Ch 21 Vince vs Pearl

Vince blinks a few times as Krieg's pirates look on horrified at the blood trickling down Pearl's face.

Vince: " What's the big deal, it's only a little blood. I've lost more blood than that in a friendly rumble."

Pearl: " Blood.....!"

Pirates: " Pearl, it's fine! It's just a little nosebleed! Everyone gets those! You haven't really been hurt at all!"

Pirates: " So just calm down, Pearl!"

Chef 1: " What...?"

Pearl: " My.... iron wall was broken through! These guys're dangerous!"

Vince: " Noone broke through your defenses. You just bashed your face against your own shield."

Sanji: " The hell's up with him?"

Luffy: " It's just a little nosebleed...."

Krieg: " Pearl! Stop it! There's no need to go wild over a damn nosebleed! This ain't the jungle!" Pearl starts clanging his shields together.

Chefs: " Something's happening....."

Pearl: " I'm in danger! I'm in danger!"

Pirates: " Pearl! Calm down!"

Pearl: " Danger!!!" His armor ignites in flames.

Vince: " Fire?!"

Pearl: " Don't you dare get close to me! Fire Pearl's Daitokuten!" Flaming pearls launch out from his armor.

Sanji and Luffy leap out of the way, and Vince uses his webs to quickly create a shield that he uses to block the flaming pearls flying at him, and as the flames continue to expand he completely covers himself in a cocoon of web. The pearls also hit several of Pearl's own allies.

Pirates: " Hot! Hot! Hot! Please stop, Pearl!"

Chefs: " Our ship's gonna catch on fire!"

Pearl: " Burn! With my flame shield, my iron wall is now even more invincible!"

Krieg: " That damn idiot...! Is he trying to burn down the very ship we're trying to steal!?"

Pirates: " Hot!!! I can't take it anymore! Jump into the sea!" The remaining pirates jump into the sea.

Vince breaks out of the web cocoon and charges at Pearl.

Vince: " There's no way in hell I'm letting you burn this place down!"

Vince leaps into the air, flipping over Pearl. He lands behind him and slams his fist into Pearl's back with enough force to make him stumble forward. Pearl whips around and throws a flaming punch at Vince, but Vince simply flips over it.

Pearl: " H-how could you attack me, the Fire Pearl that wild beasts won't even approach....!?"

Vince: " I've worked in a restaurant for quite a while. Do you really think I'm scared of a little fire? Oh, and my webbing is fire resistant." He states, covering his bare fists with web as if the web was just some normal bandages.

Pearl: " D-damn you! Why you cocky son of a....! Fire Pearl Present!" He yells, thrusting one of his shields forward in an attempt to bash Vince in the face. Vince rolls under the attack, he then leaps back up slamming his web coated fist into Pearl's jaw, knocking Pearl to the ground.

Pirates: " Ahhhh! He got him! He slipped past Pearl's iron wall!"

Pirate 1: " Who is that guy?!"

Pirate 2: " I don't know, but whoever he is..... he's no pushover."

Pearl stands to his feet clutching his jaw, blood dripping from his mouth.

Pearl: " My.... my face....! Danger! He's too dangerous! More fire! More fire pearls!" More flaming Pearl's launch from his armor, this time flying towards the entrance to the restaurant where Zeff was standing.

Chefs: " Sir! Run away!"

Zeff unleashes a devastating kick that puts out the fire pearls, causing them to fall to the ground. The force of the kick creates wind that puts out all the fire heading towards the restaurant proper.

Pirates: " What!?"

Zeff: " I may have lost one leg, but this much is nothing I can't handle."

Vince: " He..... put the fire out with the wind created from the force of his kick...."

Luffy: " Old man, that was amazing!"

Krieg: " That idiot Pearl's more trouble than he's worth! Before that fire spreads to the rest of the restaurant, I'll sink those fins!!" He throws the ball part of his large flail, and it flies through the air towards Pearl and Vince, who are both in the center of a ring of fire.

Chef 1: " Vince! Move!"

Chef 2: " It's no good! He's surrounded by flames!"

