History Recap / OnePieceBaratieArc

Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp go to get the ''Going Merry'' out of the way, only to find that Nami betrayed them and stole the ship after throwing Johnny and Yosaku overboard. Furious and confused at her actions, Usopp, Zoro, Johnny and Yosaku prepare to chase after her (while Luffy plans to stay for a while longer to help the restaurant and repay his debt) when Krieg's galleon is suddenly sliced in half. Through the wreckage sails a man in black on a coffin-shaped boat. Zoro instantly recognizes him as Dracule Mihawk, the strongest swordsman in the world and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It was he who slashed up Kreig's Armada, and he followed them to the Baratie from the Grand Line simply because he was bored. Just as he prepares to finish off Kreig's men, Zoro challenges him to a duel. Mihawk isn't impressed at first and fights him with a small dagger, managing to outclass Zoro's strikes. However, when Mihawk sees that Zoro is determined to continue fighting despite being injured, he decides to use his giant blade to finish their fight. Despite Zoro's efforts, he is defeated, but left alive, as Mihawk wishes to fight him again someday. As he's being bandaged up by Usopp and the bounty hunting duo, Zoro makes a promise to Luffy that he won't lose again. With that, they sail off to go after Nami. With no other credible challenge, Mihawk leaves the area as well.\\

Kreig's crew attacks the Baratie, and the cooks fight back, but the latter are on the losing end of the fight due to the sheer number of pirates. Sanji finally decides to step in and manages to beat a majority of them off...until Krieg's second mate, Pearl, joins the fight. Sanji manages to stay on even ground with him, but when Gin reveals he has Zeff hostage at gunpoint, Sanji is forced to stop and take a beating from Pearl. As he does, he recounts his past when he was a child apprentice cook on a ship called the ''Orbit''. Zeff, then a notorious pirate, attacked the ship for treasure, but Sanji stood up to Zeff despite being outclassed. A tidal wave struck both the ''Orbit'' and Zeff's ship, and knocked Sanji overboard. Zeff jumped in and saved him, but both were stranded on a rock structure. Zeff gave Sanji a small bag of food he managed to grab, while apparently keeping a big one for himself (under the pretense that as an adult, his stomach is bigger), and ordered Sanji to watch for ships on the other side of the formation.\\

* {{Determinator}}: Not even being ''unconscious'' will stop Krieg from proving he's the strongest! But a punch to the gut from his [[DragonInChief (former) First Mate]] will.

** Manga-only, as Luffy and Krieg are falling and the former is gearing up his final attack, the latter shouts for his men to shoot Luffy. Sanji kicks away their crossbows and furiously shoots them all one of these, promising to kill them if they try to interfere any more in the fight.

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Subverted in Mihawk's case when he initially pulls out a small dagger to fight Zoro with, lamenting that it is the smallest blade he has. Zoro initially thinks his mocking him but, as it turns out, Mihawk is so skilled that the dagger really is the only weapon he needs, easily countering Zoro's strongest attacks and piercing him.

** Sanji's injuries from Pearl (especially in the manga, when he takes ''even more'' of them) have dire consequences in his subsequent fight with Gin. He probably could've beaten Gin if he'd been at or near full strength when their fight starts, but by the time he has to battle him, Sanji's injuries are bad enough that he can't fight back effectively. This leads to him taking several more hits from Gin, after which his body can't even withstand the force of ''his own'' attacks.

** Sanji's battle with Gin as well. By the time their fight starts, Gin is fighting at full strength while Sanji has numerous broken bones from fighting Pearl. He's able to land a couple of hits on Gin, but doesn't have nearly enough strength left to put the necessary force behind them, and eventually he just starts hurting ''himself'' with his attempts.

* ManlyTears: Twice

* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: Wait, your right-hand man refuses to follow a direct order because he's feeling merciful? Fire a bomb filled with enough poison gas to wipe out a village ''at him!'' That'll teach him, and any disloyal crewmembers, a lesson!

* TastesLikeDisdain: The arc ends with the entire restaurant staff spitting at Sanji's soup (some even dashing it on the floor) to [[CruelToBeKind motivate him into leaving the place and join Luffy's crew]]. Sanji sees through it quickly enough (they admit the truth the second they think he's out of earshot), but it's the thought that counts.

** Sanji's injuries from Pearl (especially in the manga, when he takes ''even more'' of them) have dire consequences in his subsequent battle with Gin. He probably could've beaten Gin if he'd been at or near full strength when their fight starts, but by the time he has to fight him, Sanji's injuries are bad enough that he can't fight back effectively. This leads to him taking several more hits from Gin, after which his body can't even withstand the force of ''his own'' attacks.

** Sanji's fight with Gin as well. By the time their fight starts, Gin is fighting at full strength while Sanji has numerous broken bones from fighting Pearl. He's able to land a couple of hits on Gin, but doesn't have nearly enough strength left to put the necessary force behind them, and eventually he just starts hurting ''himself'' with his attempts.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Sanji does not seem to know in this arc that Devil Fruit users can't swim until Zeff tells it to him, which causes him to react with a panicked "Why didn't you say so?!" before jumping into the water to go save Luffy. However, later in the series, in Thriller Bark, Sanji tells another character that he read a book about Devil Fruits as a child, and always knew he never wants to eat one specifically ''because'' he doesn't want to lose the ability to swim. We see Child-Sanji with that book in a {{Flashback}} in the Whole Cake Island arc.

** While Zeff isn't seen doing anything ''[[KickTheDog particularly]]'' evil during his heyday as a pirate, he's certainly not above attacking and looting civilian ships. However, he refuses to steal food from his victims, chastising a crewmen for even suggesting it.

** Zoro's injuries from Mihawk--the most serious of which involves being cut almost in half--prove to be this for him at a crucial time in the next arc.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Sanji does not seem to know in this arc that Devil Fruit users can't swim until Zeff tells him so, which causes him to react with a panicked "Why didn't you say so?!" before jumping into the water to go save Luffy. However, later in the series, in Thriller Bark, he tells another character that he read a book about Devil Fruits as a child, and knew he never wants to eat one specifically because he doesn't want to lose the ability to swim (and we see Child-Sanji with that book in the Whole Cake Island arc).

*** Luffy also reprimands Gin for playing dirty by using a hostage to prevent Sanji from fighting back against Pearl. Gin just coldly responds by saying that it's their fault for fighting back in the first place.

->"''Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame.''"
-->--'''Roronoa Zoro'''