We've been floating on the sea for a few days, and it is absolutely boring.
I forgot how this part of the Blues is super calm and boring most of the time, but then again this is the only Blue I ever know of, other than Calm Belt and Paradise. And even after with the help of Koby and Takao's combined navigational skills, reaching the nearest island that Takao spotted the day before is taking a pretty long time.
And not only that, but Luffy managed to finish the last of our food rations last night and I am not doing well with anger and empty stomach combinations.
So after beating Luffy up and ordering him to get us some fish (no matter how nor do I care how), Koby decided to break the ice.
"S-So Eris-san, what was your homeworld like?" Koby asks, "I've always been curious about Otherworlders. I don't know if you know, but we have a pretty famous children's storybook about the legend."
"I've seen and read it, but my homeworld isn't that medieval." I answer him with my finger on my chin, "My homeworld is more of a modern technology and has more land mass than this world. We have more continents compared to yours, and sometimes one continent consists of more than 5 countries."
"Really? That sounds amazing!" Koby replies with sparkles in his eyes, "Are there any marines there? Or even pirates?"
"We sure do, but unlike this world, the marines are not consisting of one organization under one government, but divided based on which country that governs them." I explain, "It's basically just like a certain country's soldiers, but marines."
"And pirates exist too, but none of them are free-spirited pirates. Maybe they were a long time ago, but from the last time I'm in my homeworld, most of them are just criminals." I continue, "Still, many people romanticize pirates and their freedom loving selves, so there are stories about them that there are plenty of infamous figures. Nobody really knows how true it is though, but we can dream."
"I see. So I suppose pirates aren't exactly that different in another world." Koby comments in fascination.
"Yeap, but unlike this world, we don't have anyone with superpowers and devil fruits. In fact, I'm sure most of them are even far weaker compared to you, Koby." I add with a grin and Koby seems surprised by that.
"Really?! That doesn't seem believable…" He says and I shake my head.
"I'm serious. If you can survive from getting hit by Alvida's iron mace, no one in my homeworld will. They'll die in one hit, and if they survive, I'm sure they'll be veggies." I tell him as I turn to look at Luffy, who's definitely not listening to whatever conversation I have with Koby, "Luffy, you better not slack off and I expect you to get at least one fish before we reach the island."
Luffy flinches at that and he frantically starts to peer into the sea. I just shake my head seeing his antics before turning back to Koby.
"So yeah, that's the most basic knowledge about my homeworld. Anymore questions?" I ask with a smile. Talking about my homeworld feels nostalgic. I kinda miss it, but brooding about it won't solve it. Thankfully, I can stop myself from actually getting homesick by making specialty foods of my country. It's a blessing that there are spices and ingredients that are similar too.
"No, I think I've had my fill already. It really is fascinating to actually meet the Otherworlder we always heard from children stories and rumors." Koby answers with a shake of his head as he looks at his hands with a certain glint in his eyes, "The world sure is fascinating. Do you think there are others like you, Eris-san?"
"Hmm, I don't know about that, but I only know one person and I've never met her." I tell him as I lean on the empty barrel and look at the sky, "She was a member of the Pirate King's crew; her name is Justiciar A. Rein, if I'm not mistaken. She went missing after Roger's execution, and was never heard or seen since."
"Y-You mean, THE infamous 'Queen Bee' of Roger Pirates?!"
"I guess? I only know her name, not the epithet." I reply with a shrug, "From my deduction, she's still alive in this world somewhere, and I plan on meeting her one day. She might not be from the same homeworld as mine, but at least I have someone else like me to talk to."
Still, her epithet is 'Queen Bee'? That sounds both hilarious and cool. I hope she's not an actual bee or something equivalent of one, but that would be cool though.
Koby didn't say any further about it, but he looks nervous until he shakes his head and seemingly thinks to himself. It's hilarious to watch him changing from panicking to being serious and vice versa in a second, so I leave him to it as I close my eyes and try to detect my surroundings.
No Sea Kings around and just fishes nearing the bottom. The sea is calm and the wind is softly singing as they slowly take us to our destination. I hum along with the wind and chuckle when the wind playfully tickles my cheek before opening my eyes again and looking at the horizon.
"Land ho!" I announce when I see a speck by the horizon and the others immediately turn their heads to see it.
"Yahoo! Finally, an island!" Luffy cheers out excitedly, "I wonder if they have a restaurant? I'm starving!"
"We almost reached an island, and you still haven't got anything?" I point out and he flinches before turning at me with a scowl and nervous sweats.
"Of course I haven't! You know that I can't swim! What are you, an idiot?!" He protests until I grab the front of his shirt with my fist ready to punch him and his protests get thrown out into the sea, "AAAH, I'M SORRY!" He screams out in fear.
"Don't tempt me, Luffy. You know full well what will happen if you mess with me and my food." I warned him with a smile that didn't reach my eyes as I stared into his soul.
