Chapter II: Alvida's Hideout


Set somewhere near calm belt waters, on and around a remote island.


As soon as the words "King of the Pirates" left his mouth, with timing so uncanny it was difficult to believe the coincidence, he began to notice that the sky was spinning. Sitting up with a start, Luffy looked around to discover that it was not the sky spinning, but him. "It was such a nice day too… how careless of me. You'd think I would have noticed such a huge whirlpool." Taking stock of the scenery, he sighed. "Doesn't look like there is anyone around me. It'd be really bad if this boat wrecks. And to top it all off I can't even swim!" He had conveniently forgotten that swimming really wouldn't help much in this particular situation. Had he chosen to invest in a larger boat his vessel may not have been in such dire straits, but Makino's suggestion had been waved aside with a grumble of, 'you just don't understand the romance of it all.' Sighing at his predicament, he readied himself to abandon ship. "Oh well, here goes nothing." Body coming alight, Luffy's legs started to morph into talons which he could use to clutch the side of his ship. As his body burst into brilliant orange and blue flames it grew many times over. His arms stretched out and spread wide enough to cover the now insignificant whirlpool. 'Cheshire' grin in full force, he jumped into the air just as his dinghy was about to go under. 'It's been a while since I last got the chance to fly. Let's see how fast I can go now.' Facing his palms turned wings toward the vortex's center, he shouted out as he shot off into the distance. "Tori Tori no... Rocket!"


… Offshore of a nearby remote island …

There is a small uninhabited island not far from the East Blue's intersection with the calm and red belts. It does not have a name, but in recent times it has become the base of operations for the $8,000,000 pirate captain, 'Iron Mace Alvida.' Her ship, the 'Swansong,' was moored in a small inlet, bearing traits that left no question as to whom the owner was. A large swan figurehead, with hearts for eyes and an open beak pointed the ship toward sea. Her pink sails were furled but the vessel waved the crew's "Jolly Roger" proudly in the wind. Two makeshift warehouses, a short distance inland from the makeshift pier, have been constructed to store the food, drink, and other plunder that the group had collected over time. Between them is a flag pole bearing the same flag as the docked boat, a swan skull and crossbones with a heart at its center. A well-manicured hand dressed with bright red nails squeaked a slender finger along the balustrade. Lifting up said finger, adorned with a sparkling blood diamond, Alvida noticed a small grey splotch befouling the tip. "Why is there dust on my ship?"

A sniveling man stepped forward, his slight hunchback only emphasizing his deep bow. "I'm so sorry about that Lady Alvida, I thought I had already cleaned the whole deck!" He lifted his eyes and hands toward her. "Just give me a short moment and I shall clean it all again in a jiffy ma'am." She nodded impatiently as the pirate backed away slowly, quickly beginning the process of scrubbing down the ship.

With a self-satisfied smirk she accepted the groveling. Pulling back the purple coat that draped her gorgeous figure she struck a pose as she raised her voice authoritatively. "That's right! I absolutely hate dirty things! I don't want the tiniest speck of dust on my ship. Ever. Do you hear me?" Turning her displeasure toward Coby, a bespectacled pink haired boy, barely a teenager, an unpleasant sneer marred her otherwise beautiful face. "And you! 'Cabin Boy!' You're lucky you have better navigation skills then the rest of these numb-skulls, or else I would've left you to starve for how useless you are! Take the rest of our latest raid to the warehouses, and clean them spotless while you're at it. Oh… and don't forget to clean these." Kicking off her heels she hit her target square in the face.

With a nervous grin and a lowered head, the young man acquiesced at once. "Of course Lady Alvida, right away ma'am!" Grabbing the loot and picking up the heels, Coby took off for land immediately. He did not want to press his luck when his Captain was in such a foul mood. As she watched Coby make his way inland Alvida noticed a small blue and orange blur out of the corner of her eye. Shrugging it off as seeing things, she returned to her favorite task of supervising the men cleaning. But then she heard the crash.

"What was that?" Her tone betrayed her concern as she tried to ascertain the source of the loud collision. "Could it be someone has finally come after me for my new reward? Or is someone out to contest my control of this island? But how would they know to find me here… unless... Coby! That damn brat better not be a part of this. Could it be him? Might he have called on the services of 'The Demon Bounty Hunter,' Roronoa Zoro?"

