Chapter 4: Departure
May 10th, Port of Dawn Island
Small waves crashed onto the island and sent ripples of water back into the ocean. The docks that jutted forth from the island were jam packed with citizens and wanderers of Dawn Island, as well as merchants and visitors who came to the island to do trade with the illustrious Goa Kingdom. Further to the east sat a small and quaint village by the name of Foosha. Similar to Goa its docks were full of people and noise, but that is where the similarities end.
Those in the back of the crowd knew of, but could not see, a medium fishing boat kitted out with very minimal supplies. The further forward someone went in the crowd, the clearer the picture came to be until at the very forefront of the amassed group stood two people, a man and a woman.
The man stood almost an entire torso shorter than every other man within sight, and the woman was not much taller, coming up to the chest of most men. The diminutive man was Woop Slap, the mayor of Foosha himself and an old codger to boot. The woman was a beautiful young lady named Makino, shorter than most with dark green hair framing her face. She had a bright smile on her face and everyone around her mimicked it reflexively.
Most of all the man on the boat.
Over the years, Luffy had grown taller and taller every year without ever seeming to stop. After he reached ten he stopped meeting people taller than, and after becoming a teenager he began to tower over even the tallest of normal people. Now at seventeen he stood at 3.12 meters in height. This came with its fair share of consequences and downsides. However, due to his devil fruit ability the gomu gomu no mi his unnaturally long body gave him an extra advantage: He could stretch much further than anyone else might have been able too. This meant that Luffy's attacks packed quite a bit of punch, as any beast on the island could attest to. Due to his incredible height and prodigious strength Luffy had gained a reputation around Dawn Island as some fighting monster who had no emotions and ate his opponents for lunch. This was the furthest thing from the truth.
Makino had after all instilled within Luffy a great many things, and chief among them was friendliness. In truth, it was easy as Luffy had a natural charisma to him. However in practice it became evident that in spite of his friendly attitude and kind heart his monstrous and strange body pushed away all hope of friends. At least until—
"Luffy! Don't shame our village anymore than you have already! If you become a pirate we won't ever be able to live it down!" Woop Slap's loud yelling echoed off the water right at Luffy's head. He shook away the echoes and turned to the mayor with a great big grin.
"Shishishi, if I don't become a pirate then I can't fulfill my promise to Shanks! Besides, being a pirate is about being free to do what you want, which means I don't have to listen to you old man!" Luffy pulled his eye down at Woop Slap and patted his butt at him. The mayor fumed in rage and took one purposeful step forward.
"Impertinent brat! I oughta finish what Garp started! Come here you damned brat—" Woop Slap moved forward again and was stopped by a man behind him. Makino moved in while she could.
"You're fine Lu! Go out there and find the captain and show him who's boss!" Makino fist pumped. She turned from Luffy and smiled down at the mayor who grumbled at himself.
As a government official Woop Slap was all but contractually obligated to hate pirates and other people prone to skulduggery. He made it clear over many years what his opinions were and how some people ought to act, but he was mostly focused on Luffy over the years. Constantly he'd tell Luffy to 'give it up' and 'quit his foolish goal'. He failed to convince Luffy even a bit. However, even despite his comments he wished all the best for Luffy, and it showed on his face as he smiled serenely at Luffy's turned back. Even in spite of him heckling Luffy it was telling of his care for Luffy that Woop Slap had even arrived to see him off. Like everyone else he cared about Luffy, because he had no parents around to do it themselves.
"Alright, I will find Shanks, and I'll beat him too! My crew will be the strongest, and then I'll become the Pirate King!" Luffy pulled his right leg back and stretched it behind him and kicked it forward into the dock. The dock shook. People swore and began trying to leave. His boat had been untied previously, and before the kick he was several meters away from the dock. Luffy pushed with all his might from his leg and his boat rocked forward out into open waters. He pulled his sail loose and turned to the gathered citizens of Foosha and waved goodbye. As Foosha left his sight he turned around and put his hand on his hat and pulled it down over the top of his eyes. He smiled, it was time to start!