"I UNDERSTAND, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"
I huff as I let my grip go and let him sprawl on the boat as I stand up and turn to look at the incoming island. Ugh, this is so slow. Can't the wind take us to the island faster?
As if answering my thought, the wind suddenly picks up and the sea is pushing the boat faster. I grin in return while holding down my hat as Koby and Luffy are holding onto the railing, Flame still sleeping away, and Takao flying along above us until the boat finally reaches the dock of the island.
As Koby ties up the boat by the dock, both Luffy and me hop on the dock and stretch out, letting the bones pop and I let out a happy sigh for that.
"We finally arrived at the Marine base!" Luffy exclaims out.
"Finally, I can stretch my legs and back." I say as I hop on one foot to another, "and I definitely need a bath. Ugh, I feel and smell like shit." I say with a grimace when I get a whiff of my odor. Unlike Luffy, I'm not gross and I need my daily bath at least once a day.
"You're pretty great, Koby!" Luffy compliments the pink-haired, who just blinks at him dumbly. "We actually reached our destination!" He continues.
"Of course, basic navigation is very important for every seafarer." Koby replies, "If you wander around in the sea, you'll never survive. You should at least find a navigator to join you." He suggests.
"Hm, I guess you're right. I guess we need at least a musician and a navigator." Luffy agrees before he starts to wander off into the town.
"Why do you need a musician?" Koby asks in pure confusion.
"Because we're gonna need someone to play the music when we're partying, obviously." I tell him with a pat on his head as we follow the rubber teen while both Takao and Flame stay behind by the boat. "But yeah, we definitely need a navigator, and not just Takao. While Takao knows a bit because he's also a bird, we need an actual one because Luffy is not the most navigational person out there." I add.
"What about you, Eris-san?" Koby turns to me.
"Me?" I echo back and scoff with a smirk, "you don't need to ask me, Pinky. Because my navigating skill is exactly 360° just like Luffy." I reply with a puff of my chest and a thumbs-up.
"That's not something to be proud of!" He scolds me.
"And we're gonna have Zoro as a nakama too, so either we're basically doomed or Takao is going to blow up one of these days." I say with a laugh, ignoring him as I start imagining the three of us getting lost because we don't know which way is east, west, south, and north; and then Takao just screeches and loses his mind over us.
We walk around town as Koby keeps on telling us that adding Zoro into our crew might now be a good idea, but Luffy doesn't seem to care about it.
"I haven't decided if he's a good person yet." Luffy replies nonchalantly.
"He's been arrested because he's a bad guy!" Koby yells at him and I roll my eyes before giving him a hit in the head. "Why did you hit me…" He whines.
"Don't insult Zoro. He might be scary, but he's not that bad of a guy." I tell him with a huff as Luffy grabs himself a guapear from the nearest vendor, "You'll see it soon enough." I add as I throw a 100 berries at the seller.
"Why am I paying you up?" I ask Luffy with a frown and half-lidded eyes as he turns to look at me.
"I don't have any money, so you pay for it." He replies simply before turning back to look at the Marine base at the center of the island, "I wonder if Zoro is inside the base." Luffy wonders out loud, which makes the townspeople around us jump away from us with terrified faces and Luffy just stares at the sight.
"It seems that Zoro's name is taboo here." Coby whispers to Luffy, who just shrugs and we continue our quest, while the townspeople go back to their activities like normal again.
"Anyways, let's head to the base. You wanna join the Marines, right?" Luffy points out as we continue on walking.
"Yes, but my heart is not ready yet…" Koby replies with a nervous smile, "I heard that Captain Morgan is in charge of that base." And when 'Morgan' is mentioned, the townspeople jump away from us too, with more exaggerated reactions.
Luffy laughs loudly while I just snort in amusement. "What a funny town!" Luffy comments while Koby is visibly confused.
"That's strange. I can understand Zoro, but why would they be scared of the Captain?" Koby asks with a concerned look.
I roll my eyes at that, "Isn't it because this 'Morgan' is a bastard? It's kind of obvious from how the townspeople react when his name is mentioned."
"But that doesn't seem right. They shouldn't have been like that." Koby mutters softly and I glance at his confused form.
"You're right, it doesn't seem right, but you'll know it soon." I assure him with a pat on his head, "just take this experience to expand your view on this world." I added and Koby just gave me a confused look, but didn't say anything in return until we finally arrived at the gate of the Marine base. It's a pretty enormous gate with Marine in Curvy Common letters and their symbol by the middle.
"Alright, this is it!" "What a dull place." Luffy and I say in unison as we try to find where Zoro is, until I manage to catch a whiff of him. I walk up to the wall and climb up to the top of the wall, ignoring Koby's panicked whispers, telling me to come back down.
Spotting the familiar mossy haired swordsman with a broken white shirt, green haramaki, dark green pants, boots, and headband, and his trademark three earrings, I grin. There he is; the one and only moss head in the East, and he's pathetically tied up to a cross. What a dumbass.
