Re-edited and reuploaded 4/23/22


Chapter 1: Journey's Start

You awake, bleary-eyed and confused, in a rather dark room.

"Ah, good. You're awake. Now, we can begin." Raising your head to face the voice, you see a shadowed figure, sitting at a table. "I'm sure you have many questions. Who I am chief among them. As for where we are…" The being spread his arms out. "You are at the beginning of a long and perilous journey."

He settled back down, and clasped his fingers, resting them on the tabletop. "More importantly, I have a question for you." The being notes your annoyed glare. "Hmm? Don't you think it's fair? A question for a question?" He leaned in, white teeth shining in the dark. "Now then…what is more important – Wealth, Fame, or Power?" You shake your head, wondering why any of that would be important. "As you begin your journey, it is important to have an end goal in mind. Ergo, what is most important to you?"

He reached into his coat (Was he always wearing that?) and pulled out a jingling bag. "The might of money, to use greed to influence others. Wealth." He pulled out a knife and cut it into the bag, gold coins pouring out onto the table. "To destroy all in your way, to conquer the weak and lead the strong. Power." Finally, he took out a poster, a picture of some grinning, rugged man, with an incredibly long black mustache sitting over a D-shaped grin. "Or the hardest path. To raise such a noise, that the world itself cannot ignore your presence. Fame." He slammed the poster onto the table, stabbing his knife through it. "Choose wisely, for whatever path you take, it cannot be undone."

The tone of a bell catches your attention; the stranger chuckles. "It seems our time is up…for now." He leans back into the shadows, his grin the only part of his face visible. 'His D-shaped grin…' you suddenly realize. "Go forward, sail the world, and embrace your destiny!"


You do not open your eyes immediately as you wake; first comes the smell of ocean spray, as the waves gently rock you awake. You look up at the sky, smiling at the warmth it gives off. You sit up and look around – and geez, what a mess the ship is in! What few clothes you brought on your journey are strewn over the sails – you recall they were drying due to being caught in a storm last night – and some supplies dotted the deck. Most notably, you note your weapons – one basic cutlass, flimsy but durable, a dagger, only good if someone was really in your face, and a pistol, good for six shots, but you would have to reload after each one.

A little sprucing up later, you settle down to open a very worn journal. Most of the journal's writing is damaged beyond repair, save for a few lines. One page mentions an island of creatures with features that are mixed and matched. Another speaks of a warrior with an indestructible weapon, rumored to mow down armies like fields of wheat. The last page, incredibly cut up, mentions a treasure so priceless that it only passes hands by the next owner killing the current one. Closing the book, you look upon your destination; ultimately, you decided earlier it makes the most sense to hunt down the treasure. After all, a pirate should have treasure and lots of it! You turn back to the page centered around the hidden treasure and read on.

The scribe, whoever they may be, recorded that the last know owner of the treasure was another pirate, apparently an up-and-comer at the time, of the name Alvida. After carefully tracking her pillage routes, the journalist recorded a pinpoint accurate location of her hideout, or at the very least, a dock to hide from Marine patrols. The island itself is a rather small, forested cove, but it gets the job done by being low-key; big enough to hide a pirate crew, but small enough that not even a fishing ship would believe anything here is worth their time. Unless, of course, they just happened to get a journal that would point them in the right direction.

Smirking at your good fortune, you row into a hidden alcove, guided by the knowledge of a well-detailed scribe. You barely anchor your dingy and strap on your weapons before you vault into the jungle.


After a long trek inland, you find a cluster of buildings; they are too bare and impersonal to be houses, though they do look pretty insignificant. Somewhere in one of those storehouses, the treasure has got to be hidden! However, this is an island where pirates disembark…no telling when they will be back, or if they are back already. Better stay hidden…

Sometime later…

Today, patience is the better part of valor today! Two of the roughest, ugliest guys you have ever seen turn the corner of a building. You can practically smell them from here, but you cannot hear them until they walk a little closer. "Boy, is Alvida mad!" One said to the other, looking rather panicky.

"Yeah. Damn thief!" His companion punched his hand, grinding his teeth. "Can you believe while we were robbing that cruise ship blind, some bitch sneaks onto our ship and takes all our hard-earned treasure?"

The first one nodded in agreement. "Tch. The nerve of some people. If it wasn't for that chest she won't let go of, we would be cleaning half the crew off the Miss Love Duck."

