Just a quick authors note before we begin: This is going to seem a little (a lot) like the first few episodes/chapters of One Piece. I changed a few things, but yeah...I hope you don't mind. Next chapter things will start changing.

And finally the start of our story:

The Alvida pirates were a largely feared group in this area of the East Blue. If you asked any civilian in the East Blue if they wanted the Alvida pirates to come to their village, they would all shake in fear of the name of that Lady Pirate.

Well, if you could even call someone that rude and ugly a Lady.

"Hey! There's a barrel down there!" One of her subordinates said to another.

"Do you think it's full of beer?" The other asked.

The first looked around, and upon the decision that nobody was watching said, "Why don't we open it and find out."

After a few minutes of trying, they finally managed to fish it out of the water.

"It's heavy!" The second man eagerly exclaimed, "It must be full! I wonder if it's any good sake."

The first man smiled as he pulled out a crowbar and started trying to open the lid.

Suddenly a young, pink haired boy made his way on deck.

"What are you to doing!" He nearly shouted, "If Alvida sees you, you'll be in big trouble!"

"But she won't know what we're doing if a certain little punk who likes to be in one piece doesn't tell her, right Coby?"

Coby gulped. Why did he have to speak up? He should have just ignored the scene and hid someplace with that book he had found, but he just had to open his mouth. As he was internally scolding himself and shaking in fear of the two pirates, something surprising happened.

"I SLEPT SO GREAT!" A young voice shouted, knocking out the two who were trying to open the barrel.

"What's up with them?" the boy asked, climbing out of the barrel. He was wearing a red vest and a straw-hat.

"Oh no!" Coby shouted, "Those were two of Alvida's underlings! She's going to be so angry if she finds out about this! You'll be slaughtered! Killed! She won't show any mercy and-where are you going?"

"The kitchen, I'm hungry!" the boy said.

"Didn't you hear anything I just said!" Coby said, "This is Lady ALVIDA's ship!"

"So," the boy with the straw-hat said as he made his way towards the kitchen, "OH! Do you think she'll lend me a boat? I lost mine in the whirlpool, and if I want to keep sailing I'm going to need one. But first things first, I need meat!"

Coby stood, frightened that the newly arrived strawhat guy was going to get beaten up. After the boy left to go explore the ship in search of food, Coby finally found the will to move, and went running after him.

They finally both made it to the kitchen storage room, Coby's favorite spot to hide when he didn't want to get beat up by his fellow crew.

Locking the door, Coby turned to the strawhat guy, "We should be safe here."

"You said that this was a pirate ship," the boy with the strawhat started, shoving a whole pie in his mouth, "Does that mean you're a pirate?"

Coby paused for a moment, "It all started 2 years ago, when I set out to fish for my lunch. I, um, accidently got on a rowboat set out for a pirate ship. In exchange for my life, I'm forced to live out my days as a cabin boy on this ship."

"Shishishishishi," strawhat boy laughed, "You're a moron you know that right!"

"Thanks for being so blunt," Coby replied.

"Well if you don't like it so much, why don't you leave?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Coby yelled, "If I try I'll get killed!"

"You're a moron and a coward! I hate people like that!"

Coby paused and frowned, "Who are you anyways?"

"Me?" the boy asked, "I'm Monkey D. Luffy! And someday, I'm gonna be king of the pirates!"

"What!" Coby shouted, "The king of the pirates is a title given to those who have obtained everything! You're going to have to go after the One Piece!"

"Exactly," Luffy said, eating an apple in on bite.

"Loads of pirates are after that treasure you know!" Coby said, "You going to have to sail through the Grand Line! It's a pirate grave yard! You'll die!"

"My dream is to become King of the Pirates," Luffy replied, "If I have to die, then I die."

Coby sat transfixed. He had a dream, a dream he had since childhood.

"Do you think that," he paused for a moment, making up his mind, "I could leave this ship and become a marine!"

Luffy looked up from his food to look at Coby and shrugged.

"I will, I will become a marine and the first thing I'll do is come back here and arrest Alvida!"

"That's the spirit! Now, let's go see if I can find a boat!"

"Who's causing such a ruckus on my ship?!" a deep female voice called from above deck.

"Oh no!" Coby said, "That's lady Alvida!"

"Do you think she'll lend us a boat?" Luffy asked, heading out the door.

"Wait!" Coby shouted, but it was too late.

"Why is this runt on my ship!?" Alvida ordered from her crew.

"Hey Coby, who's the fat lady?" Luffy asked.

Coby stood paralyzed. Did he just-

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING FAT YOU LITTLE RUNT!"

Coby managed to catch up to Luffy, but could only stand transfixed with fear.

"Coby, who's the most beautiful woman on these seas?"

"That would be," Coby froze, trying to muster up some courage, "That would be defiantly not you, you big, fat, ugly pig!" He then braced himself, ready to be killed, but at least he said what he wanted to.

"Yeah," Luffy laughed, agreeing, "Now, GUM-GUM PISTOL!"

And then Alvida was defeated.

"You're amazing!" Coby admired as he and Luffy set out in a little rowboat.

"Yeah," Luffy agreed, "Now I just need to get a crew." He paused for a moment, "You seem to be good at sailing!" he said, noting how Coby seemed know what he was doing, "Why don't you join my crew?"

Coby smiled at the feeling of being wanted, but then said, "I'm sorry Luffy, but I really can't accept that. My dream is to be a marine, and some day, I will be one. But, can sail with you until we reach a marine base."

"Okay then," Luffy said, "Hey! On that fat lady's ship I heard some people mention the name Roronoa Zoro! They said he was really strong! I want guys like that on my crew!"

