I sputter out nonsense, trying to comprehend Luffy's idea.

The cooks are in an uproar at the idea of what Luffy could do, and the same goes for the pirates who are delusional in their thinking that the ship is theirs. It would be stupid to expect anything else from Luffy at this point, but a girl can dream.

"Gin!" Krieg is hysterical. "Kill Zeff! Enough with the stalling! Kill him!"

Sanji jumps up, rushing over to Luffy and grabbing him by the back of his vest. "Are you crazy, shithead? Do you not understand why I have slaved away on this ship for so many years?"

"If I sink it, they have no prize," Luffy calmly says, his fist out as his other hand holds his bicep.

I shake my head as a smile breaks out on my face.

"My debt and my feelings for this ship, you could never comprehend," Sanji growls.

"So what? Are you going to die for this ship?" Luffy slaps Sanji's hand away. "That's stupid!"

"What?"

Luffy grabs the front of Sanji's shirt, shouting into his face, "Dying is no way to repay your debt! That old man didn't save your life, so that you could throw it all away later! That is the cowards way!"

Sanji grabs the front of Luffy's vest, "How else am I supposed to stop them then!?"

"Will the two of you quit that quarreling?" The Invincible Pearl speaks up. "There's nothing that you can do now. We have our hostage, so now you will burn and die with the Fire Pearl!" He rushes at us.

"Fantastic," I jump behind the boys. Not that that will be much protection, but I still hope for a miracle.

It all happens in the blink of an eye as the sound of a gun clamors to the ground, and then Gin rushes at the shield man with a tonfa specialized with an iron ball on one end in each hand. Gin is able to shatter the shield with ease.

"Gin!" Luffy and Sanji cry out.

"Why did you hit your own crewmate?" My mouth hangs open in bafflement.

"Gin, you dare betray me!" Krieg shouts.

"I am sorry, Don Krieg," Gin says. "We both owe our lives to Sanji, though. That is why, I will send him to the grave myself."

"Now it all makes sense," I mumble, raising my hands into the air in exasperation for a few seconds.

Luffy lets out a breath, "Man, well, see, I knew it would all work out in the end."

"Do not lie right now!" Sanji screams. "You were going to sink the ship if that didn't happen!"

I giggle, leaning into Luffy. "You have to admit, even though it was a crazy plan, it did save us in the end."

Sanji's demeanor softens the instant he looks at me, "Of course, my darling. It would have been different if you thought of the plan."

"Akari always goes along with the plans that I make," Luffy firmly nods.

"Are you out of your mind, Gin," Krieg's voice snaps us back to the situation at hand, "Battle Commander of the Pirate Armada?"

"Sanji," Gin looks at the boy. "Deep down I hoped that you would get off the ship without issue to avoid getting hurt. I should have realized a lot time ago that that wasn't going to happen."

"No, I will not step down without a fight," Sanji pulls a fresh cigarette out of his suit.

"The best offer I can give is to kill you myself."

He sighs, lighting his cigarette. "Well, thanks. Eat shit."

I place a hand over my mouth to keep the laughter in.

"The same goes for you, Straw Hat and Blue Hair," Gin looks over at Luffy and me. "If only you would have left with your mates."

"Ah, the creativity runs deep with these nicknames," I roll my eyes.

"What are you getting at?" Luffy says. "There is no reason to lose when all I'm doing is fighting a bunch of wimps like you."

The pirates around us explode in anger at the comment. "These children are getting quite smart-mouth! First telling our battle commander to eat shit, and now calling us all wimps! We are the toughest marauders in the East Blue! We are Krieg's Pirates!"

"You aren't tough! You only stand a chance because there are so many of you!"

I burst into laughter, leaning over and placing my hands on my knees.

Krieg's pirates go silent for a moment at the blow just dealt to them.

"Hitting them where it hurts, nice," Sanji blows out some smoke.

"It's just the truth," Luffy shrugs.

"Damn, not even mentioning that they got their asses kicked by a girl, either," I straighten up, taking a few deep breaths.

