Don's Krieg's Crew are consuming their food like savage wild beasts, tearing the meats, swallowing the fruits whole without bother chewing it and drinking their water with one gulp. Once they filled their bellies they cheered, rejoiced to feel alive again and away from dreaded nightmare of Grand Line. Krieg grinned, pleased to see his Crew back in gear.

"I'm glad to see you all revived which means we can head back to Grand Line" said Krieg and the cheers died down into grim silence, and Krieg's grin gone.

"Huh? What's with long faces?" Krieg asked in a low tone, almost menacing. Unlucky for one man who spoke back to his Captain.

"But Captain, why do we have to go back to that place?" and the poor man got his answer from his Captain by bullet shot at his chest, killing him instantly and fell into the ocean, everyone cringed as they stare at Krieg with fear in their eyes and Krieg look like monster with eyes filled with rage.

"Point taken, are any more objection?" his Crew stood silent for a moment and then they cheers again, doing what their Captain said before he could kill them, unaware that they about to get an unexpected visitor.

"First, we need to take over this floating Restaurant then we can abandon this wrecked ship were on before it falls apart. Don't worry about the enemy they're just some prissy Cooks it won't take much to crush them, NOW ATTACK!" by his command his men obeyed with roaring to raid the floating Restaurant.

Inside the Baratie, the Chefs and the Straw Hats heard their battle cry and ready themselves for the upcoming Krieg Pirates. As they stood their ground ready to fight to the death while Krieg's Crew are about to jump off............

When all of a sudden they stopped when the sound of metal slashing the wood ceased their running. Nobody moved or breathed as to their horror the once strong Galleon has been split into pieces in a perfect slice. The Chefs and the Straw Hat Pirates and Pokemon watched in horror as the Galleon sank to the bottom of the ocean and crushing waves crashed the Baratie back and forth.

"Raise the anchor! Or we'll be swallowed along with their ship." Zeff ordered one of his men to do it, and the man complied and left and Luffy returned her Pokemon except Eevee

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Although the Strawhats learned that Nami took the ship, Luffy still wanted Nami to be her navigator as she felt something was wrong and the restaurant was in trouble.

However, a figure began creeping into view.

It turns out to be a small boat with a man sitting in the middle of the boat, his head bent down, and his hat shadowed his eyes, and has candles lit on the edge that burn with green fire. 

Zeff knew who that man on the boat as he gasped.

"That man is..." he said. Zoro looked at where Zeff was staring, and he too gasped. His heart is pounding so loud that maybe the others heard it as well, and the same goes for Krieg when he saw who did this. Luffy followed Zoro's line of sight and her eye widened, as Eevee looked nervous leaping into her arms.

"That...that monster! He followed us back!" One of Krieg's pirates exclaimed. He recognized that man, the man who destroyed his entire fleet all by himself.

As soon as the boat got nearer, they saw the shape of the boat that looked like a coffin, and the center mast that resembled a large crucifix, and the man's presence was enough to send anyone a chill of death. And Zoro's heart keeps pounding louder and louder as he watches the coffin boat getting closer.

"IT's him...Hawk-Eye!"
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Krieg's Crew are shaking and about readily wet them of seeing the same man who destroyed their entire fleet with a swoop of his blade before they can warn the other, this man. No, this devil has shown himself and displayed his power in the most terrifying way that makes people tremble before his presence, but his golden piercing eyes, they will never forget those cold dead eyes as if he can see the man's soul, reading you like an open book and imprison any unfortunate souls by just looking to his eyes. Luffy can tell this was Mihawk, the man that Zoro had been looking for. 

"Y-You son of a bitch! Why are you doing this to us? What did we ever do to you?" one of Krieg's men yelled franticly at Hawk-Eye, the man was silent for a moment till he looked up, revealing his face, and as Gin described it, Hawk-Eye is golden and deadly like a double-edge blade, his face is firm and strong with short beard and sideburns pointing upward.

"For fun." he replied frankly, and that pissed the man off.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" the man shouts as he pulls out two pistols from his pocket. Before the man pulled his trigger, something staggering happened, Mihawk's speed like no other pulled his sword from his back, the sword is both beautiful and yet it's lethal; the very being itself radiates with the power of death and longer than any sword they've seen about seven feet long with a slight curve at the end of the blade. The metal on that blade is pitch-black with a very strong sheen. After pulling out his blade and pointing at the man once the man pulled the trigger, the two bullets zoomed fast to their target, but Mihawk wasn't a bit worried. He awaits at the right moment till he rotates his blade, hitting the two bullets, bouncing his attack. Krieg Pirates gasped in shock, not believing what they saw, or they're not sure how he did do it without moving.

