Hello there again everyone. Last chapter was amazing. I did not expect the reception to my first fic to be that good. I honestly expected it to be lukewarm at best and I was surprised to see some reviews, favs and follows. Some of you even messaged me which is so amazing.
Also, if you don't mind I'd like to ask you to read the Author's note at the end of the fic after you're done reading. I'm going to address some stuff on it that was brought to my attention.
Anyways, here's chapter 2 and I hope you like it. And again, your thoughts, comments, and suggestions are really appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own one piece, although I own some one piece merch so I guess that counts?
Chapter 2: Swordsman's return
The three continued to sail in silence after the brief introduction during their escape. The calm waters and the sound of seagulls a welcome change of scenery. Luffy is lying down on the boat with his head resting on one of the sides while Nami is currently reading what seems to be a map with a compass on her hand. Meanwhile, Koby is just looking out in the open waters, feeling relaxed while sailing for the first time in a long while. He occasionally peeks at what Nami is doing before asking her.
"Nami-san. I forgot to ask, where are we heading anyway?"
"We're sailing towards Shell's town. We're supposed to meet a friend there" Nami continues writing on her map when she answered Koby's question. Once she's done, she turns to him. "Luffy said that you wanted to be a marine. There's a marine base there if I remember. Maybe we can drop you off?"
Koby felt sad at the thought of parting with Luffy. They may have met not long ago but his talks with him motivated the young boy to start being courageous in fulfilling his dream.
"Wait, friend? Is this another one of your crewmates?"
"Yeah. His name is Zoro" Luffy said nonchalantly.
Koby's paled upon hearing that name. The name of a famous and ruthless swordsman that was said to brutalize enemies. He wondered how a supposed pirate is friends with a bounty hunter.
"R-Rononoa Zoro?! The pirate hunter?! L-Luffy-san, how come you are friends with a beast like that?!"
Luffy was caught off guard by the slip up. In this timeline, they haven't met yet. And if anyone was inquisitive enough, Zoro's reputation and his friendship with Luffy does seem kind of unbelievable.
"The three of us met nearly three years ago."
Luffy glanced at Nami and was thankful that she can come up with something to tell Koby. Technically, they did meet nearly three years ago. However, Luffy can't lie worth a damn. Everyone in the crew knows this. So letting him continue is quite risky if they're not careful.
"I see. I heard he was arrested and was imprisoned by the marines..."
"Geez. So that's what happened to him" Nami shouldn't be surprised that the idiot did something. Come to think of it, she didn't ask the two what happened during the time before she even joined the crew. At least he managed to even land on an island, all things considered.
"Oh don't be too scared, Koby. He may sound intimidating but he's a pretty nice guy." Luffy added.
"Why would the marines arrest him if he didn't do something illegal?"
"I don't know. But don't be too trusting of the marines if you're planning on joining them. Some of them are corrupt"
Koby looked offended with what Nami said. Marines? Corruption? That's absurd! They're supposed to be the protectors of the people and the frontline against injustice.
The three of them remained silent for the rest of the trip until they arrived at Shell's town. Luffy quickly jumps off the boat to stretch his legs.
"Luffy, why don't you two head to a tavern. I'll look for some place to exchange these items we found for money. I'll meet you two there"
"Shishishi. Alright then. But don't be late though. I don't have money to pay for food"
Before Nami could reply, Luffy runs away to look for a familiar tavern. She just shakes her head before telling Koby to follow him in case he gets into trouble.
Luffy arrives at the entrance of the local bar before slamming the doors open, slightly surprising everyone inside. Upon entering, he heads to the counter before sitting down on a bar stool. The counter is being tended to by a woman. Luffy remembers that this woman is the mother of the kid that's giving Zoro rice balls, though he forgot what their names are. Anyways, he came here to do one thing.
"Hey Lady, I'd like some food!"
The lady laughed awkwardly before going to the kitchen to retrieve Luffy's food. Moments later, Koby slowly trudged inside the tavern while panting heavily.
"Luffy-san...you're too fast..."
"Sorry Koby. I was just really hungry."
"Didn't you just eat back in the ship?"
"There's always space for more food" Luffy said with a laugh.