"OOOI! ZOROOOO!" I call out his name with a wave of my hands, grabbing his attention with that glare of his. To be honest, he looks and feels like he's about to die right then and there after not eating for almost a month. But still, his athletic and muscular figure is still visible, despite how starving he is.
"Who the hell are you? Go away, brat." He snaps and I pout at him. Okay so he forgot about me. That hurts. A little.
"That's cold, Zoro. Don't tell me you forgot about that one kid with a blue bird that lived in Kuina's room for a bit and managed to kick your ass?" I tell him and smirk as Zoro stares at me with a blink before widening in realization.
"Eris?"
"Nyehehehe, so you didn't forget after all." I grin as Luffy also climbs on the wall and clinging on next to me with Koby following suit.
"So that's Zoro?" Luffy asks me and I nod. Koby lets out a yelp as he tries to cling onto us for dear life.
"Yep, the one and only moss head in the East." I say and snort when Zoro glares at me.
"I-It's him! It really is Roronoa Zoro! He looks scarier than the rumors…" Koby mutters in panic, still trying to hide behind my ass. Well, ain't he helping himself, intentionally or not.
"If we untie that rope, he can escape, right?" Luffy asks me with a mischievous grin and I snicker.
"Yes, if it's anyone but you. Don't forget that you barely can tie anything, let alone untie it." I tell him and he just laughs while Koby looks at us in horror.
"Don't say stupid things like that! What do you think will happen if we let him go?!" Koby yells at us.
"Well, if we're infamous pirates, our heads will probably be chopped off by him and be sent to marines for money. Nyehehehehe!" I laugh in amusement. I can imagine our headless bodies running around like headless chickens while Zoro threw our bagged heads into a shipping bin and the marines paying him up like he just shipped a couple of cabbages.
"Please don't say nasty things like that!" Koby scolds me with a horrified look on his face. Huh? He can hear my thoughts?! "That's because you're saying it out loud, Eris-san!" He adds.
"Oh, really? Oh well! Nyeheheheheh!" I shrug with a hearty laugh while Koby seemingly just loses his mind over me, "Oi Zoro! This is Luffy, my cute little brother I told you about! Remember when I told you he ate a Devil Fruit?" I tell him while thumbing on the rubber boy, who's picking his nose. Gross. Gramps really is a bad influence for him and Ace. I'm gonna kick his ass when I meet him again!
"Yo! I heard that you lost to Eris. Are you really that strong?" Luffy asks as he manages to pick his booger and flicks it off while I give him a disgusted look. "Then again, I'll be amazed if you managed to kick Eris' ass." He adds with a shiver before realizing something, "Oi Eris! What do you mean by 'little brother'?! I told you that I'm the older one, didn't I?!" He protested.
"You say that, but I had my birthday a week earlier than yours, so I'm older." I reply with a half-lidded look, "We've had this argument for 10 years now, and the answer is still the same. Just because you're my Captain, you can't change reality, dummy." I continue and give him a chop on the head while he just gives me a pout. Cute.
"So you're that Luffy I've heard a lot from her." Zoro says gruffly and Luffy turns to me.
"Huh? You talk a lot about me?" He asks.
"Sure did. Can't just leave home and not tell my friends about you." I reply with pride, puffing up my chest and I turn when I feel a small presence approaching us. Seeing my action, the boys turn to look in the same direction to see a ladder being placed next to us as a little girl is climbing up to the wall, gesturing us to be quiet, and then jumping to the other side of the wall to approach Zoro.
"That's dangerous! Luffy-san, Eris-san, please stop her! She'll be killed!" Koby tells us and I just shrug in return.
"She'll be fine." I tell him calmly as Luffy watches the scene before us.
"What's wrong?" I hear Zoro asking the girl softly and I blink in amazement. I know this happens through manga/anime, but seeing it in real life is really an astonishing sight. Still, seeing and hearing him being a softie is kinda cute.
"You're hungry, right? I made you some rice balls!" The girl says with a smile, making Zoro a little surprised by that. Oh, they're so cute. What are they, siblings? Kinda reminds me of both Luffy and Ace being super cute each time they're bonding together!
Watching the sight with endearment, I can hear quiet whispers of Koby and Luffy talking about me.
"Luffy-san, what's wrong with Eris-san?"
"Eris always acts like that. They're weird, that's why!"
Coating my fists with Buso, they glint under the sunlight as I bring them to the air before delivering them to their heads, giving them equally big bumps. I ignore their pained cries as I turn around to jump off of the wall and walk away.
"Eris-san, where are you going?" I hear Koby ask and I glance back at him.
"Imma go get us some supplies, because I'm the only one here with money." I tell him casually and start to walk away and into the town I go, "And maybe some sweets too." I add to myself with a grin.
After getting supplies and the sweets I can get my hands on, I happily humming 'Bink's Brew' while munching on my candies with a sack of food on my shoulder and walking to our boat. Flame is there, snoozing away and opens his eyes when he hears me approaching to drop off our supply, but closes his eyes again when he sees that it's just me.
