Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, Eiichiro Oda does.
[TGOTLM]
The Genie of the Lamp Man
[TGOTLM]
On Dawn Island in the East Blue Sea, stood the city of the Goa Kingdom. Well-regarded for its wealth and cleanliness, the Kingdom's upper class of nobles and royals, however, were commonly disliked for their general greed and apathy for the lower classes. Traits they shared with the World Nobles of Marie Jois that they admired and worked so hard to please. Outside the capital proper, the nobles discarded their trash in a great heap alongside the poor they didn't want irresponsibly and unconcerned for the environment that they lived in, which had returned to its former mass in the eight years since the previous Gray Terminal was burned to the ground.
Regardless of the political setting, on a certain night, many Goa nobles, including the royal family, had bought tickets to a so called magic presentation after the theater's owner advertised it as being "phenomenal". Normally, such people would be cynical in nature, but boredom was a constant problem for the wealthy and powerful, therefore, the royals had decided to see what sort of presentation the event was with the nobles following after, already planning to tear down the theater and send all those affiliated with it to Tequila Wolf in the event it was an unlikable performance. Within the theater itself, numerous nobles were seated in rows as the royals rented a box for themselves, murmuring to themselves and each other in impatience just as the lights dimmed for a singular spotlight to be lit on the young man who had walked upon the stage. The talking had been silenced, yet their weary gazes had remained.
The young man on the stage wore a purple showman's outfit alongside a similarly purple top hat and eyepatch on his left eye, and appeared no older than fifteen. However, while the attire indicated he was of higher birth, the crowd couldn't help but feel that the teenager was a prankster of a commoner. Nonetheless, the smiling young man bowed and introduced himself for all to hear in an entertaining voice.
"Hello and welcome, most important citizens of the Goa Kingdom. Avatar Luffy at your service on this very special night here to present a very special occasion."
As the audience waited in suspense, the "Avatar" began to rub his torso in a steady motion which caused a puff of smoke to emerge from his body, and, before anyone could process what he was trying to do, a muscular, massive entity wielding a halberd emerged from the smoke.
"Behold, ladies and gentlemen!" The youth exclaimed excitably to the stunned crowd. "The Genie I represent!"
The entire audience couldn't believe what they were seeing. Their awe only deepened once they heard the Genie rumble its own announcement. "Richest of East Blue mortals, I bid you welcome to this grandest of shows."
[TGOTLM]
For the next hour, Luffy called upon the Genie to manipulate the air around them to play out significant past events, enflame both ends of its halberd to twirl with it, shapeshift into various animals as well as female dancers, and finally, as the applause of the audience was reaching its highest pitch, Luffy called out that the first twelve people among the crowd who paid him three million Bellies would get a private audience with him and the Genie to ask the latter any wish to be granted at a later time. It was an amazing spectacle which wowed the crowd and spurred them into action to be one of the fortunate twelve, unaware that the Lamp Man didn't have the power to grant real wishes. Luffy smiled to himself in vindication as the twelve suckers came forward to be willingly conned by him, especially after seeing Outlook III being one of them. Swindling money from him would be poetic in its justification.
However, Luffy had come to learn that scams like the one he was doing were more wrong than he gave them credit for. Although some of the wishers' wishes were selfish in nature, when it came to Outlook's turn, Luffy felt surprise and guilt at his wish.
"What my wife and I desire most is to redo our lives since the birth of our blood son, Sabo, so that we may be better parents to him." Outlook admitted with remorse. "My wife and I were so fixated on Sabo's academics, public image, and future opportunities that we forgot that he wasn't our property, but our own flesh and blood, and it led to him running away and ultimately dying at a World Noble's weapon. For that wrong, there is nothing either of us want more than to make things right."
The noble left in tears after he made his plea, leaving Luffy to silently cry alone in sadness and regret. However, he didn't have time to give in to his despair, and therefore, called for the next wisher. After writing down more selfish wishes, Luffy called for the final wisher. A tall, pointy-nosed, blue-eyed, blonde woman who addressed herself in a solemn tone.
"Mr. Luffy, my name is Princess Sally Isntoinette, and what I wish for is for my life to be written by my own hand."
