The big reveal has finally arrived. Thank you all for being patient. Also, thanks again for all the reviews, alerts, and author alerts and follows. As always, you guys remain awesome and give me the energy to continue and make each chapter better than the last. It seems so hard to believe, but you all have already made this story my second most reviewed story ever and gave me another record breaking amount of reviews last chapter. Truly amazing.
Without holding you guys back anymore, enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 10: East Blue
"What's left to see?" Usopp asked.
All the Strawhats were currently standing on the sea after the scene had changed from Foosha Village.
"Well, we've seen Luffy's childhood and we learned what happened to Sabo," Brook said in thought. "Is there more that we must know?"
"Must be," Zoro said as he looked around the calm sea. "We all have a strong idea what the tragedy that Luffy is suffering from is, and this isn't it."
"It looks like we're still in East Blue," Nami said, taking note of the calmer weather.
"Ah, the weather is pretty nice today," they heard the voice of Luffy say.
"Where is he?" Franky asked as he looked around.
"He's over there!" Chopper shouted as they saw Luffy's boat sailing some distance away from them. They quickly walked to their captain and saw that Luffy seemed to be daydreaming.
"On such a nice day like this, who would have thought I would get into such a disaster," Luffy continued to say with a note of humor.
"What's he talking about?" Usopp asked.
"He's probably talking about that giant whirlpool he's about to get pulled into," Nami said in a deadpan voice.
The Strawhats turned to see that Luffy was indeed being sucked into a large whirlpool.
"Did he not see this thing?" Franky asked in disbelief.
"Well, this is Luffy we're talking about," Usopp pointed out dryly.
Sanji sighed. "We should have known that Luffy navigating any boat would end in tragedy."
"What a huge whirlpool. How careless of me," Luffy said, sounding way too calm for the situation. He began to look around. "There's no one around me either. It would be really bad if this boat gets wrecked." He let out a long sigh. "And on top of that, I can't swim." His eyes suddenly widened as a realization hit him. "Ah, wait a minute!"
"Did he come up with an idea?" Nami asked in surprise.
"It doesn't matter if I know how to swim in a situation like this!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Well, he has a point there," Zoro said neutrally.
"Indeed, he would still drown," Robin stated.
"What an idiot," Nami muttered as she sweat dropped.
The whirlpool started to suck Luffy's boat under.
"Still, if I don't do something, I'll die," Luffy said as he put his hand on his chin and began to think. The Strawhats could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
As he was thinking, his eyes fell on the barrel that was on boat. A plan formed in his head and he opened the barrel. The Strawhats watched in surprise as Luffy jumped into the barrel and closed the top before his boat was completely submerged.
"That was plan?" Nami asked in disbelief.
"He lived, so it worked," Zoro stated.
"That rubber idiot has more lives than a cat," Sanji mused.
The scene faded and the crew was covered in darkness.
"Strange, there's no new memory," Chopper said as he looked around. They weren't in the void since there was no mist.
"Hey coward, are you hiding and doing nothing again?" someone asked in a threatening voice.
"No, not at all!" a voice squealed in fear. "I was just pushing this wine barrel!"
"That voice sounds familiar," Zoro muttered.
Someone began to laugh. "We'll help lighten your load."
"We're thirsty," someone else said as they laughed.
"No way! If Lady Alvida finds out, you'll be killed!" the voice exclaimed.
"It'll be fine as long as you keep your mouth shut," another voice said with a dark edge. "Right, Coby?"
Chopper tilted his head. "Coby?"
"Isn't that the boy we met in Water 7?" Sanji asked in thought.
Zoro nodded. "I thought he sounded familiar."
"Yeah, that's true..." Coby stuttered nervously.
"He sounds different from the person we met," Chopper noted.
"Yeah, he sounds...whiny," Franky said.
"It's pretty heavy," the first voice grunted as a loud thud caught the Strawhats' ears.
"I can't wait!" the second voice exclaimed in excitement.
"Don't be greedy. I'm going to smash it open right now," the first voice said.
"Why would they smash a wine barrel they assume is filled with booze?" Brook asked.
"Apparently, these people are not too bright," Robin said causally.
Sanji blew some smoke. "Those people are in for a terrible surprise when they learn they're not getting booze, but an overgrown monkey."
There was a loud grunt that was followed by the sounds of wood breaking.
The scene finally revealed itself to the Strawhats and they saw Luffy popping out of a barrel like a jack in the box. His arms were outstretched and he appeared to be yawning.
During his antics, Luffy accidentally knocked out one of the pirates who were attempting to open his barrel.
"I slept great!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs. When he finished yelling, he looked around in confusion. "What the..."
"Now that's an entrance!" Franky laughed.
"I should have figured that that would happen," Usopp muttered.
Luffy finally took notice of the two stunned pirates and the knocked out man on the floor. "Who the hell are you?"
"Who the hell are you!?" the pirates shouted back at him.
"Your friend will catch a cold if he sleeps on the floor like that," Luffy added nonchalantly as he climbed out of the barrel.
"You're the one who knocked him out!" the pirates yelled.
One of the pirates pointed a sword at Luffy. "You bastard, stop screwing around! Don't you know that we're pirates!?"
Luffy completely ignored them and turned towards a terrified Coby.
"I'm hungry. Got any food?" Luffy asked the scared boy.
"Listen to what I'm saying!" the pirate yelled.
"Coby sure looks different," Chopper said as he gazed over the boy. If it weren't for his bright pink hair, Chopper would hardly believe that this Coby was the same one from Water 7.
"He did a lot of growing," Zoro said.
"Those glasses also did him no favors," Franky added.
Brook could only look at his crew in confusion. He had no idea what they were talking about.
"You brat!" one of the pirates yelled as they attempted to fight Luffy.
The 'fight' didn't last too long given that Luffy easily broke their swords with his bare hands, stunning Coby even more.
"What cheap swords," Zoro muttered. As strong as Luffy was, steel shouldn't have broken that easily.
"What's wrong you guys?" Luffy asked in annoyance.
"Wh...who are you?" one of the pirate asked as he shook in fear.
"Me, I'm Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy greeted as he crossed his arms. "Nice to meet ya."
This sent the pirates screaming in terror out of the room as they dragged their unconscious comrade behind them.
"Wimps, Luffy didn't even touch them and they ran way," Franky said.
Usopp shrugged. "It wouldn't have made a different. They were completely outclass."
"Wh...what just happened?" Coby stuttered, not quite believing what he had just witnessed.
"Beats me," Luffy said, not sure what happened either, but for a completely different reason.
Coby suddenly bolted towards Luffy. "Hurry up and run! When they come back, they will get the rest of their crew and kill you!"
"Even so, I'm still hungry," Luffy dismissed his concern.
"When are you not hunger?" Sanji asked humorlessly.
"How can you say that so calmly!?" Coby continued to panic.
As the scene went on Luffy managed to find his way into a storage room that was filled with crates of apples. He wasted no time eating nearly half the room while Coby told Luffy his life story.
Apparently, Coby was held captive by the Alvida Pirates two years ago after he had accidentally gotten into their boat when he attempted to go fishing. Since that time he has been forced to become Alvida's cabin boy to stay alive, which pretty much made him a glorified slave.
"You're kinda of stupid, huh?" Luffy asked bluntly once Coby had finished his story.
"Seriously, how can you mistake a fishing and pirate boat?" Nami asked as she face-palmed.
"Still, spending two years forced to be a cabin boy must have been terrible," Brook said sympathetically.
"How can you say that?" Coby muttered in shame.
"You can always run away," Luffy suggested.
"That's impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible! When I think about Lady Alvida finding out, my legs begin to shake uncontrollably!"
"Oh, so you're an idiot and a coward!" Luffy laughed. "I hate people like you!"
This caused Coby to moan, practically in tears.
"Coby reminds me of Usopp," Chopper said.
"I was never that bad!" Usopp countered angrily.
"Well, you did have your moments," Sanji said.
"You're right," Coby muttered once he had regained his composure. "Completely right...if only I was brave enough to drift in the sea in a barrel. There is something I want to do..." He paused for a moment. "Luffy, what brought you out to sea?"