-SotF -SotF -SotF -
The water seemed calmer than usual, almost like a forest after a wildfire had recently settled. Luffy's boat smoothly made its way through the water, cutting across the vast expanse and making its way towards Luffy's destination when a soft noise could be heard. A light thunk, the sound of wood on wood made its way into Luffy's ear, and he cast his glance downwards at the water. There, surrounding the boat seemed to be the wreckage of another vessel, and quite the recent wreck as well. As he scanned the surrounding waters Luffy saw the wreckage and took in their meaning. He had heard that there might be a storm coming, but he hadn't expected it to have any effect on him.
The wind pushed against his sail and it continued forward, until Luffy came across the bodies. Most were slightly waterlogged and still unbloated proving the recentness of their deaths. Luffy looked on solemnly. To die at sea was a terrible way to go as a pirate, and it showed here in the way it treated their bodies. Luffy walked over to the rigging and began to try and pull down his sail more so he could leave when he heard sloshing water. Normally, this meant nothing to a pirate, but after a wreck it could mean a potential survivor. Luffy focused and his world turned somewhat gray until a blue dot appeared in his view not far from him. A survivor!
He turned his boat towards the person in the water, when Luffy noticed his bright pink hair.
'Pink hair? What kind of person has pink hair?' Luffy's boat pulled alongside the man and slowed to a stop when Luffy saw it wasn't a man, but rather a boy. He seemed to have been lucky enough to float free from the wreckage and come above water face up. Luffy crouched by the side of the boat and stretched his arm to poke the man. The boy groaned.
'Alright I'll wake him up 'Gramps style' Luffy reared his head back and held there for a moment then quickly shot forward right into the boys space.
"WAKE UP IDIOT! YOU FOOL, FALLING ASLEEP AT SEA?! AND IN THE WATER NO LESS!? WAKE UP!" Luffy's spittle flew and impacted the boy on the cheek the moment he started to speak, and it coincided with the boy suddenly thrashing himself awake. The boy paled and pushed his glasses up on his nose better.
"Oh— uh, hey there, uh who um, who are you? I'm, I'm Coby, I work on Al—" He stopped himself and tried to settle down his nerves. The wood he clings to is shaking from his nervousness as he looks around him at the wreckage, then the color comes back to his face, and he gulps. "—uh, nevermind that. Um, who did you say you are again? Sorry." Coby looked up at Luffy with undisguised fear in his eyes. Luffy grinned.
"I didn't say! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm a pirate!" Luffy leaned back and landed flat on his butt and leaned forward again, studying Coby. The boy in question paled again and looked as though he wanted to run away.
"Oh! I uh, shoulda guessed at that huh? Heh heh. You see, I was stuck on a pirate ship up until—" he looked around at the wreckage, "—well, until this. The captain was Lady Alvida! A notorious and evil woman who was just awful!" Coby looked fearfully at luffy, "You, you aren't gonna force me into your service, are you? Cause I'd, I'd rather die than do that again!" Coby seemed to find his courage and looked up at Luffy who simply smiled back down at him.
"Nah, I only want strong guys in my crew! Plus I don't even know what you wanna do yet" Luffy turned his eyes to Coby's and stared at him, "I told you I wanna be the Pirate King, so what do you wanna be?" Luffy leaned his head on his arms that were crossed over the edge. Coby lowers his head.
'Can I really tell this guy what I wanna be? If I do he'll probably just beat me up and leave me to die! No I can't say!' Coby looks up at Luffy again and is about to speak when he lowers his head down. 'But if I can't even say to this guy what my dream is how can I ever fulfill it? No I have to say!' This time Coby turns his head up confidently at Luffy who is grinning bemusedly.
"I'm going to join the Marines and pursue my very own Justice! And one day, when I have become strong and good I'll be a Marine Admiral!" Coby's voice cracks several times but it is plain to see that he is passionate. Luffy levels him with a look and then smiles at him happily.
"I don't like the Marines, but I think you could be a good one! You should go for it Boby!" Luffy smiled at Coby again who looked somewhat distraught.