"Yeah, when she gonna open that thing anyway? I want to see what's inside!" As they stop near your hiding spot, you wave away the pungent odor smothering you. God, these guys stink!

"Whadda you-! Oh, right. You weren't there when we first got it."

The second cutthroat looked perplexed. "Uh. Why's that important?"

"Because, dumbass, we tried to get it open when we first got it." As he spoke, the pirate counted on his fingers. "Lock picks, guns, cannons, dynamite-Hell, ol' Iron Mace herself tried to flatten it – and wipe that smirk off before she sees it! – and still, it wouldn't budge!"

"Seriously? Well, how she's supposed to open the damn thing?"

"There is some kinda lock, really freaky like. The way it's shaped, it looks like the key comes to a point." At that point, the rancid pair went on with their patrol.

"A point? What, like an arrow?"

"Don't know. But it's why we're robbing luxury liners. She found the chest…" The rest of the sentence is lost to you as they turn the corner and saunter off. You aren't alone for long; soon, another man comes around the corner, like he too was sneaking, and pauses, with his back to you looking at the camp for something.

You size him up; Pink hair, thick-rimmed glasses, short and pudgy, shaking like a leaf on a tree in winter – this guy just screams cannon fodder. You could attack him, and get him out of the way. But he could be useful. You creep out of the brush, taking steps to be as quiet as possible. Pinky, looking around distractedly, never even noticed your approach. The moment you stop right behind him, you take a breath, and…grab his shoulder, cover his mouth and drag him to the bushes. He screams and scrambles the whole time, but you are easily in better shape, so it does not bother you at all.

Once you have dragged him away far enough, you let go of him, preparing for him to inevitably fight back…but when you step back ready for a fight, the mauve-haired man just sort of starts groveling, kneeling on the ground and muttering, 'Imsorryimsorryimsorry…' After about a minute, you decide this is getting weird, and finally, just go over and nudge him (roughly) with your foot. Falling out of his prostration, he blinks and looks up at you. "Wait, you're not one of Alvida's crew. Who…are you?"

You introduce yourself as a pirate. He immediately freaks out again. "What!? You're a-!?" You cover his mouth quickly, hoping nobody heard that freak-out. After he calms down again, you let him go. Pinky fearfully whispers, "Y-you're a pirate!? Why are you here!? Don't you know whose island you're on!" You wave him off, telling him you are after one thing. "Huh? Wait…do you mean-?" He pauses in thought. Apparently, despite his crybaby persona, there was something intelligent underneath all that bubblegum he called a haircut. "That chest Alvida always has…the one she can't open. That's what you're after?"

You barely nod, before he freaks again, albeit quietly this time. "Are you insane! You're one guy, going against an entire crew of pirates! You can't beat those odds! It'll never happen! It's impossible-" He is getting a little loud now; you cuff him on his temple lightly, but the way he falls over dazed, you would think you decked him! "Urg…why'd you hit me?" You shrug, just because. The kid, at least he seems pretty childish, shakes it off with a stuttering laugh. "I-it's okay, I'm used to it." He got up, sighing, despondent. "Oh! So, if you're trying to rob Alvida, you grabbed me as a hostage, right? Sorry, but, I'm basically her footstool. She won't care if you threaten my life…" His face is nothing but absolute sadness.

This woe-is-me attitude makes it a little hard to get him to focus. You state that all you need is to know where the chest is, and any gaps in the guards' patrol that can be used to take it. "Huh? So, you just want information?" He looks a little relieved, but not much. "Well, if you want that chest, you just have to take it off Alvida's neck." You tilt your head confused, so Pink-Guy further explains. "Alvida has the chest on a chain, so it never leaves her sight. Anyone who tries…well, you know why she's called "Iron Mace" Alvida…" He looks away, apparently not liking giving out bad news. "Besides, don't you need some key to open it?"

You close your eyes, taking in and organizing everything you know…Alvida has the treasure, but cannot open it…and she brains anyone stupid enough to steal it off her while she is conscious…is there some way to proceed forward? After careful consideration…two plans come to mind. Plan A is…basically assassination; some kind of distraction, that would set the place in a panic, and when no one is looking…just shoot Alvida and take the treasure from cold dead hands. Or Plan B, a bit more straightforward (and a tad less murder-y), attack the base, rip through the crew – that might bring out the head wench herself. All the chaos should off balance her enough to swipe the chest and run! But, how to know if either of these plans could work…

"Um, e-excuse me?" You open your eyes and look at the pinket that coughed for your attention. The pinket that was also a part of the pirate crew you are about to attack…

Well, you grabbed him for intel, why waste a resource? Although, maybe a name would be better-you are running out of pink-related nicknames. You turn toward the small fry and tell him your thoughts, plugging in a question about his name. He gives you this strange look, like asking his name was weird. "That's what you call a plan!?" Oh, wait. That look was for his plans. That made more sense.

