Ch 23

Krieg holds out his golden shield, a look of fuming anger on his face.

Pirates: " It's.... the MH5!"

Gin: " Wha.... Don, wait!"

Vince: " MH5?"

Luffy: " It it's just a cannonball, I'll just bounce it back you know!"

Gin: " Please, Don! Allow me to kill this man with my own h....."

Krieg: " Whether you kill him or I do, the result is the same." He points his shield foward.

Krieg: " You know that there's nothing I hate more, than foolishly naive things like honor or compassion. Listen well. This is a battle we're in. And in a battle, you fight to win."

Krieg: " So all you have to do is win! Even if it means using a poison gas bomb!" The mouth on his shield opens up and a cannon comes out.

Vince: " Poison!?"

Gin: " Don!"

Krieg: " One whiff of this'll be enough to render your entire body immobile."

Krieg: " This is strength!" He fires a cannonball from his shield that flies towards the restaurant.

The Krieg Pirates put on gas masks and the chefs in the water dive under.

Luffy: " I'll just knock it into the sea!" He runs towards the edge of the deck.

Sanji: " You idiot! Come back!"

Luffy: " I ain't afraid of a little poison gas...."

Luffy jumps into the air and kicks the cannonball, causing it to explode, sending out a barrage of shuriken. They slash into Luffy, cutting him in various places and drawing blood. Sanji and Vince manage to avoid any that fly at them. Luffy crashes back onto the deck and immediately stands to his feet, clutching the wound on his shoulder.

Luffy: " Ugh! Owwwww!"

Pirates: " A shrapnel shell!? It was just a trick!"

Vince: " I thought I was going to die..... I guess that still could've killed me though."

Luffy: " Huh!? Wasn't it supposed to be a poison gas bomb!?"

Sanji: " A little slow on the uptake, don'cha think?!"

Vince: " I should really listen to my danger sense more. It was telling me something was wrong, but I just thought it was the poison gas! Not some shuriken! The shuriken were probably better than the poison gas anyway..."

Krieg: " Hahaha! A single poison gas bomb is enough to entirely wipe out a small town. As if I'd waste it to kill you three pieces of trash!"

Luffy: " I see. He got me good."

Vince: " Why the hell are you agreeing with him!?"

Krieg: " This is what a battle is! I've got more was to kill you than I can count! Now I'll ask you again! Which one of us do you think is more fit to become Pirate King!?"

Luffy: " Me! It definitely can't be you!"

Krieg fumes with anger as he grits his teeth.

Krieg: " Gin! You're responsible for killing that cook!"

Krieg looks to Luffy, the cause of his increasing anger.

Krieg: " But I'll kill this brat, myself!"

Gin: " Sorry Sanji.... but you can't win against me."

Sanji: " Haha... Took the words right out of my mouth."

Vince: " Hey Krieg! Did you forget about someone?" He stands next to Luffy, a smirk on his face.

Krieg: " I'll kill you as well."

Vince: " Ooooh yay! I feel so special...." He states, his words full of sarcasm.

Krieg: " Damn brat..... I'll demonstrate to you the might of the ruler of East Blue."

Vince: " If you're the ruler of this place.... then I have few complaints about how you run it."

Luffy: " Hahaha! I know! You can be our comedian!" He states, laughing at Vince's joke.

Vince: " What can I say... it's a gift."

Krieg: " Enough! I grow tired of your humor!"

Gin charges at Sanji, spinning his weapons around. He slams one into the deck then rips it back up, wooden planks flying up at Sanji who jumps up avoiding them. Sanji throws a kick at Gin while in midair, but Gin avoids it then flips backwards over Sanji and comes down pinning Sanji by the neck with one of his weapons.

Gin: " Allow me to tell you my nickname. The Demon. I don't have a shred of sympathy for you anymore. So long." He swings his other weapon above his head like a flail.

Gin: " At the very least, I'll kill you without leaving behind a disfigured corpse!"

Vince: " Sanji!!!" He prepares to run over and help but he notices the confident look on Sanji's face, and he stops.

Gin swings his weapon down at Sanji, but the chef spits his cigarette into Gin's eye, causing him to miss. Sanji slips his way out of Gin's grasp and he slams his foot into Gin's face. Before the momentum sends him flying, Gin slams his weapon into Sanji's face and the two go flying back.

Sanji stands to his feet, as does Gin.

Sanji: " .....You're unexpectedly pretty weak, Mr. Battle commander. Guess the mighty Krieg Pirates were all talk and no substance."

Gin stares at Sanji with a demonic look to his eyes.

Luffy jumps up onto the fallen mast, that's acting as a makeshift bridge leading over to Krieg.

Luffy: " He's looking away. Now's my chance to send him flying!" He starts dashing across the mast.

Krieg looks over to the charging Luffy, a smirk appearing on his face. He points his shield Luffy.

Krieg: " No need to be impatient..." The sides of his shield extend, revealing a whole circle of tiny cannons around the single larger one.

Krieg flicks something tiny into the water and it explodes, kicking up a wall of water that blocks Luffy in his tracks.

Krieg: " Because I'll kill you as well withing due time!" He fires a wooden stake from each cannon in his shield at Luffy. He manages to avoid most of the stakes, but one of them stabs into the back of Luffy's caff. Luffy nearly falls off the mast into the ocean, but he pushes himself off the side and manages to land back on the deck.

Vince: "Luffy! You idiot! We're supposed to be fighting him together!"

Krieg: " So you managed to get away, hammer boy."

Luffy: " Damnit!" He rips the stake out of his leg and stabs it into the deck.

Luffy: " Hey, you bastard! Do you not want to fight or what!?"

Krieg: " Do I want to fight...? Ha, I don't need to. The only thing I need in a battle are methods to kill you. That is true might as a human! On the other hand, you, who can only charge straight ahead without using your head, are equivalent to a monkey!"

Vince: " Technically by an evolution stand point, we are all monkeys. Well except fishmen."

Pirates: " Finish him, Gin!"

Krieg: " About time..."

Sanji: " Gah!!" Sanji falls to the ground, clutching the wound on his chest. Gin stands over him, blood dripping from his weapon.

Sanji: " .....hah..... those.... skewered dango of yours ain't..... so great..... you.... small fry."

Gin: " Time to put an end to this! Don't bother struggling anymore!" He charges at Sanji, swinging his weapons around like flails.

He swings both at Sanji, but Sanji flips out of the way and comes down with a kick to Gin's head, slamming him into the ground. The strain of the attack causes Sanji pain in his already broken rips.

Sanji: " Aghhhhhh....!" He yells in pain, clutching his sides.

Patty: " Sanji!?"

Carne: " I-it's no good! He can't even withstand the shock of his own kicks!"

Gin: " Die...." He pushes himself back up and tackles the injured Sanji to the ground, holding him by the throat. Ready to finish Sanji.

Gin: " I can't do it!!!!! Don Krieg!!!!" He lets go of Sanji's neck, surprising everyone.

Krieg: " What!?"

Luffy: " Gin....?"

Vince: " I gotta say.... I was not expecting that."

Gin: " I can't kill this man!!!"

Krieg: " What did you say!?"

Gin: " Cause I....."

Krieg: " Say that again, if you dare!!"

Gin: " That was the first time in my life... that anybody was ever so kind to me!!! I.... I can't kill this man!!!"

Krieg: " ...!! Imbecile!!!" He brings his shield up.

Pirates: " No!! Don Krieg... you wouldn't!!!"