1. Fate
A/N: Thanks to those who fav/followed the story, and all the anonymous readers ^^!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece and Soul Eater but my OC Koga and other Ocs that will appear in the future.
They say, an unknown force brings different people together. Be it karma, be it Destiny, and be it a completely different named force. It attracts some unlikely people, drags them together, and ties their presents and futures in ways no one could predict.
This same Destiny brought a certain character to a certain village in a certain island located in the East Blue. Little, with a Marine Base easily excelling over the small village at its feet. This calm village, named Shellstown, would be an indirect witness of the meeting of the future King of the Pirates with two of his most trusted nakama, which would join him and follow him through Hell and back if necessary.
To port was arriving a merchant sailboat, and out from the captain's cabin came out a large rounded man, walking drowsily with a bottle of sake in his hand and stabilizing himself with the other. His bald head was covered with a white and black captain hat, and his rounded belly was covered with a grey-and-white striped t-shirt that didn't completely covered his navel. He completed his attire with a pair of jeans and black boots that made a 'thunk' noise at each step he made on the deck. His dark brown eyes held a mischievous gleam in them despite how drunk he really was, and his prominent red nose and thick black beard completed his looks.
"A'right, c'mon put yer lazy asses to work you lot!" The captain's voice boomed over the deck, receiving some 'Aye, aye, cap'n!' from his subordinates as they ran to fulfill their duties.
From behind him, a much taller figure than himself came out and squinted his eyes at the blazing sun over them. It was a young man, reaching almost six feet tall and his body well-built but not too much so, dressing a black t-shirt with the words 'CROWN' at the back with capital letters, black loose combat pants and brown combat leather boots covering his feet, and an old-looking, light blue scarf adorned his neck. He had light blond hair, lightly tanned skin and hardened features that were only reinforced by the uneven blade scar that crossed his face from his right eyebrow, went over his nose and ended just at his left earlobe. A light blonde stubble adorned his jaw, and a braid was tied at his nape. A brown leather backpack was over his shoulder and a katana was tied loosely at his waist.
But the interesting feature about this character were his eyes. Almond-shaped, the left one had a rich golden color, while the right one held a cold silvery one; they observed everything closely, and held curiosity and a serenity in them that calmed down everyone around the young man, even with the oddness of such unique eye colors.
"Shellstown, at last!" The captain took a swig from the bottle of sake and smirked at the young man that stood by his side. "Ain't ya happy, kiddo?"
"Yeah, I am." The young man answered; his voice, though deep and masculine, had a hoarse and low undertone. "But I think I am old enough to not be called kiddo."
"The day ya call me 'Captain', I'll stop calling ya 'kiddo'!" He laughed, and the young man shook his head.
"I'll pass. I like traveling around the world, but I prefer carrying my own stuff and not others'. 'sides, I have a little… problem with authorities."
"Hrn, that's a problem. The boys liked yer stories."
Nodding his head at the compliment, the young man searched through his pants pockets and, having found what he was looking for, extended some Berri bills to the captain. "I think this is all."
"Aye, kiddo, thanks." After confirming that, indeed, he had given everything, the captain saved the money, and then looked at his companion with an unexpected seriousness in his face. "If ya really have problems with authority, I suggest ya to keep an eye to the Marines posted here. Marine Captain Morgan's not known for bein'… merciful. Do be careful, will ya?"
The young man nodded at the captain, and jumped nimbly over the railing to the floor of the port, rising from his crouched form to begin walking towards the village. The captain watched the figure getting farther and farther away from his sight and then, with a low chuckle and a shake of his head, began directing his subordinates to bring the stuff to port.
As he walked up the almost empty street in search of a nice restaurant, the young man ignored the townsfolk's glares at his looks –and mostly to his eyes, and entered a nice-looking pub that also looked cheap. The pub seemed cozy and warm, and the customers chatted happily among them –though they quietened down a bit at his sudden entering. A chirpy girl carried the orders around with a huge smile on her face, tirelessly running from table to table under the amused grins of the older customers. A middle-aged, brown-haired woman tended the bar.
The young man strode to the bar and sat on one of the tall bar-stools, setting down his backpack. The woman noticed his presence and went to him with a kind smile on her face.
"Hello, do you want anything?" She asked.
"Some water and something to eat, anything cheap, please."
"Alright, wait a minute." She brought a cold bottle of water and served it in a clean glass, handing it to the young man before disappearing into the kitchen to cook up something for him.
As he waited for his meal, the young man took out from his backpack a handful of sheets. If someone looked at them closely, he would've noticed that they were wanted posters, all from East Blue low-life pirates. Some of the portraits had a big red cross over them, others simply had a marking like 'Missing' or 'Search incomplete', but generally none of them had especially large bounties for their heads.
His head snapped up when a rather delicious-smelling plate full of food settled in front of him, and he set down everything and began wolfing down the food almost non-stopping.
"My my, you're surely hungry, aren't you?" She chuckled at how famished he looked, and then noticed the sheets. "Are you a pirate hunter?"
"Nope, not really." Remembering something, he stopped eating for a moment and looked at the kind barmaid. "Do you know where I can work? I actually a bit low on cash. But I can pay this, I promise." He quickly added as she raised an eyebrow.
