Author's Note:
Hello my faithful readers. As you can tell, this chapter took a bit longer to write than my other ones. I just couldn't seem to find the right words to string it together, for some odd reason.
I am honestly surprised that this story I started up on a whim already has over sixty followers, and only a week has passed. That is ridiculous. Even I wouldn't follow my own story. But, that's just the stereotypical self-deprecating author in me speaking. I'm sincerely thankful for all of you that decided to join me on this adventure of insanity and plot deviation.
As always, I'm thankful to all of you who reviewed my previous chapter, and especially thankful to Awareness Bringer for beta reading this chapter, and to Tonlor again for practically handing me the skeleton for the chapter after this one. You the real MVPs, guys.
Now, for something concerning Luffy. It is true that with the displays of his powers so far that it seems that he's extremely overpowered, and without further explanation of how they work it's not a bad conclusion. Let me just say this: the Aqua Prison move doesn't take away a Devil Fruit User's powers, it just makes them weaker. Alvida submitted easily because she's a relatively weak enemy. If Luffy used that move on someone like any of the Seven warlords of the sea, it would easily be broken out of. Also, as will be expanded upon later in the story, his powers have a LOT of drawbacks, depending on how he uses them. The last chapter was just me showcasing Luffy's abilities and how they can be applied in fights. Sorry if it got you saying "Oh god, it's another OP Luffy story, so it's garbage." There is a thing called exposition, and we're just getting to the beginning of it. Seriously people, I'm doing my best.
Now that my moping is out of the way, there's the obligatory thing I must say: I don't own One Piece or its characters. I only own the words I type and the ideas in my head.
ON WITH THE TRAIN WRECK!
For the first time she could remember in her entire life, Alvida found herself at a loss for words. That was saying a lot, considering she'd been through countless situations that would leave most men and women speechless. From eating a Devil Fruit that transformed her into a slim goddess; to witnessing her crew torture civilians to the point of begging for death; all the way to the boy she recently smashed into liquid, only for him to be perfectly intact seconds later. She always had a witty remark or taunt of some kind.
None of those scenarios could've prepared her for the scenario playing out before her.
*FLASHBACK*
Shortly after defeating the captain of the Alvida Pirates, who laid helpless on the deck of her own ship, Luffy set about the task of cleaning up the mess he and Bonney made (AKA: picking up the unconscious bodies littering the floor.) It was a tedious job, loading all of the downed pirates who hadn't been knocked off the ship into the three life boats, but the young man did it all with a content smile.
Bonney remained seated on top of Alvida, unwilling to let her move a single inch. She knew how powerful Luffy's Aqua Prison was, having been the main guinea pig for the development of the attack, but she was also aware of the ways a person could potentially wiggle out of the strong rings. Devil Fruit user or no, she wasn't taking any chances.
"Who are you guys, anyway?" Alvida questioned weakly. "Bounty hunters, maybe? you're going to turn me in for my five-million belly bounty, aren't you?"
Bonney scoffed. "I wouldn't be caught dead as a bounty hunter. They're a bunch of brutish oafs who only think about themselves. No tact whatsoever."
"Sounds right up your alley," the older woman mumbled.
A punch to the head later, Bonney continued. "As I was saying, we aren't bounty hunters. We're pirates. As for what we do with you, that's up to the captain over there," she finished, jerking her thumb at Luffy.
Alvida was mildly confused. "Wait a minute...how could you be pirates? Where's the rest of your crew?"
"Just us at the moment."
"Your flag?"
"We'll get around to it."
"Your ship?"
"This one will do nicely until we find one less...pink."
"Hmph, I should expect such poor taste from-"
BAM! "Shut up," Bonney interrupted, once again hitting her prisoner. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about the immediate future than your "superior" aesthetics."
Luffy was now approaching them, having lowered the life boats into the water and set them adrift. Noticing the two lumps on Alvida's head, he looked at his friend with a frown. "Did she give you any trouble"
She shook her head. "Nah, she just let her tongue get away from her. Speaking of this comfy cushion, what do you wanna do with her? She says she has a five-million belly bounty, and we're not wanted criminals yet. Just something to consider, ya know?"
"Before I decide anything, there's a more important matter we need to take care of," he replied in a serious tone.
Almost as if on cue, the stomachs of both teens erupted in a chorus of starving growls. Bonney immediately understood, grabbing the hand he offered. Upon standing, she watched as he lifted up Alvida as well, dispersing the bindings on her legs as he did so.
