Loguetown, East Blue
The arms shop was a large room with appropriate racks against the walls and barrels filled with the more run-of-the-mill swords that the owner kept on the off chance that he'd be able to make a profit off some idiot that wouldn't recognize quality when it bit him on the nose. The steel of the weapons in the shop glinted against the natural sunlight that entered from the window panels that gave sight on the cobbled path outside, and the shopkeeper couldn't help but grimace.
Despite the great variety of merchandise, despite the coming and goings of pirate hopefuls, regular marines that thanks to the gods were actually kept honest by the White Hunter himself, there was just too much competition... and in the past year, the fame of Smoker had spread enough to keep many lawless guys away from Loguetown. Which was a pity, as that kid of riffraff went through meaningless weapons like his wife went through his hard-earned money.
Ipponmatsu was a short man with black hair that went to the sides of his head. With tanned skin and wearing a blue shirt, his red nose seemed to shine like a spontaneous sign for the arms shop. And in the many years he had kept his shop, he had seen many things: more importantly, he had seen some relevant weapons pass through his shop, and the impressive warriors that held them. He had felt blessed when he had managed to get his hands on Yubashiri, and he had more or less given up on Sandai Kitetsu... but when the green-haired swordsman entered his shop, he felt ready to make another of his great affairs!
Still, for all of the strange things he had seen during his life in the last island before Reverse Mountain, where all the pirates with big dreams dared to pass, this truly took its place among the oddest ten: a shrimp of a boy with pink skin and too big blue glasses had entered the shop accompanied by that evil-looking, green-haired guy, who apparently was in search of two swords.
It wasn't either the coloration or the size that made the kid jump to the eye, not unlike a wrong note in a well-known song. It wasn't because of the slight, pained limp, or the empty backpack he carried. No, it was the knowing glint of his eyes, and the crooked smile that seemed fixed on his face, as if everything happening around him was part of some great joke only he knew the punchline of.
"So, all of this stuff is worth enough for two swords for my scary friend, right?" the boy's voice had a somewhat annoying pitch, but the arms shopkeeper had to focus on the mounds of steel that had just been dropped on the sturdy table from behind which he conducted his business. "With some leftover money too maybe?"
The boy's smile was truly unnerving, but at least there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead while he dropped an iron, spiked club against the edge of the desk: as the weapon weighted in the ballpark of 35 kilograms, it reassured the shopkeeper to confirm that the pink-haired kid was human, even if nobody would guess him capable of lifting such weights, nevermind casually walking around with them.
In front of the eyes of Ipponmatsu sat no less than six saber-like swords that clearly came from Fishman Island: the telltale quality of the steel spoke for itself, and was only outshined, among the other seven meaningless pieces of steel that no blacksmith would ever take pride in calling the fruit of their hands, by the giant saw-like blade that began more than a meter before the man's desk, and ended a couple of meters later. With the straight spine, it couldn't even be called an odachi, and could only fit a man of truly monstrous proportions.
Just while a known woman with glasses was entering the shop, the shrimp of a boy kept talking: "Come on, I don't have time to waste: there are other shops that I need to stop by. Oh, since I'm here, could you give me directions to where I'd be able to buy transponder snails, a guitar, a log-pose, and water balloons?"
Almost dragged along by the energy exuded by the boy, Ipponmatsu skipped the whole song and dance that he'd perform to take as much advantage as he could from the strangers that clearly were about to sail to their deaths, and gave the boy the indications he asked for along with 20 thousand beli. It wasn't like the worn six sabers could be repaired by a blacksmith that wasn't a fishman, and the saw-tooth blade would always only be seen as a curiosity, despite the scratches that marked its use in battle.
The boy rolled his eyes at the small amount of money he was given and left the shop after dropping a piece of paper on the arms dealer's desk, leaving with a 'See ya later' that received only a grunt as a reply. On the note, it was scrawled: 'Give him Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri'.
Ipponmatsu's jaw threatened to fall to the floor right then and there: yes, that boy made it straight to the top oddest three things that he had ever witnessed.