"Uh, could you please —if it isn't any trouble that is— let me come into your ship? It's getting pretty cold in here" He shivers, "Also, uh, my name isn't Boby, it's Coby, with a C like cat" Luffy simply smiles at Coby and stretches out his hand to him. Coby recoils in shock. "Are you a devil fruit user? I thought those were fake!" Coby looked terrified and Luffy nods and shakes his hand at Coby. Coby grabs hold of it.
"Yup, I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi eleven years ago and have been a rubber man ever since" Luffy pulled Coby into the ship when he spotted a barrel floating in the water not far from them. He doesn't take more than a second to stretch his hand over to it and bring it back as well.
Coby stared blankly at Luffy's stretched hand and his gaze moved down to the rest of Luffy's body, then he paled 'This guys legs are longer than my whole body! Wait… it must be because of his devil fruit, after all he is stretchy. I won't say anything'
Luffy cracked open the container and revealed a bunch of apples, then Coby became hungry. He grabbed the first apple he saw and ate it quickly and watched as Luffy literally eats the apple in a matter of seconds.
'Wow, this guy has some crazy ability he must be able to— wait, what is that?' Coby set his apple to the side and reached into the barrel to pull out a bright blue apple with swirls on it. He brought it close to his head when a sound like a whip cracked out and the apple was no longer in his hand but was instead in Luffy's.
"What was that for? I was just looking, no need to steal my apple!" He cried out with indignity and looked at Luffy in subdued anger. That is, until Luffy looked at him seriously.
"This—" he held the fruit out, "—is a devil fruit. If you eat it you can never swim again and you have to learn how to use it or die" Luffy is unnaturally serious, and even Coby can tell that he means business. "You can have it if you want, but know that you are stuck with it for life afterwards. Don't take this lightly" Luffy looked at Coby again and held the fruit out to him, but Coby shakes his head in the negative.
"Thanks for the warning Luffy-san, I don't know what I'd do with a devil fruit power out of the blue." Luffy nodded and pulled the sail down again and the boat started moving once more. "Where are we going Luffy-san? Or do we not have a destination?" Coby wouldn't say it out loud, but Luffy unsettled him immensely. He wanted to get out of his way, and soon.
"I don't know where we're going at all! I'm just following this compass south of here" He showed Coby the compass with the needle facing behind them, "I think it's better when you don't know where you're going before you go. Pirates are all about being free, and that means you don't have to know where you're going to end up because it doesn't matter!" Luffy laughed and began to hum to himself. Coby balked and leaned back into himself.
'He is totally crazy! One minute he's super serious and now he's back to fun and games?! I gotta get out of here, and soon!' He nods to himself and leans forward, only to feel incredibly tired the next moment 'on second thought, I'm gonna take a nap. Hopefully he doesn't kill me' He shut his eyes and drifted off to the sound of Luffy's humming
-SotF -SotF -SotF -
Over the next day or so, Coby filled in his free time with naps and rests while simultaneously watching Luffy carefully. It was on either his seventh or eighth nap that Luffy shook him awake.
"Coby! Look there's an island up ahead. See over there! That's where we are headed" Luffy grinned brightly and reached over Coby to grab an oar. Coby barely had time to wipe the sleep from his eyes before the ship lurched forward quickly and took up a lightning pace towards the shore. He turns and quickly Identifies the source as Luffy, rowing with enough force to send them flying through the water and air
"AHHHH! Luffy-san, if you ground the boat you won't have one when you leave the island! Be careful! Luffy-san!" Coby screamed to himself and gripped the edge of the boat tightly. Then suddenly the boat lurched again in the opposite direction, and the entire boat went still. Coby opened his eyes to see that the boat was parallel to the coast and Luffy had already stepped out of the boat and was tying it up. Coby was gobsmacked. "Luffy-san, how did you stop the boat? It was going so fast before" He looked at Luffy only to see his attention was focused elsewhere.