"Chore boy! Why would you say that?!" The cooks shout out. "Now they are only going to get madder! Their strength is known all over the East Blue!"

Krieg's pirates burst with anger, "We are going to massacre all the cooks! And then we'll move onto you!"

"Stand down!" Krieg's voice shocks me, but all his men stop in their tracks. "Getting all worked up over being called wimps only shows that you feel it is true and want to prove them wrong. The outcome will tell us who is the strongest. Besides, Don Krieg's here, so you can quit your whining."

I roll my eyes, "Such a big head he has."

The pirate crew calms down now that they have the backing of their captain.

"Boy, out of the two of us, who do you think has the best chance at being King of the Pirates?"

"Me," Luffy crosses his arms over his chest.

"Can you really not help yourself!" Patty shouts.

"What?" Luffy looks back at the cooks. "He asked, and I answered."

"Stay out of this, all of you," Don Krieg stands up. "I am going to show this dreamer of a kid what true strength is!"

"Please, Don Krieg, don't do that!" Gin shouts.

"What?" I tilt my head to one side. "All he's doing is standing while pointing a shield at us. I don't feel threatened."

"If it is a cannonball, I'll just send it right back at him." Luffy says.

"Please, Don Krieg, I'll kill the kid, you just have to let me," Gin says.

"Whoever kills the kid, it doesn't matter," Krieg says. "Above everything that I hate, honor and mercy sit on top of the list. Those ideals mean nothing in war! All that matters is victory! Winning is above all, even if that means using my poison gas cannonball!" The shield's mouth emblem opens up to show the mouth of a small cannon.

"Poison gas," I choke out as everyone around me screams it.

"Don Krieg!" Gin screams.

"A tiny whiff of this stuff, and you will turn to mush. This is what true strength looks like!" Don Krieg exclaims as he shoots a cannonball from his shield.

Cooks and pirates alike are scrambling to figure out a way to stay away from the poison gas that is flying our way. Though, it doesn't make sense that he would put all his men in danger like that.

"Don't worry, I'll just kick it into the water," Luffy states, rushing towards the cannonball.

"Luffy!" I cry out.

"Stop, you idiot!" Sanji calls out.

Luffy jumps to meet the cannonball in the air, and right as his foot is about to make contact, the weapon explodes and shurikens explode from it.

"Shit," I mumble, dodging the sharp metal objects as best I can, but I feel a few cuts land on my legs.

"Ugh," Luffy groans as he sits up on the deck, blood pouring from various slashes on his body. "That hurt!" His hand is covering a cut on his upper arm.

"It was a trick all along!" Krieg's pirates exclaim. "It was never poisonous gas!"

"Hey! What was that!?" Luffy looks all over his body at all the wounds. "That was not poison gas at all!"

"How slow can you be!" Sanji screams at Luffy.

"Only when he wants to be," I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

Don Krieg bursts into laughter. "Come on, you think that I would use something as valuable as the poison gas cannonball at a time like this? That is what I would use to take out an entire village. There is no reason to use it on trash like you."

"Fair enough," Luffy stands up facing the man. "That is one point to you!"

"This is war, kid! I have countless ways to kill you. I'll ask you again which one of us has the best chance at becoming King of the Pirates!?"

"Me," Luffy states without hesitation. "You don't have what it takes!"

Krieg's mouth clenches in anger. "Gin! Do whatever you have to, and send that cook to hell! As for this shit, I will kill him myself! Leave the girl for the taking later! She'll be a great pet for us all!"

I feel an uncomfortable anger rise within me. The thought of being tossed around as some kind of pet for these creeps makes me want to scream, throw-up, and fight to the death. "I'd like to see any of you even try to touch me," I quickly turn, jumping across the broken deck to land next to Zeff, Patty, and the other cook that was in the fish head ship earlier. "Disgusting pirates," I grumble.

"Sorry Sanji, but there is no way you will beat me," Gin says.

Sanji chuckles, "We will see about that, you jackass scoundrel."