"Oh, I'm going to be the Pirate King," Luffy said with a wide smile.
This revelation caused Coby to have another freak out. "Pirate King!?"
Luffy nodded. "Yeah."
"That means you're a pirate?" Coby asked in disbelief.
"Right," Luffy confirmed.
"Your crew?" Coby continued to ask.
"Don't have one yet, but I'm looking," Luffy said cheerfully. He lost his smile, however, when he saw how pale Coby had become.
"A Pirate King is someone who has everything in the world! Fame, wealth, power! Meaning, you're after the One Piece!" Coby yelled in panic.
"Yeah," Luffy said simply.
"Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, absolutely impossible!" Coby yelled frantically as he shook his head rapidly. "It would be impossible to stand on top in this Great Pirate Era! It can't be done! Impossible, impossible..."
Before Coby could go on Luffy knocked him upside the head, sending Coby to the floor.
"Bout time someone shut that kid up," Franky said as he rubbed his ear with his small mechanical hand. "Is this really the same kid from Water 7?"
"It is hard to believe that it is the same person," Nami said.
When she met Coby in Water 7 he actually briefly fought Luffy. Sure, it was one-sided fight, but Coby as he was now couldn't even standup to a low-rank pirate. He was, for the lack of better words, an utter coward.
"Why did you hit me!?" Coby exclaimed as he rubbed his injured head.
"Just 'cause," Luffy answered.
Coby slowly sat up. "It's okay, I'm used to it anyway."
Luffy gently put his hand on his hat. "It's not if it's possible or not. I do it 'cause I want to do it. I've decided long ago that I was going to be the Pirate King. If I have to die for it, I'll die."
Coby's eyes widened in awe, completely taken in by Luffy's conviction.
Zoro started to smile. The passion that Luffy was showing reminded him of himself. He could see the courage filling Coby's being as he was enraptured by Luffy's words, changing the boy even as they watch. Luffy had that particular effect on people. One could almost call it an aura.
Luffy turned to leave, ready to go look for a boat to 'borrow'.
"Not afraid to die..." Coby whispered, getting Luffy's attention. "Maybe I can join the marines."
"Marines?" Luffy asked in surprise.
"That's right, my dream is to catch bad guys! It has been my dream since my childhood!" Coby yelled, nearing tears. This was the boy the Strawhats met two years ago in Water 7.
"Since his childhood, but he's still a child," Nami said after a moment of though. "Coby can't be any more than fifteen."
Robin chuckled. "Kids do grow up fast."
"Can I do it?" Coby asked Luffy.
"How would I know?" Luffy answered honestly with a chuckle.
"No, I will!" Coby exclaimed as he pumped his arms up. "I'm going to get out of here and stop working as a slave to Lady Alvida! No, I'll catch Alvida!"
As soon as he said that, the ceiling to the storage room suddenly collapsed and a giant woman came crashing down on them. She was a really fat woman with a giant iron mace in her hands. She completely towered over Luffy and Coby.
Chopper's mouth dropped in surprise. "Wow, she's huge!"
"Who's this tub of lard?" Franky asked.
"That's Alvida. A pirate with a bounty of five million if I remember correctly," Nami stated.
Robin put her hand to her chin. "Five million, above average for this sea."
"Which isn't say much," Sanji said. "Her bounty is lower than that bandit."
"Who are you going to catch!?" Alvida asked Coby in a booming voice.
Coby looked like he was going to pass out from fear.
Alvida glared at Coby before she turned her attention towards Luffy. She gave the boy pirate a long look before smirking. "You're not the Pirate Hunter, Zoro."
Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Zoro?"
Zoro also raised an eyebrow at the mention of his name.
Alvida turned her attention back towards Coby. "Coby, who's the most beautiful woman on these seas?"
"Sure in hell isn't you," Franky answered, which made Brook laugh loudly.
"Is she serious about that question?" Nami asked in disbelief. She'd heard rumors, but still.
"There must be no mirrors on her ship," Zoro said casually. She most likely broke all of them by staring into them too long.
Coby stuttered to answer. "Well...that would be, of course..."
"Hey Coby, who's the ugly, fat lady?" Luffy asked bluntly as he pointed at Alvida.
Both Coby and Alvida's jaws dropped in shock, while the Strawhats burst into laughter. Zoro couldn't stop himself as he almost doubled over in laughter. Robin put a hand to her mouth to hide her amusement.
Sanji tried not to laugh, but failed utterly. He may love women, but ugly was ugly.
"Fat! What has he done!?" one of the Alvida Pirate yelled in disbelief. They were all looking down the hole their captain had made.
"Burn, deep burn!" Franky laughed.
"Leave it to Luffy to tell it like it is," Usopp laughed, nearly losing his breath.
Veins started to appear on Alvida's head. She wasn't amuse. "YOU BRAT!" she roared in fury.
She brought her mace up and was ready to crush Luffy's skull in. Luffy easily evaded the attack and jumped towards Coby.
"Let's go!" Luffy yelled as he grabbed Coby's arm. He bent his knees and jumped so high that he exited through the hole Alvida made earlier.
As soon as he was out of the storage room, Alvida's pirate crew attempted to attack him. They stood no chance. Luffy played with them through the entire fight and even faked it by making the pirates believe that they had him on the run. Throughout the entire battle, he used his powers once. Most of the fight was just him throwing the crew around like rag dolls.
"Very different from the kid who couldn't even stand up to mountain bandits," Sanji said with slight amusement. Luffy's feats of strength never ceased to impress him, especially after watching how much Luffy had grown since they started watching his memories.
"Luffy...what are you?" Coby asked after seeing Luffy used his ability.
Luffy happily grabbed his cheek and stretched it. "I'm a rubberman."
"Rubberman...?" Coby repeated in disbelief. He was completely unaware that Alvida was now standing behind him.
Alvida gave a loud grunt, gaining Coby's attention. He turned around and squealed when he saw the female pirate. Coby quickly ran behind Luffy for protection.
"You ate a Devil Fruit, right?" Alvida asked, although she already knew the answer.
"Yeah, I ate the Gum Gum Fruit," Luffy confirmed.
"Is that so? I've heard rumors about it, but I didn't think they actually existed," Alvida said in mild wonderment. "You have some moves. Are you a bounty hunter?"
"I'm a pirate," Luffy corrected.
"Pirate?" Alvida scoffed. "Just you?"
"It's just me right now, but I'll get a crew eventually," Luffy answered cheerfully.
Alvida laughed at him.
"Lu...Luffy, run..." Coby whispered in fear.
"Why?" Luffy asked.
"You saw the power of her mace. This person is..." Coby suddenly stopped himself in mid-sentence.
"What were you about to say, Coby?" Alvida asked with a wide grin on her face.
Coby gritted his teeth in determination after a moment. "Alvida is the ugliest woman in the entire world!"
"Speak the truth, Coby!" Franky cheered.
Sanji knocked some ashes off of his cigarette. "I wouldn't call her the ugliest, but she's definitely in the top ten."
Alvida's eyes blackened in anger.
Luffy laugh loudly. He was laughing so hard that he was clenching his chest.
"What did you say!?" Alvida demanded.
"I'm going to become a marine and fight pirates like you!" Coby yelled as he gained more courage. "I'll join the marines and capture your lousy ass first!"
This sent Alvida over the edge. "You're dead, brat!" she yelled as she raised her mace, ready to smash Coby through the ship.
Coby froze in fear and gave a loud scream.
"You can't give a speech like that and then scream in terror," Sanji said dryly.
"Still, it's a big step considering that he isn't strong enough to beat that woman, yet," Brook said. "I mean, just seconds ago he couldn't even think about standing to Alvida."
"Well said!" Luffy exclaimed as he pushed Coby of the way and took the full force of Alvida's mace.
Despite the mace having spikes on it, they were obviously not well sharpened since there was no blood on Luffy's head and he showed no signs of pain.
Luffy smiled cockily. "That won't work."
"What!?" Alvida exclaimed in disbelief.
"I'm rubber!" Luffy yelled as he knocked Alvida's mace upwards, leaving her completely open. Luffy pulled his arm back. "Gum Gum Pistol!"