"Coby! Come on there's someone over that way—" He points to his left, "—and it seems like they need some help. Let's go!" Luffy jumps up from hi position on the ground and bounds over the grass and into the trees. Coby sighed to himself and stood up and began to follow behind Luffy.
'Hopefully he doesn't get us killed'
-SotF -SotF -SotF -
As Luffy ran forward the open sky began to bleed away and treetops began to take its place. Twigs crunched under his sandals and every few steps he'd move his head away from a hanging branch poised to smack him in the face. Then he stopped abruptly and looked to his left, then he looked to his right, and then he looked left again and closed his eyes. Suddenly Luffy's surroundings drained of color and specs of blue began to pop up everywhere within a certain radius surrounding Luffy. The presences of the animals he quickly passed over, but when he zeroed in on a decidedly human presence he snapped his eyes open and the world flashed back into color view.
'I thought I heard someone. They seem weak, I'll go see if I can help' He began to walk towards the presence he felt earlier with purpose. Around him, various animals and creatures that lived in the forest began to observe him. With a certain level of inborn Observation Haki, animals could sense when someone or something was stronger than them, and Luffy gave off the feeling of one who dwarfed them all. As Luffy began to push through the brush again the animals got out of his way and simply observed.
Then he saw her. On the ground surrounded by berries lay a little girl no older than ten, and on her back he could see a small cut from the tree. Luffy pieced together the injury easily using his own personal experiences, and took a cursory glance at the tree to confirm his answer.
'Yep, she was trying to get some of those fruits on the top branches when one of them snapped under her and she fell.' he crouched down and pushed the fabric of her shirt aside from the wound. 'This is shallow, she must have passed out because she was scared of the fall' Luffy took off his vest and laid it on the ground a little behind the girl and then, carefully, he reached underneath her and flipped her onto her back. 'She didn't hit her face at all when she fell, She must have turned because her back hurt' He looked down at her and tapped her lightly on the face.
"Hey! You've gotta wake up so I can carry you home! Little girl, where is your house?" He continued poking her cheek and tapping her head, and eventually she stirred.
"Huh? Who are you mister? My back hurts… Oh! I fell off the tree! Momma said not to climb the tall ones, but I did, and then I fell, and now my back—" She continued on for a moment until Luffy held up a finger.
"Shhhh. I'm gonna carry you home, okay little girl? Just tell me where to go, alright?" Luffy turned and offered his back to her, and she readily stood back up and hopped on him. Luffy began to stand up.
"Okay! Thanks mister! You're really tall, huh? My name is Rika! My Momma has a bar in the town and that's where she is today. How tall are you? I've never seen someone as tall as you! Oh! Mister, can you help me with something? I know this guy and—"
"Shishishi! You really have a lot to say huh? Alright let's head to the bar first and then I'll see what I can do to help you, okay? First thought we need to find— Oh, Colly! We're over here! I found this girl and I'm gonna take her to her mom! Let's go!" Luffy turned his head rapidly away from Coby and began to march his way to the town on Rika's directions. Coby sighed.
"My name is Coby, Luffy-san… Ah! Wait for me Luffy-san!" Coby quickly ran up to Luffy and began to walk by his side through the forest. The crunch of leaves and twigs beneath them the only sounds other than Rika's directions and nonsensical chattering from her and Luffy. Coby sighed and followed along.
-SotF -SotF -SotF -
Luffy, Rika, and Coby quickly made their ways through the forest and into the town. As they passed several groups of civilians their eyes fell on Luffy and followed him. A man as tall as him might as well be some kind of monster. They quickly passed through the town, and as the bar came into sight Rika slipped down from Luffy's back and sprinted the rest of the distance. Luffy and Coby followed after her a bit slower.
"—and then he showed up out of nowhere and was all like" Rika scrunched her face into an approximation of Luffy's, "Hey little girl! You need some help?' and then he gave me a piggyback ride all the way here! He is super tall too! I was as tall as a tree! Isn't that cool mom? Isn't it— Hey! There he is! Mom, look its the guy from earlier! Hi Mister!" Rika bounced up and down next to her mother who smiled warmly at the two of them after a moment of shock from Luffy.