Hesitant to speak up, but even more afraid of the consequence for remaining silent, one of her henchmen interjected. "But Lady Alvida, how could that be? I heard he was still being held captive by the Marines."

With a scoff Alvida dismissed the simpering man. "If he's the real thing then he must have escaped by now. You should expect nothing less from someone as notoriously evil as that man. I won't have any of you slacking off when people like him could be on their way as we speak! Don't drop your guard!" Pulling several of the men aside, she gave out a few additional instructions. "And you all are coming with me to check on the cabin boy. If he is slouching on the job... or worse, aiding that Zoro character, then he is in for a world of pain."


… A little ways further inland then the warehouses …

Coby grunted in dismay. "Why is it so hard to find this spot every time I head out here?" Trying to pinpoint his hiding place on the island no easy feat. It was frustrating of course, but when he thought about it his pride beat out his irritation. If it took him this long to find his refuge when he knew where it was, then it would be nearly impossible for anybody else find it. Or at least that was what he had thought until today. When he heard the crash the impact was close enough for Coby to see a blue light nearby. Upon arriving in the small clearing in which he had taken up shop in these past two years, he saw the fruit of nearly two years of his labor, a first-rate dinghy, strewn about the grass. Lying in the middle of it all, and taking a nap by the looks of it, was a strange man wearing a straw hat. Putting aside his dismay, he shook the unconscious sleeper's shoulder in an attempt to check on him. "Um, are you alright? You look like you got knocked around pretty good."

With a slow groan the man came to. Shaking off some debris, Luffy laughed the question off. "Ha ha, I'm fine. Just a little surprised, that's all. I did not see that coming!" And he meant it. His last ditch maneuver to shoot out of the whirlpool had been intended to save his boat, but his 'brilliant' idea to test out his speed had resulted with his dinghy now mixed together in the pile of pieces he was cushioned by. "My name is Luffy, and I'm a pirate! Where are we?"

Flinching a bit at learning of his lifestyle, Coby nevertheless answered. "This is the island base of the great and beautiful pirate mistress, 'Iron Mace Alvida.' I'm a cabin boy on her ship, not that I'm all too happy about that." His gaze lowered just to rest on the pieces littered before him. 'I guess dreams really can be too good to come true…'

With a look a faux seriousness, Luffy gave the boy a nod. "Huh, I see. That's not all that important right now though." Coby gave an exasperated sigh that came with a sweat drop. "You wouldn't happen to have a small boat I could steal? Mine got caught in a whirlpool until it ended up smashed here." With a pondering look a lightbulb went off in his head. "Ooh, and some could I take some food too!"

Coby's mind was far from food at that moment after hearing of the teen's circumstances. "Did you just say whirl… whirlpool? You were caught in a whirlpool? Any normal person would have been dead by now!" Calming down and taking one more look at the remains of his makeshift dinghy, he told Luffy the sad reality of the situation. "As for the small boat though… well you're standing on what is left of it. If it wasn't broken I would probably have given it to you. I was going to run away, but I haven't had the guts to do it since I finished up my boat about a month ago. Now I'll never know if I have the guts!" With a resigned grimace, Coby tried to wave off his disappointment. "I have other dreams, but being a cabin boy isn't so bad once you get used to all the chores…"

Luffy looked at the boy with a blank stare. "If you have other dreams you should leave and go after them." Shaking his head at how foolish the boy was acting, he stifled a yawn. "But again, not important. Didn't you hear the second part about getting some food? I could eat a whole sea king right about now with how tired I am. You would not believe how much energy it took to get here after getting sucked down by that whirlpool."

Selectively hearing what the newly minted pirate said once more, Coby responded with a fierce nodding of his head no. "No, I can't! It would never work. Whenever I think of Lady Alvida finding out, my legs turn to mush, and I get so scared. I'm surprised I got as far as I did making my boat." His eyes drift upward as he recalls his unfortunate start to pirating. "That day… if only I had paid more attention. I was only supposed to go fishing, but I accidentally stepped onto a pirate ship instead." Gazing back down he looked at the pirate across from him. "Since then had to spend these last two years as a cabin boy just to stay alive."

Laughing at Coby's response, Luffy replied, in the only manner he knew how; with no filter between mind and mouth. "Wow, you're really stupid! That ship I flew over is way too big to be a fishing boat." With a flash of annoyance his face grew serious. "And you keep forgetting about my food! That's the most important thing we've talked about so far!"