With one punch to the gut, Alvida went flying off the cruise ship and into the sea like a cannonball. Her crew was left completely shell-shocked.
"Not even a challenge," Sanji mused.
"I guess that's what a five million bounty gets you," Franky said, disappointed that he didn't get to see a good fight.
"If Luffy had even a little difficult with a pirate of that calibrator, he might as well go home and go back to playing pirate," Zoro said in a slightly teasing voice.
Luffy turned to address Alvida's crew. "Hey, give Coby a boat. He's leaving to join the marines."
No one on Alvida's crew argued as they rushed to find Luffy and Coby a suitable sailboat. It didn't come a moment too soon since the marines took this moment to finally arrive. The two boys had to make a quick exit and dumped the boat unceremoniously into the sea with them in it.
As they landed in the water, something caught the edge of Luffy's eye. He turned his head to see a young woman who was also in the water. They both stared at each in shock, obviously not expecting one another.
"Hey, isn't that Nami-san?" Brook asked when he saw the woman.
"It is Nami!" Usopp confirmed in surprise. "What she's doing there?"
Nami chuckled. "I was robbing Alvida's ship while she was attacking the cruise ship. I got a lot of gold too."
"Figures as much," Zoro said dryly.
"Isn't that the outfit you were wearing in Luffy's dream?" Brook asked.
"Yeah, it's exact same outfit," Sanji said in an amazement. Did Luffy really remember what Nami was wearing in such a brief encounter?
"It would seem you caught his eye even then, Nami," Robin noted with a smile.
After a few minutes of chaos, Luffy and Coby were out of danger and sailing peacefully across the sea.
"We got away somehow," Coby sighed in relief.
Luffy started to chuckle. "That was fun!"
"It would be for you," Nami muttered.
Usopp sighed. "Life and death situations is just normal fun for him."
Although, given Luffy's childhood, he could understand why Luffy saw life and death struggles to be normal.
"Um Luffy, if the One Piece is your goal, that means you're heading towards the Grand Line, right?"
"Yeah," Luffy said, smiling happily.
"That's place is called a pirate's graveyard," Coby said in concern.
"That's why I need a strong crew," Luffy said before he paused for a moment in thought. "That pirate hunter, what kind of guy is he?"
"You mean Zoro?" Coby asked. "I heard he had been captured by the marines."
Luffy sighed in disappointment "Oh, he's weak then."
This caused Sanji to chuckle.
"Shut up, at least he's heard of me, Pirate A!" Zoro yelled.
Sanji immediately stopped laughing. "What was that, shitty swordsman!?"
"How did Zoro get captured by the marines?" Chopper asked before a full fight could break out.
"Maybe they caught him while he was asleep," Brook offered.
"It's not impossible," Nami said in thought.
Usopp nodded. "Yeah, that's most likely what happened."
"Shut up!" Zoro yelled at his crewmates.
"Not at all!" the Strawhats heard Coby yell in terror. "He's a terrifying beast!" He paused for a second. "Why are you asking?"
Luffy smiled. "If he's a nice guy, I thought I'd make him part of my crew."
Coby gasped in shock and the memory ended there.
"So, Luffy purposely sought Zoro out," Robin said in interest.
"Well, Zoro was quite infamous even back in East Blue. Even I'd heard of him," Usopp said. And nothing he heard about Zoro was good, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. He valued his life.
A new memory came, getting the Strawhats' attention. Luffy and Coby were still on the sailboat, but some time had passed given the position of the sun.
"Monster, huh?" Luffy asked as he sat on the figurehead on the small sailboat.
Coby nodded. "Yeah, Roronoa Zoro is also known as the Pirate Hunter. I've heard rumors that he's a bloodthirsty hound. He wonders around the sea and hunts down fugitives like a rabid dog. He's a terrible demon."
"If they only knew," Sanji joked. Despite Zoro's fierce reputation, he really was a marshmallow.
"How did these kinds of rumors start?" Zoro grumbled in annoyance.
He had and would never care how people viewed him, but it still irritated him how people call him a demon without any real reason. He guessed he should be grateful since it was his infamous reputation that led Luffy to him.
"I haven't decided yet if I'm going to recruit him," Luffy said honestly. "But if he's a good person..."
"He's arrested because he's bad!" Coby snapped.
"To be so naive," Franky muttered under his breath. What happened to Tom immediately came to mind.
"I'm confused, if Zoro hunted fugitives wouldn't he be a good guy to people?" Chopper asked in confusion.
"From what I've heard, Zoro had a tendency to bring in his bounties sliced to bits or even dead. I've even heard he brought in just a guy's head once for the reward. He also had a reputation of causing large amount of collateral damage and it was rumored that he burnt down a town," Nami said as she remembered all the rumors about Zoro. "By the standards of East Blue, Zoro was very brutal."
Chopper squealed in fright.
"That's an exaggeration," Zoro said, although he wouldn't explain how or what was exaggerated.
It took them a while, but the two boys eventually reached an island with a large marine base stationed on the far side. When they docked, Luffy immediately jumped out of the boat in excitement, not even waiting for Coby to finish tying the boat to the dock.
"We're here! The town where the marines are!" Luffy cheered. In front of him was large marine base on the other side of the island.
The two boys walked down the crowded marketplace while Coby continued to try to convince Luffy of all of the reasons why he shouldn't recruit Zoro.
Of course, Luffy took no heed of his warnings. What were the warnings to him, anyway? Ace and he were called monsters and demons, so how bad could Zoro really be?
"I wonder if Zoro is inside the base?" Luffy wondered out loud.
This caused the people in the area to panic and jumped back in fear, surprising Luffy.
"Zoro, what did you do in this town?" Usopp asked as he looked at the swordsman.
"I didn't do anything," Zoro growled in annoyance. He was starting to hate this memory. He really didn't want his crew to see the state he was in thanks to that stupid marine son.
He supposed it was a fair turnaround in a way. They saw a lot of Luffy's private memories, so now it was their turn.
"It seems Zoro's name is taboo," Coby whispered to Luffy.
They began their walk again.
"Anyway, let's head towards the base. You want to be a marine, right?" Luffy asked.
"Yes, but I'm not ready yet," Coby said timidly. "I've heard Captain Morgan is in charge of this base."
Before Coby could say anything more, the townspeople who overheard him had the exact same reaction to hearing Morgan's name as Zoro's.
"Okay, that's a little weird," Nami said, slightly unnerved.
"It would seem that the marine captain is feared in this town," Robin noted.
After a few more minutes of walking, the duo reached the gate of the marine base.
"Alright, this is the place," Luffy said as they stood at the entrance.
"I'm finally here," Coby said with tears in his eyes. He'd started to say more, but Luffy walked away from him and climbed the wall that lead to the marine base. He started to look around.
"Now, where's that demon?" Luffy asked cheerfully.
"Do you think Luffy believed that Zoro was actually a demon?" Usopp asked.
"It is a possibility," Robin answered after some thought. "Given Luffy's past, however, he may just believe demon is a term given out of fear by people. Remember, Luffy was called a demon, among other things, after he ate his Devil Fruit."
Chopper nodded. "He may think Zoro's misunderstood."
Sanji folded his arms. "He must have been disappointed when he learned the truth."
Zoro growled at his rival.
After searching for a few seconds, something caught Luffy's eye. There was a person out on the open field not too far from the main gate.
"There he is!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement as he jumped off the wall and ran to the other end of the base.
Once he had arrived at his new location, he climbed the wall again and saw a man tied to pole that was in the shape of a cross.
The man looked awful to say the least. His white shirt was so filthy that it was stained black in several places. He hung limply on the pole and didn't appear to even be alive. A greenish-black bandana was wrapped around his forehead, which was the only thing keeping sweat out of his eyes. He looked nothing like a demon.
"WHAT!?" Chopper exclaimed in shock when he saw Zoro's condition. "What happened to you!?"
Zoro said nothing as he closed his eye.
Nami put her hand to her mouth in shock. Zoro didn't even look alive here.
