"Wh-What? Become the Pirate King?! Do you understand what you're saying?"
"The Pirate King is the Pirate king..."Luffy chuckled, three katanas strapped to his back. "What else could it mean?"
"I was surprised too," Coby admitted, a smile on his face as he was relieved Luffy had entered at the right time. ",but Luffy-san is serious. That's the kind of person he is. He will be come the Pirate King and find the ultimate treasure, One Piece!"
Luffy laughed, showing a toothy smile as Zoro's eyes widened. He took the swords from his back, putting them out for Zoro. "Here, your sword. Which one is it? I couldn't tell, so I grabbed all three."
"All three are mine." Zoro answered. "I use three swords." Luffy hummed, as Alex put a hand to her chin. That's, pretty convienent that he grabbed all three, then.
"You'll take them, right?" Luffy smiled. "But if we fight together, you'll owe me. Being killed by Marines or coming with us... Which one do you pick?"
Zoro smirked. "You're the son of the devil! Fine1 I'd rather be a pirate than die here!" Luffy cheered, throwing his arms up in the air. "Great, you'll be our comrade!" Alex let out a small cheer herself, tail wagging in happiness. "Alright! this is perfect!"
"I get it, now set me free!"
"What is that guy?" the Marine's all stared at Luffy in shock. After witnessing his small opening performance with the bullets, they were completely lost in what to do.
"The bullets were useless." another marine whispered in disbelief.
"The guy with the straw hat isn't a normal human." Captain Morgan stated, a bit of sweat forming on his face. "It seems that he ate one of the devil's fruits."
"Devil's fruits?" one marine questioned, as did another besides him, "Treasure of the ocean?"
"Without a doubt, that straw hat's power is the power of the devil's fruit!"
"Umm, hurry!" Luffy tried pulling on the ropes to try and get Zoro free, as Coby encourgaged him to go faster.
"I can't untie this knot!" Luffy cried.
"Stop screwing around!" Zoro hissed.
"It doesn't matter who he is."Morgan growled. "Those who oppose me will be executed! If guns don't work, then cut them to pieces!"
The Marines pulled out their swords and charged the four.
"That's weird, the knot is getting tighter."Luffy scratched the back of his head.
"Hurry up and give me my swords!"
"Luffy-san!"
CLANG! The marine's swords were stopped by a set of three, as Zoro now stood firmly on the ground in front of them, preventing them from any further attacks.
"Roronoa Zoro!"
"Whoa, cool!" Luffy, Coby and Alex gushed at the man's block. The Marine's, on the other hand, were worried.
"Make one move and you're dead!" The Marine's cried out, terrified by the threat. "I'm so scared!"
"I promised to be a pirate."Zoro directed his words to Luffy as a cloud passed over them, casting a shadow over their forms. "Opposing the Marines will make me a wanted man. However, I'll tell you one thing. I will always follow my own ambitions!"
"Ambitions?"questioned Luffy.
"To become the world's greatest swordsman!" Zoro answered. "If you do anything that would cause me to abandon my ambitions... You will end your own life on my sword!"
"The world's greatest swordsman?"Luffy mused, unaffected by the last sentence. "That's nice!" Alex nodded, a proud smile on her face.
"As the Pirate King's comrade, I wouldn't expect any less from you." Luffy added.
"Heh," Zoro scoffed. ",indeed. It doesn't matter if it's as a devil or a saint... My name will be heard all over the world!"
"Why are you all just standing there?!" Morgan's voice cut through the conversation. "Execute all of them now!" The Marine soldiers ann shook with fear. Scared of disobeying their commander, but also fearing of Zoro's earlier threat.
"Duck, Zoro!" Luffy called out, letting his leg go behind him."Gomu-gomu no..." Zoro's eyes widened as Luffy's leg stretched and swung around. Zoro ducked just in time for Luffy's leg to kick the soldier's off to the side. "Whip!"
"Alright! Amazing!"Coby and Alex cheered, watching the scene with amazement and excitement.
"What are you?" Zoro got up from his crouched position, swords still in hands and mouth.
"I ate the rubbet fruit." Luffy said, bending his leg. "Rubber fruit?"Zoro echoed.
"Rubber human!"a fallen marine gasped, as Morgan came to the conclusion; "So he did eat the devil's fruit."
"Captain! We're no match for him!"a solider cried out, as did another. "We can't do it! And he's got Zoro on his side!"
"This is the captain's order!"Morgan growled, a shadow casting over his face. "Those who are complaining...shoot yourself in the head! This military officer doesn't need weaklings like you!"
Alex growled, glaring at the captain as did the marine soldiers, except the soldiers were slightly still fearful. It seemed that they were afraid to speak up, but wanted to all the same.