You request his feedback – after all, he has knowledge that would make this plan work better. He blinks, giving a different strange look. "You're…really asking for my help, huh?" He pauses and looks away in thought. "My name is Coby, and… I guess if you're really dead set on trying to get yourself killed, I can at least give you a chance to appreciate how screwed you are when things go south." Great, he – he being Coby – is now helping you. But he still looks kind of punchable.

"Your plan to fight them like that is crazy. The Alvida Pirates have like 32 people, not including me or Alvida, each one of them way bigger and scarier than you." Coby is really laying on the whole "You-can't-win" atmosphere he was dedicated to creating. "Even if you somehow beat those odds, Alvida's not just gonna let you take the treasure. Did you know she's worth 5,000,000 beri?"

You nodded your head, wondering the significance of that. "That's important because the average pirate in East Blue is nowhere near 1,000,000, let alone five! Do you really think you have the stamina to take on an entire crew by yourself, and a pirate with a bounty!?" You look down, taking in these words, before noting out loud he only insulted one of two plans. He pauses, before scratching his cheek. "Well, …a distraction could be very effective. But what would cause that much attention that they couldn't handle quickly?" You think for a little, before asking if Alvida's ship has cannons. "Yes," Coby hesitantly answers, "But why… you mean-!?" Following your line of thought, he almost bugs out if you didn't prepare to hit him again. Instead of bellowing, Coby flinches silently and resorts to whimpering.

"B-blowing up the powder reserves…that could work. You would cripple any chance they would immediately retaliate, and Alvida would definitely be distracted by her ship exploding. On the other hand, how would you even get close? There's no way you could get across the compound without being seen..." You calmly point out you did not need to set the place on fire yourself. Coby blinked at that before the realization hit him. At least he wasn't screaming in your ear anymore. "Are you mental!?" That seemed less like a question. "I can't-no, I won't put myself in her crosshairs like that! If I get caught, there's no telling what will happen to me! No way! Absolutely not!"

You audibly groan. This guy was so stubborn for being so spineless… oh! An idea! The solution is almost simultaneous; you look Coby square in the eye and ask him if he ever wanted to be a pirate. "Huh!? That's a real change of topic…" Coby trailed off as the question hit him. "What I wanted…was to become a real Marine! Sail the oceans and catch bad guys, and protect people! But…" All the passion drained out of Coby's face as his eyes turned downward. "I'll never get there…as long as Alvida's around…. what can I do?"

You point out Alvida might not be around for much longer. Coby blinks at that before his eyes got very wide from behind his glasses. "Your plan…but if it fails…if I get caught-" You wonder why he's so worried about being captured; is his dream worth so little? When you point that out, the pinket's throat seems to almost close itself in an effort to stop his cowardice from leaking out.

"My dream… that's…" Coby's eyes are unreadable with the glare coming off his glasses. Finally, he looks right at you, a steadiness in his gaze, even as his knees are knocking together. "I-it is worth fighting for! If I have the chance to make that…cow of a woman pay for everything she's put me through…well, why am I hesitating!?" You nod, pleased at this decision.

"I'll go and light the powder kegs! I k-know where they keep the t-tinder!" Coby fiercely declares. "Plus, I think I can get away with lighting the stores on the ship too! Even if we can't kill her, at least we can get outta dodge as she fails to chase us!" You are surprised by this addition to your strategy; reminding someone of their dream did a lot of good – might want to remember that for later. You point out that you will be waiting on the outskirts of the clearing; when Alvida shows up, you will just line up the shot, and finish the job. Fires, target, headshot- a winning three-part plan!


With the logistics buffed out, Coby leaves, looking slightly lighter, just filled with determination. As you wait for his end to go off, no pun intended, you finger a cord of a necklace hidden by your shirt. It was something you found with the journal, the shop-keep emphasizing they were a matched set. If what he heard about the locked chest was true, it makes some sen-

The first explosion rocked the compound, rattling you to your very bones. It was one of the storehouses, the flames lighting up all the shadows of the hideaway, including all the Alvida Pirates, running around and trying to figure out why the island was blowing up. They had very little time to wonder that since the next blast blew the figurehead of their ship to the center of their group. They all paused and looked at the wooden duck head that just stared back. One man finally spoke. "Hey…wasn't Alvida sleeping on the Miss Love Duck?"