While he was surprised at first that the Kingdom's very princess would want to make a wish, the wish itself stumped Luffy into silence. Eventually, he found himself asking. "Why do you desire such freedom?"
Sally sighed morosely. "Why not? I'm trapped in a stiffy, stuck-up city filled to the brim with corrupt nobles who all but refer to themselves as Celestial Dragons. To make it worse, my family has the final say to who I'll marry someday. I can't choose anything for myself." Making intense eye contact with Luffy, she went on. "I'm forced to pretend that I'm happy and just as ignorant as them, so that I can go through the day non-scorned, but the cold, harsh truth is that I'm not blind to the struggles my common subjects go through, I haven't been happy in what feels like forever, and I'm desperate for salvation of any sort."
Luffy felt even worse after that last one. He chose to con the Goa Kingdom's highborn citizens out of spite for what happened to Sabo, and yet, after listening to Sally and Outlook's sincere, painful wishes, he realized that he was a fool for believing that Sabo was the only good noble among them. He owed them all an apology for his deception and to Makino for wasting her time for the etiquette lessons. As the audience vacated the theater, Luffy knew what had to be done.
[TGOTLM]
Outside, as the pleased attendees began their walks home, they were all stunned when a giant halberd hit the road right in front of the royal entourage. Looking above, the high-class people were shocked and afraid to see the Genie standing over them with an angry expression.
"People of the Goa Kingdom!" It said with no small amount of fury. "You have disrespected my power with your selfish wishes, and for that, your king shall pay the price!"
"What?!" The King of Goa himself exclaimed in fear before starting to beg as the Genie took its halberd to launch a more fatal attack. "Wait, Genie! Spare my life and the lives of my heirs! The nobles and other inferior trash here don't matter!"
The people that surrounded him shouted in fear and anger, but were silenced by the Genie's yells. "I will accept no other sacrifice or admission of responsibility than the ruler of this Kingdom's!"
The King shivered in fear and dismay before his young heiress, Princess Sally, grabbed his attention.
"Father, you have to abdicate your throne over to me before it's too late!" She cried.
"What?!" Barked the King, his fear giving way to outrage at his daughter's plea.
"There's no time to argue!" She snapped in frustration as the halberd edged over to squash the King like an insect.
The King himself, recognizing his doom was imminent, panicked. Darting his eyes from Sally to the halberd, he eventually proclaimed. "As King of the Goa Kingdom, I hereby transfer my monarchical title, rank, and power to my daughter, Princess Sally Isntoinette, as of this moment!"
The halberd stopped before it could end the newly abdicated King's life as everyone stood in absolute silence. Finally, the Genie spoke to the new Queen. "And what do you say to my anger, Queen Sally?"
Sally, after finding her voice, stared at the Genie resolutely as she said. "You are right, Genie. This Kingdom has grown decadent and corrupt, and for that I am sorry." She then bowed much to the crowd's shock, but eventually they followed her actions out of fear, if nothing else. "If you give us a second chance, I will do everything in my power to set things right."
At that moment, the Genie's anger gave way to a broad smile. "Very well. That's all I needed to hear. Farewell."
It then vanished, leaving the elites of Goa to figure things out for themselves.
[TGOTLM]
In the two years that had passed, the Goa Kingdom went through many changes under Queen Sally's rule. In the first year of her reign, she had downsized the powers of her Kingdom's nobles to prevent them from circumventing her authority, and upon attending her first royal meetings at Marie Jois as a queen, Sally had spoken for cooperation with the World Government to lay in the construction of a facility to properly dispose of her Kingdom's waste. Although she had risen steady at first, Sally had won many supporters within and outside of her Kingdom with her progressive approach. Nonetheless, she remained unmarried as almost no one actually stood out to her.
After the Genie Incident, numerous Goa citizens vouched for the disappeared showman, Avatar Luffy, to be found and to answer for his Genie's assault on the royal family, but Sally turned such thoughts down. As she claimed, Luffy had vanished, wasn't even in control of the Genie at the time, and as horrific as the experience was, no one had actually been harmed or killed. However, away from unseen eyes, Sally had not only learned that a young man named Monkey D. Luffy lived on Dawn Island's own Mount Corvo, but that the so-called Genie she saw years ago was the result of the Puff-Puff Fruit. While initially annoyed at what he had done, Sally quickly took what happened in stride, considering that it was because of Luffy himself that she was allowed to find her own future.