Luffy jumps through the flames, putting himself in between Vince and the flail. Luffy stretches both arms back and releases the tension, his fists slam into the flail sending it flying back at Krieg. It slams into a remaining mast, breaking it at the base. The mast falls down towards Luffy, Vince, and Pearl.

Vince and Luffy leap out of the way as the mast slams into Pearl's head, knocking him out and to the ground.

Zeff: " Aaah!"

Gin: " Please stop fighting, Sanji."

They turn around to see Gin pinning Zeff to the ground with his foot, pointing a shotgun at Zeff's head.

Gin: " I don't want to end up killing you."

Luffy: " Gin!"

Sanji: " Gin, you....!"

Vince: " Boss!!"

Gin: " No matter how great of a man he may have been in the past, he's just another cook that I can easily kill at gunpoint now." He reaches down and breaks off Zeff's wooden leg.

Patty: " Why that bastard! He broke owner Zeff's pegleg!"

Carne: " Son of a....! Sir!"

Luffy: " That's it, I'm gonna send him flying!"

Vince: " Get in line....."

Sanji: " Wait, let's see what he has to say first."

Gin: " You want to save this man, don't you Sanji? Then leave this ship!"

Sanji: " Leave this ship? As if!"

Chef 1: " S-sanji! You idiot! Don't provoke him anymore or owner Zeff'll be.....!"

Sanji: " Old man, you're pathetic. That's the kind of example you set when the other cooks are trying to fight!?"

Vince: " Sanji..."

Zeff: " Hmph. I don't need to hear that from a little eggplant like you."

Sanji: " Who you calling a little eggplant, you damn geezer. You can't treat me as a kid forever!"

Sanji: " Gin. Take your gun, and point it at me."

Luffy: " Are you stupid? You'll die indstead!"

Chef 1: " What are you saying!? Sanji!"

Gin: " Sanji...! But why.....!?"

Pearl: " If you want to die so badly..... then I'll kill you nice and flashy!" He declares, standing back to his feet. Pearl charges at Sanji, his fist reeled back.

Vince: " Sanji!" He jumps in front of Sanji and Pearl's fist slams into his face, sending him flying towards the restaurant, slamming into the wall.

Luffy: " Vince!"

Luffy: " You....!" He yells at Pearl.

Sanji: " Don't lay a finger on him, Luffy!"

Luffy: " Why?!"

Vince: " Ugh... yeah, why?" He asks sitting up, blood dripping down his face.

Sanji: " 'Cause that damn geezer, is held at gun point by him." He looks over to Gin.

Sanji: " Gin, you cheep son of a bitch..... there's no way I can accept your conditions!"

Gin: " Why not!? It's simple! Just leave the ship and you can spare everyone's lives! All you have to do is leave....."

Sanji: " This ship, is the geezer's treasure!"

Chef 1: " I thought Sanji hated the owner!?"

Sanji: " I took everything away from that damn geezer."

Patty: " Wha...?"

Sanji: " His strength! His dreams! Which is why..... I don't want him to lose anything else!"

Zeff: " Damn pipsqueak..... now's not the time to ramble about ancient history...."

Sanji: " Shut up! And I told you not to treat me as a damn kid anymore!"

Patty: " Sanji, watch out!"

Pearl stands behind Sanji and slams his shields into both sides of his head like cymbals. Blood flies from Sanji's mouth as he falls to the ground face down.

Pearl: " Your story's got nothing to do with me."

Pearl leaps high up into the air and begins to fall towards Sanji.

Vince: " This is dirty, Gin!"

Gin: " This is how we fight! This is your fault anyways! All you need is to hand over the ship to us and it'd be all over!"

Vince: " Sanji, move!"

Pearl slams into Sanji with enough force to splinter the deck.

Chef 4: " Damn it...!"

Pearl: " Behold my iron wall!"

Sanji: " ..... You ate your own leg and gave me all the food... you saved my life.." He pushes himself back to his feet, his face bloodied.

Pearl: " He can still talk, after taking my attack!?"

Vince: " Sanji...."

Sanji: " I'm not handing over this restaurant. And I won't let you kill the damn geezer either..... he's a geezer who gave everything for the sake of one little brat."

Sanji: " If I can't even put my life at risk to save him, then I can never repay my dept to him!"