One Piece : Bullet Tide

The sun hung high, casting a golden sheen over the sea. The waters surrounding the Baratie were calm. Too calm.

Dez sat at the edge of the floating restaurant, arms folded, chewing on a toothpick. He'd felt it in his gut for a while now—something was coming.

Then, it happened.

A warped, battered ship cut through the waves, its hull riddled with holes. Tattered sails flapped like dying wings. The ship drifted toward the Baratie, its presence an omen.

And at the bow stood Gin.

Dez's sharp eyes flicked over the deck. There were others—pirates, barely standing, their eyes sunken and wild.

The restaurant doors burst open.

Sanji stepped out, cigarette between his lips. "Tch. I figured you'd be back."

Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp stood nearby, watching. The tension thickened.

Gin locked eyes with Sanji. His face was shadowed, unreadable.

The boat bumped against the Baratie's side. Slowly, the starving pirates climbed aboard. Some collapsed to their knees. Their bodies were shaking from hunger.

Then, heavy footsteps echoed.

A towering man stepped into view.

Golden armor gleamed in the sunlight. His thick jaw was clenched, his sharp eyes filled with ironclad arrogance. A blood-red cape trailed behind him.

Dez's expression hardened.

"Don Krieg."

Krieg sneered, looking down on the restaurant's inhabitants like they were insects.

"I heard this place feeds anyone," he said, his voice dripping with entitlement. "So, I'll be taking a meal for me and my men."

Sanji exhaled smoke. "No."

Krieg's grin faltered. "What?"

Sanji crossed his arms. "I'm no fool. I can tell what you are." He gestured to the pitiful crew behind Krieg. "You think I'd feed you just so you could stab us in the back the moment you're full?"

Krieg chuckled. Then laughed. His men, weak as they were, grinned.

"You really think you have a choice?" Krieg spread his arms. "I could level this whole place in seconds."

Dez clicked his tongue, finally standing up. "Talkin' real big for a man who just got his ass handed to him in the Grand Line."

Krieg's face darkened. His eyes shot toward Dez. "And you are?"

"Dez Morgane." He adjusted his coat. "Maybe you've heard of me?"

A flicker of recognition flashed through Krieg's expression. "The bounty hunter."

"That's right." Dez's fingers hovered near Dusk. "And your bounty's lookin' real tempting."

A heavy silence fell. Everyone was ready to move.

Then—

Gin stepped forward. "Wait."

Dez, Sanji, and Luffy watched him closely.

Gin turned to Sanji. "I won't beg. But my captain and crew are starving. At least give them something to eat. I'll owe you."

Sanji stared at him. For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then, with an annoyed sigh, he turned away. "Tch. Fine. But you're paying for it."

Krieg smirked, striding forward like he'd already won. "Smart choice, cook."

Sanji's jaw tightened, but he disappeared inside to prepare the food.

Dez watched Krieg carefully. Something felt off.

Luffy grinned. "You sure are nice, huh, cook?"

Sanji scoffed. "Shut up."

Nami frowned, crossing her arms. "This is a mistake.** I don't trust him."

Dez, still focused on Krieg, muttered, "Neither do I."

He could feel it. This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Sanji returned a few minutes later, balancing trays of food with practiced ease. Plates stacked with meat, bowls brimming with soup, and fresh loaves of bread. The aroma filled the air, making Krieg's half-dead men salivate like wild dogs.

Sanji set the food down on a nearby table. "Eat."

Krieg's men didn't need to be told twice. They lunged at the plates, stuffing their faces with a desperation that made even Usopp cringe.

Krieg, however, didn't touch the food. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, watching with calculating eyes.

Dez didn't sit. He stood off to the side, arms folded, one eye on Krieg, the other on Gin.

Luffy, meanwhile, was shoveling food into his mouth like it was a race, completely unfazed by the tension in the air.

Zoro sipped his sake, side-eyeing Dez. "You really think this was a good idea?"

Dez exhaled through his nose. "Hell no."

Sanji blew out a cloud of smoke, his irritation clear. "You think I don't know that?"

Krieg finally spoke. "You're a fool, cook."

Sanji arched a brow. "Oh? And why's that?"

