Well, this is it, and I'm putting this out as the final chapter of Coby's Choice Part 1: Paradise. I'll be revamping the story in the coming weeks. I'm hoping to get one revised chapter out every week, but we'll see what life has in store for all of us with the end of the college semester.
Again, thank you to all of my Patrons: Alex P, Avery Arp, Bradley D'Haene, Daviv, Daviv Bowling, Fenrir ragnarok, John Mekjian, jordanitos, Josiph Baty, Josh Watson, Kevin Calderon, Korakas, Lamont Hale, S. D. Gaines, and Will Mann. Keep being awesome!
Disclaimer: I do not, have not, and will never own One Piece. All rights go to their respective owner. Please support the official release.
Chapter 142:
Aftermath
Across the globe and within 72 hours of the War of the Best, each of the Straw Hat Pirates received a message they alone understood. There was little there, but it was enough, a faux tattoo on their captain's arm they knew to not exist.
SA2Y
Sabaody Archipelago, two years.
They now had a plan, a place to reunite and a time to do so. The pirates hunkered down, taking advantage of their new surroundings to improve themselves for what they were sure would be a far more dangerous journey.
They knew a mere two years would not break their bonds, so they waited.
Three days after the war
Weatheria
"Harudas, make me your student!"
Nami's heartfelt plea was punctuated by her hands slamming the table between them, rattling the plates and newspaper thereupon. The old man balked at the sudden turnaround of the young woman who had just earlier that day tried to steal a ship to leave Weatheria. Whatever she had seen in the day's paper must have changed her mind something drastic. "I need it! I need to know everything you can teach me, especially about the New World!"
"Ah, ok," the old man blinked. "But... why? You were so determined to leave before. What changed your mind?"
Nami fell silent, her gaze falling to the newspaper on the table. Slowly, she opened it to a certain page, setting it before the scholar and pointing to a picture. In it was her captain, hat against his chest and eyes closed, in a contemplative pose with uncertain marines arrayed behind him. Nami's eyes closed, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
"That man... That's my captain and husband, Monkey D. Luffy. He just recently lost his brother, and that's why I did what I did. I was trying to get back to him."
Harudas leaned in, stroking his long, white beard as he studied the picture. He nodded. "I see. But why did you stop so suddenly? Why stay?"
Nami's finger moved, now focusing on Luffy's arm, letters and a number under her fingertip. SA2Y. "Luffy only has one tattoo, and it's not that one. Either that's fake or it's new. All of us know that. He..." Nami sniffed, recognizing the pain the choice probably caused and the longing that was to come. "Luffy must have learned something. Something that makes him think we aren't ready for the New World. We aren't going to meet again for another two years."
"My, that is a long time," Harudas agreed, ignorant to the emotional pain the statement caused. "He probably came face to face with some of the world's most powerful people in this war. Even we on Weatheria knew the name Whitebeard. This kid-"
"He's not a kid!" Nami yelled, smacking the table again as more tears slipped from her eyes. "Luffy is the best man I've ever known. Sure, he's a moron and an idiot and a glutinous black hole, but... but Luffy is the man who saved me in my darkest hour. Luffy is the man I fell in love with and the man I married. Luffy is the..." She trailed off, one hand coming to rest on her abdomen. The navigator took a breath, sighing. "Luffy is the man who will be the King of the Pirates, and I am his navigator. There is so much riding on me. If I make even one mistake, our ship could capsize. I can't let that happen. There's too much at stake, for me and Luffy, and for the rest of our crew. I have to be good enough."
"Two years isn't much time," Harudas commented. "Not for learning everything here on Weatheria. We've spent decades studying the weather, and how it works in the New World is almost nothing like what you've seen before."
"I will learn it all!" Nami vowed. "I don't like this. I don't want to stay. If I had my way, I would be beside Luffy right now so I could be there for him like he was there for me all those months ago, but this is Luffy's choice. And I'm going to strangle that rubbery bastard when I get my hands on him!" Harudas jumped at the sudden anger, a nearly palpable rage flaring around the young woman as she threw her hands up, pacing. "Who does he think he is, telling us to wait for two whole years? That asshole better have a good reason! I mean, I'm his wife! I have needs! He should be thinking about me, too! In fact, he should be thinking about me first!"
The old man sweatdropped as the orange-haired woman started ranting, lamenting and cursing their two-year separation in equal measure. He was certain there was something here he didn't know about, and that was probably for the best.
Two weeks after the war
Sabaody
In a shady but respectable bar on Grove 31 known as the Red Ember, two young women chatted. The music pounded, drunken patrons wiggling in ways only the inebriated considered dancing on a strobe-like dance floor. The thrum of the music and chatter kept their conversation limited to them and the bartender across the counter, the buff man with a well-kept beard and red-tinted shades cleaning drink glasses.
"So Miltia," the twin in white said, nursing a martini, "have you heard? Rumors have it that the Pirate Hunter's pupil is hiding out on the archipelago. Dropped off by one of the other Supernovas, they say."
"Oh really?" the twin in red questioned, swirling a pina colada. "He's that ripped piece of meat we felt up before that shitshow a while ago, wasn't he, Melanie?"
"Ugh, don't remind me about what came next. That day started off well enough until that 'Golden Fury' walked into the bar. I'm surprised we rebuilt as fast as we did."
"True. That hurt, but we're not talking about her. I'm talking about that hunk and his crew."
"Yeah. And with Straw Hat having been in the paper, I bet their crew is prepping something big, but poor wittle Coby's all alone on this big, bad island. He'll need to grow from a boy to a man to cope, I bet."
"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting, sister mine?"