Another swallowed heavily next to him. "Y-yeah…" The clearing fell into quiet mutterings, something that was a little unexpected. They should either be happy a captain position just opened, or fearful that what is obviously most of the Crew's power just got…blown…to… Remembering Coby's words, you swallow heavily, hoping that the chest's durability kept it intact. If it's around Alvida's neck, why the hell would he try to blow her up too!? Was the kid secretly bloodthirsty?

Your thoughts were interrupted yet again when large footfalls were heard by all. You crane your neck to see…but you did not have to go far, as she is plenty able to be spotted with strain. Coby called her a cow, but he must have meant baby beluga because this woman was as wide as a cruise liner-and she must have been as tough as the chest dangling from her neck on a chain since she hardly looked winded. In her left hand was her namesake, a giant iron mace nobody would be able to lift without some serious gains in the arms and shoulders department. In her other hand…was a slightly battered, barely conscious Coby. Alvida, because who else could it be, looked over her subordinates. "Well, what are y'all standing around for!? This footstool may have tried to kill me, but I doubt he suddenly got the idea…without help!" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And unless one of you dumbasses wants to take the blame, I want our intruder found! Now!"

As one scared herd of sheep, they nervously screamed "Yes, Ma'am!" before pulling out swords and guns; they spread out quickly, looking at every shadow they could find, which, with the bonfire they had yet to extinguish, was very easy.

Meanwhile, Alvida looked out to the tree line. "Where are you, damned coward!? If you don't come out here in the next ten seconds…" She threw Coby onto the ground, causing him to bounce a bit, forcing a whimper to escape his lips. "I'll split this weakling's head, then hunt you down!"

You grit your teeth, frustrated. This was not how it was supposed to go! If you revealed yourself, the chance to get the treasure would be very narrow, but the pudgy kid might be safe…for now. The second option, the one that avoids being brained, find a way to creep down there to kill her easily and take the chest…but she would definitely hit zero before you got that close. Of course, you could try to make the shot from here…with a pistol that has to be reloaded after each shot. You groan, exasperated- this is becoming quite a day…

You glare at the chest hanging from the…well, she does not have a neck, so-chain of your target. From there, you look down at Coby, looking tenderized and half-conscious for his troubles. But, despite his sorry state…you recognize that his fist never unclenches. With that image, you steel yourself; after everything he has risked, you have no right to back out now. You raise your pistol, leveling it at Alvida. As you pull the hammer back, you hear a click from behind you. You barely whip around before cool iron touches the back of your head, freezing you in place.

"Well, well. Look what I just found." You see the ambusher's sneer from the corner of your eye. "Start walking, or I'll blow your brains out." With very little option, you trudge forward out into the open.


Like roaches, Alvida's men popped up to jeer and laugh at you. In very little time, you get pushed down to your knees in front of the mountain of a woman. She frowned at you, tapping her finger on her weapon handle. "Now, who's this? Are you the famous Roronoa Zoro, or some other bounty hunter?" She nods at the man who captured you. "Search 'im! If he's got posters on him, he has to be gunnin' for my head!"

"Aye, Captain!" He barely nods back before ripping off your pack, as another thug digs through your clothes. You glance at Coby, who is looking back at you with a terrified, half-closed eye. You wish you could say it would be fine, but…

"Huh? What's this?" The small fry searching your person rips off a length of cord from your neck. Attached to that cord is a strange pendant with a triangle-like head.

"How should I know!?" The gun-toting punk laughed it off, emptying your bag of all its contents by just upending it. "Looks familiar though…"

Alvida scratches one of her chins in thought, also recognizing the trinket, to your dismay. Suddenly, her eyes widen! "Wait! Is that-!?" Far faster than anyone her size had any right to move, she stepped forward and snatched the pendant from her underling's clutches. She looked at it, then the chest, repeating the process a few times, before her face split into the most terrifying grin.

"Ah…so, that's why you're here!" She swung her club down, narrowly missing you, but hitting the ground hard enough to shake it, dust flying up from the impact. "Idiot! Trying to steal my treasure? All you've done is bringing me the key to my fortune!" You glare up at her, even as her crew chortles at the display.

