CHAPTER 6: A New Boat
Soft creaks could be heard as a small wooden boat drifted across the sea. A group of seagulls glided across the clear blue sky under the gaze of the sun. Four years after the defeat of the mountain bandit Higuma, Luffy had been able to develop his armament to the point where he could use it at will, his observation Haki was a lot sharper too, he could now use it for longer periods of time and even sense presences subconsciously.
"Man, the weather sure is nice today!" He paused, frowning. "Though it's pretty hot!"
The seventeen year old resumed his nap as he laid back down comfortably on the barrel of food and water he had left with. His body lay slightly propped up by his cargo as he sat the straw hat on his face to block the sun.
This was the beginning of his adventures out at sea, he had remembered the promise he made to shanks and vowed he'd gather at least ten crew mates. Luffy retreated to his thoughts as he recalled the send off the town gave him.
Makino stood at the port watching the small boat paddle away from the island with a proud smile. "He finally left chief, we're going to miss him!"
The old mayor glared at that comment, his arms crossed. "He'll ruin this town's reputation!"
Another villager let out a proud laugh, "I never thought he would be so serious about it!"
Luffy smiled softly at the memory as he succumbed to his slumber.
XxX
Far in the distance ahead of the small boat a whirlpool raged on. The grand line was reputed as the pirate's graveyard, and rightfully so, the sea and the islands possessed a vast number of unpredictable phenomena that are not seen anywhere else in the world, which is why only one man was able to conquer it all in its history. Whirlpools didn't even exist in the grand line, there were things even worse than that.
The small boat was caught by the currents as it rapidly approached the edge of the whirlpool. Luffy awoke to the noise of violent waves as he stared in shock at the giant whirlpool. 'Why's there even a whirlpool on a bright day like this!?'
He was broken out of his thoughts by the whirlpool as it began to spin his boat around, trying to drag it below the ocean floor. 'welp! I don't think I can swim out of this if the rumors are true!'
With some quick thinking the teenager gobbled down the remaining food in his wooden barrel and climbed inside it. 'Hopefully buoyancy can keep me afloat!'
Those were his last thoughts as the ocean dragged him under the cold embrace of the sea.
XxX
On a remote island not too far from the whirlpool…
A bright pink ship with the figurehead of a goose rested on the dock of a small island, the island appeared to have two storage units near the dock.
The ship hoisted a black flag with a heart on the center of a skull facing sideways, the menacing Jolly Roger was completed with the trademark skull crosses most pirate ships seemed to wear.
A skinny finger inspected the wooden rails of the ship, "Why is there so much dust?"
The woman received a panicked response, "A THOUSAND PARDONS CAPTAIN ALVIDA! I thought I'd already cleaned the whole deck…!"
The pirate's eyes widened, he paused as he realized what he'd just said.
"I… I'll clean it again, So… please don't…!"
The woman glanced back at him, challenging him to speak. "Don't do what?"
"PLEASE DON'T HIT ME WITH YOU BLUDGEON…! I DON'T WANT TO DIEEE!"
The pleading man was cut off with a large mace to the head, courtesy of the large woman. The body fell to the deck with a thud as the pink haired boy behind the woman flinched at the sound.
"Coby! What's the most beautiful thing in all the seas?"
"Eh… Ehehehe of course that'll be…" the kid gulped under her presence, as sweat leaked out of his body.
"That'll be you, Mistress Alvida!"
The woman turned her head, "That's right! And that's why I absolutely hate dirty things!" She glanced at Coby, "So I don't want the slightest bit of dust on my ship! Do you hear me?!"
"I only let you live this long because you know more about navigation than the others"
"Y… yes ma'am. Thank you very much!"
"BUT OTHER THAN THAT, YOU'RE TOTALLY USELESS! NOW CLEAN MY SHOES!"
"Y… YES RIGHT AWAY MA'AM!"
The large freckled woman inspected the crew of frightened pirates who were furiously cleaning the deck. One pirate was mopping the wooden floorboards, while another was brooming dust and debris off the wood. Coby furiously polished the captain's shoes in silence.
The captain of this crew was known as the lady pirate: "iron mace Alvida"
"THAT'S ENOUGH FOR NOW! YOU PIECE OF GARBAGE!" Coby landed roughly on the deck as Alvida swatted him away with a sharp kick to the jaw. The young man picked himself up slowly, muttering apologies trying to escape her wrath.
He put on a nervous smile to salvage the situation,"Eh… Eh hehehe. I…. I'm so sorry!"
"IF YOU HAVE TIME TO APOLOGIZE WHY DON'T YOU GO CLEAN THE WASHROOM!"
Coby nervously rubbed the back of his head with a false smile. "Right away, Mistress Alvida!"
He turned away, walking away from the ship's ramp that was lowered to the island they were docked on. The young lad had been kept as their prisoner for a long time now, forced to work for the very pirates that had captured him. His weakness had cost him two years of his life.