Which is what brought her to a small village outside the city of Goa, two years later, on May 5th. Although it took some effort, Sally was able to disguise herself with a cloak and make way for Foosha Village after learning that Luffy tended to frequent a local bar there to thank him personally. Upon arriving there, she saw the female bartender and an older gentleman converse with a seventeen-year-old man who, while lacking the eyepatch and in a different form of clothing, looked no different from the boy she remembered all those years ago. Taking a deep breath, Sally entered the bar and approached him.
"Excuse me?" She said to him. "Are you Monkey D. Luffy? The man who ate the Puff-Puff Fruit?"
He smiled. "That's me." His eyes then widened. "Wait. Who wants to know?"
Sally then removed her hood and revealed herself to the three, who all gasped in recognition.
"Queen Sally?!" They exclaimed.
"Wait, if you know about my Devil Fruit, does that mean you know what I did two years ago?" Luffy asked surprised.
The old man shivered in fright before looking angrily at Luffy and the bartender. "Luffy, Makino, I warned you both that no good would come out of messing with the Goa Kingdom! Why didn't you listen to me?!" Turning to Sally, he then bowed fearfully. "Oh, most honorable Queen, please forgive the idiocy of this ignorant youth! As Mayor of Foosha Village, I will do anything and everything to appease you!"
Seeing the display, Sally couldn't restrain a joyful laugh before she waved the old man's fears away. "No one here needs to apologize for anything. I came here to give Luffy my thanks for setting me free from my father's grasp."
The old man looked on incredulously before being nudged by a smirking Makino. "I told you that nothing bad would happen, Mayor Woop Slap." She coyly told him. "Maybe you should listen to me more often." She giggled as he frowned heavily.
Seeing that nothing bad was going to happen, Luffy smiled at Sally who returned it with a brush. "You don't need to thank me, your majesty. It was the right thing to do." He then showed a guilty look. "Even if my reasons for the show at first weren't so noble."
Sally grasped Luffy's hand in her own. "Whatever drove you at first doesn't matter. I'm still grateful. And please, call me Sally."
Luffy's smile came back briefly before he appeared guilty again. "I'd liked to talk with you more, Sally, but I can't see it in my heart to be late for my voyage."
Sally looked confused. "Voyage?"
Luffy's smile then turned sheepish. "I'm going to head out to sea today and become King of the Pirates." He then held out his hands in a placating gesture. "But I have no intention to hurt those who can't defend themselves. I'd like to live and die a good person."
Sally smiled wider at his words. "We all need some freedom in our lives, that much is certain." She then did something that Luffy, Makino, and Woop Slap among other people had never seen coming: she kissed Luffy on the lips. Breaking away, she hugged Luffy tightly. "Just know that you're always welcome to come back, Luffy."
Making eye contact once more, Luffy chuckled with a blush of his own before he did something that shocked Makino and Woop Slap even more: he returned the kiss. Once they broke away, Luffy smiled at Sally warmly. "Goodbye, Sally. I promise I'll come back someday."
He then left the bar, ignoring Woop Slap's berating that Luffy was passing the opportunity to not be a pirate with a beautiful woman by his side as Makino giggled with Sally.
[TGOTLM]
Apparently, the Puff-Puff Fruit brought some Aladdin memories back that I couldn't resist, and therefore, I added some more abilities, and let loose. I know we still have much to learn about Sally, but I just can't help but think that she's good at heart compared to some of her country's ruling class. In my defense, it's not my fault that Oda didn't give us more ideas on what Luffy did during the ten years between Sabo's departure and his own other than seeing Ace leave. With how charismatic Luffy is, he should probably have had a childhood friend who would crush on him, even when he doesn't notice, and no, I'm not talking about gender bending and slash.
Anyway, I think I have less than a dozen One Piece one-shots and challenge stories to work on in my Word stuff, so after I'm done with that, I'll try to finish up my Naruto Hopeful Alternatives and maybe put out some more Dragon Ball Alternate Paths. I'll see how it goes.