The Pirate Trio
There was a tense stand-still in the navy base's open field. Morgan was glaring daggers at the straw-hatted boy and dark haired girl who had insulted him. The two young lovers stood before the opposing forces of Morgan and his bewildered men, ready and waiting for any opposition to come they're way. Zoro was still beside the post he was once tied to, wishing he was able to do something instead of standing their and feeling useless. Coby was still clutching the bullet lodged in his arm, but managed to pick himself up, giving a couple of yelps in pain as he did.
"I'm gonna go give Zoro his sword back, which ever one it is," Luffy turned to his hopefully new cremate. "Think you can hold them off?"
"Without a doubt," Robin smiled. "Go."
Luffy returned her smile and made is way back to the swordsman. "All right, Zoro, I got your sword, but I didn't know which one was yours." He reached the swords out to him, expecting him to take which ever one was his.
"Their all mine," Zoro pointed out. "I use Sentoruu; a three sword fighting style," The green haired man explained.
"How does that work?" Luffy was seriously confused at this.
"Hand them over, and I'll show you…" Zoro reached his hand out to take his blades back, but Luffy retracted them.
"Not until you join my crew!" Luffy demanded.
Zoro was about to act on his previous plan, take his blades and leave the kid behind, but he saw the dark haired girl a distance away looking at him. She seemed like she was waiting for something, watching him to see what he'd do. To see if he really was a man of honor, or not.
Zoro gave a frustrated heave. "Look, I didn't make any deal with you, alright? You just went ahead on your own and did what you wanted!"
Luffy frowned a little at the swordsman's harsh words, but was then surprised when said man reached out and took his swords.
"But I guess I owe you guys. If it wasn't for you, I'd be full of lead by now." The green haired man tied his blades to his side and patted them gently, glad to have them back. "So, I guess the least I can do is give you a hand in putting these guys in their place."
Luffy smirked in confidence. "Deal!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Morgan boomed across the field, before turning to his men. "What are you fools doing, just standing their?! They're not invincible! If guns won't work, then cut them down! CHARGE!"
Hesitant, the marines pondered on what fate would be worse; fighting a bunch of super-powered pirates, or disappointing their leader.
Making their decision, the marines grabbed their cutlasses and charged toward the dark haired girl, the one closest to them.
"Robin!" Coby called out in fear.
Zoro reacted in a heartbeat. Unsheathing his swords, he held two in each hand, while clasping the third between his teeth. He bolted toward the onslaught of men, and in a single act, blocked all of them all at once before they could even scratch their target.
The pirate hunter glared at the marines from beneath his bandana. "Go ahead, make a false move."
Even though these men were supposed to hardened soldiers, trained to fight vicious criminals and survive the harsh open seas, they looked close to breaking down in tears and wetting themselves. Coby was shocked to see this. Who took the back-bone out of these men?
"My turn!" A call came from behind the woman and pirate hunter. Luffy was sprinting up toward the mass of marines, then leapt up into the air. Robin knew where this was going.
"I'd duck if I were you." She quickly advised to Zoro. The swordsman looked to her, then the straw-hatted boy who leapt into the air. Having a bad feeling, she took the woman's advice and got down to the ground, and just in time too.
"Gum-Gum Whip!" Luffy lunged his left leg out in a seeping kick, the limb stretching out and covering more distance. It plowed right into the squad of soldiers, and swept them all aside, going Morgan in the dirt.
"Okay, I gotta ask, who the heck are you doing that?!" Zoro demanded an explanation to the straw-hatted boy's strange talent.
"I'm just a guy who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit!" Luffy chuckled as he flexed his leg back and forth, motioning it back into shape.
"And I ate the Bloom-Bloom fruit, in case you were wondering." Robin noted as she tucked her hair behind her ear.
"You two really are made for each other!" The green haired man noted, making both of the young lovers smile at the fact.
Morgan was stunned for a moment, before snapping out of his shock and picked himself up off the ground. "What are you weaklings doing?! They're just a bunch of freaks! Get back up and fight!"
"S-sir, we can't!" One brave soul dared to speak up against their captain. "These guys aren't human!"
"Two devil fruit eaters, and the pirate hunter?!"
"There's no way we can win!"
Coby was beside himself. This was the navy he had dreamed of joining for so long? The so-called heroes of justice?!
Deep inside himself, the little pink haired boy felt a small piece of himself break.