Then his eyes fell on the intense expression on the green-haired man who had grasped the hilt of the cursed blade in the shop, and somehow, the shopkeeper knew that he was about to see once more something utterly inexplicable.
Coby left the shop with a spring in his step: it wasn't like he had anything to change yet about the events that gave birth to Luffy's skeleton crew. Still, it had been nice to sell some of the more mundane lootings that he had been able to scrounge up during the adventures in the East Blue. The opportunity to raid a proper marine base hadn't presented itself just yet, so his side ambition to obtain some sea stone shackles was on hold, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to exploit the incoming opportunities that he knew were on his path.
Loguetown, despite being a clear stop-by for pirates before tackling the Grand Line, was a cheery place: Coby walked with his eyes darting about, curiosity and wonder slipping through his crooked smile as he followed the indications he had just received. Zoro could handle himself, and the note that the pink-haired boy had left behind would hopefully shorten the whole event.
The cobbled path ran straight through buildings of every kind: most held a shop on the ground floor and the home of the owner right upstairs, and there were all sort of colorful signs that advertised the contents. Soon enough, Coby reached the odds and ends shop that had been indicated by the arms shop's owner, and with his crooked smile fixed on his face, he entered.
The small squared room held shelves on both sides and a simple table deeper inside, where the female owner was scribbling in a book. She was a non-descript brunette with tan skin, a longer than normal nose, and plump lips red with lipstick.
Coby walked with surety up to her, and listed what he was going to need: "I want some water balloons, and a small pump to fill them!"
The cheery tone was matched by a knowing smile in the woman that jerked her head up to look at the young, pink-haired customer: "Preparing a prank, are we?"
"Something like that." the unofficial first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates felt himself grinning as what he planned could technically be classified as a prank, and he observed eagerly as the woman added a small contraption to the desk once she was done taking everything he had asked for.
"This is essentially a slingshot," she explained while pointing at the rail-like structure that sported a small cogged wheel on one side and a leather support meant to secure the whole thing on a forearm: "kids love these!"
Coby couldn't help a snort: the thing was well made, but he doubted that it could fling a water balloon at the same speeds of a human arm. "I'd rather a discount on my order, if you can manage it, along with a shopping bag."
"Maybe I can interest you in something more esoteric?" the woman was hardly put off by the boy's decisive manners, and in her shop, the few costumers weren't really the type to haggle, "I have a wide selection of games, from tabletop to things for more active kids..."
Unsurprisingly, the pink-haired kid actually took a look, his eyes stopping here and there while his hand trailed against the shelves: "A fake crystal ball, really?"
"I assure you, it is a genuine article!" the owner was quick to walk by his side, "All your friends will believe in your predictions..."
"This is clearly glass." the boy's smile only widened as he palmed the sphere, and his knowing eyes met the ones of the woman, "I'll take this and a package of cards treated to be waterproof along with that discount."
That set the start for a brief haggling session that left both the owner and the customer satisfied enough, only for Coby to quickly run towards the closest part of the shoreline. Running, Coby reached the sandy beach typical of the islands on the East Blue that stretched on one side of the harbor, and with decisive movements, he dropped one end of the pump he had been given into the water, only to start filling out water balloons as if his life depended on it.
And in a certain sense, it was exactly like that: until that moment, he had hardly moved to take advantage of his metaknowledge, besides some impulsive decisions that he couldn't see the effects of just yet. No, this would be different, and hopefully bring a meaningful advantage later down the line: "Come on, come on..."
In a matter of minutes, he had filled a dozen of the water balloons from the jumbo package he had paid with the money he had managed to get out of the arms shop owner, and once he managed to place them in a gunnysack, he secured the pump once more to his diminutive backpack, only to walk back into the city proper.
It was time to dance.
The sequence of events had taken place exactly as it would have without my presence on Luffy's crew: Zoro held a couple of high-quality blades along with his Wado, Sanji had recovered a giant blue fish, and Luffy had been struck by lightning a moment before being beheaded. All in all, when the moment came, I couldn't be more ready.