"B-But how?! I hit it straight toward him" the man with bullets was sure he got his aim right till a voice from behind said.

"He diverted them!" the man startled and looks to see a strangely green-haired guy talking.

"He changes the course of the bullets using the tip of his sword" said Zoro, that he's the only person who saw the movement of the sword thoroughly.

"Is that's even possible!...wait a minute! Who the hell are you?!" the man demanded as Zoro walk passed him and ignoring his question and said.

"I've never seen a sword moved so gently with such grace" Zoro commented getting Mihawk's attention.

"Without subtlety, a sword is but an iron bar" Mihawk replied.

"Then you use the same sword to cut this ship?" said Zoro.

"I did" Mihawk answered readily.

"So it's true, you are the best...I set out to sea for one reason to meet you" said Zoro as he undid his bandana on his arm and tie it around his head.

"And what is your reason?" Hawk-Eye asked calmly.

"To beat you!" Zoro exclaimed with his eyes shined in determination while Mihawk smirked.

"How foolish," he remarked. But Zoro ignores it as he draws out his Wadō, pointing at him, tempting him to fight him.

"You've got spare time, right? So let's fight!" Zoro exclaimed. Then, everything shook as the Krieg Pirates frenziedly mumbled to see the famous Pirate Hunter Zoro of Three Sword Style here in the flesh, and the Baratie Chefs were all shocked minus Zeff.

"Wha!? That idiot is the Pirate Hunter!" even Sanji sounded surprised at the discovery. Zeff was indifferent but knew who Zoro was since he walked in. Yosaku and Johnny are cheering their Big Bro loudly to win. Luffy however, was silent watching the whole thing while Usopp focused on something else, the Going Merry that Kaya gave to them if sailing further away and losing its sight.

"A fight? To a pitiful, weak creature such as you," he stated, but Zoro didn't say or react to his insult, he remained there with challenging eyes, and then they were awed when Hawk-Eye teleported himself from his Coffin Boat and reappeared before Zoro.

"If you are, in fact, a competent Swordsman, you should be able to see the disparity in our abilities before we cross swords," he stated in a bored tone as if he said it a thousand times.

"If I may ask why do you challenge me?...Isn't because you're brave soul or you just a fool looking for a way to die quickly" he added.

"My ambition drives me" he said before he put his precious white sword between his teeth and pulling his other two swords.

"And also promise I made from dear friend!" Zoro added. Back in Baratie, the spectators are watching with intense anxiety to see two Master Swordsman are about to engage the battle of a lifetime, and they don't want to miss a thing.

"Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro versus the World's Greatest Swordsman Mihawk!? Something tells me this not going to end well..." said Patty, watching as he hold on the railing in a tight grip like lifeline.

"There not a person alive who can defeat Big Bro Zoro!" Yosaku commented and then cheered.

"That's right; he's already the best in the world" Johnny added and cheered too. 

Luffy was too focused to listen what they said, as she silently watched holding Eevee tight.

Once Zoro positioned himself, ready for a fight and twitch when Hawk-Eye moved, the man moved up his hand till he grabbed a cross pendant and pulled from his neck and when he did, he put his hand on top of the cross and pull it and to his surprise and irritation, the pendent turn out to be a small dagger, probably the smallest knife he has seen.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing with that?" he said annoyingly.

"It'll be more than antiquated, after all you wouldn't kill a fly with cannon, would you? You may earn many titles on the East Blue...but; it doesn't mean much to me; this sea is by far is the weakest among the four seas" he said with offence.

But as the fight started, It was clear that Mihawk was more skilled, even with Zoro's fierce attacks.

In the end, Zoro lost, but Mihawk seemed to have gained respect for him as he had a scar on the front instead of the back.

Luffy's blood ran cold seeing Zoro fall into the sea.

"I devoted my entire life becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman. I made my choice, and I'm the only one who gets to call me stupid" Sanji remembered when he talk back at him with confidence. Was all that talk was bullshit to throw away his life?

'He's an insane...his opponent was way out of his league! How this fight would end is clear from the start...but why choose death?'

"YOU IDIOT! GIVE YOUR AMBITION AND LIVE" he then suddenly yelled at the fallen Swordsman.

But Luffy paid him no mind, she was furious and got her Gyarados out to charge at Mihawk to the shock of the Chefs and Pirates.

Mihawk, though he was caught off guard by the appearance of the strange sea king, he saw the young Swordsman's friend on top of it, and managed to block its Crunch attack.