He gazed into her eyes and said the last words she would expect. "Take us to your kitchen."
*END FLASHBACK*
Thus, we return to the scene which left Alvida practically mute. Never had she seen such utter devastation of a dining room at the hands of two kids. It was only a single day since her crew had stocked up on everything from ammunition to enough provisions for at least two weeks at sea. Now, however, their vast supply was reduced to less than half of its former magnitude.
It hadn't taken long for the duo to pile the table high with nearly every piece of food they could fit, the edible tower reaching six and a half feet in height. With the goodies collected, they dug in with the worst manners the captain ever had the displeasure of viewing. Condiments sprayed through the air, bones were tossed aside, and cheeks were stuffed with more than they should've been able to hold. It became even more unsightly when the participants in the binge climbed on top of the table in their quest for fulfillment. She even heard shouts of "More! More!" from the girl named Bonney. Needless to say, Alvida quickly lost any appetite she may have had before entering the room. If she didn't have a front row seat to the show, she would've questioned whether they were even chewing.
Another odd aspect to their gorging that she noted was that no matter how much either consumed, neither of their bodies showed any side effects. Their abdomens remained trim, as if the food was being digested faster than they could eat it. 'What the hell are these monsters?' she wondered in slight fear. 'At least they're almost finished.'
Indeed, by the time she came out of her thoughts, the final scraps of meat were being scarfed down by the ravenous duo. With a couple of belches that could possibly shatter glass, they both collapsed side by side on their backs. A second ticked by, before they burst into laughter.
"Damn it," Bonney giggled, trying to calm herself down. "I almost had you there!"
"In your dreams!" he shot back through his own chuckles. "As always, I remain the champion!"
His boast was met by a bone to the face. "I'll get you eventually, ya watery dumbass."
Alvida nearly choked on her own saliva. 'Was that some kind of eating contest to them?!' "Um..." she spoke up from her chair beside the dining table.
Bonney, who was the closest to the prisoner, snapped her head to the side, a look of aggravation already in place. "You got something to say, princess?" she challenged.
The ship's captain took the challenge head on. "Actually, I do: can one of you please explain what just happened? I know that I'm the prisoner here, but I cannot un-see that and would like to rationalize it in some way, but I'm falling short on logic at the moment.
The younger woman was about to deny her the satisfaction of an answer, when Luffy came out of nowhere and sat on the edge of the table. "Sorry about that. You see, Bonney's Devil Fruit and mine as well take a ton of energy to use, so we're left half-starving after a big fight," he elaborated with a large grin. "Thanks for the food, by the way!"
"She has Devil Fruit powers too?" Alvida asked, having been in her cabin until the duo invaded her ship.
"None that you need to know of!" Bonney shot her down, finally sitting up next to Luffy. "Why are you even telling her this, Luffy? It's not like she's worth the oxygen."
He didn't break eye contact with the black haired woman. "Don't be so mean, Bonney. She isn't really that bad of a person."
"She tried to kill you with a spiked club!"
"So? You've done the same more times than I can count, with weapons that were way more deadly."
Just like that, her protests died down. She couldn't deny the fact that she'd tried to murder her best friend numerous times in the eleven years they'd known each other. At least she had a good reason. What could this bitch have done to warrant forgiveness? Nothing! She kept these thoughts to herself, though.
Alvida couldn't believe her ears. "How could you know if I'm bad or not? I'm the captain of a notorious pirate crew that has sunk and plundered enough ships to earn me a bounty. What makes you think-"
"One time."
The woman stopped in her tracks. "What?"
"Name one time that you've personally killed an innocent, and I'll take it all back."
The boy before her had gone from hyper to serious in the blink of an eye, and the challenge he posed hit her hard. Everything she'd boasted about was true, but she was alerted to a detail she had never thought to acknowledge. Sure, she dispatched plenty of her thuggish crew with her weapon of choice, but not one single civilian had died by her hand. It was always her men who did the intimidating, stealing, and murdering. Her hands were clean of innocent blood.
After not receiving an answer for a good five minutes, Luffy smiled again. "I rest my case. Trust me, I'm a great judge of character."
"Okay, so she isn't a total piece of garbage. Yippee," said Bonney sarcastically, making a 'whoopty-do' movement with her finger. "Back to the matter at hand: what do you want to do with her?"
"Hmm..." Luffy hummed, stroking his chin as he leaned toward Alvida, almost to the point of touching noses. She started to sweat, both from the uncomfortably close proximity and dread of what her near future held. The woman wasn't prepared for the question that came next. "Do you wanna join my crew?"