Sanji was completely taken back by what he saw. It was obvious by the bones showing through the swordsman's shirt that he had not eaten in a long time. He was also badly dehydrated given the rubbery appearance of his skin. Sanji had only seen Zoro in this bad of condition a few times.
"Those bastards are starving him," Sanji growled in disgust. These weren't marines. These were monsters.
"What a horrible thing to do," Brook muttered. He couldn't think of making a skull joke at that moment.
Coby had joined Luffy on the wall and also looked horrified, although for a completely different reason. Despite Zoro's weakened state, the younger boy was still terrified of him.
"If we untie his ropes, he can escape, right?" Luffy asked Coby as he pointed to the half-dead man.
"Don't do a stupid thing like that!" Coby yelled in fright. "What do you think will happen once we let him go!? I'm sure he'll kill you!"
"No problem, I'm strong," Luffy said dismissively, making Coby nearly fell off the wall.
"You kids," the gravelly voice of Zoro grunted. He looked up towards Luffy and Coby in aggravation. His eyes were bloodshot, giving him the appearance of something less than human. Coby squealed in terror. "You're bothering me. Go away."
Coby looked ready to jump out of his skin and begged Luffy once again not to recruit Zoro.
Chopper frowned as he looked over Zoro's condition with his professional eyes. "He hasn't been sleeping well. Given the condition of his body, Zoro is only a few days away from death."
Zoro glanced at the reindeer, but said nothing. He knew he was in terrible shape, but he didn't know he was that closed to dying. Well, like he would have died from just this, but it was still unsettling to hear.
"No one, not even Zoro, would be sleeping well tied up to a pole like that," Usopp said as he worriedly looked over memory Zoro.
While this happening, a wooden ladder suddenly appeared on the wall. Coby stopped talking as a little girl climbed the ladder and used a rope to climb down the stone wall. She ran over to Zoro, holding something in her hands.
"What?" Zoro in the memory asked impatiently.
"Aren't you hungry? I made you some rice balls," the girl said kindly as she held out her package.
"Oh, that so sweet of her," Nami said.
"You're going to get killed," Zoro in the memory said bluntly. "Go away."
"You haven't eaten anything," the girl said stubbornly as she unwrapped the two rice balls and held them out for Zoro to see. "Here, this is my first try."
Zoro's eyes widened for a moment before they hardened again. He turned his head away from the offered rice balls. "I'm not hungry!"
The girl was hurt by Zoro's refusal. "But..."
"Don't make me kick your ass little girl!" Zoro yelled.
"That's very impolite, Zoro," Brook said as he looked at the fellow swordsman.
"Yeah, you can at least have manner to a little girl, moss head. Especially a girl offering your starving ass food," Sanji scowled.
"Is this another one of your swordsman's pride crap?" Nami asked, also upset with Zoro. "You're dying of starvation and you still refuse food."
Zoro still refused to say anything.
"You shouldn't bully kids, Roronoa Zoro," a voice teased, stopping the Strawhats from scowling their Zoro.
The crew turned to see a wimpy looking man with blond hair walking towards Zoro with two marines by his side.
"I think we've seen him before," Nami said as she rubbed her chin.
"I believe he was with Coby back in Water 7," Robin said. "Helmeppo, I believe his name was. He was the one who challenged Zoro."
"Sheesh, what are the marines feeding these kids?" Franky asked as he remembered what Helmeppo looked like.
The Zoro in the memory looked very annoyed to see the man.
"Looks like you still have a lot of energy, Roronoa Zoro," Helmeppo said smugly. He finally took notice of the girl. "Oh, a rice ball." He greedily snatched one of the rice balls from the girl.
"No!" the girl exclaimed.
Helmeppo took a nice sized bite out of the rice ball. After a few chews, he made a face and began to rapidly spit it out.
"Nasty!" Helmeppo screamed as he stuck out his tongue. He turned angrily towards the girl. "It's full of sugar! Rice balls need salt! Salt!"
"But I thought it would taste better sweet," the girl said innocently.
Helmeppo knocked the remaining rice ball out of the girl's hands and stomped it into the ground.
"Stop, stop!" the girl pleaded.
"That bastard," Sanji growled. How dare he waste food over such a silly thing. In front of a starving man too, no less.
"That's so mean," Usopp growled. "Even if it was full of sugar, it was still edible. And it was her first time too. How could he be so cruel?"
Sanji was shaking in rage. "If I see that bastard again, I'll give him a good kick in the head."
With one last stomp for good measure, Helmeppo finally stopped. There was nothing left of the rice ball except a smudge on the ground with Helmeppo's shoe print on it.
The girl looked like she was going to cry as she knelt before her ruin rice ball. "I...worked so hard..."
Zoro in the memory stared down at the girl with sympathetic eyes, but said nothing.
"Geez, you haven't read the poster yet?" Helmeppo sighed as he took out a piece of paper from his jacket. "Anyone who helps any prisoners will be executed by order of Captain Morgan."
The girl paled in fright.
"You know my father, right?" Helmeppo asked cockily.
"He's not going to kill her, is he?" Chopper asked in worry.
Brook narrowed his eyes sockets. "Even he can't be that cruel."
Helmeppo turned towards one of his men. "Throw her out."
The marine recoiled at the order.
Helmeppo grabbed the marine by the collar. "I'm telling you to throw her out! Are you disobeying my order? I'll tell my daddy!"
"Yes, right away..." the marine stuttered as he walked towards the girl.
He grabbed the girl gently by her dress and tossed her over the gate. Before she could hit the ground, however, Luffy quickly caught her.
"What a horrible thing to do," Nami said in disgust. "How could Coby become friends with such a jerk?"
"I'm beginning to wonder that too," Usopp said as he glared at Helmeppo.
"At least he was not heartless enough to kill her," Robin stated.
Zoro in the memory growled at Helmeppo. "You bastard."
Helmeppo laughed at him. "You're really stubborn to still be alive."
"Yeah, I will live through the entire month," Zoro proclaimed with certainty.
This caused Helmeppo to laugh again. "Well, do your best."
"Ten more days left," Zoro reminded him.
"Only if you live that long," Helmeppo replied smugly as he left the prison yard.
Once Helmeppo had left, Luffy jumped over the wall and walked slowly towards Zoro. Luffy suddenly stopped and winkled his nose like he had smelled something bad in the air.
"What's wrong with him?" Usopp asked.
Nami glanced at the dirt in the prison yard and got her answer. "Luffy is standing down-wind from Zoro."
"So?" Franky asked in bewilderment.
Chopper understood what Nami was saying. "Zoro has been hanging on that pole for almost a month. On top of him sweating into his clothes, I doubt the marines let him down to use the restroom."
There was a long paused as the Strawhats took in this information.
"You mean..." Usopp said slowly before he stuck out his tongue. "Gross!" He wanted to shower just thinking about it.
Brook shook his head. His skin would have crawled, if he had any. "I can only imagine what Zoro must smell like."
"I don't want to imagine," Sanji said as he winkled his nose. "Moss head smells bad enough even when he's clean."
Zoro growled at Sanji, but said nothing. He would kill the cook later.
"Given how long Zoro has been in his own waste, he must have developed a serious rash in his nether region," Chopper said in his professional voice.
Robin put her hand on her chin. "I am surprise that his parts have not started to rot away."
"What's wrong with you two!?" Usopp yelled at Chopper and Robin.
Zoro gave his two crewmates a death glare.
Once Luffy got over the stench, he walked until he was only a couple feet away from Zoro. The pirate hunter didn't address him and they stood in silence for a few seconds.
"So, you're a bad guy?" Luffy asked bluntly.
"You're still here?" Zoro asked in a bored tone.
"Being tied up and publicly humiliated. Are you really strong?" Luffy asked. He sounded more than a little disappointed.
"Mind your own business!" Zoro snapped.
Luffy walked closer to Zoro and made noise that was akin to getting a crappy Christmas gift after you had your expectations high.
He gave Zoro a quick once over before he smiled. "If it was me, I would have escaped in three days."
"I'm different from you," Zoro said before he gave his signature smirk. "I will survive and show them."
Luffy wasn't impressed. "What a stubborn guy," he mused before he turned to leave.