The clash sent strong Shockwaves on the water creating strong waves.

"No need to get worked up. I let him live." Mihawk Said as Luffy blinked.

'Huh?'

Yosaku and Johnny, having leapt to save their friend, have emerged from the surface with Zoro with them.

They reeled Zoro in boat with Usopp helping, after they quickly work on stopping the blood from flowing on his chest, and then Mihawk spoke.

"It's still too early for you to die. My name is Dracule Mihawk! Discover your true self, the true world, become stronger! However long it may take; I shall await you at the top. Surpass this sword! Surpass me! Roronoa Zoro!" he yelled with so much power and also respect to Zoro that many were shocked except for Zeff he even given credit and respect to Zoro for his undying ambition to fight for. Mihawk then turn to glance over at Luffy and asked.

"Young lady…what's your goal?"

"To be the Queen of the Pirates" she answered simply as Eevee leapt on her shoulder and Mihawk smirked.

"Your ambition is more dangerous than his, that quite a task"

"Not gonna stop me." then she plucks out her tongue at him; then she heard Usopp yell.

"Zoro's okay, he's just unconscious!" Yosaku and Johnny are both relieved with tears of joy flowing down.

"Zoro~ if you're alive then say something!" Johnny exclaimed.

Zoro responded by lifting his Wadō Ichimonji, pointing up as the steel glittered by the sun.

"L-luffy, can you hear me?" he pants with every word.

"Yeah!"

"S-sorry for making you worry, I know you want nothing less than the World's Greatest Swordsman 'ugh' and I let you down…forgive me" he gasped and wheezed while his words are apologetic as he coughs blood from his mouth causing the duo to panic.

"Zoro..." Luffy said.

"Okay okay, you can stop saying things now" Johnny exclaimed.

"Yes, please!" Yosaku pled, but Zoro ignored them and said some more.

"I solemnly swear 'pant' from this day forward that I would never lose again!" then a stream of tears rolling on his face as he keeps his only sword up high in the sky.

"Until the day comes 'sniff' defeat him and takes his title…I-I would never lose ever again…is that's all right QUEEN OF THE PIRATES!" his words had warmed her heart to hear him say such strong promise to her and her alone had made her smile softly before she giggled.

"Shihehehehe, no problem" she simply said. When she hears, Mihawk says.

"You two make quite a team, along with your creatures, and I hope to see you again." Before he leaves, he took her hand and gave her a small kiss on her knuckle making her blush a bit.

"HEY! GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HER!" Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji all yelled together of what they witness, but Mihawk ignored them and looked up at her.

"Oh wait, you know Red-Haired Shanks?" Luffy said bringing out a letter. "If you see him, can you give him this?" She gave him the letter as Mihawk smirked.

"Until we meet again," he said so smoothly and swiftly turn to return to his boat, just he was half there when he blocked by Don Krieg.

"Hold it! Aren't you going to take my head after you sailed through here?" he said with a smug smirk while Hawk-Eye didn't look interested.

"The thought has crossed my mind…but I've had enough fun today so I'll be going home and take a nap" he said, but Krieg wasn't listening as he cranks his neck.

"Do you honestly think I would let you go after what you did to me, and I think I should make you pay…NOW DIE!" and then array of guns come out from his armor and fired but Mihawk is way too fast.

"He just won't learn. But I suppose the young lady will take care of you." then he is swinging his blade creating a might slash and destroyed what's remaining of floating wrecked ship and big wave.

Luffy leapt onto Gyarados who got her and Eevee to the Baratie. When the wave descends Mihawk has vanished making Don Krieg angry.

On the boat, Usopp clanged on a wooden railing for dear life when he hears his Captain calling.

"Usopp! Go on ahead I'll leave Nami to you"

"Roger that! Don't you worry about a thing, Zoro and I will get her back and you make sure you get that Cook to join us and then the Going Merry will finally set sail to the Grand Line!" then Usopp throw her straw hat which her Flygon appeared and caught it for her.

"You got it!" Usopp waved his arms as the boat sails away with Yosaku, Johnny, and Zoro to get their Navigator back to the Crew and to find out why she stole their ship and left. She waved back to Usopp and the rest as for short goodbye till they'll meet again.

For now, she needs to deal with Krieg and his Crew from taking the Baratie from Zeff and his men and get Sanji to join as her Cook.
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Here's another chapter!
Hope you all had a Happy Christmas!
We got snow on Christmas back home, so we got a white Christmas after all.

Now we count down to the New Year's.

And I decided to have the pairing as ASL, or Sabo x Luffy x Ace

Plz comment!