With a nervous chuckle and an arm drawn behind his head, Coby finally acknowledged the request for food. "Eh heh heh, well we have a warehouse just a little way away where we store all the food we can't eat after raiding cargo ships. I suppose you could take some of that." Sparing one final look at the rubble of his get-away boat, he started to lead the pirate away. "We should really hurry though. I'm sure Lady Alvida and half the crew heard that crash. I seriously doubt she will take all too kindly to you stealing her food." Keeping the conversation moving he asked the man following behind him a question. "Hey Luffy… why are you sailing? If I was brave enough, I would want to become strong and protect justice as a Marine, but you're right. But that will never happen. You're right, all I am is stupid and useless."

Still smiling, Luffy's mouth spoke without thinking once more. "I want to become 'King of the Pirates!'" But his mind was still running on the same tracks as before. "But about this food… what are we talking about here? How much is there? Is it the good stuff, or has it been sitting around for a while. And of course I will be able to grab some meat there, right?"

Coby stopped with a jump and turned around to face the pirate. "What? Pirate King? But that is the title of someone who has attained everything this world has to offer." Spreading his arms out wide as if to block Luffy's way, he continued. "Are you telling me that you are looking for the 'World's Greatest Treasure,' the 'One Piece?!' Do you want to die or something? All of the pirates in the world are looking for that treasure. It's impossible. Absolutely impossible. Utterly, utterly impossible. To become the 'Pirate King' in this day and age, the 'Great Pirate Era;' there is just no chance. It is utterly impossible!" His blathering was stopped by a knock on his skull though. A knot began to form atop his head. "Why did you hit me?"

With an irritated huff Luffy pushed the boy forward so they could continue their journey to the warehouse. "Because you were being annoying and not leading me closer to food. Besides, if all of the other pirates are looking for 'One Piece,' why shouldn't I? Either way, I'm not afraid of dying." His eyes took on a steely glint. "If it is for my dream… well when it is for something important to me, I wouldn't mind dying to protect it. Becoming the 'Pirate King' has been my dream since I was a child, and I will see that dream come to fruition or die trying. Otherwise, what makes life worth living?"

Coby's eyes grew slightly wider as he looked up at his traveling companion awestruck. 'Such amazing resolution… he wouldn't even mind death…? I never thought about it like that.' "Do you think, if I was willing to die too, that I might be able to accomplish my goal? Do you think that I might be able to become a Marine?" Luffy tilted his head to the left in confusion. "I know it means that we would be enemies, but ever since I was kidnapped by Alvida it has been my dream to joining the Marines and go around catching bad guys! Do you think I can do it?"

Finally arriving at the warehouse after their short trip, the guest immediately began clearing the shelves of food at an alarming rate. Shrugging, he called back while he went to town on the feast laid out before him. "How should I know, I just met you?" Luffy had already cleared the first shelf before the terrified teen had managed to build up the nerve long enough to speak out. "Not that it really matters, I'm just glad I found you. I haven't had anything to eat in hours!" He then proceeded to devour the contents of the second shelf. "Who are you anyway? And why aren't you trying to stop me if this will make her so mad?"

But Coby hardly heard the pirate's reply. "As long as she doesn't find out that it was me who showed you where the food is, I could care less about whether she is happy or not." He grabbed an apple from the storage compartment and plopped himself down across from Luffy. Gripping his fists he resolved himself to believe in his dream. "I have to at least try though! I'd rather die trying to get out of here to go join the Marines than stay here and be her cabin boy for the rest of my life. One day I'll become an Admiral, and everyone will know the name Coby! Then I'll be able to arrest people like Alvida!" As soon as it had come the boys resolve started to fade. "She's just so strong though! Not only does she wield a massive spiked mace, but she also has some weird ability that protects her from harm."

That response miraculously pulled Luffy's attention from the rapidly depleting food stores. Donning a blank expression with sparkling eyes and drool hanging from his mouth, he was soon day-dreaming about his future crew mates. "What? No way, that is so cool! I have to get her to join my crew, she sounds really tough!" He gave a loud belch before talking again. "I just hope eating all of your food doesn't affect her decision too negatively..."