Koby just shook his head before sitting on a barstool beside Luffy. The woman returns seconds later with a plate of food in her hand. She puts it down to the countertop in front of Luffy and he starts digging in. It didn't take long to finish his meal, which surprised anyone close enough to see him eat.
"More food please!" Luffy requested, grabbing the empty plate and offering it to the lady.
Minutes later, the other patrons of the tavern are looking at Luffy with disbelief. After eating a couple of meals, his stomach has ballooned, garnering mixed reactions from others.
"N-No way..."
"What kind of person is this..."
"Ahhhh. I'm back to full strength now" Luffy said while patting his enlarged abdomen.
"Ah sorry, Luffy-san ate a devil fruit. He's a rubberman" Koby added, which surprised the people inside.
After breathing out a small puff of air, Luffy notices something from the corner of his eye. It's a little girl about to sneak out while they're distracted with what seems to be several rice balls. Yup, this was the little girl.
"Oh, there's a girl trying to sneak away. Is she a thief?"
The little girl hastily turned towards him. She looks like she was caught stealing food.
"Rika! Where do you think you're going?!"
"M-Mama, I just wanted to help..."
"I told you not to sneak to the marine base to feed that swordsman! If the marines catch you, they might do something!" The woman shouted.
Koby was surprised at this. Looking at the people around, it seems that upon the mention of the marines, they tensed up and seemed a bit scared. This didn't make any sense.
"You're helping Zoro? He's a friend. Want me to take you to him?" While this surprised the patrons, gravely worried Rika's mother, and fascinated Rika. The child nods enthusiastically, quickly walking to where Luffy is sitting.
"Really? Do you know Sword onii-chan?"
Luffy nods. "Yeah! He looks scary but he's really nice"
"He was taken by the marines because Helmeppo's dog attacked me and he tried to save me"
"Helmeppo?" Luffy knows exactly who Helmeppo is. During their previous life, He's was just one rank below Koby. Though he looks like a dumb spineless kid right now, Luffy admits that his growth was really nice to see. Koby however had other thoughts.
"How can that be? Marines are supposed to protect you, not scare you"
This only made Rika a bit sad. "Helmeppo's dad always ask us to give them offerings. And Helmeppo asks us to give him things or he'll call his dad to hurt us"
Rika's mother chose this time to interrupt them. "I want to thank you for your friend protecting my daughter, but I can't let her be associated with him. If they find out that she's helping them, they're going to send marines to this part of town."
Nobody seemed to notice it due to the tense atmosphere brought by their conversation, but Luffy's stomach returned to its normal size. He stands up from the stool with renewed vigor. "Don't worry, I'll protect Rika"
"But the marines! You don't stand a chance."
"No. I've decided. I'll beat up those marines" The mother was surprised at Luffy's conviction, but still extremely concerned.
Just then, Nami enters the door. She seems to have bought a pouch and a new set of clothes from the pirate disguise she wore earlier. She heads to the counter while reaching out for something.
"I'm sorry, it seems that my friend has eaten more than he needs." Nami glances at the large stack of plates before pulling out a bundle of cash and offering it to the lady. "And don't worry. I overheard you and we'll guarantee your child's safety. Treat it as thanks for helping one of our friends."
Rika's mother notes that the money the girl is giving her is far more than what the what the straw hatted man's food cost twice over. "Oh this is too much. I-I can't really accept it"
"It's fine, it's fine" Nami said, taking no for an answer. She might be cheap and obsessed with money, but she has a soft spot for kids and their mothers. It reminded her of Bellemere and Nojiko.
"Thank you..." Rika's mother takes the money from Nami before storing it. She's worried about this group but if they're friends with that bounty hunter, then they should at least be strong. Right? And besides, she should at least thank him for protecting her daughter.
"Please, take care of Rika for me"
"Don't worry. I won't let those marines harm her" Luffy said with a grin.
The four of them left, leaving the mother and the rest of the patrons looking at them as they leave the tavern.
Talking amicably on the way to the marine base, the group arrives in front of the base's main gate. Grabbing the three of them, Luffy jumps over the barricade. He lands softly on the other side with his companions in tow. Koby wonders aloud why there are no marines guarding the base before he clears his eyes. He sees the fabled green haired man tied to a post in the middle of the field.