"Mm. I don't suppose that you're interested in joining the Marines, are you?" At his silent negative, she then smiled broadly. "Well, you can work here as a waiter. You see, I only have my daughter to help me with the bar, I could really use your help."
Both looked at the beaming girl running around the bar with her adorable smile plastered on her young face.
"Okay, I accept." The young man nodded to the woman, whose smile broadened.
After finishing his meal and paying it with the rest of Berri he still had left, the barmaid let him gather his things and brought him to a backroom behind the counter. Here the woman handed him his new uniform –consisting on a plaid white shirt and black trousers and black apron, along with a chest to save his things.
When he got out of the room, the barmaid turned to him and a large smile appeared on her face at his appearance. Her daughter, who had taken a break partly to know her new 'coworker', also smiled.
"My, don't you look lovely!" The woman giggled.
The young man blushed and he lifted his scarf –the only thing he hadn't saved on the chest– up to his nose to hide it.
"So, what's your name? I'm Ririka, and this…" She put a hand over her daughter's head. "Is my daughter Rika."
"Nice to meet you, Onii-chan!" Rika beamed.
The young man blinked at the extended hand of her mother, but then he grasped it like expecting some kind of attack from the woman. As if not remembering how to properly greet her, he slowly shook it once, twice before letting it go as if it burned him.
"Koga. Sarugaki Koga." He gruffly said.
xXxTwo weeks laterxXx
Fortunately for him, Koga's first day went mostly uneventful, and he quickly got the hang of being a waiter. He mistook a few orders and almost got a drink spilled over a customer, but thankfully Ririka and the other customers were patient and gave him a hand from time to time. Soon he passed orders as if he had been working there all his life, and got to work behind the counter as Ririka went to the kitchen and Rika delivered the orders as the waitress.
He had the dubious pleasure of meeting Helmeppo, the blond-haired daddy's son of Morgan, and decided right away that he didn't like him at all. He didn't have patience with wasted kids, and he more than once felt grateful that Ririka taught her daughter well and didn't let her raise as someone as wasted as Helmeppo. But Koga knew he couldn't do anything against the blond boy if he didn't want to attract unwanted attention to himself.
During their time together, Rika didn't separate herself from her 'Onii-chan' and a real brother-sister relationship bloomed between them, and the two of them would be seen often on the roof of Rika's house stargazing –though Ririka often scolded them for being in such high places. Koga also told them that he was a chronicler –begrudgingly, but Rika had already found his books that he kept in his backpack.
That day, however, none of this mattered to Rika, as her 'Onii-chan' was leaving, having earned all the Berri he needed for a trip to the next island. He had already changed into the first clothes he had worn when arriving to Shellstown for the first time, and the backpack hung from his shoulder.
"Do you really have to leave?" She murmured, sniffing.
Koga sighed as he finished strapping his katana at his waist, and he knelt in front of the girl with his big hands over her shoulders to make her look at his bicolored eyes.
"Listen, chroniclers must travel a lot to gather different stories." He explained for the umpteenth time with infinite patience. "You know that I can't stay long here."
She pouted, still unsatisfied by that answer, but then an idea occurred to her and she smiled brightly at her 'Onii-chan', who raised an eyebrow at her sudden enthusiasm. "Then, come with me to the Marine Base!"
"… What?" He deadpanned.
"I bet he's hungry!" Using a surprising amount of strength, she dragged him out of the backroom where he had been residing since Ririka hired him as a waiter and went to the kitchen. "I already made some rice balls for him, so let's go already!"
"Wait a moment monkey." He managed to pry out of her grasp without being abrupt and looked at her arms crossed over his chest. "You know you can't do that. If the Marines catch you in there…"
"But he's in there because of us!" Rika protested loudly, stomping the ground with her foot.
Koga's eyebrows knitted together. He did know that he had to keep the Marines' attention away from himself, but he couldn't let Rika go on her own; not only because she was only a kid and Ririka's daughter, but also because he seriously worried about her wellbeing.
And sighing, he made a decision he hoped wouldn't regret making.
"… Alright, let's get going."
Just like that, with that simple sentence, Rika went from depressed to having the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in her face. And then she threw herself at his waist and embraced him tightly, shocking him for a moment at the outburst.
"Thank you Onii-chan, I love you!" She exclaimed. Everything turned to ice, those simple words repeating themselves into his mind until the girl suddenly separated herself from him and took the rice balls wrapped in leaves. She turned to Koga to see him standing awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen until she called out to him. "Hurry, grab the ladder!"
Snapping out of his daze, Koga grabbed the ladder and making sure no one had noticed them sneaking out of the kitchen and the bar, followed the small girl to the path up to the Marine Base. As they approached the great building surrounded by white stone walls, he noticed two people on top and stopped Rika, earning a "What's wrong?" from her.
"There are people up there." He watched them suspiciously before deciding they were harmless. "Come on, don't go on your own."