"What's happening with these Marines?"Zoro crouched, readying himself for another attack.
"Luffy-san!" Coby cried out as Luffy stormed off towards the group of Marines. "Crush those Marines!"
Luffy ran past the soldiers, much to their confusion, and brought back his fist, bringing it forward to punch Morgan's axe.
"A civilian with no rank is no match for me!" Morgan ripped off his uniform coat, throwing it behind him. "I am the Captain of the Marines! Axe Hand Morgan!"
"I'm Luffy." Luffy introduced. "Nice to meet you!" Alex facepalmed at his words, but made no move to correct him.
"DIE!" Morgan swung his axe, but Luffy jumped out of the way and over his head. He turned around just as Luffy landed on the ground behind him, bringing his axe down to hit where he was as the straw hatted boy dodged again. The impact created a large crack to form in the ground.
Luffy jumped in the air, bringing his legs closer to his chest before kicking them out and hitting Morgan in the side of the face. Morgan fell backwards and flipped, but caught himself on his knees and hand as the soldiers behind them watched in awe.
"Brat!" Luffy jumped forward as Morgan cried out, "DIE!" and swung his axe down to hit Luffy, but instead Luffy spun out of the way and into the air.
"Don't wanna!"He swung a leg forward and hit Morgan in the face a second time, sending the man away.
"Captain Morgan..."A marine gaped. "Is no matched for him!" another one finished. Luffy reached forward and grabbed a fistful of Morgan's uniform, holding his other fist in front of him. "What kind of Marines are you... Destroying Coby's dream like that!"He punched Morgan in the face as the captain lay helpless underneath.
"Wait!" Helmeppo's voice caught their attention. "Straw hat, look at this!" Luffy punched Morgan again, clearly ignoring Helmeppo's words as the blonde man held a pistol to Coby's head.
"I said wait! Are you an idiot?! Can't you see that I have a hostage here?"
"Helmeppo-sama..."the marine soldiers gasped.
"Oi!" Zoro's voice stopped Luffy, who turned to look up.
"If you care about his life, don't move!"Helmeppo continued. "You try anything and I'll shoot!" Coby shook with fear as the gun was pressed up the side of his temple, but Helmeppo seemed to be shaking too.
Coby looked into Luffy's eyes, who just gave him a toothy smile. "Luffy-san!"He called out, determined. "I don't want to interfere with your dream, even if I die!"
"Yes, I know!"He brought up his fist, a hand on his forearm. "Give it up, you stupid moron. Coby is serious." He started to walk towards the two, wearing his smile still.
"Don't move!" Helmeppo shouted. "I said don't move! I'll shoot him!"
"Be... behind you!"Coby cried out as Morgan raised his axe behind Luffy, having gotten up. "Gomu-gomu no..."
"I'm the Captain of the Marines, Axe Hand Morgan!"
"Fa... father, hurry up and kill..."
"PISTOL!" Helmeppo cried out as Luffy's fist knocked him out. A chuckle left Luffy's lips as Morgan's axe was just a centimeter from hitting his head, but stopped. "Nice."
Morgan grunted in pain as he suddenly fell back, passing Zoro who had snuck up and cut him.
"Zoro!" Luffy smiled, as did the swordsman. "It was nothing, Captain."
Captain Morgan lay on the ground, as did Helmeppo who was knocked unconscious. Alex helped a breathless Coby up in a standing position as Zoro sheathed his last sword.
"They defeated Captain Morgan!"one of the Marine's gushed out. "I can't believe it!" and "Who are these guys?"
"If anyone still wants to figh-"Alex pushed Zoro's head out of the way, stopping his sentence with an eye roll. "Oi!"
The Marine's all shared quick glances, before all their weapons and hats were thrown up in the air. "Alright!" They began to cheer. "We did it!" "Yahoo!" "Banzai!" The marine's started to jump with joy, hugging eachother and dancing all around in celebration.
"What the... Their captain was just defeated and they're rejoicing?"Luffy wondered, confused. Alex leaned back on the balls of her feet, her smile growing bigger.
"They were afraid of Captain Morgan!" She ran over and hugged Coby, picking him up as he cheered as well.
Zoro winced, and suddenly fell backwards onto the ground, causing the other three to look down.
"What's the matter, Zoro-san?! Are you injured?"
"I'm...hungry."
In a local restaraunt in town...
"That meat was worth not eating for 3 weeks!" Zoro laughed, leaning back in his chair as he rubbed his now full stomach. After the battle, the four had came over to the restarant where the little girl, also known as Rika, worked with her mother.
"Eh? Is that all you're going to eat?"Luffy chewed.