Krieg's smirk widened. "Because now I know you're weak. You let pity cloud your judgment."

Dez shifted slightly, fingers brushing against Dusk's grip.

Sanji didn't react. He merely took another drag from his cigarette before flicking it onto the floor. "You finished eating yet?"

Gin's chewing slowed. His expression turned rigid.

Krieg laughed. Loud. Mocking.

Then, he stood up.

His men followed, looking stronger. They had color back in their faces, their bodies no longer trembling from starvation.

"That hit the spot," Krieg said, stretching his arms. "Good meal. But…" His expression turned dark. "I think I'll take this restaurant now."

Sanji didn't even flinch. "You gonna pay for the food first?"

Krieg reached into his coat—

Dez moved instantly.

A gunshot ripped through the air.

Krieg froze.

A thin red line formed on his cheek. A bullet had grazed him. If Dez had aimed a little lower…

Krieg's entire crew tensed.

Dez spun Dusk around his finger before smoothly reholstering it. "Just a warning," he said, voice low. "Next shot's not gonna miss."

Krieg's lips curled in annoyance.

Gin moved.

He stood between Dez and his captain, arms raised. "Wait!"

Dez narrowed his eyes.

Gin turned to Krieg. "Captain, you said you wouldn't attack them if they gave us food."

Krieg scoffed. "I lied."

Sanji's jaw tightened. "Yeah, figured as much."

Dez sighed. "Guess that means we're doin' this the hard way."

Luffy finally swallowed his food. He cracked his knuckles, a wide grin forming. "Heh. Finally!"

Zoro smirked, standing up. "Took long enough."

Krieg's smirk returned. "You don't stand a chance against me. This place is mine."

Dez rolled his neck. The fight was coming.

And he was more than ready.

The moment Krieg declared his intent to take the Baratie, the air in the restaurant shifted.

Dez felt it immediately. The tension. The inevitability.

He wasn't a pirate, but he had a bounty hunter's instincts. Krieg wasn't bluffing. The man was planning to take this place by force, and his crew—now fed and regaining their strength—were more than ready.

Sanji crushed his cigarette underfoot, his expression unreadable. "You're really gonna bite the hand that fed you?"

Krieg laughed, voice like metal scraping against metal. "What kind of idiot expects honor from a pirate?"

Dez chuckled under his breath. "Man's got a point."

Sanji shot him an annoyed glance.

Zoro placed a hand on Wado Ichimonji's hilt. "So, we doing this or what?"

Luffy stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders like a fighter about to step into the ring. "This is great! We can fight and eat at the same time!"

"Are you insane?!" Usopp whisper-yelled, already inching toward the exit.

Nami sighed. "Of course this would happen."

Krieg wasn't waiting.

With a swift motion, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small sphere—gold and polished like a cannonball.

Dez's eyes narrowed.

"Bomb," he muttered.

Before anyone could react, Krieg hurled the grenade at the center of the restaurant.

Bang!

The explosion rocked the room, sending plates, chairs, and people flying. Smoke and splinters filled the air.

Dez had already moved. He flipped backward over the bar counter, using it for cover. He landed smoothly, rolling into a crouch.

Sanji kicked off the floor, flipping over a fallen table and landing near the now-smoldering remains of the explosion.

Luffy was completely unfazed. He had simply stood there, covered in soot, blinking in surprise. "Whoa!"

Zoro, standing with his arms crossed, dusted ash off his sleeve. "Annoying."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ANNOYING?!" Usopp screeched, coughing up smoke.

Krieg's men, now emboldened, rushed forward.

Dez drew both his revolvers in a flash, spinning them instinctively. Dawn and Dusk glowed under the dim light.

"You wanted a fight?" he muttered, a wolfish grin forming on his lips. "You got one."

He pulled the triggers.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The first three shots hit their marks—one pirate took a bullet to the leg and collapsed. Another had his gun shot clean out of his hands. The third bullet clipped a man's shoulder, sending him spinning into a table.

Dez moved like a ghost, weaving through the chaos. His movements were precise, efficient. His bullets never missed their mark.

Meanwhile, Zoro unsheathed his swords.

With a single step, he cut through two of Krieg's men, his blade flashing like lightning.