"Where's Takao?" I ask him and he glances at me.
"On a walk."
"Oh okay. You hungry?"
"A bit."
"Okay, let's go get lunch. Don't worry about the boat." With that, Flame immediately hops on his paws and jumps to land next to me. We walk back into the town and ignore the terrified looks from the townspeople when they see Flame's huge figure.
Can't blame them for being scared, considering Flame is bigger than any normal wolf in Mount Colubo (not that animals there are normal sized anyway) and is the perfect steed for even a huge adult like Dadan. Not that he allows anyone to ride him but those he trusts.
We eventually enter a diner and I take a seat, with Flame sitting down next to me as I raise my hand.
"Auntie! I want 10 servings of a special lunch set, please! And also 10 servings of meat without seasonings for the big lug here." I tell the lady that's seemingly the owner of the diner, who seems concerned as she takes glances on Flame. Noticing it, I gently pet the big lug. "And don't worry about him. He may be huge, but inside he's just a little puppy." I tell them as the wolf happily wags his tail.
"If you're worried he'll wreck the place, he won't; he's trained!" I assure her, who just smiles politely and off to prepare for my orders. The others in the diner still look worried, but they eventually return to their lunch and back to their banter.
I look around and widen my eyes when I spot a certain orangette a few tables away. Oh, it's Nami!
After a moment, my orders finally come and I soon forget about her as I munch on my lunch along with Flame.
As I happily enjoy my lunch, I suddenly hear ruckuses behind me. I glance over my shoulder and spot a certain blond with a weird hairstyle. Oh, it's something-meppo. I take my plate and turn around, watching the ruckus like a movie while eating.
So this is what Marine officers do if there are shits like that in front of them, huh? Especially when it's from that bowl-haired idiot.
Suddenly everyone turns their attention to me, and I blink in return.
"I said it out loud, didn't I?" I ask no one in particular and shrug as I continue on eating, watching something-meppo approach me until he stands in front of me. We stare at each other for a good few seconds before thing-meppo breaks it angrily.
"What did you just say, you little girl?" Something-meppo asks me in annoyance, and I furrow my brows and coat my fist with Buso as I reel it back.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE, YOU DAMN MAPO TOFU?!" I yell out as I deliver my punch to his stupid, split chin and sending him into the wall. "Don't you dare call me 'little' again, you stupid Mapo!" I add with a growl as the Marine officers quickly approach the snotty bastard.
"Y-y-you DARE to hit me?!" Mapo Tofu screeches out as he's holding his bruised chin with tears in his eyes, "I'm the son of Captain Morgan! I'll tell my father that you hit me!" He threatens and I snarl at him, making him yelp pathetically.
Flame quickly bites and pulls on my sash to rein me back when I'm about to jump at the blond, who quickly crawls away to the door in fear and stands back up.
"I will report this to my father and have you executed along with that Roronoa Zoro tomorrow! Brace yourself!" He exclaims before he runs away, with the Marine officers trailing along behind him.
"Come get me if you can. I'm not going down without a fight." I huff before turning to the audience and grin, "Well, sorry about that. Kinda lose my cool there for a second." I tell them sheepishly and turn to the back door, "I know you're there, Luffy, Koby, and little girl." I say and they all peek in before entering the premises.
"W-What were you thinking, Eris-san?! For hitting him like that?" Koby exclaims out in panic, "You shouldn't make enemies with the Marine!" He adds and I furrow my brows in confusion.
"Koby, we're pirates. Making enemies with Marines is inevitable." I point out as I sit back down and continue with my lunch.
"T-that's true, but…"
"Oi Eris," I turn to look at Luffy, who's unusually serious, "I'm going to make Zoro my crewmate." He tells me and I smile a bit.
"You like him then?" I ask and he grins with a nod.
"Yeah! But he's so stubborn like you." He says and I twitch a bit at that part, "And that stupid son said he's going to execute Zoro tomorrow, didn't he?"
"Sure did. So you better save our unofficial new member before he joins as a dead guy." I tell him and he grins before he immediately gets off to get Zoro.
"E-Eris-san, why didn't you stop him?!" Koby asks nervously.
"He's saving our new nakama, so why not?" I ask back with a shrug as I finish my meals and off to pay for it, "You can stay here if you're scared, but I have business to do at the base, so bye!" I bid my goodbye as I hop on Flame and we're off to the base, ignoring Koby's shouts behind us.
As we're nearing the base, Flame runs faster before jumping over the wall and landing nicely in front of Zoro, which actually scares him a bit when he sees Flame until I pop up from his back.
"Yo Zoro! Still tied up?" I greet him with a grin before I hop off of Flame and tell him to stay with the swordsman.
"Seriously, what's wrong with you and your brother? You guys are insane!" Zoro yells at me and I just laugh in return.
"You don't have to compliment us like that. We know!" I reply with a sheepish smirk.
"THAT'S NOT A COMPLIMENT!"