"Man, I almost feel sorry for these guys," Zoro clutched the swords in his hands tighter, memories of spending half a month tied to that post for nothing coming to mind. "Almost…"
Morgan stood above his men, his shadow casting over them all. "Well, if that's how you all feel, then I order you to take your weapons, and execute yourselves here and now! I WILL NOT HAVE WEAKNESS IN MY RANKS!"
Coby's head shot up at hearing this. He fell to his knees, a blank look in his eyes. Everything he believed in had come crashing down, by the very people he looked up to. He could have cried right then and their, if it wasn't for another emotion that overcame his grief…
Rage.
And he wasn't the only one.
In the blink of an eye, Luffy had broken out into a mad dash, passing his girl, the swordsman, and the small fleet of marines in a flash, and threw what would have been a devastating haymaker at the mad captain. Luckily for the axe handed man, he had thrown up his bladed limb just in time to block the punch, but the force behind it was enough to push him back across the dirt a few feet.
Morgan was surprised of the amount of strength the skinny boy had, but his pride immediately buried that thought as he growled at the straw hatted boy.
"LUFFY!" Coby called out to him. The boy turned back quickly to see the pink haired child clutching his fists in anger, while tears were threatening to fall from his eyes.
"TAKE THAT DISGRACE OF A NAVY CAPTAIN DOWN!" He wailed desperately.
Luffy showed no reaction to Coby's request, but his eyes had that familiar serious expression that Robin knew all too well. The navy captain better know how to use that axe arm of his if he wanted to come out of this intact.
"Worthless, insubordinate scum!" Morgan roared as he threw off his coat. "No one undermines my authority and lives to tell the tale! I AM MARINE CAPTAIN 'AXE-HAND' MORGAN! AND MY WORD IS LAW!"
The straw hatted boy simply turned back toward the hulking man, unimpressed. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Axe…I'm Luffy."
Morgan lashed out with a heavy swipe of his namesake, which Luffy managed to dodge with ease by leaping over the captain's head.
Morgan turned about and delivered a vertical slash of his axe arm, intending to split the straw hatted boy down the middle. Luffy once more dodged our of the way, retaliating with a vicious dropkick to Morgan's face, blasting him off his feet and sending him to the ground.
Morgan picked himself up off the ground, seething with rage. "You dare strike me?!"
Luffy charged for his opponent, who intercepted him with another vertical slash. "DIE ALREADY!"
Luffy evaded the attack by stepping on the side of the giant blade and spinning himself in mid-air. "No thanks!"
With the combination of the built up speed and the boy's brute strength, he gave Morgan a devastating kick right into his metal jaw, once again sending the mad captain skidding across the ground.
The marines watching the fight were in awe. No one had ever laid a hand on Morgan for as long as they've been under his command, let alone knock him to the ground.
Luffy then walked up to the downed navy man and grabbed him by his collar, bringing him face to face. Then, the rubber man began to strike the mad captain in his face with his fist, over and over again.
"You're turning!…Coby's dream!…Into a joke!" He spoke with each hit as he pummeled the now barely conscious captain.
"HEY, STRAW-HAT!" A measly voice called out. "OVER HERE!"
Luffy stopped mid-punch to lay his eyes on Helmepoo, holding a gun to Coby's head. Robin made ready to intercept Helmepoo's cowardly act.
"Don't even think about it, little miss handy!" Helmepoo pressed his pistol against Coby's temple, tempting Robin to make a move. The dark haired girl uncrossed her arms, scowling at the cowardly man.
"You see this?!" The spoiled man cried. "LAY ONE MORE HAND ON MY FATHER, AND I'LL BLOW HIS BRAINS OUT!" Even with the cruel threat he had just made, no one could take him all that seriously, what with his shaking legs and quivering arms.
Luffy simply looked Coby in the eye. Coby, in his panicked state, wondered why Luffy didn't do something already!
Or was it…that he was expecting him to do something?
Coby looked to his left, eyeing the man who held him at gun point. Something deep inside Coby told him that he wasn't going to pull the trigger. Did he really seem like someone who would?
The pink haired boy turned and faced the barrel of the gun head on, staring Helmepoo in the eye.
"W-what?!" The bowl haired man squeaked. "Y-you think I won't do it?! C-cause I will!"
Coby clenched his fist.
His eyes glowered in anger.
He grit his teeth in rage.
And then, Coby did something that everyone, apart from Luffy and Robin, did not expect him to do.
He pulled his fist back, and socked Helmepoo right in the middle of his face, breaking his nose.