"Why not, sister dear? He could be fun to play with and we could have an in to one of the strongest crews to ever come through the S.A."
The twins shuttered, smirking.
"If you two are planning on seducing him, do it when you're not on the clock," the bartender grunted. "Speaking of, get out there and do your job. I can see a fight starting."
"Yes, Junior!"
Two weeks after the war
The ruins of Marineford
"Fleet Admiral," a voice said from outside the door, causing Sengoku to pause, his paperwork half finished after the disaster that was now called the Marineford War. A section of his office was was missing, letting in a near-constant breeze that threatened to scatter the pages and reports he needed to look over. Many lesser captains had tried to slip in requests for more funding amidst the chaos, so he had to read each one carefully. Luckily, his trusty goat was there to munch on any non-major paperwork. "The Commodore is here as you requested."
"Please let him in."
The door opened silently, allowing the man entrance.
"You wished to see me, Fleet Admiral?" Smoker began, on edge. It wasn't often that someone of his rank was called in by the Fleet Admiral, and it was bad as many times as it was good. The door closed.
The Commodore staggered under the weight of his superior's Conqueror's Haki, a thump outside the door suggesting the poor messenger did not fare as well as he. The pressure lasted for a few seconds before the force lifted enough that it didn't feel like Smoker was being pressed into the ground, yet enough lingered to make the man uncomfortable. Sengoku's goat didn't even flinch, continuing to chew on a page from Marine Branch 16 in the East Blue.
"Commodore," Sengoku all but hissed. "I have some questions for you. Know that your answers will determine a few actions, some of which you may not like. That said, it will be far worse if you choose to lie in an attempt to save your own hide. Is that clear?"
"C-Crystal, Sir."
"Good. I received a report saying you allowed Straw Hat to pass you with minimal effort to stop him during the war. That is bad enough, but it also sounded familiar."
"Sir?"
"Smoker, are you hesitant to capture Straw Hat?"
The younger marine paused, his instinct to say no arguing with what might have been true. He settled on the truth, however it might damn him. He hoped it wouldn't.
"Yes, Sir. I suppose I am."
"This was not the first time." It wasn't a question.
"I... No, Sir. It was not." Smoker staggered again, the Fleet Admiral's Spirit returning. Sengoku stood, his hands causing the desk before him to creak dangerously. Golden light flashed for only a moment.
"I hope you have a pretty damn good reason, Commodore," he said, the desk cracking. His unfinished paperwork flew as the desk broke, scattering around the room. The goat trotted over to a pile, his feast undisturbed.
"M-May I speak bluntly, Sir?" Smoker asked, bent at the waist and one knee on the ground. The man waited as the force waned, the aged marine sitting back down.
"Tell me why, Smoker, and remember the consequences."
"Sir!" he answered, righting himself. "I sense a good in Straw Hat, but not the kind that would do well with the Marines."
"You are suggesting that a notorious pirate, who has helped destroy two of our most important bases, is good?"
"Perhaps 'good' is not the right word..." Smoker amended. "Not for Straw Hat, anyway. 'Powerful and easily guided' might be a better term, but I don't think he's evil. To that end, I believe we could be able to use him for our own ends."
"How?" Sengoku tilted his head, cautiously optimistic now.
"I broke protocol, Sir," Smoker admitted now that he had his superior's attention. "I chose to question Tri-Horn because of an interaction we'd had back in Alabasta wherein he admitted to once wanting to be a marine. On the stand, he told me what happened to break his faith in the Marines and how the Straw Hats were, and I quote, 'doing the Marines' job for them.'"
"Don't tell me you believe that nonsense."
"I was skeptical, Sir," Smoker answered. "Tri-Horn has shown more intellect than Straw Hat, so I couldn't rule it out as a trick. That being said, Straw Hat saved my life back in Alabasta. That was the first time I let him go without intervention and he went on to defeat Crocodile and save the country when we didn't have the evidence or time to act on suspicions. I now know why."
"Hmm?" Sengoku leaned in, focused.
"When I spoke to him on the ice, Straw Hat admitted that he did not hate the Marines, so I asked him why he did not become one like his grandfather. He said he couldn't handle all the rules and structure within the Marines. He wishes to become the King of the Pirates not for glory or power, but for the freedom the title grants. To that end, he said the Straw Hats, once he obtains the title, will storm Mariejois to free the slaves because, and I quote, 'Not because I care about that, but because Coby does. That's his dream. I guess he wants to be a hero.'"
"I suppose that has something to do with the boy's self-proclaimed ideal of True Justice?" Sengoku thought aloud. Freeing the slaves was an honorable thing to do, admittedly, but slavery was a very real fact of life. A sacrifice for the greater good that was peace in the rest of the world. The World Government and the Marines could not exist without the support of the World Nobles and the hypocrisy that kept them pacified was a necessary evil so they could keep doing their jobs.
"Yes, Sir. Similarly, Straw Hat admitted that every pirate he took down was because they attacked him first or because one of his crewmates or friends asked him to."
The older man's eyebrows rose. "Including Alabasta?"
"I have reasons to suspect he was befriended by Princess Nefertari Vivi. Alabasta is one of the only cases where someone did not join the Straw Hat Pirates that we know of -assuming that was not where they acquired Nico Robin, though it appears so- but there was a suspicious speech given by the princess upon their departure about maintaining a friendship though separation. New reports also suggest a new Super Duck has joined the ranks of her animal squad, and the reports sound similar to a bird that fought alongside the Straw Hats' navigator on Sabaody."