As the pink haired boy headed towards the wine storage unit on the remote island, his eyes caught a glance of a wet wooden barrel laying on the ground. Thinking it to be a barrel of sake he rolled it towards the storage shed where the other pirates were organizing barrels of sake and wine.
XxX
"What? You're saying that barrel of sake got washed up on shore, Coby?" one of the older pirates inquired.
"Ye… Yes. There seems to be something inside it. What should we do with it?.."
Another pirate perked up at the suggestion of alcohol, "Great! Let's all drink together!"
The old pirate from before countered with reluctance "But if the captain finds out, we'll be…"
"She won't find out!" A third pirate assured.
"We're the only ones cleaning the wine cellar, so only us and stuid Coby will know about this!"
"Yeah… You're right"
"You know what to do, Right?! Coby…" one of the pirates threatened. Coby raised his hands nervously, trying to assure the pirates that he'd keep his silence.
"Of… Of course! I… I haven't seen anything! S… So please don't beat me…"
The splintering of wood broke the tension as Luffy burst out of the barrel Coby had brought in. "AHHHH! WHAT A NICE NAP THAT WAS!" The teen stretched his arms as he tried to work out the knots in his body.
"Looks like I'm saved! I thought I was gonna die too! Hahahaha!"
Silence encased the room as everyone was caught in shock at the new arrival. Luffy opened his eyes as he assessed his environment. "Huh?" Luffy was confused at the new faces.
"Who are you guys!?" He questioned with a suspicious look.
"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!" All three pirates were stumped as this was the last thing they had expected to see today.
"Why would someone be coming out of a wine barrel!?"
A furious voice rang through the island as Luffy's observation Haki flared to life. "STOP SLACKING OFFFFF!"
An iron club spun through the air as it decimated the entire wine cellar. Luffy's Observation Haki protected him from the brunt of the attack as he had coated himself in armament haki just before the club viciously struck the cellar. The other occupants in the cellar weren't particularly fortunate however, namely the pirates. Coby had luckily stood behind Luffy moments before the attack had destroyed the building, ensuring him safety from the broken planks and wood that went flying from Alvida's mace.
"Phew! That was a close one!" Luffy looked back towards the direction the mace had come from. Coby looked on in shock and slight awe, the stranger before him had just tanked the impact of the building crashing upon him. The cellar was mostly destroyed now, the remaining wall barely standing with large patches of holes and broken barrels of leaking sake flowing on the floor.
"Um… Are you alright?" Coby glanced at the boy with the strawhat who looked as if he had just woken up from a long nap.
"Yep! Never felt better!.. Though what was up with that thing that came flying towards us?"
"Oh!? That.. That was mistress Alvida's mace"
"Mistress?"
"Yes… She's the captain of that pirate ship over there" Coby gestured towards the bright pink ship docked on the edge of the island.
"Ah! So you're a pirate?!"
"Well No! Not exactly…"
"But isn't she your captain? And if you're on her ship then that makes you a pirate! See?!"
"I'm not a pirate by choice!"
The shorter boy looked down towards his feet, broken planks of oak lay around them, the leaking sake from the barrels quickly being absorbed by the thirsty dirt.
"That day… I was only fishing. But I accidentally ended up walking onto this ship! And ever since then, I had to become the caretaker on the ship these two years to stay alive…!"
"Wow, You're pretty stupid!" The boy laughed,"And you seem kinda wimpy too! I don't like you"
A part of Coby's soul died as he laughed sheepishly. "Heh heh heh… Yeah… you're right… If only I'm brave enough…"
Coby sobered up as he looked the teen dead in the eyes. He had accepted that he'd probably end up working under Alvida for the rest of his life. "Say Luffy… Why did you go out to sea?"
Luffy paused as he stopped laughing, a faraway smile blooming on his face as he remembered a distant memory.
"To keep a promise… To become the pirate king!"
Coby's eyes bulged as his mouth hung open.
"Eh…! WHA?! WHAT?!""
"PIRATE KING WAS THE TITLE OF SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE WORLD'S GREATEST TREASURE… THE ONE PIECE!?"
"YOU WANNA DIE OR SOMETHING?! ALL THE PIRATES IN THE WORLD ARE LOOKING FOR THAT TREASURE!"
"Well, so am I" He bluntly countered
"I'm not afraid of dying!"
"Huh!?"
"Because It's my dream and that's why I won't mind dying for it." The black haired boy clutched his straw hat with a fond smile.
'Such amazing resolution! Won't even mind death?!'
"Besides, I think I can do it, though It'd be pretty tough"
'...I've never thought of that!' Tears sprung out from his eyes as his glasses fogged up.
"Will I also… Be able to accomplish my dream…?! If… I'm willing to die…"
"What?"
