of the Baratie, you shoot me towards the sails with Gomu Gomu no Slighshot or whatever technique you have that mimics a slingshot and I'll go on a solo mission inside the ship. Usopp help with the aim and Zoro adjust the power. Rest of you... you do you."

We prepare everything and make Luffy into a giant makeshift slingshot and I curl into a ball and hold the parachute so it doesn't open too early in the flight. Usopp aims and tells Zoro how far to pull Luffy and me. After everything is ready and the ship of the Krieg Pirates has stopped in front of the Baratie, we start the countdown. "3... 2... 1... GOMU GOMU NO... PACHINKO!"

I fly through the air in a fast speed towards the galleon's sails and as I get near enough, I spread my arms and legs and let the parachute free. *FWUMP!* With a loud sound the parachute opens and slows my speed significantly and I slowly descent towards the sail. I can hear Luffy and Usopp shouting "Cool!" and "A Ninja!" thanks to my heightened senses.

'Thank god this worked. I was ready for my plan B, stab the sails with knives and slow the descent or the plan C, flying straight to the sea and getting up from the water.'

[Remember the simple times when we always played it safe? … I'm happy they are over and we are back to crazy after so long.]

I grab the sails and then slowly make way towards the mast. I slowly make my way down and what my Observation Haki is telling me is that there are a lot of people just laying down on the ground and I can hear their miserable groans and pleads for food and water. 'Water? Seriously? You don't know how to boil some seawater?'

As I get down and on the upper deck the mist clears and now the whole ship and its crew are visible to the naked eye and I clearly see the devastation that has happened to the ship and its inhabitants. I feel two presences getting near and plop down and act like the rest of the groaning men. Krieg stagger towards the front of the ship while being supported by Gin as they make towards Baratie.

After they've gone, I get up and adjust my parachute so that it doesn't interfere with my actions but will still be usable during my exit and start looking for their armory where the weapons and possibly gas masks are being kept. Using Haki I find the armory quite easily and poach me a couple of gas masks and I even find a better set of knives for me, unfortunately I'm not here to loot this place since Nami will take Merry away at some point.

I keep evading those that are conscious and able to react to me with my Haki and sneak in the hold and start piling up flammables.

'Time to let these mother fuckers burn.' [Burn baby burn, disco inferno!]

I feel that Krieg has returned to the ship and the starving pirates are rushing towards him and realize that Zeff has already given him the food. I quickly throw some burning pieces of wood everywhere in the hold to let the fire spread and head towards the deck.

I start acting like a starving pirate and join on eating some of the food and rejoice with the rest while slowly getting nearer towards the pointy end where the figure head is, whatever it is called. Krieg starts telling his men that they need to get ready to raid the restaurant so that they can prepare again for the Grand Line and as they start shouting my Haki detects something and I decisively jump off the ship towards Baratie and open my parachute.

As I jump of the pirate ship, the ship gets sliced into three pieces and crumbles.

'FUCK! Did Mihawk come so early!? I thought he would come at the end to finish off Zoro! Fuck me and my memory. All that fire wasted.'

As I float towards Baratie I notice that Merry is already gone and people are up in arms, ready for a fight, while some of my fires somehow still burn and hopefully turns out helpful as either as a distraction or as a weapon.

"Whew that was a close one." I land next to Luffy and Zoro and take off the sailcloth now that it's unneeded.

Suddenly a small boat appears admits the wreckage and there he sits in all his badass glory, Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk.

"DON KRIEG, IT'S HIM! THE ONE WHO DESTROYED OUR FLEET! HE FOLLOWED US ALL THE WAY OUT HERE! HE'S COME TO KILL ALL OF US!"

Krieg pirates start shouting in despair while Zoro starts making his way towards Mihawk. One of the pirates asks why he did all of this and Mihawk says that he was bored and decided to kill some time.

This just makes the pirate angry and he starts shooting at Mihawk but he just deflects the bullets with one fluid movement that made it seem like the shooter missed his shot. As the pirates are confused Zoro comes and explains what happens as he moves forward towards Mihawk.

"I've never seen such graceful skill."

"A sword with power alone is not powerful."

Zoro compliments Mihawks skill as Mihawk subtly explains a key point in swordsmanship that Zoro definitely missed in his exitement.

"So, this ship was cut apart with that sword, too?" Zoro asks as he watches the wreckage.

"Yes, indeed."

"No wonder. You really are the strongest." Zoro smirks as Mihawk admits it so casually.

"I've been sailing the seas to face you." Zoro says as he takes his bandana off his arm and prepares to put it on his head.

"... What do you aim for?"

"To be the strongest!" Mihawk smirks in derision at Zoro's words.

"You said you're free, right? So let's have a duel."

Pirates notice the three swords hanging on Zoro's side an realize his identity and get surprised and even the rest of the spectators get a bit of a shock hearing Zoro's identity and people start waiting for the start of the duel with a bated breath.

"Pitiful weakling." Mihawk gets of his boat and goes towards his challenger.

"If you're a competent swordsman by any means, then I can demonstrate the clear difference in strenght between you and I, without needing to cross blades at all. But still, you dare to challenge me. Does your bravery come from your conviction... or from ignorance?"

"It comes from my ambition, and a promise to a friend."