"Damn," the Fleet Admiral grunted, steepling his fingers. "If true, that's a powerful ally for them. And we can't touch the Nefertari family. Not only are they royal, but they are the sole family of Celestial Dragons that chose not to ascend. That could spell disaster in the coming Reverie. Well, it won't be my problem at that point."
"Sir?"
Sengoku breathed before letting out a sigh, the lingering Conqueror's in the air vanishing. He leaned back into his chair, looking to the ceiling. The goat in the room trodded to his side.
"How do you suggest we control Straw Hat?" he asked, petting the head of his dear animal. "After the death of Portgus D. Ace, Straw Hat will never cooperate with the Marines and he's already turned down an offer to be a Warlord."
"He won't under the current leadership," Smoker agreed, "but I don't think cooperation is impossible, Sir. Straw Hat seems able to make friends with people from all walks of life. If a few powerful marines were able to gain his trust and become what he would consider friends, I believe we could control his actions to a degree. Point him in certain directions, so to speak, without the Marines being liable. The Straw Hats as pirates can move and act far more freely than the Marines can. With permission, we could frame it as Straw Hat having an 'in' to the Marines other than his grandfather, when the truth is the other way around. Should that happen, we could find a way to incorporate him into the SWORD program and have access to his crewmates."
"How do you know about SWORD?" Sengoku demanded, sitting up.
"Vice-Admiral Garp placed a notice for openings in the program."
In the following silence, the Commodore could have sworn he heard the grinding of teeth and a quiet death wish placed on the soul of the aged Vice-Admiral.
"Your orders are as follows, Smoker," Sengoku breathed. "After you submit exact transcriptions of your talks with Tri-Horn and Straw Hat, including your talks in Alabasta as well as you remember them, you are to take one of three choices because you disobeyed orders. You can accept a demotion and return to Lougetown, you can accept a transfer to Unit G-5 which has the highest casualty rate of the New World, or you can resign from the Marines. Make your choice by the end of the day. Dismissed."
Three weeks after the war
Sabaody Archipelago
"So, Coby," Rayleigh said, the two pirates on a smaller plain behind the Rip-Off bar. The older was dressed in his regular clothing without his long coat, while the younger was topless save for the thick bandages that covered his entire torso. Despite this, he still insisted on beginning his training today, now that he had his swords back.
Coby had run into the twins he'd met before everything started, Miltia and Melanie, who were carrying his swords while he had been looking for a new pair. They said they'd found his swords in a pawn shop -though he was pretty sure they weren't telling the truth- and they had reclaimed them in short order. He didn't care how they'd found his Sabaku no Kiba, honestly. They could (hypothetically) be part of some underground mafia (which they weren't, right?) and used those connections to get them, and he wouldn't have bat an eye. He had his beloved swords back.
The aged pirate stood across from him, his own sword drawn. "I'd imagine the awakening of your Observation Haki was pretty traumatic since, like most people, you experienced it in the midst of battle. That said, if you want to hone it, you'll need training, but you learn better with a teacher. I will train you five days a week and on your days off, I will visit your captain. This training will be Hell."
"Bring it on," the roset demanded, raising his Sabaku no Kiba. Unfortunately, his arms shook and his face twisted in pain. Rayleigh recognized this, lowering his own sword.
"You aren't ready for this yet," he said. "You need more time to heal."
"No!" Coby denied. "I need to get stronger!" Even so, his swords fell from his shaking hands, clattering to the ground. Crushed by his own weakness, Coby fell to one knee, tears of pain and anger in his eyes. The sudden movement caused his bandages to loosen, a jagged, angry, red burn across his back just showing out of the bindings. "I need to get stronger..."
"Why?"
"Scars on the back are the shame of a swordsman," the roset choked out. "That was the first thing Zoro-sensei ever taught me. Despite that and all the training he gave me, I failed. Because I wasn't strong enough, I was captured and given to the Marines. Because of that, I got this. This scar... it's my shame. It's a burden that will never leave me, a black spot on my pride as a pirate and a swordsman." Tears fell from the young man's eyes, soaking the dirt as his fingers fisted.
"I won't let it happen again. This scar... This shame... This burden... I will use it to push myself until I'm stronger than any other foe. I will become someone powerful, someone my Nakama can rely on. I will become someone whose power makes the strong shake and a man who the weak can look up to. I will change the world.
"To right every wrong I see, that is my dream. I need the power to defeat even the greatest evils and defend the weak! I WILL BE A HERO!"
Rayleigh smirked. "So much spunk. Let's see how long you last."
One month from start
Skyland Berka
Gin grunted, another arrow piercing his shoulder, this time from the back. His world was darkness and arrows, the warrior monks of Berka taking full advantage of his Logia powers to try to awaken his Mantra of the Mind. Only a month, however, was not enough to make any real progress on the front. His partner for the day was Artemis, the second-newest member of the Council Olympia and, he had come to learn, Athena's younger sister.
Her skill with a bow was unnecessary in this circumstance considering Gin was blindfolded, trying to predict from where her next arrow would come. The pirate strained his ears, trying to use his limited senses since he wasn't allowed to use his powers.
Kukuku.
Oh, and there was that little annoyance.
Poor little Gin-kun, playing as a pincushion~! Rum sang cheerfully. Shall we try voodoo~? Shall we make a dress?
"That don't even make sense," Gin growled under his breath, his left leg taking an arrow to the knee.
Yes, but it's fun to watch you squirm. Left arm.
Gin jerked, the arrow lodging in his left bicep before his electric body phased it out.
"Tha Hell?" he wondered, readying his tonfa.
Back right thigh.
He spun, the arrow just missing him but catching the hem of his monk robes.
"What're ya doin'?"
Chest.