Coby spoke louder with a firmer tone.
"Will I be able… To become a marine…?!"
"A marine?"
"Mr Luffy, I know it means that we'll be enemies! But joining the marines and catching bad guys.. HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY DREAM!" Coby exclaimed with fierce conviction.
"DO YOU THINK I CAN DO IT?!"
"I wouldn't know!"
The pink haired boy clenched his fists in frustration, he was getting worked up by recalling his purpose, his goal.
"I HAVE TO AT LEAST TRY! I'D RATHER DIE TRYING TO GET OUT OF HERE AND JOIN THE MARINES! THAN STAY HERE AND BE A CARETAKER MY ENTIRE LIFE!"
He was now working up a thin layer of sweat, "AND THEN I'LL BE ABLE TO ARREST SOMEONE LIKE ALVIDA!
A large crack reverberated through their ears as an iron mace smashed through the remaining wine cellar wall.
"WHO DID YOU SAY YOU WERE GOING TO ARREST, COBY?" The remaining wooden wall, or what was left of it, was now reduced to blocks and splints of wood.
"Do you think you can… Escape from me!?" The towering figure of Alvida stood in front of the two boys as she stood with her mace resting on her back, behind her stood her crew of pirates, brandishing their swords and knives. She glanced at the boy with the straw hat with an arrogant smirk.
"Is that who you hired to capture me? He doesn't seem to be Roronoa Zoro", her smirk got wider.
"Anyway, Before you die, I'm gonna ask you… What's the most beautiful thing in the sea, Coby?!"
Coby's face was the epitome of fear as he knew he'd sealed his fate the moment she had arrived. There was no going back, He'd be dead anyway.
"Eh… Heh heh! Of… Of course that'll be… Mistress Alvida is the… UGLIEST DAMNED BITCH ON THE SEAS!"
Silence…. Coby could only hear his pounding heart as he anticipated his impending death. He was beyond terrified, he had felt lighter after getting that off his chest, though he couldn't tell if that lightness was due to his soul separating from his physical body.
"HA! HAHA! HAHAH!" Luffy did not appear to share the same sentiment as he threw his head back and laughed amongst the tension.
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Alvida's spiked club swung overhead as it raced towards Coby. The large woman was putting all her weight into the devastating swing.
Coby's eyes widened in fear as he accepted his fate 'I don't regret it! I've already told myself to fight for my dreams!'
"Well said, Coby! Now get behind me!"
Luffy raised his forearm over his head as he blocked the club head on. His Haki training had truly paid off, that swing would've killed a regular human. The club struggled for dominance as it shook against Luffy's arm. Alvida was in complete shock as the boy had managed to halt her mace mid swing.
Alvida's surprise was shared with the rest of her crew, they could not believe their eyes. The teen's arm hadn't shattered from the impact from that blow. In fact Luffy barely seemed to be struggling from the weight if his grin was anything to go by.
"I'll take it from here Coby!"
Luffy pushed back Alvida's club as he prepared his counter attack. His grin widened as he planted his feet firmly on the ground.
"I've been wanting to try this for a while now! Let's see how effective it is in battle!" Luffy raised his palm towards Alvida's attacking form.
"Cosmic repulsion!"
Alvida's vision turned white as a small tremor shook the island. At the point of contact, between Luffy's palm and Alvida's mace a small circular shockwave appeared from the impact. Her whole body was brutally launched through the air as she was caught by a large tree trunk. Her crew had no words for the feat they had just witnessed.
The teen had flung their captain like a rag doll without even touching her! It was like magic, one moment Alvida was ready to smash the kid to death and the next she was blasted away with little effort.
"Damn! Guess I went a little overboard!"
Luffy stood in his stance, staring at his palm in wonder as he never thought the attack would be that destructive. He hadn't even intended to apply that much force! Flexing his fingers he turned away from the unconscious woman and towards her dumbfounded crew.
"Prepare a boat for Coby! He wants to join the marines!"
XxX
Author's Note: Damn that was a long one, hope you guys enjoyed it. And yes to answer the unspoken question Luffy does have a devil fruit, I'll reveal how and what it is soon, or will i? By the way, for those who want to know that attack "cosmic repulsion" It basically works like kuma's paw paw ability but it doesn't need contact, so more like pain's almighty push from naruto. Anyway I'm sure you guy's can guess his devil fruit from that attack alone, (note i made up his devil fruit, it's pretty unique if i'd say so myself.), either way i mentioned that this story has realistic power progression meaning that luffy won't be overpowered in all his fights, or at the early stages of his journey. Though i think i kinda went against that when i gave him haki from an early age. Eh either way he'll rely on his haki more than his devil fruit since he learnt and trained his haki for way longer. I'll reveal his devil fruit and its abilities later on, probably throughout his journey through the grandline. Anway leave a review, I need some feedback on what I can improve in my story. Take care!