Helmepoo fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding appendage, screaming in pain. "You…You broke my nose! YOU BROKE MY NOSE! ARE YOU INSANE?!"
"I don't care! You ruined everything!" Coby gave a guttural roar, and leapt onto the mad captain's son. "Everything, you hear me?!" He began beating him with wild, thrashing smacks with his balled fists, pummeling the man beneath him. "I thought the marines were heroes! They're supposed to help people!" The pink haired boy's raving turned to blubbering. "But you just take advantage of them! Rob them, and hurt them! You're no better than pirates!"
He slowly stopped beating on the cowardly man, losing all of his composure.
"…I don't even know who I am anymore…!" Coby whimpered, seeming to be lost of all will.
The pirate captain, the scholar, and the swordsman watched the pink haired boy silently.
It was a painful experience, finding out how the world really worked…
Helmepoo surprised everyone by shoving Coby off of him, grabbing his pistol and jamming it into the boy's face. "WHO THE HECK CARES?!"
As this was happening, Morgan was back on his feet and had his axe blade rises high above his head, ready to cleave Luffy down the middle. "No one humiliates Captain Morgan, and gets away with it!"
Luffy completely ignored the towering man behind him, pulling his fist back. Zoro acted on instinct, breaking into a sprint toward the mad captain.
In a single motion, Luffy launched his fist at Helmeppo, whilst Zoro drew his swords for an attack.
The domestically broken father and son caught they're incoming demise at the last second, their faces contorting in fear.
Luffy's rubber fist plunged into Helmepoo's face, blowing the spoiled brat of a man off his feet, redderng him unconscious before he hit the ground. Zoro slashed his trio of blades through the mad marine in the blink of an eye, leaving the metal mouthed tyrant to fall like a hacked down tree.
Luffy retracted his fist and looked back to the swordsman. "Nice one, Zoro!"
"Just doing my job…Captain." Was the green haired man's reply.
Luffy's smile grew bigger. That was all the affirmation he needed. Roronoa Zoro was now apart of his crew.
All the marines that had been forced to watch the tussle were gobsmacked by the outcome. Zoro looked toward them and aimed one of his blades toward them. "If you guys wanna keep this going, we're more than happy to oblige!"
Whet happened next came as quite the surprise. The marines threw they're weapons into the air, cheering in joy.
"WE'RE FREE! WE'RE FREE!"
"YAHOO!"
"THEY BEAT HIM! I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY ACTUALLY BEAT HIM!"
"QUICK! WE GOTTA LOCK HIM UP, BEFORE HE COMES TO!"
Robin chuckled at the sight of the celebrating soldiers. "Looks like the townsfolk weren't the only ones who couldn't stand Morgan and his son."
She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of sniffling from afar. Turning back, she saw that Coby was huddled up into a ball, weeping to himself. She frowned as she made her way over to the boy, touching his shoulder to bring him out of himself. Coby's head shot up, taking notice of her. Once he laid eyes on her, he felt a fresh set of sobs overcome him and he clung to her leg in desperation. The scholar's heart went out to him, as she placed a comforting hand on his head, letting him weep for his lost dream.
A familiar red headed woman stood herself up from where she knelt, wiping her head of sweat. "Sorry, boys!"
The two marines she had just finished tying up growled into their gags and thrashed in their ropes, while the girl walked casually into Morgan's office, winking at them mockingly as she closed the door behind her.
The girl made her way around the mad captain's desk, finding a safe fixed into the side of a wall. Grinning with glee, she got to work on cracking the safe open, placing her ear to the door as she turned the knob back and forth. Hearing a loud click, she beamed as she opened the door.
"Bingo!" The girl pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. "If the rumors are true, this should be a map that leads to the Grand Line! This'll be worth a fortune!"
The red head opened up the paper, the smile on her face fell when all she found was a mocking skull and crossbones with a big, red nose on it. To one side was written 'Sorry, Sucker! Love Buggy XX'.
"Buggy…" The girl was well aware of the crazy pirate clown of the Grand Line, and how vicious and protective he was of his treasure.
…And now the map she had her sights set on was now in his grasp.
She crushed the paper in her hand, a snarl appearing on her face.
"Whew!" Zoro sat back in his chair, patting his stomach. "I almost forgot what food tasted like after those three weeks!"
"No way I could go that long without food!" Luffy spoke through a full mouth, before swallowing it in one massive gulp. "I probably wouldn't last a day!"
