As I said way back in Not a Smoker, I've decided to issue a Baroque Works Luffy challenge inspired by the unfortunately delayed story by FFN's Clarobell, Baroque. The title and what I'd like Luffy's initial codename to be was inspired by the real world fact that Thailand's late King Bhumibol the Great was coronated on the Fifth of May, which is also Luffy's birthday and which I figured matched his desire to be King of the Pirates. Originally, I wanted to work on a similar concept alongside my future full-length One Piece stories, but I eventually decided that I wanted to see how Luffy and his crew would do in three different careers, so I'm making this a challenge instead. I'll might use similar concepts in my full-length Pirate Luffy story to be made, though, but that's for the future.
Before we get started, here's some guidelines and a disclaimer.
No unnecessary bashing: seeing characters grow up and show hidden strengths is all good until it looks like the writer is purposefully making the character in question look like an unlikable nuisance at best and a complete villain at worst. Trust me, it's best to show both the positives and negatives of those in a story. And since this is an AU, I'm working forward to some people growing up differently, especially in a positive manner.
No slash: I try not to judge people who have different "bonding" preferences compared to mine, but I really don't think that characters that weren't listed as canonically yaoi in nature should be depicted as such. Not that I like gender bending much either.
Keep the content at a controlled level: meaning that it's probably best to be mindful of which direction the story/stories will go. I like straight lemons as much as the next fellow, but given how things all are iffy on certain websites like FFN, it would probably be wise to just walk first before jumping.
Be mindful how the story goes: as much as I'd like to see Luffy do great in a different faction per story, that doesn't mean I wish for him to turn out completely bad, if the faction in question is antagonistic in canon, if you know what I mean. More importantly, I'm kind of iffy about giving Baroque Workers other than Robin, Vivi, Igaram, Paula, and Mr. 0 through 3 real names when they haven't been addressed in canon just as much I am of the anime original arcs and movies. Fanfiction or not, I like to be exact in my knowledge. You can do what you want with characters like Miss Valentine, so long as their "real names" aren't similar to ones already used by other characters, but if you decide to make some love interests from Baroque Works, I'm thinking Vivi, Paula, and Robin would be best suitable.
Don't shy away from asking me for advice or beta reading: however, I won't dictate your execution as it should ultimately be your decision. I'm doing fine with it so far with digemsmack over his Fairy Tail story which I gave my patronage for, Ascension of the Second Apocalypse.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, Eiichiro Oda does.
[MCD]
Mr. Coronation Day
[MCD]
On the East Blue Sea, sailed a suitably sized ship fit for the waters of the Grand Line's Paradise half. Purple in color, it had a violet crane figurehead with the initials B.W. etched onto it alongside the marking of a skull crossed with broadswords and purple wings. On first sight, one would probably identify the vessel as a pirate ship due to the small, yet noticeable, Jolly Roger on the figurehead, but in fact, the ship belonged to a secret society of bounty hunters, spies, saboteurs, and other criminals founded the year before known as Baroque Works. The leading member onboard the ship sailing the East Blue was a lovely, if distant, woman in her mid-twenties referred to as Miss All-Sunday be her fellow members, the Vice President of the organization and partner to the elusive Mr. 0 who ran all of Baroque Works.
Underneath the codenames and other secretive elements, the priority goal of Baroque Works, as was proclaimed to all members from the Officer Agents to the Millions by Mr. 0 and Miss All-Sunday, was to create an ideal nation where they would achieve high social status for all their hard work. However, Nico Robin, as Miss All-Sunday was truly known as only to Mr. 0, was aware from the start that her rather dubious partner's real intent for Baroque Works was to be the stepping stone to his discovery of the ancient warship Pluton, and if he was willing to send one of the World Government's founding nations, Alabasta, into civil war and potential collapse, it didn't leave much imagination to the possibility he would discard Robin once she had outlived her usefulness. It didn't surprise Robin much, though, given that she had long been betrayed and had been forced to betray numerous others from her youth in the West Blue to her arrival in the Grand Line a year prior to her meeting with Sir Crocodile, and she didn't expect the cruel-minded Warlord of the Sea to be more honorable or loyalty-inspiring than all those she left on bad terms with. Nonetheless, her desires to be protected from the Marines and to find the Rio Poneglyph prompted her to stay onboard with Baroque Works at least until the odds changed in her favor.