"I don't understand how you can eat mre than me!"Zoro pointed out, which Luffy argued back with, "Cause it's good... right, Coby?"
"I'm sorry. I helped myself too."coby smiled sheepishly up at Rika's mother, who just giggled. "It's alright, you helped save our town!"
"You were amazing back there!"Rika told Luffy. "Yeah, I'm great!"
Alex shook her head with a fond smile, leaning against a nearby window.
"I'll become even greater. I'm gonna become the Pirate King." He looked over at Zoro, who had an eyebrow rose. "We've found a comrade too!"
"So, how many shipmates do we have?"Zoro asked. Alex leaned on the man's shoulder with a sigh. "Only us three."
"Eh?!"Zoro's jaw dropped. "But I heard you say you were looking for comrades!"He looked towards Luffy. "To become the Pirate King, you've got to have a crew."
"Nope, just us."
"Can we be pirates with just us three?"Zoro questioned. Luffy frowned. "What does it matter, we're strong."
"Ship, where's our pirate ship?" Luffy pointed his fork out the window, which lead to the docks where a dog was currently peeing on their small row boat.
"That?"Zoro sweatdropped.
"It's small now, but I'll get us a really big one!"Luffy smiled, spreading his arms out to emphasize his words. Zoro laughed out loud, putting a hand to his hip. "How?"
"I want a pirate flat too!"Luffy sighed, imaging the flag now as he stuck more food into his mouth. "How cool!"
"Luffy-san was born without planning abilities."Coby sighed as Zoro put a hand to his face. "Am I really going to follow this guy?"
"Well, we'll get more comrades as we go along." Alex smiled.
"Hey, hey..."Rika looked up at Luffy. "Where are you guys going now?"
"That's obvious. We're going to the Grand Line!" Coby spit out his juice, the liquid spewing out of his mouth and nose.
"With just the three of you?! No matter what, that's impossible! Impossible, impossible, impossible!"
"Is the Grand Line really that dangerous?"Rika curiously wondered.
"Of course it is!" Coby answered. "You know that there are two oceans in this world, right? The stretch of land in between the two oceans is called the Red Line. There is a road in the center of the Red Line. That road is aligned with the Red Line... that is the Grand Line. A long time ago, the Pirate King, Gold Roger, obtained everything in the world... It is said that he left the great treasure One Piece, in the Grand Line... And that's why hordes of Pirates flocked to the Grand Line. Now, the place is a battlefeild. It's also known as the Graveyard of Pirates."
"I heard from a customer," Rika's mother stepped in. ",that once people enter the Grand Line, they never come back."
"But One Piece is there somewhere, so we'll have to go."Luffy pointed out.
"Well, I guess we have no choice."Zoro leaned back in his chair. Coby jumped from his seat. "Zoro-san, you too?"
Alex sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Who cares,"Zoro murmured. ",you aren't going anyways."
"Even though I'm not going, I'm worried."Coby confessed. "Can't I do that... Because Luffy-san, Alex-san and I are friends, even though we just met, right?"
"Yep!"Luffy smiled "We're parting ways, but we'll always be friends!" Coby blinked in surprise, but looked down with a smile.
"When I was little, I never had any friends. Nobody stood up for me and I never stood up for myself... But because of you three, I've learned to strive for my own goals! I'm going to make my childhood dream come true! I will become a Marine!"
"Rather than worry about us, you should take care of yourself."Zoro interrupted.
"Eh?"
"Even though you were forced into it, you still served under the pirate, Alvida. Don't underestimate the Marines' information intelligence. If they found out, you wouldn't be able to join."
"S-speaking of which..."
"Excuse me."the door opened up and in stepped a Marine, and Coby gasped in shock. The Marine stepped into the restaraunt, as the rest of the group stayed outside. "Is it true that you guys are pirates?"
"Yep,"Luffy answered. "We just found a new comrade. We're pirates!"
"We are very grateful that you saved us from the clutches of Morgan."the Marine said. "However, now that we know you are pirates, we can't look the other way. You must leave this town immediately!"
"We over you our lives, so we will not contact headquarters."
"Hey, Marine!"the townspeople stood just behind the Marine's angry at their words. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"You guys were also controlled by Morgan!"another citizen reasoned, as a child spoke up. "Those guys saved all our lives!"
"Right, right!" the citizens became angry, shouting out a list of things.
"Well, shall we go?"Luffy stood from his chair, as did Zoro and Alex. "Thanks for the food, obachan!"
"Are you guys leaving already?"Rika asked sadly. Luffy nodded and the three of them headed for the door.
"Are you their comrade?"the Marine questioned Coby, who stood jumped.