Robin chuckled at Luffy's answer, lifting up a fork full of food. She had been sharing her portions between her and the rubber boy, a small reward for taking down the mad captain.
The newly formed pirate trio was celebrating their victory over Morgan and his son, back at the eatery owned by the little girl's mother who snuck in food for the former pirate hunter. The same little girl walked up to the three of them, holding another large trey of food for Shells Town's heroes. "Here you go!"
"Thanks, kid." Zoro showed his gratitude by rubbing his hand on the little girl's head, making her blush and run back around the counter. There, her mother was busy cooking up plenty more for the ones who defeated Morgan. "You didn't have to do all of this, you know."
"Nonsense!" The mother exclaimed. "You've done more for this town than anyone has in a long time! Thanks to you, the marines under Morgan's rule were able to lock up that monster and his son! You're all heroes!"
To one side, Coby could be found sipping on a glass of juice, a solum expression on his face. His shoulder had been bandaged up after taking a shot from one of Morgan's men.
Luffy seemed to take offense to the mother's claim, swallowing the fork full of food from Robin in a millisecond. "We're not heroes! We're pirates!"
The little girl grew curious at the straw hatted boy's words, walking up to him with bright, wondering eyes. "You're a pirate?"
"I sure am!" Luffy declared proudly. "And I'm on my to becoming the Pirate King!"
"Wow…" The little girl was in awe. She then looked over to the woman by his side. "So, does that mean you're gonna be the Pirate Queen?"
Robin nearly choked on the food she had just put in her mouth. Luffy went as stiff as a board. Even Coby ended up spurting his drink out of his nose when the question came out. Zoro heaved back in laughter, beyond glad to see the woman who had messed with him show a crack in her demeanor.
Robin wiped her mouth with a napkin before turning toward Luffy. Luffy looked back at her, and when their eyes met, the both looked away, thick blushes across both their faces.
"W-well…Um…" Robin was finding it difficult to find anything to say. Luffy kept his eyes covered with his hat, doing everything he could to avoid looking at anyone at that moment.
"Now, now, dear!" The mother came to the flustered couple's rescue. "Let's not bother them too much."
The little girl frowned at not getting an answer, until her eyes lit up once more. "But, wait If he's gonna be the Pirate King, does that mean you're all going to the Grand Line?"
Thankful for the change of subject, Robin looked back at the little girl. "Why, yes, that's true! You know about the Grand Line?"
"My mommy tells me stories about it at bedtime!" The little girl explained. "She says the Grand Line is a dangerous place, filled with sea-monsters and pirates, and the weather is so crazy, its like it has a mind of its own! She says that the only one to have ever sailed the whole thing, was Gold Roger himself!"
Luffy chuckled. "Well, pretty soon, he's not gonna be the only one!"
"Wow…" The little girl was in awe of the straw hatted boy. Robin even noticed a small blush on her face as she propped her head in her hands. The scholar smiled at her actions, recognizing a bit of herself in the small child.
Luffy kept on chuckling, until he stopped. Something felt off. He looked back to spot Coby sitting by himself. "Hey, Coby?" The pink haired boy looked up in surprise. "Isn't this the part where you start saying 'You can't do it!' and 'It's impossible!' by now?"
Coby gave a humorless chuckle. "No…You've proven that you can do just about anything you want, Luffy. There's no way I can stop you."
Everyone grew concerned for the boy. Robin decided to speak up next. "Coby…are you alright?"
Coby just stared blankly into his glass. "I've got nothing left. When I was stuck on Alvida's ship, I was always dreaming of becoming a marine. But now that I've seen what the Navy's really like…there's no point. And it's not like I'm any strong to begin with. I wouldn't last a day in training!"
The pink haired boy heaved a sigh. "I guess my dream will just…stay a dream…"
Robin frowned for the boy. Luffy looked at the pink haired boy with a blank stare. Zoro had his eyes closed in a solum manner. The mother and her daughter were silent after hearing the boy's heart-breaking words.
Suddenly, the front bar doors to the eatery were opened, and in walked Morgan's former second-in-command. He marched in with authority, briskly approaching the three pirates sat at the table. "Pardon me!"
Luffy looked up at the man with a mouth full of food. Zoro cracked an eye open, and Robin looked at the man with slight distaste. She had a vague idea of what was about to happen.
"On behalf of me and my men, we thank you for removing Morgan from his position of power!" He spoke in a stern tone. "However, is it true that you all claim to be pirates?"