Which is part of the reason why she decided to come to the East Blue in search of new recruits. Although seventeen years on the run made Robin distrustful of others, she wanted to find a suitable cohort to back her should her "partnership" with Crocodile reach its climax. Unfortunately, being the most peaceful of the Four Blues also made the East Blue the weakest of them all. While she did learn of promising figures from it such as the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, the up and coming pirate, Portgas D. Ace, and even the seafaring chefs of the Baratie restaurant, it would more than likely have hindered Baroque Works' efforts if notable bounty hunters and criminals vanished and left a trace that would lead to the organization itself.
Thus, the need to find those strong and anonymous enough to get missions done without attracting unwanted attention. After pondering what course she would have had to take, Robin eventually decided for her, her vessel, and the small crew of Billion Agents accompanying her to sail for Dawn Island. The home of both the harsh Goa Kingdom and gigantic animals ranging from tigers to snakes. If she couldn't find the most promising recruit from the East Blue there, then she would have had to take her chances meeting with Pirate Hunter Zoro after all.
She was unaware that her time on Dawn Island would lead to an unlikely meeting that would slowly change the course of Robin's life and how Baroque Works would operate.
[MCD]
Due to a need for discretion mixed with a desire not to pay a hefty sum for docking at the city of Goa itself, Miss All-Sunday ordered the ship to anchor at a nearby settlement called Foosha Village. While her Billions loaded supplies unto the ship, she strolled around the village and observed the townsfolk for any signs that living within a status-obsessed kingdom on an island filled with ferocious animals would've hardened at least one of them more than the rest. However, her few analytical traits told her that the locals were as ordinary as an East Blue native would be. She just about made up her mind to take her chances within either the neighboring jungle, or back to Goa until she heard a young voice coming from a nearby bar exclaiming a sentence that caught Robin's surprised attention.
"It's taken me seven years, but I think I've got my powers figured out, Makino!"
Turning to the bar, Robin saw, through a window, a teenaged boy with a scar and wearing a straw hat conversing with a green-haired bartender around her own age.
The bartender giggled at the boy's proclamation. "Sounds like you're going to fight people just as well as you fight the wildlife here, Luffy."
Luffy beamed. "That's right! I told Shanks was going to become King of the Pirates, and that's what I'll start becoming in the next three years!"
In spite of her jaded outlook on life, Robin couldn't help but smile at the young man's enthusiasm. It reminded her of how dedicated she was to her own dream. Nonetheless, she needed to know what kind advantage he had in a fight before committing to anything.
Makino giggled again before replying. "I know you'll do a good job at it, Luffy." Her look then turned slightly sad. "Now if only Garp trained you with things that would take you farther along on your dream."
Once again, Robin was surprised. She recognized the person Makino was referring to as the Marine Vice Admiral and hero, Garp the Fist, but pondered what a Marine of such stature had to do with someone like Luffy.
Luffy waved his hand in dismissal, but Robin noticed that he did looked to be shaken up. "It's alright, Makino. It's not like Grandpa would train me seriously, anyway."
Robin could almost feel jaw slacking at that. As far as she knew, Monkey D. Garp had no children or grandchildren. And yet, here was a youth that claimed not only a relation to him, but two contradictions compared to the Hero of the Marines. She couldn't fault Luffy for having an apparent Devil Fruit power, but for the grandson of a well-known Marine desiring to surpass Gold Roger was almost unthinkable to her.
Nonetheless, the boy needed to be closely observed before Robin could decide anything. Making up her mind, Robin then entered the bar.
"Excuse me." She said innocently to Makino. "I'd like something to eat, if that's alright."
Makino smiled kindly. "Of course. What would you like?"
"Your best sandwich and some coffee would be filling, ma'am." Robin answered politely.
Makino and Luffy couldn't restrain their giggles. "No need for that, Miss." Makino said at last. "You and I are around the same age after all. I'm Makino, and I welcome you to Foosha Village. Just give me a moment to get your lunch ready."
Robin nodded in gratitude as Makino started to cook, leaving her sitting by Luffy's side.
"Did you come here on the pirate ship with the bird figurehead?" Luffy asked in interest with a smile.