With no more preamble, The Iron Mace of East Blue took the chest and key, which should be rightfully yours, and inserted the smallest of the pair into the lock. One twist and the lock clicked as it disengaged; the entire crew was somehow quietly cheering, as their boss opened the now unlocked trunk to find…

A fruit. A weird-ass purple fruit, covered in spirals, and bumps of various shapes, but fruit all the same. The silence that followed was so deafening that the minute someone started laughing it made you jump a bit. Actually, no wait, that was you laughing! And why not, you sailed all this way and had some stranger burn down a pirate camp…for an old, clearly spoiled bit of produce! You curl into yourself, completely in stitches, as Alvida yells something! You wheeze as she kicks you onto your back, her crew stepping back in fear! You giggle as she stands over you, her girth blocking all light, as she raises the lilac-hued melon over her head…and jams the sucker into your throat!

Oh, right. She was saying something like "If you wanted this treasure so much, you can choke on it," but it was much more vitriolic. It is much easier to focus on the present now for some-!

Neptune's hairy-! This was not just spoiled! The taste was awful! Indescribably rotten! As your vision begins to fade, amidst the cackling crew of cutthroats, a single thought runs through your head: 'Am I about to die, choking on a nasty melon, on some no-name island, to some ten-ton toddler?'

….

Hell no! With a sudden spark of willpower, you flex every muscle in your body, fighting to stay on this side of the veil, the flailing around causing the nastiest plant you have ever eaten to slide down your throat. The minute it hits your stomach, you greedily gulp down as much air as you can fill into your lungs. Alright! You shall live! You blink, scanning the area…before noticing Alvida over you still, the club now raised overhead. "You swallowed that? Well, here's dessert!" Crap! You shall die! You hold up your hands, like that will stop the literal falling hammer and-

Gold light flickers in your vision. You do not have time to wonder about it before it comes back, bright enough to blind!

When it dies down, you note that, A) you are very much not flat, B) the incoming blunt force object dropping on your head has vanished, and, C) everyone, Coby included, had absolutely gob-smacked faces. Well, with no more threat of smashing, you get back up and dust yourself off.

"M…my…club…" You turn toward Alvida, who looked like her brain had sprung a leak. "Where…how…what…"

You raise an eyebrow. You look for where she could have dropped the club, but the only thing around you are all the Alvida Pirates, their mouths hanging open for all to see. Maybe one of them swallowed it…

Your sight settles on Coby, his injuries forgotten as he pointed at…you. Well, actually your hands-

Looking at your hands, you pause in shock as you look at your palms…the skin cracking and pulsing with golden light…light bright enough to blind…

"W-WHAT ARE YOU!? AND WHERE'S MY CLUB!?" The two-ton bitch that tried to squash you just moments ago had apparently got over her shock. You turn to answer her, but a…feeling comes over you. Almost like instinct, you know where the iron club is…and how to bring it back. An unnerving grin crosses your face; she wants it back…well, let her have it!

In one motion, you rear back with your fist, the golden cracks growing steadily brighter. You take a glowing swing at her head, and there's a rush of air between you and the unhinged pirate-

And springing, from your fist, or more like becoming your fist, sits the head of Alvida's Iron Club, lodged firmly in her vast stomach! But the swing is not over yet, as you push with the rest of your might, knocking her off her feet and through the air! Not just a few feet, but clear over the trees and, if the sound of her faint screaming is any indication, probably off of the island to boot!

The crowd was scared. Coby was speechless. You were confused since you never had this power before-but who cares! That was awesome! Even as the spike-less weapon vanishes back into your hand, you look around at all the hearty men now scared witless at the stranger who just clobbered their captain. Guess they know who you are now!

"…What is most important to you?..."

A question, a fragment of a dream, comes to your mind. A question, you feel you can answer now…

Looking at the group, you hold up a fist covered in golden cracks, before sticking up one finger, pointing to the sky. "You don't know who I am? Then, remember this! Carve it into your memories! The man who will conquer the oceans of this world, who will achieve the title of Pirate King…will be me! Don't forget this name!" As you wrap up your speech, you bring your fist down, the cracks glowing, just like right before you hit Alvida. They try to attack, defend, to run-but they are all too slow! You pivot in place, the club appearing again, and from your spot, you bowl over every standing man in reach, howling the name these men will live to fear-

"JAMES HOOK!"


A/N: So, big news - new story! This is just a taste...what are your thoughts? Like it? Hate it? Be honest - I can take it!