"Now, boy, I am going to show you the might that rules the East Blue, and then you will understand the little power that you have," Krieg says.

"Try it," Luffy adjusts his hat. "I will send you flying. Especially for what you said about my girl. You better say your prayers to whatever higher power you believe in, because I am coming over to kick your ass."

He chuckles, "Fly on over again then, boy."

"Well girly, I can see the smoke coming out of your ears," Zeff speaks up.

"I will never be anyone's pet," I take in a slow breath. "And these assholes will understand just how big a mistake it was to think of me in that way."

"She could bite their heads off in this state," Patty says.

I pat my shuriken bag, "With these, I would never touch those disgusting men."

Gin and Sanji have begun their fight, with the two seeming evenly matched for the most part. That is until Sanji misses a kick and gets knocked onto his back while Gin places his tonfa over Sanji's neck to keep him down. Gin raises his other tonfa above his head, swinging it around to gather speed. All the while, Sanji is calm as he lies on the deck.

My anger is fizzling away as the concern for Sanji begins to rise.

There is no reason to worry, though, as Sanji shoots his cigarette up into Gin's face, causing the man to faulter in his movements and give Sanji the chance to slip out of the tonfa hold. The one tonfa slamming into the deck. Now in a handstand, Sanji has the perfect angle to slam his foot up against Gin's chin, causing the man to stumble before slamming an iron ball into Sanji.

"Sanji," I pout as the men tumble across the deck.

"Is he okay?" Patty is concerned.

Sanji slowly stands up with a pained grin on his face. There is blood all over him, and he's holding his side.

"Does he look okay to you?" The other cook asks.

"He took all those hits from that annoying pearl guy, which had to break multiple ribs and who knows what else," I reply. "I'm surprised that he can still stand."

"If you are the commander of this outdated armada, then Krieg's pirates aren't so challenging after all," Sanji wipes some blood off his chin.

My eyes wander over to Luffy as he runs down a fallen mast, only for Krieg to aim his shield at him and fire off some cannonballs.

"You're dead meat now kid!" Krieg screams. In the next moment, he's firing sharpened stakes as Luffy runs for cover.

Luffy takes his straw hat off to protect it, only to get a stake right through his thigh. Luckily, he makes it back to a floating piece of the deck. "Damn it! Ow!"

"Luffy, be careful!" I call out to him.

He pulls the stake out of his leg, stabbing it into the deck next to where he is holding his hat. "You jackass! Do you want to fight or not!" He's now standing; his hat staying on the deck.

"Do I want to fight?" Krieg questions. "I don't require it. Battle demands only ways of death. That is might, boy. All you can do is rush over like a monkey."

Luffy pulls the corners of his mouth apart as he makes what I can only assume is the call of a money. "Well, this monkey is going to give you a nasty scratch!"

"Well, it could have been a better comeback," I sigh, shaking my head.

"Finish him, Gin!" The pirates cheer snaps me back to Sanji's fight.

The blond cook is now curled up on the deck, more blood covering him than before. The iron balls on Gin's tonfas are dripping with Sanji's blood. Yet, the cook still forces himself into a sitting position.

All noise fizzles away as Gin rushes at Sanji just as the boy stands up. Thankfully Sanji still has some strength to dodge. Then he lands a kick on Gin's head, causing them both to fall onto the deck in pain.

"His attacks are becoming painful for him to execute," my eyes widen at the realization.

Gin coughs up some blood, and then stands over Sanji who is now lying on his back. He grabs Sanji by the jaw, "Miserable cook!" But then he lets go, standing up as he drops his tonfas. "I can't do it! Don Krieg, I cannot kill him!"

I blink, feeling shock flow over me.

"Say that again if you dare!" Krieg explodes!

"That was the first time in my life," Gin stutters out as he begins to cry. "That anyone was kind to me! I cannot kill him because of that!"

"Idiot," Krieg shakes his head. "You really can't man up and kill him? Such a disappointment, Gin. I thought that you, out of all of my men, would be able to faithfully follow my orders. I named you the battle commander for a reason. Your strength and ruthlessness when fighting for victory. I have always believed that no one could surpass you in those areas."