Gin raised his tonfa to guard his chest, only for the arrow to stab him in the back, right through his elemental heart. It fazed out, again.
Kukuku, Rum giggled in his mind as Gin spun, straining his ears. You're trying so~ hard for a power out of your grasp. It's fun to watch you flail.
"Whadaya mean?" The whizzing of an arrow caught Gin's attention, but he was far too slow, catching it with his face.
Kuuukukuku! Rum laughed. To explain or not? I so do love watching you flounder, but I've kept it from you for a month now. Seeing your face will be so sweet~! And I don't want to die if you aren't strong enough to live until I take over.
"Rum," the pirate growled, an arrow entering the side of his neck.
"Are you even trying?" Artemis asked. "I though you were improving."
"Can we take a break?" Gin questioned, the projectile lodged in his throat slipping free while his powers closed the hole. "Ah need ta... think some things over." The monk didn't respond, but when no arrow came, the pirate sat and pulled the blindfold down, causing him to realize that there was only one arrow.
Which meant the woman had been getting close enough to take it from his feet after every shot. Gin shivered. These monks could be terrifying.
"Alright, bastard," he grumbled, low enough for the monk to not hear. "What aren't ya tellin' me?"
Oh, nothing much, the voice in his head chuckled. Just that I control the Mind's Mantra in this body.
"You what?!"
Poor Gin-kun, you country bumpkin. You should have listened to that animal doctor's lessons. The entire nervous system, from thought to movement, is completely powered by electrical impulses. I, as a partial manifestation of the electric Logia, can freely listen to and control these impulses at will, the former even when I'm not 'running the show' so to speak. That means that as long as I'm around, the Mantra of the Mind will forever be locked away from you.
"You... You little...!"
Kukuku. And to make it worse, I think I'll enjoy messing with you. Sometimes I'll tell you the truth like earlier. Sometimes I'll lie. Let's see if you can tell the difference. Like right now, that monk is about to shoot us in the back of the head.
Gin jerked, rolling away from where he sat only to see Artemis deep in meditation, her bow and lone arrow at her side.
Kukuku! Fool!
"Bitch."
Get use to it, Gin-kun. This is only the beginning. Kuuukukuku!
Two months from start
The Grand Musée du Nord, Haverfall Island, North Blue
Grace stood in the middle an art gallery, half-decent if expensive paintings and sculptures around her. Her attention, however, was focused on a famous artwork by the late North Blue artist Michotello: The Sea Devil's Deal. It was a gorgeous piece by a master, depicting a leviathan curled around an apple tree dotted with unique fruits, talking with an unknown human. Oil paint on canvas created with long brushstrokes accented with short strokes of secondary complementary colors for realism, creating an earthy feel. Circa 60 B.W.G., the tail end of the Post-Void Movement, protected in a vacuum-seal frame manufactured by Jorman and Sons, but an older model, the 17-J.
She was not alone, patrons of the arts admiring the pieces around the room. This was the most famous museum of the North Blue, so guards stood around the room at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 o'clock marks eyeing the museum goers for suspicious activity.
She closed her eyes, one hand subtly rising to mime brushing the brown hair of her wig from her face. She pressed down, the speaker in her ear giving a soft beep. She breathed.
"This is Red Three," she whispered. "I'm in position. 22 birds sit in the tree. Another five watch the fruit. Two through ten. Advise."
She waited, moving to sit on an available bench in the room's center. Between it and her smaller frame, she blended into the crowd, allowing her to keep an eye on the five guards around the room.
"This is Mane Six advising," a male voice answered her. "Size and make?"
"27 by 35, Gavorian, concrete. Open at three and nine o'clock."
"100 CCs of DB7 and another nine of I-squared will be more than enough. On my mark."
Grace's hand reached into her bag, fingers tapping on the right Concepts. There was no room for error. Not with a Michotello on the line.
"Primed."
There was no response, allowing the disguised girl to admire the target. The way the red and green of the Sea Devil's scales blended was a technique so few could recreate, and none with the same skill as the masterful artist that had been Michotello. She memorized it, making a mental note to steal the skill. The practice would certainly take longer than this heist.
"Film is looped," Mane Six told her. "Red Three, it's showtime."
Her hand twitched, dropping a ball no bigger than a marble onto the floor. It exploded a second later, filling the room with navy gas. Patrons panicked for all of half a second before the chemicals kicked in, causing them to fall asleep and collapse. The guards on the outskirts were more difficult considering their distance from the origin, but they succumbed to the Drowsy Dark Blue and Illusion Indigo quickly enough. Unaffected, Grace strode forward, hopping the felt rope and getting closer to the famous piece.
"17-J models were made of stainless carbon-steel," Grace muttered to herself, her hand drawing the tiniest amount of atoms from several of her paints in her bag, fusing them as she pulled it out. The process completed, settling into an orange, slightly-glowing orb hovering a millimeter from her index finger. "Carbon-steel reacts with sulfurous argon-nitroxide, turning to a jelly-like state."
The girl drug the chemical, a mixture only available due to her powers considering its tiny half-life and the energy needed to make the stable compounds bond, down the side of the frame, making an opening through which she could free the painting. No alarms went off as she slid the old painting free. She smiled, admiring the art.
"A clean hit," she smirked, using her powers to leave behind her personal calling card on the wall, a small bird with rainbow plumage.
"That doesn't belong to you."
Grace stiffened, one eye glancing back to see a man with a gas mask and a tux. As she watched, he pulled the gas mask off, revealing a young face with tanned skin and cropped black hair. His looks reminded her of art subjects from Down Under, a kingdom of the West Blue. It was well known for its dangerous animals and its origins as an island of exiled criminals, so some of the best and most notorious ne'er-do-wells called it home.