"Wait a sec!" Zoro suddenly called, stopping Luffy. The rubber boy turned around to face Zoro, who was looking down at the ruined rice ball. "Can you get that?"
Luffy walked over and picked up the rice ball's remains. "Are you really going to eat this? It's more like a mud ball."
"Shut and give it me!" Zoro shouted impatiently. His eyes were wide with desperation.
Luffy gave into the swordsman's demands and threw the rice ball into his mouth. Zoro greedily ate it, rocks and all. He briefly choked on the remains of the food.
"Told you," Luffy said.
"It was...delicious," Zoro whispered, surprising Luffy. "Thanks for the food."
The look on Luffy's face change and he gave a gentle smiled.
The memory ended there.
"That was so sweet of you, Zoro-san," Brook said in admiration.
"It was nothing. When you go nearly a month without eating, anything tastes good," Zoro said. That was still the best rice ball he ever had. He only wished he had water to wash it down.
Sanji didn't say it, but his respect for the swordsman greatly went up. He knew the pain of starving better than anyone. For Zoro to do it willingly for a month was beyond anything he would be willing to do (unless it was for a lady, of course). He was also impressed that Zoro was willing to eat food off the ground instead of letting it go to waste. Too many people were snobby about having a little dirt on their food.
"It's funny that Luffy was so unimpressed with Zoro at first," Nami mused.
"Well, he was tied to a pole, looked like utter crap, and smelt like rotting meat," Franky said. "I mean, you would never have guessed he was some infamous swordsman."
"Yet, eating that girl's ruined rice ball impress him," Usopp said in thought.
"I think Luffy figured that Zoro ate the rice ball not only to ease his hunger, but to also cheer up the little girl who went through so much to make it for him," Robin surmised.
Brook looked towards Zoro. "Is that true."
Zoro refused to answer, but his silence and stance gave the crew their answer.
Franky laughed as he patted Zoro on the back. "You really are a soft-hearted dude, Zoro."
"But why were you arrested in the first place, Zoro?" Chopper asked the older man.
As if answering his question, a new memory appeared. Luffy was sitting on a barrel next to Coby as they spoke to the little girl from the prison yard.
Her name was Rika and she wanted to help Zoro after he had saved her from Helmeppo's pet dog, which was really a wild wolf.
Helmeppo had allowed the wild 'dog' to wonder the streets and it viciously attacked people every day. One day, the dog entered the restaurant that Rika's mom owned and started to attack their customers. Rika tried to shoo the dog away and was nearly mauled until Zoro killed it.
Helmeppo was enraged and threatened to kill Zoro until he realized who he was. Knowing that he couldn't win a physical fight with the pirate hunter, he instead made a deal. Helmeppo would spare Rika and her mother if Zoro willingly allowed himself to be arrested and survived one month without food. Zoro took the offer. He had been imprisoned for three weeks and suffered Helmeppo's abuse daily.
"So that's what happened," Coby whispered, aghast by what he heard. Marines were supposed to protect, not use their power to bully people. That was what pirates did.
Rika was close to tears from telling her story.
Robin gave Coby a look of pity. In a span of an afternoon, he was already exposed to the corruption within the marines. Sadly, marines like Morgan and Helmeppo were small fries compare to the real monsters at Marine Headquarters.
Franky patted Zoro on the back. "You really are one super dude, Zoro. You're a man among man."
"That was a very kind thing you did," Nami agreed with a smile on her face. Despite all of Zoro's crap and hard talk, he was still generally a good person who was a marshmallow at times.
"So, moss head does have a heart," Sanji teased lightly.
Chopper was closed to tears and had stars in his eyes. "Zoro's so honorable."
Zoro was deeply embarrassed by all the praise.
"But still, how could you trust that guy to keep his promise?" Usopp suddenly asked. "He doesn't seem like the type to honor an agreement."
Once again, as if answering the Strawhats' question, Luffy saw Helmeppo enter the restaurant that Rika's mom owned.
"I'm hungry, feed me and my men for free!" Helmeppo ordered loudly as he put his foot on the table.
"Shit head! Speak politely to a woman," Sanji growled. "I already owe you an ass beating for wasting that rice ball."
Helmeppo laughed arrogantly as he was poured some wine. "Since I'm tired of waiting, I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it everyone." He laughed again.
"What a slime ball!" Usopp yelled angrily. "He never intended to keep his promise!"
Chopper put his hooves to his mouth. "What a horrible thing to do! He left Zoro hanging there for weeks and he's just going to kill him!"
Nami sighed and shook her head. Despite Zoro's distrusting nature, he could be surprisingly naive at times. That was how she got his debt so high.
"How dare that man not keep his word after Zoro-san made their promise on good fate," Brook growled as he reached for his sword.
Luffy agreed and rushed towards the arrogant marine son. Before Helmeppo knew what was happening, Luffy decked him hard across the face and sent the arrogant marine son flying across the restaurant. Helmeppo didn't stop until he slammed into a nearby wall.
"Wh...who the hell are you!?" Helmeppo demanded as he grabbed his swollen cheek.
"He is pretty tough. He's jaw was not broken," Robin mused darkly. She figured it was because Luffy held back slightly. Even angry, Luffy never used his full strength against those weakened than him unless completely enraged.
Luffy was ready to attack Helmeppo again when Coby ran in and physically restrained the rubber captain.
"Luffy, stop!" Coby shouted in a pleading voice.
"He's trash!" Luffy growled like a wild animal. He was literally shaking in anger.
"You...you hit me," Helmeppo whined. "I'm Captain Morgan's son!"
"Like I care!" Luffy yelled as he moved to hit him again, only be held back by Coby.
"I'll tell my daddy and you will be executed!" Helmeppo shouted angrily as tears built in his eyes.
"Why don't you do stuff on your own?" Luffy sneered.
"Luffy, please calm down. You shouldn't make the marines your enemy," Coby said as he struggled to hold Luffy.
"Did Coby forget that Luffy's a pirate?" Sanji asked with an air of amusement as he stared at the pink-haired boy. "Regardless of what Luffy does here, he's already an enemy of the marines."
"Technically, Luffy is not a pirate yet," Robin said. "The marines only acknowledge a person as a pirate if they raise the Jolly Roger or work under a known pirate. Simply saying you are a pirate is not enough to get you wanted or arrested."
"Coby, I've decided," Luffy suddenly said getting the crew's attention. His eyes hardened in absolution. "Zoro will join my crew!"
The scene faded after Luffy's proclamation.
Zoro said nothing, but he was deeply touched by Luffy's actions. Although Coby told him these events, it was something different to witness it first-hand. Without even knowing him, Luffy took him up for his honor.
Soon, another memory appeared and the Strawhats were back in the prison yard. Zoro was much the same as before except he was glaring coldly at someone.
"You again, you have too much free time," Zoro huffed in annoyance.
"I'm going to untie your ropes, and then you will become my crewmate," Luffy stated bluntly.
"Wow, he didn't even ask," Usopp muttered.
Sanji sighed. "Once he decides you're his crewmate, you might as well hang it up."
Zoro in the memory snorted at him. "What did you say?"
"I'm looking for people to join my pirate crew," Luffy said as he moved closer to the swordsman.
"I refuse," Zoro said coldly, stopping Luffy. "You want me to become a bad guy? Screw that." He turned his head away from Luffy.
"Didn't know you cared about being a bad guy, Zoro," Nami teased.
This earned an annoyed grunt from Zoro. "I don't, but I wasn't going to lower myself into becoming some lowlife pirate."
He also hated the idea of following anyone. He was his own man, not some pirate flunky. There wasn't a man in the world he would follow. At least, that's what he believed at the time. How wrong he was.
"What's wrong with being a pirate?" Luffy asked, upset by Zoro's refusal.
"Pirates are scum. Why would I want to be one?" Zoro asked, although it really wasn't a question.
"Does it matter?" Luffy asked with a slight smile. "Everyone thinks you're an evil demon anyway."
"I don't care what society thinks of me," Zoro said before he narrowed his eyes. "I've never regretted doing anything in my life. I will survive and do what I want."