"Oh! I hear you helped out my daughter. Thank you mister—" She trailed off looking at Luffy and Rika. Rika looked confused and then embarrassed, and Luffy laughed.
"Shishishi! She talked so much and didn't even ask my name! How funny! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm a pirate!" Luffy proclaimed himself loudly, and the people who had been staring at Luffy flinched away. Luffy easily ignored it, but Coby didn't. "Anyways, She said she needed some more help, too, so I came to help! Also is there a Marine base here?" Both Coby and Luffy noticed that the people flinched even worse at the mention of the Marines, and Coby looked confused.
"Oh, did she really? She can be a bit inconsiderate sometimes. Well to answer your question, yes there is, and that's what she wants help for" Ririka stared down at Rika, "You see, the son of the Captain of the base thinks that he's above the law, and comes into town demanding goods and services for free. Anyways, last time he was here, he brought in a wolf of all things! It almost bit little Rika here, but a man named Roronoa Zoro intervened and killed the wolf" Coby paled considerably, and Luffy seemed to brighten, "He's a famous bounty hunter, and Helmeppo— the Captain's son— knew that he could gain some fame for killing him, so he had him imprisoned." Ririka took a breath. "However, it doesn't end there. He said that if Zoro-san could survive thirty days and nights without food or water then he'd be set free. It's been three weeks now and he's still there, but Rika and I are worried he'll die anyways before he can be executed" Rika jumped in at this point.
"I went to fed him some of my special onigiris, but I was caught and thrown out! So I want you to go and give him food for me since you are big and strong and can't be thrown out! Please Luffy-san?" Rika looked up at him with tears in her eyes. Luffy just grinned.
"I'd do it even if you didn't ask! Zoro huh? He sounds strong and interesting, I'm gonna ask him to join my crew!" Luffy walked over to Rika. "I'll go deliver him some food right now, you got any?" He held out his hand and Rika beamed at him and dashed into the kitchen. Moments later she came out with a small package.
"Here you go! Make sure he eats them, ok? I'm coming with, but I can't go inside so you have to do it for me!" She ran over and grabbed a coat and then walked out the door.
"Sorry about her, she can be a bit much, but she really is a kind girl" Ririka smiled after her, "Thank you for doing this, he really is our savior, and I feel awful that he has to starve" She smiled at Luffy who walked out the door. Coby followed behind.
"Hey Luffy-san, did you see the way those guys in there reacted to the word Marine? Why would the Marines scare civilians? They're the good guys, right?" Coby looked up at Luffy who frowned heavily.
"If you go into the world thinking everything is black and white you are more blind than a bat. There are good pirates and bad marines. Not everyone falls into one category" Luffy turned a glare on Coby who shrunk back "You better remember this if you wanna be a Marine one day: Nothing is ever all good or all bad, and no one is good or bad based on the clothes they wear" Luffy turned away and stalked off angrily, and Coby just stood stalk still.
'If its Luffy-san saying it, it can't be 100% wrong. Which means that these guys are scared of the Marines for real! But why?' Coby moved forward, stuck in his thoughts.
-SotF -SotF -SotF -
"Hey Oh Great Pirate Hunter Zoro-sama how are you doing today? You hungry? Or maybe you're thirsty? You are getting so close to your release date so you better not die beforehand, got it?" A haughty young blond man stood hunched over with his face directly in Zoro's. His spit flew and hit Zoro in the face when he spoke, but Zoro was too busy focusing on his goal.
'If can survive another ten days he'll let me go, and that girl will be safe. Man I'm hungry and thirsty though! I could just break out of here and kill everyone at the base, but no! no , I can't! I gave my word that I'd wait it out and so I will! A man can only rely on two things, his Word and his Sw—'
As Zoro spoke to himself, Luffy arrived on the scene, looked at the barrier wall and then stretched his leg over the top of it and simply stepped over it. Helmeppo saw the whole thing, and promptly became terrified.