"Anyway, I'm gonna go and steal some shits! Bye Zoro, don't die yet!" I tell him as I run toward the base, ignoring Zoro's shout to not ignoring him.
Readying and coating my fist with Buso, I punch through the wall next to the front door and bust inside as I hear ruckuses from the rooftop. It sounds like Luffy is having fun, and I need to get my fun too!
Giggling and taking a step forward to miss half of Morgan's statue from crushing me, I run inside and start to open the doors one by one and ignoring the screams from the ones who are either taking a shower or getting changed to find Morgan's office.
After running around, I finally managed to find the office, which should be obvious because it has huge double-doors. No one is around because they're too busy dealing with Luffy, so I enter the office and approach the barrels at the corner of the room, which are hiding deposit boxes behind them.
Coating my hands with Buso, I rip them open and grin when some of them are filled with money. Nice, I can grab them up and give them back to the villagers. Putting the money in my satchel and pockets, I can hear ruckuses and a woman's yelp outside the room. Oh, it's Nami!
I wait for the ruckuses outside to die down a bit so that Nami eventually enters the office and gives me a confused and alarmed look.
"Yo! Whatcha doing here?" I greet her with a grin and a wave, "Here to steal shit?" I ask and she tenses up a bit before she smiles sweetly at me, but I quickly stop her. "Save your breath. I'm not a Marine, never will be. Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm taking all the money. Bye!" I bid her off as I turned to the window, opening it, and jumping off when Nami was screaming at me.
Before I land on the ground, I kick the air to break the fall as I land on my feet gracefully and turn to look up when I can feel Nami is looking at me with a dumbstruck expression. I just grin at her before running off to where Zoro is when I can feel not only Zoro and Flame, but also Koby and many other unfamiliar people in front of them.
When I finally enter the scene, I can see the boys, the marines with guns in hands and the Captain behind them.
"What's this? Are you guys starting a party without me?" I ask with a smirk when I approach them and turn to face the marines before swinging my leg towards them, "Pisau Angin!" and releasing a wind projectile to hit them all like bowling pins, except for Morgan himself.
"E-Eris-san! Where's Luffy-san?" Koby asks and I shrug.
"I dunno. Maybe he's grabbing Zoro's swords?"
And as if on cue, Luffy rocketed himself in with Zoro's swords tied to his back—he can tie a knot?!
Grabbing him by the back of his shirt before he kissed the ground, I pulled him up so he's eye level with me. "Oi Luffy, you can tie a knot?" I ask him, dumbstruck.
"Huh? Kinda!" Luffy answers with a grin, "But I dunno how to untie it." He adds with a laugh and I sigh in relief as I let him go. And here I thought he suddenly became smart. I dunno what I would do if that happens anytime soon. I might just lose it right then and there.
"S-sir! That child just attacked us with something invisible!" I hear someone report and Morgan clicks his tongue.
"I can see that, idiot." Morgas replies, "That rascal isn't normal. He must've eaten one of those devil fruits." Morgan comments.
I blink and turn to look at the boys behind me, who are all busy with their own things, and I look back forward to see the marines and Morgan are looking at me.
"Oh, you guys are talking about me?" I ask as I point at myself.
"WHO ELSE?!"
"Ah, I see. So those guys mistook me as a boy, huh." I hum to myself, hand on my chin as I look at the marines thoughtfully. Well, I don't really care about being mistaken for any genders, but…
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A CHILD?!" I yell out angrily as I jump and kick myself up into the air, "HUJAN PISAU!" and start to rapidly swing and deliver barrages of sharp winds toward the marines below. They all immediately scattering around like headless chickens while screaming bloody murder as I land back down with a growl and readying my 'claws', but Flame immediately approaches me to rein me back by biting and pulling on my sash.
"Do you need help, Master Eris?" I stop and look up with a grin when I see Takao flying down and perching on my shoulder.
"Where've you been?" I ask him as he calmly preening himself.
"Scouting." He simply replies.
"Oh okay!"
"Don't let that little brat stop you! Anyone who opposes me must perish!" Morgan orders and the marines grab their swords before charging at me. I can feel their intentions fully as I easily move and dodge around before giving them all punches and kicks to knock them all down.
Once they're all down but Morgan, who looks absolutely pissed, I turn to approach the boys, who are finished talking, but then I proceed to trip over my own foot when Morgan is about to hack me down with his ax-hand.
Damn me for being a fucking klutz…!
Yelping when I kiss the ground, Zoro immediately grabs his swords and stops the ax to chop my head off like an onion.
"You damn klutz. Stop tripping over your own limb, will ya'?" Zoro grumbles in annoyance as I turn around to look up at the scene before me and I scrunch my nose when I catch a whiff of him. Ugh, Zoro smells like nasty body odor and dirt. He's desperately in need of a bath that is not rain water.
"You smell. You better take a bath after this shit." I comment as I pinch my nose and start to slither under his legs to go back to Luffy. Ugh, now I'm covered in dirt. I need a bath after this.