And indeed, while Coby had been focused on his hand wringing the last of the food disappeared into the visitor's stomach. "Wait... what? You ate all of the food? How is that even possible?" Shaking his head, he tried desperately to raise the alarm in the 'Straw Hat's' head. "We are at least a week away from the nearest town that will allow pirates to resupply! If we don't run across an enemy ship we can raid, there are going to be a lot of angry sailors. You have to run now while we still have time; Lady Alvida is going to kill you no matter what you do now…"

Having overheard the last portion of the duo's conversation, Alvida stepped back from the building and heaved her weapon at the door with a mighty toss. Spinning forward at incredible speeds, the bludgeon tore through the door and collapsed the ceiling on top of the pair. Picking up her weapon from the rubble, she began to speak. "My my, what do we have hear? Who did you say you were going to arrest Coby?! Do you really think I'd let you escape from me? After all the good use I've put your navigation skills to over the past couple of years it is going to be a shame to have to kill you. But after you've brought a bounty hunter here to capture me there really isn't any choice." Eyeing the newcomer up and down, Alvida sneered "And who are you, thief? Don't tell me you haven't heard of me… You don't seem to be Roronoa Zoro though. If anything, you look rather wimpy." Turning back to her cabin boy, she put on an adorable pout and an air of faux disappointment. "I'm hurt. If you are going to send someone after me, at least have the courtesy to hire the best!"

Luffy pulled Coby and himself from the destroyed storage facility, and set the petrified boy down. Completely ignoring what was just said, and the manner in which it was said, he pointed his finger at the stunningly attractive Alvida. "Hey, who's the rude wench?" The entourage escorting the female Captain let their jaws drop to the ground. "I definitely think would remember hearing about such an ugly personality." A vein in her forehead visibly pulsated as Luffy continued to taunt her. "Sorry for taking all your food! I'm afraid I won't be able to let you take this out on Coby here though, I kinda need to borrow him so that he can take me someplace I can find a new ship." A thought occurred to him. "Say… would you mind if we borrow your supply boat to get there, would you?"

Reverting back to his cowardly habits, Coby rushes up and grabs the oblivious pirate by the shoulders. "Luffy! Quick, repeat after me! 'In all the high seas, Lady Alvida is the most…'" However, before the compliment could fall through his lips, a flash of disappointment in his new friend's eyes stopped him short. He recalled the words of wisdom this pirate had bestowed upon him when they had met, and he made up his mind. "In all the high seas, Lady Alvida is… the rudest damn wench of them all!" Putting his hands over his head, Coby crouched on the floor beneath him. 'I won't regret it. I've already told myself I am willing to fight for my dreams.'

Flabbergasted, Alvida just stood there blood boiling. Not only had this odd stranger insulted her, but now that pathetic weakling Coby dared to disparage her with his words. Lifting her weapon of choice, she prepared her furious rebuttal. "Do you think you're funny shrimp? I will punish Coby as I see fit, and you too! Now you little brats, time to die!" Swinging down her mace with surprising speed, the blow connected using as much force as she could muster. Coby whimpered as he saw his barely begun life flash before his eyes.

Luffy however had remained calm, and now stood in front of the terrified kid with Alvida's attack firmly embedded into his left shoulder. "Well said Coby! Now get behind me." He hissed in pain as she yanked her spiked club from his body. "Ouch, that really hurt. Coby wasn't kidding when he said you were both beautiful and strong! You have to join my crew now! We could really use someone like you. That is, of course, entirely dependent on you apologizing for shanghaiing the brat behind me. And for calling me a shrimp."

The people not named Luffy looked at him askance, faces pulled into masks of confusion. Coby's thoughts were expressed in a sweat-drop. 'We? Is he already counting me as part of his crew?' Alvida's face was far more revealing of her thoughts though. A deep blush formed on the female devil fruit user as mixed feelings momentarily paralyzed her. 'Does he have any sense of self-preservation? He admired her strength, had incredible confidence, and was without a doubt unafraid of her...' It hadn't been all that long since the day she had consumed the Sube Sube no Mi, letting her slip off bodily imperfections with ease. Prior to that event, Alvida had been grossly overweight, and her self-confidence had not yet fully recovered. Hearing someone not cowed into submission complimenting her made her feel better then she had expected.

Waving his hand in front of their faces, Alvida and Coby woke with a start. "Are you guys in there? We should probably hurry this along, I'm getting hungry again, shishishi!" Seeing their jaws drop again, he barked out a laugh. It was beginning to become clear why Shanks had so much fun messing with him when growing up. It was just too much fun to resist the urge!