"WHAT?! HE JUST STEPPED OVER THE WALL! HOW TALL IS THIS GUY?!" he turned to one of the men at his side and grabbed him by the shoulders, "Shoot him! Only monsters are that tall, so it'll be okay!" The man turned and shot once at Luffy, but the bullet flew into Luffy's skin and all the way through and then with a push forward, Luffy sent the bullet flying back at the man holding the gun and hitting him in the shin, knocking him down instantly.
Helmeppo panicked and ran away with his other guard in tow.
Luffy moved up towards Zoro."You're strong" It wasn't a question, but Zoro felt compelled to answer anyways. He leaned forward a bit and opened his eyes to look up at Luffy. He was obviously surprised at Luffy's height, but didn't say as much.
"Yeah, one of the strongest in East Blue, I think. I haven't met anyone stronger than me yet" Zoro let his neck fall down again, and stared at his own legs.
"Then why don't you break out and beat these guys? You definitely could" Luffy sat down in front of Zoro, and set the onigiri in front of him. Zoro's eyes remained closed.
"I gave the Bowl-Head my word, and—"
"Nothing is more important than a man's word" Luffy stared at Zoro's sunken face that even still radiated strength, and he decided all at once. Meanwhile Zoro's eyes snapped open and he too began to study the man before him, "I want you to join my pirate crew, so I'm gonna wait here in town until you're released" Zoro narrowed his eyes and looked shocked at Luffy "So I want you to give me your word that you won't die or leave town before I can convince you! Shishishi!" Zoro shook his head, but smiled slightly.
"Alright, I give you my word, I won't die." Zoro stared at the container that was now in Luffy's hands. He salivated, and then turned his head away, "is that more food? I told that girl that I won't eat until I've lasted thirty days! Tell her—" Suddenly a girl appeared over the fence, and ran at Zoro.
"Please eat sir! If you starved I'd be really sad!" She began to tear up, and Zoro looked at her emptily before shaking his head.
"I gave him my word, and I don't take that lightly. Come back in ten days, and I'll eat your onigiri" Rika's eyes wobbled with tears, but she didn't move.
Suddenly the doors to the base broke open, and the blond boy came out followed by thirty men, all armed. They stared at Luffy and Zoro, and paled when they realized Luffy was as tall as Zoro sitting down. Luffy and Zoro frowned. The boy took a step forward.
"Hello, Monster! I am Helmeppo, son of Captain Morgan himself! You, and that girl, are trespassing and for that the punishment is death! Prepare yourselves!" Helmeppo gestured and guns on the other side of the yard came to attention. Luffy stood in front of Rika.
"Don't move or you'll get hurt, understand?" She nodded, and then the bullets came. One by one they impacted against Luffy, but rather than pierce him they flew into his body and continued on until he flexed outwards and sent them all back. The men took several shots and immediately dropped their guns and drew swords. They didn't get the chance to do much of anything.
The moment they all dropped their guns, Luffy dashed forwards and buried a fist in one marine's gut. A mere moment later he had dropped three more in a similar manner, and by then they had lost all cohesion. Luffy punched all the men to the ground and made to glare at Helmeppo, only to find he was gone.
"If you come any closer, I'll shoot his head off!" on the other side of the yard stood Helmeppo with a gun to Coby's head who had at some point entered the yard. Coby gulped and looked at Luffy.
"Do you trust me Coby?" Coby nodded. Before Helmeppo could even speak Luffy was in front of him, and he grabbed Helmeppo by the front of his face and slammed him into the ground. Helmeppo growled.
"You fool! Now my father will come and kill you! And all for what? A starving man who I was gonna execute tomorrow for fun? HA! Stupid fool! You'll see why I am feared like my father is—" He was slammed into the ground by an angry Luffy. He turned to Zoro who looked equally as upset, and for a moment they looked at each other and then Luffy smiled.
"Looks like your schedule is all cleared up! Now I'm sure I can cut these ropes with one of these swords, and then you can join my crew! Shishishi!" Luffy turned and began to move to the fallen men.