Keeping the girl at his side, they both reached the base of the wall and Koga had a pretty good view of the two people... or rather, their backs. One of them was a small, timid, chubby boy with pink hair, wearing a standard-issue Marine jacket, pants, and neckerchief. The other was a scrawny-looking young boy of maybe seventeen, with messy black hair hidden under a straw hat, dressing a short, blue trousers with cuffs, sandals, and a sleeveless red vest. Even with his back towards the bicolor-eyed man, the chronicler felt some kind of hidden strength emanating from him.
Again, Koga snapped out of his daze when he noticed Rika was no longer standing by him, but had taken the ladder and had already landed on the other side of the wall. Cursing, he climbed the ladder -quite scaring the pink-haired boy, and discovered the girl approaching the swordsman tied in the middle of the courtyard.
"Woah! Who are you?"
All the pink-haired boy -who was also wearing round glasses, he noticed -got as an answer was a side-ways look before being utterly ignored as the young man groaned under his breath. "There she is, damn monkey."
"You know her? Help her, she's in danger!"
"Shut up, I'm on it... Oh shit."
The reason why the blond-haired young man had cursed was because a small cohort led by Helmeppo was approaching both Rika and the man tied at the cross with a smug grin on his face. THe boy at his side muttered something about the girl being save with the Marines, but Koga knew better than that, and that's why he scowled deeply when Helmeppo destroyed the rice balls she had made especially for the swordsman to ease his hunger, and it almost pained him to stand still as the cruel action brought tears to Rika's sweet eyes. And of course, when Helmeppo made a Marine throw the poor girl over the wall, he all but growled menacingly before jumping to try to catch her. But it was too far...
That was when the raven-haired boy, the one with the straw hat, made something impossible.
His arms stretched around the girl and cushioned her fall with his own body.
'A Devil Fruit!' He barely thought, eyes wide as plates, before sliding down the ladder and running to Rika at the same the pink-haired boy did.
"Onii-chan!" Rika exclaimed when the blond knelt before her, scanning her small body searching for any injury with half-lidded eyes full of worry. When he found nothing, he relaxed and picked her up gently to take her to her house, followed by the pink-haired boy that had been too worried about the girl. "He's so mean!"
Koga shushed her softly as the pink-haired boy nodded grimly, with a small disappointed gleam in his eyes behind the round glasses. The three of them made to the house and Koga set Rika atop the barrel, him standing by her side and the boy also standing much more awkwardly.
"Oh, I didn't present myself, did I? I'm Coby!"
Rika, her incident momentarily forgotten, smiled up at Coby. "I'm Rika! And this here is my Onii-chan!"
Koga hid a grin behind his scarf. "You're useless at making presentations, monkey." He ignored her shout of "I'm not a monkey!" and turned completely to Coby, who blinked at seeing his bicolored eyes. "I'm Koga."
"O-oh! Nice to meet you, Koga-san!"
"San"? Koga raised an eyebrow, but then shrugged. He didn't mind being called like that, as long as no one insulted him or gave remarks about his eyes or hair. He could be easily pissed off when mentioning these special features about him. After a while, he noticed the scrawny-looking kid casually strolling towards them with a huge grin on his face, and wondered why he was so happy about.
"Luffy-san, where were you?" Coby asked in curiosity as he sat on top another barrel; Koga noticed then his great black eyes and the tiny scar under his left eye.
"Oh, meeting my new crewmate!" He laughed.
"I told you already, Roronoa Zoro's dangerous!" The pink-haired boy exclaimed. "You can't just go and ask him to join you!"
"Well, I just didn't quite decided if I wanted him to join or not, I'm still deciding..."
'Join? Join in what?' Koga raised an eyebrow.
He watched in silence as Luffy told Rika Zoro had eaten all of the rice balls, as muddy and filthy as they were, and the girl beamed in happiness and self-pride that made the chronicler smile fondly too. She then told the other two about how Zoro had saved her from Helmeppo's pet wolf and how the swordsman had sacrificed himself instead of the girl, surrendering himself to the Marines and promising to resist a whole month without eating.
"So he's a good guy, huh." Luffy mused, unexpectedly serious.
Rika nodded, her face downcast.
"If only there's someone that's not afraid of Morgan... If he wasn't around, then Helmeppo could be dealt with easily." Koga added, crossing his arms over his chest.
Just then, as if remembering he was around, the raven-haired boy raised his head abruptly and looked at his bicolored eyes intensely.
...
...
"Oi, who are you, ossan?"
BONK!
With an ire mark on his forehead, he flashed in front of him and bumped his head forcefully, slamming him to the ground, while shouting: "I'm not an ossan, I'm barely 24 dammit!" He then coughed and ignored Rika and Coby, who were whimpering in terror and hugging each other with tears running down their faces. "I'm Sarugaki Koga."
"Ow, ow, ow!" Luffy rose to his feet and then looked at the chronicler. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy."
They say, an invisible force drags us together. And in that fateful day, when Monkey D. Luffy met Sarugaki Koga, their destinies were bound together without either of them knowing of that fact yet.
And thus, the future Pirate King met his chronicler, the one that would write about their voyage, about greetings and farewells, about happiness and losses, about strength and weakness, and about their pursuit of seemingly impossible dreams.