Alvida was the first to recover from their shock. Ridding herself of internal distractions she charged Luffy once more, aiming her next attack at the shoulder she hadn't yet attacked. Closing in she landed her swing and smiled at having disabled his arms. "Tough luck 'Straw Hat' but this time victory is mine."

However, before she could remove the weapon her victim smirked. With his wounded arm now completely uninjured, he delivered a flaming orange fist directly to her face. Or at least he tried. Just as Coby hinted at earlier, his punch merely brushed over her skin in a smooth motion. Unfortunately for Alvida her natural defense was not going to be enough this time. Having practiced with his devil fruit abilities over the years, Luffy had discovered that the orange flames he could produce inflict an invisible burn upon contact; a non-physical burn that will not fade until submerged in sea water. She gripped her cheek reflexively from the pain, only to find the burning sensation spread to her hand. "Is it now?" Coming up with a plan quickly, he transformed once more into his phoenix form and flew right at his opponent. "Tori Tori no... Body Slam!" Charging her with a more controlled flight pattern then before, Luffy managed to shove his slippery foe with enough force to topple her into the supply boat she had tied to the main vessel. Rushing over, he smiled upon finding his aim was true. Grabbing Coby he jumped over the balustrade and cut the line connecting the ships. With a shout toward the pirates they were leaving behind, he had Coby unfurl the sails. "Thanks for the ship guys, and good luck! I'm sure if you light a flare someone will be happy to send the Marines to investigate!"


...Sometime later, out at sea ...

With a splash of salty water Alvida was awoken suddenly by her former cabin boy. Sitting up slowly, she examined her surroundings only to find herself out at sea with Coby and the bounty hunter he had brought to take her down. With a cautious glance, she engaged the small vessel's Captain. "So… what are you going to do with me now? Trade me in for my bounty?" She put up a defiant front, but secretly she was genuinely concerned. The pirate in the straw hat had some sort of weird power, just like her, which she gratefully noticed was no longer causing her any pain.

Giving her a confused expression in response, Luffy disavowed her of the notion. "But I'm a pirate! What sort of king would I be if I turned in all my men…"A piercing glare met his gaze. "… and women like that." With a nervous chuckle worthy of Coby he quickly blurted out an offer that again shocked the boy. "Besides, you're so strong! It must be fate that we met. I'm putting together a crew right now, and I just so happened to land on your island! Pleeeaaasssee join my crew! I promise it'll be fun!" Alvida also experienced a moment of déjà vu as another deep blush crept into her face. Changing topics as if he hadn't just made an enormous request of her, Luffy started to address both of his passengers. "Speaking of new crew members, who was that bounty hunter you were talking about?"

With the pirate mistress in stunned silence, it was Coby's responsibility to speak up. "Oh him? That would be a rather scary character. Roronoa Zoro; he is also known as the 'Demon Pirate Hunter of the East Blue.'" His tone lowered, as if he was afraid to talk of the man even when he was nowhere near. "Rumors say that he's like a bloodthirsty hound. He wanders around this sea and hunts down fugitive whose bounties get high enough. He is a monster in the form of a man." Adding on a detail he thought would dissuade the pirate, Coby continued. "It will be impossible to get to him anyway, he is locked up on the Marine base located in Shells Town. You should just drop the idea of recruiting him."

Finding her voice again, Alvida joined in on the topic. "I hate to agree with him, but if I'm going to be stuck with you for a while… regardless, I'd like to avoid that man as well if possible. He has made his career cutting down bounties before they reach $10,000,000. Why in the world would a man like that join up with some no name pirate like you?"

Thinking hard Luffy let out a sigh. "A monster, huh? Well now he has to join my crew!" Alvida and Coby shared a groan. After a moment spent laughing at their dismay, he grew more serious. "I haven't really made up my mind yet about recruiting him." At this his companions' groans became sighs of relief. "But if he's a good guy…" letting his words trail off their groans began anew.

Trying to play the role of a 'reasonable voice,' Coby did his best to talk him down from his as-of-yet unmade decision. "He's arrested because he is bad! Why else would the Navy lock up one of their best pirate deterrents? We should just shift course toward a different island before we go too far in that direction to turn back!" With big and hopeful eyes, he silently pleaded with his savior. Unfortunately for him, some dreams truly are too good to become true.

"Full speed ahead for Shells Town!" And with that, Alvida and Coby resigned themselves to a crazy adventure that would alter the course of their lives.