A Siren's Journey (One Piece! Various X Reader)

[26] - Baratie Arc ~ 8

️Ch. 26: The Shared Dream of Zeff and Sanji! The Mysterious All Blue!🏴‍☠️️

No one on board the Baratie moves a muscle in fear of Zeff's life hanging in the balance as Ghin continues to hover the barrel end of the pistol at the old chef's head.

"Ghin!" Luffy exclaims.

"I expected this kind of thing from Krieg, but not you too, Ghin." I snarl.

"I don't care how much of a badass he used to be; Now he's just a cook." Ghin says coldly. "I wouldn't have to break a sweat to kill this old fart."

Sanji shows no emotion on his face.

"I'll spare him, but you have to leave." Ghin continues. "Please. Don't make this any harder Sanji, (First Name). Just leave. Don't force me to kill the three of you."

"Run away." Sanji huffs as he chews on a new cigarette. "Not a chance!"

Sanji's refusal shocks Ghin.

"You look even dumber at gunpoint, old man." Sanji says to Zeff. "What kind of example do you think you're setting for all the other cooks?"

Even with a gun pointed at his head, Zeff still has the guts to let out a wry chuckle. "I don't need a lecture from a brat like you."

"Would you stop calling me names! Quit treating me like a kid!" Sanji exclaims. The blond chef stuffs his hands back into his pockets before returning his attention back to Ghin. "Ghin! Point that gun at me!"

Sanji's demand startles Zeff, Luffy and I.

"Sanji, don't be an idiot!" I shout.

"Yeah, what if you die?!" Luffy adds.

"Shut up!" Sanji growls.

"Sanji . . . why you?" Ghin questions.

"Someone's eager to die." An annoying voice joins in.

We all turn to see Pearl up and going again. I'm surprised he got up so quick after that mast dropped on his head.

"Lucky for you, I'd be more than happy to oblige. Allow me. It would be my pleasure to beat you to a bloody, lifeless, pulp." Pearl laughs. "Absolutely Natural Pearl . . ."

Pearl reals back one of his iron shields.

" . . .Surprise!"

Pearl brings down his shield striking Sanji hard across the jaw and causes him to fly into the railing of the restaurant. Sanji takes the hit without any signs of resisting.

"SANJI!!" Luffy and I cry.

"Why didn't you dodge that?" Luffy demands in concern.

Blood pours from Sanji's face as he struggles to get upright. "Because if I did, that rat over there would pull the trigger on Zeff." He grunts out.

"Why are you doing this?" Ghin demands. "Just leave the restaurant peacefully and no one gets hurt. Please."

'Ghin still cares for Sanji, even though he's playing the bad guy.'

"This restaurant is that old man's life." Sanji states. "I've already taken everything else that man holds dear. His power. His dreams . . .So, while I'm around, I'm not going to let anything else get taken from him!" He exclaims.

Pearl sees Sanji's short speech as a distraction to attack him from behind.

"Pearl Cymbals!!" He readies his shields to smash Sanji's head in between. I really don't know what's going on with me and taking blows deserved for other people, but I'm not planning on standing around gawking while a disrespectful fool takes down a comrade from behind. I rush forward and shove Sanji down by his head as I take his place of the blow for him. The iron shields slam against my head causing my vision to become blurry, the feel of a familiar hot and sticky liquid running down the sides of my face and escaping from my mouth, and any other sounds around me to become drowned out by the ringing now filling my ears. Everything else goes into slow motion when I start to fall to the ground as certain noises cut through the loud ringing.