First, the obvious: I don't own One Piece.
It's been awhile since my last posting. This is one of dozens of stories simply not yet typed. My original draft of this story was originally a lot darker and very melodramatic, but I've lightened it up significantly. It was also titled "Reunion." There are a few small Enies Lobby spoilers, but I would think most people would be past Enies Lobby by now. But if you haven't, I'm just to letting you know.
On a special note, I would like to add that this story was submitted to the Toronto Anime North Fanfiction Competition 2008, and was the winner of the "Best Characterization" award.
And now, on with the show!
Coby was sitting in the lounge of Marine Headquarters, reading a book and in a state of complete relaxation.
Everything was going perfectly.
He had just been reunited with Luffy, after such a long time. Luffy had of course, beaten him, but it had only given Coby the motivation and determination to train harder. And even though their meeting had been brief, they had left behind the promise of meeting each other again…in the New World.
And what adventures would the New World hold for him? What dangers and experiences would he face? Just the thought of it made him bristle with anticipation.
And he had come such a long way from being that scrawny little chore boy. In such a short amount of time and training, he had risen to the rank of Petty Officer. But of course, his true dream was to become and Admiral.
And maybe, just maybe, by the time he met Luffy again…
"I will be an Admiral." thought Coby, determinedly. "By the next time I meet Luffy, I'll be an Admiral."
Coby smiled, turning a few pages of his book. "Everything really is going perfectly." he thought.
But it was at times like these, just when Coby was feeling absolutely great about himself, when those memories would come back to them. Those awful thoughts, about how weak and helpless he had been. He probably would still be stuck as a slave to that bitch, if it hadn't been for Luffy. But despite his efforts and resources as a Marine, he had been unable track her down. It was at times like these, no matter how well things were going for him, he was always reminded, of…her.
"But I will find her." said Coby softly to himself. "No matter what it takes, I have to bring her to justice."
"Talking to yourself again Coby?"
Coby turned to see Helmeppo striding into the lounge.
"Oh no, Helmeppo-san." said Coby shrugging. "Just thinking aloud, reflecting on my reading, you know."
"What are you reading anyway?" asked Helmeppo sitting down on the couch opposite him.
Coby showed him. It was a large volume titled "Increasing Your Mental and Physical Stamina."
"It's fascinating." said Coby eagerly. "And great to help with training. It's all about energies and fitness, and--"
"You're such a nerd." said Helmeppo, cutting him off. "That stuff is so dry. You're not going to find a girl by reciting the Table of Elements for her."
"Well anything's better than your trashy magazines." Coby shot back. "Do you think I want to spend my time drooling over pictures of airbrushed women?"
It was certainly true that Coby had recently hit puberty, his reflection in a mirror was an obvious tribute to that, but that hormone that was supposed to make him chase after girls just hadn't seemed to have kicked in yet.
"Oh that reminds me!" said Helmeppo eagerly. "Did you see her, this morning?"
"Who?" said Coby, confused. "Is Hina here again? Leave the poor woman alone Helmeppo-san. She doesn't like you."
Coby vividly recalled the time Hina had dropped in for a conference with Vice-Admiral Garp and some other officers, and Helmeppo had spent the day fawning over her, until she had bluntly told him to go away. Coby had never let him live it down.
Helmeppo blushed, but recovered.
"No, it wasn't Hina." said Helmeppo, regaining his composure and continuing on jovially. "She was a pirate captain. I caught a glimpse of her as the officers were bringing her in. They said she was a pirate that they had managed to capture in the Grand Line during a battle. She was with another crew, as an assistant captain or something like that. The rest of the crew got away with their captain, but she ended up captured."
Coby was now listening intently. Any hint or mention of a female pirate caught his immediate attention.
"But you should have seen her!" said Helmeppo, continuing eagerly on. "She was so hot!! Such a knockout!! You would never believe she was a pirate! She had this thick, beautiful black hair, these and long, sexy legs! And she certainly wasn't shy about showing off her midriff! And her-"
But Coby had now stopped listening. Any woman Helmeppo deemed at "hot," "knockout," "beautiful" or "sexy" could not have possibly been the one he was looking for.
Helmeppo was now describing her eyes, which were supposedly like "deeply cut shards of emerald," and yet Coby couldn't help but wonder how Helmeppo had gotten such a good look at her eyes if he had only seen a glimpse of her.