You could've heard a pin drop outside the dining hall with how silent it became. Neither female could believe what Luffy said, one in particular being highly opposed to the idea. Moments later, said girl displayed her displeasure at the mere mention of such lunacy by punching her captain so hard that he flew across the room and became lodged in the wall.
"Are you out of your damn mind?!" Bonney yelled, stomping over to his recovering body and grabbing him by the shirt. "We are not letting this slippery bitch come with us!"
"Give me one reason why not," he demanded, not fazed by the launching he received.
"I can give you a million reasons!"
"Sheesh, I only asked for one."
"Okay, reason number one: we know absolutely nothing about her! She could try to assassinate us in our sleep!"
"I told you she was good. When have I ever been wrong?"
Once again, he got her there. When it came to people, Luffy had a 100% success rate at judging character and morals. If he believed in someone, she had no reason to doubt him. However, this Alvida chick really grated on her nerves in the worst of ways. Everything that came out of her mouth seemed to piss Bonney off.
Meanwhile, Alvida was having her own internal debate. Her choices didn't leave much leeway. On one hand, she could join this crazy duo on their potential pirate crew, but no longer be the one in charge. On the other, they could just throw her overboard, or worse, hand her over to the Marines. Neither option ended with her as a free woman, yet the former guaranteed her survival. It really was a no-brainer in the end.
"I accept," she stated smoothly, drawing the attention of the arguing teenagers.
"What?!" Bonney shouted in surprise and rage.
Just to get even more of a rise out of the vulgar girl, Alvida continued. "I accept your offer. As of now I, 'Iron Club' Alvida, pledge my life and services to Monkey D. Luffy." She even complimented her words by dropping to one knee and bowing her head. Okay, maybe this was a little over the top, but the look on the little brute's face more than made up for the humiliation.
With a snap of Luffy's fingers, the remaining rings of his Aqua Prison fell off and pooled on the floor. He walked past his best friend, who was frozen in shock, and extended his arm toward his new crewmate. "Welcome aboard, Alvida!" he said cheerfully.
She gladly accepted it, allowing him to pull her to her feet with her full strength returned.
The woman was about to make some sort of witty response, when a twist of fate hit. The form it took was a cannonball tearing through the wall, passing inches from her nose, and carrying on through the opposite side of the ship. Splinters and shards of glass exploded from its entry and exit points, though no one present was harmed. All three of them slowly turned to look at the first gaping hole the projectile made.
Through it, they got a perfect view of the culprit: a Navy ship. It was a mid-sized boat with two sails and the traditional green and black exterior one would expect. The seagull flag was raised high on the tallest mast, declaring without a doubt who it belonged to, and on the deck stood a man.
If you wanted to paint a picture of the most pompous marine in the world, he would be a perfect candidate for your model. A white pinstripe suit set him apart from the other Marines under his command, as well as his bright pink hair. Around his right hand was a set of metal knuckle dusters. His expression remained indifferent as he gazed at the pirate ship he'd ordered one of his men to fire upon.
"Well, that was rude," Luffy commented nonchalantly.
Alvida nodded in agreement, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, no kidding. Who randomly fires on an enemy ship without announcing their presence? Talk about barbaric."
"As much as I hate to agree with Miss Priss, even I gotta admit that was a dick move," Bonney added, leaning her weight on a chair.
Any further banter was cut short by the condescending Marine calling out to them. "I am Lieutenant 'Ironfist' Fullbody of the Marines! I know that this is the ship of the wanted pirate Alvida! If you come peacefully, my men won't have to resort to lethal measures, and you'll make my job much easier. You have five minutes to comply."
"At least he has some common courtesy," observed Alvida, strolling over to a corner where a pile of roped laid. "But, that won't be enough to avoid punishment."
Bonney gave her a questioning look. "What did you have in mind?"
The older woman returned a sly grin. "Giving them exactly what they want."
And, that wraps that up. Once again, sorry for taking so long. This chapter was originally going to be much longer, but I cut it short because I didn't like how I wrote the continuation. That will be up soon, I promise.
Anyway, tell me how I did in a review. Good? Bad? Do you wanna rip out my eyes and feed them to me? Go full ham in your reviews, guys. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS OF FLAMING AN AMATEUR AUTHOR! Also, while I'm not completely discouraging guest reviews, if you only review as a guest I can't respond and help with any misconceptions or questions you have. Food for thought, ya know?