"Shut up!" He yells in return while Luffy just laughs boisterously. "Anyway, I already told you that I'd be a pirate with you guys. Either way, after this incident with the Marine I'll be an outlaw too, but that's fine because I still have my own goals." He exclaims to us.
"I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman! I don't care if my name is clean or not; bad guy, good guy, it doesn't matter. As long as my name is known worldwide!" He continues, "And if you do something that ends up in the way of my goal, I will have you cut your stomach open to say sorry."
I snort as I take out a small notebook and my quill starts writing down his words. "Okay, so 'Luffy and Eris will commit Sudoku if they get in Zoro's way', got it. Sounds fair to me, as long as you don't get in our way too." I reply with a shrug as I put my things back into my satchel and grins, ignoring Zoro's confusion at the word 'Sudoku'.
"Good! To be the world's number one swordsman! Since you wanna be the Pirate King's nakama, if you can't even accomplish something that small, then I would be very embarrassed as well!" Luffy replies with a big grin as he crosses his arms to his chest and Zoro smirks in return (or as can as a person with a sword in his mouth.
"Well said!"
"What are you chattering about?! I'll execute you!" Morgan yells out as he
"Your turn to shine, Lu!" I tell the rubber boy and he grins as he readies himself.
"Yosh! Zoro! Duck! Gomu Gomu no…Muchi!" Luffy warns as he coats his leg with Buso and swings his leg towards Zoro, who immediately ducks down as Luffy kicks Morgan away into the base building and makes him crash into it. From what I can feel, that actually knocked Morgan down as rubbles is covering him.
His leg stretches back in a smack and we high-five together with a grin, while literally everyone else but Takao and Flame is gaping their mouths open in complete shock and awe.
"H-his leg…!"
"He knocked Captain Morgan away!"
The place is silent until a certain blondie breaks the ice.
We turn around and see that Mapo Tofu is pointing his gun to Koby's head, but he's shaking like a leaf as he keeps glancing at the rubbles where his dad is.
"If you want him to live, don't move!" Mapo exclaims out and I just roll my eyes in response as I lean down to grab a pebble.
"Give it up, Mapo Tofu. Don't be a murderer like your dad." I tell him casually as I juggle the pebble with my hand.
"Shut up! And my name is not Mapo Tofu; it's Helmeppo!" He yells back and I just grin. Oh yeah, that's his name!
"Yeah sure, Meepo." I reply with a nod as Luffy walks to stand next to me and looks at Koby, who looks like he's about to shit his pants but as their eyes meet and Luffy grins at him, his resolve returns back to him and he stops shaking like a Chihuahua.
"Don't worry about me, Luffy-san and Eris-san!" Koby exclaims out, "I don't want to be an obstacle to your dreams, even if I have to die!"
"Yeah, I know." Luffy replies, still with his big grin as he turns his attention to Helmeppo, "Give it up, stupid son! Koby is ready to die! Gomu Gomu no…" He says as he throws his fist back.
"Shut up! Don't you dare move!"
"Senapan Angin." I coat the pebble with Buso and throw it to Helmeppo's hand, hitting it hard enough for him to yelp in pain and letting his gun go.
"…Pistol!" And Luffy punches Helmeppo square on his face, knocking him unconscious.
Koby immediately falls to his butt when the tension finally ends and he lets out a huge relieved sigh with a shaky smile. I walk up to him and offer him a hand, which he immediately grabs and I help him back to his feet.
"You okay, Pinky? You didn't shit your pants, did you?" I tease him as he blushes and frantically shakes his head.
"O-of course not!" He quickly denies and I just laugh as I pat his head and turn around when the soldiers all are cheering out and hugging each other.
"Why are they all happy when their Captain is beaten?" I hear Luffy ask curiously as I approach him.
"That's because they're all scared of Morgan!" Koby answers, "Now with him down, everyone will be free!"
"Oh, okay."
Suddenly, Zoro is tottering and about to fall, but I quickly hold him to my arms and grin at him.
"Need help, our Mossy Princess? May I offer you a good meal for your empty stomach?" I ask him with a tease as his pale face flares up in embarrassment.
"Shut up, I don't have the energy to deal with your teasing." Zoro hisses in annoyance and embarrassment, "And don't you dare call me that again." He quickly adds and I laugh.
"Oi Luffy, Mossy Princess needs his meal after almost a month of being starved." I tell Luffy as I adjust my hold better of him with my arms under his back and knees, completely ignoring his protest to put him down.
"Shishishi! Then let's go and grab some food!" Luffy exclaims and we run off back to the town's diner with the beasts and Koby following along.
As we go back to the town, one or two soldiers follow us along to spread the amazing news of Morgan's defeat, and the news spreads over like fire on dry leaves that the townspeople start gathering over the diner as we have our meals for the day (again, for me).
But before Zoro can order himself a full-course meal, I stop him by ordering a bowl of porridge for him.
"Sorry to disappoint you Zoro, but you need to eat soft foods first after not eating for a long time. That way, you won't get sick and vomit it all out." I tell him firmly and he scowls at me.