"T-That's him. That's Roronoa Zoro"
Nami was concerned with Zoro's current state. Seeing one of her friends like this was a bit uncomfortable. The group walks closer to Zoro with koby visibly cowering behind them.
"It's good to see you again Zoro" Luffy said softly.
"You too Luffy" He tries replying despite his raspy voice. He then turns his attention to Nami. "And you too witch"
All of Nami's concern for her comrade was replaced with very visible irritation. Koby is starting to wonder whether Zoro is actually the scariest among them.
"You wanna repeat that again?"
"Shishishishi. Zoro, I'm surprised you didn't break out of these ropes"
"I haven't eaten in nine days. And I got here pretty weak"
Luffy and Nami flinched. Out of all three, Zoro was the one who was most visibly injured when they were trying to escape. After their...defeat, he tried his hardest to buy some time for the two of them to run away from their enemies. Only a split second distraction gave him an opening to return to the ship but at that point, he was basically running on fumes and passed out on Sunny's deck.
"Ah. Sword onii-san, I brought you some food"
That definitely perked Zoro up. "Oh thank you. You can just toss those into my mouth"
Zoro opens his mouth wide to accommodate the food. Rika tosses the rice balls before he chews and gobbles it up quickly. Rika nervously waits for Zoro to finish eating. Once he's done eating, he looks at Rika with a soft and thankful expression.
"Thank you. Those were very delicious"
That greatly improved Rika's while Nami just shakes her head. "You know. The older someone gets, the more intimidating you look from their perspective"
Their friendly conversation was interrupted by a smug looking kid escorted by two marines walking towards group.
"Well Well Well, what do we have here. A bunch of people aiding a criminal? You know this is punishable by death right?"
Rika hides behind Luffy while Koby was slightly irritated at the marines interrupting them.
"Rika, is this the captain's son you were afraid of?" Rika simply nods at Koby's question.
Helmeppo notices that Rika is carrying what seems to be a leaf used to cover food with, specifically rice balls. He grins mischievously at Zoro. "My my, I thought you said that you can last a month tied here without eating anything? I guess this breaks our agreement and we must continue with your public execution."
Rika felt guilty that she might be the reason why Zoro will be hurt, which made her cry. Nami pats the girl's head to try and comfort her.
"Men. Shoot them! But don't hit the little girl. We just need to set an example for the townsfolk"
"B-But Helmeppo-sama..." One of the marines tried to plea.
"Do you want my daddy to hurt you?!"
The two marines looked at each other before hesitantly raising their guns. Koby can see that their fingers are shaking, clearly they don't want to do this. Instinctively, he crouches down and embraces Rika to cover her.
But the shots never came. Before the marines can even pull the trigger, Luffy moves very quickly and punches each of them faster than they can see it. His attacks hits them, rendering them unconscious.
A few seconds later, Luffy turns to them. "Wait here. I'm gonna get Zoro's swords from the building"
Without waiting for a reply, Luffy stretches his arms to grab the roof before launching himself skyward.
"Geez, that idiot..." Nami raises her skirt just a little bit. Koby tried to cover his eyes because he might see something inappropriate, only to realize that she was about to pull a knife strapped to her leg. Nami uses it to cut the ropes tying Zoro to the pole. He then collapses forward, catching himself just before his face hits the ground by falling to his knee.
-xxxxx-
"Come on you useless idiots! Can't you raise a goddamn statue?!"
The marines of the Shell's town's base are currently preoccupied with raising Captain Morgan's statue. Most of the marines are thinking that they should be patrolling the base or securing the streets of Shell's town. But who'd want to disobey Captain Morgan's orders unless you hate your life that much?
'This is too much unnecessary work...' One of the marines thought. That tiny distraction loosened his grip on the rope. This caused a part of the statue, Morgan's arm, to hits the sides of the marine base. The marine fearfully looks at Morgan's direction only to see him glaring back.
"Do you realize what you've done..."
The marine's hairs were standing up from fear. "I-I'm sorry sir, I promise I wont-"
"You damaged my statue! That statue is the symbol of me and my legacy. Damaging that statue is like tarnishing my name and my legacy!"
