Second Wind

8

"Please! Give him some food and water! He'll die at this rate!" Patty started laughing hysterically.

"Oh, this is great! Seeing that scumbag in such as miserable state just warms my heart!"

Gin turned toward him angrily. "We have money this time! We're paying customers!"

"Like I care," Patty shrugged. "Hey, contact the Marines," he commanded, pointing to another chef. "This is a good opportunity to get that guy behind bars. Don't even give him a scrap of food." The customers all shouted their agreement.

"Who knows what he'll do if he gains his strength back?" one chef said. "We can't risk giving him anything."

Don Krieg bowed his head low to the ground. "I won't try anything. You have my word. Please...just give me something. I don't care if it's just scraps. Anything..." he groaned. Gin tried to convince him to stop groveling, but he continued. "Anything..." he repeated.

Patty looked like he was having a hard time keeping up his heartless attitude, but stood firm, "Trying to earn sympathy? You won't get any," he said.

"Out of the way, Patty," a new voice said. Patty was suddenly kicked away from the entrance. "Here, Gin. Give him this," Sanji said, holding up a plate of food and a glass of water.

"Sanji-san!" Gin exclaimed, taking the food and handing it to his captain. Krieg started eating immediately. One of the chefs, Carne, started shouting his disapproval, saying there was no way he'd just back off after eating. The customers and the rest of the chefs looked terrified. Sanji had turned his attention to Carne, and Luffy noticed the tensing of Krieg's muscles.

"Hey, Sanji! You might want to pay attention," he called out. Sanji turned back in time to see Krieg swinging his arm out in a lariat, and was able to bring his knee up in front of his neck to block. The blow sent him flying back, but he landed on his feet and regained his balance. Krieg looked slightly annoyed that his surprise attack had failed, and Gin looked horrified.

"Don! This isn't what you promised! You said you'd leave these guys alone if I brought you here!" Gin let out a yell of pain as his shoulder was gripped tightly in Krieg's hand.

"Ah, that's better. I feel like my old self again." He looked toward the chefs, who were watching in terror. "Nice ship. I think I'll take it," he said calmly. They looked at him with incredulous expressions, and he continued, "My old one got ruined. I have 100 men who are dying of hunger and thirst. Prepare food for all of them, and then get off my new ship."

The chefs all shouted at him in response to the outrageous request, saying they refused.

"Refuse?" repeated Krieg. "Don't misunderstand me. This isn't a request. It's an order. And no one disobeys my orders," he said with a menacing glare.

Gin knelt on the ground with a pained look on his face. "I'm sorry, Sanji-san," he said with regret. "I didn't intend for this to happen!"

Sanji ignored him and started walking toward the kitchen. Patty rounded on him. "Hey! Where do you think you're going!? It's your fault we're in this mess!"

"I'm going to prepare food for 100 people," Sanji said simply. Gin looked at him in shock. After all this...he was still feeding them? The other chefs quickly surrounded Sanji on all sides, pointing guns at him threateningly.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Sanji? Krieg's double agent?" one asked.

"You're not taking one step into the kitchen," another said. Sanji just held his arms out in a silent challenge.

"Then shoot me if you want," he said without hesitation. The chefs all stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. "I don't care if they're not worth saving. My job as a chef is to feed people. If they come to this restaurant in hunger, I'll give them food. I'll worry about what happens afterwards once they're fed."