Robin smiled kindly. "That is my ship, but I'm actually a bounty hunter of sorts."
Luffy raised his eyebrows in confusion at that. "I didn't know bounty hunters had their own ships and crews."
Robin couldn't resist teasing the young in a conspiratorial tone. "I'm part of a top-secret group from the Grand Line. We recruit fighters from all over whether they be Devil Fruit users or otherwise, test our resolve against strong pirates with bounties, make money from those bounties, work towards a country of dreams just for us to build, and we do it all under codenames."
She was almost taken aback by how excited Luffy looked. "That sounds cool! You guys sound like ninjas! Although you probably don't say "Hunt" like how I figured ninjas would say "Nin" over and over."
Robin chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't know about that. In fact, we're a pretty young group. But we're on a good roll, and my partner, who's also our leader, figured I should come to this sea to find some good recruits."
"Wow. Found anyone good?"
Robin shrugged. "A few, but in all honesty, I'm not easy to impress." She then coughed when she realized that she forgot something important to do. "You may call me Miss All-Sunday."
Luffy smiled broadly and held out a hand. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet you."
They shook hands as Makino brought out food for them both with a pleased smile that Luffy was apparently making a new friend.
[MCD]
After lunch, Luffy played tour guide for Miss All-Sunday for most of the day, showing her as much of Dawn Island as he could before he got tired. With Ace having left not so long ago, Luffy was eager for making new friends, regardless of how brief their interactions would be. He was even more glad when he and Miss All-Sunday displayed their Devil Fruit abilities to each other, finding hers pretty cool. Taking a rest from the tour, the two Devil Fruit users rested on a hill overlooking the Goa Kingdom's capital.
"I must admit, I am quite impressed by the talent and dedication Goa's architects put into the capital." Miss All-Sunday said to Luffy when she noticed him frowning at it. "It's rather amazing."
"If you like wannabe World Nobles dividing people for stupid reasons." Luffy commented at last.
Miss All-Sunday gazed at Luffy in interest. "You're against such upper-class peoples?"
Luffy couldn't restrain a sigh at that question. "I don't want to judge people just because of who they are or where they come from, but when I was seven, a lot of assholes from here to wherever the World Nobles live at really brought the problem home for me." Knowing Miss All-Sunday was staring intently at him, he went on. "At the time, I met two older boys who became brothers to me. One of them was a Goa Noble to be named Sabo, who was unloved by his own family and wanted to be a pirate for similar reasons to why I want to be King of the Pirates. When a World Noble was coming to visit, the Nobles here went to work in burning down the slum here, so that there wouldn't be any trash that would drive him away. When he showed up, one of the first things that Celestial Dragon did was shoot down the ship Sabo was sailing on at the time."
Miss All-Sunday's eyes dipped in sympathy. "I see. My family's gone as well." After a moment, she asked. "Does vengeance drive you?"
Luffy couldn't help but scoff at that. "Maybe in another lifetime, or two. But here? Not really. I cared for Sabo a lot, but he wouldn't want me to grieve over him forever."
"Than what inspired you to become Gold Roger's successor of all things?"
Luffy smiled at that and went on how he befriended the Red Hair Pirates and was motivated to become the freest person in the world. As he was done, Miss All-Sunday smiled out of understanding before her eyes widened in realization.
"Luffy, do you know what Shanks has been doing since you last saw him?" She asked.
"Uh, not really." He answered unsure. "Why do you ask?"
"Would you like to know?"
"Well, if he hasn't beaten me to the One Piece, sure."
Turning to Luffy, Miss All-Sunday explained that Shanks was one of four notorious pirates styled as Emperors who held the balance of power in the world alongside the World Government's Navy and the Seven Pirate Warlords affiliated with the Government.
"Huh." Noted Luffy. "Sounds like a kickass combination. I should get even stronger if I'm going to defeat them all."
"That brings up another question of mine, Luffy." Miss All-Sunday said before he got lost in his laughter. "Why do you want to wait until your seventeen years old to go pirating?"
After thinking hard, Luffy was able to answer. "Well, I should be old enough to sail out when I'm that old, right?"
"Perhaps, but some earlier experiences out at sea shouldn't hurt. If you're worried about having an adventure that you already know the end of, let me tell you that not all adventures are alike. There's always some differences here and there. I don't know about you, but I always favored a good plan."
