Chapter 12: East Blue Arc: I Won't Die! Fierce Battle, Luffy vs. Krieg!

"Morality, sympathy, I hate those kind of things the most." Krieg growled after Ghin pleaded for leniency for the floating restaurant. "Didn't I always say that? Move away, guys." he removed the plate from his shoulder-pad.

"Poison gas?" Luffy exclaimed, after the defeated pirates realized the new weapon Krieg had intended to use.

"Stop whining about stupid stuff, you fools." Krieg scoffed, his crew shouting objections at him. "This is a battle. Winning is the only goal. Foul play? Dirty? What's wrong with that? Might makes right. No matter what means we take, the result is everything. Using poison gas or whatever, winning is all that matters. That's power."

"What a horrible bastard." Sanji hissed.

"Throw that mask away." Krieg ordered, seeing Ghin pull out his gas mask. "You're no longer one of us. Die."

"I won't let you shoot poison gas!" Luffy charged forward.

"Stop scampering about, anchor boy." Krieg snorted, slamming a fit down and breaking the mast Luffy was using as a bridge. With Luffy off-balance, Krieg then rained bullets at the rubber teen.

"Damnit!" Luffy cursed, forced to retreat back to the demolished platform. "Ghin, you don't have to listen to what that weakling says." he shouted. "I'm gonna kick his ass now."

"Don't mock Don Krieg!" Ghin barked. "He's the strongest man. You can't defeat him."

"Come to your senses, you idiot!" Sanji scolded. "That man is trying to kill you."

"I deserve it." Ghin admitted. "Since I couldn't fulfill my role, shamelessly losing to emotion. This is a well-deserved punishment." he declared, tossing his mask into the water.

"So, you showed your pride in the end." Krieg smirked. "But it's too late. Die together with that cook. Deadly Gas Bomb:MH-5!" he called out, firing the red poison bomb pellet.

"Sasha!" Luffy yelled to his sister.

"Already on it." Sasha de-materialized her armor and summoned the one item that could proved, without a doubt, her true identity: a golden bident spear with a gilded laurel wreath surrounding its pointed end. "Ocean Blessing Dome!" she raised the two-forked trident and cast a shimmering water dome to form around the Baratie just as the poison bullet clashed into the bubble barrier.

"Thanks, Sasha." Luffy sighed in relief, now safe behind the water dome as the poison mist slowly cleared up. "You saved me."

"Ghin, it seems you picked the wrong man to follow." Sanji glared at the smug Krieg.

"So you're actually sympathizing with that idiot scum?" Krieg mocked. "An idiot who lost sight of our goal and can't follow my orders no longer holds value for me. There's no guarantee that he won't betray me again. It's out of love that I put him out of his misery now. Wouldn't you think?"

"Sasha, open a gap for me." Luffy instructed.

"Cool down!" Sanji tired to pull him back. "Attacking head-on would be playing right into his hands. You'll die!"

"I won't die." Luffy swore. "Go ahead and shoot as much as you want!" he snapped, charging forward through the opening Sasha split for him.

"Such a fool." Krieg mocked. "The easiest enemy to kill is one who's in a frenzy. The sea is your hell, anchor boy. You're heading towards your graveyard." he tossed out five metal bombs at the charging Luffy. Using the water wall created by the bombs, he then raised his left shield to rain bullets at his opponent. "You little..." he hissed, seeing Luffy run out of the water wall.

"Gum-Gum..." Luffy readied his out-stretched fist.

"Hit me..." Krieg raised his porcupine shield. "If you can!"

"Pistol!" Luffy slammed his punch onto the spiked barrier and sending Krieg to the ground. "Is this my graveyard?" he echoed, pulling out the green-yellow-striped bullets that he was hit by. "Or your graveyard. My graveyard? Don't think you can send me to my grave with stuff like this. I'm not gonna die here."

"He's crazy..." Sanji muttered.

"You see idiots like that every once in a while." Zeff remarked. "One who will fight to the death once they've set their eyes on a target. You're in trouble if someone like that makes you an enemy. But you know, win or lose, I like guys like him."

"'I'm not going to die here.', you said?" Krieg echoed. "If you won't die here, then who the hell will?" he caught to his feet and slammed his shield into Luffy's undefended body. "You will, right?" he then fired a shot at point-blank.

"You will!" Luffy corrected, having dodged the bullet and hooked his extended leg over Krieg's shoulder, pulling him back to the ground.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Krieg snapped, revealing his strongest weapon, the Mighty Battle Spear.

Luffy jumped to avoid getting hit by the weapon.

"Now, I'll see how long you can keep avoiding this." Krieg remarked. "It'll be a sight, anchor boy." he tossed his cape away. "That punt spear from earlier still left you standing after a few attacks, but this Mighty Battle Spear is different. As soon as you touch it, you'll be blown to pieces." he slammed his weapon onto the battered Galleon, the impact sending Luffy flying off.

"A long battle will be trouble." Sanji concluded, seeing Luffy weaken at his knees. "He's shed too much blood. He's not gonna last long."

"Your overdoing it has taken its toll on you." Krieg smirked. "You must be reaching your limit." that said, he jumped in to renew his attack. "Take this!' he shouted, after Luffy nimbly dodging each of his swings and he took one large swing at the off-balance rubber teen. "Die!" he roared, Luffy had once again jumped to dodge the swing.

"That was close." Luffy heaved in relief, having grabbed onto the pole-arm.

"You damn caterpillar!" the enraged Krieg flung Luffy off his weapon. With a wide grin, he thrust the spear point at the falling Luffy, the smoking rubber teen was then flung back onto one of the wooden debris. "Ha, I'm not yet done yet." Krieg snorted. "You made me angry. I won't let you die so easily."

"Damnit!" Sanji cursed. "That bastard Krieg brings out weapons one after another. There's no way chore boy can win."

"Even if hundreds of weapons are built in, he can be defeated by someone with a spear of blind determination." Zeff remarked. "Isn't that right, lassie?" he looked at the unfazed Sasha.

"Yeah," Sasha agreed. "After all, aniki... he's one of them who has that initial letter."

"How easy." Krieg scoffed, having blown Luffy away with another attack. "Now that makes you worth crushing." he turned back when he spotted Luffy getting back up.

"Life or death," Zeff started. "In a pirate battle, if you fear death for even a moment, you'll fall to pieces. At least..." he trailed as spear met fist. "That kid doesn't have any hesitation. Is it a survival instinct? Or does he not fear death because he has faith in himself?"

"You son of a bitch!" Krieg cursed, seeing Luffy stand back up no matter how many blows he met with. "I told you, this is where you die! I am the strongest man!" he closed in for the killing blow."

"The fleet Krieg gathered, his hundreds of weapons and poison," Zeff started. "If they're all force, then that kid's spear is also a force. The spear held in his heart. I know an idiot who's holding back that spear for a stupid reason."

"My Mighty Battle Spear is..." Krieg stammered, Luffy slamming his foot down as the spearhead shattered into pieces. "What the hell did you do?"

"I gave it five punches." Luffy grinned. "I guess that's it for your spear. Prepare youself."