"So you're the Magpie of Color everyone's talking about these days," the man said. "You're shorter than I thought you'd be. Hand over the art and no one gets hurt."
His fingers twitched, playing with his clothes and tapping his chin. Grace recognized the movements as Thieves' Cant, the silent language of trained criminals. Mr. 3 had known it and Nami knew some, but Leo and Mary had been teaching her for a little over a month. She wasn't the best yet, but his message was something along the lines of Apple are cute. Ship to rob a duck with me?
That didn't sound right.
"Yeah?" she answered aloud. "On whose orders?"
"Joker's." His hands moved again. Do not flower me umbrella apple.
She started, realizing that this man was both famous and infamous in far more than just the art community. He could be no more than 25 and probably closer to 20, but he was hailed as the greatest thief in the world. Nami had once mentioned him in passing, having run into him long ago.
"So you're the King of Arts, the greatest thief in the world," Grace said, carefully laying the masterpiece against the wall and setting her bag next to it. "You're younger than I thought you'd be."
"You flatter me," he grinned, still signing. "But if you impress me, I just might give you my real name." How about now?
"Neon Argon." Grace turned, gas condensing into her hands. Two palm-sized balls of swirling, glowing, purple gas spun fast enough to grind through solid oak. "Get lost, Arts. This Michotello is mine."
"Not this time, Magpie." The man's grin widened, his nails twisting into vicious, sharp-looking keys. "I've got this score on lock."
Three months from start
Whole Cake Island, Totland
Amy was shaking in her flats, nervously glancing around the room in search of possible exits. All of them were covered by chess-piece-like Homies, however, which did nothing to raise Amy's confidence. Pudding and Myukuru sat on either side of her, trying to ease her nerves, but their words were not but buzzing in her ears as her mind ran through all the worst ways this could end.
"Look, this'll be fine!" Pudding assured, nudging the shaking pirate. "Mama was praising the chocolate you made a week ago. There's no way she'll be willing to kill you after everything you've done."
"She's right!" Myukuru added. "Worst comes to worst, you'll just have to marry one of our brothers. Or a sister. Or one of us."
"But I don't want to get married." Amy's voice was small, permeated with fear. "I can't stay for that long. My little sister is out there somewhere and I still haven't sorted out my feelings with... him. And I need to go back to my crew in two years and... Well... I..."
"You can at least get something out of this," Myukuru offered. "Like our friendship. Or cooking experience."
"And training with me," Myukuru added. "I'm not all that good compared to some of our older siblings, but I'm more than a match for any Paradise pirate."
"I guess that's true," Amy muttered, gently rubbing her forearms. The burns she'd received from that Pacifiista back on the Sabaody Archipelago months ago were still there, now like tribal swirls in the dark red of an old burn scar. The pain had slowed her in the kitchen periodically, but Pudding and Myukuru had helped her get some treatment to repair any remaining nerve damage. The burns were here to stay, though. "Sanji will probably have so many new recipes when we reunite. I can't fall too far behind."
"Who's this Sanji guy you're always talking about?" Pudding asked.
"Yeah!" her long-armed sister pressed. "Is he the guy you're supposedly engaged to?"
"Engaged?" Pudding blinked, this being the first time she'd heard anything of the sort.
"Wha, no!" Amy denied, crossing her scarred arms in an X. "No! Nuh-uh! No way! Sanji is the chef on our crew and I'd fallen into being his assistant. He's not bad looking, but any girl can get him to do anything just by fluttering their eyelashes in his general direction. I'm engaged to Gin, I think. It's complicated. I'd offered to give him a last name while we were around people from his home island, and apparently that's how you propose to the Vergians. Gin won't tell me no, so I can't get any closure."
"But that's the ticket!" Myukuru said, throwing a double-jointed arm around Amy's shoulders. "Mama probably wants you to marry one of us, but she respects pre-formed relationships. She's not above trying to break them up, but she won't marry off a sibling to someone already married."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, totally! You just have to give Mama something of equal value."
"Like what? The promise of my sister's hand?"
"Yeah, like that."
"WHAT?"
"As rare as it is to say this, Myu is right," Pudding put in, ignoring her half-sister's indignant cry. "Mama is all about securing alliances through marriage, even if they'll take a while."
"Mama will see you now!" one of the Homies stated, interrupting their conversation. The massive doors behind him (or it?) opened.
"Good luck," Myukuru said.
"You better not die on me!" Pudding threatened. "We have a backlog of orders to get through when you get out!"
"Yes, Senpai," Amy smiled, albeit weakly. Gathering what nerves she could, Amy walked into the room.
Said room was massive, as a throne room should be. The rug and walls were pink, the rug being a darker shade than the walls. The contrast made Amy's heart squeeze. Grace would know the shade names. Thoughts of her sister fled, however, in the face of the being that sat on the throne.
She'd seen Big Mom before, the first week she'd arrived and helped Pudding deal with Big Mom's fondue Hunger Pang, but there was a lot more stress when said Emperor was staring her down.
"'Weightless Woman' Amy Palant," Big Mom said, leaning forward. "You probably think you're slick and I commend you. Not just anyone can sneak into Totland unnoticed."
Amy didn't respond.
"But," the Yonko continued, "you've earned the trust of two of my daughters and I believe Pudding to be a good judge of character. She's repeatedly told me you're the best baker on Cocoa Island. I'm sorry this meeting couldn't come sooner, but the balance of power in the New World is settling only now, what with the ongoing war between the Blackbeard Pirates, Moby Dick and the remaining Whitebeards, and all the other upstart crews trying to snag a piece of Whitebeard's turf. You've been here for three months now. What do you think?"