"But-But this is THE Roronoa Zoro!" Coby stuttered, "The famous pirate hunter! I doubt he'd be willing to join you!"

"Can't hurt to ask," Luffy shrugged, "I wonder where he is."

"Last I heard he was at Shell Town," Coby said, "There's a huge marine base on it, under Captain Morgan. We need to be careful or you might be arrested."

"It's an adventure!" Luffy smiled.

At which point Coby wondered if Luffy had any regard for his safety.

"So that's Zoro," Luffy said, looking over the wall to the execution yard, "He must be weak if he got caught. I wonder if he's a good person."

"He got arrested because he's obviously a bad person!" Coby said.

"Is not!" A little girl piped up, suddenly beside them. She then gestured for them to be quiet.

To their surprise, she placed a latter against the wall and proceeded to climb over it.

"Wait! Little girl!" Coby call, but it was too late, she had already crossed the yard.

"I made you some rice balls because you looked hungry," she said to the tied up prisoner.

"Get away kid," Zoro replied, "You'll get in trouble if you're seen here."

"But you looked hungry," the girl said.

"There are some marines coming," Coby said, "At least we know the girl will be safe."

"Girl, what are you doing here?" An obnoxious blonde boy asked, "Assisting prisoners is a crime punishable by execution! Do you want to be killed?"

"N-no," the little girl squeaked.

"What's this?" the boy asked, taking a rice ball and sampling it, "Gross! You added sugar!"

"That's not yours!" The girl said, "And I thought it'd taste better with sugar!"

The blonde boy threw the rice balls down to the ground and stomping on them, "I'm sure the ants will like them, now throw her out!"

"But sir!"

"Do you want my father to execute you? Just throw her over the fence!"

The marine did so, whispering "sorry" to the girl as he threw her as gently as he could over the fence.

"I'm going to go," the boy said, "I have things I want to do."

"You better keep your word," Zoro said.

"Sure," the blonde boy said, rolling his eyes.

Outside, Luffy had caught and cushioned the girl as she fell.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Luffy decided, "I want him to be my first mate!"

Before Coby could say anything, Luffy had leaped over the wall and walked over to Zoro.

"I heard you were a demon pirate hunter," Luffy said casually.

"I never once called myself that," Zoro said, looking at the strange boy in front of him, "Now leave."

"Nope," Luffy said, "I want you to join my pirate crew."

"And become a criminal," Zoro argued, "No way! I'm not going to become a pirate."

"Okay then, you're missing out!" Luffy said, turning to leave, but Zoro stopped him.

"Um, if you don't mind, could you please feed me those rice balls?"

"But it's more mud than food," Luffy argued, scooping up the contents.

"Just feed me it!" Zoro shouted, so Luffy did. "Tell her it was delicious."

"He liked them!" the girl smiled, "That's great!"

"Why are you helping a bad guy?" Coby asked.

"He's not the bad guy! Morgan's son Helmeppo is! He just kills people for disagreeing with him!"

Then the girl proceeded to explain how she was about to be killed by Helmeppo's rabid dog when Zoro saved her by slaying it, causing Zoro to be arrested. The agreement was that if Zoro lasted the month, he would be free, but if he refused the girl and her mother would be killed.

"It's decided," Luffy said, "He's going to be on my crew!"

Just then, they overheard Helmeppo loudly bragging, "Tomorrow I'm going to have Roronoa Zoro executed!"

And Luffy, filled with anger, punched the face of obnoxious son of Morgan as hard as he could.

"You again?" Zoro asked as Luffy appeared in front of him, "I'm not going to become a pirate!"

"That's too bad because I already decided you were joining!"

"WHO SAID YOU GET TO DECIDE THAT?!" Zoro asked.

"You're a swordsman, right?" Luffy asked, "But I don't see your swords."

"That's because the marine captain's idiot son took them."

"How about I get them back, then you have to join my crew!"

And as the boy ran towards the building, all Zoro could think was how that kid had guts, or stupidity, or both.

"My room is the one we just passed," Helmeppo said after being dragged down the hall.

"Why didn't you say so?" Luffy asked as he made his way back to the room, where he found 3 swords.

"Shoot them!" Morgan ordered as Coby tried to untie Zoro, but as bullets flew, a red, blue and straw-colored blur blocked them.

Zoro's eyes widened, not expecting the boy to sacrifice himself for them, because no normal person would be able to survive that many bullet wounds, which is why he was filled with surprise when the boy smiled and repelled the bullets right back at them.

Coby managed to untie one of Zoro's arm, and Luffy asked, "Which one of these is yours?"

"All three," Zoro replied, "Just give me them!"

Luffy passed him the swords, and with one fluid movement Zoro unsheathed one sword and cut through the other bonds.

"Well," Zoro started, "I'm an outlaw now, because I'm not just going to let these marines kill me," he remembered what Coby had told him while Luffy was off fetching his swords, "so I might as well be a pirate. But know this, I will be the world's best swordsman, and if you get in the way of that, you will end your life on this blade.

"World's greatest?" Luffy asked, "I would hope so! The king of the pirates shouldn't have anything less!"

And Zoro smiled at his captain.

"GUM GUM PISTOL!" Luffy shouted, knocking out Helmeppo, who was holding a gun to Coby's head while Zoro rushed to cut the marine captain, whose ax hand was coming dangerously close to Luffy's head.

"Thanks Zoro!" Luffy smiled as he turned to see a cut Morgan falling to the ground.

"Just doing my job, Captain."

Please review! This is my first fanfiction and I need the guidance and wisdom of the fanfic masters!

On another note, we have Zoro now, so does anyone want to guess who their second member is?