"Yep!" Luffy answered without a shred of hesitation.
"I see…" The second-in-command looked away for a moment before re-composing himself. "If that is the case, then as the new commander of the Shell's Town navy marine base, I am to place you under arrest!"
Shock and awe filled the room, along with the crowd of pedestrians that had gathered outside the eatery. Coby blanched; How much more crooked could these guys be?!
"You cowards!" A man from outside shouted. "How dare you do this to them!"
"They saved our town, and this is how you thank them?!" A woman shrieked in outrage.
"You're just as bad as Morgan!" More and more people grew angry, demeaning the heroes of the town be left alone.
"SILENCE!" The new commander roared, making the townsfolk stop they're ranting in an instant. He took a deep breath before continuing. "However…We can't thank you enough for what have done. You don't seem like the kind of people who would take advantage of us. So, as a sign of our gratitude, we are giving you a chance to leave this island. We shall not pursue you, nor report you. You are free to go, but you must leave immediately."
The trio of pirates, along with the pink haired boy, stayed silent for a while, absorbing the navy man's explanation. Luffy chewed on a mouth full of food, before swallowing it with an audible gulp. "Okay!"
"Okay?!" Coby shot up from his seat. Zoro and Robin didn't seem so shocked by the captain's decision.
"Yeah," Luffy shrugged at the pink haired boy. "If they don't want us here, then they don't want us here. We are pirates after all, so it makes sense, right?"
Zoro smirked at the straw hatted boy's logic, getting up from his seat. Robin stood up as well, taking Luffy's hand as she did.
The straw hatted boy then looked back to the still stunned Coby. The two of them shared a look, Luffy giving him a supposed blank stare, that seemed to cut right through the pink haired boy. After a silent minute passed between them, Luffy turned back and continued to the door. Coby could only stay frozen in place as the others walked away.
"Hold it!" The new commander cried out, stopping the trio for a moment. "What about him? Isn't he with you?" The navy man pointed to Coby, who visibly shook at the accusation.
Luffy looked back to Coby, seeing him shaking like a leaf. The straw hatted boy simply shook his head. "Nope, he ain't with us."
Coby felt hurt by his first ever friend's harsh words, but then smiled bittersweetly. It made sense, didn't it? If Coby had no attachment to Luffy, he could have a better chance of getting into the navy. But after everything that's happened, did he still want to be in the navy?
"But, he was part of Alvida's crew!" He heard the straw hatted boy exclaim, making him shoot his head up in utter fright. What was Luffy doing?!
"She's this big, ugly walrus of a pirate lady," Luffy described with a motion of his arms, to emphasis just how fat this lady Alvida was. "And Coby was her cabin boy, weren't you, Coby?"
The pink haired boy could only stare at Luffy, as he bounded up to him and continued to taunt him. "You did anything that ugly old hag told you to do, huh? You're just her little push-over aren't you?"
"Luffy, what are you-!" Coby was cut off when Luffy started poking him in the head with his finger, like he just could cause he wanted to. Like he could get away with it. Like there was nothing to stop him.
Like Coby wouldn't do anything about it…
"Coby's just her four-eyed punching bag!" Luffy laughed. "Anytime anyone wants to make themselves feel better, they come looking for poor, little, defenseless Coby and hit him, and hit him, and hit him, and hit-!"
"SHUT UP!" Coby surprised himself, and everyone else, excluding Robin and Zoro, by throwing a frustrated punch in Luffy's face, being able to knock his treasured straw hat right off his head.
Coby just stood there, stunned. He stared at his still clenched fist with bewildered eyes.
What did he just do?!
A snicker drew his attention to Luffy, who cracked a smile from where he stood. His snicker turned to outright laughter. "What, you actually standing up for yourself now?!"
Coby was at a loss for words, until Luffy drove his fist into his face, sending him flying back to the bar. Propping himself up, Coby could do nothing as Luffy unleashed a barrage of fists, beating him close to unconsciousness. "You think you can hit me and get away with it?! I'm a pirate! I can do as I please! And no one here is gonna stop me! No one! Not even you!"
"That's enough!" The commander stepped in and broke up the one-sided fight. "Clearly, he is no friend of yours! Now, get off our island, or I'll have you arrested here and now!"
"Okay!" Luffy smiled like he had done nothing wrong, made his way back to his two man crew, and left.