"I-I-I th-think it's a b-beautiful country, Your Highness."
"Stop that," the bigger woman waved off. "Quit stuttering. And all my subjects call me Mama. And you are one of my subjects." She paused, her eyes narrowing. "You are one of my subjects, aren't you?"
"H-How much have you h-heard about m-my situation, Mama?"
"Something about you getting separated from your crew."
"Th-That's true." Amy swallowed. "When my crew, the Straw Hats, reached the Sabaody Archipelago, we were attacked by the Warlord Kuma who scattered us. We're planning to reunite a little under two years from now."
"I see," Big Mom hummed. "Straw Hat is one of those big name rookies. I suppose an alliance with him wouldn't be all that bad."
"An alliance?" Amy paled. "You mean-"
"Ma-mama-ma! Oh, I do love a good wedding! Come now, girl. Let's find you a husband from among my children. Or maybe you'd rather have one of my daughters? I have a few that swing that way. Perhaps Myukuru? You two get along well enough already."
"I-I'm sorry, Mama," Amy waved frantically. "I'm already engaged."
Amy's words brought the Yonko up short, her smile freezing.
"I don't think I heard you right. Could your repeat that?"
"I'm already engaged to a crewmate. Th-The 'Electric Devil' Gin. I proposed to him on Little East Blue a couple months ago."
"...That won't do," Big Mom muttered. "That won't do at all. And you're sure about this?"
"Perhaps we could compromise?" Amy asked, taking quickly. She knew any deal she made here would go unfulfilled, but hopefully the Straw Hats could avoid Totland once they were back together. That being said, the best lies were founded in truth. "I do have a little sister, an artist named Grace who's 16. She's single. And we have others on the crew, like Zoro and Sanji. But since we don't exactly know where everyone is..."
"...I see." Big mom sighed. "Normally this is the part where I rip your soul out to extend my own life out of anger," -Amy shivered at the Emperor's words- "but you have the trust of my children and they have vouched for you. Besides, two years is a long time. Maybe you'll meet someone and change your mind. That said, I think we should prepare a contingency for two years from now. You mentioned a younger sister and other crewmates?
"Yes, Mama. My captain and our navigator are married to each other, though."
Big Mom frowned, apparently having wanted Straw Hat himself. "Of your crewmates, which do you think would make the best spouse for one of my children?"
"I suppose Sanji," Amy answered carefully, considering how sweet the deal had to look. "He's the chef of our crew."
"Ma-mama-ma!" the Yonko laughed. "Everyone around here loves a man who cooks! Then I think when you return with your crew, I expect a wedding to end all weddings!"
"Of course, Mama!" Amy agreed, a smile frozen on her face. "I'm sure Sanji will love whichever daughter you choose as long as they can bat their eyelashes in his direction."
"Now, considering the annual Leave or Life ceremony is coming up, I hope you understand the rules of Leave or Life. And we need to work out the details of this Sanji so I know which of my children to save for him."
Amy gulped,
Four months from start
Water 7
Merry's face held a maniac smile as she weaved around the quick strikes of an angry pirate. The man, an eight-foot, reedy fellow with a cloth-type Paramecia Fruit and far too much flamboyant clothing, was lashing at her with a whip of razor-sharp cotton. Unluckily for him, his foe was far too nimble for his usual tactics to work, the girl alternating between flashy movements like Sanji favored and the subtle dodges of the Paper Art.
"Hold still, you little brat!" 'Black Cloth' Veasra growled as Merry rolled in midair between two lashes. "This has nothing to do with you! That man jacked up the price we agreed on for my new ship!"
"Boss Iceberg wouldn't do that!" Merry denied, using Moonwalk to backflip through the air and land between the pirate and her boss. The shipwrights watching the exchange clapped politely. Reaching into a pocket, Merry pulled out a clipboard and a pair of reading glasses, donning the latter and skimming through the former. She jumped over another strike. "It says here in the fine print that you wanted us to use the strongest wood we could and that you agreed to pay the market price of such wood. To that end, we purchased the hardest Westhirean Oak on the market, coming to a total of three-million-five-hundred-and-two-thousand-two-hundred-and-eighty-seven (3,502,287) Beris, nearly fifty-thousand Beris under the current market price."
"We don't have three-million!" Veasra cried. "The long-nosed bastard priced a ship at one-and-a-half!"
"That is assuming the use of average materials and not custom make," Merry noted, tapping the clipboard. "You were made aware of that. It is not our fault you signed the agreement. You are free to back out of it, but you must compensate us at least half the costs."
"And how the Hell am I supposed to do that when I don't have a ship?!"
"A valid question, but not one I can answer," Merry replied, removing her glasses with a flourish. "But if you want Boss Iceberg, you'll have to go through me. I am his secretary, after all. Would you like to leave a message?"
"HAHAHA!" Tilestone laughed in the crowd. "I TOLD HER TO USE THAT LINE!"
Veasra snarled, lowering his body as another whip snaked its way out of his sleeve. His clothes waved, stretching as they morphed until he looked like a man inside a shed snakeskin. "If I can't buy a boat, then I'll take one! Cloth Cobra!"
Merry's smile widened. "I was kind of hoping you'd say that. I've been itching to try this out in a real fight."
"Get out of my way or die, girl! Polyester Point!"
The fake snake lunged, but Merry didn't seem worried. In fact, she didn't try to dodge. Instead, she lowered herself until she had one hand on the ground, the other raised. The pirate neared, aiming to stab the horned girl in the head.