"Hmmm," Luffy muttered before he folded his arms. "But I've already decided that you'll be my crewmate."
"You can't just decide that!" Zoro in the memory yelled, completely losing his previous cool.
"I think he just did," Franky joked.
"That rubber idiot could never take no for an answer," Sanji sighed. Although, he was smiling as he said that.
"You use swords, right?" Luffy suddenly asked.
"Yeah, but that stupid marine son took them," Zoro said as he slumped further onto the pole. He sounded close to whining.
"I'll get them for you," Luffy offered before he smirked. "If you want them back, you have to join my crew."
"You're so dense!" Zoro in the memory shouted as he rocked on his pole. If he could, he would had reached out and strangled the rubber boy.
Nami began to chuckle. "Luffy and blackmail, never thought I'd see the day."
"It seems anyone can blackmail Zoro," Usopp noted.
Robin smiled. "That is because Zoro is too honest."
Zoro grunted, but said nothing as he closed his eye. This memory was too personal for his liking.
Luffy laughed as he ran towards the marine base. He walked around for a moment before a noise got his attention.
"There's noise coming from the roof," Luffy said to himself. He smiled and pulled his arm back. He stretched his arm until he grabbed the edge of the roof. "Let's have a look."
"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?" Usopp asked in dread.
"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy shouted.
He rocketed himself up, but he quickly lost control and shot himself too high. To keep himself from flying further, Luffy grabbed a nearby rope, which stopped his ascent. Unfortunately, the rope was tied to a statue that was being hoisted up.
When Luffy landed, the statue fell over and broke in half as it hit the edge of the roof. The remains of the upper half toppled off the roof and crashed onto the ground.
All the marines on the roof were left speechless as they stared at the ruined statue. There was complete silence.
"Oh..." Chopper muttered as he looked over the damage. He knew Luffy was in trouble.
"Well...that's an entrance," Franky chuckled.
Nami sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I swear. Can't he do anything without breaking something?"
Brook laughed loudly, while Robin softly chuckled.
"I saw the statue being built while I was hanging on that pole. Luffy did us all a favor breaking it," Zoro said with an amused smile.
"Sorry," Luffy said meekly to what appeared to be the authority figure. The man was tall and had a giant axe instead of a right hand. He also had what appeared to be a metal jaw. The man had to be the marine captain, Ax-Hand Morgan
Morgan looked towards Luffy and glared furiously at him. "Capture him! I'll kill him myself!"
Helmeppo was also there and he immediately recognized Luffy. "Father, that's the guy who punched me!"
Luffy stepped in front of Helmeppo, causing the man to scream in terror. "Hey, it's you!"
Helmeppo attempted to run from the rubberman, but Luffy quickly grabbed him by his shoulder.
"I was looking for you," Luffy said cheerfully. "Come with me!"
Luffy ran into the marine base while Helmeppo could only cry in horror. He dragged Helmeppo across the floor of the base as the marines chased after him. Luffy dragged the marine son through the base for several minutes as he looked for the desired swords.
The Strawhats would have felt a little sympathetic for Helmeppo if they didn't remember that he was going to execute Zoro for no reason other than he was bored. He deserved a little pain.
"Hey, where's Zoro's sword?" Luffy finally asked.
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you, just stop dragging me!" Helmeppo yelled for mercy.
He stopped so Helmeppo could answer. The man looked dreadful as he lay limply in Luffy's hand.
"Okay, talk," Luffy said.
Helmeppo weakly pointed behind Luffy. "It's in my room. You just passed it."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Luffy complained.
"Don't move!" several marines shouted at Luffy as they pointed their rifles at him. "Release Lord Helmeppo!"
"No," Luffy said as he lifted Helmeppo up and held him in front of him like a shield. "But you can shoot if you want."
Helmeppo immediately started to panic. "Don't shoot!"
With the marines flustered, Luffy ran passed them while still using Helmeppo as a shield.
"Did Luffy really need to do that?" Usopp asked dryly. "It's not like the bullets can actually hurt him."
"He's just doing it to be a jerk," Zoro stated. He had a smirk on his face. It was more than satisfying watching Helmeppo scream in panic and terror.
Brook shook his head. Even if Helmeppo was a dishonorable jerk, it wasn't okay to use human shields in his eyes. Although, he had no eyes. Brook chuckled under his breath.
"Although, you can't feel sorry for the shit head," Sanji said as he lit another cigarette.
After dragging Helmeppo for a few more feet, he reached the frazzled man's room. The room was very feminine with pink walls and flowers decorating every inch of them. Helmeppo even had his own makeup dresser.
"Not surprised," Sanji muttered under his breath.
Nami shook her head. "This is too girly even for me."
"I thought he wore eyeliner," Zoro said nonchalantly.
Luffy quickly scanned the room until his eyes fell on three swords that were leaning against one of the walls. He walked up to the swords and looked very confused. "There're three here." He turned towards Helmeppo. "Which one's Zoro?"
He got no answer since Helmeppo had passed out.
"He fainted just from that. This guy really is a wimp," Usopp muttered. How did he become so strong by the time they reached Water 7?
Luffy sighed in annoyance when sounds came through Helmeppo's window. He looked out the window and saw Zoro and Coby facing down a firing squad. Captain Morgan was also with them.
"Coby!" Luffy exclaimed in shock.
"Looks like they decided to execute moss head early," Sanji observed.
Chopper gasped in horror. "Zoro's going to die!"
"We're not that lucky," Sanji with a regrettable tone.
"Shove it, swirls!" Zoro yelled.
"Why did they tried to kill you ahead of time?" Nami asked.
Zoro turned away from his rival. "That Morgan guy figured I was with Luffy and trying to overthrow him, or some crap like that. I don't understand stupid."
"But that's your native language," Sanji teased.
Zoro reached for his swords. "I'll kill you."
Luffy knew he had to act fast, so he quickly grabbed all three of the swords and tied them to his back. He then grabbed the window and pulled himself back until he was nice and taunt.
"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy shouted as he let go and went flying through the window, shattering the glass.
With near prefect aim, he landed directly in front of Zoro and Coby. He came just in time as several bullets hit his rubber skin, causing both Coby and Zoro to cry in alarm. Luffy smiled as he felt his body stretched as it caught the bullets.
"Won't work!" He shouted as he pushed his chest out and deflected the bullets back at the marines, completely freaking them out. Luffy laughed at them.
"Told you I was strong!" Luffy yelled, still laughing.
"Wh...what are you!?" Zoro in the memory demanded as the shock started to wear out.
Luffy turned towards Zoro, grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "I'm Luffy and I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
This caught Zoro by surprise."Wha...what? Become the Pirate King!? Do you know what you're saying!?"
"Pirate King is Pirate King. What else would it mean?" Luffy asked as if Zoro was a silly child.
"It's funny watching you freak out over seeing Luffy's abilities," Franky chuckled.
Chopper frowned. "You look almost...scared."
"Seeing someone deflect bullets was not something I'd seen before I met Luffy," Zoro defended with some heat.
"For many of us, Luffy was the first Devil Fruit user we ever met," Nami said. Buggy was actually the first Devil Fruit user she seen in action, but she didn't want to remember him.
"You have to remember that Devil Fruits are very rare in the Blue Seas," Robin said. "It is so rare, that Devil Fruits are often seen as a myth. That is why Devil Fruit users are often thought of as monsters."
Brook nodded as he through of Luffy's childhood. "Very true. I have seen countless people rejected by their societies because they didn't understand what a Devil Fruit was."
"Here's your sword," Luffy said as he held out the three swords, somehow expecting a tied up Zoro to grab them. "Which one is it? I couldn't tell so I grabbed all three of them."
"I use all three," Zoro said as he moved his arms, trying to get feeling back into them. "I use a three-sword style."
Luffy blinked at him for several seconds. He was probably wondering where Zoro put the third sword.
"Okay, take them," Luffy said before he began to grin. "But if you fight with me, you owe me. Being killed by the marines or coming with me... Which one will you chose?" he practically sang the last part.
This caused some of the Strawhats to snicker. Even Zoro had a soft smile in fondness.