"Wait! I never said I'd join your crew! I have an ambition of my own to fulfill! I'm going to be the strongest swordsman in the world!" Zoro yelled at Luffy who stopped short and turned.
He smiled "I'm going to be the Pirate King! So anything less than the strongest wouldn't be good enough for me!" Luffy reached down to grab a sword, but Zoro yelled out to him again.
"Wait! I have a sword that is in that base over there" Zoro nodded his head at the base, "you can cut me down, but I won't fight unless I have my sword back" Luffy nodded and began to run at the marine base.
'He is strong. I was just telling him earlier that I'd never seen anyone stronger than me, but I think he might be' Zoro shook his head to clear his thoughts
"Hey! Girl! I can eat those onigiri now, and I am hungry!" his yell was answered by running and suddenly his mouth was full of rice. It was sweet, and tasted strange, but to Zoro it was the best food he'd ever eaten. "Thank you, now get out of here. I think we are gonna fight some more, and I don't want you to get caught in it" He looked at Coby "You too, you will just get in the way!" Coby looked down at his feet. But didn't move. "Hey! I said—"
"—I won't leave! I need to see if Luffy-san was telling the truth about the world! Are there good pirates and bad Marines? I need to see. If I get hurt then, then so be it!" Coby looked at Zoro and ran over to the fence to sit and watch. Zoro tsked.
Then out of the blue a loud BANG followed by and even louder CRACK came, and Zoro looked up at the statue that had been being erected on top of the tower only to see rubble and Luffy flying at him sword in hand.
"Oi! Zoro, I found your sword!" He threw it down at Zoro who caught it in his bound left hand. Then he flicked the blade out and cut the ropes away instantly. Zoro smirked.
"I see you've started a fight. Wanna test my combat abilities, is that it?" Zoro set Wado Ichimonji in his mouth and grabbed two fallen katanas in his hands. "I use the Santoryu or the Three-Sword Style" Zoro turned to the building where a small group of marines came flooding out. He held his two swords horizontally over his left shoulder "Watch, this is how I fight— Santoryu: 36 Pound Cannon!" He swung down in a circular motion, and launched a compressed slash in the form of a circle from the blades. It flew through the air and into the marines and then threw the marines and into the base. Zoro smirked.
"Awesome! Shishishi, I have a powerful swordsman on my crew already! Let me show you how I fight now!" Zoro made to yell that he wasn't in his crew yet, but Luffy turned still midair and his right leg flew behind him as he did. It extended incredibly far out passing even the perimeter wall and then Luffy pulled it forwards with a great yell of "Gomu Gomu no Whip!" His foot sailed through the air perpendicular to the ground, and it smashed into the chests of the groups of marines who were falling with Luffy. The moment his attack landed the all went flying, and Luffy flipped and landed on his feet.
'I knew it! This guy is super strong… He might be able to help me achieve my dream. Maybe joining him wouldn't be so bad if he's already this strong' Zoro held his swords in front of him as more marines filed out of the base, and then a great lumbering man with an axe instead of a hand came through the door as well and all was silent.
"Do you know who I am? I am the Great Captain 'Axe-Hand' Morgan! And that statue you destroyed was of ME! Destroying Marine property is punishable by death! I'll kill you with my famous Axe-hand!" The soldiers around him gasped, most staring at the monstrous form of Luffy and Zoro surrounded by their fallen comrades, and Morgan lunged forward at Luffy.
"Zoro, take care of those other guys!" Luffy launched himself at Morgan as well and they met midair. Zoro clucked his tongue in annoyance.
"So he gets to fight the strong one and I'm left with these… goons? Tch, I better have a good fight next time" Zoro ran forward and began to slash at the marines who could do nothing to stop him, not noticing that in his mind he had already accepted Luffy as his captain. In his periphery he saw Morgan try to slash Luffy, but simply fall flat on his face instead when Luffy wasn't standing in the same spot anymore. He then received a swift kick to the back and yelled in rage.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Morgan lashed out at Luffy again and hit air once more, and for his troubles he received a punch to the face. Morgan turned and swiped at Luffy again and again and again, but he only hit air every time.