"Iron Will, Iron Spirit, Iron Body."
Like hitting a fist, the Cloth Cobra crumpled against Merry's head. Veasra only had time for his eyes to widen before his own skull came in contact with Merry's horns, his own momentum ending the fight. The mass of clothing slumped around the girl, hiding her visage from the crowd. Embarrassingly, his lower body and underthings stuck out from the top of the pile, one leg twitching.
"Oh yeah!" Merry cheered, pulling herself free of the pile and doing a familiar dance. "That's right! Another rowdy customer served!"
The crowd, again, gave a polite smattering of applause.
"I think that's another one of the Six Powers you can cross off your list, sport," Kaku smiled, his hand coming to rest between Merry's horns.
"I'm halfway there already!" Merry cheered. "I wanna learn Tempest Kick next, Kaku!"
"That'll be a tough one," Kaku noted, "but you've got Moonwalk under your belt already. I'm sure you'll have it down in no time. You're taking to the Six Powers like a kid in a candy store, after all."
"That's right!" Merry grinned. "And once my crew is back together, I'm sure we'll run into those Germa bastards again, so I can give them what for! I'll tell Reiju you said hi."
"That's not-!" Kaku sputtered, the crowd around them laughing. The former agent grumbled under his breath. "I hate the lot of you."
"Alright, everyone!" Iceberg called, clapping to catch their attention. "That's enough fun and games! Merry, we've got a potential fairy coming in according to Granny Kokoro, so come with me. You too, Kaku. Everyone else, get back to work!"
"Yes, Boss!"
Five months from start
Alabasta
"Alright, birds!" Captain Carue called, the ducks running in formation behind him alert to his words. They'd been running across the desert for the past day, at the fastest pace Billy could make. It didn't seem very fast given that Carue could make the trip in a third of that time, but the leader of the squad was quick to tell the pirate that Billy was as fast as he himself had been when traveling with the Straw Hats.
"Oi, Hikoichi! Give us the details one more time."
"Yes, Captain!" the duck answered, showing no sign of strain despite his weak-looking frame. "Recently, several cargo barges have sunk in the Sandora River, supposedly due to a rise in the population of Sandoran Eels. We are to confirm these reports and find some way to manage the population. Suggestions posed included hunting them ourselves and/or making a deal with the local dugongs. Everyone got that?"
The whole Super Sonic Duck Squadron nodded in response. The head looked upward, the blue sky beginning to take on the red tint of dusk while the sweet taste of nearby water filtered into the air. "Good. We're just about there. We'll make camp on the edge of the river and begin the operation in the morning."
"Sir!"
Camp went up and came back down in short order after several hours' rest, the whole flock awake by the time the sun began peeking over the horizon. Now that they had a member that could fly, Carue had made Billy something of an unofficial scout. As was his usual roll before an operation, Billy used his natural flight to memorize the land, drawing a quick, rough map in the sand upon his return.
"We're gonna miss you when you leave us," Stomp commented as the pirate finished his map. "Any chance we can get you to stay when the time rolls around?"
"No dice, Stomp," Billy responded with the ease of a friendship forged in battle. "You know I can't abandon my flock."
"Yeah," Stomp sighed. "We're just getting dependent on you, I guess."
"There is a tribe of animals 500 feet south," the pirate explained, switching mindsets as he marked a pair of Xs on the map. "They are located between here and here. They seem to be the Kung-Fu Dugongs you've told me about. I also saw a trio of Sandoran Eels up north, two males fighting over a female."
"If I remember right," Carue began, "Alpha-Princess mentioned that Rubber-Pirate had subjugated the tribe of dugongs, having had Pink-Lizard-Human help him teach armed combat. It's possible we could use the Straw Hat name to get them to cooperate, assuming these are the same ones."
"I did see a few of them fighting with what looked like swords made of water plants, but we don't have proof that I'm a Straw Hat," Billy pointed out. "I couldn't exactly get a tattoo like the rest of them."
"Maybe, but I think it's worth a shot. I'd rather avoid having to subjugate them or run back to get Alpha-Princess since she's so busy, but if we have to I'm sure we can find work for some of them in the capital."
"I suppose we could target the females and let the males kill each other off fighting for what's left," Bourbon Jr. thought aloud. "That'd save us some energy."
"Please tell me you mean the eels," Billy pleaded.
"Of course I mean the eels."
"We were talking about dugongs, though," Ivan X rumbled.
"It'd take too long and risks the boats," Cowboy pointed out. "And it's only a short-term solution. We need a way to manage the eel population consistently."
"Then the dugongs are the best bet," Carue concluded. "I suppose our first step will be communication. That's where we have the advantage over the humans."
"Captain Carue, we know," Billy put in. "If it's all the same, I'd like to get to work. Royal-Blue-Nakama has a speech tomorrow and I don't want to miss it."
"Aright, fine," Carue nodded. "We'll start by attempting to establish non-violent communication with the tribe. Billy, you're on point for this operation."
"Sir!"
Establishing the rest of the plan quickly with the understanding that it, like most of their plans, would fall through, the ducks erased the traces of their passage and began their run south.
"Hey!" Billy quacked as they approached, catching the attention of the outermost dugongs. "Hello! I'd like to speak to your chief!"
"Boss Dugong not listen to weak outsiders," one of the dugongs replied, their broken speech a result of the uncertain sea-land communication divide. Billy was sure he sounded the same way to them.
"My name is Billy, a recent member of the Straw Hat Pirates lead by Rubber-Alpha-Immune-To-Shock," the duck stated, the dugongs tensing. "I come bearing an invitation of friendship on that name. "I'm sure you know who I mean."