With the fake crystal ball secured in my backpack to justify future metaknowledge that might slip, a deck of cards that I could use now that I was running out of sleight of hand tricks that I was able to perform with a pebble to entertain Luffy, and grapefruit-sized balloons filled with seawater, I would take the very first step into this mad adventure.
The sunny weather had turned into a brewing storm after a lightning bolt powerful enough to turn the whole world white had struck the execution platform, destroying it, and under the sleets of rain, I followed the rumble of an engine until I reached my target: turning a corner into a street that was deserted, I witnessed Smoker's standoff against the foolish kid that I had to call captain.
Fucking hell, there's no time to look for the transponder snails. That thought was my only regret thus far: as far as hindsight went, I couldn't have played my hand any better than I had.
From the side, I ignored the verbal posturing that went on, Luffy was too focused on his opponent to take notice of me, while I was simply out of the marine's line of sight. I could feel my smile stretch almost to my ears while my heart hammered with built-up tension. I was as ready as I was going to be.
Under the rain, with his feet well planted against the ground, Smoker's arms took the ethereal form granted him by his Devil Fruit, and he used them to slam my captain against the ground.
And when Luffy lowered his head, seriousness suddenly steaming off him, I knew that my moment had come.
Quickly, I popped one of the water balloons so that the seawater splashed all over the others, and with a single swing, I emptied them all in front of the marine, who suddenly turned towards me, his eyes wide with surprise because the rain had masked my steps.
Then the rain of rubber fists came: the balloons exploded either when struck by Luffy's fists or when compressed between his attack and Smoker's body. For all of his quick reflexes and strength, the marine simply wasn't ready. How long had it been since someone could actually strike him? How long since he had known pain? It ended in a split second.
In any case, with his body relaxed, secure in the superiority of his fruit, he was smashed into an insensate pulp by Luffy's attack, who swayed on his feet for a couple of seconds because of the seawater on his hands, only to jump back to full strength when the rain washed away his weakness: "Coby! What did you do?"
Knowing who I was talking with, I simply ran towards the fallen marine, unsheathing the sea stone capped jutte from his back along with a cigar that I'd burn in his honor once I was back on the Merry. "He had a 'mystery power', Luffy." my heart thundered so loud I fancied I could hear it, "So I tricked him!"
"Hey, can you carry this?" I pointed to the three-wheeled motorcycle that Smoker used to get around: besides the fact that Usopp would likely be able to tinker with it, it held the equivalent of saddlebags that I suspected contained potentially useful stuff. After all, if the marine had a perfect record of stopping all the pirates that came through Loguetown before heading towards the grand line, it made sense to think he carried sea stone shackles in a way that didn't impede him from using his powers when it was time to fight.
The straw hat redirected the rain so that it created a small waterfall on the shoulder of my captain when he tilted his head and crossed his arms: "Why?"
"Because I like it but I can't lift it." I explained why I wasn't the one doing the moving, and then I added the real kicker: "And aren't pirates meant to steal from marines?"
"Oh!" a lightbulb almost visibly went off in his head, and Luffy simply nodded while he casually hefted onto one shoulder a machine that likely weighed up to two-hundred kilograms like it was a bundle of cotton: "Of course! Shishishi!"
And with that part done, we began to run towards the Merry. And even if I thought I spotted a green-cloaked figure standing under the front porch of a deserted shop, I didn't turn in that direction. I knew shit all of what Haki could actually do in the hands of Monkey D. Dragon, and I wasn't eager to see if he'd kill me on a whim because somehow he perceived that I wasn't who Coby was meant to be.
With a movement too fast to be followed, Coby's heel smalled against the top of the barrel before Sanji's, and despite the first's lacking height, which made the whole thing rather uncomfortable, the kid's smile seemed to shine like the lighthouse that led the Going Merry towards the entrance of the Grand Line.
"To become the greatest explorer in the whole world!" his promise rang out against the raging storm that was carrying forth their caravel, and the blond cook couldn't help but smirk at hearing such a broad dream. He was a good kid.
"Feed him, and put it on my tab!" the pink-haired twerp had laughed while indicating the starving Gin.
"You don't have a tab." one of his companions had replied dryly
"Isn't the tab of each crew member the captain's? He's already indebted." the kid had grinned, "And would you really let a man starve when you can put a stop to it?"