"And she's eaten a devil fruit too!" Helmeppo said, still enthusiastically continuing his narrative, and oblivious to the fact Coby wasn't really listening.
"Most people from the Grand Line have." said Coby blandly.
"Well it was some sort of fruit that made her skin so smooth nothing could hurt her!" said Helmeppo, still under the impression Coby was actually listening. "Anything thing they hit her with just slid right off! Swords, bullets, nothing could hurt her!! They actually had to use seastone weapons against her, just to hurt her skin. And that stuff seriously weakens you if you've eaten devil fruit, but she was still fighting like mad when they dragged her in."
"How fascinating." said Coby, now immersed in his book again and pouring over a chapter titled "Friction, Resistance and Kinetic Energies in Motion." "What was her name?"
"I don't know." said Helmeppo, shrugging. "I asked her as they were taking her down to the lower cells, but she told me to go to hell."
Coby snorted with laughter.
"Oh well." said Helmeppo. "I like feisty women. It's too bad you didn't get to see her, she was really something special."
"Sure." said Coby, rolling his eyes.
"Whatever." said Helmeppo, leaning back on the couch and pulling out a magazine. "You just can't appreciate fine women."
Coby peered at the magazine.
"Garp will kill you if he catches you reading that stuff." he said appraisingly.
Helmeppo shrugged.
"They all seem so plain now, compared to, her." he said, dreamily. "It's too bad she's a pirate."
At that moment, Vice-Admiral Garp strode into the lounge and eating a donut. Coby stood up and smartly saluted while Helmeppo attempted to hide the magazine under a pillow.
"At ease." said Garp, and the both of them relaxed. He sat down on the opposite couch as Coby and Helmeppo did likewise.
"So, I take it you've both heard that--" Garp began.
"I actually saw her!" cut in Helmeppo, a distinct note of pride in his voice.
"Don't interrupt, Helmeppo-san!" Coby muttered, giving Helmeppo a jab in the ribs with his elbow.
Garp seemed taken aback, but continued.
"So I am correct in assuming you both know about the pirate from the Grand Line that was captured." said Garp. "As following usual standard procedure, we need to interrogate her. I was hoping that you would be willing to, Coby."
"That's not fair!!" cried Helmeppo indignantly. "How come Coby gets to go hang out with the hot girl?!"
But his complaint went unheard.
Garp had fallen asleep.
Helmeppo turned imploringly to Coby.
"Can I please go?" he pleaded. "Please? I'll do anything! Anything thing you want! I'll do your laundry for a week! I'll stop making fun of your books! I'll find you a girlfriend! Anything!!"
"Um…." said Coby reluctantly.
He had a rather disturbing image of a scantily-clad and straight out of a centerfold, pirate queen. Blonde hair and positively dripping with gold jewelry, as she snaked her fishnet-clad legs around Helmeppo's waist, while he proceeded to--
"What's this?" said Garp suddenly waking up and shattering the rather explicit image that had been playing through Coby's head.
"Oh my!" said Helmeppo, turning pink as Garp unearthed the X-rated magazine from beneath one of the pillows. "How on earth did that get there? Coby, don't tell me you've taken up reading hentai? Shame on you. What's next, yuri?!" he added, highly unconvincingly.
"Helmeppo, I've told you to stop reading these filthy magazines." said Garp. "I'm going to have to confiscate it from you. Don't give me that look, I assure it's in very good hands."
Coby tried not to laugh, as he knew that Garp was only taking it on the premise of reading it later for himself, in secret of course. Once when Garp had sent Coby to get some records from his office, Coby had unearthed a shocking collection of "adult fiction" novels hidden under his desk, along with several boxes of donuts.
"So Coby." said Garp, now turning to him. "You'll interrogate her this afternoon then? Unless, you'd rather Helmeppo did? I hear she can be quite the seductress." he added with a chuckle.
Helmeppo gave Coby one last hopeful look, but there was no way Coby was going to trust Helmeppo alone with a 'seductress.'
"No, that's fine." said Coby. "I'll go."
Helmeppo looked devastated.
"Excellent!" said Garp.
And then he fell asleep.
Ooo… suspenseful eh? (By the way, if you can't figure who the woman is, then you need to go back and re-read One Piece. Start at the beginning. The very beginning.)
And this actually is just a two-shot, so the next chapter is the end… R and R please!!