"You son of a devil," Zoro in the memory grinned. "Fine, I would rather be a pirate than die here."
"Great, my first crewmate!" Luffy cheered, completely forgetting the danger they were still in. He danced happily. "Alright, this is prefect!"
"I get it, now set me free!" Zoro yelled in irritation.
"If guns don't work, then cut them to pieces!" Morgan ordered his men once the shock of Luffy's ability had worn out.
Within moments, all the marines in the prison yard charged the small group. Luffy and Coby had their own problems untying Zoro's ropes.
"I can't untie this knot," Luffy muttered. "Stupid marine knots."
"Stop screwing around!" Zoro yelled as he tried to pull himself free.
"You know, why doesn't he used one of those three swords to cut the ropes?" Franky asked.
"Because he's a moron," Zoro answered. There was no malice or ill-will as he said that. It was spoken in fondness.
The marines were getting closer.
"Hmm, that's funny. The knot is getting tighter," Luffy muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Just give me my damn sword!" Zoro yelled in frustration.
Coby screamed in terror as the marines appeared behind Luffy, ready to cut him to shreds. Luffy at that moment handed Zoro one of his swords and the swordsman somehow managed to free himself by using a swift twisting motion with his wrist.
With Zoro free, he grabbed his remaining swords out of Luffy's hands and quicker than the rubberman could blink, Zoro had caught all the marines in mid-swing. Even half-starved, weakened, and closed to death, Zoro was still able to hold back at least twenty marines with little effort.
"Whoa, cool!" Luffy exclaimed from the display of strength and speed.
"That's so awesome!" Chopper also exclaimed with stars in his eyes. Zoro was just too cool for words.
"You make one move and you're dead," Zoro growled fiercely.
This caused the marines to completely freeze in fear.
"What a bunch of pathetic wimps," Sanji said as he watched the marines nearly piss themselves.
Zoro turned to address Luffy. "I promise to be a pirate. Opposing the marines now makes me a wanted man." He narrowed his eyes as his glared at his new captain. "However, I'll tell you one thing. I will always follow my own ambitions!"
This peaked Luffy's interest. "Ambitions?"
"To become the world's greatest swordsman," Zoro proclaimed. He was staring at Luffy so intensively that his eyes seem to glow. "If you ever do anything that causes me to lose my ambitions, you will apologize to me at the end of a sword."
"Did you just tell Luffy to commit seppuku?" Nami asked in disbelief.
"What's seppuku?" Chopper asked innocently.
"It is an ancient practice in which a person disembowels themselves to restore honor to themselves and their families," Robin explained nonchalantly.
This completely freaked both Usopp and Chopper out.
"Pretty hardcore, Zoro," Franky said in awe. "Although, I guess I should expect no less from you."
Zoro was silent. His eye softened as he looked at the memory.
Brook was left speechless by Zoro's threat, but for a different reason from the others. After remembering the events of Thriller Bark, it really showed how much Zoro's feelings towards Luffy had changed. The Zoro of Thriller Bark had not only abandoned his ambitions to save Luffy's life, but he had done so willingly and held no grudge against his captain.
Perhaps it was better to say that Zoro didn't abandon his dream, but had simply enlarged his ambitions to include Luffy's dream to the point where one couldn't exist without the other, much like how the rest of the crew felt.
Sanji became a little misty eyed looking at the memory. He now had a new understanding why Zoro held the events of Thriller Bark so close to his heart. If Luffy ever learned the truth of that day, would he actually act on the promise he made to Zoro? Sanji wanted to say no, but the doubt it left made him swear that the secret of Zoro's sacrifice would be taken to the grave. Nothing happened indeed.
Luffy smiled at Zoro, not at all put off by the threat. "Greatest swordsman, huh? A fine goal. As the future Pirate King, I would be embarrassed for you if you couldn't do that much."
Zoro returned Luffy's smile. "Heh, indeed. It doesn't matter if I'm known as a saint or a demon. I will make my name known to the heavens!"
"What are you doing!?" Morgan yelled at his men. "Execute them now!"
The marines were still too afraid of Zoro to move.
"Duck, Zoro," Luffy ordered as he swung his leg. "Gum Gum Whip!"
With one graceful motion, Luffy took out all the marines that Zoro was holding. Morgan could only gasp in shock while Coby cheered Luffy on.
"What are you?" Zoro asked again.
"I ate the Gum Gum Fruit," Luffy explained.
This baffled Zoro even more. "What's a Gum Gum Fruit?"
"A rubberman!?" one of the marines exclaimed in shock.
"So, he did eat a Devil Fruit," Morgan growled.
"Captain, we're no match for him," one of the marines said fearfully.
"And Zoro's by his side!" another marine added.
"Really sad that the marines can't handle a half-dead man. But, I guess that's just East Blue," Franky humored.
"Although, you have to give them some credit. Instead of rushing in and getting themselves killed needlessly, they know when to back down," Robin said.
"There is always merit to knowing when to bow before a superior foe," Brook said. "Blind pride will only get you killed."
This did not please Morgan. His eyes went black as he glared at his men. "To all those marines who just complained... Take your guns and shoot yourselves in the head. I have no need for such weaklings."
The marines looked at their captain like he had lost his mind. At the same time, it looked like they were ready to comply with the command.
"Is he serious?" Chopper asked in horror.
"They're actually going to shoot themselves!" Nami exclaimed in disbelief as the marines raised their guns to their heads.
"You... How can he ordered his men to do that!?" Brook exclaimed in horror.
"Hm, the marines really do just follow every order," Franky said with a little humor.
"What's wrong with these marines?" Zoro in the memory asked.
Luffy didn't bother to ask questions as he charged right at Morgan. Before the marines could move to intercept him, he was right on top of Morgan and attempted to punch him in the face. The marine captain, however, was able to block the punch with the broad side of his axe. Nonetheless, the punch left Morgan badly shaken.
Zoro casually took his sword out of his mouth to see what his new captain could do.
"A mere civilian with no rank is no match for me!" Morgan proclaimed as he threw off his jacket. "I am the captain of the marines, Ax-Hand Morgan!"
"I'm Luffy," he greeted casually, "nice to meet ya!"
"Die!" Morgan yelled as he attempted to cut Luffy in half.
Luffy easily dodged the attack and the ground cracked from the impact of the axe. Morgan was strong, but he was far too slow to keep up with Luffy. To say the least, it was a one side-battle. Without even breaking a sweat, Luffy knocked Morgan to the ground and had him pinned.
"Huh, is that all a marine captain around here amounts to?" Franky asked in disappointment. Morgan was nowhere near as tough as the captains they fought in Enies Lobby.
"The ranking system between the Blues and the Grand Line are vastly different," Robin stated. "What would be considered a captain here would only amount to a lieutenant if they were ranked according to Marine Headquarters."
"But Smoker was only a captain when we met him in Loguetown and he was monstrously powerful," Usopp said. "I mean, Luffy couldn't even touch the guy."
"In fairness, Smoky is a logia and unless you know Haki or have something that can hit smoke, you're pretty much screwed," Sanji said as he reached for another cigarette.
"Smoker is a special case," Robin said. "He was trained at Marine Headquarters and ranked according to their standards. He was assigned to East Blue because he tended to disobey orders and mouth off to his superiors. In fact, Smoker was gravely under-ranked, which was why it only took him two years to become a vice-admiral."
"How do you know all of that, Robin?" Brook asked in awe.
"I worked for a former Warlord for a number of years. You tend to pick up information about the marines and their activities," Robin answered nonchalantly.
"How dare you ruin Coby's dream!" Luffy yelled before he proceeded to punch Morgan repeatedly in the face.
"Still, it's hard to believe that the marines are being beaten so easily by Luffy," Chopper said. "That Morgan guy didn't even touch him."
"Weak sea, weak marines," Robin said casually.
Nami nodded in agreement. "There's a reason why Arlong could have taken over East Blue despite being fairly weak by the standards of the Grand Line."
"Stop, Strawhat!" someone yelled. Luffy paid no attention to them and continued to punch Morgan "I said stop! Don't you listen! Can't you see I have a hostage here!?"