Luffy couldn't help but think on Miss All-Sunday's words, but he still had some reservations. "I suppose you've got a point, Miss All-Sunday, but I don't think my grandpa, Shanks, or my other brother Ace would like it if I went out to see already only to found out I wasn't prepared in terms of strength."
Miss All-Sunday smiled at that. "What if my group and I prepared you for your journey physically, mentally, and financially?"
"Uh, sounds good, but wouldn't that mean your partner would be my boss? I can't be the King of the Pirates if I'm working for someone, Miss All-Sunday."
Miss All-Sunday giggled. "So long as you're a bounty hunter. Once you make your own Jolly Roger, you'll be more than welcomed to find your own path." Her look then turned ambitious. "If you wanted, you can even challenge my partner, Mr. 0, for the top spot of our group. I can understand why you favor the ideal behind the title rather than the power it implies, but if you're going to stay King of the Pirates, you'll need manpower and influence, especially in the face of the World Government."
Luffy thought about it. "I guess you've got some points, but you said something earlier that you guys are working towards making a dream country in secret. Maybe I could help out on that, but a lot of people say I'm not great at lying, and I don't think I'd want to spend a lot of time working when I could be pirating."
"True enough, but lying, like any talent, can be taught with a good amount of practice. And Mr. 0 intends to finalize our plans in at least three years from now, give or take."
"I see." Luffy thought hard to the point Miss All-Sunday could almost see steam coming from him. Finally, he asked. "If I say yes, what kind of codename do you think I would have, or can I choose what I'd like it to be?"
Miss All-Sunday smiled widely at that. "The way Baroque Works operates is the fourteen top male members are given numbers for codenames from Zero to Fourteen with their female counterparts, like myself, being identified after certain days, and the good amount of subordinate agents can pick whatever codename they chose, so long as it's not their birthname. Back to your original question, I would say you look like a walking coronation day."
"Mr. Coronation Day?" Luffy reflected in interest before showing a look of awe. "Mr. Coronation Day." He couldn't help but laugh and turned to Miss All-Sunday with an expression of seriousness mixed with eagerness. "Okay then, Vice Boss, when do we start?"
The woman smiled, but didn't refrain from asking. "You really want to stick by me, my young agent?"
"Yeah, we might've just met, but I already see you as a friend."
Miss All-Sunday laughed at that and led Luffy back into the jungle. "We begin at this very moment, Mr. Coronation Day."
[MCD]
It was a gambit recruiting someone with ties to the Marines and one of the Four Emperors, but Robin was confident that Luffy would be a big help to Baroque Works, and to her as well. It wouldn't be easy teaching someone so idealistic how to lie and plan, but Robin didn't mind a good challenge. After some time of physical training, practicing lying, and, much to Luffy's initial annoyance, learning about the places and well-known people from outside of Dawn Island, they made their way onwards to Baroque Works and whatever comes next. No matter what, they would sail for their dreams.
[MCD]
Took much longer than I thought I would to bring this up, but I think it was worth it. As much as I'd like for Luffy to take Crocodile's place in Baroque Works, if for no other reason than because I'm a sucker for main protagonists becoming authority figures, I'm in favor of Luffy starting out as one of Robin's Billions and moving on from there, from allying with other Underworld figures such as Germa 66 and the Funk Brothers to making Arlong Park a local office for Baroque Works in the East Blue, but it's your decision. I'm just giving out ideas. But you got to admit, Arlong Park would be make for suitable place for operations and such.
Also, I've been thinking about those ideas I had of Luffy meeting the Minks and Fishman Island races earlier, and now that I think about it, I probably made those because I really want to see how they would fair outside the Grand Line, I've got some inkling to how a Mammoth Man Luffy would interact with the Minks, and I was intrigued by w1lliam's idea of a Luffy raised on Fishman Island idea, but that was before I remembered my one-shots as well as The Ever Chimerical Luffy challenge, so now I'm just thinking it over. I should hopefully have some Naruto stuff out this year, like I might've said before.
Finally, allow me to praise The Eternal Winter of FFN for making a good depiction of Luffy starting out as a bounty hunter before a pirate in a good, inspiring manner which I feel would make for a good comparison to a Baroque Worker Luffy and wish you all the best of luck.