All of them did not move a single inch. Their posture was rigid and they refuse to look at Captain Morgan. Suddenly, the marines noticed what seem to be a hand grabbing the head of the statue. The marines suddenly felt a force pulling the statue forward. Try as they might, they were not able to resist it. This sends the statue crashing down, splitting it in half. Strangely enough, they see a boy up in the air above them. Their eyes widen as they see the boy with the straw hat stretch his arm far behind before sending a punch their way. The stretched arm hits the rooftop, busting it open. The boy falls down the hole he created, along with the lower half of the statue.
The marines turn around to look at Morgan, who despite the huge metallic mask he's wearing, is visibly livid. The rest of the marines swallows the lump forming in their throats.
"Find that damn brat!"
They all salute back before scrambling to search for the wanted boy. From the corner of Morgan's eye, he can see the field down below. Upon looking closer, he sees that the pirate hunter is now free, a woman, two kids, and his son lying down on the ground alongside two other marines.
This pissed Morgan further. "The rest of you, follow me"
-xxxxx-
Luffy lands down on one of the floors of the marine base. Despite saying that he'll take back Zoro's swords, he still can't remember where it was exactly. All he can remember is that it's being kept inside that dumb captain's son's room. Shrugging, he decided that he'll just find a way to look for it.
-xxxxx-
Rika and Koby were conversing with each other. She tells him that not all marines were bad and most of them were helpful. It's just that Morgan and his son were bad people and everyone is afraid of them. Meanwhile, Nami and Zoro can feel a bunch of marines closing in on them led by a relatively large aura. That must be Morgan. A few moments later, several marines exit the building and line up outside. Behind them stands the captain of the base.
"So pirate hunter. You managed to escape. And you lot, you're the ones aiding this criminal?"
Morgan's voice intimidated the two children, Especially Rika. Koby positions himself in front of her.
"Oi Nami, give me your knife"
She hands Zoro her knife before pulling out what seemed to everyone else three pipes strapped to her leg. The three pipes assemble to form one long metallic staff which she points at the marines.
"Do you have the energy though?"
"I now have enough" Zoro replied, leaving no room for any more questions.
"Execute those blasted criminals"
Despite their hesitation, no one can go against Morgan's orders. The marines point their guns at the group and with shaky fingers, they pull the trigger.
Everything seemed to slow down for Koby. His first concern was again to protect Rika from the marines, but what can he do against a hail of bullets. Too stunned to move, he simply watches
"Ittoryu: Shallow Fang"
Koby watches as Zoro swings the knife. In his head he was wondering what the hell the swordsman is doing. He realizes that no bullet managed to hit them. Rika's eyes are filled with awe with how cool her Sword-nii is. The marines were sunned however, and Morgan was getting even more pissed by the second.
"With only a knife..." One if the marines murmured.
"Grrr. Again, Fire! Kill them all!"
They unloaded their bullets again and like last time, one swing of the pirate hunter's knife seemingly made their bullets disappear.
"Wait. Is he slicing these bullets?" Koby is amazed at the skillful display.
"Is that what it looks like? Well, I guess he does move fast" Nami said cryptically.
"Fine! If bullets don't work, then hack them to pieces!"
The marines who were not stunned from Zoro's swordsmanship run towards him to try and attack him. Koby noted that the swordsman is blocking his enemies' sword with just a knife, then he punches them so he can beat them without dealing a fatal blow. However, some of them tried attacking Zoro at the same time while his back is turned.
"Zoro-san, watch out!"
"Calm Tempo!"
To his surprise, Nami seemingly appears behind Zoro. With a swing of her staff, she knocks out the marines trying to stab Zoro from behind.
"Heh. Thanks for watching my back"
"Well, you didn't want to be hit on your back. And besides, this will be added to your debt" Nami winks at Zoro, which only made him click his tongue.
The marines attack them all at the same time so the two started working in tandem to defeat most of them. Meanwhile, Helmeppo finally wakes up. Even with his unclear vision, he can see that Zoro and the orange haired girl are preoccupied dealing with the marines, leaving the two kids defenseless. Helmeppo sneakily stands up and sneaks behind their enemies.
Zoro and Nami continued their onslaught when-
"Stop what you're doing!"
All of them try to look for the source of the shouting, even the marines. They saw Helmeppo pointing a loaded gun at Koby. Rika was a little too far to reach Koby quickly without Helmeppo noticing.