Sanji's leg rocketed forward. The kick caught one pirate in the ribs, launching him into the air before he crashed into another, knocking them both out cold.

Luffy was having the time of his life. He stretched his arm, grabbing a pirate from across the room, and flung him into another group like a slingshot.

Krieg stood back, watching the fight unfold with a sneer.

"This is nothing," he said. Then, he looked at Gin.

The man-demon hadn't moved yet. He simply stood there, watching Dez.

Dez noticed.

"You wanna dance?" Dez called out, flicking the barrel of Dusk toward him.

Gin smiled. It was a sharp, dangerous grin. "I was hoping you'd ask."

Dez felt a thrill run through him.

This? This was about to get fun.

The battlefield had been set. The Baratie, once a lively restaurant, was now a war zone.

Smoke lingered in the air, mingling with the scent of gunpowder and burnt wood. The floor was littered with overturned tables and fallen pirates.

Dez stood at the center, Dawn and Dusk still raised, barrels smoking. His coat fluttered slightly as he exhaled, shifting his stance.

Across from him, Gin cracked his neck.

"You're fast," the man-demon admitted, twirling his twin tonfa before locking eyes with Dez. "But I wonder how well that fancy shooting holds up in a real fight."

Dez smirked. "There's only one way to find out."

The two moved at the same time.

Gin charged, his tonfa spinning into a blur, closing the distance in seconds.

Dez's fingers twitched.

BANG!

The bullet flew straight at Gin's head—but the tonfa blocked it. Sparks erupted as metal clashed with lead.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Dez fired three more shots in quick succession, aiming for Gin's legs, shoulders, and ribs.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Gin deflected each one, his movements impossibly fast for a man wielding such heavy weapons.

Dez's grin widened. "Not bad."

Gin didn't reply. He was already mid-swing.

The tonfa came down hard, aiming for Dez's head.

Dez twisted to the side, dodging by a hair's breadth. The wind from the strike rippled through his coat.

Another tonfa strike followed, this time for his ribs.

Dez ducked, rolled, and fired point-blank.

BANG!

The bullet clipped Gin's shoulder, drawing blood.

Gin's expression barely changed. If anything, he looked excited.

His knee rocketed forward.

Dez barely managed to block with his forearm, but the force sent him skidding backward. His boots scraped against the wooden floor.

"That all you got?" Gin taunted.

Dez rolled his shoulders. "I was just getting started."

His fingers flicked Dawn's chamber.

The revolver clicked as it absorbed a new property from the Devil Fruit it had eaten.

Sparkshot: Ignition Rounds.

The moment Dez pulled the trigger, the bullets ignited midair, glowing orange with raw heat.

Gin's eyes widened.

BANG!

The first bullet hit the floorboards, setting them ablaze.

Gin barely dodged the second as it whizzed past his face, the heat alone scorching his skin.

But Dez was already repositioning. He moved like a shadow, never staying in one place for long.

Gin gritted his teeth. This wasn't just some sharpshooter—Dez was a predator.

Then, Gin did something unexpected.

He smiled.

And charged straight through the flames.

The fire licked at his clothes, his skin, but he didn't stop.

Dez's eyes flickered with amusement. "Oh? You're crazy."

Gin swung.

Dez dodged left, spun, and pressed the barrel of Dusk against Gin's gut.

BANG!

Gin coughed as the bullet struck home, but instead of collapsing, he swung his tonfa anyway.

The blunt weapon slammed into Dez's ribs.

Dez was sent flying, crashing into a table.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then…

Dez started laughing.

Gin wiped the blood from his lips, grinning.

"This is fun," Dez admitted, pushing himself up. "You're tougher than I thought."

Gin cracked his knuckles. "You're not bad yourself, bounty hunter."

Before they could go another round, a voice boomed over the battlefield.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Both men turned.

Don Krieg stood at the center of the chaos. His golden armor gleamed, his massive frame casting a long shadow.

The battlefield fell silent.

"I've had enough of this nonsense," Krieg growled. He pulled something from his belt—a massive blunderbuss, aimed straight at Dez and Gin.

"This ends now."

Dez cocked his revolver, eyes narrowing. "Well, damn. Here we go again."

TO BE CONTINUED…