"I... I'm..."he stuttered. Luffy paused as Coby fought his words. "Just a minute, is he with you?"the Marine turned towards Luffy and the others.
"I know all about this guy."
Luffy-san, you wouldn't!
"There was a huge pirate lady that looked like a duck!"Luffy let his arms spread out to emphasize hsi meaning of 'huge'.
"Luffy-san!" If they find out that I was on a pirate ship, I wouldn't be able to join the Marines!
"She had this big club..."Luffy walked back into the room, standing in front of Coby. "She was one ugly old hag!"
He began to poke Coby on the side of the head. "This guy served that female pirate for two years!"
Please stop. Please stop! Luffy-san!
Coby suddenly punched Luffy in the face, knocking off his hat as the others gasped in shock, other than Zoro and Alex.
Coby blinked, and then gasped at what he had just done. Luffy stood, bent backwards slightly with a smile on his face. "Now you did it, you bastard!" He began to punch Coby repeatedly, shouting ouy 'You bastard!' a few times in the process.
"Stop this at once!"the Marine officer ordered. "I will not allow you to disturb the peace of this town!"
"Oi,"Zoro grabbed the back of Luffy's vest. ",that's enough. Don't go overboard."
"It's clear he is not with you! Leave our town now!"
Luffy smiled as Alex put his hat back on top of his head. Coby looked up from his position on the floor as the three headed back out the door.
On purpose... He did that on purpose... For my sake. He made me punch him on purpose!Coby shook, gritting his teeth. I... received help from him even at the very end!
Nothing has changed at all... Am I stupid?
The three pirates began to reach the dock, walking down a flight of stairs as the townspeople watched them leave.
Coby abruptly stood up, catching the Marines' attention again. "I want to... I want to join the Marines! I'll do anything you want..."He bowed. "To become a Marine!"
"Commander!" A different Marine stepped up behind the commander. "I'm against it! I can't trust this boy yet. It's possible that he's a spy for the pirates. First we have to run a background check on you."
"I sincerely want to be a Marine!"Coby cut him off. The commander stared Coby down hard, and walked past him. "We have lost many Marines to the pirates. The life of a Marine is not an easy one.
Coby blinked. "Then-"
"Permission to join, granted!"
Coby's face broke out in a smile, and he turned to salute his new commander.
"Yes, sir!"
"That was really something back there." Luffy, Zoro and Alex were nearing the docks now. "They might find out about it though." Luffy chuckled.
"I'm sure Coby can handle the rest."
"Well, that was a good experience."Zoro sighed as they came closer to their boat. "Everyone eill hate us from now on."
"The life of a pirate." Alex smirked, nudging the taller swordsman with her elbow as Luffy laughed, untying the boat to the docks. "Right."
"Luffy-san! Alex-san!" Coby stood behind them, along with Rika and her mother. "Thank you very much!"he saluted. "This Marine will never forget you!"
"I've never heard of a Marine thanking a Pirate before."Zoro smirked.
The three boarded their small ship, raising the sail. "We'll meet again, Coby!"
"Luffy-san..."
"Good bye...oniichan!"
"Everyone, salute!" the other Marine's saluted the three pirates as they stood behind a shocked Coby.
"See ya!"Luffy waved his arms around, as Zoro and Alex sat on either side of the boat.
"You have a great friend there." Coby looked up at his commander. Coby's eyes filled with tears, but he strongly shook them off and looked straight ahead. "Yes, sir!"
"What we're doing is against the code of the Marines!" the Commander told his fellow soldiers. "Our punishment is no food for three days! Understood?"
"Yes, Sir!"
Someday... Coby thought, smiling out at the boat that drifted off into the open sea, into the sunset. We'll meet again someday! As pirates and Marines... Someday, we will meet again!
"Now we're well on our way to becoming pirates!"Luffy stood at the front of their ship, looking out into the open sea with a smile.
"Looks like it's going to be one hell of an adventure."Zoro said.
"I will become the Pirate King!"Luffy said, causing Zoro to frown, confused.
"You've always rambled on about becoming the Pirate King..."Zoro started. "Is there a particular reason?"
"Nope, no reason." Luffy admitted. "But..."
"But?"
"I made a vow... to that man. To form an amazing crew... To find the world's greatest treasure... And become the Pirate King! This straw hat knows it all!"
"I see."Zoro smiled, eyes wandering up towards the blue sky. Alex chuckled, remembering something that day too.
"And I made a vow, to keep you out of trouble!"
"Oi!" Luffy pouted as Zoro and Alex began to laugh. He let it slide, and a smile stretched onto his face before he turned back to the sea, arms wide.
"Alright, let's go!"He cried out. "Grand Line...Here we come!"