"I am sorry. You know that I would never betray you. Everything I have done while under your lead, I do not regret. Your strength is something that I have always respected, and I thank you for that. However, this one, I cannot kill him! Don Krieg, there has to be a way, any way at all, that the ship, can be spared?"

I take a shaky step back in shock.

"It is inexcusable that you would even think to disobey me, as one of my most trusted officers! Now you ask a favor of me! What has possessed you!?"

The pirates all around have begun to freak out about the weapon Krieg is now pointing at us: The Poison Gas Bomb.

My breath catches in my throat.

"These cooks saved our lives!" Gin pleads.

"Drop your gas mask, Gin! I am removing you from this crew!"

"What a piece of shit," I cross my arms over my chest. "To do something like that to a man who has been by his side for so long."

"Drop your mask!"

"You think I would let you shoot that!" Luffy blurts out, rushing down the mast again.

Krieg fires off more stakes, but Luffy has learned from last time and flings himself to the underside of the mast, crawling along it like a spider. Krieg changes tactics, trying to sink the mast, so Luffy throws himself back to the top and runs back to where he started.

"Gin!" Luffy angerly shouts. "Do not listen to that pussy Krieg! I am going to clobber him!"

"That's my Luffy," I smirk.

"Brat!" Gin shouts. "Do not battle Don Krieg! He is the mightiest man alive, and a runt like you could never come close to taking him down."

"Snap out of it, Gin," Sanji pushes up to grab the man by the upper arm. "The man you regard as your hero is trying to kill you!"

"Maybe, but I am the coward who let foolish sentimental shit in the way of what I was ordered to do. Death is what I deserve," he tosses his gas mask into the sea.

"Deathly Poison Gas Bomb!" Krieg screams at the top of his lungs. "MH5!"

"Come on girly," Patty grabs my arm, dragging me into the restaurant where we should be safe from the gas. "They'll figure out a way to survive."

"What bastard uses poison gas?" I blurt out as Patty sets me down.

"They have no morals," Patty shakes his head. "No heart."

"The smoke has stopped coming out of your ears," Zeff teases.

I push my lips together as I look at the old man. "Well, I trust that Luffy and Sanji will be able to handle those assholes out there, so the anger left me. I can't wait until they kick that Krieg's ass. He's a prick."

Patty chuckles, "You are an energetic lass. I understand why you are with chore boy."

I smile, looking away as my cheeks heat up, "Yeah?"

"Absolutely."

We go silent as we wait for any news from the outside. It is hard to tell if the gas is settling or not. If we go too early we could inhale some of the poison, and then it would be all over for us.

"Krieg!" Luffy's pissed-off voice explodes through the air. I don't think that I have heard him that angry.

"I will take that as my cue," I hop off the table. "Join me if you wish," I chuckle as I rush to the front entrance.

Outside the gas has left the air, but that doesn't mean all is good. Sanji is holding a bloody and sickly Gin in his lap as Luffy stands nearby with his fists clenched.

"Sanji!" Patty shouts from right behind me.

"Did the demon man get poisoned?" The other cook questions.

"Patty!" Sanji looks back at us. "Don't we have antidote?"

"Well, yeah, but that is for food poisoning, so I don't know what help it would give," Patty answers. "Plus, he's our enemy..."

"I don't care about any of that. Go get it!"

"Stop," Zeff slips passed me on a crutch. "Get a gas mask on him right now. There should be some antitoxin in it that will help. Then he'll need to get to the upper deck to get some fresh air. That is the only way that he can be saved now."

"Patty! Carne! Get over here and do as he says!" Sanji shouts as he places a gas mask on Gin.

"We are coming!" Patty cries as he and Carne (the other cook) rush over. "Don't yell at us."

"Don't die Gin!" I call out, sending whatever positive energy I can to the man.

"It's a waste," Krieg speaks up. "I doubt he'll live another hour."

"Don't let that jackass kill