He hadn't hesitated in taking up one of Gin's tonfas when it was time to fight, and he had been dangerously reckless as he laughed his way through wounds of every kind. He had never wavered, and later on, he had often joined Sanji in the kitchen: "I know how to keep myself alive," he had said, "but we have a skeleton crew, and someone needs to be able to play second fiddle to every role. Besides, who doesn't like cooking for those they care about?"
Sanji exchanged a glance with the kid before his expression turned dreamy, and he proudly stated: "To Find the All Blue!"
Sailing away from Loguetown, carried on the crest of the storm under Nami's guidance, Zoro wasn't sure what he was meant to be thinking about the shrimp-sized, pink-haired kid that was part of the crew.
Luffy of course didn't hesitate, and placed his foot on the barrel: "To become King of the Pirates!"
Zoro let the wave of certainty that accompanied that promise wash over him with practiced ease, and his eyes found the daring ones of the unofficial First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates. Always daring, always hungry for more.
Coby insisted that he was sixteen, had a body as weak as a civilian's, and he couldn't really see without glasses. Yet, the swordsman's instincts seemed on edge every time the kid assumed a thoughtful expression. The captain and Coby had been as thick as thieves when they recruited him, even if it looked like it was so only because of the kid's ability to perform cheap magic tricks, and really, as long as they didn't stand in the way of his ambition, Zoro didn't care.
"Hey," the pink-haired kid had approached him casually, but it was clear that he wanted something, "sword-people meditate right?"
"Sword-people?" Zoro couldn't help but frown.
"Well, I guess that there are women using swords, and calling them men is a bit demeaning, no?" Coby shrugged while he fell seated beside the resting swordsman: "So, you know how to meditate?"
At his affirmative grunt, there had been no hesitation, and with his too-wide smile and too-hungry eyes, the kid had laughed: "Teach me!"
It was hard not to respect the kid despite the glaring multitude of weaknesses he had: he was unlike other blowhards that Zoro had met in his travels. Pink-haired or not, he seemed to know perfectly well that he'd not be able to beat the swordsman in a fight. Hell, he had known he wouldn't have been able to beat the weakest of the Fishmen in Arlong Park, yet he had smiled all the time.
And he had talked.
With his bloodloss, Zoro didn't really remember everything, but the kid's words had cut as sharply and deeply as Wado Ichimonji: he had mentioned something about the sun, and every Fishman had gone utterly ballistic, leaving glaring openings in their guards that had been exploited.
Even beaten and bloodied, the kid had been smiling, showing enough teeth that he was just shy of a snarling, wet kitten. It was as if he was absolutely certain that he wasn't going to die. Zoro had met a zealot or two in his roaming of the East Blue, and he could recognize that particular brand of fearlessness.
Yet something told the swordsman that his faith wasn't in either God, if he existed, nor Luffy. Still, as long as the pink-haired youth didn't stand in the way of his ambition, he didn't care.
With a grunt, Zoro focused on the here and now and slammed his heel on the barrel that stood on the deck of the Going Merry: "To be the greatest swordsman!"
Under the rain, Nami's orange hair flipped about only thanks to the insanely strong wind that was carrying them forward, and her brown eyes fell on the third tangerine tree present on the ship: the one that Coby had purchased with the express purpose of its fruits being used for the wellbeing of the crew.
"Usopp and I will figure out a way to build a small pergola capable of keeping up a few fruit-bearing plants." the pink-haired kid had smiled at her while she entered the tattoo parlor, a portable tattoo machine accompanying him with a selection of inks, "And I'll buy one tangerine tree with my money: fresh fruit can keep up the vitamins necessary to not let us die horribly in the open seas, don't you know? Besides, each Devil Fruit has a starting price of 100 milion Beli, and you never know when one may sprout."
He was bandaged to hell and back, he limped horribly, and she knew that he had a bite mark by describing a half moon around his thickly bandaged thigh: it was a miracle that the main blood vessels hadn't been cut, but with a hairline fracture on his femur, he was still hobbling around with only one crutch, and he seemed to luxuriate in the pain.