"Tch, that bastard" Zoro narrows his eyes at him.
"Don't move or I'll shoot him!"
Silence filled the courtyard. Not even the marines know what to do.
"D-Don't worry about me, Zoro-san, Nami-san! B-Beat them all! I don't care if I die!"
Both Zoro and Nami sighs at Koby's antics. The marines were too stunned to do anything until they notice Captain Morgan swinging his axe at the two.
"Watch out!" Koby tries to warn them.
"You two are dead!"
"Pistol!"
"Soru"
The next thing everyone sees is the same stretched arm from earlier. This time however it was coming from the sky. The fist hits Morgan at the top of his head, sending his face straight down to the ground forming a shallow crater. Helmeppo was sent flying backwards by Nami's staff colliding with his chest before he lands with a hard thud"
Everyone was stunned into silence by Luffy and Nami dealing with the Morgan father and son duo. The base remained quiet for a while before cheers start erupting.
"Yeah! We don't need to live under fear of Captain Morgan!"
"This calls for a celebration!"
"The town needs to hear this"
Seeing the marines celebrating at the fall of their tyrant made him a bit happy. Seeing Rika's large and tearful smile is just the icing on the cake.
"Dammit, I'm hungry!" Zoro shouting, sending everyone else into fits of laughter.
-xxxxx-
"Mama, they were so cool. Sword-nii was like whoosh~ Then nee-chan was like whack! Then rubber-nii went pistol!" Rika narrates what happened at the base with enthusiasm which made her mother giggle.
The town threw a large party once news of Morgan's downfall spread. Even the marines joined the townsfolk for the festivities. Rika's mother, Ririka she tells them, continued serving them food which was no small task considering that it's Luffy and a hungry Zoro.
"I really want to thank you four. You saved the town and made my daughter happy. You can eat as much as you want"
Nami's soft spot was again switched on as she tries to reject Ririka's offer. "Oh don't. We have enough money to pay for our meals"
"Nonsense. It's the least I can do for this town's saviors. And besides, your payment earlier was almost double your current bill so if anything, I owe you"
"If you say so..." Nami relents.
The celebration lasts until the following day. The town barely slept all throughout the night. Well, except for Zoro. After cleaning himself up, he immediately went to sleep. The next day, Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Koby were having breakfast when one of the marines enters.
"I'd like to ask you people a question. Is it true that you guys are pirates?"
"Yeah, we just started yesterday!" Luffy answered.
This made the marine officer sigh. "If that is the case, I'd like to ask you to leave this town."
The patrons in the bar were furious at what the marine said.
"Are you kidding me?! Is that how you treat this town's saviors?"
"Yeah, damn marines. You didn't do anything to help us when you were under Morgan's boots"
The marine officer ignores the shouting and continues. "That being said. We owe you a lot. For freeing us marines from Former Captain Morgan's tyranny, as payment for our debt of gratitude we will not arrest you now. Also, to respect the town's wishes, we still owe you another favor for protecting them in our stead. After that, we will like to request you to leave"
The three of them looked at each other before Luffy speaks.
"Yeah. This guy here wanted to be a marine. If you can let him join you, then that'd be great"
The officer eyes Koby for a second before nodding back at Luffy without question.
"Alright then. We'll arrange for his recruitment. Though I have to warn you that there will be no special treatments given to him"
"Well then. I guess we have to leave"
"Onii-chan, do you really have to go?" Rika asks from behind the counter.
Luffy reaches out to pat her in the head. "Yeah. I'm gonna miss you Rika"
"I'm gonna miss you all too!"
Despite crying, Rika flashes them a wide smile which Luffy returns. The three stands up from where they're sitting before leaving the tavern. As they're about to leave however, Koby calls them. Luffy looks back only to see Koby bowing in front of them with tears in his eyes.
"Thank you! Thank you for everything you've done for me!"
Luffy gives him that trademark goofy smile of his. "The next time I meet you, you should become a strong marine" he says before the three leave the bar.
As they're heading to shore. One of the craftsmen said that he wanted to give them a boat for free, which they happily accepted. Once they reach the port, the man points to his gift; A long boat twice the size of what they came here on. They spend a few minutes transferring their cargo to the newer boat they got before disembarking. As they started sailing away, they can see that the marines are formed up on the port and in front of them stands Koby.