Then, Luffy tired of him. He threw his arm behind him and it flew through the air quickly then stopped and flew back towards Morgan "Gomu Gomu no…" Morgan couldn't react in time and received the blow directly to his chest, "Pistol!" The moment the fist hit him he flew forward and hit the base with a loud thunk and passed out. Luffy turned to Zoro who was surrounded by men with shallow cuts across their bodies. Zoro nodded at Luffy.
'He doesn't just kill everyone either. He's good' Luffy walked over to him, smiled and then began to speak to him.
"So, what do you think? Am I strong enough to be you captain Zoro?" Luffy looked confidently at Zoro who simply smirked.
"Alright, I'll follow you, but don't forget, I have an ambition of my own and if you get in my way or stop me from fulfilling it, I'll have you answer for it on the end of my sword, you hear?!"
Zoro stared at Luffy who nodded easily.
"I'd expect nothing less from the future number one swordsman, let's go" Luffy turned and walked through the gate followed immediately by Zoro. Coby sat and stared at the scene before him.
'That Captain, he definitely wasn't good. Luffy-san was right!' Coby then stood up and followed Luffy out as well.
-SotF -SotF -SotF -
The bar was full of boisterous men and women who cheered their new saviors, and Luffy was living it up. Never in his life had he had so many people ignore his height and just celebrate him. Drinks flowed and food followed, and Luffy and Zoro ate and drank more than enough for a small army. Then the Marines walked in and the bar went quiet.
"Is 'Monkey D. Luffy here? I need to speak with him" The one in charge called out pretending he didn't see the only person in East Blue tall enough to fit the bill. The bar didn't respond, but Luffy stepped forward anyways.
"That's me" Luffy munched on a piece of meat and the Marine regarded him for a moment and nodded.
"We are all thankful that you rid us of Morgan, but by your own admission, you are a pirate. You cannot stay here. You must leave tonight, and take your crew with you" The man gestured at Zoro, and Coby who paled in response. The entire bar grumbled. But Luffy just nodded.
"Okay, can do. Oh but wait" he pushed Coby forward "He wants to join the Marines even though he's super weak and useless" Luffy nodded to himself, "Honestly I'm offended you even thought he was on my crew. Sure, someone else's, but mine? No, he was with A—" A punch slammed into Luffy's head from an angry Coby who had tears in his eyes.
'I trusted him! And he's just gonna tell this random guy all about me?! I knew pirates were—' Coby turned to punch Luffy more, but was interrupted by the marine.
"Alright! Enough. It's clear he isn't with you, so we'll take him on as a chore boy. You have to leave though" He turned to leave, and Coby was left dumbstruck, he had been helping! "You coming boy?" The commander called after him, and Coby bowed deeply at Luffy and Zoro then left.
"Well Captain, looks like we've gotta set sail now" He and Luffy stood up and waved goodbye to the people in the bar and left. "I was wondering, how many people are even on your crew?" Zoro looked at Luffy who smiled widely.
"Two! Me and You, isn't this exciting! Where are we gonna go next I wonder?" Luffy walked ahead of Zoro who shook his head and followed closely behind. To their left Zoro saw the same group of marines bow at them and then turn on their heels and head back.
The town bled away to grass again, and Zoro laid eyes on their vessel: A fishing boat. He laughed to himself and got in after his tall Straw-Hatted captain and when the boat pushed out into the water he smiled at himself.
'Kuina, I think he might be the man who helps me attain our dream! Watch me do it!' He turned to Luffy and began to ask him about his dream, and they spent the next few hours trading stories and jokes back and forth.
AN: Not much changes Canon wise, but Zoro and Luffy will be closer because they have similar creeds. Next time we meet Nami and Buggy, and things change forever.
AN2: So a Guest left a review that I thought was a fair point. They said something along the lines of 'I didn't put enough thought into how the people reacted to Luffy and Zoro joined too easily' On my re-readthrough I agree so I changed some stuff up. Nothing too plot important, but just some minor tweaks to civilians and Zoro. Thanks Guest-person