Luffy finally glanced up and saw Helmeppo holding a gun to Coby's head. The scene was not as serious as it appeared since Helmeppo was shaking badly and was barely holding the gun right.
"If you care for his life, don't move!" Helmeppo ordered.
"That's a lousy way to take a hostage," Usopp said. "Why doesn't Coby just run?"
"He's too afraid too," Zoro stated.
Luffy stared blankly at Helmeppo.
Coby was frightened and was trembling. He glanced at Luffy who grinned at him. This was all it took for Coby to regain his confidence. "Luffy, I won't interfere with your dream, even if I die!"
"Yeah, I know," Luffy said as he turned his back on Morgan and slowly approached Helmeppo as he winded up his arm. He gave a quick glanced at Zoro and they both exchanged looks. He then turned his attention back to Helmeppo. "Give it up, you stupid moron. Coby's serious."
Helmeppo was completely panicked now. "Don't move!"
Luffy kept walking towards Helmeppo. While this was happening, Morgan stood back up and towered over Luffy.
"Be...behind you!" Coby warned.
Chopper also screamed in fear. "He's still conscious!"
"Don't worry. It's all taken care of," Zoro assured the younger boy as he watched the memory.
Morgan had his axe posed over his head, ready to cut Luffy down the middle.
Luffy paid no attention to him. "Gum Gum..."
"I'm the marine captain, Ax-Hand Morgan!" he yelled with a wild look in his eyes.
Zoro in the memory quickly put his sword in his month, while Helmeppo grabbed Coby and held the gun closer to his head.
"Do it, father!" Helmeppo cried in panic.
"Pistol!" Luffy screamed and he punched Helmeppo in the face before he could pull the trigger.
At the same time, Zoro charged forwards and took out Morgan in one attack. His axe was just inches from Luffy's head when he was stopped.
"Nice," Luffy said as Morgan collapsed to the ground. "Zoro."
Zoro smiled at Luffy. "No problem, captain."
Luffy returned the smile, happy to finally have his first crew member.
And the path of this story has finally been revealed. If you are wondering, no, I did not decide to do this after reading all the fan requests for different arcs. I was planning to do this from the first draft. I am actually quite surprised how many people wanted to see the different arcs and not go straight to Marineford or Impel Down. I was quite concerned that more than a few people would drop the story after the childhood chapters were completed. Anyway, if you want a general idea of what I have planned for future chapters, think Opening 14.
I also want to apologize to those of you who were looking forward to the Impel Down and Marineford. I am afraid to say that you guys will have to wait longer since the end of the childhood chapters were really just the end of the beginning of this story. We will reach those arcs eventually. For now, please sit back and enjoy the ride.
jmr46718, thanks for your review. Sorry, but I decided not to detail Open Audition. It did not really fit with the theme of this story and it honestly was not my best work. I may reference the incident in future chapters, but know that I did seriously consider adding that story just to see Sanji's head explode at seeing the hermaphrodite. That was one of the few parts of that story that I feel I did right.
Cyborgnetics, thanks for the feedback and I hope you like this chapter.
LazyFoxLover, thanks for your feedback. Yeah, it will suck once we get to Marineford, but until then enjoy the lighter chapters. We can't just have sadness in these types of stories.
EmD23, thanks for your feedback. I do my best in the proofreading, but I do tend to make some silly grammar errors. I do usually go back and fix mistakes after posting.
TheeCritic, thanks for your review and congrats on being my 130th review!
Walt-Disney and Anime , thanks for the review. I do agree, only scenes of particular importance will be in the story. There is an overall theme and all scenes I choose to write will be focused on the end result. I would go into more detail, but I do not want to spoil too much.
Shiningheart of ThunderClan, thank you very much for your feedback. It is easy to forget about Dadan, but we have to remember that she is Ace and Luffy's mother for all practical purposes and she took Ace's death really hard. She beat up Garp despite being afraid of the man for years and reminded Makino of all people that it was Luffy suffering the most from Ace's death, not Garp. There is also that extra scene from the anime where she visits Luffy, Ace, and Sabo's old tree house to tell Ace that Luffy was alright and he succeeded in saving him. Dadan can be a jerk, but she is a jerk with a heart.
Miishai, thanks for the review and glad to know that I brightened your day a little. I know what it's like to have a really crappy day and then all but jump for joy when a story I am reading is updated. I didn't want the last chapter to be overly sad, which is why I did my best not to go overboard with the drama. Especially since there will be more sadness in the future.
spoons-are-evil, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, I love Sabo too and will miss writing him. The term 'Sabo's Ocean', by the way, came from the name of the manga chapter where Sabo is killed. I just thought it was fitting for what was happening. I considered calling the last chapter 'Path to Glory' after the manga chapter in which Ace and Luffy go off to sea, but I wanted a catch all title since it was not right to use glory in a chapter where Sabo is killed. I am also certain that Dadan would burst into tears if she ever received a letter from Luffy.
goeswithwhatever 2, thanks for your review and I completely agree :)
Metaphorical Tennis, thanks for the long review, I really love them, and for sharing your thoughts with me. I do agree with everything you said, especially the part about Rayleigh. I personally feel, however, that there are many issues regarding Luffy's feelings about Ace's death that has been left unsaid in the manga/anime. I would love to go into more detail about what I mean, but I do not wish to give away the rest of the story. If you are still around when this story is complete, I would love to continue this conversation.
Also, I am glad you like the story. It was tough getting started given that this is a mainstream story idea at the moment and I was afraid it would be too much of a call-back to Perchance to Dream. The plot bunny, however, would not leave me on this one and I decided to take the plunge. I am happy that people seem to like it so far, although I must give great thanks to the writers who came before me on this subject matter. I'm also happy that you love my writing of Zoro, although I am not completely sure what parts you are referring to specially. I do my best to capture the true essence of all the Strawhats. They are, after all, the reason why most of us read the manga.
fictionlover27713, thanks for the feedback. I thought of having the Strawhats make a comment about Luffy's 'ten crewmates' line, but I eventually decided against it. Luffy would actually have more than ten people given how often he asked random people and creatures to join his crew, must to his crew's eternal dismay. Just look at Thriller Bark or Punk Hazard.
Darkspider, thank you very much for your feedback, I think everyone cringed when Ace made his 'I will never die' comment. As I stated before, Luffy's entire past is harsher in hindsight.
shimaxkutau, thanks for your feedback. I will say that I will not be covering Rayleigh's training of Luffy. Also, everything is from Luffy's point-of-view since these are his memories, so we won't be seeing the bath scene in Amazon Lily since Luffy was not conscious at the time. Which is kind of a shame since we also miss Luffy being burnt alive.
SawadaTsukimi, thanks for you review. Also, you are not wrong. The main source of Luffy's current anguish is Ace's death. However, there is more to the tragedy than that. As the summary of this story says, the Strawhats have to understand the full scope of the tragedy in order to help Luffy. There are many events that the Strawhats didn't really see or only a few members actually saw. It may seem confusing now, but things will clear up as the story progresses.
Chocobaby, thanks for your feedback and I think everyone who read this story misses Sabo and Ace to some extent.
Neko-VongolaPrimo, thanks for your review and better late than never :) I hope to see your reviews again in the future and hope you enjoy the story and all the twists and turns it will take.
My Guest review, who I assume is paws-bells, if I am wrong sorry. Regardless, thanks for your feedback. Undoubtedly, the Strawhats respect and love for their captain has increased and it will only go up in future chapters. Seeing things from another person's eyes tend to have that effect, especially when that person is Luffy. As for my update schedule, I hope to keep up my weekly updates. It is not so much the writing that is hard, it is the proofreading, especially making sure that all the Strawhats have a decent number of speaking lines. I think I may have short changed Brook in this chapter. I am, however, having an easier time making the Strawhats' comments since I know people actually like the length of my chapters. I was very worried that people who hate the big chapters.
As for Didannl's story, I will admit her story is kind of too condensed for my liking too, but it was a major form for inspiration for me. I wanted my story have the chapter detail of LuffySmileyFace's story along with the scope of Didannl' fanfic. Hope that makes sense.
With all that said, until next time.