"Present!"
At his command, all the marines including Koby saluted at them. Among them are some of the villagers waving them good bye and wishing them a safe voyage. Luffy stands up on the boat before waving both his arms.
"Thank you! I hope we can see you soon!"
As they sail further and further away, the island retreats away from view. Once they're sure they're far enough. Luffy starts shouting with excitement.
"We're really back! I can't believe it! I can't wait to see everyone again. Even if they don't remember us"
"Yeah, I'm really excited to see everyone again. Though, I have to ask, how and when do we tell them?" Nami asked.
Luffy didn't have an answer for that. To be honest, he was just overcome with joy with the prospect of seeing his old crewmates back that it didn't even cross his mind.
"We don't"
"Ha?!" Luffy and Nami exclaimed at the same time.
"What they don't know won't harm them. We'll just recruit them the way we did last time" Zoro added.
"Wait Zoro, are you suggesting we lie to the crew?" Nami seemed offended at the thought.
"We won't lie. We just won't tell them. That world. Our world. That was our failure. I do not like this as much as you do but what do you think will happen if we tell them just before they join?"
None of them had any retort with that. All of them knew of what Zoro was talking about. If the rest of the crew knew about their previous life. At best, they'll be forced to join because of an obligation rather by choice. At worse? They might not join at all.
"But...it's painful. To do that to our friends is just..." Nami continues
"If we don't even have the strength to face them because of our past lives then we don't have the right to raise our flag"
The crew remained silent for a long time. This topic was a bit of a downer and it will pop up later, they're sure of it. But for now, they'll indulge themselves in the thought of seeing everyone else again.
Zoro was the one who broke the silence this time. "Oi Luffy, how strong do you think you are?"
Luffy thought about it for a while. "I guess just before we reunited in Sabaody? Though I feel like I'm being help back"
"Not just you. The three of us are stuck in our younger bodies despite our skills and memories"
"Yeah. Now that you mentioned it, it's weird. It's like I'm seeing everything. I'm sensing a lot with my color of observation. But my body is not reacting as fast as I'd like to..." Nami added.
"Yeah. So I guess we should train early now, right?"
"Not just us. We need to make all of our crewmates stronger. Maybe we can teach them our haki earlier too" Zoro added
"Shishishishi. This will be very exciting. Our crew sound awesome already!"
"Speaking of training, I'd like to ask a Favor from you two" Nami turns to them, her expression a bit more serious.
"What is it Nami?"
"I'd like you two to train my color of armaments?"
Zoro raises an eyebrow. "I thought you were starting to break through with it when we left Wano?"
Nami shakes her head. "No. It's not coming as easily to me as my color of observation"
"Well we can start teaching you. But why the rush?" Luffy asks as he pulls out a slab of meat from their food storage.
"I want to take on Arlong this time around"
Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who finished this chapter of the fic. There might be some misspellings and grammatical errors here and there but in any case, I enjoyed writing this one.
Also, before you tell me. Yes, I made a corny name for Zoro using a knife. And also yes, the joke about Nami "using" soru to bonk Luffy in the head because he won't let go of the Koi in Wano was made into a serious thing. Also, Clear Tempo? Get it? A clear whether reference to a non-climatact attack? Yeah, bad puns
So, as I mentioned at the start of the chapter, I'm going to address some questions some of you sent my way.
"Will there be pairings in this fic?"
To be honest, I dont think so. At least, not within the crew and not the overly dramatized aspect of a romance/pairing. Because One Piece is a story of adventure, discovery and dreams. If there are romances, it would be a supporting aspect instead of the main aspect. But who knows, maybe I might change my tone.
"Will there be a lot of changes compared to others and canon?"
There will be, but a lot of them are the subtle nudges rather than full on changes. What I mean is that impactful events will still happen. Alabasta, Sky island, Water 7, etc. They're still gonna happen. How they happen though is gonna be different. Hopefully, interesting for you guys.
Anyways, I hope I wasn't stuffy or too dismissive in answering these questions. And it bears repeating. I'd like to thank you all for even clicking on this fic in the first place. I'll see you soon, and take care.