"It's only a flesh wound, Nami." utterly carefree, high on painkillers and agony that no doubt still managed to assault him because of his wounds, he had looked far more similar to Luffy than ever before, and for the first time, she had noticed how he could be the unofficial First Mate of the Straw Hat Pirates, "If it doesn't kill me..."
He hadn't stared down the opponents he met along the other pirates, he had merely laughed in their faces... but whatever he had told to the Arlong Pirates had been enough to make Hatchan cry and drop his weapons. While sending the others into a frenzy.
Still, she smiled at the promises made by the other members of the crew she had found herself a part of, and made her own vow: "To draw a map of the world!"
Usopp was the last to approach the barrel, which stood on the deck of the Going Merry not unlike an altar, and across the heavy rain, with that almost violent wind carrying the ship forward and that made him stumble, his attention drafted to Coby, whose expectant eyes were inviting him in the same way an abyss invited the curious to the plunge.
"One, two, three, Jango!"
It was almost predictable that Luffy would fall prey of it, but what Usopp hadn't expected, was to see a pink, blurring streak rocket towards the enemy, and shatter against the hypnotist himself, raining fists faster than Usopp could spin tall-tales while Luffy whacked the entire world with the figurehead of the Kuro Pirates' ship.
"That was some cool magic!" Coby returned to himself with his fists bloodied and the broken face of Jango beneath destroyed sunglasses, "So, Jackson rip-off, teach me how you did that!"
Later on, he had more or less cornered Usopp: "You're a clever one, aren't you? You must be, to build your projectiles so."
The sniper had smiled faintly at the unassuming kid that had proven himself capable of insane amounts of reckless violence. When it was time to put his money where his mouth was, he never pulled back: Coby had been beaten much more than Usopp, but that had only seemed to galvanize him further.
"Instead of building the tools, have you considered building the tools to build the tools?" It had taken a bit of tinkering, but the pink-haired boy had matched Usopp's cleverness with his own, and now he could prepare six extra spicy, extra hot projectiles in the time it took to take a deep breath, thanks to the small machine they had been able to put together.
And with the departure from Loguetown, Coby had deposited a jutte in his hammock, while Luffy had casually dumped that odd three-wheeled vehicle that the pink-haired crew member had promised they'd study together: "The Going Merry is a ship meant for the East Blue, we need to figure out how to keep her hale and whole against the harsh waves and storms of the Grand Line. I reckon she'd love to carry us all the way, no?"
Usopp was the last one to place his boot-clad foot on the barrel, and he gulped nervously: surrounded by such great ambitions, amidst a storm, his dream seemed almost insignificant, but he spoke it still. Pushing away his hesitation along with the memories of the odd Coby, he vowed: "To become a brave warrior of the sea!"
Luffy's voice then drowned out the storm surrounding them: "LET'S GO TO THE GRAND LINE!"
And with a single voice, the Straw Hat Pirates answered: "AYE!"
AN
I've hinted at it during this chapter, but more or less nothing has changed during the East Blue arc. Until now that is: I used the section right before the Reverse Mountain to write out a series of scenes from the perspectives of the various crew members (sans Luffy, mostly because he's not someone prone to reflection) that underline the few differences and establish the 'point of contact' so to speak, between our SI-Coby and the others.
I tend to be expansive in my explanations and explorations: but as I've declared before, this fic is really meant for those with a working knowledge of canon One Piece, so that I can skip the unreasonably boring and useless rewriting of pieces we already know everything off. Mostly, I'm interested in opinions about how I skipped the entirety of East Blue without skimping out on underlining the few changing moments.
With this, the 'introduction phase' is done, and I can focus on the build-up necessary to split from canon later on.
Let me know if you've enjoyed the small 'action section': given the weakness of Coby's body, I focused on underlining how quick planning is absolutely overpowered once metaknowledge enters into play.
More importantly, do you think that reading a One Piece adventure like this is feasible? Until Water 7, it is going to be more or less like canon, and we're talking about another 6 or seven chapters like this one to reach the divergence point that will turn this fic into something original.
Let me know what you think!