"Yeah right, like I'll listen to you." He scoffs and yelps when I pinch his nipple.
"Anyway, a bowl of porridge for the Broccoli Princess, lots of special lunch set for the three of us, and plain cooked meats for the animals." I tell the auntie with a smile, and she just chuckles.
"Coming right up." She replies as she walks to the back with her daughter walks up to us.
"Oi, What gives, Eris?!"
"Accept the porridge or vomit out auntie's hard work to make your meal. Your choice."
Luffy, who's been watching us, laughs at our antics. "Give it up, Zoro! Eris is too stubby to stop!" He says and Zoro turns at him with confusion.
"It's 'stubborn'." I correct him and he just laughs.
"Yeah that!"
In the end, Zoro gives up and accepts the warm bowl of porridge I ordered him, slowly eating it just like I instructed him to do so his stomach won't work too hard after not working after almost a month. The people here are stronger than what I considered normal, but I'm not gonna test it out to our newest member!
"Can I at least have another?" Zoro asks me and I shake my head.
"Nope. Try again later." He scowls unhappily, but decides to let it go as he turns to Luffy.
"So, what are your plans next, Captain?" Zoro asks, "How many crew members do we have anyway?"
"Let's see… There's me, Eris, Flame, Takao, and now you. So we have like, 5 crewmembers." Luffy answers as he points at each one of us and Zoro looks dumbfounded by that answer.
"So 3 people and 2 weirdly huge animals?"
"Hey don't be rude! Flame is not fat!" I protest with Flame joining along, but he ignores it as he turns to me.
"And what about our ship…?" I nonchalantly thumbed on the window and he walked up to see a small boat by the dock. "…That one, huh?"
"Hey, don't worry too much. One day, we're gonna get ourselves a huge ship with the sun as the figurehead." I assure him as I start to imagine how Thousand Sunny will look like in real life with a giggle. Oh, she's gonna be so huge! I'm so excited!
Zoro just laughs in return, "And how are we gonna do that?" He asks.
"With luck and determination, we can do anything!" We both reply with a grin and a thumbs-up while he literally facepalms and massages the bridge of his nose.
"I don't think both Luffy-san and Eris-san are exactly planning much about everything." Koby comments with a smile, seemingly understanding the predicament we just put Zoro into.
"Am I really gonna follow a Captain and a First Mate like them?" Zoro mutters miserably and I just grin at him.
"I recommended you to Luffy and he accepted you, so quitting the crew is not an option." I tell him, "Plus, there's a chance you'll find that 'World's Greatest Swordsman'-guy by joining us. After all, our destination is the same, so why not tag along with us into the Grand Line?" I point and his eyes sharpen at the mention of Dracule Mihawk.
"Fine, I'll follow along with you two." He huffs with a smirk.
"T-to the Grand Line?! Just five of you?" Koby suddenly bursts out with wide eyes, "No matter how strong you all are, it's impossible to do!"
"Don't worry too much, Koby. We won't immediately go there; we need at least a navigator and a cook to keep us all alive." I assure him with a smile, "and a sniper to keep an eye on us from afar."
"You guys are too carefree!" Koby scolds us.
"But you're not coming with us, right?" Zoro points out and Koby flinches at that.
"E-even so, I'm worried about you guys. Can't I?" Koby asks, "Because Luffy-san, Eris-san, and I are friends even though we just met. …Right?" He turns to us uncertainly and we grin at him.
"Yep! We'll part ways, but once friends, we'll always be friends." Luffy replies and Koby looks relieved by that.
"To be honest, I've never had friends since I was little." Koby starts, "Nobody really fights for me, and not even I can fight for myself. But seeing all of you, I'm starting to learn and have the courage to fight for my own dream! I'm going to make my childhood dream come true and join the Marines!"
"But before being worried about us, you should worry about yourself first." Zoro replies and Koby is confused by that as he continues, "But no matter how hard you wanted to enter the Marine, you still used to be a crewmember of Alvida Pirates, right? Don't underestimate their information gathering. If they know your past, you won't be able to be a Marine."
"T-that's…" Koby falls silent at that and I can't blame him.
Honestly, I can't really deny Zoro's point either because I kinda know how Marines work on that part. I used to snoop and eavesdrop a lot on every crook and crannies of Marineford, and their skill on that part is almost insanely amazing, if they managed to find out that the 'Garu' they've been looking for is right under their nose after all those times.
Sometimes the Marine and WG are so dumb that I'm starting to believe that us being Marines under Garp is a good idea after all.
Suddenly, a whole group of Marine soldiers are standing outside the diner as one of them enters and approaches us. I watch the guy calmly as he stands up straight with his hands behind him.
"Pardon, but is it true that you're pirates?" The guy, assumingly the Commander, asks us.
"Yeah! We just got a new member and we officially start our piracy journey." Luffy answers gleefully.