"You are member of Boss Human's pod?" another dugong questioned. "They left many moons past. Why are you here?"
"A powerful fighter separated us, and we have been ordered to train for two years. I must speak with your Boss Dugong. I have much to offer."
"Who are other ducks?" a third dugong asked, pointing out the rest of the squad who were trying to watch from the dunes. They muttered to each other upon being spotted, stepping into the open.
"They are the Super Sonic Duck Squadron of Alabasta," Billy answered truthfully. "I have been training with them because I am a duck as well. We want to make a deal with your... pod."
"Let the duck through," an older voice ordered without the rough accent caused by the land-sea divide. "I will talk with him."
"Boss Dugong!" the other dugongs saluted. Their leader was a creature of older age whose body was covered in old scars, but his eyes were like that of steel.
"Emissaries of Alabasta," he began. "You come here to talk and make deals, but we do not make deals with the weak. If you are asking for our help, you must prove your worth. If you can defeat my eldest child, Eldest Young, then you may make deals with us."
Billy sighed as one of the many dugongs moved out of the mass, a creature of clear confidence wielding two wooden shortswords.
"Fine," Billy quacked, fanning his tail feathers so the dugongs could see the electricity sparking between them. a few jumped back in surprise, but Boss Dugong and Eldest Young didn't even blink. "If you want a fight, I'll give you one. I won't stain the name of the Straw Hat Pirates or the Super Sonic Duck Squad!"
End of Afterwards...
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You think it ends there? Well, you're wrong! This is the last chapter of the first part of this story and I'm going into a revision process right now. In fact, I've probably already started by the time this comes out, but I wanted to get this Author's Note out of the way so there's nothing between the last line and the end. See, I want all the rage and anger to flow through you and into the comments. They shall give me power, nourishment, and drive going forward, and I want all of your words to be raw. And remember, donors on my P atreon will get updates like the rewrite and chapters for Part 2 up to a whole three weeks early! Now, without further ado, the last entree of Coby's Choice, Part 1: Paradise.
7 months from start
Weatheria
"LUFFY, YOU PEA-BRAINED, MEAT-LOVING, RUBBER-BODIED ASSHAT! JUST FUCKING WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU AND WRING YOUR FUCKING RUBBERY NECK FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME! SOME FUCKING HUSBAND YOU ARE, KNOCKING ME UP BEFORE CALLING FOR A FUCKING TRAINING MONTAGE! I DON'T CARE THAT I DIDN'T GET TO TELL YOU! I SHOULD KILL YOU AND TAKE YOUR FUCKING FRUIT TO HELP BEAR THIS PAIN! IT'S THE FUCKING LEAST YOU SHOULD DO, GODADAMMIT!"
"Ma'am, please," Weatheria's single nurse-trained scholar pleaded calmly, handing the woman a stress ball that her grip immediately broke. "You're almost there. Just a couple more pushes."
"FUCKING PUSH OFF, YOU OLD BAT!"
The floating island of Weatheria was lucky to have any nurses at all, considering its population was predominantly old men who cared more for the study of weather than any relationship they could have possibly had, much less the study of anything else. The female population on the island was only a fraction of the male, but those women, in their infinite wisdom, had elected to branch out past their navigational studies to pick up some other necessary skills. For one poor yet incredibly necessary old woman, this had included traumatic on-the-job training as a nurse while working for a cruise ship.
Of course, every person on Weatheria knew what was happening at that moment, which made every one of the little old men who called the place home panic, running around like chickens with their heads cut off at the behest of either the nurse-trained old maid or the terrifying young pirate in the final steps of labor. Her practice with weather now terrified them, the sky above a dark, evil black with lightning sparking with each scream. They were certain it was her. Certain, I tell you!
"Ma'am, one more push," the old woman ordered. "One more. You're almost there!"
"AAAAAHHHHHHHGGGGG!"
"Waaahhhhh!"
And suddenly, the screams of the young woman stopped, her panting breaths only an undercurrent to the crying of a newborn, the first to ever exist on the island of Weatheria. Nami laid in her bed, her body aching worse than she could ever remember, listening to the sounds of a baby -her baby- as all the rage and pain that had consumed her only moments ago bled away.
The nurse returned a minute later, a small bundle in her arms wrapped in a golden blanket. She walked over the pirate, carefully handing over the child she'd helped deliver.
With one look into the child's warm, brown eyes so much like her own, Nami's reality was shattered. She never thought there could be anything she loved more than her husband, navigation, or her dream, yet the pure, innocent being in her arms blew all of those away combined. It was so small, pink flesh flabby and soft making it so much cuter. A tiny tuft of black hair sat on the child's head, pronouncing who their father was. Nami couldn't resist, moving her free hand to poke the baby in their freckled cheek. The child responded with innocent confusion, both of their hands reaching up to grab her finger. Again, Nami was blown away by how much she loved this being as it held her finger, both of its tiny hands barely wrapping around her lone digit. They stared at her finger before tugging on it with all their nonexistent might, nibbling and sucking on it, assuming her finger was some sort of food.
She'd known it for all of ten seconds and she was already wrapped around its finger.
"It's a boy," the nurse whispered.
"A boy," Nami parroted, still enraptured by the small creature. She smiled, a happy tear leaking from her eye. "There's so much for you to learn, little one. It's a hard world out there, but I will protect you. Not just me, but your father, too. And all your aunts and uncles. We will all keep you safe. You've got some big shoes to fill as the future Prince of the Pirates, after all. Welcome to this big, crazy, dangerous, beautiful world,
"Monkey D. Ace."
End of Coby's Choice, Part 1
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