Coby was nursing the bruises given to him by his so-called friend. Why would Luffy do that to him? After all they'd been through together? It was like he was trying to alienate himself on purpose…
And that's when it hit him.
Coby instantly stood up at attention, steel in his eyes. "Excuse me, sir!"
The new commander was surprised by this change in the cowardly boy's demeanor, but let him continue.
"I wish to join the Navy! I want to offer what services I can to bringing true justice to the seas!" Coby stated without hesitation.
The leading navy man was stunned by this. Was this boy for real?
A lone marine marched up to the new commander, leaning his head in to whisper. "Sir, I don't think we should let him in. Pirates are notorious for sending spies into our ranks…"
"I'm not a pirate!" Coby stated fearlessly. "Allow me to prove myself!"
The new commander looked this boy in the eye. He seemed genuine in his plea, and after taking that vicious beating, it shows this boy has more resolve than the average man. Most importantly, when he was disabling Helmepoo, he showed great discomfort in what the Navy truly was, and he still wanted to be one of them.
This boy was something else…Something the Navy just might need…
The commander walked past the boy, seeming to refuse looking him in the eye. Coby continued to stare forward, resolve thick in his expression.
"Becoming a marine is no walk in the park," The commander spoke. Coby's stern expression disappeared in an instant, turning to face him. "You'll shed blood, sweat and tears before you can be called navy material. Only those with the right stuff make it through, and even then, that's when the real work begins." The Navy man turned around, a smile on his face. "Do you think you have it in you?"
Coby's eyes lit up. His dream was coming true. He was going to be a marine!
He gave the commander an excited salute. "Yes, sir! I won't let you down!"
The pirate trio had made their way to the small dingy at the docks, which Zoro was not happy to see. They unfurled the sail and were on their way out to sea.
The swordsman looked back at the town he had spent close to month in, and couldn't help but give a humored grin. "Well, that's one way of saying goodbye. What if that kid hates your guts now?"
"It's okay if he does," Luffy merely grinned. "Marines are supposed to hate pirates, right?"
Robin laid herself over Luffy, planting a kiss on his cheek and snuggling into him. "Well, I think that was very sweet of you to do that for him, Luffy." The straw hatted boy beamed as he wrapped an arm around his girl.
"So, you were in on it to?" Zoro laid back on his side of the boat, placing his arms on the back of his head.
"Of course," The dark haired girl notified. "How was Coby ever to become a marine if he was affiliated with the likes of us?"
"Coby always wanted to be a marine," Luffy closed his eyes, seeming to have one of his rare wise moments. "And I know he'll be a better one than that metal mouthed creep ever was."
"And if you have to fight him in the future?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
Luffy opened his eyes again, and gave his toothy grin. "Then he'll just have to give everything he's got! I'm not gonna let anyone stop me from becoming the pirate king!"
Zoro chuckled, shaking his head at his new captain's answer. What had he gotten himself into?
"Attention!" A loud voice of authority grabbed the attention of the small pirate crew. They looked back to the harbor, and saw the entire fleet of marines standing at attention. Coby was at the front of them all, standing beside the new commander.
Coby, the commander, and the whole fleet, gave the retreating three a salute, showing them respect. "We thank you for relieving us of our former captain! We can never be able to show our gratitude enough! We wish you safe travels on your journey!"
Luffy stood from his spot and began waving his arms in departure. "Bye, guys!" Robin joined him in saying farewells by waving her hand, while Zoro just casually raised his hand in goodbye.
"Luffy!" Coby cried out next. "I know what you did for me! I'll never be able to repay you! I promise to make the most of this chance you've given me! The next time you see me, I'll be a full-fledged marine!"
Luffy chuckled at this. "Later, Coby!"
The pink hired boy seemed to be strong in demeanor, but he was doing everything he could to hold his raging emotions in.
"Good friends are hard to come by…" The pink haired boy snapped his head up at the new commander, who was looking back at him with a thoughtful smile.
He knew what Luffy had done for him as well.
Coby let his tears fall, looking back to his first ever friends and giving them a much stronger salute.
"Saluting a pirate is an affront to the Navy way!" The commander cried out to his men. "As punishment, we will all go without food for two days!"
"Yes, sir!" The fleet obeyed. It was time to get their base back to proper official order.
Coby kept watching the small band of pirates that had freed him from his oppressed life, and more importantly, his own fear. He'll make sure to pay them back, by becoming the best marine the navy ever had.
And when the time comes, he'd be ready to take on the future pirate king as an equal.
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