The Commander nods in response to that as he continues, "We're very grateful for your actions against Morgan and saving us all, but you're still pirates that we Marines have no choice but to ask you all to leave this island immediately."
Murmurs from the civilians are heard from outside as the Commander adds, "We're indebted to you, so we won't contact the Headquarter."
The townspeople immediately protest against his words, which is flattering, but before Luffy can respond, I raise my hand to stop him as I stand up.
"Are you sure about that?" I ask him and he raises his brow in question, "You know, it doesn't matter if the Morgy was your Captain and what not, you guys still followed his orders to harm civilians. You turn a blind eye and ignore the pleas of the innocents, instead of sending words to the HQ about Margarine's actions." I explain and grab on his collar, pulling him down to meet our eyes.
"Doesn't matter if you were threatened by Margaret, because you guys are no better than him in my eyes. One bad apple will ruin the whole barrel of apples, you know?" I point out with a wide smile that didn't reach my eyes while I can feel the shame the Marine soldiers exude.
"If we didn't by chance reach this place, Rika would've been more hurt or worse, dead. And this auntie here will lose her child. Are you going to take responsibility for those innocents you guys executed before? How many did you kill, I wonder? Can you feel their sticky, warm blood in your hands? Hearing their screams in your sleep? Or maybe your guilt whispers to you of how much of a failure you are to keep civilians safe?"
The whole area is silent as I stare blankly at the Commander, my grip tightening and waiting for his response, which he couldn't exactly deliver as shame and guilt fills his eyes.
"Eris," I hear Luffy call calmly, "That's enough. It's time to go."
I stare at the Commander for a hot second before I let him go and turn to Luffy with a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Got a little worked up." I tell him and he stands up to give me a pat on the head.
"No worries. Let's just go, okay?" I nod in response as he turns to Rika's mom, "Thanks for the meals, auntie!" He tells her and the boys walk up to exit the diner.
"Are you guys really leaving?" Rika asks me and I smile at her as I give her a pat.
"Yep. Gotta bounce. Captain's order." I tell her and I follow the others, walking past Koby who's frozen in place.
"Aren't you one of them too?" I hear the Commander ask and Koby stutters to answer. I yelp when I bump into Luffy's back as he suddenly stops to glance back at Koby. I pout a bit as I walk around him to stand next to Zoro when the Commander turns to us, "Wait a moment. Isn't he one of you?" He asks.
"Actually, I know what this guy had been up to all these years," Luffy starts and I can see Koby's surprised look as he walks up to Koby, "There's this fat pirate lady that looks like a duck and has this big iron mace, and this guy was her chore boy for two years…" He continues as he pokes Koby's head, before Koby himself gives him a punch on the face.
I just watch the scene blankly as Luffy grins and starts punching Koby back. Zoro elbows me to get my attention.
"Aren't you gonna stop him?" He asks.
"Hmm, nah." I reply with a shrug, "You do it. Your first task is to babysit Luffy." I grin smugly while he scowls and rolls his eyes. I just watch him approaching Luffy and grab the back of his shirt, telling him to stop it and Luffy did. Hoho! He passed the test! Nice.
Then the Commander decided that Koby is not one of us and told us to immediately leave the place. Luffy grins at that as he turns and we walk out of the place, leaving Koby to deal with the next stage of completing his dream.
"Takao," I called and he flew down to perch on my shoulder, "How's the weather?"
"It's clear, Master Eris. There should be an island to the north and we can reach there around a day or two if the weather is still clear." Takao answers and I nod.
"Alrighty, good job, Takao." I tell him and give him scritches on his neck, which he appreciates greatly before he takes off to the boat, where Flame is already bored waiting for us.
"Slow."
I roll my eyes and jump into the boat, "Things to deal." I tell him and he just huffs in response.
Both Luffy and Zoro are talking about Koby while preparing to set sail when I feel a familiar figure and I turn to look at the familiar orangette on the very last boat on the dock. She doesn't seem to notice us as she sails off first before us.
"Luffy-san!"
We all turn to see Koby, along with Rika and her mom, before he gives us a salute.
"Thank you very much!" He exclaims, "I won't forget your kindness for the rest of my life!"
Seeing that, Zoro smirks in amusement. "I've never seen a Marine soldier thanking a pirate." He comments while Luffy just laughs before they both jump on the ship and let down the sail as the wind picks up.
"Let's meet again, Koby!" Luffy bids his promise, waving his arms as we sail away.
And then the Marine soldiers from before are joining Koby and giving us salutes. I smile at the sight and look at the horizon.
"Yosh! Grand Line, here we come! Shishishi!" Luffy exclaims out with a laugh and I smile at him.
"Oh also Luffy," I call and he turns to me, "I met someone that's seemingly a good Navigator. And if my feelings are right, we might meet her on the next island. How about we ask her to join us later? She has orange hair and is basically a thief."
Hearing that, Luffy grins giddily. "That sounds good! I hope we meet her later!"
And we sure will, on the next island.
(Posted on July 22nd, 2022)
